A Hedgehog, a Witch, and a Young Girl Part 3

The shack looked as abandoned as ever when we walked up to it. White wooden fence, piles of snow curling around each post... it looked mundane. I wanted to peer at the shack, stare at it until I found the clue that revealed why this wasn’t normal. But I also knew if I looked close …

A Hedgehog, a Witch, and a Young Girl Part 2

We walked across town, my hand in their paw. It was a cold day, and there weren’t many people around. A few times cars passed us, and once there was somebody walking the other way on the other side of the street. Each time I squeezed Johannes paw tighter, heart pounding. I was worried what …

A Hedgehog, a Witch, and a Young Girl Part 1

“I wish I was as brave as you.” Johannes looked over their shoulder, and grinned. Their knit red head was drooping over their eyes. “C’mon, there’s nobody here. It’ll be okay.” I shivered, and looked around the frozen winter landscape. We were on the edge of town, outside a ruined shack. Johannes had just jumped …

The Joys of Cheese

I am sleeping on the floor. I hear the noise of someone opening the door to the food-box. I perk up my ears but I do not move. I hear someone taking food out of the food-box. This is still not enough to make me move. I’m not allowed to eat food out of the …

The Opossum and the Fairy

Inspired by this beautiful artwork: https://twitter.com/Raiilynezz/status/1093527859430387712 Creatures of flesh and blood live on food, on water, on air and sunlight. They grow old over time, even as they consume these things, and eventually they wither and die. Their bodies decay, falling back into the ground and becoming food for others. Creatures of magic do not …

It’s Just Instinct

It was instinct. In moments of crisis, you don’t think, you don’t consider every possible option. You fall back on your training. He fell in front of me. We were on top of a building. We should’ve been safe there. I ran over to him. Yelled in his ear. Nothing. Sternal rub. Nothing. Put my …

Stanley’s Pet Emporium, Pt. 3

Part 1: https://jadedrambling.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/stanleys-pet-emporium-pt-1 Part 2: https://jadedrambling.wordpress.com/2019/01/29/stanleys-pet-emporium-pt-2 TW: misgendering, demonic violence   I draped my coat over a chair on the table, and walked to the cabinets on the far side of the apartment. I set my phone on the counter next to a shot class. One of the cabinets had a sign proclaiming “whiskey” taped …

Stanley’s Pet Emporium, Pt. 2

Part 1: https://jadedrambling.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/stanleys-pet-emporium-pt-1 Part 3: https://jadedrambling.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/stanleys-pet-emporium-pt-3 I walked back into the pet store, Aisley behind me. There was a bio team crouched around the wolf, poking at its neck and gesturing with an urgent energy. Their voices were too muffled for me to make out anything they were saying. I ignored them. I glanced at …

Stanley’s Pet Emporium, Pt. 1

Part 2: https://jadedrambling.wordpress.com/2019/01/29/stanleys-pet-emporium-pt-2 Part 3: https://jadedrambling.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/stanleys-pet-emporium-pt-3 It wasn’t quite nine in the morning, and I already wanted a drink. Coffee or whiskey, it didn’t really matter which. “I didn’t see anything, man!” Scratch that. I definitely wanted the whiskey. There were only two witnesses to the crime who spoke any english, and I was trying …

A Gift of Wood and Warmth

The blue and green lights flickered across the night sky, casting an unearthly light across the field of snow below. Each ribbon danced across the sky, looking for all the world like it was cutting into an invisible pouch. The invisible knife danced across the night sky, bleeding blue and green blood into the water …