"But lousy sailors. Very well, notify the Board of the Admiralty to use the proceeds from selling apples to initiate their rowboat program. By order of his majesty, et cetera, et cetera. And put my Privy Seal on it." via Pocket
That was Theodora Yates for you: always jumping to conclusions, bless her heart, and that conclusion most often of all. But there was no talking her out of it once she'd made up her mind, so I said, without bothering to ask any questions, "Then we m…
Early on the morning of her seventieth birthday, Magden coiled the rope that moments before had tethered her canal boat to a mooring post, and said, to no-one, "How I ache!" The plan of the day's cruise was clear in her mind, and would start with a …
The cure for cancer exists. It can be found in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil, an intertropical convergence zone in the heart of the country. via Pocket
The sand slithered as if it were alive. Leos knew it was the wind, tugging rivulets of dust in its wake like whipping snakes, but even so. The land here was bad, hostile. They should never have come. via Pocket
It's strange. The school isn't like I imaged it would be at all. I figured it would look more like in the movies, with long hallways of lockers and posters that say things like: 'reading is fun' or have quotes by famous people I've never heard of. B…
It started with a routine-sounding letter from my health insurance company. I opened it quickly because I was in the mood for a snack, and there was a little picture of cherries on the lower right corner of the envelope indicating that they had used…
Gurn levered himself up from his bed of furs, hoping he hadn't cried out. A few embers glowed in the fire pit, casting warm light on the roof of skins. Around him, he heard only gentle breathing and the snoring of his mother. No one else was awake. …
A decade of shavings covered the floor of Lewys's carpentry shop. He didn't bother sweeping any more, although he probably should - wood without magic produces a drab dust that desiccates the throat, shrivels the lungs. He coughed and gulped from hi…
Nelson Towers spent most of his time oiling the feathers. When he had taken the job he had been enticed by the prestige, the travel, and the pay. via Pocket
Pain, true pain, lives outside of time. It arrives in a shear of liminal precognition, the thudding sky before the storm. We formulate routes of escape, believing that the visitor darkening our door could be turned away with the right words. via Poc…
Cheminagium - David Gallay - Metaphorosis Magazine via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2OIohbG
In the heat, even paper seemed to sweat. Dr. Startsev's fingers left wet stains on the pages of the open notebook, on a number: thirty. Thirty minutes to try and deter the people about to enter his office from doing the irreversible. via Pocket
Memory is a Rumor - Yaroslav Barsukov - Metaphorosis Magazine via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2vTfHjc
Pwela woke to a chill unknown in the Forest of Always Dawn. Tar and peat filled the air, undercutting the perpetual crispness. She shot to her bare feet. While she slept, the Rot Thing had stolen her warmstone. via Pocket
Always Dawn to Forever Night - Luke Elliott - Metaphorosis Magazine via Instapaper https://ift.tt/2L3vFMx