Imagination is a realm where the lines between reality and fiction blur, and in its convergence lies the potential for both wonder and horror. — This is a response to the Monday Mash-Up #35 by Jonathon Sawyer. The night air carried a hint of the autumn chill to come. Bron the dwarf sniffed at the scent of fallen leaves and smoke from the campfire as he laid out his bedroll. His companions — the human…

“Forgiveness is the gift that we give ourselves and others, to free us from guilt and resentment.” — This story is part of the Seedling Challenge conceived by Bradan Writes Stories. This is the final installment, a Novelette (an optional hardcore end). To start the story from the beginning, click here. Or, to read the last installment, The Abyss’s Embrace, click here. Two days after his father’s disappearance…

A guide to cultivating mindful photography for improved mental health, creativity, and self-expression. — Our world has changed. Now more than ever, we struggle to slow down and stay present in the moment. Our minds race with thoughts of the past or future; we seldom think of the present. This is precisely what mindfulness is about — being fully aware without judgment or distraction. …

“Though my icy vigils shall cease, perhaps traces of the enduring spirit I sheathed here shall persist, even when all else fades to time’s relentless march.” — This is a story in response to Idea #6 of JF Danskin’s “Writing Prompts as the Seasons Turn” challenge. I am ancient. I first blustered over this isolated mountain hamlet seasons ago when the silver-tressed elders resting by the hearths now were barefooted peasant children long before.

Normalcy is just an illusion masking the horror that waits in the wings for its turn to play. — This is a response to the Monday Mash-Up #37 by Jonathon Sawyer. The sweet tang of spilled chemicals and a faint undercurrent of singed hair wafted through the stuffy air of Mr. Bernard’s 12th-grade chemistry class. Wooden cabinets of a bygone era lined the peeling mint-green walls with contents a…

“This broken world has ruthlessly annihilated all beauty and joy, erasing them as if they had never sparkled under the sun.” — Elias Morrow, a survivor of a global catastrophe that turned most people into savage infected, writes his memoir in a leather journal he found. He reflects on his father’s advice, his philosophy, and his purpose in a dystopian world. The Lone Wanderer Pentalogy Edit descriptionarcrocker.medium.com

“The beast within is not a curse, but a part of oneself that one must accept and control.” — In the heart of a desolate wasteland, at the crossroads of destiny, stands a man named Lucian. When a mysterious stranger reveals a shocking truth to him, Lucian grapples with his new, terrifying reality. …

“By his life of service, and by his death of sacrifice, he lights our path.” — This is a response to the Monday Mash-Up #36 by Jonathon Sawyer. The shrill beep of the alarm clock jarred Captain Victor Saxon awake. He fumbled to silence it, squinting against the dim overhead light. Another day aboard the starship Aurora. Saxon dragged himself out of the rumpled sheets. The…

“By writing, we affirm that our humanity endures, that reason illuminates irrationality, and that we impose shape on shapelessness even as civilization crumbles around us.” — Elias Morrow, a survivor of a global catastrophe that turned most people into savage infected, writes his memoir in a leather journal he found. He reflects on his father’s advice, his philosophy, and his purpose in a dystopian world.