Short Story: Their Boss

On good days, their boss is the cool rock who anchors their gift shop. The charismatic charmer to pull customers in, the fair manager to assuage complaints, the sharp eyes to save their wares from sticky fingers.

On bad days, their boss is a firestorm in human form. Not even customers are safe from the razor tongue, and the regulars have long learned to stay away from their boss’ infamous temper.

On catastrophic days, the air is heavy with their boss’ displeasure, and the whole street will close their doors for the day instead of running the risk of getting caught in the crossfire. The staff stationed outside, whose usual role is to attract people through the doors, have the important duty of turning customers away for their own safety.

Inside the basement of the gift shop, a secret meeting takes place.

“All clear. Now, how can I help you this time, your majesty?”

~End~

Genre: general

Short Story: Noisy Shadows

Outside the tent, howls fill the air as the wind whips the trees into a frenzy.

Her little cousin looks up from the picture book, eyes wide.

“They’re monsters outside,” he says in a loud whisper.

The shadow wolves paw at her barrier, limbs long and and fur thick under the bright moonlight. But if even a hoard of dragons couldn’t leave a scratch after two days, what can these lowly lupines do?

“Don’t worry. Nothing can get in here,” she says.

She snaps her fingers and conjures an illusion of the heroic ranger in the book. Her cousin’s attention immediately leaves the noisy shadows outside to the adventure in the colourful pages.

“Hidden in the dense branches, the ranger nocks an arrow without a sound…”

~End~

Genre: fantasy

Short Story: Internship Catalyst

He was the one to suggest the internship. His company just wrapped up their peak season, and a few of his staff had finally taken the long holiday they deserved. It would be the perfect downtime to ease the interns into what work could be like, while his staff could get some extra hands to help them while their colleagues were away.

On the surface, everyone looked happy, and after the series of all-nighters he pulled, he was too tired to dig deeper.

He regretted his complacency.

He had staff who were fatigued and even more stressed from handling their own workload and picking up the slack from the interns who wanted to play more than work. He had interns being taken advantaged of by his staff into doing things they shouldn’t be doing, professionally or personally.

These were all people he recruited personally, and it was a sour discovery to meet the darkness lurking under the friendly faces. He purged the bad apples without mercy, both among his staff and the interns.

By the end of the season, the company was left with a skeleton crew held together with mulish determination and fledgling hope. Between the huge change and the lingering suspicions, it would be a difficult year ahead. But he would persevere, and he would take care of anyone who walked along with him, new or old.

~End~

Genre: general

Short Story: Hidden Setting

The avian microphones fan around her in a half circle. A year ago, her own prototype was the only one of its kind in existence. Now, they’re everywhere she looks.

“As the winner of last year’s creator competition, what insight can you offer this year’s contestants?” a reporter asks. The other reporters and support staff crowd around him, blocking her from the community hall that’ll host the tournament.

Her personal recorder perches on her shoulder, installed with more secrets than the imitations can ever copy.

“Don’t submit something if you’re not ready for other people to take it,” she says.

For some, the annual contest is their only way to gather the capital and connections needed to be an inventor, with losing their intellectual property as the unfortunate cost.

Then there are people like her, who lean into the system and work it to their benefit instead.

Alone, there is a limit to how many of her bird-like device she can create. But now that her copies are everywhere, all she needs to do is connect their data to her original creation. As she nudges her way through the crowd, her avian companion links to all the imitation recorders along the way.

With this, she’s one step closer to finding her missing mentor.

~End~

Genre: general

Short Story: First Sun’s Light

Every morning, before the first sun peeks over the horizon, he sits before his mirror. He sticks on his whiskers, pin on his ears, snap on his tail. With almost two years of daily practice, he can apply the prosthetics with his eyes closed, but in this world where any oddity results in death at best and capture at worst, there is no room for error.

By the time the second sun rises, he looks like any other local beastman. He checks for any flaws in his disguise under the new lighting, and only stands after everything’s perfect.

He used to spend his days looking for a way back home. Now, whether he likes it or not, this strange dimension is home.

The first task of the day is breakfast. He has half an hour to cook a tasty meal for the orphans under his care, then he’ll spend the rest of his morning helping the kids put on their prosthetics.

And then they’ll step out, not a fur out of place, as they start their day among the locals.

~End~

Genre: fantasy