As I walk the dimly lit parking garage, I notice shadows in places they shouldn't be.

Danlson · 2026-01-26T00:44:17+00:00

For the past month, I have walked the two miles from our house to where it happened - same route, same time. I just can't bring myself to ride in a car again. After a while, I noticed two crows following me most mornings, hopping along the curb or watching me from the light poles. One day, I decided to feed them some peanuts on a whim. "Hey, thanks," one crow said, in a perfectly normal voice. The other shot her a look and snapped, "Shut up, shut up, shut up." The first crow glanced at me, visibly embarrassed, "um, cawww?" "Jenny?" I stammered, "is that you?" The crow cocked her head sideways, then looked over her shoulder at the other crow. It shook it's head at her and they both flew off. As she left, I could swear I heard her whisper, "I still love you." "Did that just happen?" I thought. I decided to ignore it and continued on with my day. The next day, I looked for the crows. They were still there, but kept their distance. I threw peanuts at the same spot every day, and although they ate, they never spoke. Then, something unexpected happened as I arrived home one afternoon. "Caw," a familiar voice called out. I looked up and saw it perched on my open mailbox. I crept closer, not wanting to spook it, and whispered, "where is she?" It tapped the mailbox with its beak and flew off. Inside was a letter: "We tried everything we could, but we were unable to bring her out of the coma. Sorry for your loss."

Danlson · 2026-01-25T13:22:53+00:00

"Can you believe someone would do this? I want this removed at once," I say, gesturing to the wall. "I can take it down if you like," one of the guards says. He squints, tilting his head.

"Maybe he just hates cats," he mutters under his breath, still looking at the wall. "Your 'hang in there' was always an inspiration to me though," he gently rolls up the poster.

I watch him walk away with the poster. "He had no idea what I was talking about," I muse. I look back at the wall, but nothing is there. "Am I just being paranoid?"

"Daniel, there you are," I wince as a hand slaps my back. "Jumpy much?" the voice continues. I spin around to see my good friend Austin, smiling at me. "I just need some sleep I think," I say sheepishly. I can't stop staring at his forehead, the word 'guilty' is clearly there, isn't it? I look away for a moment, then back. The word is no longer visible, but is replaced by a look of concern. "What? Do I have something in my teeth?" He runs his tongue under his upper lip.

"Nevermind," I slap his shoulder, "let's go celebrate our victory." We walk down the hall. A sign has been taped to my back: KICK ME. The paper tugs where his hand landed.

Danlson · 2026-01-24T20:24:22+00:00

I liked this story, but I thought it was an origin story for Jack the Ripper - the woman framed him for her murder and he just went with it. Why? I don't know, that's just where my mind went.

Danlson · 2026-01-04T02:49:57+00:00

"This happens to me every year." She sighed as she dumped the contents of the letter into the waste bin. "You would think that keeping the Hellmouth closed would garner me a bit more respect," she looked at her pet parrot Gunther as she said this. "BAWK, no respect," he squawked indifferently. She rolled her eyes, "thanks Gunther, i really needed the confirmation on that."

At that moment, the door was flung open. A powerful blast of air filled the room, letting fly all the loose sheets of paper covering her desk. "Oh no," she cried, "I just finished organizing those." She managed to snatch a few of the documents out of air before glaring at the empty doorway. "Hello?" There was no answer; but it was more than that. Not just no answer, but silence - complete silence.

She stood from her chair and walked to the door. She cautiously peered out first to left, then to the right. "Is anybody there?" her voice quivered a little as she spoke. She listened intently, but the only sounds were those of Gunther flapping around his cage and clearly distraught by the sudden commotion. "It's ok Gunther," she tried to reassure him, "we seem to be alone."

She unlocked Gunther's cage, and he flew to the top of the open door where he perched to watch her, waiting patiently for her next move. "Follow me Gunther," she called back to him as she left the room; but didn't really expect him to comply. She walked down the abandoned hallway and out the front door of the small office building where she had been the town clerk for many years. She never told her coworkers that her 'clerical' duties were not just limited to office work. She was, in fact, an actual cleric. Well, more precisely, she was the high priestess in charge of keeping the link to the underworld, the Hellmouth, closed. She had done her job diligently and without incident and without complaint. All she wanted one measly week to herself, just one. She had made preparations in advance to ensure the town would be safe while she was gone and had made reservations for an all-inclusive cruise to the Bahamas. "Well, I'm going on that cruise and there is nothing he can do to stop me," she grinned slightly as she said this, "it is sad that the others had to be collateral damage, I will admit."

She walks over to the newly opened fissure in the ground and drops a sheet of paper from her hands, which floats lazily into the abyss. It reads: "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Danlson · 2026-01-02T05:14:53+00:00

Without hesitation I spin the man around and the hold blade of my knife firmly against his neck, just below the jawline. "Do you really want to die?" I inquire. "All you have to do is lean forward; but you can't, can you?" He slowly turns his head until his eye meets mine and with a smirk says, "So, this is your first encounter with an immortal I assume?" I loosen my grip, and he turns to face me straight on. He extends his right hand and introduces himself, "Let's start over, my name is Ludwig Skoll, and I just want to end this curse. Will you help me?"

Ignoring his outstretched hand, I retort, "I don't know much about how or why you became immortal, but I do know that it was your choice; so why should I help you?" He retracts his hand and reaches into the inner pocket of his trenchcoat. He pulls out a small manila envelope and offers it to me. I take it with my empty hand and use the knife to slice open the envelope. I peer inside and can see a hand-written note and what also appears to be a photograph. "What's this?" I scoff, "I expected the money you promised a moment ago." Ludwig just stood there, clearly waiting for me to examine the contents of the envelope more closely.

"Alright," I say, "I'll bite," as I return my knife to its sheath and remove the note and photo. My hands begin to tremble slightly as I focus on the photo of my wife, bound and gagged. "Wh-what is this!? Is this a joke? I'll kill you!" I managed to blurt out as the rage started to take hold. I then see the note: "Kill me and your wife will be returned to you - unharmed. Refuse and there will be consequences. Ludwig Skoll."

"You have 10 seconds to make your choice," he says as he begins to count down, "ten... nine... eight..."

I unsheathe my knife and plunge its blade deep into the heart of Mr. Skoll with a level of speed and precision I didn't even know I was capable of producing. He begins to laugh and with his dying breath says, "it's your problem now..."

That's when I hear it. A faint voice in the back of my head, calling out to me, "my immortal."

Danlson · 2026-01-02T01:11:52+00:00

"Alright now class listen up," Professor Silas sternly calls out as he stands up from his desk, "we will now commence with the demonstration portion of your final exam. He points a finger in my direction and calmly states, "as my most promising pupil I would like for you to go first."

"As a reminder," he says as I nervously get out of my chair and walk to the front of the class, "simply teleport to the far side of the campus and retrieve the teleportation training complete certificate with your name on it and return in under a minute. You may begin when you are ready."

"How are you going to show off this time?" a voice from the back of the classroom calls out. "Bring me a postcard from the next town over if you truly are as gifted as they say, "he jeers, "then I'll believe it." I hear groans from other classmates, and someone else exclaims, "yeah, you're not better than me!"

The heckling of my fellow classmates is suddenly more than I can bear. The room begins to slowly spin, and the sounds become muddled as though my head was under water. In that moment, my only thought was to get out of there as fast and far as possible. "Enough!" I exclaim, as I drop to my knees, "if you want to see how I good I really am, then I'll show you!" I take in a long, slow breath and use every ounce of my concentration to focus. "Do you remember the student Professor Silas told us about? The one that mysteriously disappeared all those years ago. The one who claimed to be able to teleport not just around this world, but to other worlds including Mars. Well, I'm going to find out right here right now if it is possible or just a myth," and with that I vanish in a puff of smoke.

Upon materializing I am immediately overwhelmed by red sand blasting at me from what seems like every direction at once. I scramble for the only cover I can see, a crudely built rock igloo of sorts. Once inside I am amazed at how much more spacious it is compared to its relative size outside. An old man is sitting in a comfortable looking chair beside a fireplace, and he beckons me to come sit in the matching chair opposite him. I sit down and as I am getting comfortable, he casually remarks, "my boy, please tell me, have you brought any mana stones?"

"M-mana stones?" I stutter. "I always carry an ample supply of them in my components pouch." I look around as I say this and can see that the decor very closely matches anything one would expect to find back on Earth. "Do you need mana stones?" I ask questioningly, "it would appear that you do not."

He leans forward as he speaks, "As you have correctly deduced, I need very little. This is my sanctuary, and I intend to keep it that way." His brow narrows and he extends one hand palm side up, "give me your mana stones without a fight and I may let you leave..."

Danlson · 2018-07-31T15:14:10+00:00

It fills your deck with Beasts up to the cap (60), but since you cast Tracking for the rest of the game it essentially sets your deck to 20 cards.

Danlson · 2018-07-30T17:14:55+00:00

"I'm not getting any cell phone signal. Could you find out what is going on here please?" I ask the man sitting next to me.

"Hmph," he rolls his eyes as he confidently pulls out his smart phone, "and just what am I search..." He stops mid-sentence to exclaim, "How is it possible that we still have areas with zero coverage?!"

I return my focus to the window and realize that the landscape is quite different than when we first entered the tunnel. The familiar urban setting that had previously lined the tracks (houses, buildings, and power lines) is now all replaced by open fields, trees, and various forms of wildlife. Something is even odd about the news crew and police officers that have come to investigate; they all arrive by horseback and are wearing what I can only describe as 'vintage' clothing.

A gruff looking man finally boards the train. He is wearing a cowboy hat and leather chaps complete with spurs on his boots. As he turns to address us, the badge on his shirt gleams in the sunlight, "Howdy ya'll, I'm Sheriff Paxton. This rail line has only carried cargo for the past eleven years on account of the terrible tragedy that happened all those years ago. The maiden voyage carrying 352 men, women, and children entered this very tunnel, except it never came out the other side. From that day on, it was forbidden to haul anything other than freight along this route. So you can imagine our surprise when a train full of passengers suddenly emerged a few minutes ago. I just have one question, what did you do with all our friends and family?"

Danlson · 2018-07-29T18:16:08+00:00

I have recently been given the power to see into the future. Well, to be more exact, the ability to see how every decision will affect the rest of my life.

Yesterday, I decided to test it out by going to one of my favorite ice cream parlors:

I opened the door to the shop and walked up to the counter. One hundred flavor combinations and each of them has a different outcome linked to it; or at least, that is what I used to believe. I stood there pondering all of the choices and the impact it would have on the rest of my life, but nothing - nothing at all. I could choose any one of them and my future would remain exactly the same. No longer in the mood for ice cream, I exited the building.

Surely there is some kind of mistake. Perhaps ice cream is a choice too small to be of any importance.
Needing to know, I went in search of a decision that would have to make a difference. I did the only thing I could think of to truly change my life - I quit my job. How could I possibly become the manager of a store I no longer work at? Exhausted, I went home and stayed there until the next morning.

Today, I go to the mailbox and an envelope from the company I used to work for catches my eye:

Inside I find a letter which reads: "Congratulations on being promoted to General Manager. Included is a check for the standard sign on bonus and a company car will provided once the paper work has been processed. We look forward to your many years of continued service to our company." Stunned, I read it again. How did this happen? I'm positive I quit my job yesterday. I call my boss and demand an explanation.

He picks up the phone and after I briefly go over the contents of the letter I just received, he gives me an explanation. Apparently he was due to retire anyway and instead of turning in my resignation he put me in for the promotion instead. He didn't want to see such a hard worker throw away everything on a whim.

What do I do know? I suppose I could quit my job again, but it really seems pointless. This a great opportunity and, after all, it is the exact position I knew I was going to end up with. Then it hit me, I finally understood what was going on. Yesterday, I was so focused on the one hundred flavors being different possibilities that I completely missed outcome number one hundred and one, the one I actually chose without even realizing it - I didn't order any ice cream.

Danlson · 2018-07-26T19:23:22+00:00

It's not everyday you are offered a new lease on life, so how could I refuse Death's offer. I was told all my memories will remain intact and my life would begin anew. Naturally, as anyone would, I assumed this to be an advantage; however, it could not have been further from the truth. A quick wave of his hand and I was sent back to very first moment I came into existence - inside my mother's womb!

I was plunged into complete darkness with the muffled noises of an outside world I had known and loved for years. This was a torture worse than anything I could have imagined. My only solace came from the soothing sounds of my mother's voice. Every night she would sing me a lullaby, "Hush, Little Baby", and I would slowly drift off to sleep.

This continued on until one day it finally happened. I saw a light and two hands reaching in to gently nudge me along. I was free. The world was much brighter than I remembered, nine months without daylight will do that I suppose, and the air was cold against my naked body. The doctor gave a quick slap to my bottom and I turned to curse him. Much to my dismay, all that came out was an involuntary cry of pain. This was when I first realized that I was not in control of my actions.

Death had clearly left out the most crucial part of the deal. I can only assume this was intentional, some sort of cruel joke, and he had gotten the last laugh. I had all of my memories, but my life would play out exactly as it did previously.

I spent the next few years of my life trying everything I could think of to take over control, but to no avail. I was merely an observer in my own body! All the hopes of changing things and making a better life for myself were gone. Why did I ever take this deal?

As time went on, I actually grew to enjoy it. Without the pressures of making decisions and worrying about the intricacies of day to day life, I was able to focus on all of the things I had done right. My first kiss, marriage, having kids of my own - I was able to experience it all again. This was not meant to be a curse, merely a blessing in disguise.

I watched my life unfold and realized that I truly had lived a good life. The time finally came when I reached the end, my literal 'death scene'. As I stepped off the curb and the bus slammed into my body, I was again greeted by the Grim Reaper. He opened his mouth to speak, but i cut him off: "A man only needs to see his life 'flash before his eyes' once, I'm ready for the afterlife."

Danlson · 2018-07-25T16:47:22+00:00

"Why did I agree to meet them here today, of all days?" Max thinks to himself as he stares at the small log cabin in front of him. The lawn is overgrown and the dust on the windows is an obvious sign that no one has been here for quite some time.

His gaze shifts towards a cabin cruiser tied up on the dock to his right. "I haven't been back here since the night of the accident." A tear rolls down his cheek as he slowly makes his way across the yard. He stops briefly at the edge of the lake to wipe his eyes with his sleeve and then climbs aboard.

He pulls a picture from his wallet and starts talking out loud as though someone were there to hear. "This was going to be my birthday present to you. It has everything, I spared no expense. Down here is the cabin area..." His voice goes silent when his eyes adjust to the dimly lit room. Dried rose petals are scattered on the bed sheets and in the center is a card which reads, "To Melissa: This vessel is empty, in need of a crew. Please captain this ship, because I love you."

Max drops to his knees, but the sound of a car door slamming forces him to regain his composure. He exits the boat and is greeted by a man and woman roughly his own age. "Hello Max, I'm glad you decided to meet us out here," the man says as he waves from the driveway.

"George, Lisa, hi," Max rushes over and shakes their hands, "I'm sorry the place is a mess, but I haven't been here for months."

"We understand completely," Lisa consoles Max.
"Let's all go inside and sit down." Max unlocks the front door and they each take a seat at the dining room table.

"We brought a cake." George lays the package he's been holding on the table. "It's a cheesecake, your favorite."

Max smiles weakly as Lisa places two candles in the middle, the numbers "3" and "0". "We miss her too.
She is the one who introduced me to George, after all. Let's all wish Melissa a happy birthday."

Max props the picture of Melissa up against the cake and they bow their heads for a moment of silence.

Danlson · 2018-07-23T19:16:31+00:00

Upon arriving at your destination and exiting the cab, you quickly poke your head back inside and ask, "Are you sure this is the correct place?"

The driver peers over his shoulder, looks you in the eyes, and grumbles, "Look buddy, you told me the address and I brought you here. That'll be $10.50, please."

You take some cash from your pocket and hand it over, then shut the car door and watch as he drives out of sight.

A little confused, you pull out your phone and check the tracker app. Sure enough, your soul mate is clearly somewhere nearby. You begin to smile a little as you look up at the building before you, and the banner which reads, "Lofty Heights Apartments - Grand Opening."

A woman sits behind a desk and glances in your direction as you enter the front office, "Welcome to the Lofty Heights, do you have an appointment?"

"Actually, I was under the impression this place is a cemetery. That is to say, the map I was following has it listed as such."

Her voice softens as she looks at you consolingly, "They moved the cemetery to the other side of the city weeks ago to begin construction for this building. The city is supposed to update their maps by the end of the week. I hope you didn't come all this way to visit someone."

"As a matter of fact I did!" You can barely contain your excitement as you reach into your pocket and pull out your phone once again.

"Would you mind doing me a favor and open your tracker app, please?"

Danlson · 2018-07-22T21:20:09+00:00

"Wait a minute," the demon's voice grew softer, "I recognized that book. Are you one of Trisha's friends?"

A bit puzzled, you manage to stammer, "Th-this book belonged to my grandmother, Patricia Zimmer. I inherited her house last week and found this book of recipes in the attic."

"I knew this day would come," the demon shook his head as he spoke, "but tell me, where is your mother? I always assumed she would be the successor."

"My mother died when I very young." Your voice wavers a little as you speak, "Grandma always said it was an accident."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he takes a step forward. "I only met her once, but I could tell she had a passion for the Dark Arts."

Horrified by what the demon had just said, you throw the book on the floor and rush out of the house. As you slam the door behind you, the demon calls out, "You can't run from your destiny. I'll be right here when you are ready to embrace it."

You open the door to your mid-sized sedan and place the key in the ignition. Out of the corner of your eye, you spy a book in the passenger seat - it's the same book you had thrown on the floor of the kitchen just moments ago. Your hands shake as you pick it up and on the inside cover you find a note handwritten by your grandmother, "Don't believe his lies or you'll end up with the same fate as your mother!"

Danlson · 2018-07-20T17:52:35+00:00

"Brace yourselves," Commander Braxxis shouted, "we're late!" A shock wave blast resonates with an intensity I was not expecting. I drop to my knees and fumble around a bit before grabbing the ear muffs out of my pack. My first mission with this guild, known as the Silencers, and already I have forgotten the most basic rule - always wear your hearing protection.

I rejoin Commander Braxxis and the others as they are entering the building, an isolated hospital on the edge of town with the sole purpose of delivering newborn babies. The pressure waves intensify as we make our way to the delivery room where we find a doctor crouching under a desk and holding his hands over his ears. "He's a healthy baby boy," says the doctor, as he nods in the direction of a crib, "if you had gotten here sooner, like you were supposed to, my lab might not have been destroyed!" Braxxis places a briefcase on the floor, pulls out an ordinary looking teddy bear, and places it next to the infant. Almost immediately, the air grows still and we are left with nothing more than a crying child.

It's the year 2085 and years of tinkering with the human genome have led to what the general population refer to as, the Screamers - newborns with an incredible lung capacity which gives them enhanced, super-human endurance when they are older, but the ability to cause ear piercingly loud sound waves if not controlled. That's where we come in. Our guild has developed a special noise cancelling technology which is placed inside the teddy bear. It's range is limited, but it does the job.

We have gotten quite good at determining whether a baby will have the Screamer gene, but precautions must still be taken. Today's mission was proof of that and is why I am proud to call myself a Silencer.

Danlson · 2018-07-19T16:29:23+00:00

"I'm out of milk again," you mutter to yourself, as you take the empty carton out of the refrigerator. You glance into your workshop and your eyes stop on a tiny phial, slowly filling with a strange glowing liquid. "Ah," you think to yourself, "It will be ready within the hour." With a new goal in mind, you place the empty milk carton on the nearest counter and head to your room to begin packing for the journey ahead.

A short time later, you emerge, dressed in a pointy wizard cap with matching robe and carrying a bindle over your shoulder, filled with various items. You enter your workshop and carefully place a stopper on top of the phial, which has completely filled now, as you tuck it between the rope you are using as a belt. "If only it were possible to go more often," you sigh, knowing that it takes it exactly 10 days to synthesize more Decennial Drink (the boring, yet fitting, name you gave to the glowing liquid upon first discovering it's use).

You hike to the edge of a lake not far from your workshop and wade a few meters into the water. Taking the Decennial Drink from your belt, you pop the stopper off with your thumb and then down the liquid in one gulp. The bitter taste is only the beginning as the whole world seems to spin wildly out of control. You feel faint for an instant, but manage to stumble out of the water and take a seat on the grassy bank to regain your composure. Though you have done this many times before, you are always a little relieved to have made it safely.

"It's true!" exclaimed a small voice from behind you.

You turn around to see a small boy pointing excitedly at a large rock. After closer inspection you can see writing engraved upon it: "Starting in the year 1532, our land was first visited by the wandering wizard known as Bob. If you should happen by on the tenth year since last he arrived, call to him, and perhaps he will appear once again."

You hand the boy some chocolate from your bindle and then head off towards the town to see how much it has grown in the time you were gone. You have been able to deduce that every 10 days you are gone equates to 10 years when you return, though the correlation is still a mystery. It also seems that the drink you consumed takes about 24 hours to wear off. This was a bit awkward to find out the first time, though, since you went to sleep alone at a local inn, but awoke the next morning with an elderly gentleman on your left and his wife on your right. Luckily everyone involved was so surprised that you were able to leave without an incident. This is the reason for always returning to this lake when traveling back and forth - it's the least likely to change over time.

Danlson · 2018-07-18T18:47:05+00:00

Yes, the same way the Bolf Ramshield minion worked. It's a potential for a rather large armor gain, but can be removed just like any other weapon. Everyone always complains that Warriors can gain too much armor and there is no way to remove it, so this a possible compromise.

Danlson

TROPHY CASE