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Continue reading →: Mother Tree“We’ll die if the land can’t be reborn,” said the boy. Peter had traveled for three days to reach the sacred grove, hoping to speak to the Mother Tree. “We’ve tried everything to bring the land back, but it is no use. You’re our only hope,” Peter said. The Tree’s…
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Continue reading →: A House Mouse“Hello, I’m glad you stopped by. The kettle has boiled. Why not come in for tea and cakes?” said the little mouse. “I don’t mean to impose, but a cup of tea would lift my spirits,” I told the mouse. The first thing I noticed about Everett’s home was how…
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Continue reading →: The Sea’s Solitude“So you mangy birds, what’s it to be today?” asked Ernst as he tuned up the fiddle. For two years, Ernst kept himself occupied with daily fiddle sessions. It helped pass the time between his duties as a marine recorder. “I’m feeling frisky today, a jig will set things right,”…
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Continue reading →: Spindle Spinning“Just a few more adjustments, and I can finish the final chair for today. I’m sorry it’s taking so long, Puss. I guess I’m getting old and slowing down,” Benjamin told his cat. Benjamin had been a bodger for fifty years, and time was catching up to him. When he…
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Continue reading →: The RitualThey walked the path silently, as they had for a thousand years. Skin drawn tight across the bones, their appearance resembled that of skeletons. “One more time, brothers, we shall pay homage to Corlyk, the Master,” said Thylex, head abbot of the order. “When shall we see the great ones…
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Continue reading →: Black Shuck“That’s a load of horse manure,” said Ezekiel. Granny Nisbit did not take kindly to traditions being called manure. “Before your great-granddad Carl was born, the Black Shuck roamed East Anglia. It killed folks who did not heed the traditions,” cried his grandmother. “So you’re telling me a huge black…
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Continue reading →: Day Dreams“Archibald, do you think they’ll come for us?” asked Elestra. The dragon pretended to be asleep to avoid another worrisome conversation. “I don’t understand why they have to hunt you? It’s not like you attacked a castle and kidnapped the princess,” remarked Elestra. Opening one eye, the dragon gazed at…
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Continue reading →: Better Days“Well, Beauregard, this here rock looks perfect. Let’s sit down and play a tune or two,” said Herkel. The young man played a merry tune while his dog napped in the morning heat. The dog’s head popped up, and he began to growl. “Whoa there, boy, what in tarnation has…
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Continue reading →: Silas ReflectsSilas Scrum sat on the side of the road and wondered. “Everyone hates me for my work, and they talk behind my back,” muttered the keeper of things. Times were rough with harvests failing. The Lord Chamberlain was taxing even the poorest of the poor. “I do an honest day’s…
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Continue reading →: Rumors“It’s like I was saying, Azazel. People are talking in whispers of late about the Dark Ones’ return,” said Malak. “Horse biscuits, that’s what those rumors are and nothing more,” replied the horse. After Mörken the Dark One fell, folks felt safe once again. That was until word began to…
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Continue reading →: Tilly’s Tea“It’s going to be a fine day, Erasmus,” said Tilly to her Meowl. “That depends on whether you enjoy scorching heat and humidity. I prefer a rainy day,” replied the Meowl. Tilly’s morning tea was always a contentious affair. Some days, it was Simone, her magical plant, that grumbled. Most…
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Continue reading →: Missing MasterPhilomena had lived with Oman the Great for over a hundred years. She learned everything she could about the dark arts. “Master will be proud of me when I bring him back from the great beyond,” said Philomena. After Oman’s death, his familiar went into a decline. She ate little…
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Continue reading →: Flowing WaterMontag listened to the flow of water behind him. “How calming. Just like the singing willows in Walpurgis,” said the wizard. When Montag could get away, he secured a bottle of hemlock and a pewter cup. Then he headed for the Weeping Waterfalls. “Why must the headmaster be so brash?…
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Continue reading →: A Taste of Honey“Come along, Sebastian. The honey won’t collect itself,” said Miranda. The farmer and her cat plodded along the forest path until they reached the clearing. “My, how busy we are today,” remarked the woman to her hive. The cat ran up to the hive and started swatting the bees as…
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Continue reading →: Ancient Ones“It’s the fifth of Po, and Balthasar will come for his tribute,” Ariadne told her mother. “You and that ancient creature are the talk of the village. Why on earth did you befriend him? Tribute givers shouldn’t get attached,” scolded her mother. “I don’t care what they say. Balthasar is…
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Continue reading →: Feed the Birds“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,” cried the woman. Willamina had arrived at the market with her bags of birdseed each day. “Share your good fortune and feed the birds. Tuppence a bag,” the woman said to those who passed. Some ignored her, and others were not so kind. “The…
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Continue reading →: Lost and FoundChester was the village fool. Folks avoided talking to him because he bored them, something awful. “That’s nice, Chester. You found ten ways to make a peanut butter sandwich with only one slice of bread,” said the vicar. Chester lived by himself in a small hut on the edge of…
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Continue reading →: Nomads“I have to patrol the eastern quadrant tonight. Tuck says he’s seen signs of Zenti digging up parts of the old city again,” said Merkel. “What is it about cities? I remember as a kid they were filthy and loud,” remarked Maricel. After the horrors of climate change and nuclear…
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Continue reading →: Home Improvements“Coming, why are folk always in such a hurry for you to answer the door?” muttered Mr. Tumblebum. “A fine morning to you, sir. My name is Baxter, Henry Baxter, and I perform a variety of home improvements,” said the little workman. “Oh, for the love of Mike, I don’t…
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Continue reading →: A Visit to Auntie Kiki Miri’s“Come along, children, we don’t want to miss the ferry. I’m sure Kiki will have whipped up something special for you today,” said Mother pushing us out the door. When I was young, my mother would take my sister and me to visit her great-aunt. Auntie Kiki was not your…
Twisted Tales to Delight and Amaze
Christopher Johnson
Christopher is a retired professor of science and medical education and a children’s author living in Taiwan. He has over 30 years of experience working in higher education internationally. Originally from Huron, Ohio, in the United States, he spent his childhood playing in Lake Erie and Sawmill Creek.
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