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Continue reading →: Koschei the DeathlessKoschei can not die due to his hiding “his death” or heart inside nested objects to protect it. His death is in a needle inside an egg. The egg is in a duck in a well on a faraway island. Koschei plays a malevolent figure who entraps the hero’s love…
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Continue reading →: Flowers Out of Season“Do you see it, Nukta?” asked the wise woman. “I see, but I don’t understand it,” replied the holy man. Ursula and Nukta were enjoying the Winter Solstice. They came across a cherry tree in blossom. “This does not bode well for the Waldvolker,” said the wise woman. “What do…
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Continue reading →: Me-Maw MinervaTales tell of a magical woman who would appear when a child was at death’s door to offer an elixir to restore health. “Little JoBeth was seeing angels when Me-maw showed up and gave her a spoonful of Tarheel Molasses. The next morning, the child was out playing with gators,”…
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Continue reading →: Dozing DodoYou think that the Dodo bird is extinct. Well, that’s not quite true. Hermal is, for some unknown reason, the last remaining Dodo bird in existence. “I will find my friends someday, but I don’t know where to look. They are hiding from me,” the bird will tell you. Hermal…
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Continue reading →: The Last GuardianAlbainox stood motionless and waited as he had done countless times before. The stag had seen countless horrors unfold in the Seven Wood. Fires, floods, and even a war between the Dark One and the Waldvolker for the forest’s soul. The stag longed for an heir to release him from…
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Continue reading →: Night Shivers“I swear I saw him faint at the drop of her name,” said Old Bill. “She’d give any man the night shivers with her soulless eyes,” added Nick McCuallha. Roundabout Tentacle Bay fishermen and landlubbers fear full moon nights when the sea is calm and the wind is light. “Damn…
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Continue reading →: Magic May Return“Young people today don’t care about the old ways,” said the wizard. Haazel had been a seller of magic paraphernalia for eighty years, so he knew his business well. “Matilda, let’s head south early this year,” Haazel told his pet Throng. When he was younger, the wizard was sought out…
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Continue reading →: Excuse Me Sir“Excuse me, sir,” said a small voice. Malac leaned over the counter to see who was speaking. “Who might you be, my little friend?” said the wizard. “I’m Bartlet, sir. My Grandma sent me to buy dragon weed for her tea,” the tiny figure said. “Dragon Weed? Hmm, you must…
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Continue reading →: Visit from a Friend“Greetings, Maloc. What brings an old moth-eaten traveler like yourself out to the Seven Wood?” asked the troll. As council leader, Maloc often checked members who lived outside the village. “I’m out making sure you haven’t fallen into one of your books, you old worm,” he teased his friend. Wiltergim…
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Continue reading →: T’was a Good LifePeter sat thinking of all the things he needed to finish. “I didn’t get the chicken coup wire replaced,” said the farmer. His life had always been busy. In Spring, there was planting. Summer meant hoeing and pulling out weeds. Fall brought the harvest, and Winter meant planning for Spring.…
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Continue reading →: Prayer for the Dying“It’s been hard, Nana. The crops have failed, and rot has gotten to the orchards. I bought the best apples I could find. I know you and Papa loved them,” said Absinthe. The Neese brought her daughter to the Ancients’ Shrine so her mother could see the baby and for…
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Continue reading →: The Locked Door“Welcome, we weren’t expecting you so soon, but things do have a way of changing, don’t they?” said the figure. “What’s that? You were expecting something grander,” the Reaper said. I need to review your credentials before I unlock the door and let you in. “Hmm, yes, ah, oh my.…
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Continue reading →: Dr. MethuselahThere is a place where you never want to find yourself. The few who have escaped tell of its horrors. A madman occupies its halls. Stephen Methuselah grew up privileged in a wealthy English family. Stephen shunned tradition after graduation. Using his inheritance, Stephen constructed an institute for advanced research.…
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Continue reading →: Crossing That BridgeNed was always afraid of crossing Stone Creek Bridge before midday sun. It was said it brought bad luck to those who did. He had lived his whole life believing in superstition. One day, occupied with thoughts of the upcoming harvest, Ned crossed the bridge before the midday sun. Nothing…
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Continue reading →: Starlite“They’ll be celebrating Startika by now. The music and dance will be so mesmerizing,” said Vlad as he gazed skyward. “I wonder if they still think of me. Do they remember their promises?” the figure remarked, focusing the telescope optics. Vlad is a vampire; well, that’s what we call him.…
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Continue reading →: Farmer’s MarketEdward never married. He loved his farm and dog. Each day, he would harvest his crops and send them to the farmers’ market in the village. At night, he and Sebastian, his dog, would watch the stars. In the morning, he tended his livestock and garden. Edward was content. Edward…
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Continue reading →: The TowerIt has stood for two hundred years. No one knows who built it, but everyone knows why. The elders built the tower to warn the village during the early years of the Ice Wars. Each Autumn, a small patrol of men occupies the tower with enough food to live until…
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Continue reading →: Tea for TwoWelcome, my friend. It’s always a pleasure to see you. Now sit, and we will talk, but first tea,” said Maximilian. Áskell had lived in the forest for millennia, and the worm had always been a part of his world. “How old are you now, Max?” asked the forest elf.…
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Continue reading →: BamboozledOnce, an Imperial Minister named Lee-Way was offered significant money to solve a complex problem. “I shall endeavor to seek out the truth and provide the Emperor the solution he desires,” said Lee-Way. The minister walked for many days and nights through dense bamboo forests. Finally, he reached a high…
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Continue reading →: Dan DastardlySomething for Fun! Dan Dastardly opens the excellotron to the maximum, causing the Hornet to lurch forward at mind-throttling speed. “You fool, you’ll kill yourself,” cried the professor. Dan had thrown caution to the wind and was out to prove to those laggards at the academy that he was the…
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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