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Continue reading →: Such Sweet SorrowTulasi the Watcher had known the Slon her entire life. “From my earliest memories, your great green smile has always been there,” the Watcher said. Hadrick came to the ancient forest when Frost Giants attacked his father’s kingdom. “I can’t imagine a day I won’t expect to see you at…
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Continue reading →: Night ServiceYou won’t find him in any phone book. He doesn’t have an office. If you ask who his patients are, no one seems to know. Dr. Fatuous works in the shadows, caring for those who don’t wish to be seen. His night service is known to many from the dark…
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Continue reading →: The Enigmatic Witch of Slavic FolkloreI love Baba Yaga. My Russian history professor shared her love for the witch as an undergraduate. Years later, I started reading everything about the Wild Witch of the East. Andreas Johns’s book opened my eyes to the complexities of Baba Yaga and her many names. When I started the…
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Continue reading →: Boar WitchThe fire that took her family left the woman blind—started by fearful men who called her the devil’s bride. “I swear I will avenge your death even if it takes two lifetimes,” croaked the woman. She dragged herself away from the smoldering ashes into the forest. Unable to see, Ardmay…
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Continue reading →: The LightTofler lived alone on the island, but he was not alone. Tofler had his music. For thirty years, the man played his music each dawn and dusk. He did this to ensure the day would awake in joy. He also wanted the day to rest in peace. “I don’t think…
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Continue reading →: FlummoxedThe old alchemist sat pondering his life’s work. “I’ve studied the past and glimpsed the future to no avail,” said Aspec. Dust now covered his bottles and jars of potions and tonics. “What is it that I have missed?” muttered the wizard. When he was much younger, Aspec sought the…
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Continue reading →: A Tree for ThinkingAllocaeshus took things slow. The man spent hours choosing the main course of dinner and a few more hours picking the vegetables. “Never want to rush a good thing. It might lead to disappointment,” Allocaeshus said. When planting his crops, he placed the seeds at a measured depth and applied…
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Continue reading →: Thoughtlings“Think, Think, Think,” thought the Golem. It had been a calamitous day, and the Golem wanted nothing more than to forget it all. “Why did I ever visit the Elder Tree on the eve of Summer Solstice?” muttered the guardian. The Rock Golem had wanted to wish the Elder Tree…
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Continue reading →: Night WalkerThe old ones tell stories of a ghoul. It walks the autumn roads, searching for those who have defiled the land. “Granddaddy saw him when he was a young’en and had nightmares his whole life,” said the village blacksmith. Legend tells that once the Walker looked you in the eyes,…
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Continue reading →: The Bakery of Mrs Cuddlesbee“Must I always make the same thing?” thought the old bear. Mrs. Cuddlesbee had made the best bread in the valley for over twenty years. “Every day it’s the same,” said the bear. “Your bread is the best,” or “I don’t know what I would do without your baguettes,” muttered…
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Continue reading →: Maximilia AquaticusMax likes to take things easy—sometimes, he takes things too easy, which explains why he’s hiding in an old grotto. Maximilia Aquaticus was the seventh son of a seventh son, which meant he blessed folks. “I didn’t ask for this fortune to befall me,” Max would tell those who sought…
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Continue reading →: Terry Man“Ach, the bloody stuff is coming down where it’s not wanted,” said the Terry Man. The Terry Man woke in his cold hut, dressed, and headed to the forest to gather his bundle of sticks. “Damn these boots, more holes than leather,” said the man as he trudged through the…
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Continue reading →: Eternal Sands“Green, I miss green,” muttered Tilka. The Waldvolker had spent three days crossing the southern wastes. Two days before she reached the forest and her people. “Why must I make this blasted trip every year? It’s not like we can’t grow the spice on our own,” thought the forest guard.…
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Continue reading →: Wekum’s SolitudeIf you walk long enough in the Folksburywoods, you’ll come to a small lake. In its center is an old, overgrown Dafula tree, which is the home of Wekum. Wekum is a hedgewitch who takes her solitude seriously. To be clear, the witch is as kind and gentle as they…
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Continue reading →: Island at the Edge“No sign of the Hieronymus. Another ship and its crew fail to return. How many more before the Ministry stops sending men to their deaths?” muttered the alchemists. Bartholomew Galsten was the head observer at the Far Point station. Far Point sat on the edge of the circumscribing sea. Beyond…
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Continue reading →: Das Waldhaus“I saw it once when I was a child,” Nana told the children sitting before her. “Was it as big as a house?” asked the child. “It was a house, my dear, and in it lived an amazing woman,” answered her grandmother. “Papa told me the Forest House was a…
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Continue reading →: Remembrance“I hear them, the children playing in the courtyards, the woman laughing, and the man chatting near the square. All their voices live inside my head,” said the prince. Thuman had once been “heir apparent” to the troll kingdom. That was before the Dark One came with his Troth minions…
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Continue reading →: Squire of Avalon“It will be dark soon, Efficacious,” said the Squire. “I sense danger to the north. We should camp here for the night,” the fox replied. “Another night in the wild? I swear you to love the outdoors life,” said Acacious, who flew up to perch on a low limb. “Hush,…
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Continue reading →: Perchance to Dream“Tired, so tired. How long has it been since Gunar left?” said the troll as he climbed the steep slope. Trundle was the last of the Icelandic Trolls. There had once been hundreds, but time and humans took them, leaving only one. “The moon is lovely tonight,” thought the troll.…
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Continue reading →: What’s For Dinner?“I hate rats,” said Thuman. The troll traveled to the southern gate to stop the Ratlings from sneaking into the forest. “It will be your mission to stop Ratling scouts,” the elders had instructed Thuman. “I can handle a hundred Wolvers, but rats, why rats? I hate their pointy noses…
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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