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Continue reading →: Souls of AnimalsKneeling over the fallen creature, the girl laid her hand upon its body. “She’s still warm,” said Astra. “What killed it? There are no marks, and a predator wouldn’t leave it behind,” remarked Ramn. “It seems as though it lay down and went to sleep, intending never to wake up.…
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Continue reading →: Her Witchy WaysFarina doesn’t like being a witch. She thought of herself as a provider of magical services. The covenant was unhappy, and Granny Stockholm told her she was treading on thin ice. “Child, we have ways of dealing with upstarts, so mind your P’s and Q’s,” said the witch. Farina couldn’t…
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Continue reading →: VargamorAlone in their dark woods, the Vargamor or Wolf-crones seek to avoid prying eyes. “Best not go in them woods,” the barkeep warned the traveler. “Young’en those that go in don’t always come out,” he added. Gretchen’s parents died when she was a baby—the Vicar’s attempts to find the baby…
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Continue reading →: Stairs“I don’t want to go, Josef. I want to stay here with you,” the plant pleaded. “Dear Ingeborg, I would love that more than anything. The great fires have made a burning smoke which will kill you,” said the farmer. Josef’s wife had died several months ago from the smoke,…
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Continue reading →: What News Have You?A war broke out between the elves and the fairies long ago. There was a dispute between the elves’ king and the fairies’ queen about who owned the twilight realm. Twilla, the shadow fae, and her best friend, Samual, the forest elf, were stuck in the middle of the mess.…
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Continue reading →: Strange Little Man“Two, four, six, eight, who do they appreciate? Zippo, that’s me!” said the strange little man sitting in the tree’s hollow. No one knows where he came from or how long he’s been around. “He’s a strange one, that Zippo. Stranger still is he’s not changed since I first saw…
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Continue reading →: Night Walking“Honestly, Cuthbert, I just can’t understand why I wake each morning standing before the main door, ” said Professor Giles. Stanley Giles, a professor of archaeology, has had horrifying dreams since his return from the dark continent. “I think it has something to do with the skull you brought back,…
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Continue reading →: William the TerribleWilliam the Terrible was the meanest critter in Dewy County. Folks steered clear of his farm, fearing a meeting with him. The farmer had no trouble with the beast. William knew better than to upset his meal ticket. Thumbtack was another story. The plow horse lived in constant fear of…
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Continue reading →: Two Tales for TotsI help run an educational enrichment program in the evening that focuses on a story at the center. Here are two tales from that program for Taiwanese children. Timmy’s Invisible Friend Hello children. I’m Mr. Yattle, the teller of tales. Today’s story explains that sometimes things happen, and we aren’t…
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Continue reading →: Pillars Three“They’re getting stronger, don’t you agree, Keelie?” asked the high priestess. “I’m sorry, Mistress, the Dark Ones have learned to hide from my people,” replied the Torg. The pillars have stopped dark forces from entering our realm for thousands of years. “Tutok, you sense something, don’t you?” the priestess asked…
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Continue reading →: Prick of My Thumb“Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Fillet of fenny snake in the cauldron boil and bake; eye of newt, and toe of frog. Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, adder’s fork, and blind worm’s sting. Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing – for a charm of…
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Continue reading →: Toell and Timothy“I would like to see the sea someday,” said Toell to Timothy as they walked through the autumn colors. “Then today is as good as any,” replied his friend. “But I do like the colors, and the sea is drab,” remarked the giant. “If it’s colors you want, stay among…
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Continue reading →: Cryptic Secrets“Hello, my friend. I’m glad you have made your way down here. I don’t often get visitors,” said the strange little man. You laughed when you heard the tales of ancient bones that heal in Russia. Your willingness to believe changed as the disease spread unchecked throughout your body. “My…
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Continue reading →: Maiden, Mother, CroneOh, deary, it was so long ago I can’t seem to remember all the parts,” said Martuka. The village wise woman sat before the fire with her child and grandchild. They had come for tea and cakes and to share stories from their lives. “It’s okay, Nana. Tell us what…
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Continue reading →: A Debt Repaid“Come along, Pond. You know I don’t like to stay in one spot too long. Hunters will pick up our trail, and you know what that means, don’t you?” said Buck. Buck was as old as some trees in the forest and more stubborn than a mule on market day.…
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Continue reading →: Whispers of the Damned“I need to know,” shouted Sai. “The danger is too great for you. Wait another year until your powers grow, or you will disappear like your sister,” Mati pleaded. Sai’s mother sat peeling fruit while her daughter paced back and forth before her. “Why are you not telling me everything?…
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Continue reading →: A Selkie’s SorrowTrinity lost her mother when she was a baby. Her father, as fate would have it, died in a fishing accident off the coast of Halifax. The orphan has left with her Nana with few means to support the baby. “Oh, you poor thing, I have no milk nor gruel…
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Continue reading →: Once Millions Stood“Once millions stood here, we were proud and strong. The two legs honored us with dances and wore our skins as symbols of pride,” the old one thought. The bull crosses the frozen prairie, listening for others to call out. “Few walk this open track now. Long ago, this land…
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Continue reading →: The GlenThere are some places one should not go. Dark Glen or Gleann Dubh on the Isle of Skye is one of them. Tales tell of wee folk causing trouble to anyone who disturbs their sanctuary. “It was as if they came out the rocks biting and scratching. I tell you,…
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Continue reading →: A Hunting We Will GoA hunting we will go, a hunting we will goHeigh-ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will goWe’ll catch a bear and cut its hairAnd then we’ll let him go “Come, Rufus. It’s time we go on a hunt for a tasty treat to eat,” Marcus said. The two went for…
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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