Riddle Heart

Riddle Heart (470 words)

“You know what you have to do,” said Jack.

Philadelphia hesitated. He was right, she did know what she had to be. It was just too incredible. A fairy’s arbitrary favor and blessing, cursed prince turned outlaw, and a quest through a fantastic maze Philadelphia would never have believed existed, all ended here.

“You’re not scared, are you?” asked Jack. “I may be cursed, but I won’t curse you if you set me free. I promise.”

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Magic and Spies

Magic and Spies (200 words)

“But it’s real…I’m telling you, they were just here…”

Agent Z was very unamused and equally unimpressed. “Mr. Gray, thank you. We of course appreciate your handling of the situation, and understand entirely if you need to take a few days off to recover yourself.”

Mr. Gray flushed. “Yes, but, I don’t need—”

“Agent Gray.” Agent Z cut him off. “Good morning. Goodbye.”

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Retelling Sleeping Beauty

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Retelling Sleeping Beauty (296 words)

Supposing when he met her, the prince didn’t kiss her, not at once. Suppose he sat down and thought about it.

That is what Prince Mark did when he found Sleeping Beauty. First he checked her pulse to make sure she was alive, and then he sat down, thinking. After all, she was very beautiful and a stranger. There was a lot for him to think about.

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Missing Treasure

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Missing Treasure (178 words)

  “No no, it was here. I’m sure it was here.”

The pirate crew exchanged uneasy glances. Mr. Steamroller held up the map for another scientific study, the latitudes, longitudes, significant markings and conclusive X. Yes, the treasure should have been here. It wasn’t, and that was final, too.

“Someone must’ve got here before us,” said the old salt. “We’re too late.”

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To Be A Fish

To Be A Fish (150 words)

Sometimes he wondered what it was like, to be a fish. It must be very peaceful. James could imagine the brown cool waters closing over his head, the water life swimming around him, a wealth of good food in green muck. He could also imagine a bigger fish, mouth gaping wide and coming for him with the speed of disaster.

“James?”

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Story Time

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Story Time (99 Words)

“Were you ’fraid, Tilly?” Noel sounded as tiny as he was, looking up into Mr. Caddy’s face with the wide open eyes of a six-year-old.

“Wisht, no,” said Mr. Caddy. He challenged his audience with mischievous eyes. “D’ye know why I wasn’t afraid? Well I’ll tell you. I knew, sure I knew, that Hattie would save me.”

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Sniffkins and Sandwiches

Sniffkins and Sandwiches (360 words)

—Do you know what those stones are? Why, they could be anything. Sentinels over a sacred place, forgotten long before the world remembers to forget you. They could be the guardians of some terrible or great secret. Or perhaps—they are the standing graves of the chieftains who have gone before us, kings and queens rotting under the earth—

“Now you’re being morbid,” said Molls wearily. She sat down next to one of the stones, letting her back rest. “We’re never going to find my sister or the others, not in this mist.”

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Inith #writephoto

Inith (1000 Words)

She stepped into the water. He rose to her, lifting from the deep, his long black hair clinging to his bare neck and shoulders. In the shallow water where she stood he turned on his back, unable to balance himself with the weight and length of his tail. His playfulness made Pat laugh. She knelt down and felt the warm water gather up to her chest. She reached out as Inith turned to go, and caught his hand.

The merman’s free arm braced in the sand. The fin at the back of his tail only just cleared the water. His eyes went to hers.

“Well, chi-uiris,” he said. “What are you going to do with me, now that you’ve caught me?”

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