The Gift
James’ hand slipped into his pocket once more as he walked briskly through the dusk. Smiling to himself, he fingered the brown-paper package, gently poking at…
jesteram
28 stories written on Ficly, 2009, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0. Their page on ficly.com
Life Lines
A week’s journey farther down the coast brought me to the city of Coir. Each citizen’s house sits on its own free-floating island. The dwellings are bound…
Dawn and Dusk
Auroro knew that to leave the Sky Palace was to leave immortality, but Clay Woman on the Worlds Below beckoned until he could no longer resist her call. His…
Under Cover
After three days’ journey east, I came to the low gate of Dystosia. The city has bloomed in the desert for many years, growing in rings that spread from a wide…
The Hidden
The narrow crawl space is hot with their frantic breath, their exhaled prayers whispered in time with the stomping of thick boots throughout the house. “Save…
The Street Sweepers
Nobody sees this side of the city but us: The donut-shop owners starting their machines. The street walkers who didn’t catch the right eye. The lonely taxi…
Grendel's Fairy Godmother
The pain. The wet and tearing pain. The new man in the hall had been strong. Too strong. Like cursed iron. Like sacred stone. Not like the other men, the…
All in the Timing
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to finish her research. Or even start it. Youth tended to congregate in fields shortly--sometimes mere minutes--before each…
Floriography
Edward’s tea, not even half finished, had gone cold. So had Edward. Elizabeth picked up a crisp, white napkin and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. She had…
The Ficly Road (spoilers, I guess, if you haven't read it)
When he woke in the woods in the dark, he’d marvel at the cold, the boy, the ash, the gray, the world, the silence, the lack of quotations marks and…
Field Study
Gregory was the best at what he did. Hands down. If nothing else, he’d survived the longest of anyone from his training class: six years in the field after the…
The Safari
The rhino stumbled, crashed through a bush, and plunged, bellowing, into the gorge. “Damn, damn, dash it all!” Lord Crowley lowered his rifle, but kept…
With Odd Power Comes Odd Responsibility
“Julius Seizure.” “Are you kidding me? Absolutely not.” “Causal Loop?” “No.” “Causal Lou?” “No, not him either.” “Loblolly?” “I don’t care what he says…
Emily Dickinson Comes Back
I heard a fly buzz when I died. It was still buzzing, flinging its tiny blue self against the cold window, when I came back the next day. That strange and…
Emily Dickinson 2.0
I heard a fly buzz when I died. It was still buzzing, flinging its tiny blue self against the cold window, when I came back the next day. I had signed away…
Yesterday is Coming Fast
After Chase de-boarded and claimed his luggage--it was, remarkably, all there--he decided to take one of the waiting lounges up on its name. Since Tokyo was…
Imperfect Order
Kevin had to have everything just so. Just so. There had been too much to organize outside. Overwhelming. Not everyone wanted to be here, but the measured…
A Second Opinion
I cut right to the chase when she picked up the phone. “Ma, you never told me I was a dragon.” “Hello to you, too. Yes, my hip is fine. No, nothing much has…
And Lethe Runs Wide
Before Charon could whip his jet ski around for another pass, however, something changed. More to the point, someone coughed. His eyes flashed, once, as he…
Genetic Drift
After Faerie returned, the mundane corporations, naturally, scrambled to figure out how to capitalize on new revenue streams, how to maximize profits beyond…