In the Darkling Night

On By Danielle O'ShayIn Flash Fiction, Original FictionLeave a comment

Stars pricked the darkening sky in silver shimmers of light, and in the spaces between the trees a descended a gentle darkness, hushing the voices of the day to make way for the whispers of the night.  And what a night it was!  Never was there a clearer sky to walk beneath, never was there a swifter and sharper wind, never a bolder and more radiant life to the world.  The earth had fallen into a reverie, a dream of soft edges and silk corners, edged with starlight of the most glittering sort, and held in place by threads of braided gold.  It was this time, in the silent hours of the night, when the magic-workers arose to do their work, away from the staring eyes of the waking world.

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Sojourner

On By Danielle O'ShayIn Flash Fiction, Original FictionLeave a comment

A quick write of a synopsis of a possible future book.  Someday, perhaps, it will be written.   

We walked on the moon in 1969.

We walked on mars in 2025.

We discovered light-speed travel in 2052.

By 2070 we were exploring planets outside our galaxy and creating new civilizations.

By 2080 we had created the perfect artificial intelligence systems.

By 2112 we touched where no one has ever touched before.  Humanity, spread throughout the farthest reaches of the galaxies, going deeper and deeper and deeper until we began to lose sight of the horizon, until we began to lose ourselves in the dust of eternity.  It was beautiful.  It was dangerous.  It was impossible.  We had paths reaching so far into the cosmos that those who left earth did not come back, nor did we ever hear from them again.  We could only stand on our shriveling planet in the light of a dying sun and hope with all hope that the brave men and women who launched themselves into the stars for the good of mankind survived, and continued to live out there among the spiraling light of distant planets.    

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Character Study: Friendship

On By A.J. ReevesIn Original Fiction, Short StoryLeave a comment

Hope slammed her door with a well-placed kick, before dumping her keys on her entryway table. Unhooking the latches on her heels she flung them off her feet with little care as they sailed into some unknown part of her house. She blinked her eyes hazily, feeling exhaustion weighing down heavily on her bones. Bending backward she stretched her back out, thinking about how lovely a pair of pajamas sounded right now.

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A Letter to Planet Earth

On By Danielle O'ShayIn Flash Fiction, Original FictionLeave a comment

This is written as a response to my last post, “A Letter to Mankind.”  It is inspired by the #ExtinctionEndsHere and #EndTheTrade petition, a worldwide movement to call on the world’s governments to permanently end the commercial trade and sale in markets of wild terrestrial animals for consumption.  You can sign here at this link.  Wildlife conservation and the preservation of our world is something very near and dear to my heart, and I would do all I can to call attention to the issues that surround our planet today.

Dear Earth,

We have done much to deserve retaliation.  We have felled your rainforests, we have spilled oil into your seas, we have slain your creatures for riches, oddities, even enjoyment.  And we do not look over our shoulders at what we leave behind—no.  We tend to only look ahead, to the future, to the next age of glory.  To what lays beyond our shores.

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A Letter to Mankind

On By Danielle O'ShayIn Flash Fiction, Original FictionLeave a comment

Something I’ve wanted to write for many years, and this felt like the right time.  Inspired by Sea Legacy and Paul Nicklen’s video Extinction Ends Here.

Dear Mankind,

We have come to a great era of history, my friends, and you are to be congratulated on your perseverance.  Since the creation of the world—since time itself began—you have stood firm through every catastrophe.  You have stood your ground against every adversary, whether it be flood, or famine, or war, or the darkest despair that fate could cast upon you.  You have made this harsh world a home in spite of everything.  Castles and kingdoms you have raised from dust, empires you have built from sweat and blood, and through the strifes that have followed your triumphs you have continued to flourish.  Seven  and a half billion people—and I have watched you grow since the very beginning of it all.   

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The Image of Elizabeth: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

On By A.J. ReevesIn Literary Analysis, Literary Criticism, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The appearance of a character forms an image in the mind of the reader, and many illustrative words cause one to form certain assumptions. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the appearance of Elizabeth paints a clear and vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Shelley writes, “Her hair was the brightest living gold, and, despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head” (42). Continue reading “The Image of Elizabeth: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley” →