Bringing you stories, book and game reviews, writing tips, and updates from author S.G. Baker.
In the depths of a cloudy blue twilight, I spotted a darker shape flailing within a grassy field. All around, long stalks reached toward the sky, silhouetted black against the encroaching twilight. Among them, the figure whirled and leapt, feet thumping against the dirt. Shoulders and hips swayed. Though I squinted, I could not make … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – A Dance at Dusk
Over a still lake, pale pink fog rolled, muffling the surrounding forest noises to silence. I knelt on the pebbled shore of a small peninsula, cleaning myself in the water. Splashes echoed into the distance. Goosebumps raised on my chilled skin. Once I finished, the surface became mirror smooth. Reflecting the fog back on itself … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Mirror Mimic
With sickness dragging at my bones, my throat, and the pit of my stomach, I shambled through a flower market nestled in the heart of an unfamiliar region. As I was new to the area, I didn't know where to find the plant I needed. That plus the language barrier meant this market was my … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Toxic Remedy
Shattered glass clung to the window frame from sill to ceiling, heavy, pale curtains flapping to either side in a fresh breeze. Large sections of broken pane lay scattered among shards ground to dust, strewn across the floor. The window smiled a ragged, toothy smile, as if to say, "Watch this." Another massive ball of … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Keeping Away from Windows
Along a stretch of grayscale sand, swept smooth and clean by the wind, a set of unusual footprints appeared. No one made them. None that I could see, anyway, which was troubling to begin with. But more worrying was how the footprints raised instead of imprinted, moonlight glinting along the outlined relief. As if someone … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Footprints in the Sand
The hollow, wet thump of fruit smacking concrete still echoed around the fruit stall. Oranges, mangoes, lemons, kiwis all scattered. Rolling underneath the stand upon which stood more neat mounds of fruit. Most still neat, anyway. The rest of the pretty piles lay in ruins. I peered over the short wall separating the beleaguered fruit … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Accepting Assistance
A sedate river of shaggy, horned beasts lumbered across the huge plain in my path. Snorting and lowing, their numbers stretched from the horizon on my right to as far as I could see on the left. Pressed together horns to tails, alternating between eating and walking. A cool wind blew them before it, sending … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Detoured from Death
On the side of an empty stretch of highway, I found a little white stuffed rabbit sitting in the winter-dead grass. It wore a red dress patterned with bursts of yellow flowers. From beneath the hem, fuzzy feet poked out front, seemingly sat there and left behind. Black button eyes turned down toward the toes, … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – A Weary Drifter
From within the depths of a snowy hill, an enormous dark eye stared at me. Iris a deep brown, shot through with white snow. Pupil veined with tree branches. Snowflakes puffed away in the wind where a clump of snow had fallen from the opening eyelid. Unwavering focus pinning me down. Rooted in place, I … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – The Way of the Rabbit
Hollow baubles of every color hung upon ribbons dangling from the ornate ceiling above. Soft light glinted along smooth and glittery spheres. These hung at various heights, filling the massive old ballroom with color. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors ran around the walls, ornaments reflected forever. From some ribbons dangled nothing. Beneath them lay shattered shards of baubles, … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – New Year, New Fear
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