MMBaird

The smell of wood and pine brought her from the darkness. Clara could move and open her eyes, but chose not to. Her body rested upon a soft, cushioned bed of knitted wool or another similar material. The crackling of fire almost lulled her to sleep, but her body resisted, as if there was something she needed to do. Her eyes opened at last, seeing the roof of what seemed to be a cottage, and a rather rustic one, at that. To her left was an archway showing the hearth with the crackling she heard moments before, heating a cauldron. Countless herbs and spices hung from drying racks above the hearth and along the dining table to the right, cloves being prevalent. At the end of the room was a small living room area, with a couple of cushioned chairs, a small table, and a knitted rug. Clara had a feeling inside her, though she could not identify what it was. “Ah, good, you are awake.” A woman walked in from an archway facing the living room, holding a bushel of rosemary and dill. Clara

Master Camar’s lecturing voice echoed in the library chamber, unintelligible mumblings at that point for Derris. His own notes got mixed with the distant talking, making a mess of the information he heard and the one he attempted to read. It was no use. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t mean to be rude, professor, but there is no point in sharing your knowledge to ears unprepared to receive it.” Master Camar continued for a few moments as if no one had said anything, then stopped at a point he seemed was appropriate. “That was the lesson on star identification and the proper process to chart their features. I do hope you took some notes, my good fellow.” “May you remind me how it makes sense to instruct me to come to the library to read and gather notes when you yourself will not allow me to do so, and expect me to listen at the same time?” Derris turned around his stool to face the professor, now sporting that naïve grin he would wear when exploring book

Dusk was setting in the sky as the Order members marched from the Silver Temple to the Celestial Plateau. Each was hidden under robes that mimicked the hues and stars above them, their movements resembling more the wind through the trees rather than dozens of feet meandering in the shadows. Asa younger man, Sartorius spied on the Order members whenever the new moon would top the world against his mother’s warnings not to, hoping one day he could bear witness to all the secrets kept within the temple walls and its keepers. Now, he was wishing himself back behind the window of a house, a simpleton, an innocent bystander with no involvement. Secrets are only enticing when you don’t know them, he told Raphael once, and his own words echoed in his head in every meeting since joining the temple. The group of about thirty had reached the Celestial Plateau. The four members of the high order and the master took their place in front of the Oracle Rings, and the rest, including himself, formed a

Mae gasped when the waitress called out to her. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you,” she said closing her book. “I apologize for startling you,” the waitress bowed her head. “As courtesy, we would like to offer you one of our exclusive fortune cookies, completely on the house.” The woman extended a small square tray made of gold, and padded with red velvet inside, where at its center sat a white silk pouch. “Oh, I didn’t order one, so it’s—” “It comes as no cost to you; it is a courtesy of the restaurant.” The waitress remained in her place with a smile that was somewhat too bright and cheerful for a simple fortune cookie, no matter how exclusive. Mae knew she wouldn’t leave. “Um, okay, thank you…” She took the pouch with some hesitation, and upon doing so, the waitress bowed once more and left. Guess I might as well open it, Mae thought. She opened the pouch with care, then pulled the cookie out. It looked like any other fortune cookie, though perhaps somewhat bigger, and this one

Dex and Leo sat side by side on the tile rooftop. Their chests were still heaving from their roof hopping session. Now the sun was going down, little by little leaving the world in darkness. “It’s a bright sunset, can you feel it?” Dex said. “Yes, more than any other we’ve seen. Is it as golden as its warmth?” “There is a line, like a horizontal drip of water that slid along a slanted table, resting just below the sun, parting some thick, already darkened clouds. The rest of the sky is a gradual change from a deep red to a light orange, and above this the veil of purple is settling with its glitter of stars.” Leo smiled and took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful, more than other sunsets…” Dex looked over to his friend and noticed a tear, then turned to the falling sun. “It’s ok.” They remained silent, watching the dying light drop lower and lower, until it hid below the horizon, and the evening officially began. “Dex, will we see this again? That was the last drop of sunlight, and they

Amber finished washing the very last dish. Her feet were more than ready to call it quits and hop into bed. She took the apron and gloves off, put them in their respective spaces and turned to drag herself to her room, but someone was blocking her way. She gasped and jumped back against the counter. “Good evening, Amber,” a cloaked figure said in a dry, raspy voice. “Who the hell are you?” She fumbled to grab one of the knives she had just washed. “Not the devil, if that makes you feel better. No need for the knife, I have no intention to harm you, I just need you to come with me.” “Yeah, right, I’m going with you, get out of here!” She managed at last to grab one and aimed it at the stranger. The figure sighed. “Look, I didn’t want any of this to happen, it’s just my job.” “Your job? What even is this, who are you?” “I’m Death, Mrithun, actually, but no one bothers to call me by my name.” “Dead is what you’re going to be if you don’t get out of my house.” The figure looked around and

“That’s what they all would say,” R01 rambled on, “’oh, please, we’re invincible, we’re at the top of the top of the chain, it’s impossible. And now look around you, do you see any left?” R02 launched back against its mossy pillow, shaking its helmet. “No, I don’t see any,” it said, uninterested in the monologue. The two units floated on their lily pad, R01 attempting what the mortals called “fishing” with a stick and a string tied to one of its ends. Other than them, only the occasional rippling of water and a critter here and there broke the silence. R01 continued unabated, “That’s right, not a single one. And what a mess they left behind, oh what a great mess, never had I seen anything like it, and yet, somehow, we managed the task and now we can relax and enjoy, ha!” The makeshift fishing pole twitched, and R01 pulled back, and a tiny fish emerged, still holding on to the bait at the end. “Look, I did it! Let me scan it to see what it is.” R01 lifted its solar panel and revealed

It was raining, but that was a ludicrous assessment. What else could one expect in the land of eternal downpour. Grey clouds, puddles, humidity, wetness, darkness, that was all anyone knew. Well, except my mother. She was the only one who had seen a sky, whatever that was, a sun with light, flowers, leaves, trees, all these things neither I nor my siblings could begin to imagine. When we were younger and she would lull us to sleep with stories of the sunny lands, I would tell her I was going to go there one day. Back then, being a little kid and all, I couldn’t have noticed a tear I confused with a raindrop coming down her face, but when I turned thirteen and she vanished, only then did I open my eyes. People said she had abandoned us, gone back from whence she came, and for some time I fought this, getting in trouble with everyone and anyone who would dare badmouth my mother. My father never got angry with me whenever I lashed out, he would only hug me tight until my rage settled down