keepthywits

*Note: This is based off an old and discontinued story that had its outline scrapped and reworked to fit the prompts for the ONC. Essentially, a new book for this competition. Only the core concept, title and the protagonist's name are kept the same.*-----A ribbon, a hair-clip, a pen, a notebook and a radio, held in the arms of a sixteen year old girl......It's been four hundred of years since The Rot ravaged the world and sent people downward with its decaying touch, four hundred years since humanity has inhaled even a breath of fresh air and twenty years since the first fifth-generation child was born in the shelters deep underground. And now, beneath the poisoned earth at the edge of the world, only six of them remain living in the last surviving shelter, the last surviving Lifelight illuminating a darkened board.For the rest were claimed by The Rot.Protected at all costs, older generations shields the worst of the consequences, the worst of the panic, but truth cannot be hidden forever. With increasing tensions and increasing crime, it becomes clear that there are only two outcomes: to die in strife or to die in silence. That is, until an inexplicable hope presents itself in the form of a radio transmission originating from the single most uninhabitable place on Earth, the surface.But it's too late, too late for most, other than the most protected, the youngest, the fifth generation.The waiting game is over and now it's a race against time. Before The Rot reaches them, before they run out of supplies, the handful of survivors must reach out and find the source of the transmission. From this, there are only two possible results: death or a secured future.*Cover done by the amazing @toruinagod*…

keepthywits

A woman wakes up in the middle of a forest, remembering everything except her name. One thought drives her-she must get home.-Two years ago, Haylen Fayes watched his sister dissolve into blue mist. No Death Dreame has come since, so he knows, with the deepest certainty, that she is alive-at least for now. But with the Principality of Marok the Third banning unregulated divination, he turns to illegal sources for answers. As disappearances rise and Peacekeepers crack down, Haylen must leave the principality sooner than planned.-Now calling herself Lynnette, the woman feels an irresistible pull north-where the Otherlings dwell, and humans are unwelcome. As she travels ancient roads, unfamiliar memories resurface, but she knows not of their significance - not yet.-As the siblings search for each other, they realise that the disappearances were no accident. From golden fire snaking across skies to the haunting song in the winds, everything leads back to the nature of the blue mists. And, at the heart of it all, lies a living mechanism that has slept for two thousand years. Now, it's waking up.**Prompts used: 12 and 93**Credit to @Heuristic_Hashmath for the amazing cover…

keepthywits

In a ruined world, what traces of humans remain?In an overgrown corner of a once-intact room, nestled in the roots of a young tree, a barely functional camera watches over the decay. Maintenance calls go unanswered, leaving it to conserve power, turning on its lens only when things get within its proximity range.Its largely monotonous world gets disrupted when a family of birds make the tree it rests on home. Mysteriously, their presence stirs a torrent of memories within its circuits, some intact and others corrupted. However, recalling memories comes at a cost, and its power, gleaned from the sun, gets drained faster than it can recover.Despite the risk, the camera cannot cease. It is compelled to observe and document the intertwining of past and present unfolding before its lens. As it continues it realises why the family of birds recalls seemingly unrelated memories.?It was bound by a promise of the past, one that was corrupted beyond repair until an overlap between its owner and the birds were found. Now, repairs of core memories are underway and soon, the bigger picture reveals itself. The battery falls, and the past gives way to the present.*Longlister of the 2024 ONC*…

keepthywits

[Completed]Heather Holloy, a grieving mother, is at the cusp of fulfilling her son's final promise. All she has to do is delete all traces of her son's data stored in the big, technology-based company, Mnemonics Inc. The plan is set. She just has to execute it. It should have been simple, but crossing the rich and powerful has dire consequences.- A 5 part short story -…

keepthywits

Time, though seemingly linear, is far from being so. Lilac Mellows thinks she knows all about the time she's spent alive. She knows most of it was spent as Trash Class, the lowest of the low. The only thing stopping her from falling to the depths of despair is her de-facto sister, Chickadee. Not wanting to burn in the flames of war, Lilac takes the opportunity to try and save her only family left. Through dodgy dealings, precarious agreements and mysterious help from a supposed long-lost friend, Lilac and Chickadee get increasingly entangled in something deeper. Only then does Lilac realise that things, even reality and time, are not so simple. Though all she wanted was to live with Chickadee, her murky, time warped past begins to rear its ugly head and forces beyond her comprehension are starting to move once again. Now Lilac has to find a way to keep her and Chickadee safe from various conspiracies spanning universes and millennia. *Cover is by me.**This story is also on RoyalRoad.com*…

keepthywits

A compendium of short stories which may be expanded upon. From the dark, to the uncanny, step into the many worlds conjured by the human imagination.The more people who vote for an open story idea, the more likely it will become a book of its own. Some are more decided than others but I hope all bring some sort of enjoyment to you, the reader.There will be stories which have dark themes or disturbing descriptions. There will be a warning but please note that some of these stories are not for the faint of hearted. There will not be any romance.…

keepthywits

Forewarning. This was my first time doing a paranormal kind of story so it is VERY rough around the edges. If you can tolerate a confusing plot that goes somewhere but nowhere at the same time....Well feel free to read.The Face Carver; that was the nickname that the media gave to the lunatic running around the small town of Marington. However, a serial killer is the least of Lauris's problems.When a strange statue of an eye appears on her doorstep, otherworldly, paranormal events start happening around her. Chased by malicious beings, she begins to unravel the mystery of the events and the truth behind the face carverHer perception of reality will change, and assumptions challenged.Perception is in constant flux. Thus, the truth is variable. An entry for the open novella contest 2021.Previously titled 'Madness in 21 Days'…