Adventure Archives - James Kirst Short Story and Novel Blog

Short Story Saturday: Maiden on a Slab

Posted on December 7, 2019August 26, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Maiden on a Slab. Please enjoy. Also, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

His torch represented many things. Illumination. Warmth. Comfort. It also represented a potential disaster of biblical proportions. The ancient parchment he held in his free hand was as dry as British wit and a single spark would cause it to go aflame which would leave the man lost, potentially for good. in that forgotten, dank, dark labyrinth. It did not help his psyche that there were times he had to hold the blistering orange flame perilously close to the map to see its intricacies and read its ancient inscriptions that detailed how to get by the perilous puzzles that loomed.

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Short Story Saturday: Scarlett Hood

Posted on November 2, 2019August 25, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Scarlett Hood. Please enjoy. Also, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

Her red hood covered her short jet black hair as it blew gently in the spring breeze as Scarlett traipsed through the woods. As she carried a beige picnic basket underneath her right arm, her flat jet black boots made large imprints into the dirt trail just was enough that five of her could have walked shoulder-to-shoulder together which meant two normal-sized men could occupy that same trail.

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Short Story Saturday: Gregory Sole

Posted on October 26, 2019October 3, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Gregory Sole. Please enjoy. Also, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

The sounds of a metal bell echoed from the decrepit church tower throughout the old rustic town. “Darn,” the man thought to himself. “Eleven o’clock already. I’ve got to hurry.”

Mud covered his black dress pants and white button-up shirt he had ironed just that morning as he sprinted through the center of town on the previously dirt road. His heavy and clumsy steps made it increasingly difficult for him to move his legs rapidly as he struggled to pry each foot loose while maintaining a consistent stride.

All that could be heard were the sloshing of his boots, his heavy breathing, and his bag that was tied over his shoulder that collided with his side and back. He prayed that the bottles withing that clanged in his bag would not break. The glass was relatively thick but a particularly solid collision would cause them to shatter. Periodically, he checked his vest pocket to ensure the contents within remained in place.

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Short Story Saturday: Birth of a Mercenary

Posted on July 20, 2019September 2, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Birth of a Mercenary. Please enjoy.

“Help! Help!” Her cries spurred him to action. The young man loved her and would do anything for her, though she did not reciprocate. He dropped his hoe and dashed to his humble cottage. He pushed aside furniture and removed a straw floor mat to reveal a hole where he hid his broadsword. Perhaps he should have returned it to the royal military when the war was over but amongst the scores of weapons pilfered from the fields of fallen soldiers, no one was going notice a single missing broadsword. Continue reading “Short Story Saturday: Birth of a Mercenary”

Short Story Saturday: The Tower

Posted on April 6, 2019August 24, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled The Tower. Please enjoy.

Arthur and Merlin approached the oblong, white-bricked tower. The two had journeyed far and had overcome many perils to reach this place. Their goal was to reach the top. What Arthur sought awaited him there. Dangling around his neck was a silver locket.

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A True Friend, Part of Short Story Saturday!

Posted on November 17, 2018August 25, 2020 by jkirst

Hello everyone! Introducing for the first time a new feature on my blog called Short Story Saturday! Every Saturday I will be posting a short story for your perusal. While some may be connected to other stories, they are going to be, for the most part, one-offs. I hope you enjoy them. The first one is entitled A True Friend.

I gradually awake from my unconscious slumber. I’m lying on my side in the cold, damp muddied dirt on this foreboding night struggling to breathe. My chest heaves up and down deliberately as I take deep, measured pants of the air, each gasp sending shockwaves of pain in my chest as if tiny little knives were stabbing my ribs. An oppressive cold seizes my shivering body. The trees that surround me with their limb-like branches that extend towards the heavens. Their giant, arboreal fingers shield even the most basic illumination further making it difficult for me to see.

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