Short Story Saturday Archives - James Kirst Short Story and Novel Blog

Short Story Saturday: Maiden on a Slab

Posted on December 7, 2019December 3, 2023 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: Kamikaze

Posted on November 23, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Kamikaze. Please enjoy. Sorry about the late post. Technically, I’ve posted the story on Saturday but I realize it is pretty late compared to when I typically publish my stories. Additionally, this one might be a little bit rough so please forgive any grammatical mistakes or missing words. Think of this as a rough draft.

Anyway, if you haven’t already checked out my FAQ on my upcoming book, Magic Once Removed, please check that out as well. Thanks again!

“They call it a kamikaze because it’s the drink they’d give the Japanese Zeros before they had to crash land into US aircraft carriers,” the bartender claimed as he plopped a trio of equal parts vodka, triple sec and lime juice concoction in front of the three coeds.

“Really?” the blonde asked.

The bartender waved dismissively. “Nah, just made it up.”

“It was believable though,” the brunette with freckles said. “Sure had me going.”

“You should always check the facts whenever someone says something that doesn’t sound right.”

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Short Story Saturday: Are You Happy

Posted on November 16, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Are you Happy? 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!

“Are you happy?” It’s a question that is often asked by my parents.

They started doing so when I was a child. Always, they were concerned about my mental well-being. Inordinately so, in fact, for reasons I cannot quite comprehend. I’ve theorized that perhaps as ascetic individuals whose chief concerns were scientific pursuits, they find my interest in the written word to be a sign that my brain has been faultily wired. The fact that I gravitated toward macabre works such as those written by Poe and Lovecraft, as well as more modern authors such as Clive Barker and Steven King, likely only exasperated such notions. Surely, they believed, my obsession with horror held some deeper explanation.

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Short Story Saturday: Scarlett Hood

Posted on November 2, 2019December 3, 2023 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 flat jet-black boots disturbed the otherwise pristine dirt trail as she, Scarlett, traipsed through the woods. As she did, the gentle spring breeze blew off her red hood which revealed her short raven hair and blithe face. Her right arm was wrapped around the handle of a beige picnic basket.

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Short Story Saturday: Free

Posted on October 19, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Free. 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 long flowing locks danced in the ocean breeze. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before facing the sun. Then he looked over the edge of the cliff. His eyes were transfixed on the raging waters below.

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Short Story Saturday: Thane Drapetevo

Posted on October 12, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Thane Drapetevo. 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!

He took off his gloves and wiped his hands against his vest. It was unseasonably warm and his dapper suit simply wasn’t conducive to the heat. For once, though, he blended in rather than stood out when he was amongst them. The other guests at the business conference, the one he was attending under a pseudonym, indeed donned similar garb. Its theme, he slightly recalled, was mergers.

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Short Story Saturday: Serve and Protect

Posted on October 5, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Serve and Protect. 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 officer pounded the white door. There was quite the lover’s tiff, to say the least, brewing inside. While the verbal barrage the two were exchanging was concerning he could have ignored it and continued his usual beat had that been it. However, when he heard the loud crash and a bang followed by some screams, he had to check it out.

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Short Story Saturday: Mountain of Despair

Posted on September 28, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Mountain of Despair. 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!

“Don’t tell me you’ve never done anything stupid, Dad.” Jennifer crossed her arms and shivered in a foot of snow. She couldn’t believe she was up there. “I’ve read your high school yearbook.”

“I can honestly say I’ve never summoned Satan.”

The teenager scoffed. “It’s Bogmath, Dad. One of Satan’s lieutenants, not Satan himself. Get it right. Besides, what the hell were you doing with that book, anyway?”

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Short Story Saturday: Pizza Guys

Posted on September 21, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled Pizza Guys. It is inspired by this prompt: https://www.writersdigest.com/prompts/pizza-delivery-driver. 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 haze fades as my eyes blink themselves awake. It must have been a wild night. I’m sure I was at a party or something though I don’t even remember going to bed.

Wait a second, there wasn’t a party and this isn’t my bed. I’m sitting on a chair bolted to the floor. My ankles are attached to its legs with some sort of adhesive. I’m guessing duct tape. Both arms are behind me. I struggle frantically to move my limbs. No dice. It seems my hands are literally tied, probably duct tape again as well but I’m not sure.

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Short Story Saturday: His Princess

Posted on September 14, 2019December 3, 2023 by jkirst

Hello everyone! As part of Short Story Saturday, I have posted another short story, this one entitled His Princess. Strap in as it is perhaps the longest story I’ve written on the blog thus far. Please enjoy. I am currently listed at #16 on feedspot’s Top 20 Short Story Blog page. Please check it out. 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!

People were surprised by my sudden retirement and have been distraught over my subsequent behavior. Most have blamed mental illness but I assure you that I am not suffering from a defect in the mind. Rather, I am cursed with knowing the truth. Perhaps a discussion of my last case is warranted as it’ll help enlighten how a hardened veteran police detective became a disheveled mess sitting alone in a cheap hotel. This may be my last chance.

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