Brett's Blog

It all starts with a cough ...: Image Invisible - 50 words I finally did it. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't take it anymore. I went outside, finally breathing in the fresh air. But the air put something inside me, crawling in my lungs like spiders. I have to let them out. Why should I be the only one? Social Distancing - 100 words She kept knocking on my door, day after day. At first, I thought she was just lonely, so I indulged her, talking to her from my window. She seemed nice, but persistent. She wanted to come inside, saying she just wanted to have a normal dinner with another person again. Suddenly, I knew. She had it. It was making her do this. She wouldn't stop until she spread it to as many people as she could. I had to do it, for the good of my community. I made sure her grave was 6 feet deep. Can't get too close. Author's Note:  I'm back again with another set of horror microfictions. Hopefully the subject matter of these storie

Sir Lancelot and the 500 Knights This is a really interesting story, because it highlights how flawed Lancelot is. He's one of the greatest knights in the entire realm, but he's also the most prone to human failings (after all, he did directly betray Arthur and cause the civil war that took the King's life). His instinct to take up for the underdog is admirable, though as the story shows, he lacked context, and was fighting against holy knights. The last line is particularly damning and represents Lancelot well. If I retold this story, I doubt I would change much, other than telling it in my own words. Bibliography-  King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

"Alright, buddy, time to get in the rock.": Image The Passing of Merlin So Merlin just accepts that he can't do anything about how he will die, even though he clearly knows how it will happen and it's a pretty easy situation to get out of? That doesn't really sound like a wise wizard to me but....sure, whatever. Like is she actually using some kind of magic to mess with his mind or is he just that easily manipulated? If I rewrote this story, I would either change the ending or at least make it clear how Vivien is able to get Merlin to do what she wants, rather than just "yep, he just can't tell her no."

Beowulf against the dragon: Image Preparing for Battle I think it would be interesting to retell this part of the story strictly from Beowulf's point of view. Diving more into his mindset before his legendary battle rather than the logistics of what happens could be a nice little "calm before the storm" moment that really drives home the sense of dread Beowulf feels about having to battle this horrible beast. Bibliography-  The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933)

Beowulf: Image Words of Unferth and Words of Beowulf This is a super tense exchange, and i think it would be fun to do a retelling of this smaller scene. I don't know if  I would really change much outside of just adding in small little tidbits from the different perspectives of the two characters to flesh out the story a bit. Bibliography -  The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933)

Traditional Inuit clothing: Image Atdlarneq was a great hunter, and a strong man. It was said he could run in the snow for great distances and never get tired, and row his kayak for days without stopping. He had no equal in athletic strength in his village, though Atdlarneq could never be satisfied. He would hunt seal all day because he couldn't bear to go home with just one. His fellow villagers would scold him for his overzealous habits, pleading with him to leave seal for the rest of the village, but Atdlarneq would not listen. One day, while rowing his kayak, Atdlarneq noticed a small island off to the South that he had never seen before. He rowed closer and found a small house situated on the island. He sat in his kayak, observing the house and waiting for someone to come out, until finally, 3 women with yellow bands in their hair came out from the house. Atdlarneq went to shore to greet them. The women accepted Atdlarneq inside and showed him great hospitality, all

Visual representation of Atldarneq's meal:   Image Atldarneq Finally, a story that make some sense. Atldarneq is shown to have gluttonous tendencies (he was never content with just one of anything) and these tendencies end up getting him into trouble. Copper-cheeks punishes him for these flaws by making him eat ungodly amounts of food. There is a clear lesson in this story and a story progression that actually makes sense. I still don't understand the part about the stalk of grass though? Like, apparently you can just eat a stalk of grass before eating a big meal and then you'll just never get full? Then that part is just glossed over and never explained. I do think that this makes Atldarneq get off kind of easily however, as he really suffers no penalty for his gluttony and just leaves the house and never comes back. If I rewrote this story, I would probably have Atldarneq receive a longer-lasting punishment so that he serves as an example of what not to do in order

Me after reading this story: Image Isigaligarssik So that was...interesting. All of this happens within the span of like 3 days and it is a rollercoaster of stuff that just makes no sense at all and is given no explanation. Why does the wizard only want married guys at his spirit callings? Does he steal the wives of everyone who attends? Does he even steal the wives or does he just take their shoes off and annul their marriages? Like what authority does he even have to say "nah y'all can't be married anymore?" Why does the wizard stab people instead of using wizard shit to kill them? Does he even have magical powers or does he just say he's a wizard? Why does Isigaligarssik's dress cure his wounds? How is he able to shrink himself? Why does Isigaligarssik have more magic shit than the literal wizard??? I'm so incredibly confused and I feel like I'm missing so much context. The premise itself is almost Arthurian (a man must save his wife from an

Love is a scary thing : Image Helicopter Parent - 50 Words My mother has always been overbearing. Even now, she still calls me every day, telling me how much she wants me to visit her. She even shows up unannounced some nights to check on me. I've gone to her grave and begged her to stop, but she just won't listen. It's Terminal - 100 words I love my wife more than anything in the world. It's always been just us, no kids, and we like it that way. We always said that we would be together forever. I've tried to enjoy as much time with her as I can lately, but the cancer is making it difficult. The doctors tell me that I don't have much time left. What I don't understand is why my wife keeps screaming and trying to break out of the bedroom when I'm not home. I already told her I would make it quick and painless when the time comes. Author's Note:  This is my second set of horror microfictions, and these two stories are a bit longer than my o