Daily Short Stories from The Penned Sleuth

And There Were Three The world had reached the limit in its patience. Fifteen years before today, a cold snap hit the world harder than any natural disaster. Major lifestyle choices had to be taken, but the change was so sudden that large countries not used to such cold weather suffered greatly. Pain and suffering became a daily ritual for them, but only the rich survived in their heated homes and with better clothing. Ten years ago, it became survival of the fittest. It was chaos and no amount of government speeches could save us, especially since the power cuts began. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Death at Sea I just wanted a simple vacation. It wasn’t often that I got off work, so I wanted to take full advantage of the time that I had. It so happened that I set up something special for this vacation; a cruise among tropical islands. Plenty of sun and refreshing smoothies. It was the vacation that my old body longed for, but of course, somebody had to ruin it with that tired question. “Hey, aren’t you Death?” https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

A World of Your Making The city was a place of beginnings for everyone. No matter where you were born, you inevitably had to go to the city and find work. There was plenty of it as well, but you had to make a world for yourself, nobody else would. You would have to find a home and if you couldn’t, you would have a few other options. I was in this position upon moving to the great city, having just passed an interview for a job I was to start working on Monday. Of course, I would need to find a place to stay and with such limited money, I knew I couldn’t pay for it. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Murder Mystery Manor It was the most popular game show in these violent times. It was known as Murder Mystery Manor and the stakes were very real high even if the viewers didn’t realize that. The contestants lived in a town of psychopaths and their job was to find out who killed John Doe. In order to win, they needed to bring evidence and a name to the hostess, Madame Rose. To complete their investigation, they needed to put themselves in harm’s way, inside the manor. Once outside they were safe, if they could make it out. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Behind a Door I have always wondered what was behind a closed door, even when I had seen the other side. No, this isn’t a phobia or something, but instead a wild imagination. There are many opportunities to be creative when it comes to imagining what is on the other side of a door. Of course, it has to begin with what the door looks like. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Late Night Coffee Lucas stood by the machine, eyes down to avoid the painful light of the florescent filaments above him. It was safe to say he wasn’t having a pleasant evening. Not only was he the only employee that was pinned for three-night shifts in a row, but he was also the one who was falling behind on his work before the shifts even began. He breathed a sigh as the coffee machine fell silent and collected his cup of energy. The one saving grace was this was the final late-night shift and with luck, he would have time to finish all the basic work as well as catch up on his own. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Deepest Reaches Part 3 Sutio crouched over Troki, clutching his hand and pulling him to his feet. The boarding area was littered with bodies. Sutio could not believe they survived, but Troki knew his way around technology, hacking weapons and systems to help aid them in the onslaught. Explosions, shrapnel and enough close shaves for two lifetimes made Sutio admire what Troki goes through in his day-to-day life. Space was definitely the place for a pirate like him. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

These Are Not My Voices “Do not go in there,” he told me. “I must, now shush,” I told the voice within. I entered the building with an old shotgun in hand and company I wish I didn’t have. Sure enough, there was nothing to see but darkness. I could not smell fire or rot. Whatever life I expected to find in this building wasn’t showing itself right away, but I had to clear it for the group. Twenty of us were holed up someplace we could not defend and this place looked like a better home anyway. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

A Cold, Metal Pain My fists clenched the front of his shirt with a painful amount of strength. Slamming him against the wall only made him squeal like a pig and wish a worse fate upon his sorry state. The way I was feeling I was happy to put him through such a fate. I threw him to the side, into the corner of the room, pointing my revolver at his stumbling form, firing without a moment’s hesitation. The sorry excuse of a man collapsed dead in his stumbling and I yelled my anger with the roar of the gun. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Deepest Reaches II Elara pulled the trigger and with a flash, the last one had fallen. I watched as my crew fought with what few weapons we had and one by one they fell, but not Elara. She was our captain and as it turned out, she was our one-woman army as well. The creatures that boarded our ship didn’t stand a chance. As they hit the ground, they dissolved into a liquid metal which quickly hardened. When we thought it was all over, that’s when the ship was ripped apart. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - Book REVIEW This week I am reviewing Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, the translation by Tobias Smollett. Don Quixote is a popular classic, with many accomplishments in the literary world, from being considered the first literary novel and being the most sold book in the world. There is a lot to talk about when it comes to this book review. With that said, this is a spoiler-free review as always, I hope you enjoy! https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Deepest Reaches I Troki cocked his head backwards and downed the rest of his beer. Once the last drop touched his lips, he threw it into the darkest corner of the tiny spaceship. The aluminium can bounced badly along the metal floor and lodged itself in a small niche in the wall. Troki breathed a deep sigh and smiled. Another day in this universe and all the luxuries it afforded…if he played his cards right. He shook his head of that dream, knowing too well if he lingered too long, he would get nothing done. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Dying World Marlon stared out at the grey city. The air was cold and the openness made him a sitting duck, but he wanted to watch the world before him for a moment. The majority of buildings in the massive city were shell shocked, a desperate decision made by a heartbroken leader. Decades of grim weather passed and soon green showed itself in the city, taking over the streets and growing in the ash piles. It had its own beauty, watching the world restore its ecosystem, but it was not a world for a weak man. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Old Hands I sat down in front of the piano which was hard enough. I could feel my joints grind as I eased myself on the small stool and my lower back felt so very stiff. Still, the worst part was the actual playing. My eyes still worked right, so reading the sheets was no problem, finding the keys were no problem, but playing the notes was a mountain I struggled to scale. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Inky Blood I slammed my forearm down on the desk. The metal was shredded, having been jammed in the door mechanism. Some parts needed to be repaired. Of course, the skills required were not in my possession. With my one good hand, I placed the head on the apparatus, sealed the container and pushed a button. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

CREATIVE BUNDLE: https://learn.malcolmdewey.art/creativebundlespecial With the end of the year fast approaching, I thought it was time for a lighter article. Stepping away from educational pieces, I decided to write a personal preference blog post. It will give you an insight into what genres appeal to me and my thoughts and advice on each. You can read it with the intent to learn something, but really it’s just my biased ideas and thoughts on things I enjoy, so you might not get much education out of it.  However, I hope you are entertained! Here are my favourite genres and my thoughts on writing them! https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/blog/my-favourite-genres-and-thoughts-on-writing-them

It’s in the Eyes The detective stared at the painting for longer than he intended. It was an extravagant design, several figures crowded around a central focal point; a man standing in fire. His horns gave a good idea of what he was. The crowd bearing weapons and farming tools gave a better idea of what they intended. It was a wonder that such a painting existed without the religious sort frothing at the mouth and storming the museum. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Down the Street It was my favourite jacket. There were rips here and there or perhaps a red stain on the pale sleeves, but it was my favourite jacket always. It fitted me so well, it was light and comfortable. For all these reasons I couldn’t imagine doing anything without it. It spoke to me almost as much as the mask did. The mask was another story; I didn’t like it as much as the jacket, but it was also very necessary for my work. It allowed me to be more professional as well as release my emotions. I wore both as I walked down the street. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Next Stop I boarded the train and immediately started coughing. I buckled over, coughing into my hand and retching up the dregs at the back of my throat. It was a painful experience that made it impossible for me to breathe. There was one other passenger in the compartment and he ignored me plainly, staring at his newspaper. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Shattered Kingdom The world was broken a long time ago by powerful magic. There once stood a king who ruled over his subjects with a gentle heart and steadfast power. The many that looked up to him also vouched their lives for the kingdom, to protect it with body and soul. Of course, this kindness was only a façade created by the king. His son, who had desired such power, wished to usurp the throne from the king. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/