A Short Story for “E” and the Font “Earth Realm” (#AtoZChallenge)

#AtoZChallenge Graphic

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Letter “E”

I know I am a few days late; but, I only learned about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge yesterday on a fellow challenger’s post and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join in.

Being a graphic designer and a writer, I chose to combine my two passions for my category. For this challenge, my daily posts will highlight fonts. So, each day, I will choose a random font whose name begins with the letter of the day and create a flash fiction short story using the font’s name as a prompt. For today’s letter “E,” the font I chose was Earth Realm by Iconian Fonts.

#AtoZChallenge

#AtoZChallenge

I hope you enjoy the flash fiction short story, Earth Realm.


Earth Realm

by Anjela Curtis

“If you remain here, you’ll be as good as caught by morning,” the Jasperian fortune-teller predicted reading the lines on my palm. She’d grabbed my hand as I sat on the bed and pulled on my pants.

I just rolled my eyes. Of course, she would say that. I wore the sanctioned uniform of a petty thief and my palm bore a brand that signified I’d once been sentenced to life in jail. It didn’t take a woman of her questionable trade to see that I was an escaped convict.

“Don’t worry,” I smirked, snatching back the hand I needed to grab my boots from under her bed. “I’ve booked passage on the first intergalactic ferry out of Jasper Prime heading to Earth-Realm.” My manner and voice brimmed with excitement as I gathered the remnants of my uniform. Jasper Prime was a hell hole for scum. I was happy to go.

“There’s a bounty on your head. A good-sized one this time,” she mentioned over her shoulder as she dressed.

“Well, unless they plan to extend the search to Earth, my guess is no one will collect it.”

“Will you miss me?” she asked, her voice soft and already sounding love-sick.

“There’ll be thousands of fortune-tellers on Earth that will be of use to a guy like me,” I answered, sounding as cavalier as I felt, yet sparing her a direct answer. She’d been good to me, well good enough. Still, I was leaving everything behind me in an hour. I had a brand-new life to look forward to. I didn’t care that she’d remain.

“Yeah,” she replied, her voice as hard as rock, “I thought maybe you’d feel that way…so I got you a little ‘going away’ gift.” Just as she spoke, there was a loud sound behind me as the door was kicked open. I turned to her, eyes round with confusion.

“What have you done!” I yelled as my heart dropped to my stomach at the look of raw hatred in her eyes.

“Exactly what you planned to do. I’m leaving you here and catching your ferry. With the payment from your bounty, I expect I’ll have enough for a new start,” she bragged as the soldiers grabbed me and cuffed my arms. “You know, I predict there are thousands of criminals like you that can be of use to a fortune-telling bounty-hunter like me.” Then she winked and turned away as the soldiers led me off to prison.

2017 © Anjela Curtis

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