Welcome to this week’s installment of many micro stories, ranging in length from 100 words to 500 words.
With each story we hope to deliver a little whimsy into the lives of our readers.
THEY DON’T EVEN EXIST
“You shouldn’t go, especially not alone.” Leng frowned. “I’ve heard they’re deadly, and nobody who’s gone looking for them has ever returned.”
“That’s superstitious nonsense,” Phuong scoffed. “And the claims of people going missing are nothing but gossip. Mongolian death worms don’t even exist and I’m going to prove it.”
He set off across the Gobi, picked a spot, and set up camp. After searching all around him, he moved, and repeated the process. Weeks passed, but he found no trace of the legendary creatures.
Satisfied he’d been right all along and they weren’t real, he began to pack up his supplies. It was time to return home.
A small, red head popped out of the ground, and Phuong blinked, caught off guard. “Only a baby snake,” he muttered before snickering.
But he frowned when the nearby sand began rippling.
An enormous death worm emerged, towered over him, and sprayed venom in his eyes.
Phuong wailed and rubbed at them frantically. But the pain only grew more intense.
The creature lunged forward, mouth widespread, and devoured him whole.
Gabriella Balcom lives in Texas and writes fantasy, horror, romance, sci-fi, and more. She’s had 488 works accepted for publication and was nominated for the Washington Science Fiction Association’s Small Press Award. Clarendon House Publications published Gabriella’s multi-genre anthology, On the Wings of Ideas, after one of her stories was voted best in a book. JayZoMon/Dark Myth Company released her romance, Worth Waiting For, which won second place in their 2020 Open Contract Challenge. Black Hare Press published her sci-fi novella, The Return, and Dark Myth Publishing released Gabriella’s horror novella, Down with the Sickness and Other Chilling Tales.
https://m.facebook.com/GabriellaBalcom.lonestarauthor
If you enjoyed this drabble you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash 2023 anthology.
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