I don’t usually write much random fiction in the middle of projects, but this popped into my head today. It’s extremely short, but I’ve been meaning to do a little more weird west and don’t have time for much so this hopefully will quench my thirst for awhile. Free to read, fresh off the word doc:
People associate the desert with heat, but at night, it gets so cold it can chill you to your bones. It took a strong will to be able to survive. Cameron had been prospecting in the Arizona desert for weeks, but tonight, he couldn’t stop himself from shivering. Twigs rested in a pile—the fruits of hours of labor in trying to assemble something flammable to quell the evening chill.
Cameron grabbed two stones and struck them together. They warmed in his hands, but he couldn’t get them to spark. The third time he tried, he smashed his fingertips between the stones. “Arg!” he shouted to the heavens. The sound of his voice died in the wind. No one would hear him. His fingers throbbed, and yet he had no fire.
Angry, Cameron threw his stone to the ground. He needed a fire, or he wouldn’t survive the night. His fingertips pulsed with heat as the pain grew. He held his hand out over his piled sticks. If only he could will fire into existence, force the heat from his throbbing fingers into the wood.
He screamed again, and the twigs burst into flames.
By the way, I’ve been putting out short stories every month on my Patreon, including a novella sequel to my award winning book, For Steam And Country this month. If you like my writing, you’ll love what comes through the pipeline here. Great science fiction and fantasy you can look forward to every month. At the very least, support my work for the sake of it! You can sign up here and get short stories for as low as $3/mo, which is less expensive than most authors.
Yer a wizard, Cam.