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When they look inside of me, What is it they will find? Blood and guts and viscera, Or have they something else in mind? Stardust, sawdust, ticking clocks, Sinew, tendon, muscle, bone, A tiny little painted sign Reading, “Please leave me alone?” Perhaps they’ll find nothing at all – Empty, hollow, only air, Or maybe they’ll find something worse – The thought’s too much to bear. I hope that what they really find,

Rating: 5.0 July 25, 2010 Noodler’s Kung Te-Cheng is a beautiful, imperial ink that is the color of sapphires dipped in an indigo dye. According to the manufacturer, this ink is their attempt to replicate the characteristics of the first royal ink of ancient China – an ink was used during government exams during the age of Confucianism. Due to the connection to Confucius, they have named it after his 77th direct descendant, Kung Te-Cheng (1920 – 2008).

Well, that wraps up the short stores that were part of the Ceramic DM 2007 writing tournament. Thanks to everyone for reading!

Esmeralda Santiago’s only friend was a girl named Luna who lived on the moon. Luna and Esmeralda had been classmates since kindergarten and had spent every day after school running through the woods behind Esmeralda’s house – skinning their knees on fallen, moss-covered trees, forging alliances with the fairies who lived amongst the ferns, and establishing an uneasy truce with the kingdom of squirrels who inhabited the tall oaks and maples.

In the days of the Southern Song Dynasty, in the land of Hangzhou, two snake spirits took on the form of humans. One named herself Bai Suzhen, the white snake, and the other named herself Chingching, the green snake. While out wandering one day, Bai and Chingching met a simple medicinal herb merchant named Xu Xian, and Bai fell in love with him at first sight. Bai and Xu quickly married and opened a medicine shop, which allowed them to live a comfortable life together.

Shoji checked his watch; he didn’t want to be late for his first shakedown. As he hurried down the crowded streets of Tokyo III, passing businessmen in suits and housewives in smart skirts, people gave him a wide berth. The pompadour haircut; black, leather pants; black shirt; and black, leather gloves made him look like a gangster – which, of course, he was trying to be. After passing the Spaceport, where the whine of antigravity engines filled the air, Shoji cut through Yamamoto Square.

Ryan’s day began like most days: early. He woke at four AM, which gave him a half an hour to talk to his subordinates in Texas before his daily conference call with the company’s officers. As a Junior VP of Sales for one of the largest oil companies in the world, his mornings were filled with conference calls. He slipped his earpiece on, rolled out of bed, and padded to the bathroom.

This week, I’m going to be presenting the short stories I wrote for the Ceramic DM 2007 writing tournament, which I managed to win. As with the previous tournament, each pair of competitors was presented with a set of images that they were required to integrate into a coherent and compelling short story. Each story is presented here, however, without the initial prompts. Hopefully they stand alone. Today, the story from round one, A Late Aubade, is a tale of urban fantasy involving one man’s love for a very special tree.

“John! John, I’ve just made an amazing discovery!” John paused the soccer game, set down his hamburger, and groaned. Whatever was about to come out of his roommate’s mouth was bound to give him a headache. “Really? What now, Lars?” “Cows!” he was waving a sheaf of notes over his head with such vigor that he was nearly out of breath. “Ok?” “Hyper-intelligent cows!” “Huh?” “Hyper-intelligent cows rule the world.” He thrust the sheaf of papers toward John’s face and waved them excitedly.

On a winter’s day When the air is crisp and fresh and clean and The snow that falls ever so gently, gently, gently Gleams in the golden light of the morn, While the world stands quiet, quiet, quiet Because all of the animals Have looked at each other and whispered, “Hush,” You turn to the person you love and Hold them tight in your arms since You are the only two that exist