Next Gas 190 Miles

Genevieve stepped down from her jeep at the lonely fueling station, according to the sign the last chance for services for 200 miles, and smoked a cigarette under the half-dead oak tree. A litany of lizards scurried away as she approached.

She wondered how many drivers stopped here in a day. She had passed maybe half a dozen vehicles the entire morning. She couldn't imagine how the people out here survived so far from civilization.

The old man working the pump had skin as weathered as the geckos' from too much sun. She decided to tip him an extra twenty.

Youth

We pelt through the underbrush, giddy and squealing, following a trail too small for adult passage. Fronds of yellow broom lash our way with petals; it is early spring and the mud has only freshly set beneath our footfalls. The wooden knuckles of roots provide easy grapple holds for our pudgy hands, and we push on undaunted.

"Where are you?" he calls, breathless from behind me.

"Here! I'm up, follow my voice!" I guide him and we emerge, hand in hand, into the clearing.

Noble and patient, our grandfather's oak tree welcomes us. A bird's nest awaits as our reward.

From Guest Contributor Violetta Buono

London-based introvert Violetta Buono (@ViolettaBuono on Twitter) lives in a fantasy land of her own making. She graduated in Classical Studies, and is currently a freelance writer. Between writing poetry, flash fiction, and pretending to work on a novel, she sometimes submits her work but has yet to be published. This is her first piece appearing to the public.

The Epic Saga Of Nathaniel Greenleaf

The wind blew hot. Nat, backing up against the giant oak, fumbled for his sword. The goblins surrounded him, sneering.

Nat had not wanted to become an adventurer. But the evil Lord Vespin killed Dambledorf, his bumbling mentor. The ancient canon demanded vengeance, and so he set off for Castle Shinbone with his motley companions. The only problem, they had no idea where they were going.

“Look inside my trunk,” boomed a voice behind Nat. Was that the tree?

He reached inside a dark cavity, and pulled out a parchment. It was a map. Revenge would be his after all.

Genre: High Fantasy