Kai Delmas

Jungle - Paradise - Patience - Shadow Here is a very late poll for the August drabbles. I have some catching up to do, but don't worry, I'll get there. And in case anyone is wondering, yes, these theme ideas are inspired by Guns N' Roses' song titles. If anyone has fun theme suggestions, feel free t

The earth shakes with each step of her cloven hooves. Long ago, her passing brought fear and destruction. Houses crushed and lives lost. But over generations, we learned that she meant us no harm. She was just passing through and wasn't unwilling to give us something for our troubles. "Moooo!" she a

A midnight zoo visit sounded like so much fun. And it was, until some of the animals got loose. I ended up in the ER with a bite wound as big as my fist. Not to mention being traumatized by the whole thing. It's been a month, and I still flinch at every crosswalk. White paint on black asphalt. Tonig

Red eyes, a coat as black as coal. The pounding of its hooves plagues my nightmares. I wake up screaming, sure that it's upon me, ready to trample me. I can't share my fears. I can't tell anyone what I've been dreaming. Then they'd know the truth. They'd know of my guilt. I didn't mean for the boy t

"Hooves on first." "Who?" "Not who, what." "What's on first?" "The Minotaur. Can't you see?" "I can see just fine. I wanted to know if its name was What." "What?" "The name of the Minotaur. Is it What?" "I don't know." "You mean, I Don't Know What. That thing's in the outfield." # "Hooves on second.

Fangs - Claws - Horns - Hooves Vote for this month's theme. If anyone has fun theme suggestions, feel free to send them to me in the comments. The poll will end on Tuesday, and the first drabble will be posted as soon as it's done, which, as always, will be free to read for everyone.

The cucumber cried out as the knife bit through its skin and flesh. It continued sobbing after being returned to the refrigerator. Wallace ignored it. The steak sizzled and screeched as it burned in the pan. The ketchup bottle whined with every dollop it released. Wallace laid the table for one wher

Maestro in the kitchen, devil on the battlefield. That was what Jean Luke the Third was known for. His culinary expertise was raved about throughout the Garlic Kingdom. But nobles will rave about anything. The common men did not care for fancy dinners or superfluous parties. They only cared about ea

The squawks of seagulls calm you as sunshine warms your body. Crashing waves carry the sea breeze to your nostrils. You breathe in the scent of salt and... decay? Squawks turn into caws. Ravens gather on sunshades and lounge chairs. They're caws fill the air. "Mistake!" "You don't belong." "Mistake!

"...s time." Ron whipped his head around. "Who's there?" Nothing. No one. His apartment was empty. Completely. "Shit! Where'd everything go?" He got up from his chair and noticed the TV he had been watching was gone as well. And then so was the chair. "It's time." The whisper returned. "Time? Time f

There it was again. Olga awoke with a start. She knew what she would find if she searched the house. Nothing. But she looked anyway. Restless, she returned to bed. Donald hadn't even noticed she was gone, dreaming on with a stupid grin. Olga closed her eyes and heard the rattle of chains again. She

The lord sat at the long end of the table. Before him lay a banquet feast, all for him. His guests were long gone. They had grown hungrier as he grew fatter. Expecting scraps from his plates, they had been dearly disappointed. His servants were gone as well. Finally, an end to the feast was in sight

When I was little, I didn't know that I was different. I thought my mother knew that she smelled like coconut and my father like fresh-cut grass. But as I grew older, I started getting funny looks whenever I mentioned what people smelled like. They called me a bully for saying that Jason smelled lik

The blaring horn drew Jason's eyes upward to the oncoming headlights. The thud of the truck's fenders ramming into his body and the smack, crack of his skull hitting the pavement didn't even register. A flash of pain, and that was all. Jason had moved on, on to another world. The blaring horn made M

Hear - See - Smell - Taste -Touch Hey there folks! May was a bit overwhelming for me, and I ended up not writing any drabbles for the month. But don't worry, I'll make up for it in June. So instead of one drabble every week, you'll get two. And instead of one vote, you get to vote for two themes. Th

Dry metal scratched across the paper. Words no longer spilled from the pen's tip, they were etched into the page. Every letter a ragged mess, a wound that could never heal. Creation was pain. Creation was art. Creation was futile. The writer was forcing themself, trying to do more than they could. I

Tears of blue drip off her chin. Ink pools beneath me as I watch her sorrow unfold. This isn't how girls should grow up. This shouldn't happen. A mother shouldn't die in her daughter's arms, not until she's wrinkled and gray. I would do anything to undo this moment. But all I can do is shed my own b

Kill your darlings, they said. Your work will improve, they said. But when you kill us, do we not bleed? Do we not feel? Does our memory not haunt you? No? Then we must make you remember, must make you regret. May our ink spill from the gash in our backs where your quill once quivered as you crossed

The quill pricks your skin, and red blends with the blue ink. You gasp and shudder, but you can't break your bindings. You can't free yourself from the linen gag tied tight, cutting into the corners of your mouth and chafing at your beard. No one would be able to hear you down here anyway, and once

Ink - Slime - Chains - Knots Vote for this month's theme. If anyone has fun theme suggestions, feel free to send them to me in the comments. The poll will end on Sunday, and the first drabble will be posted as soon as it's done, which, as always, will be free to read for everyone.

Wet earth caked across her eyes to keep them shut. Silver-threaded string bound around her wrists to keep them still. A garlic bulb wedged into her open mouth as an extra measure. I don't think she's a vampire, but I can't bring myself to cut off her head or split her body into pieces. These precaut

Sheila slapped Robert across the face. "I hate you, and I don't ever want to see you again." Robert looked at her, stunned. Shook his head and left. He shouldn't have cheated on her. He knew it was wrong and that she would leave him. And that's why he had done it. He was too much of a coward to take

Jason flicks the light on and off. One, two, three, four. He closes the door behind him. Opens it, locks it. One, two, three, four. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He's safe now. His anxieties, his problems, his demons are locked away inside. The outside world awaits. The demon shifts in

A ritual is just hopes and dreams put into words while being surrounded by symbols that have no meaning or power. For centuries, humans have followed ritualistic practices to achieve something they were incapable of doing on their own. They put their faith in God, in spirits, or any other magic that

Candles sputter in the dark surrounding the altar. Surrounding your body. Blood has been spilled to form the runes all around. I clamp my hand down on my wrist and wince. My legs are shaking, and I feel so weak, but my work is not yet done. I step up to the altar and coat your lips with my blood. My

Bones - Artifact - Shrine - Ritual Vote for next month's theme. If anyone has fun theme suggestions, feel free to send them to me in the comments. The poll will end on Sunday, and the first drabble will be posted early in the week, which, as always, will be free to read for everyone.

"Step right up, roll the dice, and be a winner today! Step right up, it doesn't cost a cent." Scam. Trickster. Too good to be true. Those were the thoughts of passersby on the pier. Most weren't going to let themselves get roped in. But every once in a while, someone would be tempted to try their lu

He watched them from behind a rock. His father had told him where they gathered. Once a year, they came to shore to peel their skins off and enjoy dancing on two legs instead of drifting under the waves. They were beautiful—naked skin gleaming in the moonlight, a bonfire bringing a flush to their ch

When Dorin discovered that the local magician didn't lock his shop at night, his thieving fingers twitched with glee. Obviously, he'd have to sell the goods elsewhere, but as a country thief, he was constantly on the move anyway. The next night, Dorin slipped into the shop after the magician had lef

Forgotten. We lie on a hard surface, pressed together, caught in a net. The blessed sunlight shines down on us every day, and it’s warm. We like it warm, humid. Our skin expands, our sprouts grow like little eyes. We cannot see, but we can feel. Abandoned. But not without hope or sustenance. Our spr

The children looked at the house in the woods with wide eyes. Never in their life had they seen so many colors, so many flavors, so many goodies. From being lost in the woods, they were transported to their sweetest dreams. They should have asked permission, but they were starving, and all of it jus

Temptation - Obsession - Failure - Regret Vote for next month's theme. If anyone has fun theme suggestions, feel free to send them to me in the comments. The poll will end on Saturday, and the first drabble should be posted on Sunday, which, as always, will be free to read for everyone.

We were a people once. Our hearts beat as one. The eye atop our pyramid watched over us with love and protection. As time passed, we didn't change, but the eye did. Its golden light was no longer soft and warm, it was harsh and searing. Some were burned while others became blind. Not to the world it

You are safe now. I will take care of you here. You are in my domain. Nothing bad can happen to you anymore. I know it can be scary in the dark, and you are used to breathing air. But your body does not need that anymore. You do not need that anymore. It will take some time, but I will be by your si

Learwen Castle has stood for six hundred years. Once a seat of power, it's walls alive with the hum of magic. Its lord ruled from coast to coast, conquering and stealing riches from overseas. He was a great man, a terrible man. Learwen Castle has stood for six hundred years, but it was only inhabite

Some say a god left behind is a god no more. I refuse. Though my effigies have cracked and crumbled, have rotted and decayed, I refuse to be forgotten. Humans are not the only creatures that pray. What they once discarded and left to succumb to the elements, others made their home. Old creatures, bi

Renewed - Decayed - Created - Destroyed Here are the themes for the first month of the new year. If anyone has fun theme suggestions, feel free to send them to me in the comments. The poll will end on Sunday, and I'll try to write one for that day as well, which, as always, will be free to read for

Something was off! Lysa added frozen honey to never forget the sweetness of spring. The cauldron bubbled appreciatively. Then a tadpole of the Theros Chronos frog to know when is when. Finally, the heart of a mycelium colony—very difficult to find—to know what is what and to know why what was done.

I can no longer feel my hands, but I can't stop. Black fingertips dive deep into the sea of white. I need to keep going. To find answers. The truth. If the blood vessels in my fingers weren't frozen, the torn flesh would streak the snow red. Wouldn't it? If I were made of flesh, blood, and bone, I w

"This ointment gave me a rash!" Bethanora frowned at the man. Her remedies were the best for miles. How dare he come to her and complain! "Well, Herbert, did it at least cure your wart?" "Nope!" Bethanora seethed inside, but offered the man an apology and return of his money. That night, after three

I thought I was a genius. A brilliant mind capable of unbelievable things. I guess I was right, to a certain degree. I succeeded in creating time travel after all. But this is where my brilliant mind also failed horrendously. Time is not meant to be played with, and if you do, chaos ensues. So here