EXCERPT: Out in the weathered gray barn, Rusty was busy currying his horse Bay Boy. Tan with a dark tail and mane is a beauty. Rusty reluctantly started towards the house, but stopped at a corral post, letting it hold him up while he sorted out his thoughts. His eyes went toward the west, to the mountains. His heart longed to put these treeless plains behind him and explore those far-off mountains. The only time he got to go anywhere was when he drove their pickup 20 miles into town.

EXCERPT: In the halcyon days of my youth, I was in the Sea Explorers - BSA, often called Sea Scouts, (yes, we had sea scouts in the caveman days!) Back in the mid-1960’s the skipper of the SES Tuolumne, out of Modesto, California, was Doc Van-Valen, a local Podiatrist. For an up-coming Scout-o-Rama, Doc added a crowd-pleasing prank for our demonstration of the Scuttlebutt Hoist.

EXCERPT: Milo enjoyed his book and the quiet solitude. A briny wind threw sand at him. His gaze lifted to the tumultuous sky, the reason for the empty beach.

The ocean frothed under the heavy wind. Each wave rolled in with white curls arching and smashing. The ocean didn’t play nice during storms. It didn’t gently kiss the beach, it attacked with slaps and punches, tearing at the sand.

His gaze landed on a lone figure playing roulette with the unpredictable waves. He would let the water try to drag him in before jumping away with laughter.

EXCERPT: Adrian brushed aside some tall grass, and moved through the overgrown street. It had been twenty four years since the fall, and the overgrowth spread far and wide. The tall buildings above casted shadows on the streets below in the afternoon sun. They were partially covered with brambles and vines, creating a pattern of green that before the fall, you could have only seen in the botanical gardens.

EXCERPT: As Tiberius ran for the door the power of the medallion froze the door in time and turned on the pipes in the corner of the room. It was slowly flooding. Tiberius was going to drown.He had to find a way out.And fast. He pulled out his magic pendant and summoned the ancient aztec wind god wind god Ehecatl to use the raging winds of the west to blow down the walls

But his power wasn't strong enough.He was running out of ideas. Ah! Of course! He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this before he whistled for the water god Xiuhtecuhtli and he sucked up all the water and used it to create a tidal wave strong enough to knock down the walls, Tiberius escaped!Now it was time to catch that pesky medallion. He ran through the grassland towards the horizon.

Jeff, wow 350 Newsletters! That's great! A solid newsletter about raising the stakes. I try to write stories like a play with an intro, rising action, climax, falling action, ending. I have an outline for the story so I know where I have to go and then I write 3 chapters, see where the characters want to do and then adjust. Seems to work for me. Sharing a short with action/adventure — SantaBee
Submitted Item: "Escape over the Wansee"  [13+]