Daily Short Stories from The Penned Sleuth

Offices and Dragons I worked in accounting, which really isn’t a bad job. Most people I know give it a bad rep by saying the work is dull and the hours aren’t good either, but in truth, it is solid work. I find comfort in the day to day rut because after months end, I am relatively free. Not to mention the pay, which when you have been working for such a large company for so many years is quite substantial. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Welcome to Cold Street There was a name whispered around the town. These were whispers about a street that sent shivers down the spine of everyone who heard its name. It was an urban legend that came true and it made it difficult for residents a block away to sleep. Truly, Cold Street gripped the mind of everyone who knew about it, but not for the reasons that most believed. Here is the story of Cold Street. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

If you are new to writing a novel, then you are no doubt unsure of how to go about the creative project. You don’t know if you should jump straight into it and see how far you get, or whether you should take it slow and plan everything out. You don’t know how to put your personality into your novel, or if you even should. In this blog post, I will tell you what you need to do to make your writing process simple and even enjoyable! https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/blog/what-you-need-to-do-when-writing-a-book

Cold Steel Lake The two of us sat on the small bench and waited for the train to arrive. The platform was a pitiful sight, with only one bench and a shack where they would hand out tickets. Of course, there was nobody handing out tickets for this train, but I knew the driver. While we listened to the night sounds, she slowly leaned against me and we tried not to fall asleep. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Rust and Spikes “I don’t know what makes you think we can fix this place up,” I told Robert. The warehouse was a strange mix of broken and rusted metal implements. It used to manufacture old war munitions, but that time has long since passed. The time between then and now however showed itself clearly in the decrepit environment. Of course, we still wanted the warehouse. It would also be a great marketing direction. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Scratch Names are funny things. Sometimes a name is given, without any other reason than it sounds good. Sometimes it's to describe something; sometimes the name is given to warn someone. Scratch Hospital is the third. Nothing about it says friendly...or sanitary. Scratch is the abandoned hospital that kids dare each other to go into. It is the hospital you go into if you want to make your problem worse, if you know what I mean. To sum up, you never go into Scratch. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Cold Hands For us, the house was home. Sure, it was small compared to most houses on the street, but in fact, it had plenty of rooms, even an attic. The door had a strange squeak which I found charming, the walls were freshly painted and the plumbing worked. Overall, moving here seemed like a fantastic idea, especially to me at first, which is why I can see why my family find it confusing that I now live in fear of the place. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/blog/the-woman-in-cabin-10-by-ruth-ware-book-review The Woman in Cabin 10 is a mystery/thriller story of a travel writer’s nightmarish cruise. Lo Blacklock witnesses a murder, someone is thrown overboard in the night. However, all passengers are accounted for, leaving Lo to wonder if she is going mad or if there is a plot against her after what she witnessed. Here is my spoiler-free review of The Woman in Cabin 10!

Among the Aisles Fluorescent lights seemed to create an emotion in me that stuck around like a bad cough. The store glowed with a sickly tone and my eyes drooped as I entered. It was late and it had been a long day, but still, I needed something to eat once I got home. There were very few things that interested me in food. Ignoring the strangers, I cut into the aisles and began searching the constantly changing shelves. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Long Live the King It was a time of darkness, indeed, but a time of pure humanity as well. The smallest of people stood up where the strongest fell. It was the time for the peasant to become a lord and overthrow the tyrant that crushed their way of being beneath his armoured boot. Of course, how could a lowly peasant raise arms against a cruel army? The peasants find a champion. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Call in the Night Now, I would like to clearly state, for the record, that I had no involvement in the matter other than the fact that I discovered the body, okay? I reported it to the police straight away, in person and without going anywhere near the room upon finding my employee. Do you understand that? Good. Now, let me tell you why I believe that this was the work of a lunatic that has been harassing our store for the past month. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

Broken Notes David plucked every out-of-tune string before positioning his fingers into a chord. The bow touched the strings lightly and with every slow movement, the violin produced a low hum. Rotating the bow as he dragged it so he made use of every string, David discovered a tune in his own mind. The tune was awful and it reverberated in the dusty, grey attic. Still, there was nobody around anymore to hear him, so he began to play more confidently. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

12 Ways to Take Your Writing to the Next Level: Tips on How to Improve Your Writing Skills We all write and we all want to improve our writing skills. Writing is a skill that can be developed with time and practice. Yet, practice without direction is pointless, as you won’t achieve your goal if you don’t have one. If you want to write like your favourite author, or phrase better sentences or simply polish your work, these tips are for you. Here are 12 ways to take your writing to the next level! https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/blog/12-ways-to-take-your-writing-to-the-next-level-tips-on-how-to-improve-your-writing-skills

What Apocalypse? We stood there in our dark apartment and stared out at the city. It was surprising to see the city end up in such a sorry state in a short time. Not a single light could be seen. Of course, there were city-wide blackouts before, but never as long as this. I suppose it was the sign of the times. Nobody had the income to meet the demand of the rising fuel price. Soon the demand hit the people hard and it brought the animal nature out. Months later, the army claimed the fuel for their tanks and other military vehicles. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

No Trespassers We scoped out the house from a distance. It was a small building near the highway, hidden away amongst the trees. We watched the resident, an old woman, sit on her porch. It was a boring sight, but we needed to find out her routine before we decided to rob the place. The good news was she was the only resident, we didn't see anyone else, but the bad news was she never seemed to leave the house. We thought we might get lucky and she would drive the pickup to go grocery shopping, but it was been close to two weeks without her stepping off the property. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

The library was a marvel on its own. I loved the feel of it and planned to spend as many of my days there as I could. I found peace amongst the bookshelves and the faint echo of my steps only added to my enjoyment. Of course, I tended to it as well. Nowadays, all people cared about was surviving and scavenging, but at least in these dark times, I found my light. I read, I read every book I could get my hands on. If I had to choose between extra food and a book, I will eat what I have with an adventure in my mind. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

It was hard to tell where I found myself. Last I remembered, I was coming home to a dark apartment. I made myself a cup of coffee, planning on staying up a little longer than my body would like. I entered my room, I found a book waiting on my bedside table. It had neither a name nor cover that hinted at what was inside. I plucked it up and flicked through the pages, scanning a passage here and there before climbing into bed. It seemed interesting, so I flipped back to the beginning and began reading. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

The Wee Free Men is the start of a series of novels following the young witch, Tiffany Aching. In this first novel, Tiffany faces her first challenge, as nightmares become reality and invade her home, the country of Chalk. She is armed with her wits, a frying pan and the Nac Mac Feegle, a band of tiny, blue-skinned pictsies. However, will it be enough to face the evils coming out of Fairyland? Here is my spoiler-free review of The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett! https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/blog/the-wee-free-men-by-terry-pratchett-book-review

The alarm blared, causing me to roll off the bed and faceplant into the floor. When did the alarm ring? It was either blaring at the wrong time or it wasn’t working. Unfortunately, it was one of those important days where you needed a blaring alarm at the right time. The airport was waiting and the nerves began to set it. Luckily, I had somebody in my life to share the load with. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/

“Skies are clear, Alpha, you are good to go,” Jackson reported through the radio. “Roger that, Hawk,” the officer replied With that, Jackson flicked a few switches and leaned back in his seat. The jungle canopy below was now replaced with the ocean. It was a truly amazing sight, especially at these speeds. Ahead of Jackson and his co-pilot, Jimenez was the carrier. A large ship used to hold aerial support like helicopters and jets. Despite such a heavy load, the carrier was also armed with heavy artillery, including both anti-air and sea weaponry. https://www.thepennedsleuth.com/