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“All journeys are born of death.” The eyes of the Wise One glistened as he spoke. “Let me tell you a story. Each word in its place; none forgotten. The order is sacred, exactly as I once heard it. You would do well to heed its wisdom, young warrior.”

A great drama played out behind the old man’s eyelids so plainly the warrior could almost behold it. The campfire flickered in his eyes, which no longer focused on the young warrior but were lost recalling the words to the story. The warrior took a stone that fit snugly into his palm and sharpened his blade. When matters of life and duty became too much, threatening to drag him under the sea billows of life, he kept his head down and focused on what he knew he did best.

The Migration Suite: A Study in C Sharp Minor

First Movement: Creation

The lights dotting the night sky filled the hunter with wonder and terror. He did not know what they meant, nor why they hid during the day. But each night he stared up at them, waiting. A fallow emptiness always settled on him after a hunt, so he rested here to appreciate the smell of the forest after a heavy rain or the smoke from the flames they had harnessed. His band depended on him, for he was their best hunter. If they knew of his habit of pausing at this site with his curiosity and questions, they would call him something else.

The Indy Metro bus came to a shuddering halt and deposited Celeste Burroughs at her stop. A plastic shelter enclosed a bench printed with the words “Embrace Mortality.” Celeste looped the cord of her earbuds around her thumb then unwound it, careful not to pull the cord free from her pocket, where it trailed, not plugged into any device. Listening to music in public violated her sense of personal boundaries. The inserted earbuds were her shield against the catcalls and unwanted attempts at conversation both on the bus and on her walk home.

El is a Spaceship Melody – “Part of Beneath Ceaseless Skies’ fabulous science-fantasy issue, this is a fantastical space…opera?, where a crew plays music togehter in order to fuel the living crystals power a spaceship. And that’s just one piece of the gloriously inventive world-building in this story. Broaddus’s prose is a marvel, and he masterfully builds a unique world that is vibrant and strange and full of life. To me, there’s a bit of a Star Trek feel to it all, but in the end, this story is like nothing else I’ve ever read.” —Maria Haskins

At the Village Vanguard (Ruminations on Blacktopia) – “this story is “straight up blackity-black,” indicative of Maurice Broaddus’s singular voice. If you’re not already a fan of Afrofuturism, this will hook you.” (AUDIO or Read)

Other stories…

Super Duper Fly – An inversion of the Magical Negro trope … hehehe

Pimp My Airship – A steampunk journey.

The Iron Hut – A sword & soul story featuring Dinga Cisse.

Ebony Paradox – a “lost” tale from the Knights of Breton Court trilogy.

Family Dinner – You thought your family dinner was awkward.  Try it when your family has been reduced to zombies.

Awaiting Redemption – People can claim a religious faith but use it strictly as a cover for their own cruelty (that has nothing to do with their religion). AUDIO ONLY

Lost Son – another tale of Dinga Cisse, an ancient African warrior.  AUDIO ONLY #swordandsoul