Story Institute Imagine, Enhance, & Grow Your Stories

You are browsing the archives of mystery.

Shift into the Shadows with Marcus DeHart…
Quote by John Ashbery
Poem from Robert Louis Stevenson – Shadow March
Guest Conversation with Marcus DeHart
Here is a little about Marcus from his website (http://www.marcusdehart.com/):
“Marcus DeHart is a professional writer and designer and the sole owner of Caret Marketing and Content Development. Marcus is a graduate of Western Washington University [...]

Unid was a shaman for an ancient tribe. Unfortunately, the tribe had recently vanished. Right before the disappearance, the skies grew dark and Unid lay napping under a poonta tree. When he woke and strolled back to the village, he noticed very little. However, when he got within sight of the [...]

Smithy was also a bit on the heavy side, but he was not too large. He was definitely an over-eater who had hoped at various moments to control his appetite. This was to no avail. Every attempt Smithy made to stop eating caused the desire to grow even more. He never [...]

Jason’s and Jennifer’s father was a quiet man. He never yelled or struck his children. He never had to discipline his children. Their mother would simply say, “wait until your father gets home,” and they would calm down long before he ever did arrive home. He would ask about their days [...]

Derek had been raised by his father. Once, when Derek was eight, he asked where his mother was. His father simply replied, she is no longer with us, frowned and went about his day. For an eight-year old, this meant that she had died. Not wanting to know how or why, [...]

When the Jill’s pet rabbit went missing, her friends jumped to help her find him. He was last seen in his cage chomping on a carrot. Small signs of how he got out, escaped, or was taken away still remain on his home. Tiny strips of fabric, bright green cloth are trapped [...]

The day was not cloudy and the night was as dark as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Of course, that is how it usually works out, isn’t it…the truck of new bamboo arrived at the zoo…yes, bamboo, and yes, the zoo. The exhibits needed some new foliage and the [...]

It is about a decade after the turn of the century…the 19th century that is. Gas streetlights have just started to replace the lanterns that hung along the safe paths. The city has used some variation of olive oil, beeswax, fish oil, whale oil, sesame oil, or nut oil to fuel the brightness [...]