EJ Baumgardner
Bio
A writer through and through, I just want to perfect my craft and build a community. This place would not exist without both, you and me.
Stories (17/0)
The Freezing Flame
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The candle had appeared suddenly, out of thin air, and burned an eerie neon blue as it sat atop the windowsill. Though it spread no warmth, it cast many long and streaming shadows throughout the cabin. Within their dark midst, something began to move. A pool of liquid shade, it had no true form; not yet. At the heart of the black puddle, a small blue flame shone brilliantly. The murky gloom around it began to burn, flames as black as night that sucked the warmth from the air around them. The shadow left the cabin and moved into the woods, sensing warmth nearby. The failing light of the setting sun offered many places for it to cling to, to step through.
By EJ Baumgardner2 years ago in Horror
The Ballad of Rika Strong-Arm - Episode 2
Captain Bolter was a reasonable man. He was an honorable one as well, if also strict and unyielding. Seeing as how sailing across the Endless Ocean required his crew be disciplined and he wield supreme authority, he had every right to be a strict man. I also had not expected him to make me work on the trip. I’d absently imagined I would merely sit in my cabin and write all day long. Mistakenly, I had thought I had paid for my passage, but I had paid only for the renting of my cabin. It was space that might have been used for the stowage of goods, and my payment made up the difference in the transaction. I still owed him for both my food and passage, apparently, and was informed I would be working off that debt. I was glad to learn that it would be easy enough to train me to sail, under the care of a capable seaman. The merchant who was paying for the vessel was the only person aboard who did not have responsibilities pertaining to the maintenance and seafaring of the T.S.S. Auriga.
By EJ Baumgardner2 years ago in Fiction
The Berry Best Summer Food
To me, there is only one flavor that says “summertime”. I will admit, it’s not that common unless you’re from the Pacific Northwest. While I certainly love hot dogs, corn on the cob, or s’mores cooked over a campfire… none of those will ever evoke the same nostalgia and simple joy I get from eating the humble blackberry.
By EJ Baumgardner2 years ago in Earth
The Ballad of Rika Strong-Arm - Episode 1
I was born in the frigid island nation of Minas Ohta. There isn’t much to say about it. It’s mostly populated by humans, and they frown on using magic in public. It’s also covered in snow 9 months of the year, and across the Endless Ocean from the nearest major landmass. The only magic they tolerate is the kind that helps them grow crops, and even then, it’s a begrudging acceptance. The fact that they would starve without the magic does little to alleviate their prejudices.
By EJ Baumgardner2 years ago in Fiction
Do Not Open Under Any Circumstances
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. There weren’t always halflings who went on adventures, either. All that had changed quite recently. Kamdyn had no idea where the old book had come from, but she knew it was the source of her problems. Up until two days ago, everything had been perfectly fine.
By EJ Baumgardner2 years ago in Fiction