Fantasy

Fairy Tales. Top Story - November 2024.
“The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished.” At least it was supposed to. That’s what they promised, the prophecy guaranteed. It didn’t, of course, though they kept claiming it truly happened at his command.
By Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock2 years ago in Fiction
Sundered Skies. Top Story - November 2024.
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. Armies marched, cities burned. The wind tasted of glass, ash, and suffocation. That day the world died. Yet we survived, or did we? Can one really call this living?
By Addison M2 years ago in Fiction
Strange Occurrence
“The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. The luminous sky blended embers of vibrant colors; red, yellow, and green. A thick fog surrounded the entire area as a musty smell filled the atmosphere—
By Laydee B Writes2 years ago in Fiction
Atman's Big Adventure
The river ran backwards on the day The Queen vanished. There was much speculation in the kingdom of Sleepy Valley as to where she might be. Some thought she might be in Heaven watching her favorite TV shows. It was always assumed that they got the Brtibox Channel in Heaven.. Other people thought she might have gone to visit her cousin in Bavaria. There were best of friends and often went camping together. This rumor was given some credence when the Queen's private secretary rang up the cousin but got no answer. Some thought she may have died of Royal Decapitation Syndrome (RDS), but no head was found rolling about. The Royal Physician announced that the Queen had had all her vaccinations. There are always those who bring up alien abduction and they gave the opinion that The Queen had been abducted by little green men. It sounded silly but did account for the fact that nobody, absolutely nobody, had seen her disappear, though it seemed to have happened shortly before afternoon tea.
By Dan West2 years ago in Fiction
Archer and the Anvil
'The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished.' This riddle is the reason they are running for their lives. Why Roland is covered in blood and why Tomaz now has blood on his hands.
By JBaz2 years ago in Fiction
The End's Embrace
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. It churned and surged against its flow, an impossible reversal that left the Keepers of the River in disbelief.
By Ben Soto2 years ago in Fiction
The Island of Sinalia
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. Not a trace of her was left behind, not even the magic she had used to create the utopia that had been thriving for decades. It was called Sinalia, and was a gorgeous place.
By Maddy Haywood2 years ago in Fiction
The Queen and Her Ring
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. Well, more accurately it had been running backwards for a very long time and on the day she disappeared it simply stopped running backwards. You see, long ago an ancient king used a magic ring of mysterious origin to alter the direction of the river to make it more beneficial for travel and trade. He also used his power to ensure bountiful harvests. He also erected a barrier to keep out monsters.
By Austin Blessing-Nelson (Blessing)2 years ago in Fiction
The Singed Crown
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. That was how they came to find her so soon. The shepherdess had been incomprehensible, reverting to the old tongue in her distress, but there are languages beyond words, and Captain Silbourn had seen the fear in her eyes and followed her himself, delegating command of the main search to Tribian, and taking the Guard’s three best men with him. Now they stood on the bank of the little river, the shepherdess praying, he supposed, and the four men stood in metal plated uncertainty, swords hanging impotently along their thighs.
By Hannah Moore2 years ago in Fiction
The Horse King
The river ran backwards on the day the queen vanished. I was there, not in the kingdom, at the river. I watched the water take its course as only nature can, this same immovable way. At first I supposed the 'ran in reverse' idea quite poetic. When the common person had come to genuinely believe this, and as a response to the King's love lost, I found concern. By the end of her second month vanished it was still the focal point of all relevant creation. We didn’t speak of her when she was here, but the state of government has spun out.
By Collin Salajka McCormick2 years ago in Fiction
Aurora and the Lost Forest
The river ran backwards on the day the queen vanished. It didn't take long for the news to pass from ear to ear, sending the entire kingdom into disarray. Not only had the beloved Queen Madeline vanished, but the river began flowing backward. And soon would completely dry up, taking away the heartbeat of the kingdom.
By David Williams2 years ago in Fiction
The Magikor. Runner-Up in Fantasy Prologue II Challenge.
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. The first to notice were the priests, rising early to pray by the water's edge. Next were the fishermen, preparing their vessels and nets for the day’s work. The rest of the village learned of the river’s reversal from children sent to fetch pails of water, who returned empty-handed, eager to share the strange news. By midmorning, all of West Karlif was gathered at the riverbank—some in stunned silence, others chattering excitedly, and the rest on bent knees, begging for God’s forgiveness for sins they could not name.
By J. Nicholas Merchen2 years ago in Fiction