This story © Keenan Cross 2023 When the team of moths have levered the globular body back into its tub, and the room has been steamed to a thick fog, my owner gives me a dour look, and I send everyone away, myself included.  I pay the moths—each receives a green guarant chit, a handsome…

This story © Keenan Cross 2023 Among Rouan Hai’s paid servants is a healer, who sees to my wounded arm when I return through the sewers.  A tall and taciturn crowfolk, they have dealt with many wounds to my fragile skin in my year with the vennsh.  I remove my peacoat and undercoat and vest,…

Another very rough first draft, this time finally coming back to the unnamed second focal character of the novel I started this blog with. I still don’t have a name for him, but I got around that with first-person this time. After Dandec, this one came out especially gloomy. This story © Keenan Cross 2023…

I hope you enjoyed seeing as much of the Demihuman World as this story covers. It definitely experienced some scope creep over its writing, but not so much that it drowned out the story, I don’t think. Please let me know if you enjoyed it, if it made sense, and what themes you detected! See…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [gcp, 3bfm, 13yo] After a year as a member of Do-yath’s crew, whatever about Dandec it was that frightened the animals had become so severe that he could not come within twenty paces of one without it panicking and bucking.  After another year,…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [sable fens, 3afm, 19yo] Holding on to the rope in one hand, Dandec swam as far down as he could, to where the strange weeds grew.  The thick, sour taste of peat flooded his nostrils even while he held his breath.  He dug…

See the introduction for more information.This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [alu hechak, 5bfm, 11yo] When the headaches became unbearable, Dandec had to ask to stay in his bunk most days.  The new foreman could punish him: halve his rations, assign him less and less pleasant work.  But the headaches always outstripped the desire to…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [present] After several days of exploring, Dandec has found several such markers.  Across two pages in his largest notebook, he has drawn a map, with his camp at its center, and carefully plotted the locations of trees, ponds, and markers all.  He named…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [moth cup, 6afm, 22yo] Dandec had first communicated with Karst Loess by letter as a student.  It had been a brief exchange: one letter full of notes and questions regarding the lepidopteran scholar’s research, and one response, most of a year later.  That…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [gcp near has asel, 2bfm, 14yo] In the years he had traveled with Do-yath’s caravan, Dandec had harbored many visions of the border.  At times he had imagined a wall, guarded by students as a form of civic labor for the university.  Other…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [badlands, 8afm, 25yo] The court of Tuo Mait, First of His Line, was boisterous, especially when the winds outside drove everyone indoors.  There musicians, fights—scheduled ones between servants, and spontaneous ones between citizens—and always a crowd waiting to petition the lord.  Tuo Mait…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}@font-face {font-family:”Helvetica…

See the introduction for more information. This story © Keenan Cross, 2022 [eastern plains, 5afm, 21 years old] “Yes, they are friends,” the full-human woman said, sourly.  She stood in her doorway with a solidness that suggested there was no chance the demihuman would be welcome inside. “Have you seen her?” Dandec asked.  He was…

This is a first draft of a new novella set in the Demihuman World, expanding on one of the free-writing stories I wrote in 2019. It’s a very rough draft, but most of the changes will be trimming, punching-up, and rewording for tone, rather than structural. I intended for it to be brighter and more…

Abyssal (first draft) Act 1 Scene 10 The cafeteria, the sub pen RESEARCHER is grouchily on her way to the cafeteria.  When she arrives, a few minutes before 6:30, she sees DIRECTOR standing (seemingly) happily in front of the big screen, showing the death count approaching the 90% mark.  He lifts a wine glass at…

Abyssal (first draft) Act 1 Scene 9 Around the lab Nothing is different from before as TECH walks through the halls after docking the sub.  He was gone for more than 24 hours, but the three survivors frequently don’t see each other for several days at a time.  Nevertheless, he is full of nervous energy. …

Abyssal (first draft) Act 1 Scene 8 The sub, the tower TECH has taken the sub out again.  He sits at the controls, eyelids heavy and gaze distant.  One finger taps with subtly manic energy on the console, but otherwise he is scarcely present.  He remembers, briefly, not letting RESEARCHER leave the closet, though she…

Keenan Cross Abyssal (first draft) Act 1 Scene 7 TECH’s quarters TECH is sitting on his cot, a diary in his hands.  He takes a long breath and opens it.  Inside, he has written several dates, but never gotten farther than the first word or two of an entry.  He scratches out the last date…

Keenan Cross Abyssal (first draft) Act 1 Scene 6 The sub, then DIRECTOR’s lab TECH is piloting the submersible again.  On his mobile device he has a list of samples to retrieve, divided into ones for RESEARCHER and ones for DIRECTOR.  The range counter is approaching fifty percent again.  DIRECTOR’s list gives coordinates from which…

Keenan Cross Abyssal (first draft) Act 1 Scene 5 TECH’s quarters A couple days later, TECH is still at his routine.  He farms and he jogs through the halls.  Later, he is polishing and testing research equipment. A centrifuge gives him some trouble, but after working at it for a while he gets it spinning,…