“You must safeguard the Stone of Alram on your quest. “It is our only hope,” Jonah the Brave announced. He placed the satchel around Asford’s neck.
Asford nodded.
“You have a long journey ahead of you. I pray you will not fail.” Jonah stuck out his hand, and the two shook.
“Jonah, come in for lunch,” The Great Mother called from beyond the castle gate.
“Coming, Mom!” Jonah scrambled toward the castle.
“And don’t you let that dog in this house with muddy paws.”
“But Mom, Asford needs to eat, too. He has a long journey ahead.”

(This one was fun to write. The challenge in not giving away that Asford was the family dog until close to the end. I hope the wee story kept you in the dark until the reveal.

I love playing with words and perceptions in writing. I am really feeling the power of structure and word usage in setting tone, pacing, and perception. How amazing to know that the world you, as a writer, create is the entire world the reader envisions and imagines. They can speculate on things existing in that world but unless you put it down in black and white, they will never know for sure. Now, that’s powerful.

Enjoy!)