Signs of the Invincible

Had Miss Share taken to heart the words of the seer, she may not have succumbed to the opulent riches of the Ghouls. Miss Share didn't survive the encounter. But, tempting though the treasure was, Uncle Terrance was able to make it out alive. And since he had photographic memory and was able to draw the image later, the curse only partially applied, and he, and all of his descendants, gained abilities. Uncle Terrence, in this story, was your grandfather.

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Terrence was oblivious to what was really going to happen when he copied "The Influence" and added it to his personal collection, but the two people watching him knew exactly what was going to transpire. And what they had to do about it. Each paused for a moment of deliberation, then left in opposite directions, returning to different masters.

Terrence carefully draped plastic over the fake painting hanging it behind his desk. He brushed his hands on his jeans, admiring his recreation. The painting hung innocently, watching over his desk. Terrence sat down and got back to work, unknowingly reigniting a war.

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Note: This used to be a collection of short stories but it isn't easy to submit that to a competition so I'm separating them out into individual books.

Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash (edited by me)