D&T Ashwell

The world is filled with false idols, pursuits that would trap us in cycles of destructive behavior, but not all look abominable at the outset. The set of stories for today are all about worlds in which a person can, or may even be expected, to sell their soul to something. 
          
          "False Idols" - D. N. Ashwell - Sci-Fi
          Nearly everyone in the world has a demon. Some choose theirs. Some are chosen. For years, Nico avoided the demons who'd delight to get their claws on her, but the pressure of the world has mounted. Choose or be chosen. Their relentless pursuit nearly breaks her resolve when a demon of a different ilk saves her, but he may yet be a false beacon of salvation.
          
          "The Decision" - T. L. Ashwell - Fantasy
          The day has come for Nova to choose her Soul Master. For a Soul Master to thrive, they must have souls giving willing devotions to them. In return, the Masters provide the soul with blessings and preserve it when their time to roam this world has finished. But who should she choose? Peace never answers directly, Power is not terribly friendly. And Love? Eh. Fortunately there are more than the oldest Six.

Thanks for adding my story to your list!  Hope you enjoy!

Hello everyone! Hope you've all been having a good week so far! Our stories for these last two weeks are now available in the Ashwell Challenge with the synopses:
          
          "Rewritten" - D. N. Ashwell
          Therapy is for everyone, especially those struck down by unfortunate circumstances. If you are subjected to the blows of life, the Department of Premature Departure has your back. As a Therapist for the state-funded Care Center, Fatima provides essential care to the emotionally downtrodden and grieving, getting them back up on their feet with just a little tweak of a their memories. But when some of her clients are flagged for re-treatment, she begins to doubt the efficacy of her work and decides to dig into the reason. Little did she know, what she would find would cast the world in a whole new light.
          
          "The Interview" - T. L. Ashwell
          It's the final interview, the final hoop for Otto to land his dream job, but he's up against seven others in a challenge for a prized position: a well-paid job, for once. But lo and behold, the interviewers are looking for something different than he expected.
          
          Let us know what you think! Our next prompt is to write a story about a person who can jump into another's body for a week, but the other person's mind is still cognizant. Stay tuned!

New stories are out! Both written through the eyes of machines.
          
          "The Eye at the Center of the Galaxy" - D. N. Ashwell
          At the center of the galaxy sits a Watcher. With strict non-interference protocols in place, the Watcher archives the comings and goings at the galactic core. Waiting. Recording. Evaluating. More than 30,000 years later, a Caretaker returns for its report, hopeful for a replacement candidate among the species its structure has encountered.
          
          "The Demons' Code" - T. L. Ashwell
          What's a lazy demon to do demon to do these days but to make a machine do his work? Belphegor, the prime demon of sloth, decides to create a coding language and subsequent program to automate the process of tricking humans into the seven deadly sins.

Ever wonder what your cellphone thinks of you? The next story set, out March 21st, will be written from a machine's perspective.

Be on the look out for our next set of stories with the prompt "the birth of a great art piece" on March 8th!