The jolly barkeep smiled. “Welcome, wanderers! Would you like to partake of some mead? Or perhaps sup on one of our savory pastries?”
Jan rolled her eyes at Susan. “Ugh, you didn't tell me this was a themed restaurant.”
“If I had, you wouldn't have come.”
“So you knew I wasn't going to like it.”
“I didn't say that. I said you wouldn't come, and you'd miss out on the fun.”
“What fun?”
“What fun, indeed!” the jolly barkeeper interjected. He waved a chubby hand toward a curtained stage. It parted, revealing a muscular man in a fur loincloth.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys, girls, rogues, and scoundrels! Gather close, and allow me to introduce myself. I am Andomir Keriax—wanderer of the wilds, a humble bearer of treasure more mysterious than what’s under Dragon’s Claw Mountain. With extracts taken from the deep dens of Klaak and cursed wood of Fallspur, I present a cure to end all ails: Goblin Oil!
Such potency can soothe sores, mend maladies, and even revive a dwarf from near death! Rub it on your back, your belly, your broken heart! It may even help you forget your orcish mother-in-law!
Step right up, brave souls, and taste the wonder today."
The damp grass is cool, mud thick between my toes. Flickers of light dance over my pale skin, and I look over my shoulder at the windows of my house, the darkness inside reflective of the sleepy silence within.
I won’t walk far, just enough to tire these old bones and muscles for the night. You would think a day’s work is enough, but a familiar hum of anxiety rolls through my veins like a second pulse. My small family is in bed, unaware I am gone.
A barn owl cries overhead, encouraging me to follow. Just a little further.
The first time I crossed the planetary shield and saw the stars all around me, I knew I would never return home. Xenon-12 is as good a place as any to grow up, but the universe is endless. Seeing new places, I wonder why anyone would stand still when there’s so much more to see than can ever be seen? Some prefer roots, the trappings of a sedentary life, but me? All I need is a change of clothes and a glimpse at a new horizon. Strap me into the seat and send me skyward—there’s more infinity to explore!
You sit alone as darkness descends. Wearily you check the back door, climb the stairs, do those things you have to do before crawling reluctantly into bed. You sleep but not quite. Always one ear cocked. Never fully enslumbered. The hours go by. You lie there dozing.
Was that the click of an opening? Was that the sound of footsteps descending?
You feel the depressing in the mattress. Within moments he is pressed against your chest. You reach out a hand to gentle stroke his contented, purring, curled up furry body. Tom cat has returned from his nocturnal wanderings.
The youthful temptress wandered around the hall, searching for her next targets. Shallow talk, fake polite smiles, and lustful eyes wandered, following her movements.
The waiter watched the room, wandering amongst the guests, carrying his empty tray. He’s there just to eavesdrop, part of his undercover duty.
The translucent silhouette wandered along the stairways, reliving the times from centuries ago when parties were held at this same hall.
Two devils wandered from one rooftop to the other, both eyeing at their wandering victims, who’d fall the hardest this time? They had been like this since humans populated the wandering earth.
Haha! Absolutely! Amazingly, I just saw one driving around earlier today, which was the first I've seen this year. And then this Prompt appeared. It was perfect timing! 😎👍
Well very exciting but I drove past one of those ice cream bicycles as I was on my way home along the seafront. Maybe your prompt tuned me into noticing it? 😉
There doesn't seem to be as many as there used to be here, either. It must be too hard to make a profit doing it these days, like it is with most things! 😎
The customer said she was looking for a jew plant so I decided to have a little fun. “Well,” I said. “I have Catholic plants. They're easy to grow but you have to feed them fish meal on Fridays. I have Mormon plants, but you have to keep several of them in the same pot. Maybe you’d like one of the Buddhist plants, but you have to feed them zen.” She repeated her request for the jew plant so I told her that she was looking for tradescantia zebrina. “It's the wandering jew,” I said. “We call it the wanderer.”
I wonder if ghosts are real. If they are I don’t want to see it.
I wonder what rainbows taste like, maybe cotton candy?
I wonder how many stars are in the sky, probably more than a gazillion billion.
I wonder what happens to people when they die. My Granma died a few months ago and it makes my mom very sad. She says Granma is in heaven now, but then shouldn’t that make us happy?
“Er uhm” Mrs Robinson said, clearing her throat. “This is… surprisingly good, Johnny. But the topic was wanderer - a person who wanders - not wonder.”
He moved among the shadows, stopping to guide lost things into places where they might be reunited with their owners. His contentment made him invisible as he wandered from village to village. He heard the cries of the lonely and whispered words of encouragement to them. He prayed over the sick, carried water to the thirsty, and bent the hearts around him to kindness while he himself remained unseen.
For weeks after his visitation, calm persisted. Villagers showed a courtesy often forgotten in the daily doings of life. Inevitably, sharp words broke the spell, but the wanderer had moved on.
I’d been in the curse removal business a long time, but the man across from me felt different. He was ancient, yet his appearance betrayed no trace of time. A powerful aura clung to him.
The shifting rune across his skin looked Enochian, but I was sure we could handle it. Curses like his weren’t punishment—they were opportunity.
Wandering the earth sounded dull. But immortality? That I could use. Transfer the curse, keep the perks.
As I led him to the shrine, I asked, “Who did you kill to earn this?”
His voice cracked. “My brother Abel. I killed my brother.”
The jolly barkeep smiled. “Welcome, wanderers! Would you like to partake of some mead? Or perhaps sup on one of our savory pastries?”
Jan rolled her eyes at Susan. “Ugh, you didn't tell me this was a themed restaurant.”
“If I had, you wouldn't have come.”
“So you knew I wasn't going to like it.”
“I didn't say that. I said you wouldn't come, and you'd miss out on the fun.”
“What fun?”
“What fun, indeed!” the jolly barkeeper interjected. He waved a chubby hand toward a curtained stage. It parted, revealing a muscular man in a fur loincloth.
“Okay, that looks fun.”
“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys, girls, rogues, and scoundrels! Gather close, and allow me to introduce myself. I am Andomir Keriax—wanderer of the wilds, a humble bearer of treasure more mysterious than what’s under Dragon’s Claw Mountain. With extracts taken from the deep dens of Klaak and cursed wood of Fallspur, I present a cure to end all ails: Goblin Oil!
Such potency can soothe sores, mend maladies, and even revive a dwarf from near death! Rub it on your back, your belly, your broken heart! It may even help you forget your orcish mother-in-law!
Step right up, brave souls, and taste the wonder today."
The damp grass is cool, mud thick between my toes. Flickers of light dance over my pale skin, and I look over my shoulder at the windows of my house, the darkness inside reflective of the sleepy silence within.
I won’t walk far, just enough to tire these old bones and muscles for the night. You would think a day’s work is enough, but a familiar hum of anxiety rolls through my veins like a second pulse. My small family is in bed, unaware I am gone.
A barn owl cries overhead, encouraging me to follow. Just a little further.
100mg of A WANDERER
The first time I crossed the planetary shield and saw the stars all around me, I knew I would never return home. Xenon-12 is as good a place as any to grow up, but the universe is endless. Seeing new places, I wonder why anyone would stand still when there’s so much more to see than can ever be seen? Some prefer roots, the trappings of a sedentary life, but me? All I need is a change of clothes and a glimpse at a new horizon. Strap me into the seat and send me skyward—there’s more infinity to explore!
Loved this - Cheers to magical mugs and goodhearted strangers!
Cheers Jim!
A Wanderer – 100mg
You sit alone as darkness descends. Wearily you check the back door, climb the stairs, do those things you have to do before crawling reluctantly into bed. You sleep but not quite. Always one ear cocked. Never fully enslumbered. The hours go by. You lie there dozing.
Was that the click of an opening? Was that the sound of footsteps descending?
You feel the depressing in the mattress. Within moments he is pressed against your chest. You reach out a hand to gentle stroke his contented, purring, curled up furry body. Tom cat has returned from his nocturnal wanderings.
a couple of surprises thrown in there
Lovely storytelling.
Thank you 😊
Miguel, I think life getting in the way is fine. Hope it was good life things. Loved your story and the link
It's ok Miguel, I was cherishing the more time I got to prepare for my upcoming exams... ;)
Good luck with the exams Olivia!
Microfiction - 100mg of a Wanderer
===
The youthful temptress wandered around the hall, searching for her next targets. Shallow talk, fake polite smiles, and lustful eyes wandered, following her movements.
The waiter watched the room, wandering amongst the guests, carrying his empty tray. He’s there just to eavesdrop, part of his undercover duty.
The translucent silhouette wandered along the stairways, reliving the times from centuries ago when parties were held at this same hall.
Two devils wandered from one rooftop to the other, both eyeing at their wandering victims, who’d fall the hardest this time? They had been like this since humans populated the wandering earth.
Love all the different beings wandering in the same place but seemingly oblivious to the others.
Wanderers wandering....:)
PROMPT: WANDERER
THE WANDERER
He was constantly moving around.
Never staying put in one place for too long.
He’d appear, like a mirage, then just as quickly, he’d vanish.
And sometimes, it seemed like we were waiting forever to see him again.
But eventually, he’d always return to us.
Our favourite ice cream man… 🍦😎🍦
The best kind of wanderer. 😋
Haha! Absolutely! Amazingly, I just saw one driving around earlier today, which was the first I've seen this year. And then this Prompt appeared. It was perfect timing! 😎👍
I've not seen a wandering ice cream van in ages. Round here they seem to stay parked on specific beaches
The ultimate wandering ice cream man, is probably one riding one of those ice cream bicycles. I can't remember the last time I saw one of those... 😎
Well very exciting but I drove past one of those ice cream bicycles as I was on my way home along the seafront. Maybe your prompt tuned me into noticing it? 😉
We don't have them around here. Not enough customers in the sticks, I guess.
There doesn't seem to be as many as there used to be here, either. It must be too hard to make a profit doing it these days, like it is with most things! 😎
The customer said she was looking for a jew plant so I decided to have a little fun. “Well,” I said. “I have Catholic plants. They're easy to grow but you have to feed them fish meal on Fridays. I have Mormon plants, but you have to keep several of them in the same pot. Maybe you’d like one of the Buddhist plants, but you have to feed them zen.” She repeated her request for the jew plant so I told her that she was looking for tradescantia zebrina. “It's the wandering jew,” I said. “We call it the wanderer.”
I wonder if ghosts are real. If they are I don’t want to see it.
I wonder what rainbows taste like, maybe cotton candy?
I wonder how many stars are in the sky, probably more than a gazillion billion.
I wonder what happens to people when they die. My Granma died a few months ago and it makes my mom very sad. She says Granma is in heaven now, but then shouldn’t that make us happy?
“Er uhm” Mrs Robinson said, clearing her throat. “This is… surprisingly good, Johnny. But the topic was wanderer - a person who wanders - not wonder.”
I like your wonders not wanders. And especially the bit about wondering why Granma being in heaven still makes mom sad.
The Man Who Kept Walking
He hadn’t meant to walk this far.
Calgary to Banff was the plan—simple, finite. But the feet kept moving.
He lived on gas station peanuts, rinsed off in lakes. No grand gesture or meaning, only movement.
In Kamloops, a boy asked, “Are you a ghost?”
“Not yet,” he answered.
His mother offered a sandwich. “You don’t look homeless.”
“Not all homes have walls.”
Three towns later, he stopped under a birch and cried—quiet, shoulder-shaking sobs he didn’t understand.
A stranger handed him water.
“You okay?”
He nodded.
And for the first time in years, the nod felt true.
100 words
Yep, a good walk can do wonders
100mg - Wanderer
The woman was a wanderer, drifting from place to place with only a bag and a notebook.
She had no home, only dreams of faraway lands and faces she had yet to meet.
Towns passed like clouds, and people like raindrops—brief, but beautiful.
She sat with strangers, listened to their stories, and shared her own.
At night, she looked at the stars, wondering how many were left to see.
She wasn’t lost.
She just wanted to see everything and meet everyone before her time was up.
Life wasn’t about staying still - it wasn't about just existing, it was about feeling alive.
He moved among the shadows, stopping to guide lost things into places where they might be reunited with their owners. His contentment made him invisible as he wandered from village to village. He heard the cries of the lonely and whispered words of encouragement to them. He prayed over the sick, carried water to the thirsty, and bent the hearts around him to kindness while he himself remained unseen.
For weeks after his visitation, calm persisted. Villagers showed a courtesy often forgotten in the daily doings of life. Inevitably, sharp words broke the spell, but the wanderer had moved on.
"his contentment made him invisible" oh I love that. I now want to be invisibly content today :)
Cursed - 100mg of Wanderer
I’d been in the curse removal business a long time, but the man across from me felt different. He was ancient, yet his appearance betrayed no trace of time. A powerful aura clung to him.
The shifting rune across his skin looked Enochian, but I was sure we could handle it. Curses like his weren’t punishment—they were opportunity.
Wandering the earth sounded dull. But immortality? That I could use. Transfer the curse, keep the perks.
As I led him to the shrine, I asked, “Who did you kill to earn this?”
His voice cracked. “My brother Abel. I killed my brother.”
Great ending!
Thank you
I like this one. You get straight into the head of the character. He has a past, he has experience, and now he has a hidden motive. Love it.