{"id":881,"date":"2021-02-22T11:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T18:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=881"},"modified":"2021-02-22T11:04:05","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T18:04:05","slug":"random-story-who-knows-what-evil-lurks-in-the-hearts-of-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=881","title":{"rendered":"Random Story: Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men?<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my shadow, you see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seamstress took a long look at Jasper, and then at the troubling shadow behind him, vaguely Jasper-shaped and decidedly not cast by any visible light source. Indeed, the early sun still hung in the east, and Jasper\u2019s shadow was pointing toward it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter which way I turn, if I\u2019m indoors or out,\u201d said Jasper. \u201cIt always points in the same direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She watched as the shadow danced behind him. It seemed to beckon, to taunt. Except that it had no face, she could almost swear it was leering at her the more she stared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve come to the right place,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you can remove it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s what you wish, yes.\u201d And she could. For while the Seamstress could make daily coin hemming pants and mending dresses, her real talent lay in binding and unbinding, weaving and unweaving things from Beyond into the here and now, the sort of work that earned her the capital \u201cS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease,\u201d said Jasper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seamstress held up her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore you decide for certain,\u201d she said, \u201cconsider how lucky you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLucky? It taunts me day and night, tries to entice me to walk down dark alleyways. My parents won\u2019t let me sleep in the house anymore. It frightened away the cooper\u2019s daughter when I stopped to talk with her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt can be frightening, yes. But only if you give it attention. This thing is not some evil spirit from elsewhere. It is part of you, your capacity to do evil and harm. Of course it scares you. Who wants to see that part of themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you call this lucky?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery few people get such a clear glimpse of what they\u2019re capable of. Keep it with you, move in the opposite direction it beckons, and you may live a virtuous life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jasper considered this, glancing at the shadow out of the corner of his eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOr,\u201d said the Seamstress, \u201cI can remove it and you can use your own best judgement like the rest of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was quiet for a moment, and then Jasper nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA good choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jasper held a coin out towards her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor your good advice,\u201d he said as she tried to wave him off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seamstress pocketed the coin as she watched Jasper walk the road back toward the village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was already out of earshot by the time she saw the other shadows join the first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s my shadow, you see?\u201d The Seamstress took a long look at Jasper, and then at the troubling shadow behind him, vaguely Jasper-shaped and decidedly not cast by any visible light source. Indeed, the early sun still hung in the east, and Jasper\u2019s shadow was pointing toward it. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter which way I turn,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[34,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-random-stories"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2rDfa-ed","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":808,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=808","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":0},"title":"Story Roll for February 15, 2021","author":"admin","date":"February 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"menacing shadow, magnet, and ... compass rose? chaos symbol? Hmmmmm. Loooota room for interpretation on that third die. Stay tuned for a new story on 2\/20.","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":969,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=969","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":1},"title":"It’s a Monday Random Story Roll (on a Wednesday)!","author":"admin","date":"March 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Got a little distracted with book birthday tasks this week. But, by Thoth, we're doing a random story this week! Let's see what the dice have in store: some sorta license\/ID thing?, a keyhole, a magic wand Well, that first die is up for some interpretation. Driver's license? Business card?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":742,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=742","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":2},"title":"Monday Random Story Prompt","author":"admin","date":"February 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"parachute, shooting star, bee Today's random story roll. Back this weekend with a brand new short.","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":940,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=940","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":3},"title":"Random Story: The Rossum Test","author":"admin","date":"March 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"After 1500 years, the first of the Longfellow Arks began its final approach toward Earth. The reentry crew had been awoken from their stasis pods ten years earlier to begin their refresher training so they might safely land the behemoth and return what remained of the human race back to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_0321-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_0321-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_0321-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_0321-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_0321-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1177,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=1177","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":4},"title":"Random Story Roll","author":"admin","date":"February 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Somehow a year went by since my last random story. Let's give the dice a roll and see what they have to offer. cell phone, magic wand, ID? (envelope?) OOOOH, ambiguity. What's that one on the right? Guess I'll have to sit in the mystery for a bit. New short,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cube-1655118_640.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":688,"url":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?p=688","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":5},"title":"Random Stories","author":"admin","date":"January 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Rory's Story Cubes Several years ago, my wife gifted me these lovely story dice in my Christmas stocking. For a visual thinker like me, they're great tools for busting through writer's block and story ruts. This year, after a pandemic-induced creativity slump in high gear for far too many months,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/?cat=34"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/story-cubes-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jcmckenna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/IMG_0277-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=881"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":884,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881\/revisions\/884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jcmckenna.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}