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I glanced back toward the camp. It was simply a dot in the middle of the drylands now, but I could still go back. 

Back to what? Both before and behind me stood death. To go forward would be a longer and more difficult path, but at least, for the first time in my life, I would have someone to travel the road with. If only I could see my own future. 

Read The Lion of Garatoth here

You might have heard of this one before.

This is one of the short stories I’m most proud of; I don’t even remember where the idea came from, but I wish I could pull from that idea pool again. This is one of the short stories included in my collection The Drabbles of a Dreamer and I use it as a writing sample all the time.

But even favourite works need touch-ups. As I was preparing “The Lion of Garatoth” for my portfolio earlier this year, I thought it needed a bit of revision but knew I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do it then. A few weeks ago, I knew it was finally time.

And as happy I was with the original story, I’m even happier with it now. The PDF marked up with red actually made me smile. I’ve learned so much since I originally wrote the story and I think the newer version better reflects where I am right now as a writer. It’s much longer, more detailed, and has a depth that I don’t think the original story captured.

So, if you’re interested in a short fantasy tale filled with magic, tragedy, friendship, and hope, click above for a first look at the final version of “The Lion of Garatoth.” Thank you for supporting me by reading for free on Vocal!

Happy reading!
-E.J.

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Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash