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Aaron Schuck

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2024

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7 Stories

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Pax in Stercore – “Peace in Dung”

The weight of the place pressed down like a held hand.Men sat set by land and oath, shoulder to shoulder, cloaks folded in, hands quiet on knees or iron. No one drank. No one shifted. The hearth gave heat without blaze, as the king had ordered, yet the warmth gathered thickly about the high end of the hall. Smoke thinned itself beneath the roof, but the air below lay close. Alfred leaned forward in the chair of state, more than the form required, his palms resting on the worn heads of the carved beasts. His fingers had not loosened their hol...

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Cesar’s Last Words

March 15, 44 BCE The Senate House, Rome, Roman Republic The morning sun cast long shadows across the marble floors of the Senate House, its rays skimming over the stone like a lover’s caress. Inside, the tension was palpable. The heavy silence of the chamber felt like the calm before a storm—like the last breath of peace before the onslaught of thunder. Senators sat, their faces stiff with expectation, but there was no discussion. No one spoke. They waited. Caesar strode in. The sound of his sandals clicking against the marble reverberated t...

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The Forgotten Grave

October 1937Calvert, MaineThe town of Calvert had a cemetery like no other. Nestled on a hillside overlooking the gray Atlantic, it was both a place of sorrow and quiet reverence. Its oldest section, with crooked gravestones and crumbling statues of saints, had long been abandoned to time. Few ventured there, and fewer still paid heed to the stories whispered by the locals—that strange things happened near the graves forgotten by the living. Thomas Keller didn’t believe in ghosts or legends. He was a man who believed in labor, in work that ...

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An Apology for Timeline Disruptions

Weekly Contest #282

October 12, 2024, St. Ambrose UniversityHillcrest, Pennsylvania. Dr. Charles Grayson, a historian of modest repute, stood at the podium of St. Ambrose University’s lecture hall. His tweed jacket felt unusually heavy, and his tie choked him like a noose. Before him, rows of curious students and faculty awaited his presentation on “Obscure Medieval Mystics and Their Influence on Modern Theology.” Instead, he cleared his throat and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin, I owe you all a sincere apology.” The crowd stirred. Apologies were u...

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THE CROSSING

Weekly Contest #280

“You think the water’s gonna be this choppy the whole way?” “Would it matter? Ain’t like we’re turning back now.” “Don’t say that, man. Just trying to keep my breakfast where it belongs.” “Better get used to it, buddy. Breakfast might not be the only thing you lose.” “Come on, leave him alone. We’re all thinking it.” “Thinking what?” “That this is it. No more training exercises. No more drills. The real thing.” “Yeah, no kidding. The real thing. Bullets, bombs, and Krauts waiting to punch a hole in us soon as they get eyes on this tin can.” ...

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Moonlight Mischief

Weekly Contest #276

In my early twenties, I was known as the guy who could take a normal date and turn it into an unpredictable adventure. I wasn’t much for conventional romance—the fancy dinners, the thoughtful gifts. I thrived on surprise, the thrill of doing something a little offbeat. So, one night when I found myself on a date that was going particularly well, I decided to push the limits and see just how spontaneous things could get.The night started out straightforward enough. I’d picked a small Italian restaurant tucked away in a quieter part of town. I...

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Gubbio the Wolf and the Saint

Weekly Contest #272

The day I met him, the little man in the brown robes with the big eyes and an even bigger heart. They say Saint Francis of Assisi could charm the birds from the trees, turn wolves into vegetarians, and negotiate a peace deal with your darkest nature. Well, I can confirm at least part of that. Let me set the scene. Gubbio was my kingdom, well, our kingdom, if you asked the humans, but who was asking them? For months, I had been, shall we say, exploring my gastronomic options, which sometimes included livestock, and, yes, the oc...

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