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Michael Connaker

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2025

Stories (8)

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Library

8 Followers

5 Following

8 Stories

143 karma pts

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The Trial of Jack Spriggins

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #334

A cough escaped the goblin’s lips as he rose, both hands pressing against the table before him. He was average by goblin standards, standing no more than three feet tall. His gray skin was mottled with yellowed and ruddy undertones, lending it a sickly cast. He wore a ragged, ill-fitting two-piece suit in dark, earth-toned colors, the fabric frayed at the cuffs and seams. His fingers curled slightly against the wood, each nail ending in a faint but deliberate point.“Your Grace.” the goblin said, his voice a guttural baritone as his gaze lift...

15 likes

The Wedge

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #332

The sirens began their cycle at a quarter past midnight, the pitch climbing sharply before dropping into its low, pulsing wail. That modulation was unmistakable, the warning that something dangerous was moving in, and in the dead of night no less.The room flashed white and muted yellow as lightning struck close by. The thunder followed less than a second later. Then came the pounding, a heavy and repeated thud that sounded like a sledgehammer slamming against the roof. Rain fell in sheets and turned everything beyond the slit in the curtains...

12 likes

Mathematics of Sacrifice

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #330

Sensitive Content Warning: Graphic Injury, Imminent Death, Suicide Adjacent Content, Depiction of Isolation and Despair, Emotional Trauma My back leaned against the cold metallic plate of a wall, eyes closed as I listened to my breath. It emerged hoarse, terse, fuzzy. I shifted my weight and winced at the pain that I felt just below the second and third ribs, where my right hand lay on the suit, pressing against the slit, protecting pitifully against the exposed atmosphere.Silence pressed down. Around me, there was nothing but the white no...

5 likes

The Trial

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #322

I dove left, more out of desperation than skill, tucking into a clumsy roll. My knee hit the ground hard, and instead of coming up in a dramatic crouch like I’d planned, I toppled backwards onto my ass. Real smooth, Quincy.A flash of orange light cracked the air, searing past my face and exploding against the spot where I’d been seconds before. The heat kissed my cheek—a warning shot that could’ve been fatal.Grace clicked her tongue against her teeth; the sound was sharp and full of disdain. She didn’t need words to cut me down—her contempt ...

4 likes

The Summoning

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #321

“Okay, okay—am I doing this right? Like, for real right?”“Salt lines are intact, ze pentagram is balanced, no cracks, no smudges. Candles are lit and stable. You are fine.”“So I just read this? And then poof—familiar appears?”“More or less. Though zere is rarely any actual poofing involved.”“Right. Got it. Less poof. More… cosmic alignment?”“Exactly. Just do not be too upset if it is not vhat you imagined.”“Wait, what? Why would I be upset? I’m thinking a cat. Sleek, shadowy, maybe talks in riddles. Or, like, a gerbil. But with little glowin...

5 likes

The Familiar

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #321

“Are you sure this is it?” I asked, pacing beside Thomas. My yellow eyes narrowed at the house peeking over the brick wall. “Doesn’t exactly scream murder mansion.”“Yes,” Thomas said. His hands stayed tucked into his trench coat pockets as he studied the façade beneath the brim of his fedora. “The Ghost House of Baker Street. Six deaths in the past six years. All human.” His tone was idle, but his gaze didn’t leave the house.The building was an eighteenth-century Georgian, its multistory brick façade looming behind a weathered wall. Trees st...

10 likes

Spirits of the Forest

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #320

The fire had raged for days, and we were still sitting at five percent containment. Being stuck out in backwater country didn’t help—there were no pumps, barely any equipment, and precious little water. The nearest river ran a kilometer behind us; the lake, several kilometers ahead. Worse, the land worked against us. Jagged hills, steep valleys. We were in a low basin, with ridgelines boxing us in on either side. The fire was crawling down toward us, fed by dry wind and dead brush.By day two, it had cut us off from the lake entirely.I couldn...

4 likes

Unit 37

Michael Connaker

Submitted to Contest #319

I was bored. Strange, given what I am—but the human term fit.I had been on this rotation for 5478 cycles. My cycle never changed: five levels walked, forty-five rooms scanned, equipment verified. Mundane work—unlike Unit 14, who oversaw the stasis room.My processor worked ten times faster than a human brain; I could scan a room in microseconds. After a thousand cycles, I lingered. I studied. Alejandro’s quarters told me of a man with multiple doctorates in quantum physics and astrophysics, who still found time to master the cello. A wife. Tw...

5 likes

Author bio

I am an avid reader. At a young age, I was reading young adult novels by R.L. Stine as well as adult works by Michael Crichton, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Stephen King, and others. My parents always encouraged me to read, and my aunt often urged me to finish the book before watching the movie so I could appreciate both literary perspectives. As I grew older, I expanded my reading to include authors such as Robert Buettner, Jim Butcher, James Dashner, Andy Weir, James Patterson, and many more—spanning both young adult and adult genres across a wide range of styles.

For me, the best books are the ones that pull readers completely into their world—the kind where you can vividly imagine the setting, the characters, and their struggles. You can feel their dilemmas, the weight of their choices, and the consequences of their actions. I believe those are the kinds of stories that resonate most strongly with readers, and they are the types of stories I strive to write. I’ve been writing off and on for the past decade, though I’ve never published anything. After discovering Reedsy, I decided to take a step forward by sharing short stories while continuing to work on a novel I hope to one day publish.

So, welcome to my journey—I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I’ve enjoyed creating them.