Worse Than An Orphan's Curse

(3800 words) A pair of fantasy stories wherein an orphan's curse brings about the death of a ship's captain, but the captain's dying curse is worse. (Yes, the title is from that poem by Coleridge) In the sequel, “Dead Man's Ashes”, Dar, a young thief, is sent into the darkest part of the city by Peli, King of the Beggars, to recover the ashes of the man who cursed him, so he can exact his revenge.The cool sand in the Dunes is comforting to a young girl as she seeks to find her goddess and finds a Sun God instead. A walk barefoot reveals cool secrets and a lakeshore ramble results in a myriad of butterflies. Inspirational.