On Various Short Stories and Movement

I've been writing more lately than I usually do, but I've found that when I have a limited amount of time with very few ideas, the stress level doubles, triples - explodes. I'm in a publication class this semester that demands I submit a handful of things within the next few weeks, but going into this class, I had no idea that this was one of the requirements. If I had known, I would have come with several short stories polished to perfection over the Christmas break; as it stands, I have several novel chapters in rough stages of revision and nothing to submit.

The stories I'm working on for that class and my other fiction class are as follows:

When Otis Met Everlyse
This is a short story about a young man named Otis d'Arcadie who falls madly in love with a strange girl named Everlyse Antissa. A traveling musician, Otis is not accustomed to staying in one place for more than a month or more; when Everlyse's fantastic world of passionate dancing and whimsical rituals bleeds into Otis's reality, he decides to stay and discover what sort of creature Everlyse truly is. The story is based off of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, and, so far, I'm fairly enjoying writing it.

The Promethean
I wrote this short story a few weeks ago and it centers around a young man named Light who travels the Edge of the World tending the shadows and keeping them in their proper places. Light is one of the last of the Promethi, a race of people who govern and manipulate fire, and he is being Hunted by a malevolent force from the ancient world. The story focuses, of course, on the myth of Prometheus and how he was brought low for bringing fire and enlightenment to mortals. This is on the third draft, so it's almost done.

Breaking the Bowl
This story isn't really a story yet, but it follows the crumbling lives of Demne Spartkoi and Ash Meridian, childhood friends turned enemies. The plot has something to do with Ash's younger sister drowning and Demne burying Ash's murdered wife and child. Gas masks, bowls and some mysticism play prominent roles in the story, but nothing is definite yet. I'll get back to you on this one.

On a last note, I heard someone read today and was almost physically moved by his words. Looking on what I write, I realized that I want everything I write - everything - to carry that much of a punch, that much power, that much movement. Movement, action, decision are all things that are admirable, that are desirable - sometimes, even if they are destructive. This may lead to a short story about such subjects, but for now, we'll let it sit. Thanks for reading. That's all for today.

So say we all.
Bri