Welcome! Please pick a story off the shelf, have a sit by the fire and enjoy!
(THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION: THE WORKS BELOW WILL BECOME AVAILABLE IN THE COMING DAYS)
The following are collections of various previously publicly available short stories, as well as samples and teasers from Charles’ self-published and upcoming books, one-act plays, and some unfinished pieces he would like to share.
The Public Short Story Department
“Once Upon a Time…” there was a good doctor who was not very good at helping people.
“Once Upon a Time…” a young boy sets out to prove his place in the world, and find everything he needs to be a king.
The process of waking up from reality can be confusing and painful, but sometimes, it is necessary.
Very short. Dialogue only, several scenes, spread out over the course of a year as a new couple acquires their first home.
Samples of Published and Works in Progress
The Guardian of Taihar (Fantasy/Horror/YA) (Published on Amazon)
Two enigmatic strangers arrive in a peaceful village, bringing untold trouble in their wake. The kind of trouble that may even challenge the village’s mighty Guardian beast. In this world, inspired by Chinese culture and language, the lands are not ruled by Kings or Armies, but by powerful Jianbeast titans. The beasts of Taihar are generally considered benevolent, but there are many beasts out there, and some are most definitely not.
The Destroyer of An Xu (Fantasy/Horror/YA) (Work in Progress)
The sequel to The Guardian of Taihar. The travelers seek an end to their quest in the farthest reaches of the land. To get there, they will walk in the shadow of a terrifying jianbeast, and learn the great cost of revenge.
Roarin’ West: Ty Carver is: Nothin’ But Trouble (Western/Supernatural/Adventure) (Sample of a novelette, soon to be published on Amazon)
A classic wild-west hero with a few twists. He doesn’t carry a gun, and has more than a few magical tricks up his sleeve. Tyson Hellebrand Carver is the kind of guy who you can look to for help and be assured he’ll answer the call. Which is, unfortunately taken advantage of in a few cases…
Roarin’ West: Ty Carver is: Fortune’s Fool (Western/Supernatural/Adventure) (Sample of a novelette, soon to be published on Amazon)
Ty owes his partner Crocus some fun. But fun is a lot less fun when you’re having the worst streak of bad-luck in your entire life. And that’s not a state you want to be in when Dale Bohannon comes riding into town on a horse that can see over some rooftops, and with a long grudge against our heroes.
Niles’ Files of the Paranatural: The Questing Beast (Modern/Supernatural/Adventure) (Sample of Work in Progress novelette)
Niles Sharpe is a 13 year old enigma. He can always sniff out a conspiracy, even if he misses the most obvious of clues. He is a natural organizer and leader, though his ideas are often the absolute worst. He is very smart, and very foolish. But, importantly, he is also a self-described cryptid hunter… who also happens to be a cryptid.
Red City: The Elemental Heart (Unpublished novelette, no plans to publish or continue series at this time)
The Red City is Lit RPG based on the Red City setting as described in the Choose Your Own Adventure story on The Promethean Site. A group of trainees are to become rangers in the red City… a city that covers the entire world and is infested with abominations and rampant chaos magic. It has many groups just trying to survive, and many secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Bio-Logic (Sci-Fi) (Sample of unpublished Short Story, currently seeking magazine publication)
A speculative exploration into the mind and education of an artificial intelligence.
Hoogek Day (Horror) (Sample of unpublished Short Story, currently seeking magazine publication)
A story in the form of FB posts and text chats. Our protagonist has moved to the perfect town, but it has more than a few weird little quirks.
Rogue Zoo (Fantasy/Adventure/Comedy) (Collaborative Work in Progress)
The products of a mad wizard, four heroes must venture forth to save… something. The first problem is that the wizard has not been forthcoming about exactly what they are expected to save. The next four problems are that these heroes are magically awakened animals. And only one of them has hands. Sonja the Wizard, who is also a horse with a very high opinion of herself. George the Cleric, who is also a golden retriever that everybody loves. Goostopher the Barbarian who is, well, you get the idea. And The Little Bandit: a rogue with hands, a mask, a stripy tail, and a thing about washing his garbage before he eats it.
The Shallows (Published Short Story Sample, ReWork in Progress)
A story written for a college assignment, this was published under the title “Water City” in The Ends of Man anthology (Which I do not recommend reading at any point ever). It is due for a complete overhaul. Premise is a post-apocalyptic community living among half-drowned skyscrapers after a massive increase in sea-level. They dive to scavenge for scrap and resources to trade. One young man breaks the rules and finds something he wasn’t meant to, triggering a series of events that will change his life forever.
The Rasil Bathbone Mysteries (Classic Mystery) (Concept, not yet started)
The strange circumstances surrounding a regular cat. This cat does not speak, has no special powers, nor any abilities beyond those of any ordinary housecat. Yet somehow, Rasil (Dazzle) Bathbone is found to be central to the solving of several heinous acts of murder. Series titles include “The Mysterious Case of The Sneeze In the Night” and “The Case of the Killer Cat Toy”.
Two chapters of a story that may continue someday. A dimensional exchange occurs late at night on the road through a sleep New England town.
Created by a short story prompt. Only a start. A young scholar breaks the metaphysical lock on an interdimensional door and opens up a vast library containing unlimited knowledge. It holds secrets–and dangers–he cannot begin to imagine. Lots of directions to take this if and when I decide to continue it.
Set in the fantasy universe of Eos and Cruor, created in The Promethean Blog, a hopelessly one-sided battle in an area, a daring rescue, and plenty of those differing cultural perspectives I love so much. Another one I’d like to continue someday.
For the Stage
Charles gives full license to use the following scripts in part or in whole for auditions and class-work. If you would like to stage one of these plays for any ticket-selling venue, company, business, or other endeavor, please contact him here for performance rights. If you would like to stage any of these plays in an educational setting or capacity, please let him know, as that would be really cool, and he’d love to see it. Publication, in whole or in part, is forbidden without the express written consent of Charles McLean Redding.
Dahak (Sample from Full Length) (Epic Myth of Persia)
A play heavily derived from Ferdowsi’s epic poem and Zoroastrian lore. An incredible story that most in the Western world will have never heard, even though it inspires many of our well-known religious stories. A king corrupted by unimaginable evil; A world enslaved by terror for generations; A child born into darkness; And a father who has had enough.
The 30-Ft Road (One Act) Comedy/Military) (2 Actors) (~20 Minutes)
Two soldiers in WW2 chat as they keep watch on an empty patch of road.
The Original Snub (One Act) (Comedy/Myth) (6 Actors) (~10 Minutes)
The original Queen of Chaos shows what happens when she doesn’t get invited to the party.
Synthesis (One Act) (Drama/Sci-fi) (3 Actors) (~40 Minutes)
A man wakes up in quarantine after being attacked by an alien life-form. His only companions are the woman behind the glass, and the thing left in his chest.
The Silver Horizon (One Act) (Drama/Magical Realism) (~15 Minutes)
A plan completes it’s trip across the Atlantic, only a few decades late.
After School .38 Special (Comedy//Slapstick/Police) (3 Actors) (~10 Minutes)
Written and produced for a 24 Hour play festival. An important case has just dropped and only three police are left in the station to handle it. But that’s fine. They have everything they need.
The Claws of Babel (One Act) (Horror) (~10 Minutes)
Written for a 24 Hour Play festival, but not produced. Civilization is threatened by a corruption of humanity. One scrape of their claw will infect yu. They may be more too it, but there’s only one way to learn the truth.
Clay Introspective (One Act) (Drama/Interview) (2 Actors) (~15 Minutes)
An interview between a professional reporter and a popular cult leader. They say he can speak directly to God, but she has more than just a few probing questions to throw his way. Dedicated to Elijah Sharp.
The Day of the Chicken (One Act) (Comedy/Lab Tour) (~10 Minutes)
Written but not produced for a 48 hour play festival. Take a tour of this bio-engineering facility, see the very cutting edge of science! Please ignore the alarms, those are for something else. We’re taking a detour, please do NOT look to your left. Disregard the screams, and we’re moving! Next up, the Gift Shop!
Man 21 (One Act) (Pretentious Surrealist Nonsense) (~10 Minutes)
Written but not produced for a 48 hour play festival. Human relationships stripped down to bare emotional honesty.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel (One Act) (Dark Comedy/Sci-Fi) (4 Actors) (~10 Minutes)
A man wakes up in a lab with a ten minute window to set the record straight about his life. But the scientists have a few questions first.
Sandy’s Date (Scene) (Dark Comedy) (3 Actors) (~3 Minutes)
It’s actually not the WORST blind date she’s ever had.
The Curse of The Mummy’s Curse (Unfinished Full Length) (Comedy/Slapstick/Adventure)
I don’t know if this one will ever be finished, but it still contains jokes and a kind of slapstick that I love. The mummy has been awakened! It will take a sincere idiot to stop this monstrosity. Or maybe five.
Of The Tragical Romance of Persus and Diane (Incomplete One-Act) (Classical/Comedy/Romance)
Created specifically for the Compass Rose Traveling Theatre, a short play with magic, poison, betrayal, and true tragical love! Written in full rhyming Iambic Pentameter.
Hospitality (Incomplete One-Act) (Comedy/Farce)
It’s not always easy being a meter-reader for a utilities company. A veteran shows a newbie the ropes by throwing him into the deep end, sending him in alone to deal with Mr. Radquist’s unique brand of ‘hospitality’.
The Mask of the Laughing God (Medium Length) (Horror) (4-5 Actors)
A fully fleshed out concept that has not yet been put on paper. Lovecraft inspired horror on the stage. A well-off and soon-to-be-married couple have been visiting the city with the groom’s younger brother. He’s picked up a fascinating mask at a curiosity shop. With it, he can see the Truth. But the Truth does not always want to be seen.