Still Working on My Novel

May 2026 Short Story of the Month

Every thousand years, the fabled Cloudbeast descends from the sky and selects a new ruler. This time, it’s a year early, bearing a grim omen.

Flags, pennants, and streamers lined the main thoroughfare of the capital. The streets had been cleaned until they practically sparkled. Everything had the numbers 999 on them.

In Cloudtopia, 999 was considered the ultimate lucky number. Their leaders ruled for 1000 years at a time. On the 999th year of their reign, each ruler threw a going away party that lasted nearly a month.

Rulers were selected at random from the population, and once the Cloudbeast picked a ruler, the person became imbued with the powers of the ruler and stopped aging. Then they ruled for a glorious 1000 years. No one knew what happened to the previous rulers, but they were never seen in person again once their replacement was chosen.

Every kid knew the legends, and every kid pretended to be the chosen one when they played. Being chosen meant a long life full of magic. It meant living in the cloud castle and hosting elaborate parties. It was a life with whimsy, but there was also a darker side to it all.

The leader of the cloud kingdom was also tasked with keeping peace between all the other nations of the world. The cloud rulers were chosen by the Cloudbeast, a great mystical beast that no one really knew much about. The other nations were ruled by ordinary people. The leader of the cloud kingdom was considered divine.

“You don’t get to be the chosen one today,” said Micah. He stirred his oatmeal but didn’t take a bite.

“That’s fine with me,” said Tyler. He yawned and rested his head on one of his hands. He started to fall asleep immediately.

“Hey, sleepy. Wake up. You’ll fall into your breakfast,” said Farrah.

Tyler’s head snapped up, and he opened his eyes.

Farrah shook her head and smiled. Her brothers were a lot of work, but she did the best she could for them. “You guys make sure you take turns when you’re playing,” she reminded them. She ate in a hurry and then started on the dishes.

The boys bolted out of the house just as a couple of neighbors passed by on their way to school. Farrah waved at them even though they didn’t turn to see her.

She tidied the kitchen and left the house. She didn’t want to be late again.

Crossing town she looked up at the decorations that were increasing in number every day. It was only a week until the celebration and nearly everything that could have something to commemorate the occasion hung on it was already decorated, and yet each day somehow the shop keepers found more places to hang things.

The decorations were a bit much, but making more was earning her extra pay right now, so Farrah was trying to embrace it.

The door to the shop was open when she arrived. She spotted Tony and Laura bringing boxes in and stepped out of their way.

“Go grab some boxes,” said Tony.

“What’s all this?” Farrah asked.

“Easy money,” said Tony dropping the box inside the door and heading out for more.

The next week was an endless loop of making more decorations and selling them as fast as they could put them out in the store. Everyone in the kingdom was decorating every inch of their home and work.

Farrah even brought some work home with her each night. Her brothers tried to take some of the scraps to make their own little banners and decor. She pretended not to see.

The first day of celebration arrived, and Farrah awoke that morning and sighed with relief. She could finally stop making decor and go back to her normal job. Besides with the celebrations over the next month, there was likely to be little actual work to do. Tony, Laura, and Farrah would take turns running the shop so that they could all enjoy themselves and spend time with their families.

Farrah actually whistled as she was making a light breakfast that morning. The boys would no doubt over eat at the celebrations, so she wasn’t going to force them to eat oatmeal. She was looking forward to the many choices the food vendors would have. She especially wanted funnel cake topped with fresh berries and powdered sugar.

Her brothers barely sat down eat. They were eager to make their way to the town’s square. They wanted to be near the front when everything began.

Farrah laughed at their inability to be physically still. Their excitement was contagious.

“Just go. Come check in with me at the shop around lunch time,” she said, shooing them out the door.

The shop was just off the main street through town, so it was always their go to meeting place during events and holidays.

At work, Farrah was manning the store while the others went to the opening ceremonies. Farrah walked around tidying because there weren’t any customers. With everyone outside, there was a hum of sound but it was muffled with the door closed.

Farrah got lost in what she was doing. She was sorting a shelf that had gotten wildly out of order and didn’t notice the door open. The bell over the door jingled lightly but even that didn’t catch her attention.

The person who’d just walked in cleared their throat when they saw Farrah.

Farrah stood up very quickly and spun around. “I’m so sorry,” she said, turning to see who was behind her.

The man standing in the shop had shockingly white hair and skin so pale it was almost clue. His eyes were an intense blue and seemed to sparkle even though lights weren’t shining directly into them. He was also the most beautiful person that Farrah had ever seen.

“Hi,” she said. Her mouth was hanging open.

He bowed to her. His clothing was pale blue and stitched with tiny clouds, birds, and suns. He wore a long tunic styled shirt and matching trousers. The ensemble was complete with matching pale blue silk slippers.

“Hi,” Farrah said again.

This time he smiled at her. It took her breath away.

“Hi,” she said a third time, not realizing that she wasn’t saying anything helpful.

“Good day. Are you Farrah?” He asked watching her face intently.

She nodded. And then she finally realized she was acting silly. “I’m sorry. Is there something I can help you find?” She moved towards the front counter.

“I was looking for you actually.” He continued to watch her without looking away or blinking.

Farrah had to make herself look away from him. “Um. Okay. How can I help you?” She asked. “This isn’t about my brothers is it?”

“No. It is about you.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “I have come to escort you to the festival stage.”

“Why would you need me at the festival stage?” Farrah was starting to think this person might be crazy, and yet, she felt incredibly calm in his presence.

“I understand that it might sound strange, but I need you to come with me.” He turned towards the door like he’d heard something from outside. “Now, actually.” He stuck out his arm in an offer to escort her.

Farrah had no idea what was going on, but she figured being out on the street with witnesses was better than being left alone with his strange man.

Right outside the door, there was a group of men who looked like royal soldiers waiting. They surrounded Farrah and the man as they exited and before she could ask a question, they were being ushered through the crowds toward the main square.

The din of people chatting and waiting for the celebrations to begin was deafening so she couldn’t ask anything. Before long, they were at the main stage. The man took her hand and guided her onto the stage.

“Am I allowed to be up here?” Farrah asked him in a whisper.

“Yes. Don’t worry. You’ll understand soon.” He stopped at a spot. “Please wait right here.”

He left standing there and want to the front of the stage. As he stood there, there was a bright flash of light so blinding everyone had to cover there eyes. When the light faded, there was the great Cloudbeast floating where the man had been. There was a collective gasp.

He spoke and his voice carried throughout the entire city. “Citizens. I am sorry to be here when you were expecting your great ruler.”

The crowd became uncomfortably silent. Even without anymore explanation, every one could sense that what was happening was not a good omen.

“Your ruler will not be attending today.” The Cloudbeast waited for the chaos to abate before he continued. “Due to a decision made by the ruler in recent days, he is no longer with us. I am here today to choose the next cloud ruler.”

Everyone started yelling. Some were in shock, others were angry, but mostly the city was filled with questions.