top of page
Forest Scene

Catalog

Castle Drum Publishing's full listing of available Short Stories. Click on the name of any title to Start Reading.

TOS_Goshawk-e1455131211710.jpg

By: Daniel J. Irwin

A broken man and his trusty feathered friend train for a battle long past, in the shadow of a king who fights to keep his country from falling to anarchy.

Crossroads-Feature.jpg

Woke on the Fourth of July

By: Dan Irwin

Cole Trane, “the best player with the best name,” was once a Pro-Bowl caliber player in professional football.  Now he is a teacher and coach that just wants to get on with his life.  Current events won’t allow it.  Friends on both sides of the political divide want to add his name to their cause.  Bitter about how things ended as a player, he refuses one.  Angry at the ignorance and hatred of the other, he tells the other side no as well.  Yet, we all owe the universe a tragedy.  Cole can see it coming, but doesn’t believe it.  The events in our lives shape us like the wind and rain shape a boulder.  Yet, sometimes a mighty blow will strike the stone.  When that happens all the universe, past and present, can come together to show us the truth path.  “Live free or die.”  “Ride or die.”  Cole has a moment in his future that he cannot avoid.  Will he be able to save others, knowing what he has learned?

1E993F92-F072-1C71-5D8B80E410EE9E9C.jpg

By: Dan Irwin

Bullets fly.  Cannons roar.  And a tiny dancer in yellow pirouettes on top of large boulders as sharpshooters take aim from below.  On the high ground above, Strong Vincent sees the strange vision and realizes that it is his newborn daughter, come to see him.  Far from the battle his wife fights to give birth and save their daughter with the help of a midwife called to her side by a soldier that once served her husband.  Are the connections between us material or do they reach beyond the fields of battle and live amongst the extended fields of our universe?  Where do our lives begin and end?  

adults-describe-their-creepy-imaginary-friends-u1.jfif

By: Daniel J. Irwin

Jim France is visiting his ex-wife’s home, which used to be his as well.  Recently released from prison, he is hoping to reconnect with his young son.  In the years he has been gone, his son, Aidan has dramatically changed in his eyes.  This worries Jim, but what scares him is Aidan’s description of his new friend, Daven.  Though Daven can be easily explained by Aidan’s mother and his doctors, an old friend of Jim’s shows him something that cannot be dismissed.  Is Daven real or imaginary?  Is he friendly or malevolent?  How can Jim save his son if no one trusts or believes him?  We are all connected.  The past is never completely gone, but it is shrouded in smoke and fire as it burns away.  The future awaits, but how can we know which path to take?  Jim must decide, with his life, Aidan’s life, and even Daven’s at stake. 

bottom of page