Deck of Worlds

a short story about a deck of infinite worlds

I was surprised to find the Deck of Worlds sitting unprotected on a shelf at the back of an overgrown chapel in a quiet wood. The chaplain seemed unconcerned at my arrival, merely shrugging as I retrieved the relic.

After my long search I’d expected powerful wards or devilish riddles, Not a simple wooden box to contain this legendary thing: a deck of fray-edged tarot where every card is a world unto itself.

I spread them in my hands, gawking at the alien landscapes at my fingertips: sprawling grasslands and jewel-tinted metropolis-planets and mountains that wander on the backs of snails the size of continents.

And then I saw amongst the cards a world much like ours, and at its center a quiet wood, and among its boughs an overgrown chapel, and under its roof a hunched figure much like me, gazing into a deck of cards much like this. And as I leaned in for a closer look, a massive shadow blocked the sun.

I barely dared to breathe as I closed the deck and placed it back in its box. I reckon I might have seen the chaplain smirk as I left, my face pale with shock, my mind in a world of its own.

I launched a Kickstarter for a new deck of worldbuilding prompts last week!

I would be absolutely thrilled if you would consider checking it out, spreading the word, and pledging!

Short story written by Peter Chiykowski

Story prompt taken from a photo by Peter Chiykowski