Author Robert C. Madison
@robertcmadison.bsky.social
Writer of fiction, reader of books. Rider of motorcycle, petter of cats.
They died alone. No one mourned, for they might as well not even been a memory. Into a database they went, so many Jane and John Does. Those poor souls now resting in the #Bone #Files.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
February 9, 2026 at 1:21 PM
They died alone. No one mourned, for they might as well not even been a memory. Into a database they went, so many Jane and John Does. Those poor souls now resting in the #Bone #Files.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Self-inflicted #wounds, those deep in the confines of a #cult, #wound tight 'round the finger of a fraudulent yet sanctimonious leader. One thing they have in common, the followers and their leader: all they care about is the leader. Never has a cult had a happy ending.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
February 6, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Each night he retreated into the bookshelf-lined redoubts of his study and crafted a fire within a small hearth. Then, slumped into a battle-weary chair, the flames' light dancing #lambent upon watchful book spines, he drifted off, #drunk from memories.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
February 5, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Each night he retreated into the bookshelf-lined redoubts of his study and crafted a fire within a small hearth. Then, slumped into a battle-weary chair, the flames' light dancing #lambent upon watchful book spines, he drifted off, #drunk from memories.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
What #ghosts are these, who linger past memory's expiration and haunt the subliminal? Roaming the forgotten halls of the mind in #unqualified doubt, never to be exorcised by the self.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
February 4, 2026 at 1:00 PM
What #ghosts are these, who linger past memory's expiration and haunt the subliminal? Roaming the forgotten halls of the mind in #unqualified doubt, never to be exorcised by the self.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
What #pains we endure each day. The #inept are only outmatched by the vain, and often they are one in the same, conspiring to make the day insufferable. I also stubbed my little toe. Decidedly, then, I made #pasta for dinner. After all, I'd earned it.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
February 3, 2026 at 1:08 PM
What #pains we endure each day. The #inept are only outmatched by the vain, and often they are one in the same, conspiring to make the day insufferable. I also stubbed my little toe. Decidedly, then, I made #pasta for dinner. After all, I'd earned it.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Most folk were good people and didn't deserve their fate, but some had #corrupt #souls and managed to avoid him. As a reaper, he didn't make the list, he just followed it. But what if he made his own list? He smiled within the darkness of his hood.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
February 2, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Most folk were good people and didn't deserve their fate, but some had #corrupt #souls and managed to avoid him. As a reaper, he didn't make the list, he just followed it. But what if he made his own list? He smiled within the darkness of his hood.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
With groceries in hand, he escaped the market though his paycheck didn't. Fretting #impeached promises of a better tomorrow, he turned on the radio. Music soothes the most worried mind but speakers droned corporate algorithms. The #thrum of constant disappointment.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 30, 2026 at 1:18 PM
With groceries in hand, he escaped the market though his paycheck didn't. Fretting #impeached promises of a better tomorrow, he turned on the radio. Music soothes the most worried mind but speakers droned corporate algorithms. The #thrum of constant disappointment.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 29, 2026 at 1:22 PM
He #quivered at the thought of a deep-muscle #massage, aching after days of hard work for little pay. Then again, he hated people, so found himself content at a dim booth in a dimmer bar, a whiskey working its magic. Solitary in plain sight.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 28, 2026 at 1:07 PM
He #quivered at the thought of a deep-muscle #massage, aching after days of hard work for little pay. Then again, he hated people, so found himself content at a dim booth in a dimmer bar, a whiskey working its magic. Solitary in plain sight.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
As the year #wanes to #autumn, and the trees give their annual gift like slow fireworks of foliage, still he cannot help but dread the oncoming doom of winter, whose #scope of loss is unknowable.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
January 27, 2026 at 1:04 PM
As the year #wanes to #autumn, and the trees give their annual gift like slow fireworks of foliage, still he cannot help but dread the oncoming doom of winter, whose #scope of loss is unknowable.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Too much time spent indoors, idle on the couch. Too much food, which to him was exactly the right amount. Now he stared in the mirror, #bloated to the #cusp of bursting. He figured he did the holidays right, then.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 26, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Too much time spent indoors, idle on the couch. Too much food, which to him was exactly the right amount. Now he stared in the mirror, #bloated to the #cusp of bursting. He figured he did the holidays right, then.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Other praised the resilience of his optimism. It became a defining feature but destined for failure. When each day, a morning #drizzle of misfortune ended in an evening #hurricane, eventually he punched walls and said words which would make a dirty politician blush.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 23, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Other praised the resilience of his optimism. It became a defining feature but destined for failure. When each day, a morning #drizzle of misfortune ended in an evening #hurricane, eventually he punched walls and said words which would make a dirty politician blush.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
An old man once told me to beware the coming storm.
"Take heed," he said. "For there is no wrath like #nature #unmoored."
I'm not sure what he meant, but I've been terrified ever since.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Take heed," he said. "For there is no wrath like #nature #unmoored."
I'm not sure what he meant, but I've been terrified ever since.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 22, 2026 at 1:15 PM
An old man once told me to beware the coming storm.
"Take heed," he said. "For there is no wrath like #nature #unmoored."
I'm not sure what he meant, but I've been terrified ever since.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Take heed," he said. "For there is no wrath like #nature #unmoored."
I'm not sure what he meant, but I've been terrified ever since.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Hold fast, for just around the #bend there is light. Wait, beyond that corner is a new day. Watch, as this doom is sure to dissipate, and when it happens, #exhale at last.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 21, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Hold fast, for just around the #bend there is light. Wait, beyond that corner is a new day. Watch, as this doom is sure to dissipate, and when it happens, #exhale at last.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
The #puppy #looms over the bone of some poor, #extinct creature. If I take a step, the dog will pounce in some instinctual and inevitable game. One thing is for certain, the pup really wants me to take that step.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
January 20, 2026 at 1:18 PM
The #puppy #looms over the bone of some poor, #extinct creature. If I take a step, the dog will pounce in some instinctual and inevitable game. One thing is for certain, the pup really wants me to take that step.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
We sit in the #raft, drifting at sea, #searing under a relentless sun. We lost our oars overboard fighting over the last beer at the mouth of the river, pitching us to our doom. Two idiots roasting like tater tots forgotten in an air fryer.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 16, 2026 at 12:58 PM
We sit in the #raft, drifting at sea, #searing under a relentless sun. We lost our oars overboard fighting over the last beer at the mouth of the river, pitching us to our doom. Two idiots roasting like tater tots forgotten in an air fryer.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"What's your sign?" he asked, like it mattered.
"Is that the best you can do?" she replied.
"They mean something. The signs."
"Oh yeah?"
"Trust me. From the heart."
"If the #zodiac is as #heartfelt as you get," she said, "next, please."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Is that the best you can do?" she replied.
"They mean something. The signs."
"Oh yeah?"
"Trust me. From the heart."
"If the #zodiac is as #heartfelt as you get," she said, "next, please."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 15, 2026 at 1:04 PM
"What's your sign?" he asked, like it mattered.
"Is that the best you can do?" she replied.
"They mean something. The signs."
"Oh yeah?"
"Trust me. From the heart."
"If the #zodiac is as #heartfelt as you get," she said, "next, please."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
"Is that the best you can do?" she replied.
"They mean something. The signs."
"Oh yeah?"
"Trust me. From the heart."
"If the #zodiac is as #heartfelt as you get," she said, "next, please."
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
He came across as quite #wonky. He wore #goggles instead of glasses, his clothes disheveled beyond the hope of an iron, and hair like he'd stuck a finger in a socket. Like a young Doc Brown without the time-travel genius, though he did once try to steal plutonium.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 14, 2026 at 1:06 PM
He came across as quite #wonky. He wore #goggles instead of glasses, his clothes disheveled beyond the hope of an iron, and hair like he'd stuck a finger in a socket. Like a young Doc Brown without the time-travel genius, though he did once try to steal plutonium.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
One summer day, our mom made us root beer #floats. We ate them while sitting on the front #stoop, racing against the sun as it melted thick scoops of vanilla into the sweet, tingly soda. For that moment, at least, we felt like kings of the #neighborhood.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
January 13, 2026 at 1:02 PM
One summer day, our mom made us root beer #floats. We ate them while sitting on the front #stoop, racing against the sun as it melted thick scoops of vanilla into the sweet, tingly soda. For that moment, at least, we felt like kings of the #neighborhood.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
Two #finches perch upon the wreath on my front door. They hurry and hassle, flit and fidget, chirp and chatter. Now a #slapdash nest is nestled within the wreath, and I cannot use my front door this spring. The songs are nice, though.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 12, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Two #finches perch upon the wreath on my front door. They hurry and hassle, flit and fidget, chirp and chatter. Now a #slapdash nest is nestled within the wreath, and I cannot use my front door this spring. The songs are nice, though.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
We huddle 'round the conveyor belt, a dingy, rubber river with scuffed stainless banks. The belt is like a lottery, spewing out #luggage in the chaos of people catching up or coughing. I hope my #delivery comes soon and is not lost in Des Moines. $50 for this pleasure.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 9, 2026 at 1:23 PM
We huddle 'round the conveyor belt, a dingy, rubber river with scuffed stainless banks. The belt is like a lottery, spewing out #luggage in the chaos of people catching up or coughing. I hope my #delivery comes soon and is not lost in Des Moines. $50 for this pleasure.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
Thumbtacked posters #adorn faux-wood panelled walls. Shag carpet the color of a sun-bleached lion rests below a few couches whose upholstery is busier than O'Hare during the holidays. Descend #downstairs into a musty time capsule.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 8, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Thumbtacked posters #adorn faux-wood panelled walls. Shag carpet the color of a sun-bleached lion rests below a few couches whose upholstery is busier than O'Hare during the holidays. Descend #downstairs into a musty time capsule.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
A dark room on a day with no responsibilities is filled with the sparce taps of rain upon the roof. After a welcoming introductory sonata, the shower soon swells into a full #symphony, nature's #passport to relaxation.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 7, 2026 at 1:27 PM
A dark room on a day with no responsibilities is filled with the sparce taps of rain upon the roof. After a welcoming introductory sonata, the shower soon swells into a full #symphony, nature's #passport to relaxation.
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
On a Tuesday, he had #embarked on a plan to commit a bit of light #treason. However, when the car wouldn't start, he got a bit #spooked. What else could go wrong? In the end, he went back inside and had a nice bowl of popcorn.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
January 6, 2026 at 1:01 PM
On a Tuesday, he had #embarked on a plan to commit a bit of light #treason. However, when the car wouldn't start, he got a bit #spooked. What else could go wrong? In the end, he went back inside and had a nice bowl of popcorn.
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues #amwriting
What an #oddball. He ate cereal without milk, faced the wrong way in an #elevator, and gave honest, detailed answers whenever someone asked, "How are you?"
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
January 5, 2026 at 1:21 PM
What an #oddball. He ate cereal without milk, faced the wrong way in an #elevator, and gave honest, detailed answers whenever someone asked, "How are you?"
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting
#vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting