Author Robert C. Madison
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robertcmadison.bsky.social
Author Robert C. Madison
@robertcmadison.bsky.social
700 followers 530 following 520 posts
Writer of fiction, reader of books. Rider of motorcycle, petter of cats.
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robertcmadison.bsky.social
He felt the soft kiss of snowflakes upon his face as he lay in the snow. He'd never #experienced such a calm moment. He could even hear the snow falling. He didn't feel pain, though he knew he should. As it grew more peaceful, he heard the #sirens. He hoped they'd get there soon.

#vss365 #vssdaily
October 9, 2026 at 12:18 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
He took in the #moment. The faint scent of flowers, the warmth of the sun on his skin, and soft birdsong melodies. A #sin to ignore these things while the shadow of doom drew near.

#vss365 #vssdaily
October 8, 2026 at 12:44 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
Summer passed like a #blurred memory. One minute the leaves began to sprout, the next they burst into fall fireworks of red, orange, and yellow. It seemed this way each year, an #island of warmth and endless possibilities sailing into recollection.

#vss365 #vssdaily
October 7, 2026 at 12:44 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
We crossed the lake on a #summer day #funded by memories, the boat's #sail taught with the kiss of a warm breeze. Gulls barked at us, but they couldn't interrupt our laughter which rose to the fluffy clouds baking above on that lazy afternoon.

#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues
October 6, 2026 at 12:18 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
What freedom of winged flight, the gift of the birds, wind whistling through bristling feathers as they soar through the soft embrace of clouds and past tree tops to the lonely place where the sky kisses the #mountain.

#vss365
October 2, 2026 at 12:25 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
A hard rain washed the city streets. So heavy it confused the street lights, and neon shop signs glowed in the puddles along the sidewalk. He walked a normal gait, not one to show weakness to a storm, but then the #clouds parted above a #tavern. Maybe not such a bad day after all.

#vss365 #vssdaily
October 1, 2026 at 12:19 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
His #bequest to me sat upon the old oak bar. A single vodka #martini. He was a twisted old cynic, but at least he had a sense of humor. In the drink clung two fat Spanish olives, huddling in companionship. I had a sip. Best drink I ever had.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 30, 2026 at 12:11 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
Garden #reprieve. Resting against a thick birch, its soft, peeling #bark like tattered pages of a favorite book. Sun dappled upon the countless #plants like old friends. On the soft breeze floats the perfume of the #flowers, as if they're saying, "It'll be alright."

#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues
September 29, 2026 at 12:32 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
We drove for hours. Through Main Street and the blur of its quaint shops, out around the lake as it reflected the pure white clouds loitering in the endless sky, and past the #quarry where we wasted time as teenagers. The soothing motor's ballad #purified our soul as we drove.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 28, 2026 at 12:26 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
The needle kisses the #record. A gentle spark of sound before the music floats from the speakers, filling the room like welcome smoke. I hear car doors outside, angry voices, approaching footsteps. A #reckoning is due. I chamber a round in the old Winchester. A #reckoning is due.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 25, 2026 at 12:29 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
"This city is special. It has its own heartbeat that drives a fierce #hunger."
"Because of our #location."
"Yes, this churning city.'
"There's a place across the street that fans its kitchen fumes into the air."
"I was being metaphorical."
"Want to get a burger?"
"Of course I do."

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 24, 2026 at 12:37 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
Unbridled #passion like a wildfire, devouring everything in its path in a violent need to sustain itself. It #soon became too much and flamed out, a smoldering shadow leaving behind the broken souls of those it consumed.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 23, 2026 at 12:26 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
I awake to the rumble of my cat purring, sitting next to me as a sentinel through the night, ensuring my safety so I may feed him come morning. I reach to pet his #fur, but he is already #moving, #embarking on a journey of scant feet, so he is an inch out of reach.

#vss366 #vssdaily #BookishTues
September 22, 2026 at 12:14 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
I picked up a seashell and put it to my #ear so I could hear the sea. Instead I heard a #storm, with skittering thunder before the peirce of lightning bit my ear. It's what I deserved for disrupting the home of an unnoticed hermit crab.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 21, 2026 at 12:18 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
#Exploring the deepest depths of the Earth, I navigate #tight caverns seen by no humans. Exhilarating and spectacular, then the light flickers out. I fumble for the backup. Slipping through damp fingers, I hear it tumble away. Then nothing but darkness, dripping, and my heartbeat.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 18, 2026 at 12:33 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
The two coworkers were nothing alike. One whose career burgeoned in #infancy, the other crowed in twilight. One sought mentorship, the other solitude. One wanted to shake things up, the other craved routine. But the pizza party drove both of their morale over the #ledge.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 17, 2026 at 12:27 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
Every night in this old house comes a knocking. The time changes from whence it #commences, and behind every door there is no culprit, and yet the knocking proceeds. Upstairs, downstairs, all around, but no one is ever there except the infernal #knock, #knock...

#Knock.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 16, 2026 at 12:17 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
An #autumnal breeze brings a brisk scent and the skittering of leaves, blowing my thoughts back to simpler times. Was there anything as satisfying as slapping shut a #flip #phone after making Friday night plans with buddies and the weekend spreading out to eternity?

#vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues
September 15, 2026 at 12:14 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
Birdsong begins to fade as the day comes to a close. Lovers #involved in their own worlds walk hand in hand as a #sanguine sunset paints the portrait of an oncoming evening. In this brief moment, it seems everything is ok in the world. This brief moment.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 14, 2026 at 12:08 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
His only #vice was #naivete. While others fell to the bottle or slots, he wandered through his days with a peaceful smile as the world burned around him. Sure, he missed a lot, but he took big hits of ignorance and sailed high on the freedom of his bliss.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 11, 2026 at 12:17 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
The room seemed a sort of exhibit. Tools of his trade hung with care on the wall. The odor of strong disinfectants lingered, and soft lighting seeming to highlight certain items. Of this macabre #melange, I noticed a #hammer. It hadn't been cleaned, yet. I knew what stained it.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 10, 2026 at 12:15 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
"Trust me."
"No way. You have terrible #intuition."
"No I don't."
"Remember that time you thought it would be a great idea to let out a fart as the bride and groom were introduced at their #reception?"
"I used the best man's mic."
"You did."
"That was hilarious."
"I rest my case."

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 9, 2026 at 12:15 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
The #cathedral ripples in the #moonglade of the pond, a peaceful sway on calm night. A #bird skims the water and the #cathedral shimmers away. I look up and see only the quiet wood around me and shiver.

#vssdaily #vss365 #BookishTues
September 8, 2026 at 12:11 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
She earned her living as a bartender at an #airport lounge, slinging #elixers to weary wayfarers. There were no regulars, just transients with mostly long-distant gazes. Cocktails to ease the heavy minds of the light baggaged. It seemed joyful vacationers skipped the airport bar.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 3, 2026 at 12:36 PM
robertcmadison.bsky.social
Slap another cassette in the tape deck and cruise the boulevard on a Friday night. Street light shadows dance as we drive past, looking better than everyone, while they look better than us. Hair #spray in the center #console to ensure we keep it up. Those were the days.

#vss365 #vssdaily
September 2, 2026 at 12:16 PM