Beyond the Blue Horizon, A Collection of Short Stories #5

Across oceans, skies, and shifting tides of time, Beyond the Blue Horizon gathers stories of endurance and discovery. From 19th-century whalers and women pirates to miners, survivors, and dreamers, each tale explores the depths we navigate of love, loss, and what it means to keep going. With a storyteller’s eye for wonder and resilience, this collection reveals how the sea connects us all, whether we’re chasing waves or building chicken coops on solid ground.   Saving Whales with Magic in Moby Dick In Saving Whales with Magic in Moby Dick, Ishmail, a postal worker-turned-time traveler, is thrust into the perilous world of 19th-century whaling with one extraordinary mission: to stop the slaughter of whales using a mysterious magical chant. Skirts Flow Freely over the Seas Rachel was born into violence on the open sea, daughter of a pirate in the age of blood and betrayal. In her quest for survival, she became more than a captain… she became a myth no one wanted to believe. A woman feared by men afraid of powerful women. Her story is one of brutality and heartbreak, survival and defiance… and a reminder that legends aren’t always born—they’re made of scars. A fierce and emotional journey into the secret history of woman pirates—and the cost of becoming a legend. Praying With Salt from the Polish Salt Mines In 1844 Wieliczka, Poland, life is carved from darkness. Miner Olgierd Dziewonski works the perilous salt tunnels with his sons, while his wife Anna keeps their family strong above ground. When a deadly explosion shatters their world, grief tests their faith and unity. From tragedy comes resilience, and from loss—a story of love, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond of family. Ripped from the Headlines – Peruvian Man Lost at Sea 95 days (pages) Maximo Nappa, a fisherman from Peru, sets out for a day of fishing, but what begins as a simple adventure turns into a harrowing 95-day struggle for survival. With only the most basic of resources, he battles hunger, desperation, and despair. A gripping tale of human endurance, an extraordinary testament to the strength of the human spirit when survival is the only option. Flying to Freedom In Castro’s Cuba, childhood friends Eduardo and Armando dream of freedom. Trapped by poverty and oppression, they risk everything on a desperate escape—stowing away on a plane bound for Spain. Flying to Freedom is a powerful story of courage, loss, and the unbreakable will to be free. Superpower of a Generation When Dusty Baker and his friends spot a fifty-foot serpent off the Louisiana coast, they laugh it off as a tall tale—until the vision unlocks terrifying knowledge of the future. Their search for answers awakens something ancient and deadly granting Dusty eternal life—and endless torment. Some discoveries come at a terrible cost. It was a Stark and Corny Night In a future New York torn apart by gangs and cyber-surveillance, Detective Ty Cobb isn’t prepared for the world’s newest weapon of terror: corn. When a victim turns up murdered by a kernel fired from a modified handgun, Cobb follows a trail of corruption, black markets, and bio-modified ammunition that leads him to a mysterious blonde witness with a dangerous secret. Twisted noir collides with dystopian absurdity in this gritty, tragic satire of hate. Charlotte’s Legacy Charlotte’s Legacy is a deep-sea thriller that dives into the limits of love, obsession, and discovery. Retired Navy Commander turned billionaire explorer Victor Vescovo is driven to uncover the ocean’s darkest secrets, joined by his brilliant fiancée, Heather West. In the crushing depths, they face not only the dangers of the sea but the demons within. A gripping story of ambition, sacrifice, and the haunting cost of exploration. Kristen’s Chicken Tractor From one generation of chicken-keepers to the next, a family’s shared grit and gentle humor come to life in Kristen’s Chicken Tractor — a story about lessons learned, love passed down, and the small kindnesses that keep us connected.