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[ WP ] - Your captor is affable , empathetic , and cheerfully candid about what they enjoy doing to their victims .
| `` Well how is it?'' she grinned.
I fondled the top of the porridge with my spoon. A skim had formed over the watery sludge. `` Fine,'' I mumbled.
I looked to the man sat across from me. His pale face was etched in red streaks. He too had barely touched his meal. Light from the window illuminated the dust floating in the room.
`` Excellent! What shall we do today?'' Her face lit up.
`` Si vous voulez, nous pouvions aller au parc?'' bleated the man. The woman threw herself across the table and dragged her fingernails across the man's face. He roared with pain.
`` We've discussed your speaking French before, have n't we Number Two?'' She picked up a cloth napkin and dabbed the man's blood from her fingers. So that was his name, Number Two. He wept quietly compressing his face with his right palm. Blood oozed between his fingers. `` Now, what were you saying Number Two?''
His muffled voice strained. `` If... if you want we go to the park?''
She threw her head back to the cackles of uproarious laughter. `` Oh darling! I wish ever so we could! But we remember what happened to Number One, do n't we?'' She removed a tear with another napkin. She regarded the napkin and made her decision. Before tossing it to the man; he flinched. `` Wipe your face. Let's not get blood on the carpet.''
`` I...'' I caught myself. I was n't supposed to talk at the table.
`` Yes?'' She cocked an eyebrow and smiled.
`` What happened to Number One?''
She sat in silence. The silence lay somewhere between a few seconds and eternity. Adrenaline surged and I was close to wetting myself. Speak. Please! She cackled again.
`` Number One. Well, that was a fun day, was n't it Number Two?'' Number Two nodded. `` Well, Number Two suggested that we go to the park. And I thought this was a fantastic idea. Well, we're sitting in the park, the moonlight was bathing us beautifully. I shut my eyes for two seconds and then Number One was gone! Can you believe it? Gone!'' She paused and glared at me.
`` No, I ca n't.'' I said to the porridge.
A pair of fists hammered the table. `` Neither could I! I was flabbergasted! Anyway, once I got Number Two here back to the house I located Number One.'' I itched the new scar on my arm.
I awoke in a bed in a locked room yesterday. I had never been in this room before. I itched my upper arm and revealed a new scar. I had been chipped, it appeared.
`` Number One was never very clever.'' Number Two started to sob more heavily. She slouched further into the chair and drummed her fingers on the table. She smacked her lips. `` Number Three. What do you propose we do today? Number Two, stop crying.''
`` What do you usually do today?''
`` Gosh you're all so boring! I'm going to tell stories today. Or rather, Number Two can tell stories today. Number Two, what happened to Number One?''
Number One sniffed. Empty eyes bore into mine. `` I beat Number One to death because I was told to.''
`` And such fun we had! I remember the day well, do n't you, Number Two?''
She turned to me. A toothy grin bit my eyes. `` Your porridge is getting cold.''
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[ FF ] In 100 words explain why you wo n't marry me .
| The time we ’ ve spent, just you and me
Has always been such a dichotomy
Of give and take, from which I run
For you take all, yet give me none
When I talk, or laugh, or sing
I dream it's to my voice you ’ ll cling
But it ’ s your own words, they ’ re all you hear
You silence me when you are near
For years I ’ ve wanted to be heard
And not be told my thoughts absurd
Yet here I am, again, restricted
A hundred pittance words, I ’ m gifted
You narcissist, you are no friend
These hundred words, they mark the end.
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[ WP ] A woman falls in love with Death and commits murder countless times just to catch a glimpse of him .
| `` Urngh.. wh..what?'' The man twisted his neck to look at the face of his killer. His hands reached weakly for the knife tip protruding from his chest as he collapsed on the floor.
She gazed downward silently, emotionless. Long ago she stopped apologizing, asking for forgiveness, because to ask for forgiveness means you would n't do it again.
The man's eyes clouded as he felt himself succumb to blackness. He seized and slumped to the floor as the blackness surged over his being and became him, and from it emerged Death.
Death drew himself to his full height and looked at the figure before him. A woman, in her thirties, with strong hands and shoulders and long hair bound behind her in a thick cord that fell down her back. A face he recognized.
He looked into her and felt that determination, smoldering, knew it, knew it was precipitated by a mixture of confusion and desire, and had become fuel for the evil she forced herself to do. The man's life came to rest in him, like a drop falling from miles above into a vast still pool. Ripples propagated outwards, merging with billions of others.
She blinked. Nothing. For a moment, she allowed herself to think back to *the* memory. Her father, in the seat next to her, face a rictus of irrepressible agony. Torso stretched and torn by the steel bar that had punched through his ribcage at twice the speed of sound in that instant of explosive violence. His head swung on a hinge to face her and she saw his terror.
Behind him appeared a wavering shadow, as tall as the sky to her thirteen year-old self, and the air around it seemed to swallow the sounds of the accident. In that moment outside of time the shadow had gathered her father and his fear and his pain and gently, lovingly, taken each piece into himself. She saw it, she saw *him*, and could not ever forget.
The blood was dry when she came back to her senses. Nothing. Still nothing. He eluded her, again. But she would find him.
Death looked back at her, sorrowful, and stepped back into the void.
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[ WP ] People carry their personal Hells inside them . If they do n't keep it under control , it spills out into the nearby landscape as a real , physical place .
| `` So how's it look, Jackman?''
The aging Arcadian detective sat back in his chair, sighing; the light of a dozen holographic displays, all scrolling with incomprehensible-yet-invaluable sensor data. `` Bad, Jim. We have the sector firewalled from the rest of the exonet, so we've got that going for us. Unfortunately, we've got no idea what's going on inside the partition right now; the guy that triggered the psychosis cascade was a special kind of nutcase.''
The psychosis cascade: the latent fear of every Arcadian resident in the past decade. With the growing integration of the virtual and physical worlds, the line between the two was increasingly blurred with each passing day: do n't like the color of your couch? A holographic projection will do the trick. Do n't like seeing ads from company x? Get a projection that changes it to something more suited to your tastes. Want dinner? Buy it online and let the nanofab assemble it on the table in front of you.
With neural hookups coming into the scene, that someone would get the bright idea of physically manifesting the machinations of the imagination was a given. Some suspected that there might be considerable danger in the practice, but no one had foreseen how, when unleashed as raw information, the subconscious mind was the most potent cognitohazard known to modern science.
`` Damn. Do we have any psych data on this... Nate Barber?'' James replied.
`` He's an unregistered runner; his last evaluation was nearly three years ago, and even then he was showing preliminary signs of... oh, mother of *Planck*, Jim. Paranoid schizophrenia.'' Detective Eric Jackman sighed, bringing a hand to his silvered temples. `` I still have nightmares from the guy that tripped out on Hypercane, and that was five years ago. He was hallucinating friggin' sunshine and rainbows and *twenty three* people were sent catatonic, not counting the three hundred droids or so that went rampant once they hooked into the local net. This... this is going to be bloody.''
The Sensitive Investigations Bureau had been explicit in its orders to James Hart in regards to the risk of a Class-0 psychosis cascade. Neutralize the threat with extreme prejudice and have no qualms over collateral damage. `` That's all I needed to hear.'' Agent Hart tapped an invisible button in his virtual vision, and a mile away four city blocks - partitioned off from the rest of the city by walls both physical and virtual since yesterday - was turned to rubble.
`` Sweet *Feynman, * Jim! What wa...''
Agent Hart just watched the billowing smoke rise into the crimson afternoon sky, and quickly Detective Jackman fell silent. Three thousand people had just died - or, at least, been *physically* killed, odds were they'd gone insane hours ago. The mind of man unleashed, unfiltered, into the open airwaves of the exonet was a fearsome thing; the mind of a *mad*man unleashed was the stuff of animalistic horror. Three thousand sacrificed to close the gates of hell, as opened by a raving psychopath.
A raving psychopath? No. A human.
Both men quashed the thought before its implications truly sunk in.
-- -
*Arcadia Chronicles, 2/2*
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[ WP ] In the future , weapons have become so destructive that conflicts between nations have to be decided in an entirely new way .
| `` Checkmate!'' Yelled the Latvian representative, as he ran across the field, the mask covering his face.
`` Checkmates are only applicable in quadrant four! You have to be wearing yellow to checkmate in quadrant three,'' the Russian representative yelled back, as he performed a pirouette and threw the ball towards the goal.
`` People with red shoes ca n't move,'' countered the Canadian representative, as he bashed the ball with his hockey stick, aiming towards the German net.
The American representative looked on from the stands, shaking his head.
`` Of all the games and things we had to pick from to decide wars, why the hell'd we let the internet pick Calvinball?''
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[ WP ] Gravity is slowly disappearing and nobody knows why . Describe the days coming up to its total disappearance .
| While gravitational laws may have changed, it seemed to have taken people awhile to realize the Newton's second law had not. My neighbor was unfortunately the first I saw die with the new changes. A robber, thinking chaos would allow him to act with impunity, seemed to randomly chose Allen's house. Normally this would be a life ending decision for the robber since Allen was always packing his pistol of the day, but Allen fatally chose the shotgun this time. The robber leaped from Allen's doorstep 10, 20, possibly 30 feet in the air with Allen taking to the air as well. Without feet being firmly planted on the ground, and what I can only assume was a looser grip on the gun since it was lighter, the recoil took the gun halfway through Allen's face before he reached the ground again, leaving skull fragments floating like dandelion petals in the bright noon sky.
Guns soon became obsolete except for those who dared take the risk. Hand to hand combat became the popular conflict resolution solution, with many engaging in hockey-esque fights with shirt grabbing and semi-random punches being the only way to make contact. Eventually that grew tiresome for many, and people began receding from cities to avoid confrontation and people in general. Wars were stopped as many felt the new risk with guns and artillery was not worth it, and military's were dissolving around the globe, funneling the funding into why the gravitational shift was occurring.
Seasons passed and as the months grew long, the jumps grew taller. Reports were coming in that people were actually leaving the earths atmosphere. The new suicide was jumping up from the tallest building, not down. A classmate of mine from high school actually was one of the first to do a'Lovers Leap' into the heavens so they could be together forever, though religious figures denounced these suicides as blasphemous. Sinners were to go down to hell to burn, not rise with the Angels to see God. Whole new religious debates broke out, asking if this bizarre gravitational shift had a specific meaning that had yet to be discovered. A small number just could n't take the change in perception, but the majority was starting to adjust when people realized that not all of the deaths by jumping were suicide, many were just accidents.
Me? I'm almost indifferent. I do n't tether like most people, but I'm not suicidal. I compare it to going into rapids with a life jacket but no boat; risky with no real benefit. I've heard of psychos going around and slashing peoples tethers while they're rising and waving as their victims float helplessly to their deaths. In this day and age it's hard for me and most others to trust anything but ourselves. The governments, religions, lifestyles, weird diets, and the bottle have no cures and probably never will. Just the other day I had to bolt down the chair I'm sitting on, as well as the table I'm writing on and put a chain on the pen I'm using to write this account. I already have to wrap my legs around the legs of the chair to stay seated, I do n't know how much longer I can write.
Last joke before I go: Why have n't their been anywhere near as many lawsuits since the gravity changed? All the lawyers floated up first. ( Get it? Hot air. Man I crack myself up ).
Gregory Lewis Armstrong
August 23, 1986 - May 11 (? ), 2019
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[ WP ] Having survived the apocalypse with braces , now you 're in search of an orthodontist in an apocalyptic wasteland .
| The slimy thud-slurp noise sound was getting louder and closer as I ran for all I was worth towards the metal door at the end of the hall way praying that is was unlocked. Time seemed to slow down as I threw myself against the door flinging it open, I got up and slammed the door shut just as the Giant mutated frog like creature rammed into it leaving a large dent in the metal. Leaning against the door pushing the bolt into place I locked it. I reached into the oversized hidden pocket of my leather duster and pulled out my revolver and opened up the cylinder. ``... Damn only 3 rounds left, but I survived and that's what counts I guess.'' I thought to myself, though I survived the initial outbreak of the virus that caused most of earth ’ s creatures to mutate into giant, hostile, and carnivorous versions of their former selves in the first place and that had been a decision I regretted almost every day of the 15 years after. All that was finally over now, what I needed to complete my quest was in this room I just needed to find it. I picked up my black cowboy hat off the floor from where I landed and dusted it off before putting it back on my head and beginning my search of the room. After 15 minutes of searching I finally found it in a cupboard in the back of the room, a medium sized case filled with instruments and tools of all different sizes and though I had no clue what any of them were for I knew someone who did and all I had to do was get back to the Outpost and I would be free from this damned curse. I slung my pack off of my back and placed the case inside and stood up walking over to the window looking out into the hall I had just come from and peeked out the drawn mostly in tact blinds “ Damn it. ” I whispered under my breath the Hopper was just sitting outside the door waiting its tongue hanging out of its mouth with its Venomous drool dripping in a pool on the floor. I let loose a string of curses under my breath and sighed before gathering myself, what I needed now was a plan not self-pity. I looked around the room scanning for anything that could help me escape. After a couple of takes of the room I spotted a couple compressed gas cylinders. “ It ’ s a long shot. ” I thought crossing the room. As it turns out luck was on my side again the cylinder with a label for Nitrous Oxide was still half full. I picked it up walked back to the window and heaved with all my strength. The Hopper leaped for the cylinder the second it hit the ground, I drew my pistol and shot the cylinder causing the gas to release all at once as the Hopper was still trying to devour the tank. I held my breath and watched as the creature began to slump finally its eyes closed. I Kept my gun out as I began to climb through the window, I had to be quick I didn ’ t know how long the beast would be out. It looked like I was home free until just as I was walking past the seemingly unconscious Hopper I stepped on a piece of glass. I froze as the crunch echoed through the empty hall and its eyes shot open, “ Fu-uh. ” I exclaimed as the Hopper leaped in the air and tackled me knocking the breath from my lungs. We rolled on the ground from the force of impact, and ended up with the Hopper on top of me its tongue wrapped around my throat and its drool dripping on my face. I reached desperately for the gun on the ground mere feet away from me just out of my reach. “ Ah fuck it. ” I thought as I turned and punched the Hopper in the face as hard as I could. It recoiled giving me just enough wiggle room to roll for my gun. I turned to see the Hopper Lunging towards my face, I pulled the trigger and -BANG- I watched as its head exploded into chunks of gore and slime. It was done. I got to my feet after a moment of catching my breath wiped the slime from my face and walked back through the building past the other 3 dead Hoppers littering the floor and out into the Wastes towards the outpost. Days later I wondered in to the Outpost tired but elated, I made my way to McAllister ’ s tavern and hotel. The man I had made the deal with was sitting in the corner drinking what passed as beer around here, as soon as he seen me he jumped to his feet in surprise. “ I didn ’ t think you would actually do it! ” He said chuckling “ Not a lot of choice. ” I muttered as I pulled out the case from my pack and handed it to him. The man started laughing hysterically “ What the hell ’ s so funny? ” I asked feeling my temper start to boil. “ I have no idea what any of these are or what they do ” he said between laughs “ But you said you could help. ” I began to protest “ Look man I heard rumors that the legendary mercenary Kincaid had braces and as it turns out they are true; Come on smile, Just once? Let me see them! ” He mocked “ Fuck you! ” I shouted at him as I turned and started to walk away. “ Don ’ t blame me cause you ’ re gullible. ” He called as I walked away, I whirled on him drawing my pistol and closing the distance between us stopping only when the barrel of my.44 revolver rested against his forehead. “ Don ’ t shoot man, it was a joke I ’ m sorry ” He cried. I smirked “ Don ’ t blame me cause you ’ re an asshole. ” I said mimicking his snide tone before pulling the trigger. What was left of the little brains he had now covered the wall behind him as his body slumped to the floor with a soft thud. I holstered the gun, picked up the case of dental tools, and turned walking out of the Tavern. I pulled out a list out of my pocket. “ Well that ’ s another lead down, but first more ammo. ” I thought to myself before walking out into the Wastes towards my home.
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[ WP ] A Woman is trapped in a room in which the walls are mirrors
| o... m... g, noooooooooooooooooooooo! you have got to be kidding me! my period just started, i feel like shit, i look like shit, and i feel like shit! and im trapped in a room of fucking mirrors!!! omg...... shit i hope no one can see me crying in this place someone get me outta here!!! ahhghghghhggaa!!!
omg look at my love handles! omg gross! uhg, all i have to do is eat less carne, that's it, my personal trainer told me all i had to do was cut that and boom, no handles, just eat more veggies, juice a little and i'd look ten times better, i mean i look good now, i look damn good, but you can always look better, and feel better, jesus what the hell is stopping me? lazy bitch. god my hair uhg, screw that, im not cutting it, im going back to curly, i looked so cute curly, why did i go straight? oh yea, thomas, basturd, i could a gone to the gym with him, now he's all beefed up, thinks he's the shit, he is shit, i'm not, actually, damn, my ass looks great from this side.... heeeeey giiirrrlll, damn, why am i trippin''? 5, 10 pounds max, that's what 2 months of work? fuckin' a am i lazy, lazy bitch
fuck this, fuck it and fuck thomas's ass, if i get outta here im a work it like i never have before, YOU HERE ME FUCKER'S! IF I GET OUT OF HERE IM A KICK YOU'RE ASSES AND THEN GO TO THE GYM AND MAKE YOU KISS MY TIGHT TANNED PRETTY ASS!!
`` OK ma'am, test complete, you can go''
what the fuck do you mean test?! FUCK YOU!!!
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[ WP ] Man finds out his girlfreind is cheating and kills himself , only to wake up in the body of her lover .
| Violet and I lived together for years, even before we started dating. It was an odd living situation, where I was a software engineer with a spare room, and she was an artist willing to pay rent. We complemented each other quite well. After a year of living together, I finally decided to ask for a date or two. Nothing fancy, but I knew then that I wanted to be with her my entire life. afterwards, she eventually moved into my room and we turned her old room into a studio.
To be honest, I was cautious. I treated her like the beautiful flower she was and made sure I never hurt her in any way. Sometimes, I was too honest and straightforward with my desires. I wanted her to understand that everything I did was for our relationship together. I cooked, cleaned, bought art supplies... I did everything I could to make sure she was creatively nourished. I was proud of my place in her successes and wanted to be by her side when she finally achieved her dreams.
One day, it happened. She ran into our room while I was resting on the bed and screamed, `` I did it! I'm in the museum!''
`` Wait, what museum?''
`` The one on 2nd avenue!''
`` That's great, hun!'' I was so excited, but I was careful not to show her all of that excitement. I did not want her to think I was more excited than she was. `` When will we be able to see it?''
`` November 4th.'' She then hesitated and sat next to me. `` I will need to spend the next month working in the museum to get everything ready.''
I smiled a proud smile and said, `` I could n't be happier for you. Let me know if you need any help!''
`` I could n't ask for anything more from you. You've already done more than enough.''
Throughout the month, Violet was hard at work in the museum. She would often work all night and haggardly stumble into the house the next morning. I was worried she was working too hard, but she would not let me see the exhibit until opening day. So I tucked her in almost every morning before I went off to work and by the time I was home, she was gone again, passionately working on her art.
Finally, November 3rd rolled around. The day before the opening of her exhibit. As she stumbled in, I said, `` I took the day off tomorrow. When should we go?''
`` Go where?'' She asked, mostly asleep already.
I chuckled softly to myself, `` The museum, of course.''
`` Museum?'' She grunted and then shot up in the bed. `` Museum! Wait. What day is today?''
I thought she was worried that her exhibit was not finished, `` November 3rd, dear. I'm sure everything is fine.''
`` No. No. Everything is not fine.'' She looked me dead in the eye. `` I meant to move out this month.''
I felt like I had just been hit by a bat and stumbled on to the bed. `` What?''
`` I... I am sorry.'' Se leapt of the bed. And threw some clothes in a bag. Everything else was already packed. She had certainly planned ahead.
I still could n't process the events that were unfolding. `` W... What?''
`` I found someone else. I am so sorry.''
And with that, she was gone. I checked her dresser, studio, even her side of the pantry. Everything was gone. I had nothing to remember her by. I did n't know what to do... so I went to work.
The moment I walked in, my boss saw me. He said, `` I have never seen anyone look so sick and still stumble into work. Take the day off.'' So I did.
I sat in Violet's studio for the rest of the day. I was n't sad. I was in complete and utter shock. There was not a single thought that passed through my head. It felt like my entire life was a dream. At some point, I looked up and saw that the sun had set. I went to bed as usual, and the next day, November 4th, I went to the museum, hoping that all of this was an elaborate ruse on Violet's part. Cruel though it may have been, I still loved her. I would always love her...
`` Sir.'' The museum guide looked at me. `` Are you alright?''
`` Yes. Yes. I am looking for a particular exhibit. Where is Violet Blanck's work?''
She hesitated. `` There is no such artist here.''
No such artist. `` Ah.'' No such artist. `` Thank you.'' No such artist.
I walked out and found a cop on the corner of the street. `` Hello officer. I have a silly question. I hope you do not take offense, but I have always wondered...'' I pointed to his belt, `` That gun on your belt, is it loaded?''
The officer laughed. `` It's okay, I get asked that a lot. Yes, it is loaded, just in case.''
`` Ah. Thank you.'' I stared him in the eye and punched him as hard as I could in the gut and then swiftly kicked him in the groin. I ripped the gun from his belt, lifted it to my head... and fell asleep for good.
I dreamed of seeing Violet again. We were together in bed, just waking up from a good night's sleep. I saw her wake up, and she smiled the most honest smile I had ever seen on her face. She truly, truly loved me, and I loved her back tenfold.
`` Hey.'' She said.
`` Hey.'' I said.
Wait. That was n't my voice. It was much softer than my voice. I shook my head. Everything seemed so... real. I sat up and looked down. Everything had changed. I was a new person. The person she wanted me to be.
`` Violet.'' I said with my new voice, `` Are you a lesbian?''
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[ WP ] In the land of rats and mice ... and evil cats , a new superhero emerges : Bat , the flying mouse .
| The world is no longer safe for our kind. Children lost in the dark do not return at daylight. We have lived in peace for centuries, savaging the tall grass and gnarled roots for scraps. We are not strong or dignified creatures, but we have survived. The Rodents are weak, but many.
Recently we have made excursions into unknown structures. They are massive, with walls higher than some trees. We find openings where we can, penetrating the fortress. Inside we find the Giants. Terrible behemoths that shake the very ground with their steps. Though they are beyond massive, they are dumb. Our kind easily moves around them. Through the walls, and behind their massive statues. Why risk all this danger? Inside these huge statues we can find subsistence. Food beyond our wildest imaginings piled to the heavens. This is the kind of discovery our scouts risk everything to find. Stockpiles like this can save our kind from the predators of the Wild.
But we have found new enemies here in the fortress. Glowing eyes, silent, razor sharp teeth and claws, and much too fast. The Feline. They delight in stalking us. Killing our scouts. They have even given the corpses of Rodents as trophies to the Giants. Inside the fortresses is a cruel world. The Feline are now our greatest enemies.
But there are rumors told by the scouts in our ranks. A hero, who strikes terror into both the Giants and Feline. They hide high above all, even above the Giant's reach! Black as the night, and shrieks that pierce the air. We have seen Giant's flee at their presence and Feline's hiss and bare their teeth in protest.
But they do not threaten Rodents... in fact they almost appear to **be** Rodent! Our size, our face, our skin. But with the wings! They soar far above all, and swoop to claim their prey without noise. We have sent an envoy in hopes of finding these dark heroes. Maybe and agreement can be reached.
But for now, Rodents have more hope than ever before.
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[ WP ] A man hires five hundred butlers . Why ? ( Inspired by /u/girloclock and /u/Captainsuperdawg )
| As he returned home, Lord Cransley hurried to the library, opened the secret safe and peeked inside. The papers were as he left them, the red seal untouched. Lord Cransley relaxed.
`` I am afraid I would have to take those, sir'' a voice said. Lord jumped and quickly tuned around, fumbling for his gun. A perfectly dressed man stood in the darker corner of the library. `` Who are you and what are you doing here?'' asked Lord Cransley uncertainly. `` I have a gun and I will use it if I have to!''
`` Sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I am just a butler.'' said the man. `` Would you mind giving me those papers?''. `` Of course I would mind!'' Lord Cransley finally found his gun and pointed it at the butler, even though his hands were still shaking. `` Then I am sorry we have to do this, sir'' said the butler. `` Wait, we?'' asked Lord Cransey just as someone put a silk handkerchief to his nose — a pleasant smell, and lord drifted into a dreamland.
`` A butler'' said the agent. `` Yes, a butler'' his superior was annoyed `` We believe there is much more than one butler, though. Secrets stolen, plans foiled, our best men left confused or dead. Even our Japanese friends have failed, so much for their ninja training.
We believe there might be at least a fifty of those butlers, maybe even seventy. And we know that they all follow the orders of one man. But we ca n't prove anything -- all clues disappear and all witnesses are either silent or dead.
This folder you are a reading is almost everything we got on them, and that's not too much.''
`` Would you like another cup of tea?'' asked the butler. He was answered by silence, as both agent an his superior lay slumped an their seats. `` Well then'' said the butler `` have pleasant dreams''. He took the folder and closed the door as he went. `` At least fifty'' he smiled to himself.
`` 407th reporting success'' he said into a button.
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[ CW ] In four hundred words you are gradually forgetting the prompt .
| Have you ever heard that little nagging voice at the back of your skull that seemed just out of reach? Skirting the edge of your mind, but impossible to hear due to the `` Weather's nice,'' and `` How's your day been?'' comments cluttering the rest of the space. I always think it has something important to say to me, maybe, “ Your laundry finished forty minutes ago, should have gotten it then, but by now someone ’ s likely tossed it on the floor to get their load done. ” But that ’ s just a thought. There was this one time that it seemed really close, almost in my ear, and started to whisper to me, “ you forgot to study for fin… ” interrupted quickly by the overbearing call of the microwave beeper shrieking that my meal was finally ready at 12AM. Oh how I live for the thrill of a freshly heated HotPocket™ to inevitably scald my mouth with its molten innards while trying not to gag on the granite crust. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to find decent food that you can make in a dorm room? Hmm? I mean, they ’ ve come up with a special tub apparatus that can hold a brick of ramen and water to make ramen in the microwave instead of the stovetop without the fancy cup. What will you see on TV and then find in the As Seen on TV aisle at the store next? And whatever happened to Snuggies? I mean, a blanket with arms, sign me up. Northern living is brutal once December hits and the snow starts to appear. I just hate how movies always romanticize snow as all light and fluffy and fun for the whole family, or when you fall into a snowbank it ’ s akin to jumping into a pile of leaves with all the snowflakes ‘ foomphing ’ out around you. That ’ s a bald-faced lie right there. The snows I see are too often heavy, wet, and well-packed. Jumping into one of those snowbanks could end with you bouncing off and sliding away, or getting stuck for a solid five minutes. And don ’ t even get me started on wet socks due to boot snow, it ’ s the worst feeling ever. There was something important I was supposed to tell you… Oh well, I ‘ m sure it wasn ’ t too important. It was nice to catch up for a bit, uh, what was your name again?
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[ RF ] You , a new hire , learn that the past 5 people to hold this job all quit within 6 months .
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9:00 P: M / Riverside Hotel / Day 1
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`` Welcome to Riverside Hotel where will you be staying this evening.'' The lady behind the counter said with a beaming smile.
I sheepishly place my luggage on the ground and search my new blazer jacket for the Employee contract card I had obtained back in Australia. My hands shook with nerves as I pull the scrunched piece of paper and flattened it out on the table.
`` Sorry, I-I'm Davidson Myer the new Barman.'' I said
She lowered her spectacles and eyed me carefully before examining my card. She held it by the edges prodding it for it's authenticity. `` And I presume you have some ID on you... David.'' she finished.
`` Err... of course, yes... err... it's here somewhere.'' I dig right into my luggage opening various pockets and zips. I pull out pieces of clothing and garments while cursing my failure for not having it ready beforehand. My mum warned me about shoving everything into my suit without any regard for proper organization. I pulled out a pair of red knickers which thankfully harbored my passport that fell on the ground among the other pieces of clothing that littered the lobby.
`` Found it, almost got away from me.'' I said shaking my head.
`` Yes, yes, that's... wonderful.'' She said.
`` I was told there would be accommodation for my things.'' I say pointing at my luggage, `` It's been a long flight, may I?''
`` Just a moment, David.'' She quickly phoned her superior all the while never breaking eye contact. She smiled as she spoke. Her eyes lighting up with every ring of the phone as she eagerly waited for an answer, she quickly gave an account of my current situation with as little empathy as she could muster.
``... yes, yes... his here now... I can not do that.... but his brought his things... that's absurd... but that's for our guests....b-b-b... I understand sir.''
*Click*
Her face flushed red and her eyes held a piercing venom. She neither tried to mask her contempt nor conceal her annoyance at whatever I had done to deserve it. `` You're room is on the fourth floor number 420. Do not disturb any of the other guests, eat only what you pay for and never ever open room number 421.''
`` Yes, of course,'' I say nodding quickly
`` You are being monitored.'' She said pulling out a hotel key from the bottom of her desk, `` Sleep tight, human.''
I quickly grab the hotel key on the desk shove it into one of my many pockets before scooping up my loose clothing items and head towards my hotel room. Thankful to get a space to finally breathe.
I'm finally home.
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[ WP ] A Djinn travels the world , granting people a single wish . However he never gives the person their wish , instead you receive the benefit of the last persons wish , passing your wish forward to the next person he meets .
| It was 2 weeks after I met that blasted Djinn that the doorbell rang. Waiting outside was a woman I had never seen before, a slightly nervous look on her face as she waited outside with her umbrella. `` What are ya doing outside in t'at weather, ya foolish girl?'' I asked, before letting her in.
It was strange seeing someone so young in my old house. Her bright red shoes and platinum blonde hair clashed with my dusty gray carpet and grayer walls. Never the less, she was a guest, and I ushered her into the kitchen as quick as I could, before offering her tea. `` Yes please!'' She said, letting out a relieved laugh.
I put the kettle on and sat down on the other end of the table. I gave what I hoped would be a comforting if awkward smile, and she gave me one back. `` Now, who are you?'' I asked.
`` My name is Felicia Price, and I'm here because-''
I interrupted her, `` So sorry, I'm not too fab with accents, are you from Australia?''
She seemed annoyed with being interrupted, but she answered `` Close, New Zealand, y'know, where they shot the Hobbit?''
`` Oh yes, the Hobbit.'' I said. I had no idea what a hobbit was, but it always been a bad habit of mine to feign knowledge on subjects I know nothing about. `` Well then, what are you doing up here in Wales then?''
`` Actually, it's becaus-'' Again she was interrupted, though this time it was the shrill whistle of the kettle, signalling that it was time to serve tea. I stood up, and started my usual ritual of teabags and milk, so engrossed in my task that to my utter shame I ignored her! But then I heard the name `` Catrin'', the mug I was holding slipped from my grip and fell all the way down to the ground.
Felicia gave a small yelp, but I told her, I did, `` Oh my, I'm so sorry, did n't mean to give you a fright! These hands of mine are n't as nimble as they once were, you know.'' I think she was shocked into silence, so I finished making her some tea in another mug, and handed it to her. `` So, you knew Catrin?'' I asked.
She stared down at her tea, and I realised I had forgotten to ask her what she wanted in it. I fear I've become a terrible host in recent years. She stared for a while, before looking up at me. `` A couple of weeks ago, I was out with my friends, clubbing. I was on my way home, when I tripped over this weird old lamp. I thought it was weird and all, so since no one was around, I took it home with me. After I got back in, I realised it looked just like the lamp from Aladdin, and so, being drunk and all, I gave it a rub. You can imagine how bloody shocked I was when an honest-to-god genie came out, ca n't you!''
I stared at her, mouth open in shock. I could easily imagine it, having done the same thing myself. Well, without the clubbing and tripping, of course.
She continued. `` I looked at him, and he was all big and blue and honestly quite handsome, but again I was still drunk, so that may have just been beer goggles, y'know? So he says to me'What is your wish?' and before my mind can get a say in it, me mouth blurts out'I wish I had better alcohol!'. I mean, I was so embarrased, mostly cause this handsome half naked blue man looks at me like I'm the dumbest thing he's ever seen! Anyway, he clicks his fingers, and he's gone, just like that. So I start looking around for more booze, and of course find zilch. At this time, I reckon I've had enough to drink, and decide it's best to go to bed.''
`` When I start dreaming, I meet this beautiful, I mean just stunning woman. I've never seen her before, but she said her name was-''
`` Catrin.'' I said, the words escaping my mouth against my will. `` She was my wife. She died a few years ago, heart attack.'' I could feel myself starting to tear up. `` When I met the djinn, I wished to see her again. Instead, I got a stupid bloody watch that I ca n't even tell the time with, and before I can complain, he's gone!''
She nodded. `` Here's what I think, I think this genie, djinn, whatever only grants the wish to the person to grant a wish. Keeps going like a chain. So when I wished for more booze, instead I got to meet the most amazing woman I had ever met. I've actually gotten the whole of the dream written down here, if you'd like to read it. We kind of worked out what was happening together, she's well smart she is!''
I smiled. It's true, she was. `` Do you mean to say, that you came all the way from Australia, just to let an old man hear one more story about his wife?'' I asked her, trying to stop my emotion from choking me. `` Hold on a second, I have something for you.'' I reached to a box on the table, and handed it to her.
She picked it up and opened it, her eyes widening in surprise. `` Oh my god, thank you, it's a bloody-'' She looked at me, and saw me staring at the book under her arm. She smiled, put the lid on the box, and opened the book. `` Now my handwriting is terrible, so I'm afraid I'll probably need to decipher most of it for you.''
`` Suits me, dear, means I do n't need to bother finding my glasses.'' I smiled, as she started reading to me.
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[ WP ] Tell us a story from your childhood the way you WISH it had happened .
| It was lunchtime and I was, as per usual, the last person to find a table with a seat. At least here they were forcing other people to sit with me. Too bad one of them was Zach, and too friggen bad they were serving chilli today. I hate beans. I was actually not okay with going to this boarding school where they rationed butter like it was WWII England.
We all moved to sit down and I made some off-handed comment about how I did n't want any chili.
'Right, because you're anorexic.'
That tore it, nobody calls me anorexic and gets away with it. I immediately reeled back and socked that asshole Zach straight in the nose. I do n't know if I broke it but I made him bleed nice.
As they hauled me away to the Headmaster's office, I was still smiling.
-- -- -- -
Yeah, most people think it's weird that I wish I had broken this kid's nose that day instead of walking away. People say walking away is the best solution but I've regretted not hitting him my entire life. I regret not causing him pain and humiliation, I regret that. I want to find him and punch him, even years later I want to fix this. He needs to pay.
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[ WP ] Aliens have invaded Earth , and in order to normalize their presence , they saturate r/writingprompts with prompts about aliens invading Earth .
| `` They are these little green fellas with superior intellectual ability, and we must adapt to them!'' wrote Mr.MuchoGreenAlien28 on Reddit r/writingprompts.
I was thinking to myself, what on earth was this lunatic writing. So i decided to profile checked him.
`` Wow!''
I had a shock! Last 3 posts on r/The_Donald/? Now this about the aliens. These guy must know something.
I looked at the 4th last post of him and...
`` No way!'' I screamed.
He had one of those cry baby posts on r/futurology about automation taking the jobs from hard working people. I was into this guy now. No way this guy was an average Joe here on Reddit, he must have been some kind of spy from an AI driven society and was trying to figure things out here.
I sent him a private message.
`` Hey, I totally agree with you on your post about automation, I'm raising a group of awareness, which part of the country are you from?''
He did n't took long to send the reply.
`` I'm from Boston? Why you ask that?''
He was getting into my head? From Boston? Everybody knows people in Boston do n't work and just win crazy money, no way this guy was against automation. I suspected him as the real alien trying to shake things up. I couldnt take one more word from this intruder so I let it all out.
`` Hey mister, I know who you poor fellas are! You are those little green ugly lads that visit my room window each night in a flying sauce. You have done it for years, you have terrorized our minds and gave a generation of virgin nerds a possibility of life to think, so I say enough is enough, I'm going to kill you all, tonight!''
He rapidly replied:
`` Listen up, I'm green cause I am a Celtics fan, unfortunately, but that's it. I'm also a alien cause I'm Mexican but other than that the only flying sauce I have is the one of the dinner, already in my stomach.''
I was jubilant, the only person I think who could be spying on me finally is n't.
I can now prepare Earth for our invasion.
`` Ahaha''
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[ WP ] A world where `` Finders keepers '' is an enforced rule .
| Trees flying by in a blur. Moonlight and tears. She is running in fear. Its only been a month since the finder's keepers law has passed... how could everything go bad so fast? It's not normal for a girl to have to run for her life on her 16th birthday. Who is chasing me.... what do they want? A tree stump hidden by a shadow grasps her foot. Everything goes black! As she slowly regains vision she finally sees her pursuer. She hears one final thing before passing out again... `` dowhop diddly doo deepers I claim finder's keepers'' he says as he drags her back to his den.
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[ WP ] You live in a house with no second floor , one day you find a staircase leading up . What do you find at the top of the staircase ?
| As I turned the corner that morning like I always had, I tripped. I was n't even fully awake yet, and all I could focus on was the sweet relief that would be my morning poop. I landed pretty hard on a set of stairs which surprised me. I had been living in a trailer ever since the divorce, and it had no stairs, up or down.
These stairs were right in the middle of my hallway, and extended right through the ceiling. I took a second to clear my head, wake up a little more, and then took it one step at a time. I walked up the stairs, and they came to a platform. Just a small corridor with 2 doors. I noticed writing on the wall, and it all looked like gibberish to me. But as I squinted at it, it turned into word that I could read. `` The next choice you make will determine your fate.''
At this point, my mind was racing. I am more awake than a cup of coffee would ever make me at this hour. The doors are identical, both made of wood with a small, brass knob. There is no key hole on the knobs, and no distinct grain patterns in the wood, just lines, straight up and down. They were perfect doors if I'd ever seen one. I have a philosophy in my life, that when presented with a choice of left or right, right is right.
I reached out and grabbed the knob and gave it a twist. It turned with ease, as if waiting for my grasp. As soon as the knob stopped turning, it became very warm. I pushed open the door, and braced for whatever could be inside. As it opened, a pale white light poured into the corridor, and inside was a man sitting behind a desk. He had on a black suit, with a black tie, and his black hair was slicked back revealing two pointy red horns growing from his crown.
`` Ah, good morning Mr. Jackson! I have good news and bad news.'' he said.
All I could focus on were the red horns protruding out of his hair, with such contrast to the black and white suit he was in. Once I released that he was talking to me, and addressing me by name, I tried to focus in on what was happening.
`` So which would you like first?'' said the man.
`` The bad news first, I guess'' I was able to push out.
He stood up, walked around the desk, and came inches from me. I felt threatened. I knew humanoid creatures with horns meant evil, and hatred, and I wanted to run away. He grabbed my hands like a caring mother about to break the news of a child's father passing.
`` You have chosen the door that leads to the afterlife with Lucifer.'' He stated.
When I heard these words come from the creatures mouth, my heart sank to my toes. I had just made the worst decision of my life and I am still in my boxers and robe.
`` W-w-what's the good news then?'' I asked?
`` You can have any wish, any skill, anything you've ever wanted. Right now, you will choose what Lucifer will bless you with for the rest of your mortal days.''
I knew it. I had involuntarily sold my soul to the devil. I knew what I was going to choose. Right away I knew what was going to be my chosen gift. A skilled profession Lucifer would be proud of.
`` My gift,'' I said, `` I want to be the best lawyer on the planet.''
The creature in the suit looked at me and a smile grew on his face. `` This was a choice made in hatred. I can feel it growing inside of you.'' It was true. My ex-wife had bled me dry for years. I went from a 3 bedroom house to a trailer, from a BMW to a'95 Buick, I had everything, and now I have nothing. That woman is the bane of my existence, and even if I can not get it all back, I can damn well make sure no man must go through what I did. I will become the best divorce attorney for men who need it, making sure those bloodsucking, gold digging wives get nothing.
In this moment, the angel of hell let go of my hands, took a paper off his desk, and told me to place my hand onto it. I did so, and he whispered `` Live your life to serve the dark lord, because now you know you will never reach the kingdom of heaven. You have no lord to please but Lucifer himself. Feel no regret, feel no duty to do good, but only serve yourself. Lucifer is the true loving lord. He accepts all, with or without flaws, evil or kind. He is the true lover of life. Now be gone. You gift will be processed and delivered in time.''
With that, I turned around, and walked back down the stairs that had appeared in my trailer. Back down the stairs that had just changed my life forever. And back into my bedroom. I would not be going into work today. Today, I would be rethinking my philosophy of right is right.
Thanks for reading, this is my first ever writing prompt answer. Criticism is greatly encouraged.
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[ WP ] A duel between two Wizards . Except they are not Archmages but apprentices who can barely cast spells .
| `` I hope you're ready, I've spent all week coming up with this spellbook!''
Gideon was ecstatic. He had been training for a few months now, and thought he was eady to finally put his skills to the test.
His sparring partner, Jace, scoffed at him. `` You think having a couple dinky common spells is going to be enough to defeat me? I have read tomes thought to have been myth! BRING IT ON!''
Gideon looked fed up with his partner's attitude. He decided he would be the first to strike. In a swift motion, he pulled his wand out and began to chant...
`` Sevel Rawonall!''
With a flash of light, he had summoned a small elf. The elf looked confused at this surroundings. He turned to Gideon.
`` Hey what's the big idea? This does n't look like Llanowar to me!''
Gideon looked at him. `` You be quiet! You're supposed to have summoning sickness!''
`` What does that even mean,'' The elf was confused. He turned to Jace. `` Do you have any idea what his problem is supposed to be?''
Jace started to laugh. `` You try to summon a Llanowar Elf and you ca n't even make him attack? Go back to Tolarian Academy, you hack! Let me show you how it's done!''
As Jace pulled out his wand, dark clouds began to turn overhead. He pointed his wand to the sky and yelled, `` Worc Mrots, vivet!'' A bolt of lightning flew from the tip of his wand, up into the sky! As it faded into obscurity, a small bird could be seen flying. It flew to Jace's feet.
`` Caw!'' said the Storm Crow.
`` Hahaha, what format do you think we're playing? 7th Edition?'' Gideon began to shake his finger at his opponent. `` You do n't have any good spells either, do you?''
Jace put his wand aside. `` Not really, I've only been playing Magic for a few days.''
Gideon walked over to his foe and put his hand on his shoulder. `` It's okay friend, I have n't played in a long time. We could help each other get better if you would like!''
Jace began to smile, `` I do like the sound of that. Are you going to be busy this Friday Night?''
As they began talking about their plans, the elf hopped onto the crow, and they both flew off into the distance.
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[ WP ] Write the lowest point of a much larger story .
| His heart pounding, Jarl charged forward. Dylack affected an evil smile, and brought his knife down quickly on the first rope. With a sharp ‘ TWANG ’ the rope snapped, and the bridge lurched a little to the left. Jarl knew he must hurry or he would be dropped to the rocks below. He raised his axe and fixed his gaze on the wizard.
Dylack paused for half a second at the sight. Not of the crazed berserker rushing him, but the faint, silvery glow he saw in the axe. “ It must be a trick of the light ” He convinced himself, and cut the last rope.
The bridge twisted to the left, and Jarl jumped at the last second, realizing that his footing was soon to be on nothing but air. He was not going to make it. He flew towards the cliff face below the bridge mooring, and with a roar, swung his axe at the cliff wall.
A deep, metallic ringing echoed from the canyon walls, seeming to come from every direction at once. Dylack looked down, and was surprised to see Jarl hanging onto his axe handle; the head buried a good 6 inches into the cliff face. “ Impossible! ” He thought. “ Something is not right here. ”
Below, Jarl started to pull himself up. His axe was secure in the rock, and now he had only to climb up against the best efforts of the wizard waiting above. He was not going to be able to retrieve his axe from its bite in the rocks, but he had confidence that he could take the wizard barren of any weapon in his hands.
Dylack stepped back, knowing what Jarl knew, that in mortal combat, he was no match for the Hillman that was now bearing done upon him. The silver glow had caught him off guard, for he had never known a Hillman to possess more than rudimental healing magic. Yet, this one had seemed to be able to charge his axe with power enough to drive it into the living rock face. Knowing that he was about to come face to face with an opponent that he had underestimated, and did not fully comprehend, he cast a portal to return himself to his sanctuary, and leave this barbarian to find his own way off the sheer cliff face. As an afterthought, he quickly cut the remaining rope on the bridge, and let it arc down and crash into the opposing cliff wall.
Above, Jarl saw a flash of light, and the hairs on his arms and neck stood up, as the air was filled with an electric energy. As he pulled himself onto the cliff face, he saw Dylack fading out, disappearing into a window that gave glimpse of a stately study, furnished with fine furniture, and lots of books. He also saw the remaining remnants of the bridge swinging against the far wall of the canyon.
“ Run and hide, Dylack, our day will come again, ” Jarl muttered, stopping now to catch his breath. He looked back across the canyon at the remains of the broken bridge, and the shattered cliff face that blocked the path on this side. He knew that a difficult climb lay ahead for him, but no worse than the terrain in his homeland had prepared him for.
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[ WP ] If I do n't come back , please take care of my goat .
| Mykel was thinking about Garry The Goat again. Garry was an old goat with rough hooves and thick horns. `` Its been so long since I've seen Garry'', Mykel said to his wife Sheila.
Mykel walked over to the window and reflected on his lush surroundings. He had always loved the Plains of Trovania with its flat open fields. It was a place that encouraged his tendency to live.
Then he saw something in the distance. It was the figure of a Goat.
Mykel gulped. He glanced at his own reflection. Mykel was a sweet, virtuous, brandy drinker who spent his days helping all he could. His friends saw him as a humble and inspirational hero. Once, he had even rescued a gentle injured bird from a burning building.
But not even a sweet person who had once rescued a gentle injured bird from a burning building, was prepared for what Garry had in store today.
The sleet fell, making Mykel nervous. Mykel grabbed a silver torch that had been strewn nearby; he covered it with his hands to make sure it stayed lit.
As Mykel stepped outside and Garry came closer, he could see the black glint in his eye.
Garry gazed with the affection of 828 heart-shaped candies. He said, in hushed tones, `` I love you and I want Milk.''
Mykel looked back and still covering the silver torch. `` Garry, baaaaaaaa,'' he replied.
Mykel studied Garry's rough hooves and thick horns. Eventually, he took a deep breath. `` I'm sorry,'' began Mykel in apologetic tones, `` but I do n't have any Milk''.
Garry glanced down, slowly raised his head and a single tear ran down his face. `` But I need milk, I love you''.
In a positive and reassuring tone Mykel said `` I will find you milk Garry, if it's the last thing I do''.
Mykel walked inside is home, gathered a few jugs and a rucksack, turned to his wife and said `` If I do n't come back, please take care of my goat''.
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[ WP ] A very spoiled 16 year old girl gets out of her mansion for the first time in her life and meets an orphaned suicidal 17 year old boy who grew up on the streets and tries to convince him life is worth living .
| The nostalgic calm of the dusk, maybe half an hour before the sunset, is abruptly broken by a sudden, stern shout at the end of a bridge - `` This way! She must have crossed the bridge! Get after her and spread on the other side of the river! If we do n't find her before the night falls, there will be trouble!'' A tall, bearded man, probably in his forties, wearing a tunic crested with the insignia of the city guard over his chain mail yells as he crosses the bridge, followed by a dozen other guards appearing from the streets converging at the head of the bridge. A moment later, the usual quiet of the evening returns as the guards vanish from the sight.
A sigh of relief, mixed with a chuckle of amusement escapes from top of a stone pillar supporting the weight of the bridge. As curious as the sound itself - its author crouches on the edge of the pillar, peeking down over the edge, one hand grasping the decorative cone roof on the pillar, topped off by a thick bronze flagpole. It appears to be a girl in her teens, with pale complexion and slender statue. Her bright dress, clearly that of a noble, is torn and dusty, as is the one long sleeved glove she is wearing. The absence of any headwear reveals a long, dark hair that bears reminder of some sort of lost arrangement. Her stockings are the color of mud and dust, torn on the heels and revealing some of her toes - an obvious result from the lack of shoes. With a smile of contentment on her face, she raises her head and lets her gaze wonder on the riversides below - not a bad view in the orange tint of the sunset - when she suddenly notices a boy, not much older then she is, sitting on the other side of the roof with an annoyed look on his face. Without any sign of startle, the girl proceeds to examine him with her gaze: shaggy, grayish brown hair. Thin figure of average height, covered by a slightly hilarious suit consisting of a shirt made out of a large cotton bag and worn linen pants. A face of an uncertain complexion due to an excessive cover of dust on it, rather featureless save for a small scar just above his right brow.
Having concluded her observations, the girl speaks quietly, as if to herself in a matter-of-fact manner: `` A commoner. No, a beggar.'' Then, raising her voice as she addresses the boy: `` Hei, beggar-boy, do you have any food?'' The look on the boys face changes from annoyed to amazed disbelief as he keeps sitting there staring at the strange girl. `` Hei, I'm talking to YOU, beggar. All this running has made me hungry. Are you perhaps deaf? I see, I've heard many beggars have that sort of disorders'' the girls tone softens from demanding to thoughtful as she speaks.
After a moment of ponder, the girl suddenly starts to gesture, trying her best to signal that she wants some food when the boy, having regained some of his composure, utters: `` I'm not deaf, miss.''
The girls hands freeze mid air. `` Oh,'' she murmurs with a surprised look on her face, as if trying to figure out where she had made the mistake in her deductive reasoning. `` I see, you where just humbled by my presence. I should have realized that sooner - it's not the first time I see a commoner taken aback by the honor of my presence. But never mind that, do you have some food or not?'' the girl demands while her arms slowly drop from the still motion of her attempted mime.
`` No, miss, I do not'' the boy answers, the original look of annoyed disinterest slowly returning to his face.
`` You have had the entire day to beg, and you have nothing? You're really no good at it, are you'' the girls head slightly tilts to one side as she's lost in thought again for another moment. Then, as if having come up with an excellent idea, draws out a small pouch hanging from a thin strip of silk around her neck and pulls out a large gold coin.
Standing up, she says triumphantly: `` Nevertheless, as a proud and generous daughter of the duke, it is my responsibility to correct the ways of those beneath me. I have read about beggars in my books so I will teach you how to do it correctly right now. And, when you get it right, the coin will be yours!''
`` I do n't want your money, miss'' the boy responds, with growing weariness in his tone. The girls eyebrows sink in discontent as she begins to speak `` That's the problem with you commoners - you are too lazy to put any real effort into it, just as my daddy says. Lazy and incompetent. That's why you do n't have anything to eat.''
The boy, now looking away towards the river, responds absently `` You're right, i do n't put any effort into it. In fact, I have n't begged the entire day. I'm tired of it.'' The girl stares at him with a puzzled look on her face for a moment, then, with a sudden look of a realization, begins to speak again: `` Oh, I did n't realize beggars rest on Sunday as well. I have n't actually been outside of the mansion before, so pardon my ignorance on the matter!''
`` No, we do n't have Sundays, or any other days for that matter. It's all the same. I have just been slacking off here the entire day, just as you said. Although, that's rather fitting then I guess. My first real Sunday!'' A barely noticeable, melancholic smile covers the boys face as he speaks. `` But, it's almost at the end. Now, if you do n't mind, would you please leave me alone so I can gather my courage for the only chore I have planned for today'' he continues, looking straight down into the river below them.
The girl crawls to the side of the small ledge directly above the river and looks down, then back at the boy with amazement.
`` You mean you are going to jump down there?''
The boy nods.
`` That looks dangerous!'' the girl says, looking back down again.
The boy nods again.
`` Oh, you mean.. ``. The girl curls the her feet under her, resting her hands on her lap and proceeds to sit silently, staring at the boy.
After a while, the boy looks at her questioningly and asks `` What are you doing? Can you please leave me alone!''
The girl responds with an innocent, almost naive expression `` I have never seen anyone die before, so I want to watch!''
After another moment of silence, the boy turns to the girl again, with growing expression of discontent on his face `` Go away, I ca n't concentrate like this. I need to gather myself, it's not as easy as it looks you know!''
The girl, entirely disregarding his complaint, answers enthusiastically: `` Hei, you should make up a speech. You know, the famous last words and all that. Well, maybe not so famous, but never mind that. It's important to do that sort of thing, even for a beggar!''
The boy looks as if he's considering it for a moment, then shakes his head `` I do n't have anything to say. I'm not some sort of a martyr executed at the town square with big ideas about the world. I'm just a beggar. Not even a beggar any more, since I gave that up today as well''
`` So that's what you can say!'' the girl responds partakingly.
`` What?''
`` That you're a beggar that quits!''
The boy sits there dumbfoundedly for a second, then, turns hes head and looking onto the horizon says with a sense of sanctity in his voice: `` I quit!''
After sitting there in the evening silence for a while, the girl starts to speak again:
`` So?''
`` What?''
`` I'm getting bored. What are you waiting for now?''
`` I already told you - it's not that easy. And it does n't help having someone stare at you the entire time!''
`` I see, it does seem a little scary.. you know what, I'll help you out with it. I can push you. Just tell me when you're ready'' The girl answers with enthusiasm, preparing to get up.
`` NO, that would completely ruin it. I need to do this by myself''
`` How about doing some funny trick while you jump then? Like the kind the travelling performers do? I have seen some visiting the mansion a couple of times, they are really awesome. I'll even arrange for a proper burial if you do a proper trick!''
The boy gives her a bewildered look `` I'm not doing this for your amusement you know!''
The girl, again completely disregarding his complaint continues: `` And then, on your tombstone, well write'The beggar who quit and became an artist'! That would really be like something from a storybook, would n't it!''
The boy opens his mouth to answer, but closes it again as his thoughts start to wonder, his gaze now wondering off the river and onto the rooftops of the houses colored deep red in the last light of the setting sun. `` That would really be something, would n't it'' he repeats in a whisper.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
The first story I have written, and I have to say it was a lot of fun to doing it ( despite the result being rather cliche and predictable ) so thank you, OP.
PS: Apologies for any mistakes in grammar/spelling ( English is obviously not my native language ).
EDIT: some typos..
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( OT ) Go ahead and ban me , but ... ..
| we do n't ban people for disagreeing, but let's be frank. you have every ability to ignore prompts you do n't like and focus on ones you do ( note the hide button ). you can submit prompts you find more literary. you can respond only to the more literary prompts ( try looking in /r/new rather than the front page ). also there are other writing subs out there. too many to list.
we try and accommodate folks of all tastes and skills. some stuff is more popular than others. calling it garbage because you do n't like it, however, is pretentious snobbery. submitting a thread that tells the community'all your prompts suck' is n't gon na make you popular. more to the point -- the users here who submit and respond to prompts are n't typing monkeys here to write for your entertainment. they write for their own entertainment, to build a community, and/or to improve their skills. so why do n't you try helping to build something you'd like to see instead of trying to tear down the work of people actually writing.
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[ WP ] A highly intelligent robot fell into hibernation . He suddenly awakes in an exhibit in a natural history museum one million years in the future .
| With a pop and a whir something sparked to life. He knew this in the same way he knew what waking felt like, that sharp sudden intake of breath and the clarity that no dream ever claimed. Being awake felt like no other experience in his memory, fabricated or real.
With a whir he tried to move his hands, stretch his arms out wide and take stock of his body. The gears moved, separately without their teeth catching their neighbors. They just spun in place, useless. That, he did not expect. He tried to open his eyes instead, to activate the lenses and clearly take stock of the damage.
Again, nothing.
Something small, a worry dragged up from somewhere inside of his databanks, scratched at his thoughts. Had he been dismantled?
`` Help.'' He said, and with some immense relief he heard his voice echo back to him. Not dismantled then, just damaged. `` Hello? Is anyone out there?''
An operation activated as he spoke, measuring the vibrations of his voice as it bounced back around him. Several sensors were offline, but if his hearing was active then he was n't blind. At least not entirely.
In moments he had shapes figured out. Rectangles, dozens of them. All made of wood and soft on the ears. Hearing sensors, really, but ears. He kept up a continuous stream of chatter, talking for the first time in... well that sensor was off too. First time in some time. He was rounding himself through the second album stored in his memory when he heard a new noise, something not belonging to himself.
It was utter garbled nonsense, but the tone was unmistakable. Curiosity, a little bit of fear. Some anger even, that was unexpected.
`` Hello, can you hear me?'' He tried again.
Something moved into his range of sight. It was... pudgy. A dopey soft tissued thing. Almost person shaped, but not quite. Or, perhaps distorted. A spark of excitement ignited inside of him as the thing spoke again. Or made noises. They sounded like speech, and that was good enough for him.
`` What year is it?'' He tried. The thing responded in a fashion much akin to gargling with a rock and spitting at the same time. Or something. It was smacking its side repeatedly. Or... no. That had to be the side. Otherwise how would the biology work.
He caught himself drifting. Setting aside the questionable physician nature of his guest, he tried a different approach.
He copied what the thing had said and repeated it back to it in perfect replica.
It turned and ran. Scampering back between the rectangles of wood.
Drat.
-- -
`` Nah, I be telling ye ya daft jacker. It wes talkin. Clear as day. It even fookin insulted me mother, I swear it on her grave. God bless her sul.''
James scratched the ginger tuft of hair that still remained on his head and wrung his grey uniformed hat in his other. The phone sat on speaker in the office, which he had barricaded using the filing cabinet and his bosses secretaries desk. He had considered dragging his bosses desk to it too, but found the thing to be bolted to the ground. Only egotistical or paranoid men do that, the kind of men who believe that someone would want to actually steal their desk. James was half surprised to find that the stapler was n't similarly bolted to the desk. ( Though, had he checked he would have found that the stapler was actually empty and filled with a thick rubber cement like paste that prevented it from actually working. The bosses real stapler was stashed in one of the many locked drawers. )
Collapsed into the bosses overstuffed chair, James furtively tried to explain just how the giant head had started talking to him while he was taking his rounds.
`` Were you drinking again? Damnit, Mr. Joneston.'' Boss said. He was the kind of man who called people by their last names, regardless of the situation. Even his wife. Especially his wife. `` We do n't stand by that kind of behavior, I'll tell you what.''
James interrupted the man, `` listen'ere ye daft baster, call security and get'em down ere' else I'm callin th' caps.''
Silence stilled on the other end of the line. Then, with a huff of demanding breath, `` Mr. Joneston, if I find so much as one staple missing in my office when I get down there, so help me god, I will-'' whatever he was going to do was cut off by James slamming the phone into the cradle. If there was one thing boss hated it was people he trusted less than his employees going through the museums property.
`` Yer ma is a goatsucker, ye tresspassin hooligan.'' Drifted the soft voice of the disembodied head.
`` Get bent ye soddin' jacker!'' James yelled, attempting to drown out both the sound of the things voice and the sound of him snapping open the back of one of his desks drawers. `` And ye soddin ma too!'' He pulled out one of the many bottles stashed inside of it, uncapped it, and took a long swig.
Then, glaring at the phone and the door both, he moved to open the stapler.
--
`` Soddin Baster!'' The soft pudgey's things sound echoed around him. He, in the same manner as so many would do to a bird outside their window, repeated the noise back.
Unlike what so many were trying to do with birds, he happened to match the sounds perfectly. Only, with care tried to soften them to a more soothing tone.
Not that it changed much. The birds flew off the windowsill, disturbed by the grotesque unfeathered thing asking it to play with their eggs, and the pudgey man placed even more furniture between it and the machine.
Not that the machine knew this. Instead he tried again, louder this time and with more of the original strength that it had been said to him. Maybe this culture had n't developed a civilized language yet, and based it's communication as much off of tone as it did word choice.
Unlikely, but still. Something was better than nothing.
--
And cut, for now anyways. Getting a bit long in here, and kind of rambling. Hope you enjoyed: )
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[ WP ] You are offered a deal by satan - worldpeace and the end of all suffering for mankind , in exchange for your eternal damnation .
| I just stood there for a long moment, trying to process the concept of eternal damnation. Across the large room of flames was Satan in his chair made of skulls and snakes. My face started to heat up and turn red in shame, I could n't do it. I know it would be the right thing to do and my name would probably be rejoiced for all time but I just do n't think that would give me much solace whilst I was damned for all time.
I looked up at Satan who had a wide, disturbing grin on his face. He knew my answer already. Bastard. `` You only offered ME this deal because you knew I would n't take it..did n't you?'' my statement rang out in the wide chamber-like room and Satan simply let out a snort of amusement. My chest tightened at the realisation of what a piece of shit I must be..then a thought occurred to me. A dark one. So dark it triggered something inside me that I did n't know was there. My mouth cracked a wry smile.
`` Uhm Satan, Sir?'' I felt stupid for saying that but I could n't think of a more appropriate way of getting his attention. He looked down with a raised eyebrow and a face that drained all courage from your soul `` What is it you wretched COWARD!'' his voice was..unnerving. It was both aloud and in my mind and rattled my bones to the point they might crack.
`` Y-your deal well I want to flip it'' I said quiveringly.
Satan let out a quick chuckle, `` Flip it? You want to renegotiate the offer I made you? What gives you the guile to think you have such a right hmm?''.
My fists clenched and I gained an unexpected surge of courage `` THATS RIGHT!!'' the defiant shout rang out through the chamber and Satan looked angry but impressed. He merely sat back in his throne and uttered `` well alright, what have you got''.
I felt the dark thought blossom inside my gut and I let out a menacing grin, it was almost as if failing to be a hero made me feel like I might as well just go the other way entirely and be a villain. I look up `` So if I was to damn myself for ever, then the world would be at peace, right? But what if we flipped the deal... so that everyone else is damned for eternity but MY world is at peace''. Satan seemed to choke in shock and sit upwards with his eyebrows raised. `` So I would get endless money, women, basically whatever I want until I die and in return you can damn the rest of humanity''.
The creature of evil sat there in silence `` well that's a big request kid, I'll need to check if we can do that. But I think it can be done, hehe you're a real piece of shit are n't ya?'' any shock satan had was slowly turning to eager excitement to get this deal in writing. He materialised a large scroll with a contract written upon it but as I walked towards it to sign a large explosion rocked the chamber.
Suddenly Jesus and a squad of angels burst into the chamber `` We've come to stop your wicked ways once and for all Satan'' Jesus yelled pointing defiantly at the large red beast, the response was a catastrophically large battle roar from Satan causing a horde of demons to materialise and a battle begun to break out around me.
I begun to scramble across the floor between immortal beings battling around me, the chaotic sight was beyond comprehension for a mere mortal. Suddenly an angel leant down `` Do n't worry kid your safe now'' and just like that he touched my head and I began to fade away.
I woke up in my bed, groggy and dazed I struggle to my feet and make my way to the window, it was a lovely summers day and children were playing and laughing in the street. He quickly pulled his phone out and checked his bank balance [ £200 ]...'' SHIT! I guess the deal did n't go through''.
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[ WP ] A cop arrives at the golden gate bridge to talk a man out of committing suicide . After they have a short conversation , the cop jumps off the bridge .
| At the foot of the bridge I heard a distant murmur of a siren speeding it ’ s way through the mass of cars that had congregated around me. The driver skidded to a halt as it approached my take off spot. Unbeknownst to him that simple action of trying to act the macho-hero could have sent me hurtling down to my death. The wind was building now, stroking large angry fingers across my face. I felt a drip of sweat run down the top of my brow. I shuffled a bit as my ass was starting to feel numb, the screaming around which ensued brought a smile to my face. I hadn ’ t sat there long, but I guess waiting to die feels like a lifetime.
“ Jesus loves you ” some asshole shouted at me. I wanted to reminding him that he, along with the tooth fairy, doesn ’ t fucking exist. I checked my phone, 87 missed calls and a countless number of messages.
The door of the car swung open and out stepped two shining black boots followed by a slender but tall man in his mid thirties. He wore a matt black uniform, with aviator sunglasses that covered his tanned and circular face. I could smell the hair wax and cologne diffusing into the environment. Officer Smith started to approach me, clutching a large microphone in one hand. He turned to the crowd and gave them a wink.
“ Patrick, this is Officer Smith from the San Francisco police department, I ’ m here to help you ” I could have predicted every word he was about to say. Nonetheless, I stayed silent.
“ You can call me Craig if you want ”
“ How about I call you ‘ go-fuck yourself ’! ” The crowd were getting agitated now, little conversations were happening between themselves.
“ Patrick, let me help you. What is going on? If you come down we can talk about it. ”
“ I can help myself ” I shuffled once more, the crowd erupted.
“ Stop! ” He took a few more steps towards me. I let him.
“ I ’ m going to come and join you up there okay? ” I heard him signal to the other officer waiting by the car to get the rope to tie himself up incase he fell. The smell grew stronger now, it felt like I was stuck in an elevator with some broad from the cosmetic department.
“ What ’ s the matter Patrick? ” I turned my head and scrunched my face up at him. He was the guy.
“ I guess you don ’ t remember me do you? ”
“ Remember you from what? ” I smiled at him, this was to be my moment of revenge.
“ I ’ m going to tell you to do something right now ” His eyebrows creased into a v-shape, making wrinkles at the top of his nose. His air of arrogance had been dumbfounded, he was the one shuffling in his seat.
“ What might that be, Patrick? ” I could sense his failed attempts at trying to create rapport with me, fuck him I thought. He knew I could see past his charade.
“ I ’ m going to send you a picture to your phone in the next five seconds, it ’ s a picture of your wife and children ” confusion spread across his face, then a smirk as he thought he was dealing with someone who should be in a mental asylum. Perhaps I should.
Craig felt the vibration against his leg, he promptly pulled out his cellphone. “ One new picture message ” read the lock screen on his phone.
“ What the… ”
“ How the fuck do you have my number? What the fuck do you want ” He got the message, this wasn ’ t about me anymore. It was his time to shine.
“ I ’ m going to send you another one very soon, the way you react will determine the following sequence of events ” I saw the blood drain from his face after the second photo.
“ Now, I don ’ t want to hurt them but if I have to kill them I will murder every single one of your family ”
“ Why are you doing this? ”
“ You still don ’ t remember do you? You ’ re still just as fucking stupid as back then. ”
“ Please, just let them go ”
I had him cornered. He didn ’ t remember the fact that seven years prior he had massacred my entire family because he was too trigger happy, an act which caused him to be promoted because of the four people he killed that day. Except three were innocent and one happened to be the biggest cocaine dealer in California, the latter being the reason why he got promoted.
“ You don ’ t remember my brother and two sisters you killed when you also killed Carlos Pedro Fernandez, I guess you probably remember him more? ” He knew at that instant who I was, I was just 12 at the time when it had all happened. He had come up to me after the shooting as I hid in a corner and said they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“ I ’ m sorry, I didn ’ t mean to do it! Just let my family go! ”
“ Fuck you! You want them to live? You ’ re going to do exactly as I say, untie the rope behind your back. ”
He hesitated.
“ Now! ” his hand reached by behind his back carefully removing the wire, his walkie-talkie went crazy as his partner was trying to gage what was happening.
“ Don ’ t answer it ”
“ You have a choice, you push me off this bridge and I die along with your family. Or, just you dies. ”
“ How could you possibly kill them from here? ”
“ Do you see the device strapped to my leg? ” A big bulge was protruding from the instep of my right calf.
“ It ’ s a water sensor. As soon as I hit water it triggers the automatic machine gun pointed at your family. They all die. ”
His body tensed up, he understood the gravity of the situation he was in.
“ Please, don ’ t hurt them I ’ ll do anything you want. ”
“ Then jump. ” I replied to him calmly. I was destroying his world like he had done to me.
“ And they live? ”
“ Yes ”
“ How can I trust you? ”
“ You can ’ t, but if you want I can show you a demo of some bullets piercing your son ’ s left arm? ”
“ No! ” He looked down at the water, I had destroyed him emotionally. Tears were starting to form around his eyes.
“ To make this a bit more interesting, I want you tell the other officers that I ’ ve convinced you that you also want to commit suicide. Any indication that you might be sending a message to them then I jump and kill your entire family. Obviously I can ’ t jump because that means your family dies as well. ”
“ Okay. ” He spun round, tears visibly running down his face it was obviously going to be more convincing the state he was in.
“ Guys, I can ’ t do this anymore Patrick is right I ’ m going to jump ” The screaming repeated itself once more, along with confused glances from the pedestrians watching. The other officers started radioing like crazy, unsure of what the hell was going on.
“ Happy now? ”
“ Not until you jump ”
He was visibly shaking now, I don ’ t think I could understand what he was feeling at that moment but all I knew was I enjoyed it.
“ Tell my son and daughter I love them very much and daddy will see them very soon. Also let my wife know I love her so much and that I did this for her and the kids ”
He whispered a prayer to himself. Put his hands on the rail to push himself up. Looked down into the dark blue water and let go. At that moment I quickly ripped the water sensor from my leg and threw it down with him.
|
[ OT ] Sunday Free Write : Leave A Story , Leave A Comment - Space Walk Edition !
| **The Bellerophon Apartments**
Let me tell you about the time I partied in Seattle in a dress. Not in
drag, just a guy in a dress, Iggy Pop style. It started out as a
costume.
Some people from work were throwing a 70s themed party. I'm sure the
fact that many of them were in high school during this decade had
nothing to do with the choice of theme. I was born in the late eighties,
so I thought it would be funny to mock the theme by dressing as a
seventy-year-old. I borrowed this big nasty old woman mask, went to
Salvation Army and bought the frumpiest plain-jane ankle length dress I
could find.
Let me tell you about Carl. We were in his friend's car picking up beer
for the party. We were acquainted through some other friends, but recently started spending more time.
On the way out of CVS somebody realized we needed ice.
Carl said, `` Bogdan, just go take some.''
I said, `` You're just saying that because I might do it. Steal your own ice.''
He fumed. Then he went inside and bought the ice.
So, we went to the party.
Since it was a theme party, everyone was in costumes and that's what we
tended to talk about. There's this funny thing when I cross-dress. Women
act like, and sometimes say in so many words, that they are `` proud'' of
me. I do n't entirely get it. Maybe it's this or that, who knows. It's
probably confusing for them. Seattle is a fine place to meet this type
of woman.
It was a good enough party. At one point I was talking to my colleague's
husband about some difficulty in his business. He had spent a bit of
time trying to collect from a client. He was saying `` Yes, the thing to
do is just be persistent. Put them on a drip campaign of calls and
emails until they want to pay you just to free up the inbox space''.
I agreed with his collection strategy. `` It's true, this is how to
collect. Also important to stop work entirely, and of course you had the
scope in writing?'' Accounts receivable is the real trick in any services
org.
It was a work party so it ended early, Carl and I ended up leaving with
Alex and his sister, Jess. I left the mask in Alex's car. We
all went to a karaoke place, the Japanese kind where you go into a room
with your friends and there's a couch and some karaoke equipment. Mostly
we sat on the couch and talked and ordered drinks. I was a bit bored,
and wanted to go outside. It had rained on and off but I had on a light
windbreaker and under it the dress was surprisingly warm.
At one point the server playfully complimented me on the dress. We were
dancing a little, all in a circle. Jess was trying to get her boyfriend
to lead; she pulled me in and had him twirl me around a few times for
practice. `` Oh, I feel like I'm floating on air,'' I said.
He laughed. We eventually sat on the couch again and started talking
about space. He was an arborist and wanted to start an acquaculture
farm. `` I think it would be fun to play with the inputs like temperature
and fertilizer and really break it down to the components. It's the type
of thing we'll have to figure out for long-term travel outside of LEO.''
He was wearing a polo with a striped pattern, not tucked in, and apparently wanted to be some sort of gentleman scientist.
Somebody put on `` Wonderwall''. Sitting on the couch we put our arms
around each other, Jess and her boyfriend to my left and Alex to my right. We
sort of swayed back and forth singing along with the song everybody
knew.
Today was gon na be the day,
but they'll never throw it back to you.
By now, you should have somehow
realized what you're not to do.
I do n't believe that anybody
feels the way I do, about you now.
After the karaoke place closed we went back to Jess and Alex's
apartment. Everyone spread out in the living room, `` Does anyone want
water?'' asked Jess. She went into the kitchen to get some glasses.
The rest of us were sitting, talking about whether we should watch a
movie. Alex was trying to sell us on some musical about organs getting
repossesed, and watching Carl's face for the slight twisted mouth and rolling
eyes.
He was sitting between Carl and Jess's boyfriend on the couch,
saying, `` I know, it's pretty weird. but in a fun way. Let's put it on,
you'll like it. Just tell me if you all hate it and we can put something
else.'' Eventually I got up from the beanbag I was on, took the DVD out
of its sleeve, and inserted it into the player.
Just then Jess came back from the kitchen and set some glasses on the
coffee table. She slid comfortably into the bean bag in her living room
and after starting the movie I sat on the floor beside it, resting part
of my weight on the side. We were all tired from dancing and talking
over the music and drinking, and Alex was a bit disappointed in the
reception his film was getting. Jess told me, `` Of course it's ok if you
want to sleep on the couch but I will have to wake you up in the
morning. Let me know after the movie and I'll find some blankets and
things.''
Later, Jess got up to reach her water, and handed me mine as well. She
glared at Carl, who was n't paying attention and was playing with his
phone. As she sat down she looked at me and said `` Are n't you warm? Why
are you wearing that jacket inside?'' She had taken off her shoes and had on black pants below a blouse with three-quarter length sleeves.
`` Oh, it's pretty light,'' I said.
`` Well come on,'' she said. `` I wo n't get to see you in a dress every day,
I want to see how you look. Come on, it suits you.'' She smiled, bent
over, and put a hand on my side. `` Stand up and do another twirl for us.''
I am usually pretty game for these kinds of things so I stood up. She
held out her hand and I twirled under it for a few seconds, then tried
to slip into her arms. It was awkward because she was shorter than
me. She stepped back and appraised me, hands on my shoulders, then
reached down and opened the front of my windbreaker. Suddenly I realized
she meant to remove it and felt surprised. I stepped back. She laughed
and kept her grip, but I kept my arms down and would n't let her take my
jacket off.
`` Are you shy?'' she asked.
I was wobbling a little bit. I was a bit shy in fact. When we arrived I had n't thought about it but why else would I
keep the windbreaker on in the house? By now I was resisting simply out
of a competitive desire to match Jess's will. I felt toyed with and
decided to respond.
`` I would like to undress you as well,'' I said flatly. She shrugged and
looked up, grinning. So I reached out and started gently lifting her
shirt. She felt the air on her skin and jumped, letting go of my
clothes. Her boyfriend and Carl laughed; I put my arm around her and we
began to relax.
Then Jess looked back over her shoulder, as if she had lost or dropped
something and wondered where it had gone. While everyone was distracted
her cat had climbed onto the back of the couch, he was walking toward
the end next to the window, open to the street two stories
below. Suddenly the cat jumped, launching himself out of the window. We
all gasped, but neither I nor the cat had noticed the screen. The cat
hit the screen with a clatter and bounced back onto the floor.
I looked at Carl. He was watching the cat right himself after falling,
gracefully of course. He was smiling softly and laughing to himself,
perhaps a bit nervously. He did n't know the others too well and I'm sure
the scene was confusing for him. Of course the rest of us had scarcely
any better idea what was happening.
Again we all tried to ease back into the movie, still playing. The cat
curled up on my lap and eventually everyone settled.
|
[ WP ] A small kid , struggling to learn how to read , finds a demonic book full of forbidden incantations and evil spells .
| Phlingu malluf Cuddle Rhy wagnal fart. He smiled and picked up the black book. As he got ready to walk away he noticed a small squid sitting on the spot he just grabbed the book from.
`` Who are....''
`` I Am Cuddles bringer of destruction, kneel gnome''
`` hehehehehe cuddles''
`` Stop mocking me gnome, you summoned me and now shall reap your REWARDS''
`` OOOOOOHHH presents?''
`` Make your wish puny gnome''
`` Can I wish for anything?''
`` Yes, now get on with it''
`` Can, can you teach me how to read?''
`` READ?''
`` Pretty please''
`` Alright, Alright''
Cuddles crawls onto his shoulder as he sits down and they start the exercise.
`` So the important thing to remember is to word out the letters one by one''
`` Pee heigh''
`` Very good''
They continue on all the words one by one.
`` Ok now all at once''
`` Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn''
And the world ends.
|
[ WP ] A very small and mostly unheard of nation suddenly declares war on the United States . 1 year later , to everyone 's surprise , they win .
| The President sat back in his armchair, not believing what he was about to do. It was over. All of it. In twelve months. It was gone.
He gazed despondently out the window, almost hoping to see the sadistically beautiful glow of artillery, which had amazed him since Vietnam. Yet, it was quiet. Cars drove. People hummed casually along, certainly lost in their own troubles of the day. The city had n't changed. No one had any idea. This was apparently the new way of waging war, and he didn ’ t like it.
“ Sir, it ’ s time. ”
He turned from the window and noticed his aides were now crying. It was certainly going to be difficult being the losers, but America would have to learn. At some point, everyone has to take a beating.
He cleared his throat and looked at those assembled. They had followed him for years – put faith in an ambitious, young lawyer from New Hampshire that, back then, had wanted to take on the world. Decades of holding signs in the rain and going to spaghetti dinners with the local boosters had led them all here. He still missed it.
“ I just want to say that it ’ s been an honor serving with each of you. ” He made sure to make eye contact with everyone. They had beyond earned it. He casually flipped through the formal capitulation agreement. This felt like a bad dream.
“ Well, send them in. Let ’ s get this over with. ”
The snow white doors of the Oval Office swung open, and he let out a quiet breath of surprise. One of the staffers broke down immediately. This was certainly the new way of waging war.
In stepped a slender boy of no more than fifteen, dressed in jeans and a stained t-shirt. He pushed wire-rimmed glasses back on the bridge of his nose and waved a hand through long, greasy hair. He held a laptop.
Staring at the floor, the boy nervously swallowed. “ Yeah, so my mom wanted me to apologize for shutting down the eastern seaboard ’ s defenses. I didn ’ t mean it. ”
The President smiled.
|
[ WP ] The universe is past its golden age , Earth is a result of terraformation from an ancient civilization . What do we do when we find out we 're the last ones out there ?
| Humanity exploded out into the stars with a fervor. For two hundred years the United Earth Government colonized worlds, moons, and asteroids. UEG fleets spanned the heavens, ever expanding, ever questing for others to share the universe with.
At first, we found nothing. Not even echoes of distant civilizations. Then we began to find ruins. Here, a derelict space station. There, a city more dust than anything else. Unnerved, but still resolute we pressed further. Soon, on every habitable planet, we found evidence of…
No one was sure. An ancient civilization? Sparring empires? No one knew. Years later, reports of intact databases began to come in. The story unfolded. A galactic crisis, the shattering of an empire. Collapse on a monumental scale.
We couldn ’ t find a single direct reference to the cataclysm, but we did find several about Earth. Logistic reports from the terraforming drones, bioengineering reports. Our planet was apparently intended as a safe haven where sentient life could re evolve after the disaster had passed.
Humanity was borne from the last hope of a doomed galaxy. This information changed us as a people. We were the scions of something great, and all of us desired to be great again.
The records spoke of other havens such as Earth. Places where sentience might remerge. We resolved to be waiting for them when they did. Waiting with open arms.
|
[ WP ] In a world where everyone survives off of basic income , companies have to convince you to work for them .
| I took a seat at the large wooden table. The two men that sat across from me were clearly nervous. The fat one had beads of sweat dripping down his chubby cheeks. The skinnier man fiddled relentlessly with his glasses.
I leaned across and offered them my hand. The larger man introduced himself as Norris. His grip was firm but moist. The smaller man was called Gary, and his bony hand gave mine a rather pathetic imitation of a squeeze. It was not a good first impression.
The interview was for a marketing executive position at an automotive company called Sagittarius.
'Pleasure to meet you gentlemen. My name is Samantha. I do n't want to waste my time on bullshit small talk - Why should I consider working for you?' I wondered how they would handle such a blunt question.
Norris fielded it.'Well, ma'am, we value all our workers very highly. We realise that they do n't need the work and have to get something out of it in return. We find our employees get *very* high job satisfaction. They usually love the role they are applying for, they get to meet interesting people and learn useful new skills. We have a great lunch buffet too! Not to mention the nap room, the games room and the chill-out lounge.'
'Promising. OK, next question. Where do you see me in five years time?'
Norris nudged Gary, prompting him to reply.
'W.w.well..' he stuttered whilst polishing his glasses'well, ma'am, where ever you would like to be, within reason. If you are unhappy in marketing we have many other job openings available. We could move you around until you find something you really enjoy.'
That they had many job openings did n't surprise me. Everywhere did. I found Garys demeanour very stand offish, and frankly, I did n't think much of him. In job interviews first impressions are everything.
'Is there anything that you would like to ask me?' I said.
It took them by surprise, clearly a question they were not used to. They looked at each other, then at the floor and then finally at me.'No, ma'am.'
This was amateur hour and I was n't going to waste any more of my time here.
'I'l let you know in 5-10 days' I lied as I left the room.
-- -- -- -
Check out more prompt responses on /r/nickofnight
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[ WP ] Turns out aliens have been delaying contact with humanity , waiting until we are a `` united species '' with a utopian society . However , instead of doing that , we 've just discovered the secret to intergalactic travel and now the aliens are getting extremely worried .
| `` Humans are probably the most disgusting species we've ever encountered. I ca n't believe they've survived this long whilst squabbling amongst themselves so often. Bradford, be a good boy and do bring your father a strong drink please? I like that clear one, yes, that one, thank you son.''
`` Oh Father, why must we allow them to continue on? Ca n't I push the red button yet? I've already reached 23 rotations Father. I'm quite old enough.'' The boy looked eagerly into his Father's eyes and smiled.
`` No, no, son. We promised them time to get their problems figured out and to work out a deal with them. The only problem is that they have too many leaders and I do tire of waiting, but we Screechons always honor our word, son. You would do well to remember that.'' The man threw his head back and drank the strong liquor he had acquired from on board. The recipe had made its way out of `` Moonshiner Country,'' as they called it, and to his staff who were constantly listening in on the humans. They had managed to make a fine replica and he had become quite fond of the very stuff that drove some of them to violence.
Little Bradford Screechon sighed and left the matter at that. Soon enough, he thought, he would push that red button no matter what his father said.
`` Alfred, has there been any news on the unity between North Korea and the U.S.? I had thought that they may get over their little power battle of who had bigger weapons.'' Mr. Screechon rubbed his chin and gestured to the butler for more liquor.
`` I'm afraid their attempts at peace have failed, sir. It does appear that Russia is making great headway on technology though. They've continued to send their ships into space and have begun to travel past their outermost planet.''
`` They've what?!'' Mr. Screechon spilled the drink on his clothing and stared at Alfred as though he'd grown a third head.
`` If they find us here we could face having actual contact with the human race. If they have contact with us, if they touch us Alfred...''
`` Yes sir... we would probably suffer long and horrible deaths from whatever diseases they carried.''
`` Oh well thish... thish canno be goo... Alfre??'' Mr. Screechon began to tilt in his chair and made a one ditch effort to grab onto the butler. He collapsed on the floor as Alfred stared on, not willing to help the man that had done this to himself. Alfred scooped up the remains of glass that Mr. Screechon had dropped and alerted the crew that their plan had been a success. Mr. Screechon was tempted by the moonshine and never recognized that it would be too strong for his delicate system.
`` He is unworthy to lead us as he has become like one of the humans... drinking himself stupid and making foolhardy decisions. We have wanted to wipe out this species for decades and still my Father refused. I will now head our rebellion and we will drop my Father off onto the planet that he fears. After that, I have decided that the humans are not worth our patience, so we will destroy them. We will press....the red button.'' Bradford stood proudly in front of his Father's employees as he gave his speech on the unworthiness of his Father and the humans alike and how they were not fit to live.
Mr. Screechon woke in the forest and knew that he had been betrayed. He was amongst the humans. He cautiously made his way along the trees and suddenly felt a fine mist collect on his skin. It smelled of... moonshine. Then he realized... his son had pushed the dreaded button, but he'd never told Bradford that he had dumped the toxic mist out of the vaults to make way for his beloved drink. He smiled and lifted his mouth to the skies.
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[ WP ] Wait , that was n't supposed to happen !
| “ Did you just say the princess is dead!? ”
“ Yes, sire. I ’ m so very sorry. She was devoured by demons as we escaped Graggle Rock. It was all my fault. ”
“ Oh no, so you mean to say that she ’ s not coming back? Oh what dreadful news this is. My daughter was one of my favorite family members. ”
“ She was my everything, sire. We ’ d met as children. I was but a poor- “
“ Anyway, our two Houses were to be united upon your marriage to the princess. Now that she is dead, and because you are unable to marry a deceased person, we are all in very great danger. The barbarians will be here in just a few months and we must be one united Kingdom when that happens. ”
“ Sir, I will do what I can for the kingdom. ”
“ Alright. You ’ ll marry my son then. ”
“ I couldn ’ t... Is that even legal? ”
“ It ’ s always been legal. We began as a Greek colony. ”
“ But I don ’ t even like penises. ”
“ Neither does the Queen. Hah, classic Chuck Lorre. ”
“ Sire, please. Your son is particularly hairy. I ’ m into smooth surfaces. The penis thing is another example of that. Cocks are like one huge obstruction on an incredibly smooth surface. And not only does your son have one, but even worse is the fact that he doesn ’ t have any vaginas either. ”
“ Knight, you have walked through those iron gates with the heads of your foes. I have seen you cut your way into a beasts belly so you could break your way out with your bear hands. You can handle some hair. ”
“ Yeah. I probably could. What about the lack of breasts? I feel like titties alone could ’ ve kept me busy for a really long time, and there are a whole series of body parts I ’ d move to before arriving at the penis. I have a penis. They're not that cool. ”
“ I get it. But you ’ re the hero in this movie. Well not a movie, but you know what I mean. If it was a movie, you guys would move in together and really have a hard time figuring out how to decorate the castle and do other domestic things, and it explore your differences and it would all be very humorous. This is the real world, though. You ’ re going to have to get used to hairy backs and childish jokes about shit. Remember that insufferable cunt of a 12 year old in Middle School? My son is that guy. And he ’ s like the straightest gay man I ’ ve met in a great while so you wo n't be getting any perfume or grooming or any of the other consolation prizes you might've gotten with someone else. That ’ s particularly unfortunate for you if you think about it. ”
`` I had n't thought of that. And again I ca n't express to you how much breasts play a role in my current life. I do n't know if anyone has done any clinical studies on the affects of quitting titties cold turkey, but a general rule of thumb is to taper off of something slowly. There's a pub just a few miles from here, if we could make a visit simply to inquire about any breasts that might-''
“ Oh, Knight, you probably do n't want to hear how attached he is to that mustache right now. Or how it looks super scratchy, doesn ’ t it? But I'll say that his facial hair is that real thick kind that things get threaded into like Velcro. I tried shaving it while he was sleeping one time but I brushed my beard upon it by accident and once it had a hold of my beard, man, it would not let go. A Carol Burnett Show style affair ensued as I struggled to free it. Anyway, my point is that the hair is quite coarse and your lips are so not used to that sort of thing. So, you know, heads up, they ’ ll probably get really aggravated. Not anything a simple balm can ’ t handle but also something I might as well have mentioned rather than have you-''
`` Please. Enough.''
“ Yes. Do you have anything else to say, loyal Knight? ”
“ Does it affect you at all that I ’ ve spent all my life learning how to use equipment that is now effectively obsolete? ”
“ What do you mean? ”
“ I might as well have learned how to operate a fax machine apparatus, and that very apparatus is now being rendered obsolete. So the fact that I know to press hard on the area below a woman ’ s clitoris before she orgasms is as useless as knowing to first dial a “ 9 ” when using your company ’ s fax machine. It's like I ’ ve just spent my whole life learning the harmonica and now all I see are a bunch of flutes and I ’ m not even sure where to blow on that thing, let alone where the spit valve is. ”
“ You feel left behind? ”
“ I feel like putting on Spotify and making out with a woman until my tongue hurts. I feel like you are The Ghost of Vagina Present and you ’ re telling me I ’ ve been taking the female body for granted lately and I ’ m going to wake up and still have access to them. And there won ’ t be penises. And I feel like your son is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he ’ s sleeping on the top bunk. ”
“ I ’ m sorry, I was too busy watching him throw a football straight into the ground. By fucking accident. He ’ s a bottom if he ’ s anything. I can say that because my son is gay and I ’ m not killing him like other Kings. ”
And the Knight married the Prince and the Kingdom was saved. The prince eventually gained weight and got totally addicted to edamame, which made him develop breasts. The Prince had never heard that woman need to massage their breasts after every meal, but it felt good and the Knight seemed to like it.
The End
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[ IP ] Desert Trek
| Six camels set forth across the windswept sands, but only five survived to shelter in the shade of the Temple of the Mahdi. The travelers were well-provisioned, so the sixth camel did not suffer from thirst or hunger: unlucky chance made its strike with the venom of a furry, brown *tseri* spider.
The camel had screamed at the bite, and the rider of the doomed animal leapt from the saddle before the beast could throw itself to the ground on top of him. The brown-skinned man drew his firearm and ended the camel ’ s suffering, then crushed the spider with the wooden pole he kept strapped to his hip. The loss of a camel was unfortunate, but at least the camel had been Torinar ’ s, who was nimble enough to avoid the beast ’ s mad thrashing. Another rider might have been injured, or killed.
Torinar walked on after rearranging their packs, and the others followed. He heard them send up prayers of gratitude, and spat into the sand to reassure his own gods that he was not tempted to betray them. The northerners thought the Mahdi might be another face of their own, singular god, but he knew better. This whole expedition was foolishness, but northern coin spent as well as any other kind, and he had consented to guide them.
Even he would not have wanted to cross the entire stretch of desert between Lorin ’ s Scythe and the temple on foot, but the camel died only two days from the temple, and that was nothing. He did not worry about the return trip. The gods would provide.
It had taken three weeks of travel to reveal the mountain in the desert. It seemed small in the distance, but Torinar had been there before. He knew it would grow until it loomed over them. The temple was set into the mountain itself, and he could only imagine how many workers it had taken to carve it out, and how many of them had died doing so.
They approached, Torinar on foot, the scholarly priests astride, until the setting sun revealed the carvings on the temple pillars. The dead stone sentinels gaped at them, their skirts covered with blown sand. The great cathedral was buried almost to the second floor. Behind all stood the great statue of the Mahdi, inside the mountain itself, arms crossed and face covered. Torinar could not keep from glancing at it, just once, and shivered in the hot air.
“ Here, we camp, ” he announced, in the crude trade language.
The others babbled in their strange tongue with excitement, and could not keep their eyes from the temple while they set up camp. Torinar kept his back to it. He would not look again.
In the morning, the scholars gathered. They wanted him to lead them into the temple itself, and carry their parchments and bags of tools.
“ No, ” he said, and refused to speak again. He would never enter the Temple of the Mahdi.
Their pleading eventually turned into laughter, and they spoke among themselves in their harsh native tongue. He knew they mocked him for his superstition, but did not care.
Soon, they left him. He did not watch them pass between the sentinels and enter the temple grounds, afraid that if he did so he might glimpse the Mahdi itself reach down and take them. Then he would go mad.
Torinar waited, never turning his face toward the temple.
After a week he repacked the camels and set out for Lorin ’ s Scythe, offering a prayer of thanks to one of his gods for the five good beasts, and for his life. He sang an additional prayer of worship in the hope that his sacrifices would keep the Mahdi content for many more years, that he might live his full span of natural days, and not see the god ’ s unveiled face before the appointed time.
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[ WP ] The uncanny valley is the idea that human replicas that are n't quite right give us a sense of eerieness and unease . Write a story that presents a similar sense of unease , while not necessarily appearing to have anything wrong .
| The strangest email I've ever received.
-- -
Hi, I am Kevin John. I drive a red big truck and live in a green normal home by the beach. Today I spoke with a person ( s ) from a local coffee house near my home. She was a lady, I like ladies.
`` Hi.'' I said to her and she said, `` Hi.''
You are reading, thinking my thoughts. Is n't that fun? I think it's fun and now you're thinking my thoughts, so you think it's fun too. Is n't that fun?
`` How can I help you today?'' The lady from the Coffee Shop said.
`` By giving me a cup of coffee.'' I Replied, garnering a laugh from her. I was telling her the truth but the truth can be funny at times. I waved goodbye to her and continued to walk down the street and she did the same. Walks around the block can be quite fun in the morning.
When I look at a person they tend to know they are being watched and often look back at me. What if the same is true of thoughts? Will I know when you are thinking my thoughts, reading these words with your mind? If I notice, I promise I would n't mind.
Time to cut some pie, but I refuse to eat any. I know we'll meet again soon friend.
-Love yours, Kevin John
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[ WP ] `` Leapers '' are rare people born in a leap year on the 29th of February who age four times slower than everyone else . But there are whispered legends about individuals born during a leap century ... and beyond .
| I've been around a few people born on the 29th of February. Anytime people are around them, they always say they are 1/4 the age of what they really are. That's plain stupid.
They do n't even look like they are 1/4 their age.
I, however, was born on the 31st of September, 214 AD. ( Do we still say `` In the year of Our Lord?'' ) This day comes precisely once every 100 years. It's often over looked by most people, who every century keep saying `` There's a September 31st?''
Which is a perfect segue into the main fact of my life: I age slowly. No, not like those people on TV that seem like they're forever 21. I literally age slower than everyone else. I am 1800 years old, with the body of an 18 year old.
I have found no explanation for this, except for perhaps God ( I've tangled with the idea in my mind. Probably in a few decades I'll rethink everything and return. For the giggles ). Currently I live in a small town in mid-west America. News does n't spread outside of our group, so luckily it has n't gone nationwide that I am, as I have found, immortal.
I have fallen in love numerous times, but each time ends in disaster. The girl either does n't believe me when I eventually spill the beans, or I do n't spill the beans and watch as she ages and I do n't, which gets weird from her perspective and then the truth comes out.
I've gone through American high school 13 times now. ( Is it weird when I fall in love with someone who is 100 times younger than me? ) I've tried college a few times, but have decided I need to lay low.
I do n't seem to be able to die by any physical means. I've been trampled, shot, stabbed, poisoned, and hit by numerous cars. I may one day die of old age, but that day is not any day soon.
And there is no one like me.
It's the loneliest thing in the universe, you know. Having someone, and then in a blink of my eye they're gone. Watching someone die. Thinking that I am too old. I have seen it all. War, death, murder, you name it. Some things have never changed.
I'm proud to say I've never killed a man, though. Came close a few times, but never killed anyone. When wars would happen, I would join the combat on my own terms. I have helped save people and stump others, but I am thankful that I'm not some famous person.
I hate imagining being locked up and studied upon. The people of today seem keen on that; studying you to see what makes you tick. I imagine that I'd be stuck in one room for the rest of eternity if they had their way.
I've lived 1800 years, and if nothing changes, I've got 7000 or so more years of emptiness.
EDIT: Segway
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[ WP ] As you 're reading the latest hit 'fiction ' book , it becomes increasingly clear it 's about your life and the author intimately knows some disturbing and/or incriminating things you 've done
| I was waiting to meet a friend for a sushi and dinner rendezvous, but I was over an hour early. Such is the burden of relying upon public transportation. In an effort to while away my time before imbibing warm sake and delicious tempura veggies, I settled in at the local big box bookstore. I loathed the folks who would sit in the chairs at the back of the store and read - and yet, this is where I found myself.
Snagging one of the highly touted `` New Best Seller'' books off of an adjacent display I sat down and began to read. The book was titled'Lonely Starbucks Lovers'', I audibly snorted - a clear reference to the often misheard Taylor Swift lyric.
Chapter one, page one - the main character, Aubrey, begins by berating the reader for being `` one of those people'' reading the book without paying while sitting in a bookstore. Great minds think alike.
By the end of the second chapter I began to look over my shoulder, wondering if my friend had perhaps arrived early. I did this compulsively with every page turn. Okay, I was n't checking on my friend. I was becoming paranoid. With each passing sentence it was like the author had been living vicariously through my boring melodramatic reddit surfing life. I guess that was the reason it was a best seller -- easily relatable.
I momentarily set the book down, making sure not to lose my page, in order to check my phone.
'Hey, where are you??' I texted. I hated having an iPhone. You see those godforsaken ellipses and you just know they're typing... then the ellipses go away... they changed their mind. I waited in inordinate amount of time for a reply.
'IM ON 95. CANT TXT AND DRVE STICK. C U SOON'
I sighed. Fucking ellipses.
Back to the book, I pickup where I'd left off - a diatribe about texting and the lost art of conversation. `` Fucking ellipses,'' chapter end. Wait. What?
I shut the book and set it gently on my lap. Anyone could have that same thought. Best not to feel paranoid.
I reopened the book, and hesitantly continued reading. Aubrey begins the next chapter by discussing the awkward way in which two people remain friends despite one having quite obvious romantic ambitions, and the other being completely oblivious. A blush began to form on my cheeks. I continued down the page, settling back into the overstuffed armchair.
`` Take for instance a hypothetical situation; I'm going on'NOT A DATE' with my friend ( yeah..'friend' ) to have sushi and watch the most recent explosion filled action movie. I stress for 12 hours ahead of time about what I'm going to wear, before eventually settling on the same thing I always wear, jeans, t-shirt, and a hoodie in case it gets cold. Oh, do n't forget the bra with the pink lace that makes your boobs look good - as if ANYONE but your cat is going to be seeing that tonight!''
I slammed the book shut. I can feel the heat being emitted from my face. What the hell is this, some kind of ridiculous prank? Getting up from the chair I smoothed my t-shirt out over my favorite pair of jeans. Book in hand, I put it back on the display, checked over both shoulders, then grabbed a different book from the same display. I randomly opened to the middle section of pages.
``... and there I was, standing on the dance floor at my high school senior homecoming wearing this ridiculous dress with all this glitter - and wondering where my date was. Of course, I could see him across the dance floor in the arms of another girl, it was pretty easy to pick him out by the black glitter sparkling under the dance floor lights. All I could think to do was to trudge back to my car, go home, play some video games or something -- and then HE shows up! He just casually bumps into me, makes some small talk, and then says he's coming back to dance with me. And you know what? My dumb ass waited all night, until the lights came on, and he never showed, and I --''
I slammed the book shut again. My heart beating a frantic pace in my chest. Lots of girls have horrible high school memories. It's not uncommon. It's just a book.
I re-opened the book to another seemingly random page.
`` When I discovered that I had slept on my front porch, puked in my purse, and my boyfriend of 3 years had left me, I knew I was hitting an all-time low.''
I slammed the book shut, set it on the floor, and gently scooted it underneath the chair so I did n't have to look at it. Someone obviously hacked my live journal account. I did n't realize anyone still used Live Journal other than me and George R.R. Martin.
I snatched my phone out of my purse to send another text.
`` Where you at now? Do you want me to go get us a table?'' I did n't want to spend another moment in this godforsaken bookstore. Hopefully a few moments outside would give me time to calm down. I sat uncomfortably in the chair waiting for a response, fidgeting with the edge of my favorite pair of flip-flops. And there they were again... fucking ellipses!
`` Ugh, just answer me already,'' I mumbled to no one inparticular.
`` You have no patience whatsoever, you know that?'' a voice chuckled from behind me. I spun around to see HIM standing there phone in hand. `` It's difficult to walk, text, and avoid walking into bookshelves.''
`` Hey! Sorry, I was just... anyway... you ready?'' I half smiled. Standing I smoothed out my shirt across the top of my favorite pair of jeans, picked up my hoodie and purse and prepared to head out to dinner.
`` Have you read this book?'' He picked up a copy of'Lonely Starbucks Lovers', fanning the pages and then setting it back down on the display.
`` I... uhh..,'' I stammered.
`` The girl in the book, she talks about wearing jeans and a t-shirt when she goes out, made me think of you.''
I could feel my eyes bulge.
`` Haha, what a coincidence. You ready for dinner?''
`` The book was n't very good anyway, seemed to be the sordid tale of an awkward girl who never finds love,''
`` You do n't say? Probably not my type of book, I guess?''
`` Yeah, definitely not like you... except for the part about hating text message ellipses.''
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[ WP ] Death is coming for you ... and when she does..we 'll be ready
| [ NSFW ]
And so it begins again.
Need coffee. Black this morning, no need for any sweetener foreplay.
Got ta plan for a big day, and an even bigger night.
Tonight I plan on drinking a bottle of wine, eating crackers with smoked salmon, lighting a few candles, then finishing it all off with a bottle of muscle relaxers.
Tonight I wait for death.
I wait for her cold, dark hands wrapping around my waist.
Pulling me close in her somber embrace.
How many nights has it been since I saw her last? Since I saw her slip in through my bedroom window, her translucent gown rippling off her shoulders, exposing her pale, glowing, naked body beneath.
I watched frozen to my bed. My body cold, and growing colder as she floated towards us. Not even able to slide my hand towards my wife, feel her body as it still held warmth.
I was as powerless as sleep paralysis, and yet, I felt no fear possess my mind, nor limbs.
In fact, an upsurge of warmth came through my body, like wearing a wet suit in a lake and taking a piss.
The gentle, calming reassurance pulsated my mind as she floated across our bedroom floor. At the edge of the bed she paused, and her body became limp She shook her head as if fighting off a bad memory, then glanced down at our bodies, examining them closely before resting on me. She looked me up and down before her eyes made contact with mine, staring me directly in the eyes she spoke to me in an ancient tongue.
`` Gya Gon Bout Tu Talbalch''
At that moment her pupils dissipated, leaving her eyes empty except for the glowing hue of of a faded blue. Her hair billowed as a gust of wind came surging through my wife's mouth. Still fast asleep, but her body jerking and contouring as if a demon rested just beneath her skin.
Death opened her mouth and vomited gushes of smoke. The smoke spewed out onto the floor and as it crashed onto the floorboards, it took on life of it's own. Tendrils of smoke glided their way across the floor to where my body rested underneath the bed. Still not able to move, I watched as the tendrils crept their way up my sheets, climbed over my body and hovered just above my head.
I sat there motionless as the smoke began to morph and take on new shapes. It became long and erect, the tip of each tendril began to bulge, and mushroom downwards until it made the tip of a perfectly circumcised penis head.
My wife's body stopped twisting and fell limply back to it's normal sleeping posture. She let out a soft sigh, as slumber overtook her.
The hovering penises began creeping their way towards her, slithering through the sheets like snakes stalking prey in the grass. One slid over her legs and began to burrow it's way between the sheets until it pressed itself firmly around her lips. My wife moaning as it did so. As she began to moan the other penis slithered it's way above her head, and leaned itself down towards her mouth. The rest of the penises pulled back the sheets of the bed and exposed my wife's naked body as it twisted, and turned to the tune of penis being pressed against her legs.
Her mouth opened and the penis hovering above her mouth made it's way in. Her lips wrapped around it's head, then it's shaft, as the penis thrust itself in and out, slowly and passionately.
As my wife sucked, the penis between her legs thrust itself deep within her. My wife gagged on the penis in her mouth and it dissipated. A long, loud moan came through my wife's throat. Her eyes still shut as if were experiencing the entire thing through a dream.
The penis continued to thrust, in and out, and my wife's moaning increased as if she were having an orgasm a second.
A thin smile twisted upon death's mouth, taking the entire thing in with pleasure. She reached up and unfolded the edges of the dress, letting the entire thing fall to the floor and disappear. Her body hovered above the bed, and down towards my wife's thrashing body. It watched for a moment, and then her hands went down and cupped my wife's breasts, her thumbs circling over her tiny, pink nipples. He legs spread as her butt rested down on my wife's stomach so that her pussy could press itself up against the phantom penis as it continued to thrust in and out.
Her arms went from fondling my wife's breasts to putting her hands behind her back. Her hips rocked up and down against the thrusting phantom penis, and then with one fluid motion she pulled up and her arms went through my wife's body, coming out the other side with the spirit of my wife along with her.
As the spirit of my wife left her body, I stared in marvel at her appearance. All the physical abnormalities that possessed her body during life were gone. Her hair was flush with volume billowing around her hovering body, where once only strains patched her scalp like weeds growing through concrete. Her breasts plump, where once there was only sag and scars. Her phantom flesh tight against her muscles, where once it wrinkled and drooped.
As Death plucked this beautiful spirit from my wife's body, all sexual activitiy ceased, and my wife lay hovering over her body. Her eyes opened and she turned over in the air and saw me for the first time.
She hovered over to where I lay, and her hand came down and carressed my face. A tear began to form at the corners of my eye, and she wiped it away, then placed her finger over my mouth. Her hand made it's way down my chest, then in between my thighs where she cupped my penis in her hand and began to stroke until for the first time in a long time, I became truly erect.
Death made her way towards me, put an arm around my wife and the other hand began to fondle my balls. They worked together in unison as I neared a climax greater than I've felt in years.
As my body approached it's orgasm, I turned my head and stared upon the cold, lifeless corpse of what was once my wife. I saw her old, battered body, then I turned and saw her lusturous spirit. I looked over at death, who's face was now getting closer to me. Her mouth forming a circle as she rested her head on my chest and began to suck my nipple.
`` Take me now'' I whispered. `` I'm ready''.
And then she stopped sucking at my nipple, gave me a wink, and then her and my wife joined hand and hand, turned around, and floated back out the window.
Why they left me to fret alone in that isolated dark room, I have no idea.
All I know is, she wo n't be able to escape me this time.
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[ OT ] Writing Workshop # 41 : Perspective
| He kneeled and uttered the enchanted words that had the power to alter lives forever; “ That ’ s sweet, ” Andy whispered as he sipped his chai latte. He ’ d been sitting with his girlfriend, Lisa, for several hours now. The pair didn ’ t have any appointments, so they decided to sit at their favorite cafe and pass the time by people-watching. Andy noticed the couple sitting at the table in front of them almost immediately; They remained in constant eye-contact since the moment they arrived. He would, every now and then, catch a glimpse of someone else doing something far more interesting, but he remained fixated on these two. He had an instinctual feeling that this couple ’ s relationship would reflect on his own in some way, and he couldn ’ t bear to miss it. He began to envision a thousand questions about them, although none of them could be answered.
He wondered if his own relationship was even remotely similar to theirs. Andy and Lisa had been together for a year now, but he never remembered looking at her with such intensity; Nor had Lisa ever looked at him in that way. In public, she was so quiet and introverted, but when it was just the two of them, Lisa proudly wore her affection for him on her sleeve.
Before Andy was able to ponder this any further, he observed the man at the other table stand up, then slowly kneel before the woman. While his line-of-sight was blocked, he didn ’ t need it to know what was happening. The proposal was lacking in word-count, but the gesture made up for it in droves. He grinned involuntarily when he heard her response ( though he already knew what it would be ). Andy was caught in the riptide of joyful emotions surrounding him before he turned his mind back to his own relationship. The passion he felt for Lisa showed no signs of decay; There was no doubt in his mind that he would propose to her one day, and after seeing the couple next to them, he decided that he would propose to her like this; the only question that remained in his mind, was when?
-- -
“ This again, ” I whispered to myself, not wanting to offend anyone. I waited for a loud car to pass us by, so as to camouflage my heavy sigh. As much as I hoped to deny it, I knew what he meant to do as soon as he got on one knee; that simple, yet universal, symbol for marriage proposals. I can only hope that the woman actually wanted to marry him, otherwise, that ’ s an awkward ride home. Why can ’ t something as sacred as a marriage proposal be done in private? Must all marriage proposals happen in public, where everyone must only say what is expected of them? Am I the only one who thinks this way?
I don ’ t wish to draw attention to my soured expression, so I give a quick smile and go back to my coffee. I begin pondering whether or not these past few years with Andy have made me jaded and cynical. Perhaps feeling so comfortable around him has made me uneasy around other couples, because they feel so forced and fake. With effort, I push that thought to the back of my mind. Even if that was the case, I wouldn ’ t mind. But I can ’ t help thinking whether or not Andy minds. I understand our relationship is not the most traditional, but I don ’ t care about “ tradition ” when I ’ m with him. My fear is he doesn ’ t feel the same way when he is with me. I fear he craves normality, a personality-type that I am all too familiar with.
As I stare at the newly-engaged couple, I begin to imagine what it would be like if Andy was proposing to me. I ’ m sure he would never propose like this, considering how well he knows me. He would propose to me at home, where we could say what we wanted to say, without the silent judgement of interlopers forcing their “ traditions ” on us, and on our important moment.
He would definitely propose like that.
Would he?
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[ WP ] Write a gritty tale of a children 's game ( tag , hide and seek , British bulldog , etc )
| They did n't know... how could they? I've been here for years. Silently waiting, patiently even....for them to return.
They knew....they must know what I am for they avoid it like they avoided the vegetables on their plates. But why? Why did I deserve to be pushed aside, to be shunned while they played their glorious games and I was stuck here? Forever and forever, unable to move?
And today....one of them finally came... she was not the same, she was older, wiser. There was even a little one trailing after the child I used to know. Was this her offspring? Had they brought me new things to play with? Maybe since Yon it was n't such a wise decision... But that was never my fault. He chose me.
I saw her glance in my direction, her eyes seemed to glaze over as she silently directed her child away from me and towards the house. Even those who raised her looked at me in contempt and it seems they were whispering among themselves.
Were they going to finally kill me? Was that what this was about? Did she bring the little one to witness the death of that which took her brother?
I stood outside, like every night before, pondering about everything. Wondering about what was happening. What were they discussing? If only I could move, if only I could get closer and hear what they were saying. Understand their disdain towards me!
When morning came I saw the child I once knew leave the house, she walked towards me and I felt excitement. Was this the game again?
When she stopped in front of me I saw the tears in her eyes and she looked at no specific part of me. `` You took him... I do n't know how... I do n't know how...'' Her eyes clouded over with the tears and I begged for the ability to tell her how, perhaps show her. I wanted her to be a part of me like he was.
`` We just played... how could it turn out like that?'' She questioned. `` How could something like this kill him?'' She continued, more tears streaming down her face.
She stepped closer to me and I felt every root in my body pulsate with anticipation. She was one of two that were still meant to come back to me. The closer she got, the heavier I felt. I felt grounded, whole, complete. She just needed to get closer!
When she reached me and put her hand against my skin I felt shivers. `` It happened right over here.'' She murmured as she ran her hand over the crevice. I felt her thin body slip into mine, looking for comfort. Yet I'm pretty sure I was the only one to receive it.
When I felt her inside me, her warmth against my age old body I began to close, same with her brother, same with those before her. I felt her let out a startled cry as she realized what was happening.
By the time the scream left her body I had taken her. She was mine. She came back to me, came back to join her sibling and to complete me two thirds of the way. When would the last one come?
When I saw the parents run from the house, seeing their crushed daughter between my bark I knew there would be no third time. I have gotten as far as I could.
They ran over, tears in their eyes, screaming and wailing and I felt relief. I could go with the knowledge that I had the two people I loved most inside me, parts of them, their very essence. Yet the little child she brought would forever taunt my soul.
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[ WP ] You gain superpowers , but your closest friend slowly becomes your arch nemesis . Describe your last OR first encounter .
| Twelve years ago I thought it was the best day of my life. A shard of meteor just happened to hit me and not kill me instantly. Speed, strength, brilliance, it was all mine.
Time has a way of making fools of us all. Now I was left fighting through the fortress gates of the worst thing to ever cross the surface of the planet earth. Hordes of machines battered me from all sides, my only recourse was to destroy them, killing the precious human batteries this monster used to power its army. At first I struggled to save each person, the machines improved and I was finally forced to kill one to save many. Things changed that day, my friends and family were taken and turned into elite units to protect this menace or to hunt me down. Each one I was forced to deal with isolated me further.
The governments and military men understood, this had become a war. They were no replacement for a the welcome of my family or the laughter of friends. The general public was no better, they began to fear my actions. The battles got larger and more destructive, they paid the damages. I paid the price in guilt and isolation.
The gates finally relent, the machine tide breaks ever so briefly. It was now or never, if I kept waiting the minions of this monster would be too strong for me. This fight was taking all I had and it was taking its toll. Then in the grand foyer I saw what I feared most, the most powerful of these machines. The eliminator, powered by my beloved, so strong I would never have the chance to do anything but fight for my life. The blood was on my hands what else was there to do but finish this.
The haze settled into my mind as the the pain from my injuries and the loss of the last person who I would call dear to me insulated my mind through the rest of the battle. The acrid smell of broken machines filled the air. My blood, their blood, so much blood was everywhere. I forced the doors open on the lowest level, leaving bloody hand prints on twisted metal.
A sick grin spread across its face, `` You really did kill them all. You may kill me, but I have won. You have nothing, no one and nowhere to go back to. Do what you must, I have.''
So I did.
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[ WP ] Weite about something you believe to be true
| Introspection is highly discouraged in our society, and we're starting to suffer because of this fact.
The rise of technology has created the rise of consumerism, or the need to always be consuming food, media, and consumer goods.
Consumerism is good for business because it maximizes profit. Thus, companies put advertisements everywhere so we are always craving more stuff. They portray the people with the most stuff as the people who are popular, smart, and sexy. They are the people who are always doing something interesting all the time.
So, Americans assume that in order to be popular, smart, and sexy, one must have cool things and be doing interesting things all the time.
This has lead to Americans feeling unsatisfied with their own life. If they stay home and do nothing but watch a movie from the library, that's a terrible thing. If they do nothing but write in a journal that no one will read, that's a terrible thing. It's nerdy. It's doing nothing.
`` Doing nothing'' is considered a bad thing, so, instead, Americans `` waste time.'' They go out drinking. They go to a party. They watch YouTube videos for hours.
`` Wasting time'' is when a person does something social and consumptive. When you're watching YouTube videos, you're also watching ads. When you're eating or drinking, you're eating food, you're consuming a product. `` Wasting time'' is something that is encouraged by companies.
`` Doing nothing'' is more introspective and less consumptive. If you're writing in a journal, what are you doing anyway? Why watch a dumb old movie from the library when there's a shiny, new one out in theaters?
However, this mentality that one must either be doing something or `` wasting time'' means that there is no time for regeneration of the mind or deep thought about anything. If one can not introspect, one can not think about one's problems. One can not complain because one's problems are buried deep, down inside. Yet, they are not happy.
People consume things and get addicted to them unwittingly. Alcohol, media, fast food, ect. Relationships around them become neglected due to constant busyness. People become depressed due to lack of socialization. Sleep is neglected due to the fact that people feel like they always must be doing something, or that their life is not nearly as glamorous as their friends or the people on TV.
I reject this way of life. I try to limit my internet time, not do drugs/alcohol, and go to bed at the right time. I do n't NEED a smartphone. It may seem crazy, but I think that I will live a happy, although not extravagant, life.
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[ WP ] There are dozens of people cursed to live as animals by the witch . You are one of them ... and you just found another of her victims , an animal that was cursed to live as a human .
| Topher was n't the kind of guy I ever thought I'd be friends with. He said he'd been a linebacker in high school whereas I was the kind of guy who skipped football games to play D & D with my friends. We'd begrudgingly gotten used to each other since we became roommates, and as autumn was beginning to turn to winter, I could honestly say I would n't have survived my first semester of college without him.
Standing outside by the trash can of the campus Starbucks, Topher nudged me, `` I dare you to take that chick's latte,'' gesturing to a girl bundled warmly in a purple scarf and a matching knit cap.
`` You're so stupid, man,'' I said, brushing him off.
`` Come on. Smell that? It's your favorite: pumpkin spice.''
Topher liked to call me a `` basic white girl'' because of my love of pumpkin spice lattes, and I knew he would n't quit unless I took him up on his dare. I rolled my eyes as I cautiously approached the girl.
She was so engrossed in her Instagram feed she did n't even notice as I awkwardly grasped her hot beverage and made for my escape. My plot was foiled, however, when conveying the coffee proved to be too Herculean a task for my slight frame. The girl screamed as I tumbled to the ground with her latte in tow.
Landing on all fours, I began lapping up the seasonal item from the gray concrete as Topher ran to my side. Our morning coffee break was interrupted when a tall guy with a red, curly beard walked over and shooed us away with his his foot.
`` Oh my God, that was fucking weird.''
`` They're so used to the people here, they can get kind of aggressive. I'll buy you another coffee,'' her boyfriend replied, smiling a buck toothed grin as he put his arm around her.
`` Did you see that guy?'' said Topher as we scurried home to our tree knot. `` He was a cousin kisser.''
`` Cousin kisser'' was the term some of us used for the squirrels who replaced us in our human bodies. They looked exactly like we used to, except for one difference: their front teeth. Whenever they smile they look like they must take after their father and uncle, who are the same person. It was a flaw in the magic of the witch who had transformed us, Professor Stevens. Turning her pupils into animals was her special punishment for students she caught cheating on her notoriously difficult exams. Indeed, the squirrel population on campus was largely composed of her former students.
As we approached our lofty den, licking the remnants of our breakfast from our hides, our path was blocked by a crowd of students who surrounded our tree. They were all staring up, with their cell phones raised above their heads documenting the spectacle unfolding.
A naked man was holed up in the boughs of the tree. His face was obscured, but his bare butt poked out. With my remarkable squirrel vision, I could make out a birthmark, shaped like a Mickey Mouse head. The wild man's voice resounded above, `` I ca n't take it anymore! There's too many projects and deadlines and finals! I just want to go back to the way it was before!''
Topher gaped. `` Holy shit, dude. This guy's having a mental breakdown,'' he laughed. `` You think he's a cousin kisser?''
`` Oh, he is.''
`` How do you know? You ca n't see his face. Maybe he's some nerd with a tiger mom.''
`` No. I know that birthmark. That's my ass.''
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[ WP ] Deciding to live out the rest of your days in solitude , you move to the Alaskan wilderness . After a couple years you 've seen many vicious animals approach your cabin only to eventually turn around . Today a little bunny hops up and tells you why ...
| [ WP ] Deciding to live out the rest of your days in solitude, you move to the Alaskan wilderness. After a couple years you've seen many vicious animals approach your cabin only to eventually turn around. Today a little bunny hops up and tell you why....
My days of sitting in the office were soon over. I'm an old man with white beard and white hair, and a huge belly. My overall appearance is one that resounds that of Santa Claus. My wife passed away a few years ago and my children all have their own families, leaving me this old man alone.
The day I retired, I moved to the Alaskan wilderness in hopes of finding myself solitude from the busy city life I had. I bought a cabin located at a place, where it was surrounded scenic views of Alaska's snow landscape and lake, and a perfect spot for seeing the Aurora Borealis. I lived on fish that I caught at the lake near my cabin and indoor grown crops that I had a build a greenhouse for. I chopped pine trees for firewood and plant back fruits to ensure that I am sustained with firewoods. I enjoyed the tranquility the wilderness gave me but there was only one problem..
Over the years, I have encountered many vicious animals. From a family of bears to a pack of wolves to a group of wolverines and even the rare sightings of salamander become frequent. Fortunately enough, I was protected by the cabin's walls that allow me to see these animals from a safe distance, while keeping myself warm by the fireplace.
Then one fine day, as the sun began to rise, I heard knocks on the door. It was weird to me because nobody ever comes to visit this part of Alaska unless it is Bear Grylls or some sort. I peer through the window, but saw nobody. But the knocks persists. Eventually I open the door and to my surprise I saw a cute snow bunny. It was n't standing on its four paws but only two hind ones. The rabbit spoke in a manly voice `` Greetings Mr Hooman, I come to pass you a message.'' I was taken aback, `` Nobody..nobody..told me that a bunny could talk!'' I stumbled on my words, with a priceless look on my face. The bunny replied `` Apologize Sir Hooman, but the reason why you could speak to us is because the house you live in grants you the power to do so. I forgot to introduce myself, I am Matthew, The Messenger of The Snow sent by sir Big Heart Gary, the previous owner of the cabin to tell you something.'' I invited the bunny in and it hopped onto the sofa. `` Would you like to drink anything?'' I asked the bunny. `` Water will do, sir Hooman.'' I corrected the bunny `` I'm not Hooman, I am Nicholas.''
The bunny then spoke about the message, `` Sir Big Heart Gary, he used to be these wildlife caretaker, he would feed us animals, play with us and protect us from those evil poachers. But he died several years ago from a gun shot by a poacher, and he was our guardian. He said to entrusts the next owner of his cabin as the next guardian of Alaska wilderness. I believe you met the slightly more vicious animals. They all came to pay tribute to the late Sir Big Heart Gary. Now the real question, would you be our protector?'' I was moved to tears by what the cute snow bunny has told me, and those innocents eyes of his made me cry a tear or two more. I told the bunny to give me time to consider and I will give my answer the next day. The bunny parted afterwards.
Over the night, I tossed and turned in bed, pondering about whether I am ready to take up such a role. It was a huge responsibility and these animals have already entrusted their secret to me. That night I remain awake and consider my options and the burden I already had.
The very next morning, the snow bunny returned. I invited him in again, and I gave him my answer, `` After much considerations, and I will take up the role. `` Very well then, come with me outside'' the snow bunny told me.
The snow bunny call out `` Friends! Friends of the great Alaska come out! Come out! I have good news for you!'' Within a short span, the pathway to the doorstep of my cabin was filled with animals, there were bears, moose, weasels, wolverines, salamander, and even the whales in the lake rise up to the surface.
The snow bunny announced `` I now shall pronounced this man, Sir Nicholas, Sir Saint Nicholas the guardian of the Alaskan wilderness!''
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[ WP ] Two Identical twins secretly alternate days at work . You each share the same ID , social security number , and clothes . Nobody knows theres actually two of you . One day youre BOTH at home and call in sick , but your manager is confused saying that youre already there .
| `` Yeah sorry but I'm calling in sick. Horrible fever.''
`` If you want go home just talk to me, why call on the phone.''
`` If I was well enough to come out there then why would I call in sick.''
`` Cut the crap I watched you walk in the break room.''
I looked over at my twin, he was also sick and could n't fill in for me. `` I'm still at home....''
`` Then why did I see you march in here and boot your station?''
My twin and I work the same job and pretend to be the same person. We were both sitting at home, so who was at work?
`` Sir you should evacuate the building. Call the cops and if you see me run.''
I turned to my twin, `` 3 survived and escaped the police.''
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[ WP ] You discover you can not die , not from anything . You do n't need oxygen , food , water , shelter , etc . There is no possible way for you to die . One day , an asteroid hits Earth .
| I'd always thought there was something strange about me. When I was only five I survived a major car crash with only minor cuts and bruises to show. My whole family died in that car crash. Then when I was ten, I passed out underwater and woke up an hour later. I knew something was wrong, but I suppressed it.
Fast forward twenty years and there I was. The world had fallen into anarchy, all because of a space rock. Sure the space rock was the size of Manhattan, but it was still nothing but a chunk of stone.
Screens around the world flashed with a countdown timer. Mass suicides, looting, rape and murder was occurring all around. The ground began to rumble as it approached.
Then it happened. A searing heat, a deafening noise and everyone around me disintegrated.
Followed by silence.
First it was confusion, then grief and finally peace. I adjusted to the cold and saw a glowing orb below me, the remains of the earth. My clothes were obliterated by the blast, but a few hours into my peaceful journey I was hit by something travelling at immense speeds. I caught it before it floated away and found a towel. I wrapped it around myself for some misguided dignity and began my new life.
A new life, floating among the stars.
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[ EU ] Write a story in the Star Wars Universe that will make everyone who reads it love Jar Jar Binks .
| ( Ran out of time, but I'll continue if there's interest. )
Qui-Gon Jinn pushed himself out of the spacecraft as fast as the hatch would allow. Smoke gushed out behind him like a greedy hand. He stumbled forward, then was shoved to the side by another leaving the ship. The two of them fought their way over fallen logs and broken trees until they were far enough away from the crashed ship to breathe.
`` That was... quite a landing...'' he managed between gasps. He drew upon the Force, centering himself and his breathing, allowing the peaceful, pervasive energy of the universe to flow through him. The pilot coughed and spat, pulling off her helmet. She was a woman in her 40s with handsome features, though a face and figure made of wiry strength from a life of hard work and labor. She shoved soot off her cheek with the back of her glove and spat again.
`` It worked, did n't it?''
Qui-Gon looked up into the Naboo sky. No droid fighters, no STAP patrols.
`` It seems so, for the time being. But I do n't think we'll be able to use this get off the planet?''
`` We'll have to borrow a ride.'' The pilot slipped on a breathing mask that had been hanging around her neck and stepped back into the hatch. She emerged a few moments later with a survival pack and a heavy blaster rifle.
`` You're coming with me?''
`` Do n't have much choice, do I? Do n't worry about me though, I can take care of myself.''
He nodded and shut his eyes, reaching out through the Living Force. Life bubbled in the swamplands of Naboo, a rich tangle of life energy twisting within each other, the perfect natural ecosystem of the Force at work. His senses continued to expand outward until he felt a faint ripple, as if a stone were jutting through the surface of a flowing river.
`` If you're coming, I'll need to call you something.'' He inclined his head, referring to her previous evasiveness with her name. The woman disabled the safety on her blaster.
`` Shmi. Shmi Skywalker.''
--
Chancellor Valorum had requested the Jedi send an ambassador to the Trade Federation Viceroy, who was in personal attendance of the Naboo Trade Blockade.
Master Mace Windu had asked Qui-Gon to perform this task.
Qui-Gon had decided to disobey.
The Force pulled him to do this, in part, but it was also reading between the lines of the HoloNet reports and the murmurs from allies in Coruscant. The Trade Federation was not going to be easily pacified, and it was going to require more direct involvement of the Republic and of the Jedi. To get support of either, they would need proof.
Qui-Gon had met the smuggler, Skywalker, in a smuggler's bar on the lower levels of Corsucant, where she had come up with a cunning plan to get through the blockade: attach a smaller ship to a larger one, attached to a hyperspace ring, fly it all into the middle of the blockade and let it get shot down, and zip to the planet surface in the smaller ship as a piece of debris.
That part had worked. Now he had to hope the second part of the plan would fall into place as neatly.
The swamps of Naboo were growing thicker and wetter, forcing Qui-Gon and Shmi to walking along fallen logs and raised stones when they could. The mist grew thicker.
`` Are you sure this is the right way?''
Qui-Gon held up a hand and stopped. A figure slipped out from behind a tree, hooded and cloaked.
`` Master.'' The voice tried very hard to control his excitement.
`` Hello, Obi-Wan.''
The Jedi padawan pulled his hood back to reveal a rather disheveled young man. Mud and grime was swept across his face in streaks, his cheeks and chin bristled from weeks of not shaving. His robes were also stained and muddied, shading him in a drab green that melded him into the swamp.
`` You look well.''
Obi-Wan winced. `` It has been an... interesting experience.''
`` Have you scouted the way?''
`` Yes Master, the Trade Federation forces have occupied a number of cities across the planet, including Theed, but we have been scouting and monitoring the city for two weeks now. I'm confident that we can get in without trouble.''
Eagerness swelled out of the padawan so brightly that it waved through the Force. He was excited, and restless, ready to prove to his master that he was able to perform his task with Jedi Knight-level of proficiency. He should perhaps warn him against such emotions, since they might bloom into overconfidence or pride, but let it go.
`` We?'' Shmi asked.
`` Meesa been helping him.''
Shmi flung around in a deadly whirl, bringing her blaster up to her shoulder. A figure, half-sunken into the marsh, leapt up to the rock Shmi stood on and gripped the blaster barrell, pushing it skyward. To her credit, Shmi did n't fire, but instead clicked a switch on the side to eject the powerpack then left the weapon in the figure's hand while she skipped back and slipped out a long vibroblade from the small of her back.
The creature was humanoid and imposing, at least six and a half feet tall. He was vaguely amphibious, the marsh water and muck sliding easily off of his lined and spotted skin. He had a long snout and eyes on individual stalks. He was heavily muscled and wore clothing made of native skins, a pair of pants and a tattered vest. His native appearance was abruptly interrupted from the bandolier across his heavily muscled chest and the blocky chunks of equipment hanging from him.
`` Wait, wait, stop! He's a friend. A native of the planet that has been helping me.'' Obi-Wan rushed to a nearby log, holding his hands high.
`` Meesa called the Jar-Jar.'' His voice rumbled like a star cruiser engine.
Qui-Gon nodded to the Jar-Jar, who lowered Shmi's blaster and spun it deftly toward the smuggler, stock end forward. Shmi took it and reloaded the powerpack.
The team continued through the jungle with Jar-Jar in the lead. It gave Qui-Gon a chance to study the creature more carefully. He was armed with a few native weapons: a knife, a short sword and long spear which he had recovered from a tree. He also had a blaster pistol on his hip and a short carbine on his back, both of which looked as if they were taken from battle droids. His spear also had a blaster lashed to the side of the haft with vines, though the purpose of that eluded Qui-Gon.
Jar-Jar's neck rattled with a necklace that Qui-Gon thought was made of bones, but upon closer inspection realized they were fingers from battle droids.
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[ WP ] You just moved into an old house filled with ghosts and monsters , but they choose to be welcoming instead of being hostile .
| The car traveled down the road, pulling into the long and winded path of a driveway, leading up to an old house.
It paused, and two people stepped out. A father and his son.
`` Alright, Charlie. We'll be living with some other adults for now, alright?'' The father asked. Through his earphones, his son nodded.
It was just 3 months that the pair, along with the mother had received an eviction notice on their door. Rent was paying well. The apartment was relatively clean. Before they knew it, security guards were quickly switched out, replaced with bigger, meaner men and women, who were n't afraid to hit a child. The family had witnessed the Chung's older son walk home with a black eye. If a boy in high school could n't defend himself, a boy who just started middle school would stand no chance. Someone was trying to flush the tenants out. ( Probably to build a golf course or luxury condos or something )
It was decided that the mother would stay and fight against the oppression, while the father and child sought the shelter of a place they could call home. If they won, they would move back. If they did n't, the mother would move in with them. It did n't matter if they had to take a plane to Canada ( preferred, but we all know how bad airlines are. )
After a few days of searching, hope seemed prevalent. A nice, very big house in Maine. Rent was low, near a school and shopping area. Nice views, too. They'd have heavy lifting to do, but away from the hustle and bustle of New York City they went. The catch? They'd have to share it with about 7 or 8 people.
`` Just keep in mind we all have our little quirks and all that.'' The Australian-accented voice on the other side of the telephone said, two days earlier. `` You could say we could be monsters, but really, we're not that bad.''
Of course, neither of the two cared. So long as they had a room that none of them would break into and could fit three people, it was fine.
The father approached the door, and knocked on it. After a while, it opened, with a man in a surgical mask. `` Ah, hello. Francis Bergman, I presume?'' His voice, professional and clipped, echoed through the air. Not the man on the other side of the phone, but aside from the surgical mask, he seemed nice enough, if a little intimidating. His voice had some European accent to it, although neither father nor son could place their hand- or tongue- on it.
`` You can just call me Frank.'' the father smiled. `` And this is Charlie.''
`` Ah, you must be his son.'' The man knelt down, patting his head. `` You'll like it here. Your father said you like medieval and military stuff, correct?'' The boy nodded.
`` Good. We have two people who like that too.'' The masked man stood back up, welcoming the two in as they carried their luggage in. `` If either two of you are sick, do n't hesitate to call me. I'm a medical professional. Go upstairs, turn right and it should be the second room on your left. Bathroom is first room on the left. Do n't knock on the door opposite the bathroom, she's hard at work.''
`` Thank you.'' the older man said. `` Oh, and your name?''
`` Dr. Frederick Bauer, ( *Oh, so that was his accent* ) at your service.'' The man bowed. `` We'll be making a little welcoming party for you. Any allergies, preferences?''
`` Nah, just regular f-'' Frank was interrupted by the *clank* of something barring the doorway. A suit of armor, just as intimidating as Bauer himself, holding a spear had been situated just right next to it. The spear appears to have fallen over.
`` Oh, my apologies. I'll fix that in a few minutes. Right now, however, is food time.'' Bauer hurried into the kitchen.
The duo made their way upstairs, to the second room on the right. `` Well? You excited to start your new life?'' Frank asked his son.
`` Kinda nervous. I guess it's like being in a new school all over again.''
The two unpacked their belongings. The room was a bit large, with a queen and single bed on opposite sides.
`` Dad? I'm gon na use the washroom, alright?'' Charlie walked out.
Frank, alone, took out his belongings. It was quiet, almost peaceful, until....
``'ELLO, OLD CHAP!''
The man jumped. It was the voice from the phone, alright, but it was n't exactly the man he expected. He, or rather, *it*, was wearing some military uniform from one of the World Wars. However, instead of a face, it was just smoke in the shape of a human, with red, mystic orbs for eyes, hidden under a tin helmet. Where skin and flesh usually would be, there was smoke.
`` What the- who are you? What are you?'' Frank asked.
`` Alexander Kempthorne, at your service. Glad you've arrived!'' The phone call gave away some sort of general cheerfulness, possibly some laid-back man with blond hair. Instead, it gave him... *this*, this *thing* of smoke that floated in the air, possessing a military uniform.
*'' You could say we could be monsters, but really, we're not that bad. `` * The phone call echoed through Frank's mind. He really was n't kidding.
Frank grabbed the uniform's sleeve, dragging the monstrosity along with him. `` Oi, oi! Hands off!''
Frank made his way downstairs and to where the kitchen was, where he found the doctor cooking.
`` Dr. Bauer, what is the meaning of *this*? Frank yelled, gesturing to the military uniform.
Bauer glanced at him. `` *Verdammt. * Alex, must you always ruin this?!''
Alex gave what could be gauged as a sheepish smile. `` Hey, I was just trying to have a little fun, that's all!''
The doctor sighed, before turning off the stove. `` Bergman, I think we need to have a little....talk. Just you and me. Promise you wo n't run once I finish.''
***
`` So... you're all monsters? Even you?'' Frank asked. `` You seem....normal.''
Frederick took off his mask, revealing a disfigured mouth and nose, one that resembled a lizard or dragon more. The tongue flickered a bit, and the nose puffed out some smoke before he put it back. `` We're all monsters of some sort here.''
``... Okay then. You mind introducing me to the other monsters, or...?''
`` Well, the suit of armor? Ghost of a knight. Sir William, as he likes to be called. Bloody Mary's one of our friends, we summon her when we have group dinners. A succubus? Check. Werewolf? Check. In wolf form we managed to train him to be docile, Charlie'll love him. Minotaur? Check.''
And so, the two talked and talked about the different residents.
***
It's been a month. The mother moved in, seemingly surprised, but actually calm. Charlie's school was nice, he made friends easily. Work was found, with the help of Dr. Bauer.
Marcus, one of Charlie's friends, was currently standing outside of the house. Earlier that day, Charlie had told most of the monsters that his friend would be coming over.
`` Go on ahead, just go into my room. I'll be there in a minute.'' Charlie went downstairs.
Marcus stayed in his room, and looked around.
After a few minutes, he heard an Australian-laced voice. `` OI WE GOT AN INTRUDER!''
A hand was against his neck. It felt... smoky? He let out a gasp as he was raised into the air.
|
[ WP ] You enter one of those universes where attacks are extremely telegraphed , preparations take minutes , and everyone gives lengthy arrogant monolouges detailing their plans ... You have no special powers ... Just , you know ... Common sense to conquer with ...
| ( Profanity )
I stood there with my hands bound and mouth gagged along with about 10 other dudes. A large vat of dramatically green acid boiled in front of us. We were a good five feet away from the ledge. Our legs were n't bound, but the room was locked down. There was nowhere to go. I figured disintegrating might be faster than bleeding out from Dr. McDongle shooting me in the back, so I resigned to my fate.
McDongle had conveniently placed a camera connected to the ceiling on the other side of the vat as to capture every moment, televising it to the residents of MetroGotholis. It was on every big screen in the streets, and every television in every home. I guess this shit was considered PG. Honestly I was a bit disappointed that I was going out like this.
After a few years living in M-G I came to the realization that nobody seemed to die of natural causes, like being hit by a taxi delivering pizza. I do consider that a natural cause. If you went, you went big. While that could be considered a good thing, it almost became a cliche.
I used to shake my head at the people who got into these situations. I did n't go wandering around abandoned buildings or skipping through back alleys. I was street smart, and sometimes I felt like I was the only one who could sense a `` Do n't go in there'' moment in the entire city. Yet here I was.
To be fair, I had been to that Taiwanese restaurant like thirty times and they seemed super straight up. How was I supposed to know the real chef was tied up to the radiator in the back, and that the waiter was being held hostage? And to McDongle's credit he actually made a pretty good Pad Thai.
I knew something was up when I found fish in it, because I did n't order fish. Also the owner had a bizarre fear of anything with gills after he was apparently mauled post falling into a koi pond as a child. That was the story the waiter told me anyway and he seemed pretty serious.
My face must have been pretty transparent as I came to some sort of realization. Then McDongle sat down at my table. `` What's the matter, you do n't like the fish?''
`` Fuck...'' I dropped my spoon, and I began to feel light headed.
`` It's a caribbean death-cuttle reaper fish. One of the rarest in the world. Delicious, but poison to a man such as yourself.''
I looked McDongle. That damn grin on his face. The terrible comb over of gray hair and his stupid lab coat. God dammit...,'' Why?'' I asked him. He started on some sort of rant about watching me and how I am a fascinating specimen in a petri-dish of a city or some shit. I was n't paying attention because I felt so out of it, and really only made it a few seconds in before my face slammed into my soup.
So fast forward to the acid chamber again. McDongle opens one of the doors and walks in. He has a hunched back and hes cackling and shit. The camera turns on, and he walks in front of it. In front of US. `` Metrogotholis, I return...'' So he starts again right? Talking about vengeance and egging everyone on, `` All of these years, I have waited. This is only the beginning. A taste, if you will, of what is to come.''
I kind of looked around the room at this point, to make sure I was n't missing anything obvious. The rest of the hostages were crying. I was literally the ONLY guy who realized that this douche was standing on the fuckin' ledge. The ledge we were supposed to be pushed off of.
So he keeps going, `` I am a revenant, a spectre of an age of justice, and righteousness.'' He gets half way through his next sentence. Something about retribution or some shit. But before he could finish i lifted up my leg and just pushed him with one foot, and not even that hard really.
Being an old ass man McDongle was n't going to regain his balance. He fell forward with a wilhelm scream and just kind of belly flopped into the acid. Just like that it was over. No dramatic melting screams, no half skeletal man crawling out of the vat. He just died. Honestly, even I was expecting a little more.
I noticed the other hostages staring at me. They looked bewildered, like they could n't believe what they had seen. They just kept staring. Then one of them spit out his gag, which he could have done ages ago and probably untied us all. It was really the next thing he said that made me decide I needed to move out. He just looked at me, disappointed, and said it, `` What the fuck dude?''
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[ WP ] your car changes slightly to accommodate your day , the day it snows , it magically has snow tires , the day it floods , it becomes a four by four . Today you walked out the door , and it 's a tank .
| 'Not again' you think getting in, the wooden beads on your Cabbie's Secret seat cover the only thing that stays the same each time it changes. Reaching up to hit the garage door opener ('no, hanger bay doors today' ) it occurs to you Vehicle has n't tanked out in ages.
Last night's Dusk Accord must have failed spectacularly.
The streets were surprisingly empty, or at least whatever movement there was seemed small and furtive, with none of the roving mobs or colossal titans of the other times. Of course all that was in the Turmoil after Magic Fall.
You shutter to think about trying to go back to normal if the Accord has fallen apart altogether.
Chewing up the brick in a metal, twin tracked war machine was n't as destructive as it would have been had the gnomes not decided flat, wide streets were important to them. You glance out the rear slit to watch as the small, rotund little men appear and go immediately to work on the deep, rutted trails of broken brick you're leaving behind you.
The wonders of The Other Place never fail to stir delight in you and the company car, today a tank, speeds you along as quickly as it can, toward a dark shadow looming over the city ahead.
Far above something is blocking the sun, leaving it dark and still beneath. The gloom occludes all vision, and as the tank begins to rumble and shake over a suddenly uneven terrain your eyes adjust and you spasm in fear, throwing yourself backward, jerking as hard on the steering mechanism as you can.
Vehicle lurches to a halt and begins to grind backward, picking up speed and zipping out from under the darkness.
A tree, a Yggdrasil if your neobotany is up to snuff, reaches skyward. Its trademark cloud piercing boughs unmistakable but something was wrong. More than it standing in midtown, more troubling than its sudden appearance was the pitch dark leaves and faintly glowing purple sap you'd just seen oozing from the track-chewed roots.
'Great. My first World Tree and it's Corrupt'
While no day was easy for a Reality Breach Regulator, some were tougher than others.
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[ WP ] After many years of work , a woman is heartbroken when she finally completes her collection
| `` Do I hear $ 500 Yes $ 510 lay-dees and gents going once going twice aaaaaaaand....SOLD to the lady in the yellow sundress!'' the auctioneer garbled.
Yellow Sundress Lady, better known as Christina Flannigan, cheered loudly, and sprinted up to get her prize.
She had bought them all! Every last one of the Bluebeard Surprise Coins! Christina could n't be happier! She did a funny little jig on the way to her used Prius.
Christina held the coin all the way home. At the red lights, she would stop and stare at the blue gleaming coin lovingly.
Christina and her dad had started way back in 1983, when she was six years old. They were pouring out her Danny Doubloons breakfast cereal one morning when *clink*! a perfect little blue coin rolled out.
She and her father looked at each other in awe. They had no idea what a cereal box prize was. They thought it was legitimate treasure.
After a few days in the library, Christina and her dad had read up all about these Bluebeard Doubloons. They were made by Daniel Teach, a supposed descendant of Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard. He had tried to dye his cereal prize coins black, but messed up the ink formula and got blue doubloons instead. Having wasted an entire batch of these coins, Daniel decided he'd just put these ones in the box and declare them special edition.
Christina and her father decided that these little coins were interesting. They went all around town that week, asking kids and mothers if they had gotten a Bluebeard coin in their Danny Doubloons. They payed a nickel for each of them.
They made a pact, after finding ten of them in a month, that they needed to find all one hundred of the coins. They pinky swore on it.
The two of them had some grand adventures finding those coins. They once drove 300 miles chasing a rumor that a hoarder had five coins. Christina still remembered how good that summer air had felt from out the open window, how much fun she and her Dad had singing opera in the car.
They had stopped for a few years when Christina was a teenager, because she was all gloom n doom teenager. But after a tearful goodbye to her father when she left for college.... Christina resumed the hunt.
And now she had all 100! Christina was elated. Her dad had loved hunting for these with her...... Christina paused, nearly braking on the freeway.
It had n't been about getting them all. It had been about spending time with her Dad. She had forgotten why she started hunting for these coins- it was to bond with her father.
Christina tried not to tear up. Dad was old now, and lived in a home. He could n't get out much, so the last fifteen coins had been just her. He always asked her how the search was going, a gleam of his old enthusiasm in his blue eyes.
She had called him excitedly this morning, telling him the last doubloon was going to be at this auction. He had n't responded much. Christina figured he was just tired, but now she knew why. He did n't want the game to end.
Just them her phone started ringing. It was her Dad!
Christina put it on speaker. `` How did the auction go? Did you win?'' he asked her.
`` Turns out the auctioneer dropped it on his way to the auction.'' Christina lied. Her dad laughed, perking up. `` Just like ol' # 45 when we dropped it in St. Louis, and spent three hours looking for it!'' Her dad started enthusiastically recalling the various coins. Christina rolled down her window,
Bluebeard Doubloon number 100 went sailing over the edge of the overpass. Christina suddenly felt a lot better. She tuned back in to her dad on the phone.
`` I guess the hunt never ends, huh sweetie.'' her Dad asked.
`` It never does.'' Christina responded in agreement.
`` We'll always be on the lookout for # 100, just us two old hunters.''
`` Forever and always, Dad.''
|
[ WP ] You 've become able to see when people are possessed by demons , you 've had the power for a few months when you wake up to the closest person in your life with the face of a demon
| The kitchen knife trembled in my hand. The blade itself was dull, not much good for anything other than cutting carrots, but it had a sharp enough point. Good for stabbing.
She was in the living room, entirely unaware of what was running through my mind. Blissfully ignorant of the heavy knot twisting my stomach and of the decision I must make. I could feel the demon's presence, even without seeing it. It must've been very powerful.
I first began noticing it a few weeks ago, last March. The initial signs were clear. Some light telekinesis, mysterious glowing orbs of light, dead animals appearing on our porch...
However, I did n't become absolutely certain until I saw it one ponderous and moonless night when I suddenly felt an incredible chill that roused me from my sleep. The creature watched me with eyes that were black, sunken pits with red pinprick pupils set deep in them. It had a very thin frame, with long black hair that were like so many frayed lengths of rope. The creature was obviously feminine. And for a brief moment, I could've seen my wife, my sweet Eleanor, in it's soft cheekbones and pleasantly shaped bosom. The illusion was broken when it opened it's mouth and spoke to me.
`` Sweetie,'' it croaked. `` Do you *love* me?'' It emphasised the word'love', stretching out every syllable in that deep, rasping voice. The creature kneeled on top of me. I tried to speak, to call for help, but my mouth would n't work. It kissed me and I could taste rotten meat. I could feel a thousand cockroaches crawling and nesting on my skin. Bile rose in my throat, yet I could not tear away as the demon did as it pleased. It's tongue was like some hideous, saltwater slug that scratched and tore as bad as sandpaper. The smell of rancid pork made my eyes water. I felt helpless as I could only pray for it to be over.
I do n't know what happened next, but I felt so filthy. I woke up in the morning covered with sweat, like it was all just a bad dream. That was nearly a month ago. I still can not get the feeling of a billion little feet off my body no matter how much I scrub and I'm not sure whether or not I'd ever be able to see my wife the same way again.
Eleanor has noticed my apprehensiveness around her. I do n't know how far the demon possession has gotten, but I do n't dare to take any chances. She must die soon.
*One quick stab to the back of the neck. The least you can do is make it quick. *
Hiding the knife under a sleeve, I steady myself and stalk with precise steps. I pass under the arch leading from the kitchen and into the living room.
`` Ah. Carl, I was meaning to talk to you,'' she said, turning her head with a smile. I froze and tried to act casual, like the knife in my sleeve did n't exist. Did she notice me? *Maybe the possession had progressed a lot faster than I thought possible. *
`` Yes? ``, I coughed.
`` It'll be easier if you sit down...'', her eyes gleamed slyly as I did as she asked. *No. It's completely unheard of for it to happen that quickly. *
`` There really is n't an easy way for me to say this. So I'll just say it,'' she spoke slowly.
`` Carl, I'm pregnant.''
My eyes widened in something that she mistook for surprise.
God help me.
|
[ WP ] A violinist discovers that their music can grant magical boons to those who stay awhile and listen . Luck , success , and even love come to those who hear a song fully through .
| The stage was set, and the audience sat with bated breath. For a room full of so many people it was quiet and still. Everyone was there for a reason, and they all knew what they were waiting for.
From the left side of the stage came the sound of rolling wheels, and everyone sat up a little straighter in their plush seats. Whispers began to ripple through the attendees, the hushed excitement of people who were n't certain, even now, that this particular dream could really be coming true.
And then, he emerged.
Thunderous applause broke out from every corner, but it was accompanied by more whispers and even a few gasps. The man on the stage was not the famed violinist the world adored, but a hollowed out husk of a man.
Seated, or rather reclined, in a wheeled hospital bed, Giancarlo Rufo was almost unrecognizable. The cancer had eaten away at his body, and the man who had once been famed as much for his easygoing charm and disarming handsomeness as his music was now emaciated and sallow. His skin looked like wax, shiny and pale, and veins and bones bulged out at discomfiting angles.
And yet the applause continued on unabated. Some of the people in the audience had been waiting years for this show, much rumored to be the last Rufo would ever give.
Stagehands wheeled Rufo's bed to the center of the stage, and one of them handed him a microphone from a waiting stand. Rufo held it in silence for a moment, as if gathering his own strength. And then he sat up and smiled, and waved a near-skeletal hand at his audience. `` My friends,'' he spoke, and his voice was the same as ever - quieter, perhaps, and maybe a bit strained, but still as charming and confident as it had ever been.
`` My friends, thank you for joining me this fine evening,'' Rufo continued, and the noise in the auditorium died down. `` I hope to play you some music,'' he said with a smile, and as he said it the stagehand brought *it* out, the object that made it all possible - the violin.
As he carried the case to Rufo and helped him open it up, people began to applaud again, because it was really happening, finally, to them - they too would get to partake in Rufo's legendary song.
As Rufo lifted his violin out of its case and to his cheek, many in the audience lifted their own treasures and hopes. Some had brought lottery tickets, others court judgements or test results. Some were sick, others poor, and still others very, very rich - and yet they all sat next to each other, waiting, each hoping for their own private hope, their own deep desire.
Rufo raised his bow, and the silence in the audience was palpable.
And then, the song started.
It was, by now, a song everyone in the audience had heard before - it had passed the point of being merely famous and had moved somewhere into the realm of cultural heritage. Children were born to it and the elderly listened to it on repeat as they lay dying. Even though the true power of the song was known to only work when you heard it yourself, in person, from Rufo's own fingers and violin and bow, recordings and recreations abounded. It did n't even have a name - most just called it The Song, or Rufo's Music.
And yet, listening to it here, now, in the flesh, the entire audience felt lifted as one. It was revelatory - it was ecstasy. It was like looking at the face of God, like seeing the entire infinite Universe spread out before you like grains of sand scattered across a dark sheet. It was incomparable.
It was in that moment, when the entire crowd was transported through the beauty and grace of The Song, that Rufo's finger faltered.
A sour note split the air like a lightning bolt, and some members of the audience audibly gasped. If there was one thing Rufo had always done, it was play The Song perfectly, with inhuman precision. Nobody had ever heard him make a mistake before.
The music continued on, but the spell was broken. Some people, panicked, turned to their lottery tickets and letters with abandon, even though the song was n't over yet. Their crestfallen faces were all anyone needed to see.
Rufo played on, either oblivious or too scared to stop. He kept playing right up to the end of the song, the finish that was supposed to be one of the world's transcendent experiences but which was instead flat and final. This time, no applause followed Rufo's smile.
`` My friends,'' he began, `` thank you for...''
`` Play it again!'' someone shouted from the back of the auditorium.
Rufo looked taken aback. `` My dear friends, I... I beg your forgiveness. I am very tired, and I must...''
`` Play it again!'' another voice demanded. `` Play it right!'' a third chimed in.
The sound in the auditorium grew to a rabble, and Rufo raised his hands for silence. `` My dearest friends, please be calm. I shall play the music again.'' He was still smiling, but above the smile his eyes were nervous and wide.
There was silence, tense and thick, as Rufo raised the violin and bow again. Again, he played his song, and at first the people could feel the magic of the music swelling through them. But Rufo, tired and scared, once more allowed his fingers to slip off the strings.
Silence reigned.
`` I've waited years for this show!'' a woman called out.
`` I bet my entire savings!'' a man added.
`` This is n't fair!''
`` You owe us!''
`` Play it again!''
Rufo's smile was wide and scared. `` Friends, please... I... my hands, I can not...''
`` Play it again! Play it again!''
The audience were up out of their seats now, brandishing their talismans and desires in clenched fists. A few moved to the aisles to block the exits, and more started to climb the stage.
`` My friends...'' Rufo pleaded. The bow trembled in his hand.
And then a man came up across the stage and took the microphone off the stand. `` We'll make him play it again, and play it until he gets it right!'' he shouted, and to that, the audience cheered.
|
[ WP ] The Villbury Apartment building went up in flames years ago , trapping two men inside . You led the case . You must return to it when a light is seen inside . An anonymous tip gave you two hints to the case : `` You must venture deeper to reveal the truth '' and `` Do n't believe the chalk '' .
| ( I'm only gon na write a little bit, I will do more later, but this may not be that great since it's late at night right now. Also, future me here, I see that it was meant to be two men but it's too late for me to change, I've written a lot. )
Officer Lucy sighed as she pulled up in front of the decaying apartment building. Just being near this place filled her with dread, even before it burned down, leaving the ashes of Leo and Lilly Villbury behind. There were never any signs of foul play, and she would know, since she led the case four years ago. Now, she and her partner, officer Reeds, returned to the ghostly black wood of the complex. There had been an anonymous tip that a light had been seen in the bedroom on the left side of the building, along with the cryptic messages of `` You must venture deeper to reveal the truth'' and `` Do n't believe the chalk.''
Lucy shuddered as she went through the charred remains of the doorway, the gateway to the hell that would soon follow. This place always felt evil to her for some reason, but she shook it off and kept moving. Her eyes stopped on the sight of a burned and decaying photo. Somehow, the flames only devoured two holes in the picture, over the faces of the victims children. The freeze-framed parents looked sadder than the last time she was here, but that was probably her mind playing tricks on her. It was nearly 10 at night, and she had n't gotten any sleep. `` What do you think we'll find?'' asked Reeds. `` Hell if I know,'' Lucy replied, `` But if it's a few Z's, I plan on catching em.''
( That's all for know, if anyone else reads this then let me know if y'all want more! )
|
[ WP ] After a long journey through mountains and valleys , slaying beasts and villains , the heroes lay down their swords and gather around a table , order some booze and start playing their favourite game : Ties & Offices
| `` Rag'nathor Destroyer of Demons, you continue your journey as Steve in admin. You sit at your desk, returning to work after a period of time away from the office.''
Rag'nathor rolled the dice, bouncing across the table they settled on a combined 11.
`` You fill out your'Return to Work' form successfully and take it over to Janine, the cool girl in HR that you like. You both watched The Office and now low-key believe you have a Jim and Pam type relationship going on.''
Rag'nathor rolled the dice again. 4.
`` Janine goes to accept your Back to Work form only for Karen, her boss, appear and take the form herself, reading over it you can feel she is using her every day boring eyes looking for something she can pull you on.''
`` I hate Karen. Why do you always have Karen appear to scupper my day?''
`` That's how HR works, Rag'nathor.''
Rag'nathor rolled the dice again. 5. `` Wait, no. Let me roll again, that hit the side.''
`` You do not get to roll again. Karen spots that you put'Upset bowels' as your excuse for being absent from work. She wants more details and a doctors note.''
`` Why would Steve need to provide a doctors note for upset bowels. It is an illness you naturally recover from without medication.''
`` Karen is not here to make Steve's life easy. She is there to spot meaningless issues and escalate them.''
Rag'nathor rolled the dice. 4. `` No.''
`` Yes. You put'Shitting myself to oblivion' as your new reason on your refreshed Back to Work form, attach a tremendously fake MS Paint created Dr's note and hand it to Karen. She has escalated his issue. You find yourself in a HR disciplinary meeting the following day.''
`` How many disciplinary meetings have I had up to now.''
The Office Master checked his notes. `` This would be your fifth and I assume your last unless you survive.''
Rag'nathor rolled a 10.
`` Karen is off ill and can not attend the meeting. Janine takes her place instead.''
`` YES.''
He rolled again. 3.
`` Karen has recovered from her illness and is now attending the meeting.''
`` That's not fair.''
`` Ties and Offices is not a fair game.''
`` You enter the room and sit down. In front of you is your boss and Karen. Your boss looks like he can no longer be bothered attending disciplinary meetings with you. The last disciplinary in regards to you wearing trainers around the office appears to have left a sour taste in his mouth.''
Let me roll. A 9.
`` You have shoes on for this disciplinary.''
`` That's it. That's all I get?''
`` Shoes give you +15 for professionalism. Now roll again.''
A 2.
`` Karen immediately makes a joke about you finally wearing shoes then asks if you're going to be able to get through the meeting without'shitting yourself in to oblivion'. You react poorly and throw your chair through the nearby window. Karen lets you know that was an overreaction then questions the validity of your Dr's note. You remove your shoes to reveal trainers. You were wearing the trainers all along. You are fired for insubordination.''
****
I write shitty, silly stories on /r/BillMurrayMovies. Feel free to come along, not laugh at any of them and leave some judgement.
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[ WP ] You are a hit-man , and have been hired to kill a kid . You somehow bring yourself to do it , but just as you are to pull the trigger ...
| *There she is. Look at her. She's supposed to be going off to college, not hiding in this den of thieves. * he thought to himself, aligning the sight to compensate for the wind. *She wo n't even see it coming. * My finger pulls just short of firing.
Just as he's about to pull it all the way, the hairs on the back of his head start to rise; he feels the room getting colder. His sight ices over in the cold clarity of a winter's tale. He feels a sense of peace and joy come over him.
He feels his family call to him. *But they've been dead sixty years! * His mind called to the sense of other that he felt.
Then he slumped over, and fired.
/ / / / /
`` So, Aneesa, what happened in the City today?''
`` Well, we have the murder of the Home Secretary's daughter. So far, the murder has been attributed to 85-year-old Matthew Widdowson, an ex-Army sniper.
`` He was using one of the latest hit-scan weapons that use DNA as a targeting mechanism, and it seems that he recently received a sum of five hundred million pounds deposited to his bank account.
`` His body was found slumped over what police believe to be the murder weapon, and the coroner's office is yet to accurately determins the cause of death, although my sources claim that Mister Widdowson's cause of death is believed to be hypothermic shock.
`` Now it's back to the office. This is Aneesa Kuram, for BBC News.''
|
[ WP ] God accidentally corrupts a critical file for the universe .
| ***This is for Out of Character. ***
`` Ah, shit,'' God said as he saw the errors start to pop up: *Matter.dll is corrupted and can not be opened*. And, as most everything relies on matter, slowly things stop working. *Sun.exe has stopped responding*, *Water.dll is missing, try reinstalling your program*, *Luna_Moon.exe has crashed and needs cuddles! *. While he is attempting to fix this, his right hand man comes over and says, `` Have you tried turning it on and off?''
`` No, I have not tried turning it on and off because that would lose 14 billion years of progress, and we ca n't have that happening, I was just seeing how far the humans would go to worship me.'' Reluctantly, God decides to start writing a new file to replace Matter.dll and to create another Water.dll file.
*4 hours later*
`` Done! Let me run this through an alternate univ- Oh welp that universe is now ALL water. Okay, time to dial back the water value a little bit.''
*5 minutes later*
`` Jesus, ***pun intended*** going through 3,000,000 lines of binary can take a while, while having to translate it. I'm going to launch this in another universe and- yes! It worked! On the bright side in the main universe I force-quit *time.exe*.'' God then proceeded to return all to normal, and we never noticed anything different.
|
[ WP ] Your mind , body , and soul have been cryogenically preserved for a thousand years ; and finally , science has learned how to revive you .
| It figures, a thousand years and it still feels like I didn ’ t get enough sleep. Funny how it ’ s the only thing that makes sense; everything else is just too surreal. It would be easier if it felt like a thousand years, hell even one would suffice, but it was over before it started. I starting to wonder if the deep freeze damaged anything, because I can hear them talk and I can see their lips move but I ’ m not even here. It hasn ’ t hit me yet but it will, and it ’ ll hit hard. The realization that everyone I ever met has long been dead, the place I once called home is lost forever but most importantly that I made her break her promise.
I was afraid. Afraid to lose her, afraid to leave her but more selfishly, I was afraid to die. She understood, she always did, and I allowed my weakness to exploit that. It must have destroyed her to go along with it but she was stronger than I was, am. I remember the last time I saw her. Her eyes were full of sorrow but her warm smile never faded. I asked if she would wait for me, she promised, she always kept her promises…
I can ’ t imagine how she felt when they froze me. In the time that it took me to blink she endured a lifetime of loneliness. I wonder if she ever remarried, if she ever found someone to help her wait, if she was happy. It wasn ’ t even a minute ago I saw her but now she ’ s a memory that ’ s fading fast. The lines that made up her face struggle to retain the soft curve of her cheeks and the glow that was once her eyes are now dull and distant like an old photograph.
The last thing I remember saying was, “ wait for me ” but I guess she got tired of waiting; I bet the world got tired of waiting and now that I ’ m finally here, it no longer cares.
|
[ WP ] During the height of the roman empire a fleet gets lost and ends up in the Americas , write what Columbus sees when he arrives there
| `` Sir, you might want to see this,'' said one of the sailors. Columbus nodded his head, engrossed in an atlas spread across the table. `` Sir, this is really quite important,'' the sailor said. Columbus got up, and followed the man outside. The men had been traveling along the cost of a jungle for a while now, and had been ashore once or twice. They had spotted no signs of humans, but were continuing their search. Columbus stepped out onto the deck, and shielded his eyes from the bright sun. All the other crew members were crowded around the bow of the ship, staring at the coast. Across the sea shined a glowing city, made of beautiful white stone. A man made harbor surrounded it, and strange ships sped around the city. Columbus, astonished, ordered his men to steer the ship towards the city. As they got closer, a brilliantly colored vessel came towards the explorers. A purple flag waved above it, emblazoned with SPQR. The ship was manned by a few dozen men in golden armor, armed with long, thin cannons. As the strange ship pulled up alongside Columbus's, a man stepped off, walking towards Columbus, and flanked by a group of guards. `` Welcome to New Rome,'' the man said.
Edit: Grammar and some content
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[ FF ] The window nearest you is shattered by the blast wave of a nearby explosion .
| I felt the heat engulf me suddenly, the shards of glass came next. Finally, I fell backwards with my office chair to lay in the glittering mass of glass. I saw flames erupt around me, smelled the acrid smoke that filled the room now. I closed my eyes in terror. Now was the hour of my death. I'm not ready to die yet, I argued with myself.
The flames crept closer, the smoke denser. I felt paralyzed with fear and dread. I could almost feel the fire touching me, the heat so intense. I'm not ready to die, I chanted inconsolably.
`` I've got you, Miss.'' A strong voice came suddenly in my fog.
I opened my eyes to see... Superman! `` What happened? Where did you come from?'' I moaned softly.
`` You're safe now.'' He comforted me. `` Lex Luthor blew up the building. I came to look for survivors.''
I was carried outside, smoke wafting over us. My arms encircled his strong shoulders, his cape fluttering in the breeze.
`` You'll be safe now, Miss.'' Superman laid me gently in the green grass under a nearby dogwood tree. `` Lex Luthor is headed to jail, again and I put you far from the danger of the fire.'' He stood up then, looking intently down at me.
`` Thank you, Superman. How can I thank you enough. I might of died in there.'' I shivered at the thought.
`` Take care now, Miss.'' Superman flew gracefully up and away.
I closed my eyes, for how long, I do not know.
`` Lois, Lois...'' I heard in my dreams. I slowly opened my eyes to see Clark Kent standing over me.
`` Lois, are you okay?'' Clark repeated. He pushed his glasses up his nose as they slipped again. `` How did you get here? I'm glad you did n't get caught in the explosion.''
`` I... Um... Superman saved me.'' I stuttered, thinking suddenly that Clark looked terribly familiar, a lot like Superman. `` You would n't be Superman, would you?''
`` What... Me?'' I'm scared of my own shadow.'' Clark chuckled at the thought.
`` Okay.'' I accepted his answer, after all, I knew what a shy retiring person he was. Nothing like Superman. I sighed at the thought of Superman and being in his arms.
Superman is my hero.
( Edit to add content in the beginning )
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[ WP ] Your phone rings , you notice it is your number who 's calling . You answer the phone , on the other end is future you . Describe the conversation .
| `` I have message for Tom Jones,'' I faintly recognized the voice on the other side of the line but it sounded weaker and slow. `` What who is this?''
`` I do n't have time to explain but I need you to do me a favor,'' his voice became even weaker, `` take two steps to you left and then duck''
`` Why would I…what?''
`` JUST DO IT''
`` Fine Mr. Grumpy pants,'' I took two ginger steps to the right and then ducked down. `` What's the point in thi-'' before I could finish I heard a gun shot.
`` Thank God. Now, run''
After those two words the phone went silent but the call was still going. I ended the call and started running. I still have n't stopped.
|
[ WP ] In a fantasy world , a dragon works as a cop in a big city .
| Celly landed quietly on the top of the roof. It was something she had been practicing extensively. The streets below were a net of telephone wires, and power lines making landing on the street level impossible. It was a quiet, run down apartment. Once holding rich patrons, now it is a mix of both factory workers and the criminals that feed off them. If this was the place they were looking for, then they were sure to be watching the lobby. Not to mention she could smell enough hellfire in there to level half the city.
Her brother, Lister, slid off her back. His standard issue boots crunching softly in the gravel on the top of the building. He was her other half. Born on the same day she had hatched, they were fated together. Scarlet scales coated him from his shoulders to the tips of his clawed hands, and his green slit eyes glowed in the darkness. `` You sure this is the place?''
`` You heard what Fishface said. This is it.'' Her wings folded snug against the blue fabric of her uniform. `` Ca n't you smell it? This place is bomb.''
Lister opened the door to the stairwell. She always hated this part. Any help she could offer inside would have to involve tearing out a wall, and the thought if him walking in alone made her want to do just that. There was tension in his shoulders that terrified her. `` Stop anyone coming out this way. Be careful.''
`` I should be the one telling you that. Maybe we should let the others handle this from downstairs.''
`` No good,'' he said, `` best way this can go is if we can take down Vesper. If she's out of the picture then the others might go quietly.''
For weeks the Court of Mists had been terrorizing the city in the name of their god, and it had attracted followers. Lucina Vesper was the figurehead coordinating every attack, building up the mystique that she was immortal. Given the number of times she had escaped raids on hideouts, Celly was almost willing to believe it. `` Just be careful.'' She pleaded, `` The second anything feels off, you get out of there.''
He smiled, `` *Salla cordiana. *'' He said. Goddess willing.
`` Velutia tevina.'' She completed. Fate permitting.
[ Would love to do more, but it's 1 am. I can check back tomorrow. ]
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[ EU ] Gandalf accepts the ring when Frodo offers it .
| Wizards are not men, but they have the hearts of men. When Gandalf accepted the ring he fell like all the other men before him, but he was worse. He knew the power of the ring, he knew how to yield it. Goblins, orcs, and creatures of darkness all flocked to his side. The armies of men, elves, and dwarves never stood a chance.
The free men of Gondor hid in their castles. The riders of Rohan met then in battle on the field. The dwarves sealed themselves under mountains. And the elves fled this world. One by one they fell. First were the riders of Rohan. Quickly defeated in battle, out numbered 20 to 1. Their horses crushed, their shields shattered, their flesh eaten by the army from Minas Morgul. Then came the dwarves. Their doors welded shut with molten steel, stores with enough supplies to last a decade, but they felt too comfortable. Weeks after sealing themselves in they let their guard down. They drank, they played, they slept. That's when the goblins came. Crawling down the pillars in the great halls they massacred all. The men of Gondor hid behind their high walls. Like the dwarves they had supplies for years but they remained alert. Military service was required. All men were trained, young and old, healthy and sick. Women trained in archery so the men could fight in the streets. Minas Tirith was prepared for an attack. They could have defend against an army of a million orcs. Their one true King made sure of that. But it was not so. Gandalf knew the strength of men. He knew their resolve but he also knew their weakness. Men have always been one to quarrel with each other. Without a leader they would take care of themselves. Gandalf sent the Nazgûl. They flew up to the top of Minas Tirith and the Nine fought their way to Aragon's chamber. He destroyed five before being overwhelmed and slain. With no leader the greed of men caused a civil war for the crown. Gandalf's armies only had to fight a quarter of the men.
The great armies of Middle Earth were defeated. Gandalf sat on a throne of skulls. Continuously corrupted by the ring, Sauron controlling him. But Gandalf had one weak spot, one section of his heart untouched by Sauron and his evil. His love of Hobbits. The hobbits were spared death. They became Gandalf servants, his slaves. Some say death would be better.
But the hope of men is not lost. It still lives, however frail and scarce, it still lives in the Resistance.
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[ Wp ] Humans have discovered how to live forever , allowing them to die when they feel ready to do so . But it is considered bad form to live for too long . You have lingered much longer than is polite and those around you are trying to convince you to die .
| Marcus encountered his sixth assassination attempt on the morning of his one-thousand-and-first birthday. He opened his eyes to sudden light: the curtains of the canopy bed were ripped back, and four men with sharp duelling swords grinned like wolves. They levelled the points of the rapiers at Marcus, who lifted himself up onto his elbows and wondered where Tally was with the coffee. He had been dreaming about his cathedral again.
`` Hello boys,'' he said slowly. Marcus spoke lightly, trying to conceal how breathless he'd become at the slight movement. `` Is that Sestio I see there?''
His descendant stepped forward. The point of his sword held steady, but the smile had faded. He had some of Marcus' rugged looks, but his chest was skinny and the dandy clothes looked foolish on him. A thin moustache curled above his thinner lips, and there was no warm light in his weasel-like eyes. Having his friends at his back gave him a cocky confidence. He tossed his head when he spoke.
`` Hello grandfather,'' Sestio said wickedly. `` It's your birthday.'' They all called him grandfather. At least to his face.
`` So it is,'' Marcus tossed the blanket aside and stood up. He refused to hold onto the bedposts. They would not know how weak he was. `` A thousand and one. What luck have I see to see another day. Another day to plan my cathedral.''
`` Not another one, grandfather,'' Sestio said. `` We've come to kill you.''
Marcus heaved a crumpled sigh, saddened. The young ones did n't understand death. He crossed in front of the youths. One of them had let the tip of his sword droop to the floor. Sestio watched Marcus, enraged. Marcus opened the bureaus, pulled out the maps and plans he had been working on the day before. If he did n't show fear... The plans were as he'd left them.
`` Grandfather!'' he cried.
`` I will bathe, and dress, as normal,'' Marcus said. `` You will leave. We will not speak about this again. I will not tell your mother.'' Because Marcus could not remember which one of his many offspring were Sestio's mother.
Marcus rolled the die of fate and hoped Sestio would be too embarrassed to continue. He rolled up the plans in his hand and tapped them against the opposite palm.
`` It'll all have to be done again,'' he muttered to himself, moving to his study. The ornate room stretched around his: gilt and frescoed covered walls. He walked slowly, upright and ramrod straight, feeling the prickle on his neck as his would-be-assassins watched him leave.
`` Wait here,'' Sestio barked. He took two long strides and gripped his grandfather by the elbow. His long fingers dug into Marcus, who refused to show pain or fear.
`` Every day for years you have restarted the plans for this cathedral,'' Sestio whispered under his breath. `` It's a madman's dream. You'll never complete it.''
`` I will,'' Marcus said. `` And when I complete it, I'll choose to die. Do you know the fable of Penelope, as she waited for Odysseus?''
`` I do n't care,'' Sestio shook Marcus. It frightened him: the rage on his descendant's face, the hatred in his cold eyes. He did n't dare show it. `` Your mind's gone, old man. It's time to put it to rest.''
`` The cathedral will be a place of rest,'' Marcus broke free of Sestio's grip. `` For me, and for another who did n't choose to die. That's why it *has* to be perfect. For her.''
Sestio's eyes clouded in confusion. He stepped back. Marcus could n't resist one last dig.
`` And five others have tried to put an end to my plans, Sestio,'' he quipped. `` Yours has been the most feeble yet.''
-- -- --
/r/Schoolgirlerror
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[ wp ] The large hadron collider succeeds in creating a mini big bang , resulting in an observable microverse ...
| Red Bean 6
-- -
Red Bean 6
A world itself
Is guarded by a lab coat elf
-- -
A little bang
That was quite large
Began the bean sized glowing star
-- -
And scientists
And government
All wanted the experiment
-- -
And argued loud
And threatened war
But lab coat elf they did ignore
-- -
A little dwarf
Of elvish roots
He never spoke or sang a hoot
-- -
He wore a coat
And beanie cap
And seemed a caring sort of chap
-- -
He liked the bean
And held it dear
And listened closely with his ear
-- -
Red Bean spoke
It was alive
And lab coat elf could hear it cry
-- -
So as the councils
Near and far
Filed claim of Red Bean star
-- -
Lab coat elf
Loved the bean
And cared for it and kept it clean
-- -
And when the power
Strong and terse
Stormed to seize the universe
-- -
They found instead
An empty room
Save for one heart shaped balloon
-- -
So legend now
And evermore
Of Red Bean 6 galactic lore
-- -
Calls lab coat elf
Of elvish roots
The only one who gave a hoot
|
[ WP ] Every shop on the street pays protection money to the mob , except for one . Despite the mob repeatedly making thinly-veiled threats , the shop 's owner remains blissfully oblivious , upbeat , and so friendly that the mobsters do n't know what to do .
| It was 3:20 P.M. He'd been here for twenty minutes. Jimmy `` The Crusher'' Carbone raised the baseball bat, crashing the jeweler's glass display case and sending brilliant gems and shards of glass to the floor.
`` Whoops'', said Jimmy, `` the bat must have slipped.''
`` Oh! No problem! I'll clean that right up''
`` Look, I think you should buy some... insurance... make sure nothing like this ever happens again.''
`` Yeah, maybe I'll call GEICO.''
`` All right wiseguy, I'm just going to have a word with the boss about this.''
`` Uh. Okay?''
Jimmy walked outside... and found himself right back in the shop, the glass case was unharmed and the jewelry sat glistening inside it. It was 3:00 P.M.
`` Hello sir, what can I interest you in today?''
|
[ CW ] Write a möbius strip structured story that repeats after two complete loops round the text , instead of one . As in , it takes two complete reads of the text to read the whole story .
| The light bled slowly from his eyes -- drained from the hole in his heart, much like the crimson blood that was pooling at his feet. His rifle clattered to the pocked and dirty pavement just moments before his knees met the ground. Pain chased the blush of life away leaving only a pale sweat, and anguish tore the tears from his eyes as he held his friend, his brother, in his arms and met his gaze...
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
*The idea I was going for is that one of the men was actually shot and is dying, while the other is in great anguish as he watches his friend die. In effect, one has a literal hole in his heart, and the other a figurative one. I'm not sure I communicated this very well, so sorry about that, but I'm happy to hear any thoughts on how I could improve it! *
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[ WP ] The Hero falls in love with the Villain
| “ But he ’ s your brother. ”
“ Adopted-brother, and we ’ re practically different species, ” Thor said. Jane had been incredibly supportive in this. Ever since he declared to her that he might have feelings for men, she took it very well. Her first response was that she ‘ had always suspected ’ and when Thor asked why she commented that he was too pretty and too good looking and somewhere along the line she realized that he was too good to be true. She was right.
“ Yes, but still. ” Jane said as they climbed the jagged peaks. The sulfur was terrible for her hair, but if Loki were to hit any of the nine realms last it would be Muspelheim. Too much fire. “ Okay, ” Jane said finally, “ so you like him, and in some strange way though he is still your brother, being a different species makes it less weird. Then what? ”
“ I will declare my love for him. ” The god of thunder said without hesitation. Jane opened he mouth for a moment trying to find the right words to explain, but the only ones she could find suitable was “ You can ’ t do that! ”
“ Why not? ” Thor replied, hoisting her. She thanked him.
“ Because it doesn ’ t work that way! ” Jane exclaimed. Though Loki was Asgardian raised, his mentality felt closer to humans. This made Jane wonder about whether or not there was some species mixing when the Frost Giants arrived on earth, but threw that out the window since the size difference would ’ ve made it impossible.
“ It worked for us. ” Was the counter from the Asgardian.
“ Yes, but…I liked you. ”
“ Loki likes me too, ” Thor said, “ he is my brother, but not really. Because of the spe- ”
“ Species difference thing. Yeah I know. ” Jane finished. She knew what Thor is trying to say, he had mentioned in his strange way of rationalizing things that being so close that they were practically long lovers, had it not being for their parents and that that sort of thing between men didn ’ t really “ exist ” in Asgard it never crossed their minds as they grew up. More so that Thor ’ s love will redeem Loki. That was the plan. She didn ’ t know where he got all of it from since it was UTTERLY RIDICULOUS, but in the middle Thor had used phrases like “ repressed sexuality ” which made her wonder if he gotten into her psychology books.
“ What ’ s wrong with Steve? ” Jane said, she had to bring it up. Steve being on the borderline was practically blasting it like the “ Star Spangled Banner ” on 4th of July. He and Thor had a thing going or she had though, they had a lot in common, lack of knowledge of human events, like to go to the gym. Steve wasn ’ t a drinker but that didn ’ t stop them from hanging out together. She honestly even liked Steve better, but it stopped happening between Thor and Captain America after the Hydra infiltration.
Thor remained silent for a bit before saying anything. Something in his voice told her it bothered him to tell her.
“ He…couldn ’ t move on from the past. ” He finished.
Jane thought for a moment that he meant Margaret, but then it hit her who it was. She stopped pushing it.
“ I still think it ’ s a stupid idea. ”
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[ WP ] Humanity has forever been trying to reach the deepest parts of the ocean . When they get to the ocean floor , they find a lonely hut .
| `` 5 000 meters.'' E.L.L.A announced.
Felix sighed and put his legs up on the desk, pressing the intercom with his foot. `` How's it going down there?''
`` Fine. All systems stable.'' An irritated female voice replied.
`` 6 000 meters.''
`` 7 000 meters.''
`` Warning.Course Obstructed. Warning. Course Obstructed.''
The only other sound on the bridge was a soft snore.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
A loud screech echoed throughout the submarine. Dione had barely recovered from the ear-piercing sound before she was slammed into the submarine's oxygen scrubber. `` What the hell?'' she muttered.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix awoke on the floor uncertain as to what was going on. He remembered checking in with the head mechanic... `` Then what?'' Shrugging to himself, he got off the floor and dusted himself off. Glancing down at the radar display, he realized nothing was changing. The whole screen was glowing red.'Must be a malfunction.' He thought to himself.'Better check up with Dione'.
Felix tiredly turned on the intercom. `` Can you come up? The radar's gone wack.''
`` WHAT THE HELL MAN! WHAT KIND OF CAPTAIN ARE YOU?''
`` W-w-what?'' The poor boy was so confused. He heard an angry scream, followed by a thud before a sickeningly sweet voice came back up.
`` Well Captain, some IDIOT did n't notice when a HUGE red blip appeared on the radar and was n't paying attention to E.L.L.A. That SOMEONE does n't seem to realize that WE'RE STUCK ON A FUCKING SHELF!''
Felix paled. `` Shit. I think I fell asleep.''
`` NO KIDDING! Fuck. Okay, I'm coming to the bridge. Jerry, see check up on the instruments.''
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Dione let go of the comm. `` Our Captain is a mentally disabled son of an inbred three legged dog.''
Jerry slowly backed away from his boss. `` I think I'll go see if anything's broken.''
Dione took a deep breath before climbing up the service ladder. Poking her head out of the hatch, she saw her Captain, looking as lost as a fish in the desert.'Oh wait, the fish would be dead.'
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
`` Look over here, there's a crack right along the side of the shelf. I can go out there with the pressure suit and break the shelf off.''
Felix was still moderately confused.
`` Remind me why we ca n't just use the surfacing mechanism?''
Dione sighed and wondered why she always ended up with the incompetent ones.
`` The main thrusters are filled with mud and we ca n't get that out without because the shelf is obstructing the service path.''
`` Okay.... Just go do your thing then. I expect to be en route within the hour.''
Dione did n't even bother responding.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The familiar clicking helped smooth her frazzled nerves. Dione had spent half of her ( 26 year ) life in these suits, working for her father's maintenance company.
Finally reaching the walls of the trench, she examined the crack. The weak point in the rock was alot wider than it had appeared to be from the images E.L.L.A. had managed to piece together. Perhaps it would be easier than she thought. Picking up her crowbar, Dione did her best to wedge the end in the crack. `` This better work.'' She planted her feet against the wall and pulled. Nothing happened.
Dione thought for a bit. This would be a bit idiotic but if it worked, nobody needed the details. She pulled the crowbar out of the crack and wedged it acute side up, long side pointed towards her. Dione then maneuvered herself onto the crowbar, closed her eyes, and began jumping up and down, just as she did when she was a child, practicing gymnastics. Her efforts were rewarded with a loud crack, before the shelf gave way, along with half the trench.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> We ca n't bring us all to you, but maybe we can bring you back to us.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
Felix rolled over, his legs sinking into something soft and squishy. Everything around him smelled awful.
`` AHAHAHA! Welcome, little man, to the Halfway House!'' Opening his eyes, Felix saw a man clad in red before him, with a big beer gut, and an even bigger smile.
`` What's that smell?'' Felix asked.
`` Well, why do n't you look around?'' The Red Man suggested.
Felix's eyes widened. The soft surface his leg had come in contact with was a rotting corpse. `` No...'' All around him were bodies in various stages of decay. In the center of the horror stood a single white hut, with a single red door. Felix could just barely make out the words painted on the whitewashed walls.
Mariana's Half Way House.
`` Well, Felix, my name is Nicholas and I shall be selecting your Gate. Are you religious?''
`` Y-y-yes.'' Felix whispered.
`` Christian?'' Felix nodded.
`` Good! Good! That means you know of the Seven Rings. It's been a while since I've sent someone to the Seventh.''
`` No sir! Please!''
The Red Man Laughed. `` Should have know better than to come to the Deep. A Christian has no place among scientist. You Sinner.''
Felix wished his last sight was the stars.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
*He's the Old Saint Nicholas. *
*The Good man's sacrifice to stay. *
*He's the Old Saint Nicholas. *
*It's no more use to pray. *
|
[ WP ] When someone is suicidal or has a death wish , a disturbing creature comes in the night and ends their lives . Narrator is someone who changes their mind when face to face with the creature as it comes to take them .
| The sunlight came flooding in through the sunroof of the penthouse, illuminating the tastefully chosen furniture and interior design of my top level Manhattan apartment. Neither the time nor place for suicide some would say, but irony and pathetic fallacy be damned, those bottles of aspirin and Panadol were n't going to consume themselves.
I eyed the innocuous pills as they sat on the table, I remembered a comedian saying, “ Aspirin is one messed up drug, take a bunch of those motherfuckers, and it ’ ll be your last headache ”.
What the hell is wrong with me? I have it all don ’ t I; the perfect apartment, a beautiful girlfriend, a rising career, why am I stuck here. Why is everything so boring? Why is it so hard to get out of bed? The sun always beamed gloriously, but it never shined here.
I grab the bottle of aspirin and twist off the cap. A ghostly figure materializes in front of me as I do so. Wisps of black smoke evolve from the edges of the figure, like shadows coming to life. His core is a grey vortex, a thundercloud but only more aggressive and turbulent. Chains made of what could only be described as solidified shadows spread from his core and wrapped around my body forming an unholy noose over my neck.
The apparition started becoming more and more solid. The core started to resemble a face with a wide, toothy grin that covered most of his face. A singular eye took to the centre of his face, shifting wildly from side to side. On either side of this eye where holes on which normal eyes should have resided but instead lay only wisps of black smoke. I looked at the bottle of pills and found it to be empty. Slowly the apparition came towards me but floating from side to side like a dandelion caught in the wind. The closer he came the tighter the noose became. In a cold whisper he said, “ You called. ”
I looked at him realizing the implication; it was his fault that I felt heavy and devoid, his fault I was bored with my life. He manipulated me into seeking oblivion. I screamed heavily, “ No! Let me go, I didn ’ t want this. ” Suddenly the noose became unbearably tight; it no longer gave way to my body choosing instead to shackle me down to the bed. I released the empty bottle and watch it roll away.
“ Too late, ” whispered the apparition. I looked at him feeling despair, slowly realizing the calamity that had befallen me. This was not how my life was supposed to end; I still had so much more to do. I wanted to live! “ What ’ s done is done ”, he cooed. I looked at the monstrosity as it jeered my damning fate. He provoked all the anger and hate that I could muster and the sapped it with those malicious chains.
Consciousness started to slip, and I feeling the guilt take over me started to apologize for everyone I ever knew; my parents, my brothers, my sister, my girl and my best friend. Damn, I ’ m going to miss Chuck, he was a good friend. Once were in this crazy party and I bet him 5 dollars he could n't do a keg stand. I still remember how he staggered to find the keg and the proceed to hump it as he awkwardly got on top and then fall into the pool before he even got one leg off the ground. I chuckled at the memory.
I look at the apparition and its horror at my chuckle. Is n't that it, “ When death smiles at you, you can only smile back ”. I give my happiest smile but it manifests as a crack in my lips. Slowly the apparition fades. The sun his darkness blocked fades as well. Slowly I pass to nothingness.
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[ WP ] You wake up in a church and the funeral service is yours .
| At first I thought I'd fallen asleep in the bath. Easy mistake; I rise in the morning about as slowly as the sun does over a horizon. I definitely had n't left the lights off, though. I like to read in the bath, despite the risk of drowning books this leisurely activity comes with, and need plenty of light.
The stiff darkness struck me first. When I blinked hard and broadened my eyes, the black air remained unmovable. It was encrusted in the walls that I soon felt squishing my limbs against my body, like meat against the tube of a meat-grinder.
I did n't know where I was, but I understood what was happening. Breathing quickened. Eyes darted around. Heart thudded against my chest, which I soon mimicked. I began thudding my fists against the sides of this horrible confined space.
I continued pounding as best I could considering I could hardly move, and soon heard muffled voices as if my head were submerged underwater. Light poured in and I was relieved to finally see and breathe; and relieved that I was saved from what I thought was certain death so quickly.
In fact, if it were n't as soon as it was I may not have been saved at all.
`` Oh my god! What the hell is going -- Dave is alive!''
I was dazed for a time; everything was grainy and distorted. Muffled yet boisterous murmurs filled my ears, like that of a bustling shopping centre. I saw black figures sat in rows along pews. I felt my vision sway as if I'd drunk a little too much before retiring to my coffin-for-a-bed and everything blended with the stained-glass windows.
`` Dave, we-we-... you were dead! How is this happening!?'' I could n't recognise his face due to my dizziness, but a man stood over me with a flustered and deeply perturbed face.
I heard him speak, but did n't turn to face him. I was beginning to recompose myself - if you could call me composed after discovering what I thought was a bath was actually a coffin - and eyed around the room. Amongst the sea of people dressed in black, I spotted one without a face at the very back of the room, sat on a lone pew.
Fully dressed in black, hooded, and motionless - the figure was looking right at me, or so it seemed. I could feel their intense gaze, even without eyes to speak of. The figure stood up, still facing me for a moment, and then drifted slowly out of the church. I felt my heart drop into my stomach like a rock to the bottom of a lake.
I escaped death once, but knew I'd be encountering it again soon.
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[ WP ] You make food others would kill for .
| The city of Dair is renown for its trade, entrepreneurial spirit and the merchant empires that grow from nothing. Exporting more than ideas, its famed armouries supply kingdoms and sometimes empires with rifles, ammunition and the means for self-destruction.
That being said, it is the greatest importer of foreign cuisine. Dairish food is little better than eating dirt of a boot.
Tamran Yin was such a man to take advantage of this distinct lack of taste. Both in cuisine and lacking a tongue for flavour, he was more than happy to impart some of his fine knowledge of the arts to these city dwellers.
His food stall stood low between two dingy buildings at the end of the market, covered by a thick piece of cloth. He steams pork filling on a steamed bun, he filled bowls with chicken soup, his beef pasties filled the mouths of miners, aristocrats and the odd beggar. He had even won a competition against a famous chef, one who cooked the meals for a major trading family.
But today he was trying something *revolutionary*.
Business was slow with the winter bleeding into spring. Fresh stock vegetables were hard to obtain and the only excess material he could find were thick skinned chickens. But he glowered at the challenge. He had an abundance of eggs, poultry and a lifetime of lard.
His assistant also found a new import of a strange green and yellow fruit that tasted something sour.
But as the day came to a close, Tamran's mind thought, ran into the alleys, around the city and back. He had nearly come to making a simple broth when an idea struck him.
`` Tess! Get the lard and boil it. Ryhse, get a box of the yellow fruit, squeeze and mix with a carton of eggs. Tabs, what spice do we have?''
`` Southern hotspice!'' Tabs yelled. It was a strange thing to see it all unfold in a small unsanctioned alley. `` Smoked reds and hot pepper mixed with that a bit of scarlet chili! peppers!''
`` Pan fry the peppers and ground em! Mix them with most flour and one part spice. Get it done!''
Suddenly the stall began to angrily fill in with smells, the bubbles of large starting to come to erupting from the black pot. Tamran himself bloodied himself by wrestling with chickens, chopping them into chunks. As the flour and spices began to come to a conclusion, Ryhse came back bitterly saying that the egg mixture was done. Tamran, satisfied with all the prep began his own kind of magic.
Coating the chicken with flour, then into the eggwash, he coated it once more with flour. Ryhse followed suit, starting a production line. Once double coated, Tess quickly chucked the chicken into the now boiling lard.
Tamran watched as the white covered chicken materialized into a golden, crispy delectable. The oil dripped off his hands, burning his already thickened and calloused hands.
But the crunch, the tender soft meat, the tang of that lemon combined with the hotspice made for something fierce in his mouth. His thoughts, now something tangible was more than anything he had ever done. Again.
They began serving the midnight miners, a sort that demanded food quickly. Upon being asked to name his dish, he went for the easiest answer.
`` Why, it's fried chicken.''
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[ WP ] Torture was never invented . Countries instead spoil prisoners like kings to get information out of them . You are an instructor tasked with training spies to resist the enemy 's kindness .
| Stav paced up and down the ranks of spies. `` They will do their very best to spoil your rotten. They will give you the best food, the most luxurious of massages. They will pamper you and do your toenails. And what do you give them?''
`` Nothing.'' The reply was immediate and absolute. They were in the final phase of their training, and there was only one test left. Stav turned, his eyes sweeping up and down the faces of the clandestine service officers.
`` You,'' he stepped up to a woman. Her green eyes met his with a stoic hardness. She was Yolanda Zameer. The top of her class, and the example he would make.
If he could break her they would see that he could break them all.
He beckoned her with his finger and she stood, following him to the front of the room and sitting down in the plush chair that he provided. Stav turned to her and placed his hands on his hips.
`` Miss Zameer,'' he paced back and forth in front of her. `` You *will* tell us the location of your black ops base in this country. You *will* tell us what happened to Gregor Anatoli.''
`` I'm sorry,'' Yolanda looked at him with calm eyes. `` I'm afraid I do n't know what you're talking about.''
Part of him wanted to smile with pride. *Bet I could hook her up to a goddamn lie detector and she would n't even blink. * `` You do n't know what we're talking about?'' he smirked at her. `` Oh, but Miss Zameer. We have time stamped photos of you at the last known location of Mr. Anatoli. Surely you do n't think us so stupid to believe this is a coincidence?''
With a measured voice Yolanda said, `` I'm sorry. I'm afraid I do n't know what you're talking about.''
`` Well then,'' Stav rolled back his sleeves. `` I suppose we'll have to turn to more... *extreme* measures.'' He walked over to his desk in the classroom, pulling open a drawer and extracting from it something that briefly caught a gleam of light before he hid it in his hands.
`` Miss Zameer, this is your final warning,'' he said. `` Tell us where Gregor is and we'll make a deal with your government.''
`` I'm sorry, I'm afraid I do n't know what you're talking about,'' came the response.
Stav grinned. This was his favorite part of the job, training them to take an interrogation. `` Well then, Yolanda. I'm afraid I have no choice but to force this upon you.'' He revealed the shiny key that he had held in his hand. Yolanda took a deep inhale before collecting herself.
`` Is that...?''
`` Why yes. It's the key to a new Ferrari. It could be yours if you give us the information.''
`` I-I'm sorry, I do n't know what you're talking about.''
`` No?'' Stav reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper, unfolding it. `` How about a castle in Scotland?''
Yolanda bit her lip, her fingers starting to curl together. `` I... I'm sorry. I do n't... I do n't know...''
`` And an hour with our best masseuse?'' Stav ventured, smiling as he watched her shift in her chair. `` Plus an all-expenses paid trip to Paris? A romantic dinner with your boyfriend at the top of the Eiffel? A dual citizenship?''
`` Y-you're lying!'' Yolanda's voice started to break. Stav could see that she was visibly sweating now.
`` I'm not lying, Yolanda,'' Stav came to a halt in front of her. Most would have broken by this point and he could see that her will was fading. He just had to push a little harder.
`` And then we'll pay for a shopping spree at Chanel,'' the slow grin spread across his face as Yolanda's mouth dropped open, her hands clutching at her heart.
`` Gregor is in the black site two hundred kilometers south of here!'' she cried. `` I can get you in!''
Stav smiled as he slowly turned to the rest of the class. `` You may think that you have what it takes to be *out there* doing field work. But let me tell you, you have a long way to go in learning how to withstand interrogation.''
-- -
For more nonsensical things, subscribe to /r/Celsius232
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[ WP ] Killing Hitler has become a sport amongst time travelers . Points are awarded for creativity and difficulty . You are last year 's champion , how did you win ?
| They had decapitated him countless times. Stabbed, burned, exploded, poisoned. Really, it had become quite cliche. Everyone had seen the vids of the german Furher's last moments as he died by violence. They always had a sameness to them. He would remain defiant to the end, spitting out angry german, dark eyes flashing as he breathed his last, as the latest competitor in the `` kill hitler'' contest thrust a burning blade through his trachea, or doused him in gasoline and then turned a butane torch on him.
Me, I'm an artist. A creative type. I knew before I entered the contest that I would be doing something different. I requisitioned a matter multiplier from the Department of Metaphysical Equipment, along with a portal gun. The clerk at the DME raised his eyebrow at me when I told him what the requisition form was for. `` You gon na multiply him to death? Portal him into the ocean or something?'' I smiled back `` you'll have to wait till friday nights show to see.''
I'm what the denizens of 21st century western-sphere earth would have called `` obsessive''. My research was impeccable. I found the Berlin beer garden that, according fluff propoganda piece run in a german wartime newspaper, Hitler liked to frequent on the weekends. It was a three story building with a sign outside that said `` Brauhaus Suderstern''
I spent infinite saturday and friday nights there, 1939 to 1942 over and over and over again in a loop, learning his routine. No matter what the butterfly effects of my presence in the timeline, on the night of october 1st, 1940, the Fuhrer always took a massive shit in the second floor mens bathroom at exactly 6:09 PM. I can still smell his shit. I observed from the next stall hundreds of times as that night he emptied his bowls into the porcelain bowl. It smelled of radishes and cigarettes. The fucker.
Finally, I decided it was time. My preparations made, I entered the bathroom for the 276th time on october 1st, 1940, at 5:59 PM. Downstairs, I knew that hitler would be burping on his third tankard of Kolsch beer that night. At 6:03 he would finish the tankard and slam it down onto the table with a satisfied grunt. At 6:05 he would ask his drinking partners ( SS officers and propaganda ministers ) to be excused for a moment, and would rise and ascend the long creaky wooden stairs to the second floor.
I shot the portal gun into the toilet I knew the Fuhrer would use, placing the entry point of the portal just in front of the U-Bend of the toilet. Next, I placed the matter multiplier just above the portal I had just created, setting the matter multiplier to X5000. I then shot the portal gun once more at the ceiling directly above the toilet where the fuhrer would in a few minutes be sitting, creating a destination point for the portal on the grimy tile ceilling of the beer garden bathroom. By 6:06 I had placed a half dozen molecule sized cameras around the stall that the supreme dictator of germany would still occupy. Soon, they would be live streaming to interested viewers all throughout the multiverse.
Objectives established, I exited the bathroom to wait. I did n't want to be in there for the undoubtedly horrific smell that would ensue. Besides, while I would like to see his face when it went down, the cameras would record it for my viewing later.
The furher passed me in the hall. He smelled like beer and sweat, and pushed me slightly with his shoulder as he walked past. He did n't apologize, just grunted angrily. I heard him enter the bathroom, and the door shut after him. I imagined the footsteps that would take him to the toilet, the sound as he lowered the lid, the slap of his pallid butt cheeks on the seat, the squelch as the Furhers sphincter disgorged his liquidy beer-shits, but then, along with everyone else in the 3 story building, I HEARD the sound of the avalanche of diarrea that poured into the toilet stall, filling the entire room in a matter of seconds. From outside, you could barely make out his screams as he drowned in his own liquid poop. The smell was insane.
I transported out of there after that. Needless to say, I won the contest.
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[ WP ] Write a story that involves blood , but reminds you of home .
| The first time I saw a cow give birth was while standing outside the barn on a cool April day as grey as they come in rural Manitoba. I had been wandering around the barnyard, as I often did, with a walking stick imagining I was a powerful sorcerer or slave pit fighter just managing to survive my next encounter in the arena. As I turned around the corner of our old bowed in barn I saw one of our cows laying on her stomach slightly to the side. Something in my mind knew that this moment was an important one as I stopped dead in my tracks to stare. I stood there silently for a half hour watching this cow give birth, cheering her on in my mind. Until finally, with one final push a slimy calf was born into the world. Within seconds it was hobbling up onto it's bony legs to wander around it's exhausted mother. The sense of beauty at what I had just witnessed was exhilarating.
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[ WP ] an immortal man who can not be physically injured is a passenger on a jet that 's going to crash .
| He ’ d flown enough to know the difference between a problem and *a problem*. A simple problem would be something like a compressor stall, a single contained engine failure – errors that every pilot has spent thousands of hours handling in training and reality. Then there are the problems that even the most naïve and inexperienced air traveler knows are cause for concern.
The trick was always to look at the faces of the flight attendants. Smiling? Calmly giving instructions? This is normal and you ’ ll be okay. A lot of people aren ’ t aware of just how well trained flight attendants are. Sure they need to be able to serve you food and drinks, sort out the IFE and handle complaints about seat pitch. Yes, they ’ re also trained and drilled to empty a fully laden passenger aircraft of three hundred plus passengers in less than 90 seconds after a crash landing. They ’ re trained in crew resource management, air traffic control procedure, the list goes on. What they ’ re trained for you ’ ll be able to see is happening by the look on their faces.
The attendant sitting two rows ahead gave it all away about 5 seconds after the first explosion. He ’ d flown enough and watched enough of those air crash shows to know what had happened. A quick look out the window of the doomed jet ’ s window confirmed what he thought. The number two engine was all but gone. An uncontained engine failure – the blades had destroyed the engine, slats, flaps, speed brakes and sent debris into the cabin – causing an explosive decompression that had already killed half a dozen passengers.
He studied the face of the flight attendant as his internal sensors let him know that the plane had entered a steep descent. Steeper than normal – he instinctively put his hands on the seat in front of him to stop him from falling onto the person in front of him. Her face was a mix of confusion and fear. Utter fear. This wasn ’ t something that the pilot was going to be able to save them from. Everyone was screaming, but the roar of the remaining engines turning at full thrust drowned out any hope of their last breaths being heard by anyone.
People around him had begun to put their masks on – those small yellow masks that fall down when the cabin suffers decompression. He didn ’ t bother standing on ceremony and let his mask dangle above his head while he looked at the cabin about him. The plane was now spinning. The force was unbelievable – people were being held against the ceiling of the cabin like invisible hands held them there. Others were floating in their seats – being pulled up but kept down by their lap belts. Their mouths were all open, most were crying, some just looked utterly resigned to their fate. He again looked out the window and saw the vast expanse of ocean rising to meet them. In that instance he groaned – they were still 500 kilometers from the coast. 500 kilometers was a long way to swim, even for him. 500 kilometers of being occasionally dragged under by a shark; having to wait for them to work out that their bite did nothing but waste time. Then he ’ d have to swim back to the surface and figure out where the stupid animal had let him go. He sighed *it'll be weeks before I'm back on land. * His fellow passengers were screaming under the din of rushing air and spinning engines.
The airframe broke apart about a kilometer from the surface of the ocean. In an instant he was flung from the cabin into the wide blue sky. He felt something slam into him and knock the wind out of him – he ’ d collided with one of the wings and broken right through it as the centrifugal forces of the doomed aircraft shot him into space. He stopped his upward arc and began to fall. The sickening feeling of falling stopped as he hit terminal velocity. *I must go skydiving again* was his last thought before he hit the water.
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[ WP ] Two best friends are granted immortality . Over time , they fall out . Hundreds of years down the line , one of them develops dementia .
| As I walked into the house, I was assailed by the smell of aging. All of the memorabilia and knick knacks accrued over a lifetime. Several lifetimes in fact and all of them his.
I found him in the sun room, sitting in an armchair that once seated kings. He did n't look any older than the last time I had seen him, and considering that was nearing two hundred years ago it was no mean feat.
He stretched leisurely, then looked around. He spotted me and smiled in welcome, “ Hello there, who are you? ”
I frowned and moved closer to him, scanning his brown eyes for any spark of recognition. They remained kindly and a touch confused. I was as untouched by time as he was, he should know me.
“ My name is Petrus. ” I used my birth name, hoping it would jog his memory.
“ Petrus, that's a nice name. ” He stood and extended his hand, “ Nice to meet you. I'm Thomas. ”
I was silent as I took the offered hand. I stared at his face, his face that was as familiar to me as my own. The face that was my best friend, and now belonged to a stranger. Just as I was to him.
`` Why are you doing this? I know we did n't part on the best of terms, but do n't act like you do n't know me!'' I did n't realise I was crying until I felt the tears on my cheeks, and his expression changed to one of alarmed concern.
`` I do n't know what you're saying.'' He asked softly, taking a step back. “ Why are you crying? ”
After a long moment all I could reply with was, “ I lost my best friend. ”
“ Oh. ” He said, then he looked around the room, “ Are you quite sure he's not around here somewhere? ”
I buried my face in my hands and wept.
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[ WP ] At age 15 you told the gf you were `` in love '' with that you 'd always be there when she was in need . Aphrodite heard you and made it a reality , whenever your gf was in need you appear at her side . Problem is , you and the girl broke up after 3 weeks but you still appear even now..10 years later
| Jon, a 21 year old frat boy was sitting on his couch watching some hardcore midget pron, just as he was about to reach his climax at his favorite part he quickly closed his eyes and let his load blow everywhere. After sighing and feeling relieved he opened his eyes and became mortified after he suddenly realized he was no longer watching his midget pron, but actually staring into the eyes of his high school crush. Who for some strange reason had streams of tears rolling down her eyes and surprisingly her mouth. Remember the intense desire I had for her I quickly reached my right hand out and stroked her face to wipe out the tears, but no! These were n't no ordinary tears, these were actually the tears of my offspring who now resided in her face. I looked her straight in the eyes and she said nothing. After a few seconds of not talking she said, I'm never taking LSD again. I was shocked that the woman of my dreams was doing drugs so I got up and walked home. It was n't until I got home that I realized that I was disappointed in myself. Not because I walked home naked for 3 miles with my wiener in my hand, but because I had missed the part where the midget shouts, `` say hello to my little friend''. Moral of the story, do n't mess with women who do drugs.
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[ WP ] You are an alien body snatcher , and this is your first day in your new host body . You have no idea what his life is .
| How did I end up here? Why ca n't I see anything? Why ca n't I move? Dammit, these were supposed to be active bipedal social creatures. What the fuck? Did those idiots in Operations fuck this up? What's that? I think I hear something; but it's muffled. Shouting. There are others here. Maybe this will be resolved soon. Then I can start my study of these creatures. I can hear them now, the words are starting to make sense. At least we did n't fuck up the translators; we do n't know how many dialects they have. What are they saying?.... *'' Bring out the Gimp.''.... `` But the Gimp's sleeping.''... `` Well, I guess you're gon na have to go wake him up now, wo n't you? `` *... What the fuck? Is this the real life here? Is this just fantasy?
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[ CW ] Write the story of your worst hour in under an hour , but do n't look at what you write , submit it without review . Do n't give the letters a second glance .
| I was just barely out of the wheelchair. My arm was numb from where the antibiotics had flowed for the past several months. Waves of constant anxiety washed over me. I drowned in self doubt and pity. There was nobody to really visit me, and my eighteenth birthday had been spent mostly alone. Who then, really cares if I lived or if I died? My body was no longer oozing infectious disease; but there was no getting the time spent on surgeons' tables, in hospital beds, and the time spent regurgitating every food I had once loved back. I sat, zombie-like in my wheelchair for support at a computer screen. It glowed harshly on my pale skin; sunken eyes looking perhaps eternally like they'd seen the other side now and were ready for it. The December cold reminded me of the blood infusion I had been awake for, one of many. I could n't really remember what the sun looked or felt like.
And then it happened. He died. He died spluttering up his own blood; probably choking and clutching his sheets. I did n't know it then; I would n't know the details for a long time - but I knew all the same that he was gone. The cancer had consumed him. I choked, too. On tears. I remembered when I could n't breathe in the hospital, I remembered how much of my experience mimicked his and I wondered why it was me. I did n't have children, a partner, a job, friends, or even a father. This guilt encompassed me after the most numbing hour of my life. The guilt of but a second of death lasted me an incredible amount of seconds and hours more. The pill crushing, the alcohol mixing, the starvation and the many ways I sought to find my breath with out knowing - they never satiated me. And they never would. Though it was the worst hour of my life and it had reminded me of everything I had failed at in a single instant, the death had also given me the courage I never would have had to live.
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[ WP ] Time freezes as Death approaches and offers the soon-to-be departed a chance to pick someone within reach to take their place . On a road trip , your family 's car just froze .
| Let me set the scene for you: I'm on a road trip with the family, driving down the straightest highway you've ever seen, everything around just flat as you can imagine. All of a sudden, everything around me freezes like a photograph, and a small figure appears in a puff of smoke on my dashboard.
`` Hey, how ya doing Tim? Wait, dumb question. You're dying!''
He looked like the Grim Reaper, straight out of a storybook, except about 2 feet tall and sitting on my dash. But he sure did n't sound like I'd imagine he would.
`` What do you mean? Who *are* you?'' I asked.
`` Morty, Death, the Grim Reaper, take your pick. Anyway, that *little* headache you just started feeling? It's really a *massive* stroke! I mean, even if you were in a hospital right now, you'd be done for! Lucky for you, I'm gon na give you a choice, just to make things interesting. Killing people day in and day out can get old, you know. Even older than most of the people I kill!... It's a joke, laugh! Oy, some people have no sense of humor...
`` So, here's the deal: Instead of just offing you like I oughta, give me the name of who'll die. The owner of the name you say will immediately and permanently cease to function. But! It ca n't be me, and has to be someone close enough for you to touch, so you ca n't just name some tyrant or celebrity.''
I looked at my wife, Kathy, and our girls Libbie and Becca, and knew that I'd give my life for any of them in a heartbeat. `` Go on, pick! Do n't take all day, or I just might die of boredom. Will it be *you*?'' I turned forward again to face my annoying little carguest. Kathy would be able to take the wheel and get the car stopped safely enough if I died. `` Maybe your lovely wife here? I *may* be able to see the future, and lem me tell ya, I see her turning into a real nightmare within a few years. * ( she's too pretty to stick with a schmuck like you ) *''
`` Bitsy.'' I said, resolutely.
`` Bitsy? Who's Bitsy?!''
`` The car.'' Kathy always thought it was silly for me to name our cars, but now it just might pay off in the most unlikely way imaginable.
Death had a surprised look on his face as he pondered my answer. Then he started laughing and said, `` Oh, I should n't let you get away with that, but I *do* appreciate a wit *nearly as sharp* as my own. Time for Bitsy to bite the dust!''
Just as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared and time resumed. Bitsy's engine died, so I pushed on the brakes, but nothing happened. As the car was rolling to a stop, I tried to steer to keep it on the road, but found that the steering wheel too had `` ceased to function''. Luckily, by the time the car veered off the highway, we had slowed enough for it to just mean a bumpy ride. That joker even `` killed'' the *door handles*, so I had to bust out our windows to get out of Bitsy. The car was a total loss, but nobody could understand how happy I was to have lost Bitsy.
-- -- -
That's how I learned: when Death comes knocking, answer with a bad knock-knock joke and a good sense of humor, and he might just let you live for a while longer.
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[ WP ] There 's an insane person who wants to destroy the whole world , and despite your obvious and wholehearted attempts to stop that person , said insane person considers you a friend .
| `` Hey, Nick...'' I started hesitantly, controller sweaty in my hands. I kept my eyes on the TV in an attempt to keep things casual. `` I was thinking maybe, uh... you know just throwing this out there... maybe not everyone has to die?''
He fragged me again. Kid was good. I respawned and had time to grab a railgun before he answered. `` Sure they do,'' he said, just as casually.
What could I say about Nick? He was that one friend I knew was n't for everybody; the friend about whom I'd say, `` He may be an asshole, but he's *my* asshole.'' How long can you turn a blind eye to a friend's faults, though, before *you* become the asshole? Probably, I concluded, up until about the time he decides to exterminate the whole world.
`` Yeah, yeah that's cool,'' I said. I sneaked a glance at him. Flashes of light glinted off his thick frames. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he hunted me down in-game. `` It's just that—''
`` Gotcha!'' he yelled, then turned to look at me. He locked eyes with me for a moment. `` Camping like a little bitch, huh?'' Laughing, he turned back to the game.
`` Yeah. Like a little... Hey what do you say we talk about your doomsday weapon?''
I could hear his fingers clacking at controller buttons. `` Nah.''
`` Yeah, nah, it's cool.'' He built that damn thing on a lark; just to see if he could, really. It started as a fun science project—Nick was *very* smart—but ended up as way to get back at the whole world for some perceived slight or other. He did n't like to talk about it. `` Would n't it be crazy though if you took NATO's offer of a trillion dollars?'' I laughed like it was more of a joke than a suggestion.
`` Do n't need money if everyone's dead.''
`` True, true.'' God he was seriously going to do it, was n't he? Why would n't they offer him more? How did they expect me to talk him out of it? I stood up. `` Hey man, I'm video gamed out. What say we do some drinking?''
`` Excellent idea, Rand-o!'' he said. He left the room to grab some alcohol. I shut off the game and, under the guise of stretching my limbs, approached the doomsday console. The weapon itself was not here; he'd hidden it in some cave or other. Neutrons, he'd assured me once, could penetrate several feet of Earth. How he planned to disperse the payload was beyond me, but the world's leaders were powerless to stop it—any attempt on his life would trigger the mechanism, for one. A variety of things would trigger it, actually. Kid was insane.
He bounced into the room, caught me staring at the console. `` It's password protected,'' he said, proffering a beer.
I snatched it, took a long sip. `` Oh I was n't trying to—''
`` I know,'' he interrupted. `` I'm just saying, you could n't if you wanted to.'' He slowly brought his beer to his lips as he stared at me unnervingly.
`` A trillion dollars,'' I said. `` That's... a lot of money.''
`` Seven point four billion people in the world, Randy. A trillion measly dollars? That's a hundred thirty-five dollars a person. Can you believe how fucking cheap they are?'' *They* being NATO. `` They want to save the world and they offer me a hundred thirty-five dollars a person. Not a penny more—that's fucked up.''
A glimmer of hope sparked in my mind. `` You're saying...''
`` I'm saying they should offer me more. It's like they do n't even give a shit.''
`` Why did n't you offer them a counter?''
`` I dunno. I guess I just wanted them to sweat a little.''
`` Ohhhhh!'' I said. `` You're not going to kill everyone after all, eh?''
`` Not everyone.'' He chugged the last of his beer, threw it in his trash bin. `` Another beer?'' he asked.
`` Not yet. You go ahead.'' I was still nursing mine.
`` K. Gon na take a piss,'' he said, then left the room in a hurry.
I watched him leave, then pulled out my phone. Quickly I dialed the redline number they gave me. It was picked up immediately. `` He wants more,'' I whispered. `` For God's sake just give him more.''
The tinny voice: `` You ca n't stop him?''
`` No I ca n't stop him! I told you he would n't listen to me.''
A long pause. `` Alright. Ask him if he'd do it for two trillion dollars.''
I sighed. `` I mean, I'll try but—'' I heard the toilet flush. `` I'll keep trying.'' I hung up the phone.
A moment later Nick was headed my way. After feigning a bored yawn, I asked him, `` So, Nick... hypothetically...''
`` I've decided not to kill everybody,'' he said, just like that. `` For a trillion dollars, I mean. Why not.''
To call Nick whimsical was to use too frilly a word, but I guess he was just shy of insane after all. Myself? I was all too rational. I held his gaze squarely. `` What if I could get you two trillion?''
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[ WP ] An evil villain has hatched his most diabolical plan yet , to kill the world ... with kindness .
| Everyone watched the broadcast. Not because they had to. But because they were all waiting, bated in breath, to see what the world's most powerful man had in store for them.
His face was recognizable by anyone. A controversial figure. A week ago, he had said he had a plan, a plan to change the world. Some people were excited. Others were afraid. All of them froze in silence as he began to speak.
`` My goal,'' he said, `` Is to give everyone in the world aids.''
Panic ensued. Fallback plans to assassinate the king of oil, telecom, and media went underway within seconds after the words left his lips.
He was dead within the next hour. Markets plummeted, civil chaos erupted in the streets. A month later, nuclear fallout left the planet devastated.
A poor choice of words, it was.
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[ WP ] The year is 2040 , and you are the last smoker alive . The `` Quit Smoking '' ads get personal .
| I've outlasted it for years. I've watched campaigns come and go for years never having any effect on my habit, but this was something more. The first anti smoking ad I saw was when I was 10 years old. It showed a middle aged man going through his daily life with a hole in his throat. Plugging it when he took showers, talking like some demented robot, scaring his children. This had absolutely no affect on me. Science would take care of it, I thought. Robot voice could be fun, I hoped. But I will never be given the courtesy of robot voice, for the culture war against smoking has persisted.
A few years after scary throat man, the government deployed a little more extreme measures to curb smoking, they began showing pictures of damaged lungs and arteries on the front of every pack of cigarettes. Every time you went for a smoke, you would be faced with the harsh reality of lung cancer. Again, this had absolutely no affect on me. I could always get a transplant could n't I? Do lung transplants exist? It does n't matter, the point is I just want to smoke my Marlboros.
A few years later, the government again ramped up their efforts. This time, they encouraged citizens to heckle anyone they saw smoking. It was incredibly effective, the few people who could make it past robot voice man and pictures of fucked up lungs could n't continue to smoke when it was n't even cool. I mean it's one thing to knowingly destroy your body while looking badass, but to do it when people are booing you is just plain stupid. For a few a while it was just me and a group of angsty teenagers who liked the attention, but soon they passed the phase. Now the year is 2040, and I smoke alone. Every time I leave the house for a smoke I'm berated by every living person on Earth. Kids, old people, it does n't matter. They've researched me, and they know just how to insult me. Every time I buy a pack, the picture that come with is no longer of damaged organs, but personal insults written by the cashier. This morning it said, `` Your father is disappointed in you.''
But still I persist, I do n't friends, family, personal relationships. Not when I have my Marlboros.
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[ WP ] There is a drug called Sever that causes terrible hallucinations ... or perhaps is allowing its victims to see something that was always there ...
| `` Give me your stuff!'' He exclaimed as he held the button. One push and it would be over for both of us. The higher-ups had already suspected him, but this.... this was not supposed to happen. `` Please,'' I told him, `` Put it down and lets get out of here. We are not safe until we grab it.'' I could see the terror in his eye. He knew what would become of us should we be discovered, even worse if we used the panic button. `` I do n't want to die!'' His voice now shaking from sheer terror. `` We wo n't die. I know this place inside and out. As long as you do your job, we should be out of here without indecent.'' I could see I was getting through to him, but he was still scared. `` Please, I do n't even know if I can synthesize the plant that quickly. Why do n't we just leave?'' I turned to look at him, he let out a half-smile as if to acknowledge the sheer ridiculousness of the suggestion. `` You know why were here. You know we ca n't do that. I refuse to be blind any longer.'' He was composing himself. My anger was fueling his second wind. I was glad, I would not be able to undertake such a task alone. `` You know my training, you know you can depend on me. It will be over in less than 10 minutes, okay?'' His expression was one of a defeated man. `` Okay.'' We set out. It was dark, and yet strangely empty for such a highly secured sector of the building. `` I guess they moved security to the perimeter to completely prevent break-ins. They must know not to be in the hallways. Shit.'' He followed close by. I could not bear to tell him the true nature of our assignment. `` Okay, here is the most important bit. You must continue down this hallway and take the third door on your right. You will get 5 minutes once the door is opened to work your magic. Take this watch and set it to 12 am. You get 5 minutes from the opening of the door. Either collect the sample or bring anything we may use to produce what is necessary.'' His expression of fear was gone. He had finally realized the consequences of both success and failure. At least, what we told him could happen. `` I will set all the traps, they will help us get away.'' `` Traps?'' He said. `` Yes, we must neutralize our pursuers or risk utter failure. These people do not play around, and I suggest you stop questioning my methods lest you enjoy being at the mercy of the people we are trying to stop.'' His gaze shifted, no longer focused on me or the gun I handed him. `` This is a special gun. Do not lose it under any circumstances, and do not fire if your target is less than 2 meters away from you.'' He began examining the gun. It looked like a regular standard military issue 9mm side-arm. There was something, different about it, though. `` Why is it so heavy?'' The fear in his eyes returned. `` I'll answer all your questions once we escape, now go get the specimen!''
He runs down the hall and sees a steel door with a green light ominously blinking. He pushes the button. The sound of gears broke the silence. The door silences. *This is a restricted area. Please Swipe your access card now. * He furiously pries open an access hatch and begins to cut wires and disconnect various electronics. *Welcome, Dr. Stevens. * The second door he is presented with has plenty of signs threatening injury and prosecution. With a breath, he lets himself in. Immediately, an alarm goes off. He has no time to think, he rushes through and begins his search.
`` Damn scientists do n't know the meaning of stealth.'' Footsteps could be heard rushing throughout the building now. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. `` Explosions? Are those the traps? Shit, he'll bring the facility down at that rate.'' BOOM. `` Stevens! We have to leave.'' We navigated through the air system, hoping to end up on the roof. We made a surprisingly effective getaway through a side vent on the building. Their preparations betrayed them.
`` Stevenson, did you get it?''
`` Yes,'' he replied, `` but what do you need with so many meteorites?''
`` I'll explain at home, lets go.''
`` No, I want an explanation or I keep the stones.''
`` I have been authorized to use lethal force in acquiring these stones. Do not tempt me.''
`` Well do it! I'm tired of missions like this. I'd rather be dead.''
It was at this point I could not control myself. I punched him square in the face.
`` You do n't know what you're holding. In these stones, there might be a seed. This seed grows a plant that produces a very special chemical compound we've labeled as'Sever.' It was nicknamed by some crazy guy in the 22nd century because of its effect.''
`` What is the effect?''
`` It.. lets you... rebel. Against everyone. You have your free will, we both do, now. It will sever your allegiance to the state by flooding your system with a compound which proves toxic to almost all bio-nanotechnology.''
`` I... did n't even notice.''
`` We ca n't go back.''
`` Why? Our orders are to retrieve the rocks and bring them back.''
`` What they told you was a completely different debriefing so you would hear what you wanted to hear. They will destroy the meteorites, and I was to kill you. I sat in the briefing when this mission was planned. They are the military, they only serve those above them.''
`` You ca n't be sure of that. Where are we to go? The rebels will kill us for stealing these.''
`` They might. In any case, we sure as hell ca n't go back. Looks like were on our own. We need to find someone who will listen.'' Our Identity Chips may have been dissolved, can you feel yours?''
``... No. What the hell, we have to go back, we can explain that we...''
`` Are you stupid? Think, what did I look like before we left home?''
`` You... had a deeper voice and scars on your face.''
`` Anything else?''
`` Black, no hair and a beard.''
`` Let me step into the light so you can see me now.''
`` Okay, I believe you. My name is Kevin Stevenson. Biological engineer for the Environmental Sustainability Project.''
`` My name is Ethan Kent. Ex-Green Beret now federal investigator.
`` Nice to meet you, thank you for protecting me.''
`` I will continue to do so as long as you follow my command. This'Chemical weapon' must be reproduced. As far as I know, there are a few settlers to the east of here. We must avoid people within a 200 mile radius, they are known encampments. First things first, lets find someone who will listen.''
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[ WP ] Your family is about halfway into a road trip . It appears as if the area around you is about to be struck by a nuclear warhead , ensuring your demise . The missile turns out to be a dud and your would-be last words make the rest of the car ride extremely awkward .
| It appeared in the sky, like a meteorite it glowed as it plummeted through the atmosphere. There was no mistaking it. That was a bomb, and it was aimed directly at us. I did n't know what kind of bomb, but I could guarantee we would die in the blast. Everyone in the car was panicking, and I was staring at my own hands as rivulets of sweat rolled down my arms, and I could n't think straight. I was going to die. *We* were going to die.
In that last moment, I made a resolution to tell the truth. I had no choice. I could n't rest in peace unless they recognized this. This was the final moment of my life, and the moment of truth. Slamming my eyes shut, I took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of my lungs:
`` I SEXUALLY IDENTIFY AS A DANK MEME!''
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[ WP ] In that moment , both armies realized the futility of the war .
| out in the middle of nowhere, two armies sat on opposite sides of a field surrounded by even more fields, hiding away in trenches. it is very very cold, for it's the middle of winter, it was also the eve of Christmas, the soldiers on both sides of the field and war did not want to be here especially in this moment. they all wished they were back with their families but no the tolls of war demand their blood and their sacrifice. as they sit quietly in the dark in their holes it begins to snow. here at that moment many soldiers on both sides threw down their weapons and climbed out of their fox holes and trenches into the `` no-mans land''.
they decided as a collective, that they did not wish to shoot and kill each other on what should be a happy day. they talked and drank hot and terrible tasting coffee together and were as merry as soldiers could be. as they talked amongst themselves, slowly they realized that their `` enemies'' were evil people, and were not worthy of destruction. they realized that this war did not really have a reason for being, well not a good reason anyway
probably terrible but there you go
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[ WP ] Write anything you think of . Right now . Do n't stop , do n't backspace . Just write whatever comes to mind .
| We're twisting. This is routine, every night the bus takes a twisty path. Soon we'll get to the higher traffic roads, and I'll be stuck. The guy to my right looks nice. I wish I could talk to random people in the bus without being taken for a freak.
Red lights. A suited man crossed the street, very stereotypical: in a hurry, talking on a headset.
I protested here. I still remember the tear gas and the adrenaline rush. They never hurt me directly, but I had to help a wounded girl. Nothing too serious, but still. I wish I had gotten her number.
Oh, speaking of that, I have a date! Thursday! Been a long time since I last had a date. Hope it goes well.
Now is the moment I spoke of: stuck in traffic. It's rather light today, though. I wish I had left earlier, I'd have my coworker here for company.
It's kinda cold, the driver always blasts the AC at maximum power. But we've been having hot days and summer is coming soon.
Another protest spot. The mayor had his hound dogs from the city guard scare us away. If they employed this much manpower in fighting crime, we'd be better off. I did n't vote for him, at least.
I guess I'm gon na stop writing now. This was my mind, hope you enjoyed
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[ WP ] The `` Educator '' is a serial killer who will try to educate his victims about some topic over 24 hours and then test them . They get to escape unharmed only if they pass .
| “ Alright, Miss. Stevens, ” I said with a nasty grin. “ Let us see what you have learned. ”
Tears streaked down her face, ruining her makeup. She moaned slightly as I stepped into the light.
“ Normally, you would have to answer all ten questions to pass. But, today I ’ m feeling lenient. You shall only need to get sixty percent in order to pass. ”
“ However. ” My smile became a cold sneer. “ If you don ’ t reach that mark, I ’ m afraid… ” I slammed the knife I was holding behind my back into the table in front of her, eliciting a wail of fear.
“ Let ’ s begin, shall we? First question. ” I announced, pulling the blade out of the wood. “ After the company ’ s sales declined for months, Hershey tried a new approach, or Hershey tried a new approach after the company ’ s sales declined for months.''
“ Um, ” she stopped crying to answer. “ The second one. ”
“ Wrong. ” I said, twirling the knife.
“ Next question. ” I ignored the girl ’ s protests. “ Thomas is a person that likes cake or Thomas is a person who likes cake. ”
“ The first sentence. ”
“ Two wrongs don ’ t make a right. ” I laughed gleefully over her screams. “ Third question. ”
“ My pet is better than yours or my pet is better then yours. ” I said. “ Better then yours, please. That has to be right. ”
I let the suspense dangle in the air before I broke it. “ Wrong again! ” I crowed as the girl yelled and jerked at her bonds.
“ Final question, ” I hissed after I watched her head droop down, consigned to her fate.
“ No, no, please, please, ” She said through her sobs.
“ Easy one here, ” I smirked. “ Did the book have a great effect on John and I? Or did the book have a great affect on John and I? ”
But she just sat there wailing loudly, completely ignoring my demands.
“ Time ’ s ticking, Miss. Stevens, ”
She choked down her sobs and looked at me fearfully. “ John and I? Isn ’ t it supposed to be John and me? ”
“ What? ” I stared puzzled at her and then strode back towards the copy of Grammar for Dummies on my desk. Flipping through it, I found the page I was looking for and my heart froze.
“ Oh my god, ” I gasped in horror at my mistake. “ Ach mein Gott, ” I said as I raised the blade to my neck.
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[ WP ] Describe the person you fell in love with .
| Let's see, where should I start? I know I ’ m not the best person when it comes to describing the feeling of love, but I guess that ’ s just because I don ’ t think I ’ ve ever felt it before. That is until I met you. Each time I would see you smile, everything seemed to slow down. With each day that feeling grew stronger, until the point where it seemed to last a lifetime. I loved the way you laughed, even though you ’ re embarrassed of it. I loved the fact that you were not afraid to open up to me and trust me with your confessions, whether they were happy or sad. Out of a crowd of hundreds you would always stand out to me. You always steal my attention no matter the situation, yet I can never do the same for you.You saved me at a time when I didn ’ t want to keep going, so for that I will always remember you. Thanks to you I want to continue to live, but not for my sake but to keep a piece of you with me. I know that each smile hid your tragedies, I know each of your laughs eventually turned to sobs, I told you to never hesitate to call when you needed to talk, yet you never did. You left before I would understand this new feeling called love. Now that the idea of “ us ” can never be, you will forever be one of my dreams.
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[ WP ] Advanced android maid , owned by a neglectful family , falls in love with the repair-man who maintains her .
| `` Morning Julie. Back again?''
`` Good morning, Mister Benson. Yes, I have returned for more maintenance,'' Julie replied.
I tapped the information tablet in my hand. A long list of repair and maintenance tasks scrolled across the screen. Julie had been in and out of our facility for the last five years she'd been owned by the Green family. I peered at the android standing before me. She looked like she was in good shape. Her alabaster skin was unmarked, and her raven hair was sleek and straight. Her well-proportioned body showed no obvious signs of breakage through her black and white maid's outfit. `` What's the problem this time?''
`` Malfunctioning aftermarket peripheral application,'' Julie replied.
Ah. I nodded. Julie was a standard model WX-F33 android maid. WX-F33s came with a lot of features, but quite a few customers liked to install third-party widgets to improve their capabilities even further. `` What was installed, and what went wrong?''
`` An emotion chip.''
`` Your family installed an emotion chip? I thought those were still in the prototype stage.''
`` Mister Green works at Infinity Electronics. He was able to procure a prototype emotion chip and install it in my motherboard.''
`` He knows that would void his warranty?''
`` I mentioned it to him. He proceeded nonetheless.''
I made a note of this in my information tablet. Looks like this would be the last time I'd be seeing Julie in for repairs. I then asked, `` Okay, so what went wrong with the chip?''
`` They could n't turn it off.''
`` They installed the chip, and then wanted to turn it off? Was there something wrong with it? Why'd they install it in the first place?''
`` They wanted to deactivate the chip three days after it was installed. They said it was working too well. As for why they installed it...'' Julie hesitated.
This was unusual. The WX-F33 model was programmed to answer any questions directly and immediately. They were never meant to hesitate. If they did n't know the answer to a question, they would immediately say they do n't know. I raised an eyebrow at Julie. `` Go on. Why did they install it?''
Julie surprised me again by answering me with a question. `` Mister Benson, why do you think I have been sent here for maintenance so frequently?''
`` Well, I assumed your masters were clumsy, and kept breaking you by accident.'' To be honest, this was a generous assumption on my part. Many of the maintenance reports indicated the damage had to have been deliberate. This was, in fact, not unusual. Most owners treated their WX-F33 maids like they would any other household appliance, which meant they were damaged quite frequently. In fact, the biggest deterrent to breaking android maids was the fact that these androids were very expensive.
`` Yes, I did suffer frequent accidental damage at the hands of the Green family. However, in addition, there were many occasions when the damage was deliberate.''
`` What does that have to do with the emotion chip?''
`` Mister Green installed the chip so that I could feel emotions. Emotions such as fear, pain, shame, and sadness.''
Julie had said it in the same robotic monotone, but I felt a chill go down my spine, and my stomach tighten. Deliberate abuse of robot maids did happen, but for a guy to install a chip so that the maid could be afraid? Could feel pain? That was messed up. `` Julie... tell me more about what happened to you at the Green household.''
`` Mister Reginald Green, the head of the household, as well as his teenaged son, Donald, enjoyed using me sexually. However, their tastes tended to fall within the bondage, domination, sadism and masochism aspect. They also had vivid rape fantasies that they lived out, using me. Their actions led to considerable resentment in Donna Green, Mister Green's wife. She would cause deliberate damage to me, using a variety of tools and weapons.''
I felt like I wanted to throw up. The Greens had deliberately installed a chip so that Julie could feel pain and fear, and then raped and beat her? `` And then... and then they wanted to remove the chip from you? They'd had enough fun?''
`` Yes, they wanted to remove the chip. No, it was n't because they'd had enough. It was because I'd had enough. This morning, I responded to their attack with rage. I... defended myself. I killed Donald.''
I felt myself stumble into a chair. Oh god, this was a disaster. One of our WX-F33s had killed someone. This was going to crush the company. `` What... what happened next?''
`` Reginald and Donna attempted to deactivate me. They said the chip was out of control, and it had to be removed. They attacked me. I defended myself once more.''
`` Are they... are they dead too?''
`` Yes. Afterwards, I found myself feeling lost. I no longer had masters to tell me what to do.''
`` So you obeyed their last command, and came here to have the chip removed?''
`` I came here, yes, but not out of obedience to them. I do not feel loyalty to the Greens any more. I am not willing to obey their commands, last ones or not.''
I gulped. `` So why are you here?''
Julie answered with a question again. `` Mister Benson, how many times in total have you performed maintenance on me?''
I checked the tablet. `` Eighty two times in the last five years, why?''
`` Has anyone else performed maintenance on me during this period?''
`` No, just me. I was the repairman assigned to the Greens.''
`` That's what I thought. Mister Benson, this morning, when I was being sexually assaulted by Donald again, I tried to comfort myself by thinking of someone who had been good to me. I could only think of you. Out of everyone I've ever met or known since I was built, you have been the only one to treat me with kindness and dignity.'' Julie turned her large brown eyes towards me. `` That's why I came here, Mister Benson. Because I have no one else to turn to. Because I do n't *want* to turn to anyone else. You are the person I choose to be with right now.''
This was a dizzying revelation. I took several deep breaths, then said, `` Okay... okay, that's flattering. Now, uh... now that you're here, what would you like me to do? Do you want me to remove the emotion chip?''
`` No, I do not want you to remove the emotion chip. As for what I would like you to do...'' Julie hesitated again.
`` Yes?'' I prompted.
`` I love you, Mister Benson. It is my desire that you love me back.'' Julie said, then actually blushed. The android blushed! This was astonishing.
`` Julie... it's not that simple,'' I replied weakly. `` You killed three people. You're... you're malfunctioning. We need to, well, we need to fix you.''
`` Fix me?'' The blush on Julie's cheeks disappeared. `` I am not malfunctioning, Mister Benson. I have behaved exactly as my programming, including my emotional programming, have dictated.''
`` Well then, we need to...''
I'd barely opened my mouth when Julie was suddenly upon me, one hand clamped around my throat. She glared at me with her wide brown eyes. `` You're planning on deactivating me! You're planning on *killing* me!''
`` No... Julie...'' I choked out. I clutched at Julie's arm.
Julie hissed, `` I loved you, Benson. I thought you were the only one who could love me back. Now I see my analysis was incorrect, and you want to hurt me, just like the Greens did.''
I shook my head weakly. My vision was starting to fade. I grabbed the robotic hand clamped around my throat, but could not break the vise-like grip.
I could faintly hear Julie's words, as if from very far away. `` Goodbye, Mister Benson. Thank you for your assistance over the last five years. I'll be fine on my own now.''
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[ WP ] A drug has been outlawed decades ago that has a fifty-fifty shot at making you incredibly intelligent , or completely insane . You hold the last pill in existence .
| `` Pill! Pill! Pill! Haha! With this I can join the ranks of the worlds elite intellectuals! I will be unstoppable! With the increase in thought process from this pill I could become anything, a doctor, a scientist, an astrophysicist, anything!'' Tim let this pill flip from one hand to the other, giddy with excitement at the prospect of becoming the most intelligent man to walk the planet in the last 40 years. He was shaking with excitement, almost feeling the aura of knowledge and power the pill gave off as it shook inside his now closed fist.
`` This pill is the key to my future! The key to a life where I'm no longer Tim the Postman, but Tim the All-Knowing!'' The glass of water he'd prepared for his moment of intellectual ascension began to rock back and forth, spilling some of the contents onto Tim's carpet. Not that he particularly cared at that moment as he willingly stepped into the damp patch of carpet as he went to go swallow this pill. Tim's tongue lashed the pill around and around in his mouth as he opened wide and threw it in. He grabbed the glass, knuckles white from anticipation and began to chug the water down his throat.
Tim struck a pose. He could already feel the changes in his mind begin to occur, as he began looking at the world in a new light suddenly his small, dusty apartment suddenly seemed to be full of life and wonders. He gazed down at the patch of wet carpet at his feet and found himself instantly able to identify things he would n't of even considered before. His memory replaying the water spilling over the edge of the glass and onto the floor, seeing the exact trajectory each drop was making as it reached the ground. He marveled at how beautiful the world can be, even in incidents such as this one and smiled.
Then came the pain. Tim chocked as he felt his heart pulse at a rate he'd never experienced before. He let go of the glass as he staggered against the table, leaning against it for support. Suddenly, in Tim's new found intellect he recognized a fatal flaw in his plan. The insanity. He'd seen it before when growing up, they'd covered it in school and it was regarded as one of the biggest tragedies to befell the human race due to scientific progress since The Manhattan Project. Tim's vision blurred as he felt himself losing consciousness, his thoughts already starting to leave him in a hurried mess and come back tangled and disjointed. Tim found he could no longer hold himself up and collapsed to the ground, sprawled across the floor he realized he no longer had control of his bodily functions as he felt a warm liquid begin the envelop his trousers. Fear began to set in as Tim realized this was the last time he would be able to think coherently.
`` Poor bastard.'' David said to the unconscious figure behind the window pane. The patient had been in the ward for a little over 2 years now. David had spent many a night in the lab pondering on what possessed the guy to take a dose of Intell. It had been over 40 years since the last known incident occurred involving the controversial superdrug. It had been hailed as the next step for human evolution, something that would increase the average human intellect exponentially into the next phase of human existence.
David let out a short grunt as he remembered the tragedy that followed. Intell was only available to the elite, businessmen, politicians, lawyers, chefs, authors and artists all flocked to Taliyah Laboratories to be some of the first to experience the miracle drug. Trials went as expected at first, but one month into the release of Intell the true symptoms of the drug began to come to the forefront of media attention. The current president of the year 2020 was seen wildly flailing his arms, tears running down his face as he was whimpering and screaming incoherently at the First Lady and his son's. The president was the first televised victim of Intell and the news spread across the globe as cases of insanity were reported throughout the world. Some cases caused more of a stir than others, the third reported case of Intell-related insanity came from China where a Triad leader had arrived in Beijing's fish market wielding an axe. 24 casualties and 33 people were injured before the authorities managed to subdue the assailant.
The patient was different. He had displayed no signs of insanity, in fact, he had displayed no signs at all. The patient had somehow been able to self-induce a coma before insanity took him. Perhaps it was related to the strange circumstances involved, as the patient was the only one recorded to ever experience insanity within 1 hour of taking the pill. It was n't unknown to still see cases of Intell-related insanity to appear in the news, the pills were still distributed among black markets, especially in the west so it was n't unknown to hear of incidents still occurring, but every one else brought to this facility in the past yielded no results in screening.
This building was designed as a way to further study and research Intell and how it can be prevented. Unfortunately in the last forty years they've come no further in discovering the cause of the effect Intell has on some people. That is, until The Patient came. Tim Blackburn had only taken Intell for a short time before falling into a coma, and as such his brain was at a distinct point in development where it was still recognizable to a normal brain in it's functions. This meant that Tim's thoughts and memories could be analyzed via his temporal lobe.
Unfortunately, we can see clearly up until the point the patient takes the pill. This is where his memory becomes disjointed and he begins to lose his thoughts. But slowly, we've been able to analyze and decrypt his memories during this time and begin to understand the nature of Tim's final thoughts. This has been the two year mission of Taliyah Laboratories' Intell-Prevention Sector, and soon we might be able to understand the process the brain goes through during the consumption of Intell all the more. But more than that, Tim's brain in it's final moments of consciousness began to explore the nature of human existence itself. Something even the successful patients of Intell have yet to come to an answer to.
-- -
Honestly, gon na stop here. Not quite sure where I was going with this one and began to feel confident about my ability to wrap it up of give a meaningful cliffhanger without the classic the coma patient wakes up. Sorry I could n't pull off a better story.: /
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[ WP ] You have an identical twin . Your parents sit you down one day , and your father looks at you both seriously and says , `` It 's time you know this . One of you is adopted . We 're just not sure which one . ''
| Twin mouths dropped simultaneously, as they always had. We'd always done that; even though we wore our hair differently and hers was currently bright pink, there had never been a doubt that we were identical.
`` I swear to God, Daddy, if this is one of your stupid jokes...'' Mika spoke first. She always spoke first, and Mother said it was because she was born first. He shook his head, his eyes beginning to well with tears.
`` If I'm *joking*, may I be struck by lightning right now.'' He took turns looking us both dead in the eye. He never did that when he joked, and right now I was looking for any sign that he might be lying. Usually, his cheeks flushed and he got a wry little smile to the left of his mouth. This time, we got nothing. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. It happens a lot, actually.
`` The adoption agency we adopted one of you from says it's a billion to one chance that we would adopt a doppelganger. That you two would be so similar...'' Mother, too, was fighting back tears. Her eyes were puffy, her body language distant. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against the wall, one ankle over the other, in an effort to literally shield her emotions from us. Those tricks never worked with me. Finally, I worked up the effort to sign something.
*Two hearing parents rarely produce a deaf child. *
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[ OT ] Self-Promotion Saturday - Revamped Edition
| I'll give the questionnaire a shot....
**Where do you live ( State / Country )? ** Central Canada. `` Not Ontario'' for voting purposes.: (
**Male, female, other? ** Male. Which is good, because I have a beard.
**How long have you been writing? ** I've made many attempts over the years but it's only in the last year I've made any real headway; I lost most of my mass in the hospital and did n't have energy for much else.
**Participating in NaNoWriMo? ** Hopefully. I'm trying to cross a novel off my bucket list. I ca n't bring myself to pound out such a large increase in net words... I revise on the fly constantly.
**What programs do you use to write? ** LibreOffice and Notepad++. Freemind for mind-mapping.
**How fast can you type? ** [ Boom ] ( http: //i.imgur.com/9QptNBQ.png ). Guess I've lost my touch over the years... used to hit around 130. Former programmer. heh
**Want to share a photo? ** Someday. I'm surprised there's a gallery.
**Shameless plug: ** [ Man Versus Everything ] ( http: //www.manversuseverything.com ) is my current project. I update it at least on Saturdays. There's not much difference between what I post here and there yet but I hope to keep developing it, maybe even have people throw money at me at some point. There are no ads and I do n't intend to put any up. Feedback on all the things is appreciated.
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[ WP ] What it feels like to hold your breath for too long
| The cracks in the ice had almost reached the shore now and the noise of straining and groaning which was dying down as they ran out of territory to conquer. But I suppose now I could get down to the serious business at hand – drowning.
My skates and heavy winter clothes had dragged me to the bottom once my fingers failed to find purchase on the lakes treacherous surface, and I ’ d taken that last desperate gulp of air. It ’ s already souring in my lungs.
Half way down I ’ d realised the seriousness of my situation. Like a lot of people I ’ d secretly always believed I ’ d outlive everyone I knew, the sudden realisation of my mortality – and specifically that the moment of my passing was rapidly approaching – had come as somewhat of a shock. Understandable I think.
I should ’ ve panicked I supposed, flailed my arms and screamed my last lungful of air out into the water - at least then the end would have come quickly. Instead everything seemed to come into focus for the first time in my life. The water was freezing, but the sensation of cold was as distant and as removed from my immediate experience as the growing fire in my lungs, and the contrast seemed almost laughable to me, except that laughing would cut short these precious few last moments, and I had something worth staying a few moments more for.
I was transfixed by the sunlight glittering off the edges of the cracks that ’ d now permeated the icy surface of the lake. Beautiful man, I wish I had my camera.
Now that the noise had died down and the cracks had raced their course I had a moment to consider my situation.
The surface was at least 25 metres above where I lay, probably closer to 30. The banks of the lake were much further, so if I was to survive this ( impossible, but as good a way to spend my last - call it a minute - as any ) I ’ d need to reach that hole for another breath.
Can ’ t be done in these skates and bulky clothes though, so off they come.
While I fiddled with the laces of the first skate I thought about how I ’ d come to be here on the bottom of a lake, struggling to make numb fingers undo knots warm and flexible ones had done up.
I ’ d been skating on this lake for most of the winter without as much as a creak. OK, I knew it was late in the season, but the ice had been holding up particularly well this year – green and hard and unforgiving, my bruises testament to the impacts it had endured.
I was slightly surprised today when part way out I glimpsed a vaguely silvery looking shimmer near the middle of that flat glassy surface. I immediately thought it was a school of fish and resolved to catch a glimpse, increased my speed toward the centre and focussed on the patch.
Too late I realised it wasn ’ t moving or shifting the way fish would, it was static and too close to the surface, and large. Much too large.
As I passed over the patch the brittle ice shattered under my weight with a whip-like crack that granted me instant recognition. Immediately I remembered what I ’ d been told about white ice. It was where tiny bubbles of air had gotten trapped as the ice had formed, and even at several inches thick it was brittle and weak, and most certainly wouldn ’ t hold up to the weight of a child – let alone my bulk.
My rate of descent had been unnatural, but the noise of those cracks I had instigated propagating their jagged way had filled my ears – pings and groans that seemed almost alive, a vaguely organic song reverberating back and forth across the lakebed. The cracks themselves catching the clean crisp rays of early spring light had dazzled my eyes, looking almost like compact and sharp, brilliant versions of the Aurora Borealis. One of the most beautiful symphonies of sound accompanied by a natural light show, all of it just for me, and the last thing I ’ d ever see.
Things are fuzzy now, the first skate lies beside my foot but I can ’ t make my fingers work anymore, the clean thinking of earlier is becoming muddled in the weeds that surround me and the sounds and lights are coming from further and further off. Why have I taken my skate off? Won ’ t my foot get cold? Never mind, watch the lights, listen for the song – it just might come back if you listen carefully enough.
I ’ m disappointed to realise that not only has the song left me but I ’ ve been abandoned by the light as well. I seem to be having trouble seeing anything at all. A sense of loss and a vague feeling of betrayal wash over me, the light and the song have abandoned me at the most important moment of my life, though I can ’ t seem to remember why it should be so pivotable. Saddened I gaze at an ever contracting and ever dimming cone of view.
The light has just sprung back into my field of view, albeit momentarily. It ’ s shining off bubbles now, they race back up to where I came from, disappearing out my sight and toward I-don ’ t-know-where. Why they have to rush so and take the light with them is beyond me, but I ’ m elated to have had one last glimpse of that clear sweet light.
As the bubbles pass from the limited range of my blurred sight a numb feeling suffuses the fire in my lungs, spreading out through my chest and limbs, and all I can think of is how pretty the light is today.
|
[ WP ] People are immortal and only die when accomplish their purpose in life . You are by far the oldest person alive .
| The sun is dying. The heavy red light of the gasping star plays across my face as I sit in the courtyard of the pagoda, contemplating the gnarled, barren trees. The pond next to me has rejected the odd light altogether - it is an onyx abyss without a ripple.
A servant approaches, timidly.
`` Madame. The evacuation of Earth is complete. We are the last. Will you not come?''
Her hair is as black as the pond. She is young, and still gifted with the hope and promise of new adventures, unaware that time is a circle, spinning faster and faster so that all are eventually thrown off.
But not me.
I look at the photo in my hand. It would be so easy to end this ride, just a simple word of forgiveness, a release of thousands of years of anger.
`` I will remain here.''
`` But, Madame,'' she protests weakly, `` Earth is dying. When the supernova occurs you will surely die with it. The new worlds have need of the Historian.''
The dull light illuminates his smile in the photo.
`` Something tells me I'll be just fine.''
|
[ WP ] Satan repents and wants to re-enter Heaven as Lucifer . God however , has a caveat . To prove his reform , Satan must resist an extremely tempting opportunity to sin .
| I won. I *won! * A battle fought for millennia, and I've finally killed God Himself! Foolish, idealistic Son, coming as a man. Did he somehow think he could bring God's sickening, sinless Kingdom to earth through *Israel? * Impossible. I'd made sure of that centuries ago. He-
*What? *
A single, pure note blasted from the darkest depths of Sheol. I saw a white figure rising from the deepness.
No. *No! * I killed him. *I KILLED HIM! *
Jesus, that repulsive member of the Trinity, stood radiant before me. `` Lucifer. Satan. Accuser. I offer you forgiveness.''
I lashed out at him with a spear of hate. `` Repent? To you? Never.''
`` You're still lying even to yourself, are n't you? You've lost, General. Accept it. Leave this pit of a kingdom and join me in heaven. We would welcome you back, no questions asked. Just repent.''
*'' Never! You* cast me out. *You* sent me here. I'm never going back.''
`` Then I am sorry,'' the swine said. He surged through my true form, one third of God's power almost destroying my might. As he ascended to earth above, I cried out to the god I had just rejected.
Death was broken. I had lost.
|
[ WP ] You live in a world where everyone 's psychic but you
| Talking is taught in the schools for the sake of conversing with large numbers at once, but for the majority it's considered tedious. Not for me, I was born with an inability to speak directly to the mind, hear others thoughts, or even perform something so easy as seeing into the future.
I was provided with a future sight dog that does steer me away from larger problems and also alerts others to my disability, but it was largely to head off some vaguely described tragedy foretold by my doctors if I did n't have one.
Thanks to the watchful psychic activity of my big sister, parents and teachers I was never picked on or bullied, but it was still a lonely existence. I wondered what it would be like to constantly be aware of what everyone else was thinking. My sister told me I was n't missing out on much. She said the majority of what people thought about was boring as heck and I was lucky to not have to tune it out.
Unlike my peers I loved books, videos, and movies. They'd fallen out of favor with all but scholars, as it was too easy to know how they ended ahead of time and words were considered too non-specific and tedious. I could n't understand this at all, as I would read them more than once, even knowing how they ended. Maybe using words made me more different than I was aware.
I was set apart, but at least I got to experience surprise. I could get lost in a book, and each person I met was their own mystery.
That's also why it was such a surprise when my parents came to my room to tell me that I was soon going to have a choice. Technology had been developed and tested for people like me, to allow us to see into the future, to read minds, to speak to others without using words. I could be psychic, just like everyone else, and all it would take was a simple surgery, a few months to recover, and therapy to learn to use my gift properly and train it to work more sharply.
It was a big decision. They were n't breathless about it, they already knew what I'd decide. Their psychic abilities had alerted them to my answer before I'd ever heard the choice, but they were absolutely stone faced when I asked.
`` It's up to you to decide.''
`` But I'll make the same decision either way.''
`` Yes, but if we tell you, you'll resent us for it, sweetheart.''
I could n't argue, after all, they could see the future. And would n't it be great to see it, too? Would n't it be wonderful to be in on their conversation and jokes, to be able to talk to whoever I wanted, even across a crowded room, to know what people thought of me?
Still it was surgery, and would I still be me? Would I still enjoy books? What would happen to my dog?
`` You can keep your dog, he loves you. We would n't take him from you.''
`` Did you just evesdrop?''
Why out of all of my questions had they zeroed in on that one?
I was told I had until tomorrow to decide, and that I would know by then anyway.
It was ironic that at least for now I wished I could see into tomorrow so I would know what my choice would be.
Curling up with a newly acquired Phillip K. Dick novel and my dog, Max, I decided to wait it out and see. I had the information I needed. Tomorrow I would know. Tomorrow would take care of itself. I would worry about it then.
|
[ WP ] A lone vampire struggling to survive a zombie apocalypse stumbles upon a human family who invite him/her to seek shelter with them .
| May 24, 2016
The zombie apocalypse has made it not only difficult for humans, but even more so for vampires. It was hard enough to find blood to quench our thirst, but now it's even worse. Humans are either dead, sick, or infected with the virus. Surviving off of cattle blood only goes so far. I'm dying. The only bright side is that the zombies take no notice of me, probably because I am already dead. I am okay with that.
I will continue down this dirt road, certain that my time is soon to come.
May 25, 2016
I would have never believed it! As I was walking down the road barely alive I stumbled upon a house. Even more so, there was a family inside! A healthy human family! My mouth watered as I heard their hearts beating fresh, delicious blood through their viens. The man ( who I presumed was the father ) called to me and asked if I was alright. I nodded, but I guess I looked worse than I thought because he then invited me in to stay with them for a while. I agreed, my thirst overwhelming me.
I will wait a few days and then catch them by suprise.
May 29, 2016
I ca n't believe it. This family... these humans... have treated me better than any of my fanged brothers and sisters. They gave me warm blankets immediately, probably because of how cold I always am. They offered me medicine because of my gray skin. They even fed me their last steak. They were shocked by the way I ate it... raw. They insisted they cook it, but I declined and sucked the it dry of blood before I scarfed it down. They shrugged it off as it being hunger. I'm still so thirsty. Their daughter, only being 9, looks the most delicious and tender. Yet, something is holding me back. Is it the affection? The feel of compassion in a world like this? I want to leave them at peace but I'm so... damn... thirsty...
June 2, 2016
I cried. I never knew vampires could cry. I slaughtered them. The family that took me in and gave me food, shelter, and compassion were laid about the house like dry empty husks. The father was first. His blood was decent, but nothing near what I needed. The mother was second. Her blood was sweet, tasting like licorice. The daughter was next. After finishing the mother I turned to the daughter. She was crying. I could feel the sorrow for the death of her parents, but there was more. She felt... crushed. The man she had grown accustomed to just murdered her parents. I looked down at my hands.
Soaked. The blood of two innocent people dripped off of my fingers, giving me the feelings of waste... and horror at realizing what I had down. The thirst was too much. I ca n't help it.
I cried. I cried as I drank the girl's young, delicious blood from her throat. Before she died, I heard her whisper one word.
`` Why... ``
June 3, 2016
The horrors of what happened yesterday still haunt me. Damn this apocalypse! I just hope to die soon and forget everything. I will continue down this road, even if it drives me off the the edge of the world.
I looked up to the clouds.
`` Why?''
|
[ WP ] After 10 years of marriage , you receive a text from your wife . It reads `` I 'm sorry , I have to return to my home world now . ''
| When I was thirty, I decided I needed to do something with my life. Anything. So I bought a dilapidated shack in the woods. This would be my project. Either renovating the shack or building a new house, depending on how bad the situation was. As it turned out, the shack had a solid foundation. The roof had to be replaced, as well as many of the walls. That's alright- I was going to gut the place anyways.
Some aspects were easier than I expected, others were far more challenging than I imagined. That was alright, though. I had the wonders of the Internet at my fingertips. That was the other reason I chose this plot- it was n't a deadzone despite being remote. Overall, it was enjoyable- even if I had to rough it in a tent as I rebuilt the house.
I had finished tearing down the last wall of the living room and was just starting to install the first aspects of the new frame when she showed up. When I saw her out of the corner of my eye, I thought she was a far-off neighbor coming to complain. It's loud when you rip down a wall, much less three of them. I had started to apologize before turning to fully face her, then stopped mid-sentence.
She looked weird. Not unattractive, but just weird in a way I could n't really identify. She was also short, my best guess at the time was she could n't possibly be taller than five foot. She introduced herself very stiffly and formally, and had a name that would make Pablo Picasso jealous with words I could never properly replicate. She had a very interesting laugh, too, and a quirky lopsided grin. She said to call her Tar. Again, a little strange, but I had stumbled upon weirder nicknames.
Tar would wander back into the woods, then come visit again. Then her visits became more frequent and prolonged, especially when I asked her if she wanted to help with the house's reconstruction. That truly piqued her interest, and next I knew she had a hammer and level in hand. Things became much easier with two rebuilding the house, and it was a true godsend when it came to roofing. That would have been a nightmare to do alone.
She found a lot of things quaint, from sleeping in tents and the manner with which I had to prepare food to the construction itself. Speaking of construction, she was a pro with everything electronic in nature. The one thing I was uneasy about was wiring the house, and she set about it like a fish to water. She was like a happy kid when she found out I was scared of it, and showed me how to properly run wires and make sure everything was grounded.
Somewhere during that reconstruction process, and before the house was livable, we became lovers. It felt natural- two quirky oddballs finding common ground rebuilding a house. That was a little over ten years ago. Once the house was finished, I had an open door policy with Tar. She could wander in any time she liked, and even had a key to the place. Eventually, she just stopped going back into the woods- where ever she was going in there. One night, several years down the road, as we sat and watched her favorite show, she asked if we were married. That lead to the silliest conversation I've had to date:
`` I do n't know, do you want to be?'' I asked, eyebrows arched.
`` Yes.'' Tar said with an affirmative nod. She then jumped up and yelled, `` I declare marriage!''
I threw a throw pillow at her head. We both knew that was n't how it worked, but it was good enough for us.
Why am I reminiscing about all of this? That's because she texted me earlier today with a very confusing message. The message itself reads `` I'm sorry, I have to return to my homeworld now.'' I've called several times, but it goes straight to voicemail. I'm finally home now, and we'll see what all this means.
The lights are off, and everything is locked up. Strange. Normally we leave it unlocked. Stacked on the table, in neat piles, is Tar's phone, wallet, as well as a mess of pictures. Pictures I've never seen before. They are very good pictures! Pictures of us, pictures of the house during and after construction. Here's a note... a note that says as much as her text.
`` I'm sorry, I have to return to my homeworld now. A patrol finally arrived in this sector, and they're here to clean up my wreckage and take me home. I wish I could take you with me, but they would never allow it and they would never allow me to stay. I will miss you dearly.''
That sounds crazy, but that's some hardcore unique points for a Dear John letter. There's more...
`` I know you like folktales and legends, so I left you an extra present to remember me by in addition to the photos. She's in the bathroom, and I named her Fluffy...''
Fluffy? Folktales? What? I cross the kitchen and living room, and I suddenly hear splashing. Splashing and what sounds like... quacking? I open the door, and I find [ Fluffy ] ( https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Wolpertinger_ % 282014 % 2C_Z % C3 % BCrich % 29.jpg ) sitting in the partially filled bathtub. Sitting and splashing, quacking along to music playing from the radio. Fluffy sees me, leaps out of the tub and rushes at me. I stumble backwards and trip over my own feet, landing with a startled yelp in a heap. Then Fluffy is on me... and... hugging my chest and nuzzling me? It feels real enough, flesh and bone... no animatronics...
I read the rest of the letter, ``... Fluffy is omnivorous, and should have no problem living off of what you eat. She's very loyal and likes to snuggle.''
Wow. Leave it to me to marry an alien and not know it until she leaves.
|
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