Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #02041-E217: Cautious Welcome

How would aliens with different lifespans play out alongside humanity? Can you please do an alien (instead of dog) version of this post? https://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/comments/5wz4gy/wearelikeelvesto_dogs/

Thanks! -- Anon Guest

For generations, Thack has watched over us. He is our Human and we are his crew. He has seen us all born. He has wept as we all passed of old age at anywhere between fifteen and twenty. He has taught us, protected us, and told us of his own family.

Thack has been a part of our crew for seventy-five years, and is leaving us today in favour of his Granddaughter, Human Grace. Many of you are upset about this, we know, but Human Thack has stayed with us well beyond retirement age and has reached the point where he is no longer able to perform his duties.

I know. It seems impossible, but Thack is too old to look after us. I hear he has plans to live on a little island near the equator of his home planet, and take up fishing. Join us in wishing him well. And Human Grace will be one of us soon. A guardian and guide and caretaker of our little ones. Learn her scent. Be kind. And I am certain that she will tell us how well her grandfather is doing.

Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi

Continue Reading

Prompts remaining: 30 Submit a Prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!

Challenge #02040-E216: Just One Thing

If it exists, there's probably a Wikipedia page about it. -- TheDragonsFlame

When the Sky People left, they left behind the Thing. It was flat, and it could bend, and it would not break. It was not food, and it was not a tool, but the Sky People had touched it a lot, so it had to be important.

Thorn poked at it the way she had seen the Sky people do. The figures that came up meant little to her, but

Read more »

Challenge #02039-E215: Ambassador Oozagoodoggieden

Sees human: avoids eye contact, walks away

Sees dog: coos and tried to get its attention -- TheDragonsFlame

Dog is Ambassador to Human.

Throx considered the daily quote and figured it had been a mistranslation of some truly wise words. Things didn't always meld that well with GalStand Simple and the message was lost in the translation.

"Good morning," said an automated voice. "Welcome to Way Out Station. Your sleeper pod has been transferred to the Decon Zone. Please wait and a

Read more »

Challenge #02038-E214: Any One Help

Your newest story about the human gut wound had me wondering. If aliens cared for their human protectors as much as we cared for them, how would they respond to a significant threat to humanity/earth that even the humans were incapable of dealing with? After all of humanities’ civilian organized humanitarian (this word is hilarious to me here) efforts, how would aliens respond when we are in need of some major help of our own? -- Anon Guest

[AN: Inspired by

Read more »

Challenge #02037-E213: Controversial Topic

Please tell us more about the “almost war” of Dog or not dog! -- Anon Guest

[AN: Callback to this post for those who don't want to crawl through my archives]

Very few Deathworlder animals are so useful and varied that they enter the Galactic scene before the cogniscents they share their homeworld with are welcomed. Even fewer are so varied that assorted cogniscent species are still attempting to define the pattern in which they fit.

Only one has a game that

Read more »

Challenge #02036-E212: One Question

A new revolution was in motion and it’s progress could not be stopped.

After all, nerds are nothing if not stubborn in their pursuit of knowledge.

They were going to enlighten (pun totally intended) this oppressed world, plant the ideas and curiosity that the new power tried so hard to exterminate. They were going to return to the world the gift Aelria gave to them when she told them “look up”.

After all, nerds never die out. They just go stealth.

Read more »

Challenge #02035-E211: The Magic Grandma

[Title: Invisible actors] You never see them normally, they often look drab and ordinary - till they open their vocal cords. (She was a little old lady, well dressed, out of place at a science fiction convention. "Close your eyes!") -- Anon Guest

[AN: Does nobody read the pinned notifications on message boards any more? ::weeps:: ]

"I've been onstage for one minute, and I can already see a host of disappointed kiddies in the groundling zone," said the charming old lady. "You

Read more »

Challenge #02034-E210: Incident During the Building of Antagulus IV

[Words you learn to dread hearing. #3.] "It seemed like a good idea at the time." -- Knitnan

Something, somewhere, was on fire. Aarblax could see the smoke curling through the air. This was, thankfully, a facility with a generous amount of atmosphere to share, so it wasn't that worrying. Yet. The Public Address system was making bizarre, intermittent noises. This meant that someone had manually disabled the alerts and the system was attempting connections through the network. Which had also been

Read more »

Challenge #02033-E209: So They Noticed

[Title: Words you learn to dread hearing. #2.]"So who's going to notice?" -- Knitnan

The little vessel was lost. Broken. Limping through a Sargasso of wrecked and abandoned vessels in the middle of nowhere. No radio. No comms. No chance of making it to civilisation as the occupants knew it. They were losing air and hope at the same rate.

"I found a vessel with compatible air," said one occupants. "With the 'locks together, we can minimise air loss for evac.

Read more »

Challenge #02032-E208: Least Threatening Silhouette

[Title: Words you learn to dread hearing. #1.] "I was only..." -- Knitnan

[AN: Once again I have to remind my dear readers that I don't usually pay attention to the titles of your prompt posts. Doing this sort of thing throws off my rhythm and I've already had a crowded day today]

Humans. They do all kinds of hazardous things without thinking about it. Playing gravity games and forgetting that other beings find these unnerving. Singing songs about death and murder[

Read more »

Challenge #02031-E207: Needs of the Many Can Bite Me

“You’re risking the lives of millions - millions of lives! - for the sake of one.”

“Damn right I am! And besides, I promised I’d get you out of this mess alive, didn’t I?” -- Anon Guest

"But... the needs of the many," objected Koraz.

"Flakk the needs of the many, I made a promise." Human Kaf had his head down and his shoulders hunched. "I keep my word. Wanna fight me about that?"

"No," sighed Koraz with a

Read more »

Challenge #02030-E206: But Not My Friend

“I refuse to let you die”

-- A surprisingly common (and even more surprisingly functional) human phrase.

More lives than can be counted have been saved due to this statement. -- Anon Guest

Flaax had expected to die. That was what happened when the Vorax attacked. People died. Civilisations ended. If one was lucky, wreckage containing last messages to loved ones could be found after the fact.

And then the Humans became part of the Galactic landscape, so to speak. They hunted

Read more »

Challenge #02029-E205: Humans Are Breakable

How do aliens deal with humans on board missions/crews with serious mental illnesses? As even those who have “recovered” can relapse and have issues now and again, especially after certain triggers. I know this isn’t as interesting or fun as some of your other prompts but I’d really like to see what you would come up with. Thanks! -- Anon Guest

Human Polli was a Team Mom type Human and the gentlest soul anyone could care to meet. But

Read more »

Challenge #02028-E204: One Contentious Afternoon in a Laboratory in Neverwinter

why is it that in world travel or fantasy stories where a scientific world and a magic world meet that no one ever tries to mix magic with technology? -- Anon Guest

[AN: Usually because the Author has decided to Not Go There or it will end up like the Flintstones]

Someone had thought this through. Enchanting a central spindle with Endless Turning, and making it activated by the use of a button and a dial, and then making attachments to reduce

Read more »

Challenge #02027-E203: Waifs and Strays

"We have a problem sir. We found the hostage. She looks safe but.... there is an human with her. He is hurt and his translator is broken, but he seems to have protected the hostage, and continues to do so. The fact is that he doesn't want to leave her alone, and she doesn't want to leave him too. And he kind of scares our man." -- Anon Guest

Humans. Some were aggressive. Enough to make Havenworlders like the Graacil extremely cautious

Read more »