Instant Story

Challenge #04785-M036: The Price of Paradise

A village was once plagued by constant storms, swarms of locusts, and bandits harrying the fringes. Now an idol in the heart of town wards away the old travails, bringing good harvests and peace. All it asks for is the heart of a child once a year… -- Deathshead419

They had taken to sheltering in the caves when the worst of the weather hit. Huddled close to each other with any animals that had also done so. What crops had survived the locusts, the drought, and the fire would be torn from their fields, but they would be alive.

Every time they prepared to leave for better lands, the storms destroyed their boats as well as everything else they had made.

All they had for faith was the belief that the storm had to end, and even that grew weaker as hours grew into days. One day. Two. Half of three, and the howling weather finally waned enough for the adults to scurry forth and find any surviving sustenance. There was something off about killing creatures you shared shelter with in order to survive.

Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi

Prompts remaining: 42 Submit a Prompt!
Ask a question

Challenge #04784-M035: The Island of Crabs

Ereshkigal has called Wraithvine to an island deep in the sea where nothing is going on. Inhabited by normal crabs, far from trade winds, no merfolk or shipwrecks in the vicinity, no more than background levels of magic. What is here that the Goddess is so insistent? -- Deathshead419

There's something people do to busy people that starts with, "While you're up," or, "While you're there," that will inevitably irritate the busy people in question. Gods do it too, but only to

Challenge #04783-M034: Unconsidered Wish

Another birthday, another visit from Wraithvine. Nimnae is sick and tired of the lessons, the trickery, of not getting anything out of the wishes. So Nimnae wishes that they would have the means of escaping this year no matter the cost.

[Sequel to https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04739-l355-birthday-wish -- Deathshead419

[AN: Wraithvine would have definitely hung around to make sure Nimnae learned ]

In the months between Lyala's birthday and Nimnae's, Wraithvine entered the local lord's household as a tutor. Promising to

Challenge #04782-M033: Extraordinary Evidence

After eighty years, humanity has returned to the Lunar surface again. At last we can begin digging under the regolith. Yet the first expedition runs into a little wrinkle when they excavate whale bones… -- Deathshead419

They thought they had thought of everything. Radiation shielding. Special equipment to snare that and the moon's static electricity and turn it into power. As well as the good, old-fashioned solar panels. Their habitat was proof against meteors big and small. Self-healing, or so the boffins

Challenge #04781-M032: Power of Belief

Mavis has made her escape with various Board Apes and gold jewelry pilfered from her cultists. A flawless escape, save for one hiccup: the Great Yogi Upadya Nirmanka is real and has no need for early wealth, only the mind, body, and soul of a disciple…

[Sequel to: https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04738-l354-the-vanishing-mystic -- Deathshead419

Belief is an incredibly weird thing. It's why placebos work on patients. It's all in the presentation. Their glorious leader Suma Loma had shown them the

Challenge #04780-M031: Gifted a Curse

Whilst perusing a market, Waithvine’s companion hands hir a small statuette of an odd winged God. Nothing seemed to be odd about it, but, when ze handed it back, and statuette soon reappeared in hir pocket. Try as ze might, it always returns, while the merchant who sold it is long gone and the mysterious curse grows ever tighter… -- Deathshead419

Wraithvine had grown used to Girrautuvit sticking her hands in hir pockets. She had yet to learn that it was

Challenge #04779-M030: Those Were the Days

King Nydon is gone, and the jubilation from his fall was real. Yet now years have come and gone, allowing memories of how bad things were to fade, had leaving King Reginald to deal with a burgeoning nostalgia for his father’s reign.

[Follow up to: https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04632-l248-better-than-perfection ] -- Deathshead419

King Reginald of Bevuran and his Prince-consort Connow ruled wisely and well for decades. Raising a junior niece as the intended heir to the crown. Bevuran was no

Challenge #04778-M029: And a Little Bit of Lavender

The human's friends fill an enormous, deep tub with hot water, saposin rich flowers, and several doses of lavender oil. The human DID say they loved lavender scented bubble baths. -- Anon Guest

Space does not encourage water immersion for reasons that quickly become obvious the more you know about freefall. So when spacers come to shore leave on a planet, the first thing they do is head for large and indulgent bodies of their chosen fluid. It's no surprise that port

Challenge #04777-M028: Safety Inspection

This mine has an over 90% safety margin!/ "How in all the Holies you manage that??"

Meet the supervisors. /"These are Kobolds!"

Yep, best damn safety inspectors and supervisors we've ever had! -- The New Guy

Everyone knows that the world of Alfarell was made for Dragons and Dragonkind. Fortunately, after centuries of irreconcilable differences, the Dragons have deigned to share their world with smaller intelligent creatures. Fortunately for Dragonkind, the other intelligent creatures were willing to talk.

Unfortunately for the Kobolds,

Challenge #04776-M027: Words of Peace

They were an ordinary human, and loved to learn languages. They even learned the elven tongues, some fae language, the native tongue of kobolds, even voulspeak. Which allowed them to make quite a few friends, and helped otherwise distrustful to accept their kindness. -- Lessons

They should have been a Bard, and everyone said so. They insisted that Peony should sing... until she did. Unfortunately for Peony Black, they had the singing and musical instrument talent of a duck.

Peony's talent was

Challenge #04775-M026: Show Me What You Got

The entire species' culture was that of raiders and conquers. The humans challenged their champions... to a dance-battle?? -- Anon Guest

The cool thing about warrior cultures is that they have honour codes. Once you know the honour code, you're halfway towards gaining an understanding. Understanding is one of the keys to friendship and peace.

Humans will also pack-bond with ANYTHING.

When these two factors join, you get interesting encounters. Such as the confrontation on DF9405YJ-5 between the Humans and the Dolravyn.

Challenge #04774-M025: Waste Nothing

The human had two massive malamutes that required regular grooming. They washed the loose fur a second time after it was shed, dried it, fluffed it, and stored it. Several species bought the fur for projects, or lining for clothing, or for nesting material. -- Anon Guest

Human Uyn had two massive dogs which, according to hir, were "ninety percent fluff by volume". Whenever ze gave them their "weekly spa treatment", ze wound up with more fluff than dog. Carefully contained in

Challenge #04773-M024: The Unlikeliest Hero

The storm winds were so strong that wraithvine's hat blew off faster than ze could hold it down. Inside the sheltering cave a mixed species family soon hurried in, with a little kobold hatchling proudly prancing with the pointed thing in hir maw. -- Fighting Fit

In all other ways, it was just a hat. To Wraithvine, it was hir hat, a most special hat. Ze had made it when ze first decided to be a Wizard and ze had been repairing

Challenge #04772-M023: Read the Instructions

The sign is easy to read, with pictures. No fee via coin. Just leave a bit of honey, or some wool fluff, or split some wood, etc, and the place welcomed you.

Refuse even a small kindness for thanks? You will pay another way. And it's humiliation. You'll live, but the mortification is horrible. -- Anon Guest

It looked like any other roadhaus. Neat, clean, and orderly. The little farm attached to it was enough to support many visitors. The beds were

Challenge #04771-M022: Kindness to Strangers

Not all hunts go according to plan. This one went sideways almost from the start. Several young teens find the unconscious Jay and Sunshine, and help them recover. The two make very sure these kids are protected afterwards. -- Anon Guest

They were lucky to be alive when the gang found them. Generally, the enforcers were lazy enough to just shoot until the perp stopped moving. These two had somehow caught enough ire to get beaten to a pulp. There was one

Menu

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #04785-M036: The Price of Paradise

Challenge #04784-M035: The Island of Crabs

Challenge #04783-M034: Unconsidered Wish

Challenge #04782-M033: Extraordinary Evidence

Challenge #04781-M032: Power of Belief

Challenge #04780-M031: Gifted a Curse

Challenge #04779-M030: Those Were the Days

Challenge #04778-M029: And a Little Bit of Lavender

Challenge #04777-M028: Safety Inspection

Challenge #04776-M027: Words of Peace

Challenge #04775-M026: Show Me What You Got

Challenge #04774-M025: Waste Nothing

Challenge #04773-M024: The Unlikeliest Hero

Challenge #04772-M023: Read the Instructions

Challenge #04771-M022: Kindness to Strangers