Instant Story

Challenge #01510-D049: One Dark Night in a Disreputable Alley

"If you get arrested, I don't know you."

"Love you too," -- OohLookShiny

Sam had to remind herself to keep watching the street. "No you don't," she said. "There's no non-vocal indicators in your general behaviour, and you have a complete lack of interest in anything I say that's not crime-scene related."

Behind her, at the distance of plausible deniability, Frank kept twiddling with the lock. "It's metaphorical love, Sanguine."

"So... a lie." Sam checked the other way without making it look like she was checking the other way. She checked her watch for verisimilitude. "And not acting."

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Challenge #01509-D048: The Fundraising Franger

This is an Aussie thing, you go to vote locally, and outside will be a barbecue set up selling snags (sausages), wrapped round with a slice of bread, onions and sauce, plus soft drinks. Fundraisers for good causes. No politics, just, "tomato or barbecue, Mate?" Those of us who are on diets or vegans usually donate the price of a 'snag'. -- Anon Guest

First, they came for the cake stall, and Valerie didn't speak up because cake was a sometimes food,

Challenge #01508-D047: The Nature of Hell

http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/156684722295

"Due to a loophole in the system, people can escape hell and get to heaven after death. You go to hell and all you see is Satan, just sitting there playing the harmonica. Everyone left him and now he’s all alone." -- Gallifreya

Jean Paul Sartre said that hell is other people. He could not be more wrong. Though other people have their disadvantages, the true hell is loneliness. Hell was made to be vast,

Challenge #01507-D046: In Memorium

No matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra. - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Official reports be damned. There was a way she wanted to be remembered, and that is how those who loved her reported it. All over the world. Even in the news. They named the official cause, but added, "she wanted it known that she drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra."

It was poetry, and it persisted.

Challenge #01506-D045: One Depressing Interlude in a Cosy Home

"Once it was proposed to me that it was all right to be like I am, I finally quit apologizing for it." - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Ami collapsed into her comfort nook. "If anyone wants me, I'm no longer in existence."

Tam sighed and put down her project in her mini-workshop. "Bad day at the office?"

"...it's a wonderful day for the creative spirit," Ami mumbled. She curled up tighter on herself and turned on the tiny lights that turned her

Challenge #01505-D044: Convoluted Revenge

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

There had never been a more elaborate plot to advance a child in the history of anywhere. It was so elaborate that it didn't come to light until years after the fact, when they found Chatelaine Fairweather's diary.

It began, as most things do, with a snub. Chatelaine Fairweather's daughter was passed over for advancement to the Lady's Maid, or even one of them,

Challenge #01504-D043: Puzzling Piece

“And when you’re young you want to fit in. Hell, I still want to fit in with certain [sophonts], but as you get older you get a little more discriminating.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Even when he didn't have the words for it, Rael knew that he was different from his creche sibs. They were able to do more, work more efficiently. They didn't need as much of the hosts of chemicals they regularly added to Rael's mostly-liquid body. They

Challenge #01504-D043: Self-lost Man

“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,“ said Pooh.

“There there,” said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.” -- Anon Guest

Ax'and'l found his human business partner in an odd position in the hallway. His legs were up the wall, and the rest of his body was sprawled across the floor. "You are not due for Silly Season, yet. Are you unwell?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not feelin' myself."

"In a public area? I should

Challenge #01503-D042: One Dull Afternoon in an Ambassadorial Office

“I feel I’m very sane about how crazy I am.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Rael slowly turned to glare at Ambassador Shayde. She had said this out of the blue, apropos of nothing, and continued browsing on her personal screens as if nothing had ever happened. He took an educated guess, "Quote of the day?"

"Twitter feed," said Shayde. "That's definitely sommat I missed out on. One hundred and forty letters tae say somethin' cool. Brevity bein' th' soul o'

Challenge #01502-D041: Inconvenienced

“In my opinion, a problem derails your life and an inconvenience is not being able to get a nice seat on the un-derailed train.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

"This is an enormous problem," opined the Ambassador for Greater Deregulation (Second West). "ANd if we have a problem, then you're going to have a problem."

This sounded like a threat... but the logic behind it escaped Drixal. "I beg your pardon," she said. "I was under the impression that you needed vital

Challenge #01501-D040: Dis-possessed

"There is no room for demons, when you're already self-possessed" - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

The demon Az'bar'bijol, once summoned, launched itself at the luckless human who was foolish enough to read its incantation out loud. And almost got the spiritual equivalent of a concussion when it was repelled by a possessing force already in residence, so to speak.

"Nice try," said the human. "But you can't do that with me. And... soon as I whip up a binding spell, you won't

Challenge #01500-D039: Guarded Mundanity

“There is no point at which you can say, ‘Well, I’m successful now. I might as well take a nap'.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Success is the closest thing there is to perpetual motion. One begins by striving for it. Once it is obtained once, the struggle becomes to maintain it. After that, success becomes a higher rung. Higher and higher. Almost impossible to attain. With more people admiring and watching, there are higher standards from everyone.

Only those who

Challenge #01499-D038: World-Changing Invention

Imagine the real results of Star Trek's Transporter technology. -- Anon Guest

It was for cargo, initially. And of course there were a subset of the populace who preferred things transported the old-fashioned way. Some who claimed to taste the difference. But by and large, many people didn't care. You could beam produce straight from the farm to the store, with very little in the way of processing in-between.

People noticed when their food was fresher and lasted longer. People also noticed

Challenge #01498-D037: Pay Dirt

There's money in Muck. Points for referencing Harry King, he of the Golden River. -- Anon Guest

Recycling is de rigeur in space. Throwing something out into the void means having less of the thing that made it up in the first place. There's many a spacer who, setting foot on a planet for the first time, is astonished by rain, and water running down the gutters. Or, in the case of Earth, the trash mountains of the United States.

Spacers often

Challenge #01497-D036: Incautious Wishing

They go about their daily lives, unnoticed, but without them, things would soon fall apart. -- Anon Guest

He'd got his wish. Those Types were gone from his country. They may even be gone from the world, but he didn't really care about anything beyond the borders that didn't make him money. This encapsulated quite an amount of uncaring for the world, had he cared about that, either.

He had exactly forty-eight hours to enjoy his newly-made paradise. No man remaining in

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Challenge #01510-D049: One Dark Night in a Disreputable Alley

Challenge #01509-D048: The Fundraising Franger

Challenge #01508-D047: The Nature of Hell

Challenge #01507-D046: In Memorium

Challenge #01506-D045: One Depressing Interlude in a Cosy Home

Challenge #01505-D044: Convoluted Revenge

Challenge #01504-D043: Puzzling Piece

Challenge #01504-D043: Self-lost Man

Challenge #01503-D042: One Dull Afternoon in an Ambassadorial Office

Challenge #01502-D041: Inconvenienced

Challenge #01501-D040: Dis-possessed

Challenge #01500-D039: Guarded Mundanity

Challenge #01499-D038: World-Changing Invention

Challenge #01498-D037: Pay Dirt

Challenge #01497-D036: Incautious Wishing