Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #01243-C148: Morning People

http://kenzyshipseverything.tumblr.com/post/126911368896/nicckpetricca-this-video-is-actually-my

Imagine your otp -- Anon Guest

Music was playing. Something ancient from the Vault, shared on something called a 'mix tape' by Ambassador Shayde into Lyr's personal file collection. Whatever it was, it was too jumpy to be morning music.

Jule attempted to burrow under the covers without moving much. Why his best-beloved had to be so darn frenetic on the mornings of her holidays was a mystery. This was their mutual time off. They should be doing as much nothing as they could get away with.

Lyr started jumping on the bed, shaking him as she sang along. Vaulting over him to jump about in her pyjamas and otherwise cavort like she was a teenager.

Twenty years of togetherness and three kids hadn't changed a darned thing.

Jule Marken emerged from the pillows long enough to glare at the chronometer by the bedside. Five in the morning. The sun had only just begun to paint the sky in colours no artist would voluntarily choose.

Same thing. Every year.

He would smile at her for it later, when he could appreciate it. For now, he mumbled The Line. "Can you bottle some of that and give it to me intravenously?"

Which stopped her dancing with raucous laughter.

Good. He had about four more minutes before she'd try to cook.

(Muse food remaining: 20. Submit a Prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories! Or comment below!)

Challenge #01242-C147: Confused in Translation

http://haberdashing.tumblr.com/post/143298955329/motorizedduck-translating-is-hard-work-even -- Gallifreya

"It is... ah... what is word? A means of communicating when no longer present. Wisdom to be passing down from generations. Time... pressed...into formats for sharing."

"That," said M'llix, "Sounds rather impressive."

"No. Not being impressive. Is much common," said the human. "So everywhere that is ignored. People using for profession considered not having real profession. Is basis for all entertainments, but overlooked. Children is learning from young age, mastery of such.

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Challenge #01241-C146: Useful Pretty

http://sinnamon-skull.tumblr.com/post/143302850386/villyre-headcanon-ford-got-out-of-90-of-his

(comic has gravity falls spoilers after "not what he seems") -- Gallifreya

On one hand, it was a little bit tiresome. On the other, it was damned convenient. All he had to do was make sure his glasses were in his pocket before they bundled him up for delivery and...

They tossed him onto his knees.

"So," said a soft voice. "This is the creature that Cipher wishes to eliminate? Huh."

Yep. Right on cue.

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Challenge #01240-C145: New Tricks

I accidentally summoned a demon and have won the last 4 rounds of poker against it. -- Gallifreya

Sandy sighed and said, "You're not supposed to show me the cards and ask, 'how do I win?', Belphagor."

"You keep changing the rules," grumbled the demon.

"No, I keep telling you the same rules and you keep getting confused. Let's try again," Sandy reclaimed the cards and shuffled. "I thought the demons of hell were all about sinful stuff."

The demon brightened.

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Challenge #01239-C144: Read Before Signing

I accidentally summoned a demon -- Gallifreya

Belphagor looked around. It was a dusty old book shop. One of those poky little places that almost, but not quite, lead to another reality. The shopkeepers certainly seemed like they had once lived in one, and never quite got the hang of the new reality.

Facing him was an art student. They had to be an art student because the homeless tended to consume way less coffee. And your average bum tended to care

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Challenge #01238-C143: Harrying the Harmful

"They turned me into a newt!"

"... You're a salamander."

"I got better." -- Gallifreya

[AN: A little tip of the hat-rack to Monty Python?]

The Swamps of Misdirection. The only way to escape them, once inside, was to follow confusing, convoluted, "can't miss it" directions to somewhere else. And worse - most of the animals in it were capable of speech.

"Beware, traveller! Beware! Dangerous sorcerers roam this swamp." The speaker was a small amphibian. Mostly black, but with interestingly bright speckles

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Challenge #01237-C142: Strange on a Train

http://simonbitdiddle.vaul-tec.net/post/143205168842 -- Gallifreya

Ah crap. Once again, the only seat on the train home was the Weirdo Seat. The ones where all the mentally disturbed just had to sit. And anyone unlucky enough to have to sit next to them had to endure their madness by osmosis.

Euphoria Jones weighed her options. It was a long-ass ride home. Her feet were already killing her from hours chasing after idiot customer requests. Including numerous trips into "the back"

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Challenge #01236-C141: Legends and Truth

"Oh! You don't get what you want. You get what you need." -- Anon Guest.

There is a nomad who wanders the lands. He is no mendicant, nor particularly poor. He bows to no king and calls no land his home. They say he did the Fae a favour and they gave him a magic sack. Some claim it is a magic hat.

And, typical of all Fae gifts, it comes with a snag.

"What do you mean, it doesn't work like

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Challenge #01234-C139: Slice of Life

1) http://bechnokid.tumblr.com/post/109646112332

2) It smells fantastic. It does not taste fantastic. -- Gallifreya

[AN: This will put the gap count down to 12]

1)

It had been a dark and stormy night. Now that it was a quiet and star-lit evening, Vivi had the job of helping Lewis calm down.

He never had liked thunder or lightning. And now that he was ectoplasm, he liked it even less.

Therefore, Vivi wandered the halls of their haunted house.

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Challenge #01233-C138: Offensive Material

Last "Satan Reacts" for now: http://www.rawstory.com/2014/09/bible-pushing-christians-open-the-door-for-satanic-activity-books-in-florida-schools/ (pdf of the book here. I encourage you to look at it. If that's down, most of the pages are shown in this news article. Please take note of the words in the jumble and word search, and then consider Satan) -- RecklessPrudence

Obviously, the scene was staged. Whoever did the staging wanted it to seem like the local chapter of LaVeyan Satanists had done the deed. They had littered

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Challenge #01232-C137: A Strange Visitor

"What could be worse than a sixty Minutes News van waiting on the footpath?"

"How about a large Blue box, and people are taking selfies." -- Anon Guest

Carol looked out the other window in her tiny flat. The view was blurry, because it was the bathroom window, but there was, indeed, a familiar shape in the street. Either the BBC had deigned to acknowledge Australia as a filming location... or someone was playing silly buggers.

She texted the other top five

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Challenge #01231-C136: Humorous Revelation

Human's reaction on realising they share a vessel with Captain K'rik, Doctor M'koi, and Ensign Ch'koff (is there a Lieutenant Spukk too?) -- Gallifreya

[AN: I had been wondering when someone would clue in. And for the record, Jain holds the position of Spock]

If there was one stereotypical behaviour that belonged to humans - besides their suicidal combination of curiosity and insanity - it would have to be their love of gadgets.

Doctor M'Koi watched with growing skepticism as the human

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Challenge #01230-C135: So This is How I Die

http://haberdashing.tumblr.com/post/143039331394/memeufacturing-human-after-being-stabbed-four -- Gallifreya

There are games the mind plays in extremis. One of its favourites is Hallucinations. But when the imagination is lacking or the mind is sufficiently aware of reality, the mind defaults to Good News, Bad News.

Good News, there is still air.

Bad News, it is filling with smoke.

Good News, there is still gravity.

Bad News, I am on my back.

Q'riikix, known to the humans in the crew as "Queasy", rattled

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Challenge #01229-C134: One Random Encounter Inside Walter Manor.

Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from technology.

... and then there's that thing in the corner. -- Anon Guest

"Bonjour," said the thing. It seemed cheerful enough. It seemed human enough, provided that one was sufficiently myopic and without their glasses. It's heart was definitely not in the right place, given that it was both outside its clothing and sparkling with its own inner lights.

"What is it doing here?" said Lorraine. The Walter Worker assigned

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Challenge #01228-C133: "Again"?

"I hate to be 'that guy' but I've glued myself to the ceiling again..." -- Gallifreya

There is a place for everyone in the UFTP stellar fleet! All volunteers for the stellar services are tested for their strengths and places where they can perform at their best! Join today! -- UFTP Stellar Fleet recruitment flier.

Second Technician Kevin Maladroit checked the maintenence schedule before he got out of bed. Slow day. Which meant it was a bad one. The crew of the

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