Menu

Subscribe

Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #00864-B133: Versatility

string, 1001 uses.

“Um,” said Rael.

“What?” said Pix.

“It’s more than a
thousand and one,” he said, reaching slowly for a handbook datachip and
slotting it into his reader. “The uses for string pile into the
billions, if not quintillions. Of course, some of it is dependant on the
originating fibre and the definition of ‘string’.”

Pix glared at him. “I might not have enough funds for an infodump, sir.”

Ah. Right. People paid to hear information. He was still very much used to being tested. “Does it show that I’m fresh out of tutoring?” he readied a
few Seconds, just in case.

“Very blatantly. You’ll get over it.” She waved off the offer and got back to her own entertainments.

For Rael, fresh out of Hippo Mining Station and so figuratively green that he could sprout new leaves and become a hedge… the strangeness of
being a fully autonomous individual was just beginning.

[Muse food remaining: 10. Submit a prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!]

Challenge #00863-B132: Shattered Fables

It turns out that some species’ mythical creatures are almost identical to real creatures found on the home planet of another species.

K’karik almost forgot to breathe. There, sitting in the enclosure of the Terran zoo, was  clearly Skybear. It was grey like a storm cloud, and sitting up against a tree. Its ears were the white puffs of high stratus clouds.

Just like in the stories.

Legend said the song of the Skybear was a marvel to behold.

Legend didn’

Read more »

Challenge #00862-B131: Escape

Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting.

Our Glorious Leader, Membrixel Spite, has decreed that he shall make
ours a perfect nation. And to that end, he is correcting and eliminating
the Anomalies.

If you find this after I am gone, you will know. Not only did I fail, but I have also been found Anomalous and taken for
correction. Or execution.

Did you notice? Are you reading my words
any more? Does it even matter that I put

Read more »

Challenge #00861-B130: The Inadvisability of Truth

The greatest truth in the universe is that the truth exists. The hard part is admitting we have no idea what it is or even where to begin finding it. I am sure we will eventually invest something that will let us invent something so we can discover something that will let us invent something that will give us a clue as to what we might need to invent to figure out what direction we should start looking for advancements in order

Read more »

Challenge #00860-B129: Cue Maniacal Laugh

“Oh no, he’s won! Now the mad genius is going to destroy the world!”
“What? No. Why would I destroy the world? I like the world. It is where I keep all my stuff.”

“But– You’re going to destroy the infrastructure. The economy. The Pax Consumerist!”

“Nonsense,” sad Mad Doctor Valerie. “I’m just destroying the part of it that keeps people down. Translation, I’m unseating you and all your upper-class ilk by distributing all wealth evenly.”

It

Read more »

Challenge #00859-B128: Abominations of Nurture

I need to show [Person] how to repair things properly. Their first instinct is still to reach for a roll of [duct tape]. I just hope I’m not too late. Power corrupts, but the power of duct tape corrupts absolutely.

“Trigellis is a Spark. And Sparks should never be raised in the Holy order of JOATs. Things go… very wrong.”

“For
example,” Pletherly drew the curtains to reveal a contained lab. Where a Spark, presumably Trigellis, was busy piloting a

Read more »

Come up to the lab, see what's on the slab...

A Frankenstein-esque mad scientist (re)creates life from parts of the dead, and one of the first responses from his new (female) creation is an exploratory grope and a frustrated…

“Dammit, you could’ve at least tried to get a matching pair…”

(#00858-B127)

“What? They aren’t the same size? But the clothing label on your donor said D cup…”

“This one is a thirty-five D,” explained the monster, juggling a bosom. “This one is a thirty D. The cup size

Read more »

Challenge #00857-B126: Wake up and Smell the Progress

‘We had a perfectly good slow rolling apocalypse going on before you decided to get involved, you know.’ they said, after a long pause.

‘Now you have a fast apocalypse. Rejoice; progress has come to you.’

She didn’t struggle very hard when they dragged her down into the
catacombs. And she really shouldn’t have been surprised that all the
members of the Secret Cabal were all chairmembers of various Big
Corporate Entities.

“Lord Monsando. Does this belong to you?

Read more »

Challenge #00856-B125: Just... Don't Ask

I’d ask what else could go wrong, but I think I’ve got quite enough happening as it is, thank you.

“Awright… awright…” the entity calling herself Shayde seemed to
be having difficulty with the sugar-coated and softened information they
had just told her. “I can deal wi’ this. I can… I can deal wi’ this. Wee bitty bits. Aye. Deal wi’ it in wee bitty bits.”

The attending
medtechs were watching her vital signs like hawks. As

Read more »

Challenge #00855-B124: One Dark and Stormy Evening in an Abandoned Subterranean Clank Lab

“Listen carefully,” they said. “This is absolutely true and not at all a desperate lie.”

Click-clack-clunk. “Previous data indicates that the organic will now lie. Subject… asks… that you do not.”

The human invader paused. “All right. Fine. I don’t want to be trapped in here.”

“Neither do I,” said Subject. “Subject wants… I need… my creator.“

Now the human narrowed their eyes. “You’re not the average clank… are you?”

Subject
looked down at the

Read more »

Challenge #00854-B123: Ahead by a Nose

Child: Mommy! Mommy! I found a head! Can I keep it?
Mum: No, you can’t keep it. Now go and give it back to the gentlebot who lost it.
Child: They didn’t say “thank you”, Mommy.
Mum: Don’t worry about it, dear. Some people don’t know how to be polite after they’ve been decapitated.

[AN: We all know the gentlebots of steampoweredgiraffe​ are well-mannered enough thank peeps who help when they’ve lost their heads, so…

Read more »

Challenge #00853-B122: Summons in Trouble

“…‘and thus do we condem the acts of the malevolent…’? Wait… MALEVOLENT? How dare they call me ‘malevolent’!”

“Yeah, if anything, you’re just incompetent.”

“…Of course, I – hey, who’s side are you on, anyway?!”

“Yours, of course, Master… but even you must admit that your experiments are… a little lacking.”

“Of course they are - they’re experiments. They exist so that I know what to do better next time.”

“But the cogniscent cheese, sir…”

“What?

Read more »

Challenge #00852-B121: Catching Up

Ok If I’ve timed this right it ought to be just after eurovision.

Your prompt today is whatever act won.

[AN: You got it right. I’m willing to bet you were expecting something like Gay Disco Dracula though]

Shayde called it ‘degaussing’ when she didn’t call it “Catching up wi’ five hundred years o’ Tivo” and it usually involved a bucket of popcorn. Buttered, of course.

“So what are you binging on, tonight?”

“Eurovision.”

Her answers always surprised him.

Read more »

Challenge #00851-B120: One Fine Evening at a Galactic Mixer Party

Between two cultures, the body language and customs for aggression/anger in one are very similar to the flirting/courtship of the other.

In this scenario: A series of attempts to get an individual to agree to a date are taken entirely the wrong way.

She shouldn’t have gone amongst the Deathworlders. She could already feel her mortality creeping up on her. Havenworlders and Deathworlders never mixed well.

“Pretty,” said one of the Deathworlders. A tall beast with entirely too much

Read more »

Challenge #00850-B119: One Fine Bar Fight at a Galactic Crossroads

Between two cultures, the body language and customs for aggression/anger in one are very similar to the flirting/courtship of the other.

In this scenario: An aggressive display is mistaken for flirting.

She got into the human’s personal space. Closed her off from any escape. Rumbled in a low threat, “I like your face.”

The human bared her teeth and uttered a barking call. Then she pressed her rubbery mouth to  Hoq’a’lu’gi’s face. “I think you’

Read more »