Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #00662 - A297: Bad Instincts

The most ridiculously evolved trait of a human: The itchiness of newly healed skin.

“This area is almost finished repairing. I now have the unbearable urge to claw at it.”

The human in the next bay was rubbing at her bandages. She was rubbing with her knuckles and grimacing.

“Most people use talon for scratch,” said Pu'rii, edging a little further away from the human. Well. As far as she could get on a not-so-spacious hospital bed.

“Digging in bad. My skin, irritated make-for heal.” An anguished grunt. “Almost heal, make itch. Itch make want scratch. Scratch make new wound.”

Pu'rii boggled. “Why is having itch?”

“Long ago? Not so clean. Itch make for make certain no dirt.”

Ah. Vestigial instincts. “You is not removing from genes?”

“Some try. End result not good.”

Thinking about that very brief summary kept Pu'rii awake, long into her usual sleep cycle. When would she ever learn to not ask too many questions?

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Challenge #00661 - A296: Strange Encounters

Pre-Amity, a human and other cogniscient get stuck in some relatively small space together, say a room that both find out the hard way only opens from the outside. Rescue is on its way, but until then…

They tell some pretty wild tales in Scavenger Bars. This is just one of them…

Hor'tik had been stripping wire. It had been a long trip already and it was that or mass credit. If he stayed out any longer, he’d have

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Not necessarily needing to go Night Vale on this one...

To truly understand, you must look inside yourself, look deep into your heart… no, no, you’re too far down, that’s your liver, try a bit more up and to the left… ah, there you go.

(#00660 - A295)

[An: But it’s so very very Night Vale…]

“Excuse me, but my species is not transparent.”

“You’re transparent to my eyes.”

“Eugh… Sorry. Uhm… We find our internals to be

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Challenge #00659 - A294: Warning - Humour

Breaking bones is a death sentence for other cogniscients, so how unlikely is it that anyone has encountered someone missing a digit or limb, unless they were born missing it?

Jokes using one’s prosthetics (probably more advanced in the group that lives long enough to need them) optional.

[AN: Some species are more fragile than others. Havenworlders are particularly delicate. And it’s notably the Birds for whom broken bones are fatal]

The cogniscent trapped with her in the stalled

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Challenge #00658 - A293: Politically Correct

“I wouldn’t say *we’ve* made that much progress. Our euphemisms have, though.”

“It’s ‘Avian Catastrophan’.”

“No, it’s simply Avian. Or Avian Citizen.”

“But some of them aren’t citizens. They still have resident status in Kal'rike.”

“Only because Kal'rike’s run by the most anal bureaucrats since time began…”

“Ladies,” said the Numidid of contention. “I am fine

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Challenge #00657 - A292: Fascinating in Retrospect

T’reka meets an amorous cassowary. Hilarity ensues.

Boo boo boo

T'reka looked up from her lunch to discover a giant in the clearing. Were it not for his solidly blue-black plumage, he could easily be mistaken for a male of her own species. But he was clearly more dinosaur than Bird.

The cranial capacity was a dead give-away.

He was puffing himself up. Engorging his wattle and showing off his plumage whilst saying, Boo boo boo.

Lonely she may be,

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Challenge #00656 - A291: Do You Have Time...?

The stars are right, R’yleh is about to rise…and Cthulhu’s Witnesses are out in force, ringing everyone’s doorbells.

Bing bonnnng

Sally peeked. People in suits with clipboards. On a Saturday. This was never good. She risked opening the door.

There was a dark-stained knife at his hip.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s ceremonial,” smiled the clean-shaven man with the sunken eyes and a desperate smile. “Much like you’d wear

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Next Challanger

How does competitive combat (boxing, martial arts, etc.) fare in the new environment of the Amity universe?

(#00655 - A290)

The humans inside the roped-off square wore heavy padding on their hands, heads, and torsos. They faced off in formal postures that a number of them called Markisuvkwinsbree.

T'reka lit on Calico’s saddle and regarded the match.

“What this happening?”

Su-syn, leaning on her horse, chirped, “Testosterone-poisoning-related posturing. Two male here have rivalry over same female. They

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Challenge #00654 - A289: But Why?

Curiosity in humans vs. numidids, how the adults handle it in children

Before the attitudes changed, it went like this:

Humans

“Momma? Why is the sky blue?”

“Some say it’s a reflection of the ocean. Some say it’s dust particles. Others sat it’s the air refracting the suns’ light. I think it’s a little of all of the above.”

“Oh. Okay. Can I have a cookie?”

“After dinner.”

“Aaaaaawwww…

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Children of the Night...

I thought I was alone as I silently entered the house, but a voice caught my ear, making me freeze.
“Funny thing about gaining immortality, it can happen to anyone, at any time, whether it is wanted or not…”
I turned, seeing nobody around at first, then I spotted a small girl sitting in the corner, facing away from where I stood, seemingly oblivious to me as she played with her dolls. Had she been here the whole time?

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The Spine's ex-Hats

According to Jennifer’s Beret, the Spine once owned many hats. It is rumored that behind closed doors, these hats fought over who got to wear him because he made them all look good. Now, only Fedora remains.

(So is that the right idea?)

[AN: Yes it is]

(#00652 - A287)

There used to be a Hall of Hats, just like there is a Hall of Faces in Walter Manor. It isn’t there, any more. It got re-absorbed owing to it’

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Challenge #00651 - A286: It Works on Everyone

The universal phenomenon of chasing the laser pointer dot.

“Stay there. When I say ‘run’ you leg it.”

Barstaw boggled at the human. Their colourful phrases had no discernible end… and yet they were instantly understandable. For all her deathworlder status, she was extremely helpful to have around for this escape.

She hunkered down, ready to run at the door that was currently being supervised by one very bored guard. Barstaw half expected the human to happen

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Magnificently Horrible

(inspired by the recent development of nailpolish that helps detect date-rape drugs when a finger is dipped in the drink, though, understandably, you don’t need to use that for the writing-inspiration)

“Like a lot of things in this world, it is wonderful that this finally exists, but also terrible that it needs to exist.”

(#00650 - A285)

It looked like a simple brain mod. Just another circuit in a world full of integrated circuits designed to merge with the

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Challenge #00649 - A284: Reality? Just a Suggestion

Sara and Pinkie Pie trade recipes

[Since you said Sara, I’m assuming you mean my favourite mutant OC and not her alternate ponysona, Star Wishes. If you meant the ponysona, then re-send the prompt with the right name]

“Wait, so you’re not one of those weird beings from the other side of the magic mirror?”

“No,” said the aqua-coloured human with the brown mane. “I came here through Kazooland. Steam Powered Giraffe showed

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Sacrifice...

“You dare say that to me?! That my choices, my actions caused all this? As if with you in my place, if you had to shoulder all my burdens and responsibilities for as long as I have, that you would do things differently? You deceive only yourself to claim you would ‘succeed’ where I had ‘failed’. Anyone would do the same as me in these circumstances. I’m just like you. Just like everyone else. Tell me with a straight face,

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