We Apologize For The Inconvenience

Betelgeuse

"Where did you get the wound?" asked his boss as he closed the garage door.

The young man shrugged.

"It looks bad. Go to the hospital. Get that checked."

He nodded and walked away.

"Weird kid. I better check if anything is going on in here."

The boss opened the door and looked around. Nothing was out of place.

As he closed the door, he saw it. He walked closer.

It blinked.

"What the..."

It was the kid.

"How...?"

Before the night was over, there would be two of him as well.

This was just the beginning of the end.

100 Word Stories

Seek

Betelgeuse

The basement of the cathedral was off-limits.

After entering...

"Is this it?" His voice echoed through the web of archways.

The room was empty. A small stand at the back seemed to have some dry red on it.

"Sacrifices," he whispered, thrilled.

The adventure was becoming a lot more interesting than he expected.

Something sparkled in the corner. A button. Press it, press it.

A heavy stone door opened. He walked in. It closed behind him. The sun came through some small windows.

"What is this? The basement?"

The stone door didn't open again.

Never seek what you cannot handle.

100 Word Stories

Illuminate

Collins Land

A few photographs hung from the string of lights. She couldn't remember them. Who was this guy? Where was this photo taken? Her gaze floated from photo to photo, her perplexity increasing.

But then she stopped. The beach. The pebbles. She remembered that.

She looked at the stranger standing beside her.

"It's..."

The stranger nodded.

"You're my son," she said, smiling.

The stranger teared up. "Yes, Mom, I'm your son. We used to go to this beach when I was a kid."

"And you used to pile up the pebbles and say Look, Mom. You were so proud of yourself!"

100 Word Stories

Empowered

I found the page of a book in the forest. I read it. It didn't make much sense. Then, I found another page, and another. I continued down the path and found more pages. I sat down and ordered them. Damn... No page one... I wandered about, trying to find it, until I reached a cabin. Page one was right there. I picked it up and was about to leave when a voice, coming from inside, said "I was expecting you". I've read many pages since, and Old Patrick, the voice, always closes his eyes and smiles while I read.
100 Word Stories

Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive

France Portnawak

The three brothers were alone. The conversation started amicably, but it became bitter very quickly. Accusations flew. The past came back to haunt each one of them. "It wasn't my fault," each would yell. And time went by, the hours long and heavy. No solution in sight. "Nobody gets out of here before we reach an agreement," said the eldest. And no one did. At least, not alive. The widows sobbed, and winked. That bourbon was great. Then, they went on a cruise, enjoying the money their husbands weren't able to divide. Unfortunately, the cruise sank. Karma is a bitch.

100 Word Stories

Chemistry

Amar en Meleth

In a nutshell... The chemistry wasn't right. So, I decided to burn it all, but burn it with style. The documentary didn't make justice to the whole process. It was a masterpiece! I tried to make it as simple as possible. I drew the lines. But it wasn't easy. Everything was a bit wiggly. The actual procedure only took place afterwards, of course. And.. It did burn for quite a bit. I had no idea it would take that long. On top of it all, it didn't work properly. If it had I wouldn't be here, would I, your honor?

100 Word Stories

Ecology Rash

BWC

Lessons in Ecology? No one would dare. He knew far more than all of them put together. He'd spent decades studying the subject. He was "the expert". And he was damn proud of that too. He'd lectured all over the world. He had written so many books that he'd forgotten most of them. These books had been translated to languages from all over the world.

So, when that rash started, he blamed it on the new exotic plant, a gift from a colleague.

He was certainly not an expert on Psychology. He didn't count on something as simple as jealousy.

100 Word Stories

Sanitize

Candia Urban Lounge

"Sanitize this, sanitize that, that's all we hear these days. How about sanitizing at a larger scale?"

The staff sat around the oval table in the meeting room, motionless.

"We just have to have political courage, that's all."

No one uttered a word.

"We start small first and see if anyone complains."

A few people shifted in their chairs, the discomfort growing.

"If the media don't pick up on it, we go bigger. It'll save money too."

The silence was overwhelming.

"OK, then. It's decided. We'll start next week."

They started with the old and the lonely. No one noticed.

100 Word Stories

April Camp 2020

Dendrite

Betelgeuse

"...neurotransmitters that communicate with the dendrites," said the professor standing in front of a large group of students. She didn't need a class on Biology, but she didn't feel like having to wait in the cold for two hours. So, she'd joined that class. Things took a bad turn though when the professor asked her about the damn dendrites and the only thing she could think of was "...stress induces atrophy of apical dendrites". She had no clue where she had read that, but everyone seemed impressed. She smiled and decided that, from then on, she'd wait in the cold.

100 Word Stories

Not

BCC

Don't.

Don't go.

Don't go for a walk.

Don't.

Don't go to the beach.

No, don't swim.

Don't sit and bury your fingers in the golden sand.

Don't build castles and little houses that will crumble with the tide, and mountains with little steps on the side so little imaginary people could climb them safely, their toes feeling the warmth of the sun as they tread upwards.

Don't.

Don't stand so close.

Don't sneeze and laugh and cough.

Don't breathe.

Don't wrap your arms around a sad shoulder.

Don't breathe.

Don't take things for granted.

Don't breathe.

Don't be...

Don't.

100 Word Stories

Impossible

Asalia House

The radio was on and a tired voice repeated their names. These were the names of poor souls lost forever.

The authorities tried to warn everyone. No one cared. Everyone continued to do as they had always done.

The tears came first. They thought it was due to too much exposure to flash lights.

And then they simply disappeared into thin air, as happened when the light is turned off and darkness takes over.

The radio repeated the names because they were considered missing persons, but they weren't missing. They were gone. They were gone into unbearably impossible killer selfies.

100 Word Stories

Device

Il Nido

"This is a magical device. You open it and things jump at your face and hit your eyes. As you touch it, you may have an allergic reaction and sneeze, especially if the device is quite old. But... beware. You must hide it. You must hide it carefully. This device was brought to us millions and millions of years ago by the humans."

"What could jump out of it?"

"Dust."

"Human dust?"

Nods.

"But also words, and ideas, and doubts, and questions."

"Human questions?"

"No, just questions."

"Will they make me smile?"

"Yes, they'll make you smile a human smile."

100 Word Stories

Gulf

France Portnawak

The tour of the Gulf was such a nice idea. The fresh air, the birds flying close-by. The tour of the Gulf was also cheap. No one wanted fresh air and rain, birds flying close-by and pooping.

So, they embarked.

"Wonderful adventure", "Unique opportunity", "An experience you'll never forget".

Yes, it sure was unforgettable, especially when the boat tilted dramatically to one side and people screamed at the top of their lungs, scaring the poor birds away. Fresh air was something difficult to find too. Everyone was sick and bird poop was not exactly the worst thing happening that day.

100 Word Stories

Gate

Betelgeuse

At the gate, the entangled cables covered the walls and sneaked through. No one knew what they were for, and no one asked. As the days went by, more cables appeared, increasing the entanglement of the hopelessly entangled mess.

And then came the kid. He unplugged all the cables, straightened them up, and plugged them all back in. It took him a while too. But he was pleased with himself. He smiled and walked away.

No one in town had the heart to complain about the hours with no power. But they did make sure to avoid any future entanglements.

100 Word Stories

Tinfoil

Il Nido

I recall the fresh sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil, the extra juice in a clear bottle, Agatha Christie's books packed in twos just in case I could read a whole book in a few hours.

The stubborn folded chairs, the clean towels, and the golden sand, sneaking through the seams.

The waves, the wind, and the seagulls fluttering about, announcing a storm.

"It's your turn," someone said.

I look at my pieces and I have nothing but an apple. The tray beams with words, but my only thought is... The sun still shines. They are gone... But the sun still shines.

100 Word Stories

The End of The Rope

Seasalts

"Tie a knot and hang on... I'll tie a knot around their necks. Be happy and blah blah blah..."

She was grumpy all the time. The neighbors would always scatter away in all directions, hiding from her.

And then came a bird. She scared it away, but the bird came back, again and again. And it brought a little twig, then another, and soon there was a nest. And baby birds!

She opened a bit of the window and gave the mommy some seeds she had bought.

No one could believe it when, one day, she simply said "Good morning!".

100 Word Stories

Hot Potato

Slaughterhouse

"This is a problem."

Everyone nodded and looked at the entrance of the tunnel.

"This is a huge problem."

Everyone nodded some more and looked at the entrance of the tunnel.

Silence.

"What if we close it down?"

All eyes landed on the unfortunate soul who uttered such nonsense.

"It'll be the end of the town!"

Everyone looked back at the entrance of the tunnel.

"There's a light over there," whispered the unfortunate soul.

"We know, it's the hole caused by the landslide."

"There's a light..."

"Stop it!"

The light at the end of the tunnel was not the hole.

100 Word Stories

Lapse

Tim's Dreams by Romy Nayar

Who was that man, everyone wondered.

He wore a long coat and pulled around a big box with wheels. The box had a small window and the kids tried to look inside. That made him mad.

Who was that man, everyone thought.

One day, he walked into the water, small waves splashing on his ankles. He stood there for a long time, the box left unattended on the sand.

Then, something happened. The lid of the box opened but no one saw anything.

However, when she reached the water, she appeared. She smiled and swam away.

Who was that man...

100 Word Stories

Hankering

Natural Mignon Colore

Going back, that's all she thought about, going back and sitting on that bench under the pergola, under the sky, close to her dreams...

She used to have dreams. She used to sit there and smile, looking up and enjoying the colors of the sunset. She used to think life was whatever she wanted it to be.

She was far away now, so far away, too far away. She looked at the sky but the colors weren't the same. She wondered if the bench was still there.

Then, she heard the sirens. It was time to move... and hide... again.

100 Word Stories

Pulled From the Water

Octoberville

They look off.

They don't!

They do... is this a... tentacle?

The two friends tilted their heads.

You are crazy. I've been eating fish from these waters for months, said the merchant, adjusting the back of his shirt.

I don't think we should buy these...

Come on. I'll give you a special discount, how about that?

The two friends exchanged looks.

Well, OK then.

A month later, they were selling fish on the pier. The merchant had been promoted.

They too adjusted the back of their shirts.

It was a nuisance the shirts didn't have room for the damn tentacle.

100 Word Stories

Shark

Salt Water

A man sat by the shore at the beach.

Two little boats, sailing along the coast..., he muttered.

That sounds like the beginning of a story, someone in the group said, laughing. And continued walking.

Two little boats, sailing along the little coast, sailing along the rocky coast, sailing along... And he stopped, his eyes on the horizon.

The group had disappeared from his sight.

Two little boats, sailing along the sharky coast... He stopped again. Sharky... Shark. He shook his head and slid backwards, taking his feet out of the water.

One little boat, sailing along the lonely coast.

100 Word Stories

Fake

Tierra de Fuego

The photo was on the table, silent. Undeniable proof.

Nah, it's fake, someone said.

And yet, it was there, a loud accusation to all those denying it.

No one touched the photo, but everyone looked at it.

They knew it had been taken there, in that sunny apartment, but where exactly?

It's clean. Nothing. No blood, no footprints, no fingerprints. Leave.

Nothing they could do. And they left.

Years later, breaking down a wall, there she was. There she was... 5 years old and definitely not a fake.

The photo got lost in a mysterious flood in the archive room.

100 Word Stories

Crunch

Whispering Wind

The frog. This frog! It's a pet. It's the pet, he said, stressing the word the.

No one believed him, of course. A frog for a pet? That didn't seem plausible.

Ah, but it's a magical frog, it crunches.

Crunches, they asked, rolling their eyes and smirking in disdain.

Numbers.

More eye-rolling ensued.

Yes.

A paper was produced. Numbers were supplied. The frog was summoned.

To everyone's amazement, the frog provided the results and they were correct.

Meanwhile, a pair of eyes was eagerly checking the comings and goings of the frog.

The numbery crunching turned into a crunchy chewing.

100 Word Stories

Mention the Seventh!

Collins Land

Did I already mention some of New Year's traditions? No? OK!

Lift a foot, stand on your head, eat 12 raisins, take just as many sips of champagne.

If anyone tells you to do the opposite, fight back. Lift a foot, stand on your head, eat the raisins and drink the champagne.

And if they tell you you're crazy, lift your foot and kick them where it hurts most, skip the headstand, and spit the seventh raisin at them. Crazy is as crazy does.

Oh, and drink the champagne. There's no point in wasting a perfectly good champagne, is there?

100 Word Stories

Throne

Whispering Wind

The Christmas tent was located at the perfect snowy forest clearing.

Happy children lined up to see Santa.

The ice throne, however, started to melt quickly. Santa shifted in his seat.

The children looked at him, their eyes bulging.

“Who turned the cooling machine off,” yelled someone at the back.

All the kids looked in horror when Santa crashed to the floor.

All, but one. He looked at Santa and said "You're a disgrace."

Santa couldn't believe the cheekiness. "And you're a... a..."

"Thrones are for those who deserve them," said the kid, walking away as if he were royalty.

100 Word Stories

Broken

Winter Moon

No one looked at her, sprawled on the floor, holding a bottle of beer, one of many, too many.

Everyone walked away, tiptoeing over her legs to avoid stepping on her.

Nothing mattered anymore, she thought in her drunken stupor.

Everything was part of the past, her success, her laughter, her happiness.

She belonged nowhere. Just nowhere. It was over.

Fragmented thoughts of everywhere she had been crossed her mind. The countries, the cities, gallery after gallery, so many she had forgotten most, the media, photographs and interviews.

She sneered. Autographs...

To think she worried about autographs...

Broken, so broken.

100 Word Stories

The F-word

Tierra de Fuego

Never say the F-word, her mother had told her when she was a child.

The day she boarded that plane, the prospective of enjoying two carefree weeks in the sun was all she could think about.

Halfway through the flight, a storm hit the plane. She felt like saying the F-word often, especially when the plane started diving uncontrollably. But she didn't.

When the pilot managed to control the plane again and they landed safely, she stepped out of the plane, calmly and composed, raised her arms and yelled FUCK YOU! Then she looked up and smiled "Oops! Sorry, Mom!"

100 Word Stories

Sassy

Collins Land

The waves drowned the sound of a phone ringing. It rang for a minute. Then, it stopped. Later in the day, it rang again. The waves sloshed softly in the background.

The police sent search parties, geared up in white protective suits. They quarantined the small town, but the buildings were empty.

Then, the phone rang one last time. A policeman answered.

“Find them, I dare you. And find me too,” the voice cackled with laughter.

They did find them.

Years later, the waves returned to the shore what belonged on the shore.

They never found the cackling voice though.

100 Word Stories

Coma

Hazardous

The stage was set. The jury was ready, the music chosen.

He still felt the taste of her mouth.

He cast a furtive glance at her. She ignored him.

They danced. And they won.

He still felt her body pressed against his.

The applause died down as they waved to the audience.

And she hurried away.

He could still feel the shape of her hand in his.

The recollection of her smile was vague though, so vague.

She was now a body fallen into a deep slumber.

The stage was set. The jury was ready. 

But there was no music.

100 Word Stories

NaNoWriMo 2019

Rebellious NaNoWriMo month concluded with success. The hype was not as intense as when I write new material, but the goal was to get some revising done. That was achieved.

Option

Milk Wood

"No," shouted the elderly lady, forking up a luscious pumpkin pie.

"Yes," replied another.

The living-room of the Club was packed. All the ladies talked at the same time, tea cups held in a precarious fashion.

Suddenly, the door bell rang...

The rest of that night was spent at the police station where an important decision was made.

No more meetings after a night out at the local pub. The neighbors were such twats.

That was actually the word they wrote on a piece of paper, when they got back, and glued it to the neighbors' door, chuckling like teenagers.

100 Word Stories

Who Cares?

Whispering Wind

The chair faced a big wooden crate. Fragile. Fragile could mean a lot of things, he thought. Glass. He sat down and leaned forward. Rare wine. He sat back. Do not open it, they said. He stared at it and pondered. He wanted to open it... Porcelain. He tilted his head and tried to read the label. It was wet and blurry. "Screw them..." He stood up and opened the crate. It was filled with ideas, special ones too. The crate was filled with books, something extremely rare those days. He sneaked one out and closed the crate again, smiling.

100 Word Stories

Boom

Home

Boom, and the moon was gone. No one believed it could happen, but it did. The so-called brotherly neighbors from next door, meaning the next galaxy or wherever they came from, threatened to do it and everyone laughed, not a care in the world. Then, it happened. Those damn little green jerks. Ever since they moved in with all that scientific progress, new ideas, new concepts, new gadgets, life was a lot more complicated. That resonant boom was only outmatched by the roaring sound of space ships exploding as they left Earth. Oops! "Should we prepare for war?" someone asked.

100 Word Stories

Heart

Milk Wood

The regulars at the bar took sneaky glances at the blonde woman who had just walked in. Her long hair swayed as she conquered the room, an aura of certainty about her. The tight turtleneck made her perky breasts tease risky thoughts into everyone's minds. She pulled up a chair and sat down, facing the room, her feet up on the table in front of her. Wasn't it such a pleasant little coincidence that the chair had a heart on its back? She smiled. Everyone smiled back. A few waved with enthusiasm. No one knew she had the chainsaw ready.

100 Word Stories

NaNoWriMo 2019

The annual writing frenzy starts in a couple of days!

I was tempted to start a new story... again... But I have been working so much on revising - learning how to do it, getting motivated to do it and actually doing it... albeit slowly - that I've decided I would honor my efforts and keep working on my Work In Progress.

As a result, and for the first time since 2013 when I started taking part in the NaNoWriMo, I will be a Rebel.

I aim to follow the guideline of 30 minutes of work being the equivalent to 500 words of writing.

To win NaNoWriMo, you must write at least 50k words. This means I am looking at 50 hours of revising throughout the month and about 2 hours each day.

As always, the Virtual Writers, the writing community I belong to in Second Life, will meet daily at Milk Wood. We will also have a large number of workshops and resources to help everyone along this crazy adventure!

“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs

and developing our wings on the way down.”

Kurt Vonnegut

Tool

Asalia House

"Useless," said Reggie.

“It's good for our plans,” said Ronnie.

“The tractor's rusty.”

“No, look.”

And Ronnie grabbed a rusty wrench.

“And what is that?”

“Reggie, please. I have no clue.”

Reggie sighed.

"You're so negative. We'll lift it in the air and everyone will be horrified."

"I bet they will and we'll have a concussion too."

"Ghosts don't have concussions, silly."

"Really?"

Reggie grabbed a random part of the tractor and threw it at Ronnie's head.

Meanwhile, a few meters away, the farmer and his son were watching, amused.

"They are at it again! They should get a life!"

100 Word Stories

Sturdy

Sands of Time

The cave hideout stank of bacon. Whoever was there had cooked himself a hearty meal.

The treasure, however, had to be moved.

He tiptoed inside. A lamp sat by the side of the entrance and lit the way.

When he reached the spot, he shoved a few chests aside.

“It's not here.” In a frenzy, he dug through the sand. “It's not here.”

That's when a sturdy little man waltzed in.

"You want the cave? You can have it. I bought myself a new crib." And he waltzed away.

Throwing a pebble at his head didn't do a thing, unfortunately.

100 Word Stories

Smutty

France Portnawak

“So, here is where he writes his smutty books.”

“He writes smutty books, the vicar?!”

“You didn't know?!”

“No!”

Silence took over the whole room. They crossed their arms in sync and tilted their heads.

“The desk is huge.”

“It is.”

More silence ensued.

"I wonder how long it would take to destroy it?"

"A few minutes?"

They nodded.

"We need to find a creaky window."

"Boring."

"So... What then?"

Silence.

"OK, grab his books. We can read them out loud during mass."

And the two glided on to the next room, sneering. This Halloween promised to be great fun.

100 Word Stories

Diary

Whispering Wind

The page of her diary stared back at her, empty, looking for comfort. The meltdown drained her energy and got a hold of her willingness to fight back. The diary would always bring her some comfort. Not today. The past would never change and she was too tired to change the present so her future could make more sense. Smile, she thought. And what she saw was a distorted and pathetic face. Don't smile. It's better. Just keep calm. She took a deep breath and sat back. The page of her diary stared back at her, empty, looking for comfort.

100 Word Stories

(void, intertwine, den, get, fudged, meltdown, Tan)