What's That on the Radar?

Betelgeuse

The dot on the screen appeared and disappeared. Damn radar. The next shift would take care of it.

Everyone had turned in for the night and the city lights had been dimmed down. His favorite time of day. He walked by himself. And that was the last walk he took.

They appeared in white robes and masks. They treated everyone like cattle.

They always said this was a planet... It wasn't. It was a ship that had completed its mission. The people were nothing but lab rats. And life would never be the same again. The radar was shut off.

100 Word Stories

Mushroom

Betelgeuse

She found a small jar in her granny's attic. Something sparkled inside.

She placed it back on a shelf and left without telling anyone anything about it.

When her granny died, she went back to the attic.

When she opened it, a swirl of light turned everything into a neon palette of greenery.

She read the small paper stuck to the bottom - "Mushrooms, theirs."

"Theirs?"

The following night, she was visited by them. The weird ones no one knew about, the aliens.

The attic... well, she turned it into a museum where everyone would see... things that didn't really exist.

100 Word Stories

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