Monday, 18 July 2022

Flash Fic Challenge: Medicinal Compounds

 Medicinal Compounds

The asteroid mining stations were always pleased when the Pink Pie Tin docked at one of them with her regular load of medicines and other supplies. Not only was it a pleasure to know that they weren't going to run short of anything, as well as to see a new, if familiar face in the ship's captain, but the ship's unofficial cargo load included news and tall tales. Information and entertainment in one, and the captain always told them well.

On this occasion, though, the tale telling (a tall one, surely no one could fly by flapping their ears, even in asteroid-level gravity) was interrupted by two youngsters making a dash for the port, one dragging the other by the hand, and both looking over their shoulders in a way that suggested pursuit.

"They say," the dragger panted, "that you'll let people ship out with you - for a price."

The captain only looked amused. "They told you true. What's your price?"

"We want," the one being dragged whispered, still looking fearfully over one shoulder, "to escape. We... can tell a tale you won't believe. But not here."

"We'll discuss it on board then." The captain made her excuses to the crowd and led them through the lock into the ship itself. Once they reached a cabin, she reached down a pair of tiny vials. "Drink that, it's medicinal." After a moment, she added, "And you'd best call me Lily."

Friday, 10 June 2022

Flash Fic Challenge: Returned With Interest

 Returned With Interest

Tom kicked a pebble ahead of him as the two young men trudged down the country road.

Beside him, Ray reached out and they tangled their fingers together. "Only one more day of walking and then we'll see what the next town is like."

"Hope it's better than the last one," Tom kicked viciously at the pebble, which shot off the road into the hedge. He brightened as the evening camp site came into view ahead of them. "Hey, we made good time! Want to clean up a bit?"

"Sure."


When they reached the campsite, Ray set up the tent while Tom hauled buckets of water from the well. It would have to be a cold wash, but in the heat and dust of the summer day, that was more pleasure than hardship.

Tom had just shucked his travel-stained shirt and was reaching for a cloth, when a sopping wet sponge hit him in the back. He yelped and turned to see Ray there, also shirtless. Snatching up the sponge and re-wetting it, Tom took off after his lover.

Some things deserved to be returned with interest.

Sunday, 15 May 2022

Flash Fic Challenge: Time to Run

 Time To Run


Tkkia skidded to a halt and stretched out an arm to kir human companion. His two legs hadn't been able to keep up with kir six legs. "Get on my back," ke told him. "Hang on to my thorax."

Joe scrambled up and hung on with on hand, the other clutching a jagged metal hoop. Their precious stolen cargo was in a bag slung across his body. "I'm on. Go!"

Tkkia took off again, racing down the corridors of the queen's palace, listening for the staccatto steps of the pursuing guards. Ke was merely a lowly worker, was never supposed to be in this place to begin with, but even the palace was a nest, and nests always had a certain logic to them.

Ke turned a corner that should lead to the outside, and found guards storming up the cross corridor. Fear made kir stumble, and Joe leaned down and sent the metal ring sliding, points uppermost, across the floor towards the guards.

Tkkia recovered and lunged forward, fleeing for the door.

Behind them, there was a snap and then a hideous scream.

"What was that?"

Joe chuckled. "We call it a bear trap. Let's get out of here before they escape."

"Good idea," Tkkia muttered back, and made the idea reality.

Saturday, 9 April 2022

Flash Fic Challenge: Take Your Cue

 Take Your Cue

Tam chalked his cue tip, and then took aim. The cue ball struck the red cleanly and then veered off towards the cushion. The red ball rolled almost directly to the pocket, hesitated on the edge, and then seemed to deliberately bounce itself out of the corner.

Tam glared. "Keep this up," he told them, his voice as hard and final as the click of handcuffs closing around wrists, "and I'll send you off to the piano factory, to be cut up for keys."

The snooker balls quivered as one.

Tam re-chalked his cue and tried another shot. This time, the ball went in.

Friday, 11 March 2022

Flash Fic Challenge: Whosoever

 Whosoever

The sword waited.

Someday a hero would come seeking it again. It didn't matter to the sword that it was at the bottom of the ocean and might have to wait a long time. Magic kept it from rusting and from dying and from changing. The runes along its blade gleamed softly.

Whosoever draws this sword from this [mud] shall be rightwise....

Rightwise target for the sword to take over. To slide silent tendrils of mental control into the wielder's mind. To encourage mistrust. To encourage swiftness to anger. To persuade into more wars and more fights and the resulting higher dependency on the sword itself.

To quietly erode any other support, turn friends against them, create too many problems to solve any other way. To destroy kingdoms. To destroy lives.


Up on the surface, divers splashed cheerfully over the side of the ship.

Below them, Excaliber waited, the runes along its blade gleaming softly.

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Flash Fic Challenge: Going West

 Going West

The two gunslingers paced off the distance for the duel with the Tower of London looming in the background, paused, and then turned to glare at each other down the barrels of their guns.

There was a rising hum of tension, not at all dissipated by the sudden stir in the still, hot, air.

Then a voice yelled, "Cut!" and everyone relaxed while director read the note that the messenger (who had opened the studio door and caused the breeze) had brought.

One of the gunslingers dug a toe into the artificial grass.

The other eyed the painted backdrop of the Tower with a wry smile. "When they said 'Go west, young man, I think they meant a bit further than England."