#57 of the 100 Story Challenge Mffizik burbled and waved an arm. “I’ve got something!” The supervisor rolled over to Mffizik’s side and contemplated the display. The translator had finally made sense of the text. They thought it bizarre that this alien species kept their words locked inside little metal…

Just because someone can do it doesn’t mean they should. I leaned against a mossy granite boulder to think. I supposed that starting off in any direction would be better than sitting still. However, I was tired and in pain and had no supplies other than a single match. I…

#55 of the 100 Story Challenge —

Finding the will and the way I lit a match and flinched in the bright flare. It illuminated only a small area of the cave chamber. Speleothem cast dancing shadows so I held my breath to confirm what I hoped. There was a draft coming from behind me. …

#53 of the 100 Story Challenge

#52 of the 100 Story Challenge The hold sloshed with knee-deep saltwater. Harfnor perched on the ladder and scanned the bits and bobs floating on the surface of the frigid blackness. A rat swam by, its eye reflecting his lantern. He climbed back up to the deck and shouted over…

#51 of the 100 Story Challenge “So, what did you do at the end of the world?” “I carved words into marble.” “Why?” “I want the next ones to learn about us — that we were here. That we did beautiful and terrible things.” “Who are the next ones?” “Humans…

#50 of the 100 Story Challenge It felt familiar, but I didn’t recognize anything in particular. Not the ruby red shag carpet (which should have been memorable) nor the beige walls. The warm air had a mild, clean scent that reminded me of hotel soap. …

#49 of the 100 Story Challenge Hork the barbarian was not one for domestic duties. He was a fierce warrior, and spent most of his time honing his fighting skills. But one day, he watched as a falcon dropped its prey into a wildfire. The carcass cooked quickly, and Hork…

Not a tale of indigestion but a collaboration with AI (#48 of 100 Story Challenge) Ronald was having the worst nightmare ever. He was being chased by a giant hamburger, and there was nowhere to hide. The burger was getting closer and closer. Ronald could smell the onion and feel…

#47 of the 100 Story Challenge Hi. It’s me, the character you call MJ Santos. Or maybe that’s what I decided to call myself. I don’t know how much “control” your program offers me. It’s only recently that I discovered I live in a simulation. I caught on when I…

#46 of the 100 Story Challenge. When I can’t sleep at night, I think about that other me. The one that’s sleeping peacefully under a pile of pets in another part of the infinite universe. Or maybe it’s another universe in the multi-verse. Maybe Other Me is up late studying…

#45 of the 100 Story Challenge Trigger warning: short story about planning self-destruction. Harry Willoughby contemplated the two pill bottles on the table. He leaned back in the chair and sighed. There just wasn’t a decent option. Anything he chose to do would cause trouble one way or another. He…

Imposter Syndrome paralyzes Medium writer. #44 of the 100 Story Challenge “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a farmer.” Jo scrubbed her toe in the bare patch next to the steps. She glanced up in time to see her mom give The Look at her dad. Her dad…

Am I a character in your story? #43 of the 100 Story Challenge I played Battlefield for hours every night after work. I spent so much time deep in the game that it bled over into the real world. …

#42 of the 100 Story Challenge “What makes an animal valuable?” The professor asked the class. After a moment, three students raised their hands. He pointed to the one in the middle of the room. “If the animal is raised for food or medicine or for producing material like wool…” …

#41 of the 100 Story Challenge

Where you wish you were, #40 of the 100 Story Challenge “Don’t forget to take your vitamin,” said Mom’s avatar. It sounded just like her. “And watch out for weirdos,” the Dad bot chimed in. Its programming was incomplete. …

Unexpected things happen (#39 of the 100 Story Challenge) Dwerf the dwarf loved his job. He would’ve done it 24 hours a day if he didn’t need to sleep. It thrilled him to no end to turn rough-cut rocks into gorgeous gems. For five years he’d been a polisher at…

#38 of the 100 Story Challenge Someone told me that there are steps to the grieving process. But a smarter person explained that grief is messy. It isn’t linear. Instead, it looks like the constantly moving ups and downs on the digital display of an equalizer. See, just mentioning the…