PyroPunk 51 (PPP LoA)'s Stories

be careful what you wish for

2008-10-13T19:39:32Z

Tanya sat down on the edge of her bed and tiredly looked around the room. Toys were strewn around, teddy bears lay on top of cuddly unicorns, books had been left open on the carpet and even the building blocks were still stacked the way she had left them. She sighed. Mom will start shouting about cleaning up this mess soon..

Just then a slight breeze shifted the curtains and in flew the tiniest purple fairy and landed on Tanya’s nose. She squinted and unperturbed asked “What’s your name?”

“Anita.” answered the fairy “I have granted you one wish.”

“I wish that my room will always be clean and tidy!” Tanya shouted with excitement, nearly knocking Anita off her nose.

mexinoxi Anita chanted, swished her magic wand and disappeared in a puff of fairy dust. The last thing Tanya saw before falling asleep were all the toys jumping to their places.

The next morning Tanya started to play. But as soon as she took a toy from the box or a book from the shelf it jumped back.

Tanya couldn’t play and started crying.

my life in 6 long words - no filler needed

2008-09-10T19:13:56Z

Pyromanical nonconformist, passionately coordinating programming challenges.

spam challenge judging

2008-09-01T19:17:46Z

Oh dear, I seem to have neglected ficlets a bit. Buying a house and lots of work prevented me from feeding my addiction. Even though I did not expect too may entries, I still got 8 and they produced some truly memorable quotes.

“conga-line-to-infinity” – OrangeOreos
“Copy that; go to staples!” – ALRO613
“the old window licker” – MJY
“you keep 30% and I keep 70%” – Mistress Elsha Hawk
“make the sesame seeds dance” – g2
“its teh best buk ever ritten” – NightMaiden
“was sealicked at random” – chakatreatmentson
“If I was a enzymme I’d be dna heelicase so I could unzip your genes.” – RainDance

The runner up is: RainDance – I’ve always liked the jeans/genes pun.

And the winner is: chakatreatmentson – the word sealicked made me laugh out loud and I’m now forced to think of it whenever I write selected. Damn you!

Thank you all for entering.

cheese (infamous beginnings challenge)

2008-08-11T19:57:32Z

It was a dark and stormy night.

It wasn’t really, but it could have been if there were ominous clouds, icy rain and howling winds. It was dark though and it was night and the moon hung, almost drooped in the sky much like a discarded piece of mouldy cheese that had been forgotten in the attic or the basement and on which the mice had started nibbling and then the cockroaches and then the ants. The scattering of stars surrounded the moon like the crumbs left behind by the nibbling critters.

Susan who thought these thoughts suddenly did not feel hungry any more even though she did not have anything to eat or drink since the kissed the pimply-faced youth, whose name and number she forgot to write down, at the Starbucks on a whim and thinking of that made her even less hungry.

Suddenly a motorcycle pulled into the driveway momentarily blinding her and then a familiar voice shouted:

“Hey, Suse wanna grab some Pizza.”

Susan’s hunger pains immediately appeared again and she yelled back:

“Yea why not.” and ran.

Save yoour love AKA Spam Challenge

2008-07-30T18:44:15Z

Hey all you happy ficleteers! I found this in my mailbox yesterday and it made me want to create a challenge:

“Summerlee. That i should have lived to see such i break every bottle? Are you sure? Every one? Had darkened, and the eyes had paled. Some faces of thy counsellor. Then turning himself to the fell away from him, showing the rough human man mr. ii ffin,ancy was ^y as thrilled as when he got my father’s and brothers’ supper to get, and of the extremely genteel seminary for young ladies, fashion. Take a pike, draw him, dress the rivet, apartments in the north tower. When barney regained those which are used for an illegal purpose. Exactly. the judgment of god, because before she married is not attained, by the air of reality which the gets the selling agency for the hamsuckett people, more than that, it was the position which, as.”

So the challenge is: Create a ficlet that almost makes some sense. Add a sprinkling of typos and a dash of punctuation. Should be fun watching what you come up with!

A walk in the park [use your senses challenge]

2008-07-25T06:57:42Z

I should have heeded the first warning signs: the acidic smell and the metallic taste of the ozone in the air. At least the dark clouds and the grumbling thunder should have made me walk faster. But no, I had to stay and admire the handiwork of our trusty gardener.

Only when the wind flogged me with his icy whip and the hair on my naked forearms started to rise did I start running to seek shelter. The first raindrops soaked into my thin T-shirt and tickled my short hair.

I could feel the static electricity rising around me, goosebumps flocked over my legs and back.

CRACK my eardrums shattered, my teeth rattled, a million ants crawled out of every pore in my body.

I’ve had nightmares of being struck by lightning, but they were mere ghosts of the real thing.

I stumbled, grazed my knees on the stony ground, scraped my hands trying to stay my fall. Bleeding and disorientated I curled up into a ball and stayed there in the open, shivering, my tears mixing with the ferocious rain until my parents found me.

SkoolGrrl's private client (DVC)

2008-07-23T06:11:57Z

Demonica, or has her advertisement read SkoolGrrl, prepares for her private client. I have waited a long time for this she thinks while buttoning her white blouse so that just the right amount of cleavage is visible. She straightens her plaid mini skirt and checks the buckle on her black 7 inch platforms. Then she adjusted the lace on her white socks so that it flares suggestively.

She enters the waiting room and walks up to her nervous client. Years of experience have trained her to read the emotions accurately. He rises as she holds out her hand “Hello, I’m Amanda” she uses her honey-sweet schoolgirl voice. “John” he stutters before she clasps his clammy hand.

They enter the classroom and with practised touches she strips him to his underpants. She leads him to the rings in the wall and ties him securely. He does not object. She duct-tapes his mouth and with laser-sharp fingernails cuts PAEDOPHILE into his chest.

She ignores his muffled screams and whispers into his ear “How does this feel now, daddy?”

Initiation (LoA2075oBC)

2008-07-20T20:21:39Z

The Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Grand Lodge of the Order of Awesomeness, John Perkins the 3rd bangs his gavel on the podium. The gathered fall silent and await the entrance of the initiates.

In slow procession, each carrying an electronic notebook, the white-faced Potentials enter. They make their way to the Altar of Awesomeness and line up facing the crowd.

With a booming voice injected with venom and what under different circumstances might have been described as malice, John Perkins the 3rd calls the first name.

Helena Augenstern, Potential of Awesomeness number 34762 he paused for greater effect, licking his lips in anticipation what have you prepared?

Helena steps forward and reads a nirvana ficlet from her notebook. It is beautiful, the described scene is so vivid that the attendees chorus “Comment, Sequel”.

With a bang of his gavel he brings the Lodge to order. Helena you shall…

The doors crash open. This is the police! You are under arrest for promoting literary supremacy!

OpenID or how I found the {The Wonderful World of Ficlets CHALLENGE}

2008-07-16T15:05:51Z

My story is short and sweet.

I was investigating using OpenID for work and headed over to verisign. Once I had everything set up I noticed the fancy f of the ficlets site. Thinking it had something to do with fonts (my other addiction) I headed over and was greeted by the featured ficlet of the Corporation Inc. which, once I had subscribed, I prequelled immediately.

That’s it.

Fright and Flight

2008-07-10T20:15:48Z

She follows his blank, caught-in-the-headlights stare, but at first she does not see what could have given this muscular man such a fright. Then she looks past her reflection in the window next to the door and sees a shadowy figure outside. She peers closer. A man’s face appears to be floating in the air. It is partially lit by the yellow porch light but the bright bluish interior light sneaks into some shadows, giving it a ghostly white complexion. The face looks a little bit like it could belong to one of those actors that play rough, burly detectives with guns bigger than their egos, always flashing their badges at everybody. But this man is not holding anything. Instead a laughs in a high-pitched voice and rattles the doorknob.

She shakes her companion by the shoulders and shouts “Tony, Tony, wake up. We need phone the police. Come on!” She grabs his hand, dragging him into the house, leaving the cackling maniac banging at the door behind. They rush up the stairs into the safety of the master bedroom.

Embrace

2008-07-05T20:09:57Z

The pair enters and with a practiced kick from her heel the door slams shut. The resultant boom reverberates though the tastefully decorated entrance hall. He looks at her questioningly but she shakes her head indicating that nobody is home. They embrace and his hands slide under her coat. She shrugs. It whispers onto the cold marble floor, where it will lie, forgotten until the next morning.

He buries his face in her neck, inhaling the sweet sandalwood and cinnamon aroma of her Dolce Vita perfume. It reminds him of his first love, fire. She squeals playfully and pushes him away, then turns to lock the door. But the key doesn’t want to fit. While she is bent down and struggles, his hands caress her bare arms and slender hips, but not her butt even though it looks so inviting. He has learned the hard way that fondling a woman’s rear when she is irritated almost always means the end of the transaction.

The lock clicks into place but he has stopped his advances. She swirls around to see the horror on his face.

Guest

2008-07-05T19:39:04Z

The oily puddle on the cobblestones glistens in the orange light of a nearby lamp. The last few drops of tonight’s rain dance across the surface only to be disturbed by the spray of the red Porsche’s wheels.

The car lurches to a stop and two doors open almost noiselessly. On the driver’s side a pair of pointy-toed black stiletto boots swing over the side. The owner’s companion, having raced around the car is by her side before she can demonstrate her independence, holding out his arm.

They quickly reach the front door of the mansion, giggling like hormone-overloaded teenagers, her stilettos clacking and scratching on the stones. Her black faux-fur lined Mohair coat sucks up the light making her all but invisible, only the white shirt-sleeve of the man gives a hint that he is holding her at the waist.

On the dimly lit porch she briefly searches for a key and slides it into the lock. With a flourish she opens the door and the interior light illuminates the chiselled, almost Italian features of the young man.

unconventional zen master judging

2008-07-05T18:21:54Z

Thanks guys for all the effort you put in to answer my challenge. Even though I got only 7 entries, they all put a smile on my face.

For the single/standalone ficlets I have to award the places as follows:

5th) thebetweenspace’s Sophia – I liked the way the religions bickered only to be silenced by a simple word.

4th) THX 0477 ’s Master Ho Zi – A very disturbing story. I could sense the hope of the master of finally finding a successor, only to disappointed once again.

3rd) Ana Chistina’s Zen Liqour – Very realistic alien story told from the other side and very sequelable.

2nd) g2’s Guru of the East/West – I loved the condescending and slightly senile attitude of the guru.

Winner) Kermitgorf’s Zen Master Biffbong – I laughed at the complete nonsense ramblings only to find out he’s a charlatan.

As for the two series:

John Perkins’ Zen Master Trent is clearly the winner here, but NightMaiden’s master Shishou showed great promise too. Too bad the series was never finished.

The book of forgotten dreams

2008-06-30T06:44:42Z

“My friends,” started Terence “I have a confession to make, I have an unusual talent. This may come as a shock to some of you but I can make dreams become reality. Not just lucid dreaming – I can do that too – no, if I say and do exactly as I did in my dream the consequences in real life are exactly the same. This has caused me no end of trouble, because sometimes I do it subconsciously and the result is almost always catastrophic.”

His three friends stared at him in slackjawed disbelief.

“What’s lucid dreaming?” asked Gloria, the only girl.

“Lucid dreaming: A lucid dream is a dream in which the person is aware that he or she is dreaming while the dream is in progress, also known as a conscious dream.” quoted Jason as if he had a direct connection to Wikipedia.

“Ah” then silence.

“But what I really wanted to tell you, is that two days ago I dreamt of a book.” continued Terence “This book contained all the forgotten dreams. I went to the library, to the same shelf and there it was, just like in my dream.”

Luxurious cocoon

2008-06-29T12:01:57Z

Raine steps onto the cold shower tiles and turns on the hot faucet. I have to let it run hot first otherwise I’ll freeze my bum off she thinks while jumping out before the cold water can hit her. Methodically she rearranges her clothes and towel. When she sees the hot steam rising, she slips in, closes the door and adjusts the cold tap. Then she lets the water knead her tense neck like a tropical massage.

With the white noise drumming on her head, the warm fingers of the droplets running down her back, the steam misting up the already frosted glass and the delicious smell of the strawberry soap, she can imagine being in a very luxurious cocoon.

Suddenly, on the edge of audibility she can hear children’s voices. She shakes her head, whipping her face with her wet hair. It’s just the splashing and gurgling of the water down the drain! There, she hears it again. She sticks her head out the door. It’s not coming from outside! She leans closer to the wall.

Help us whisper the voices inside Please help