FFM16-26 Resurrection Blues by C-A-Harland, literature
Literature
FFM16-26 Resurrection Blues
It all started when the courts realised they could resurrect people to stand trial. Murder-suicide was no longer an option. They’d just bring you back and put you in jail anyway. Of course, they could have brought the victims back as well, but the justice system found that too confusing to bring to trial.
With me, though, things were a little more difficult. Typical.
“Where were you on the night of the 26th of July?” Detective Roundbelly asked. He did tell me his name, but I forgot it almost right away. Short term memory takes a while to boot back up when you’ve been brought back from the dead.
“At home,” I
FFM16-24 Choose Your Service by C-A-Harland, literature
Literature
FFM16-24 Choose Your Service
John crawled through icy mud, under a heavy net. The freezing gloop sucked his limbs down deeper, and drained all the warmth from his body. The Sergeant bellowed insults as them from the sidelines, and John cursed him under his breath. He had never been so cold, or so tired in his life. He thought longingly of home and central heating, and three meals a day.
Finally through the mud pit, John forced himself to his gunk laden feet and began to squelch his way across soggy grass to the climbing wall. Max sloped along at his side, and both recruits dared to pause at the base of the wall for a moment to catch their breath.
“Remind me why we
FFM16-7 Fort Cephalopod by C-A-Harland, literature
Literature
FFM16-7 Fort Cephalopod
Oswald pried his clam shell fortress open and peeked out. Withdrawing quickly, he snapped the shells closed, waited a moment, then lifted the lid again. Still no movement. Deciding to move quickly, Oswald extended his tentacles from within his shells, and trotted along the sea floor, dragging his makeshift shelter with him. He had spotted something else up ahead. Something bigger and rounder than a shell. It looked strong. Definitely worth investigating. There were just too many predators around these days to risk being exposed for long.
When he was almost to the new shelter, something approached. He felt the disturbance in the water
The Cultivated Flower Amateur Dramatics Group was putting on a performance of The Three Little Daisies.
The first little daisy had chosen to make its home in some soil that had a worryingly meagre water supply.
The lupin stalked on. “Little daisy, little daisy, let me share your home!”
“No!” cried the daisy. “Not by the nutrients in my mildly acidic loam!”
The lupin drew itself up to its full height. “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff— And I’ll divert your water supply entirely away from you!”
“Aaaargh!” cried the daisy, and scampered off stage left.
In the a
La Ballata dell'Aspirante Suicida (april fool) by R-R-Eco, literature
Literature
La Ballata dell'Aspirante Suicida (april fool)
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita, mi ritrovai ad un bivio:
invecchiare in galera, o commetter suicidio.
La vita è una sola, e non val la pena ch’io la perda
ma in carcere poi, che vita di merda!
Dura è la scelta, profondo l’abisso,
prigione o morire? Era il mio chiodo fisso.
Perché, vi chiedete, dovessi andare in prigione?
Truffe, rapine e anche un’aggressione!
Di crimini vari ne avevo commessi assai,
tanto che dal carcere non sarei uscito mai!
Allora mi decisi: meglio ammazzarsi,
ma se mi convenisse davvero, chissà, può darsi.
Sfortuna la mia, mi vennero ad arrestare,
prima ancora che in te
Ms. Atkinson smiled across her desk at the well sitting opposite.
“So you’re hoping to take out a loan from our bank?”
“That’s right,” said the well, nervously. “To develop my business, you know.”
Ms. Atkinson consulted her computer screen.
“I do see from your application though that you already have a couple of failed businesses behind you…”
“I can explain that.” The well sloshed a little awkwardly. “My first business involved supplying water to a village. And that business lasted hundreds of years! But then everyone got connected up to the mains, and we
Don't Go In To The Basement by vigour-mortis, literature
Literature
Don't Go In To The Basement
I had just moved to the big city, leaving behind my parents and town so small that the mail carrier also delivered pizzas. Not yet steady on my feet financially, I rented a small room from the Chans, a nice older couple that I felt was suffering from empty nest syndrome.
Ruth and Jerry told me that they understood that young women these days were going to do as they pleased. They could handle awful TV shows and music, and would turn a blind eye to visitors that ended up staying the night, but they did have one rule.
Under no circumstances was I allowed to go down in to the basement. Ever.
As the washer and dryer were off the kitchen on the
A Big Night for a Dragon by SCFrankles, literature
Literature
A Big Night for a Dragon
The kingdom had been terrorised by the dragon for months.
“Father,” said the Princess one Sunday. “You can’t just keep sending our maidenly subjects off as sacrifices to the beast. It has to stop!”
“Yes, sweetheart…” said the King vaguely. He furrowed his brow over his list. “What about Miss Hetherington? I know she’s 73 but it still counts, doesn’t it?”
The Princess squared her shoulders.
“I mean it, Father! Before I let you send any more sacrifices, well—you’ll have to send me first!”
The King looked up and beamed.
“Excellent idea, my
The scientists were standing round the font with the vicar, cooing over the new addition to the family.
The godparents, Gold and Silver, watched from the front pew.
Gold sighed. “I wonder what they’re going to call this one.”
“Something sensible, I hope,” said Silver.
Gold nodded. “Yes—the things they come up with nowadays! Whatever happened to those lovely old fashioned names?”
Silver stared into the distance. “‘Iron’, ‘Bismuth’, “Palladium’...”
“Gorgeous names, all of them.” Gold flicked through the hymnal. He looked up again. &