Monthly Archives: January 2015
11
Jan '15

Drabble: The Teleport Twins (Superhero Origin Stories) – by JB Starre

by specklit

Don’t get me wrong; superpowers are great. That time Vortex had me locked in his dungeon, it was good to be able to walk right out of there and into Ava’s living room. And when Ava’s mission to Jupiter was compromised by that backstabbing General Montoya, it was convenient that she could just teleport herself to the pub and grab a drink with me.

But when things with Metal Man are finally starting to get red hot in the bedroom, the last thing you want is to suddenly be the anchor-point for your teleporting twin. Trust me on this one.

Author’s Note: I started with the idea of twins who could teleport, but only to each other, and I thought, “Wow, that could be really inconvenient.”

Categories: Fiction, JB Starre | 1 Comment »

9
Jan '15

Drabble: Ame-onna – by Samantha Lienhard

by specklit

The ame-onna stole her baby.

She sobbed over the empty crib for nights, until even her husband left her alone. And as the nights passed, she began to feel different. Powerful. Capable to undo the crime against her.

She snuck out of her room. No well-wishers lurked in the hall. Good. She retrieved a large laundry sack from the laundry room, and then hurried out into the night.

Alert, she searched the dark streets.

There. From one of the houses, a baby cried. She clutched the sack to her chest and crept to the house to reclaim what was hers.

Author’s Note: This is based on the ame-onna, a yokai from Japanese folklore that steals newborn children. Mothers whose babies are stolen by an ame-onna sometimes transform into one themselves.

Categories: Fiction, Samantha Lienhard | 1 Comment »

7
Jan '15

Drabble: On the Metabolic Requirements of Non-Sentient Constructs – by Carl Grafe

by specklit

Mass hysteria.

Nelson threw the newspaper into the waste bin and hustled down the steps to the subway. Whoever heard of flesh-eating robots anyway? Flesh-eating viruses, sure; flesh-eating humans, of course; but robots?

Nelson worked in artificial intelligence. He lived and breathed robots. And no matter what less-informed people said, or what the media reports blathered, he knew that it was all sensationalized nonsense.

After all, he knew robots. And robots didn’t eat meat.

He smiled to himself as he passed through the subway doors, pleased with his dry wit. Then the subway smiled to itself as well, and swallowed.

Author’s Note: I read an article about artificial intelligence from an expert in the field and he explained in depth why we shouldn’t worry about it. While I tended to agree with much of his line of thinking, it struck me that people like him were probably the most likely to be completely blindsided by the robot apocalypse.

Categories: Carl Grafe, Fiction | 2 Comments »

5
Jan '15

Drabble: His Two Shadows – by Sylvia Heike

by specklit

All Tim’s life, two shadows had followed him. Most days, the dark silhouettes walked in harmony side by side, but on good days, one shadow could be seen skipping beside the other.

People attributed his two shadows to the number of light sources in the room, and outdoors, they were quick to point at street lamps, neon signs, and even the moon.

One day, while looking through old pictures, Tim discovered a document in the attic: he had a twin brother who had died at birth.

Tim extended his trembling arms into the air. His two shadows embraced each other.

Author’s Note: I just started writing about a man with two shadows. What could be the cause of it?

Categories: Fiction, Sylvia Heike | 4 Comments »

3
Jan '15

Drabble: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – by Rob Butler

by specklit

The Great Sorcerer glared at his young grandson through bristling eyebrows and tapped his pointed hat making light flashes flare around the room.

“Now pay attention lad. We are about to conceive a great magic spell. Watch and learn.”

With much waving of his wand and many mutterings of mysterious words a grey fog began to creep around the room.

“Behold! You see the mists. Now we will conjure your father and speak to him even though he is on the other side of the world!”

The young boy sighed and opened his laptop.

“Grandad, we can just use Skype.”

Author’s note: Another ancient craft rendered pointless by modern technology.

Categories: Fiction, Rob Butler | 2 Comments »

1
Jan '15

Drabble: Love in a Coffin – by Sierra July

by specklit

Amber’s Valentine’s Day gift came in a coffin. Somehow, the postman was fine dropping it on her doorstep without requiring so much as a signature. Baffled but curious, she lugged the wooden box in and read the little sender’s card attached.

“Giving you all I can, your secret admirer,” it read. Hearts and roses littered the fringes.

She tossed it aside and, hands trembling, lifted open the coffin’s lid.

Inside rested nothing but another card. Amber sighed, both relieved and disappointed. She bent, picking up the second card. On it were scrawled two words that chilled her heart: Your Future.

Author’s Note: I was going for a horror story that didn’t involve the supernatural. No vampires, just a creepy admirer and the promise of death.

Categories: Fiction, Sierra July | 2 Comments »

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