Split (1)

train · 199k rows

post_text stringlengths 0 17.5k	post_title stringlengths 8 314	comment_texts listlengths 1 74	num_stories int64 1 74
	[WP] Due to a mistake your life was taken much too soon. Your deity realizes this mistake when you arrive at the gates. There you are told you cannot be returned to life, but you can give your remaining years to another living being.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"What do you mean you can't return me!?\" Allan demanded. \"This is bullshit!\"\n\n\"I'm terribly sorry sir, but the best we can offer you is to provide another living being with the years that have been robbed from you,\" the deity said.\n\nAllan sighed. This sucks... what the hell can I do with this... \"Can I take away someone's years instead?\" he mused. What better way to get back at someone than this he thought.\n\n\"My apologies sir, but in these circumstances, we possess only the power to gift your robbed years to another,\" the deity responded.\n\n\"Yeah, I suspected as much,\" Allan replied bitterly.\n\nShould he give the years to his ex-girlfriend? His friend Tim? He really liked his coworkers Josh and Kingsley... but for some reason the idea of giving any of them an extra 36 years didn't bring him any joy. \n\nAfter sifting through his options for awhile, Allan asked if he could observe some people to better assess a worthy recipient. \n\nThe deity graciously provided a viewing glass for Allan to observe the world as he pleased. \n\nHe checked in on some old friends from high school and some old flames from his past. Perhaps he ought to give the time to someone terminally ill... someone else whose life was destined to be robbed like his own, he pondered. He observed the local hospital from his hometown. None of it felt quite right...\n\nAfter hours of curious, but ultimately frustrating observation, Allan decided to check in on a leading medical research centre in Canston, where he attended University. \n\nAllan watched in thought for hours as doctors, nurses and medical students operated on patients, ran tests and meticulously recorded their findings in the name of research.\n\nThe deity noticed a smile on Allan's face as he observed a young female student tending to a small group of lab mice.\n\n\"You seem pleased sir, have you made your decision?\" asked the deity.\n\nThere was a long pause before Allan spoke up. \"Yes, I have.\"\n\n\"Very well, please instruct me,\" probed the deity.\n\n\"That one right there,\" said Allan smugly.\n\n\"Ah yes, Ms. Angela Davies. A fine choice sir, a very worthy candidate,\" responded the deity.\n\n\"No, not her... the brown mouse there. The one with the small cut on it's leg.\" \n\n\"The mouse? But... why?\"\n\n\"Cause it will be hilarious watching the science community marvel over why this one mouse has lived six times longer than any other mouse in recorded history... and the way I see it, that mouse has been living in the oppression of human progress it's whole life. Perhaps it deserves to confuse the system for a while.\"\n\n\"Very well, it shall be done,\" said the deity.\n\n\"Awesome,\" said Allan laughing to himself. \"Now what do I do?\"\n\n\n", "The last thing to go through Abraham's mind was his steering wheel. A vehicle had collided head on straight into his own. There was a colossal pop of warping steel and shattering glass, then a quiet, pitch black warmth.\n\n\"Abraham, please try and understand that no creation, thought or idea is perfect. I have wronged you 13 years, 217 days and 879 seconds.\"\n\nAbraham's quivering legs buckled to the voice that rattled his bones, as though he were standing too close of the bass of an outrageous stereo system. Staring into the darkest night, he saw nothing. No car, no glass, nothing. It was a cruel and elaborate dream. It had to be.\n\n\"Your time was not yet. You will not witness your children grow. You will not be beside your wife in old times. This, Abraham, was my doing. I am sorry.\"\n\nHe shuttered again at the voice that shook him on the inside. Wake up, god damn you! Wake up!\n\n\"No, I am afraid this is not a dream,\"\n\nAbraham gasped. No! Even a dream knows you are dreaming! Wake up!\n\n\"The gentleman that drove his car into you was my will, my Son. It was his time to depart the earth, but not yours.\"\n\nJust like that, Abraham knew it was true. He would not wake up. He would not go back to see his family. A tear trailed down his cheek, then he sobbed. In between his hysterical gasps he managed, \"Why... Why did you take me then?\"\n\n\"I have made a mistake, my Son. As I said, no one, not even I, can be perfect.\"\n\n\"Can you take me back?\" Abraham pleaded.\n\n\"Your vessel, the physical body which you claimed, is no more. You have no vessel to return to, my Son. However, your remaining time, I may bestow this upon whom you wish. It may be your wife. Perhaps to your children, a departing gift from you for a long and well life?\"\n\nAbraham sat lost, staring into the empty pitch abyss. At last, he responded. \"I can give my time to who ever I choose? The 13 years and however many days?\"\n\n\"Yes, my Son. That is correct.\"\n\n\"Ok... I know who I want to give it to then - Scott Miller.\"\n\nThere was an eerie pause before the powerful voice responded. \"My Son, why do you wish to give your time to him?\"\n\n\"Scott has stage IV cancer in his stomach. From my understanding, he is under chemo treatment, completely miserable and in a lot of pain. I told that mother fucker I would get him, this life or next if that's what it took. I want him to live every agonizing second of it possible.\"\n\n\"This... This was not my intention...\"\n\n\"Well,\" Abraham responded, \"No one is perfect, are they?\"" ]	3
	[WP] As a bug, you have heard legends of massive giants battling each other using huge projectile weapons. You set out on a journey to witness what they call a ‘nerf war’.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They told me I'd never come home. I haphazardly agree with the sentiment. \n\nI had never seen this many colours in one place; the outside seemed to go beyond the sun. It's louder and busier than what the elders made the outside sound like. \n\n\"It's a dangerous realm Xhulan,\" crooned V'halura, their existence apparent before the colony's birth. Cl'k-cl'k. Antennae rubbed together in thought. \"Beings, gargantuan giants roam the plains. Terrible beings. Never venture far.\"\n\n\"Why?\" Questioned Xhulan, eager of the knowledge they bared. \n\n\"Their warning-cries are enough to frighten our brethren into hiding. No longer can the many venture on their own into the outside; you must understand, they are vicious. They would kill you onsight.\"\n\nI blended in well underneath the foliaged bush, hiding from the heat. I could hear the booms coming from the clearing. It took a while to take in the sight of the giants, but it was bliss.\n\nThe giants were nothing like the myths. Yes, they were massive but cumbersome, no. Some actually moved fast and with intent. They seemed to be attacking each-other, and yet each pelting was brushed off. \n\nMaybe this was their way of training? Like the elders that trained the battalion. I'd only imagined what it was like being in league with them but that was not becoming of myself. I am a forager. I live for the colony.\n\nNay, my mind whispered, as to not give away my location. You be an adventurer. You have no home.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;" ]	2
	[WP] Meth dealer/producer gets cancer and decides to escape his exhausting life by teaching chemistry in a high school. He hides this fact from his meth-head family and friends until he meets a fellow meth dealer, who he convinces to assist him in teaching chemistry.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Kyla lay back in a daze. The plaid couch grated against her skin. Little trickles, nay, mere pinpricks dotted her wrists. Over and over—picking—prodding! She scratched and danced her finger across her arms, searching for them. The bugs, the creepy crawlies that lived inside and around her. The little bitty biting bugs that kept her awake at night and scared through the day. \n\nThe door swung open and crashed into the wall. The crinkle of plastic and wax rapped paper preceded the tantalizing aroma of a half-heated and poorly assembled fast-food burger. \n\nMark tossed the bag at Kyla’s head. \n\n“Eat, bitch,” he said softly. \n\nBut Kyla couldn’t eat. A nagging thought spiked her brain live a virus. She tossed the bag on the floor, watching as the roaches jumped back in shock, then cautiously approached their warmed supper. \n\n“You called me, yesterday. You said you loved me,” she said. \n\nMark stopped in his tracks. \n\n“No, Kyla.”\n\n“I think it was a cry for help.”\n\nMark scoffed. “Oh, Jesus!”\n\n“I think some part of you wants El Jefe to catch you.”\n\nMark walked into the living room. He shoved a pile of dirty laundy from the torn leather recliner, lounging back. “That’s the crystal talking.”\n\n“If he caught you, this would all be over. I’ve said it before, if you get too far in, go to the cartel.”\n\n“That’s it then? The cartel?”\n\nKyla sat up, tossing back her matted dreads of fibrous once-golden brown. “What choice do we have?”\n\n“I won’t hear about the cartel.”\n\nKyla smacked the crumpled newspapers on the couch. “You're not some softened father, Mark! You are in over your head. That's what we tell them and that's the truth.”\n\n“No, it's not the truth.”\n\n“Of course it is. A dealer, cancer, desperate for a legacy?”\n\n“We're done here,” Mark said. \n\n“Mark, please, stop trying to justify this whole thing and admit you're a failure.”\n\nMark sat forward. “Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I mean to those students? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? The unabated interest of hundreds of students disappears! It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not a failure, Kyla. I am the teacher! A kid flunks a test and you think that of me? No. I am the one who fails!”\n\n\n***\n\nThis made a lot more sense in my head. r/BLT_WITH_RANCH", "“Say it.” He stares down one of his class clown students.\n“What?” The kid is confused.\n“Say. My. Name,” he says with arrogance.\n\tUnsure of how to handle this substitute, and after looking around at the other students, Billy just throws up his hands with defeat in his eyes, and answers, “You’re.. Oppenheimer”\nStan kicked up his feet on top of his teacher’s desk. “Add a Mr. to that and we’ll do just fine. Class dismissed.” \nThe classmates filed out, and the substitute teacher threw on his baseball cap.. On to his next chemo.\nWhile at the local institute, the middle aged man sits silently, scrolling through national current events, waiting, planning. Upon leaving his therapy session, he assumes his normal identity and makes his usual call.\n“Stanley,” An authoritative voice waits for a response. \n“On my way,” is his reluctant response, followed by a snapping shut of his cell phone.\nThe pale man with a newly shaven head parks his 50cc RTX Scooter near the sewage plant. He walks in, eager to get his shift started and over with. Before Stan can enter into the lab behind the treatment plant’s, he is confronted by the voice on the phone. “Jeff”, he acknowledges the unwelcomed presence. \n“Mr. O, I wanted to follow you down there today to present to you a surprise.” \nStricken by the fear that had been caused by this statement, the cancerous cook’s legs went weak. He mustered his last bit of strength, and led Jeff down the stairs, gripped by panic at the thought of his impending death. \nHad he learned of my plans to kill him? To get out? Is this the end? He thought to himself.\nBy the time they had both reached the bottom floor, The Meth Chemist had resolutely come to terms with his awaiting death. His kids’ education was planned for, he gave his wife directions to find his trove of hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash, he could rest at ease that he did the best he could. He just hoped it was quick. \nJeffrey started, “The time has come,”\nHis heart was pounding.\n“Oppenheimer,” he continued.\nThere was sweat, tears.\n“Meet your assistant, Denny” he paused,\nStan just stood there, paralyzed by the gust of wind blown from the freight train he thought he was walking into.\n“I hope this can be a beneficial and fruitful relationship, for all of us. I must go. And you two can get acquainted,” the boss departed. \n" ]	3
	[WP] Instead of superpowers, everyone gets a “subpower”: a crippling deficiency in otherwise trivial parts of daily life.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Adventures of Depressionman\n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe supermarket is a twenty minute walk away, but I'll have to make a list first and before that go through the laundry and find something cleanish to wear. The laundry basket is downstairs and I'm not sure if my jeans are even in it, perhaps they are still at the end of the bed which I know I should get out of.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNow the bed needs making. I've always been rubbish at this, wouldn't manage in the army, never mind being overweight and a coward. Whatever. Sophie isn't back for a few hours, I'll sort it out before then. Speaking of which, I've completely forgotten what it is I need to buy for dinner. Where's my phone?\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"Hey. What is it we need for dinner tonight?\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTwo grey ticks.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe's probably left the pots for me to do. I said I'll always do them because she has to commute whereas I'm just at home all day and she has to rush in the mornings.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nTwo grey ticks.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nNot sure whether I can do the pots before I find the jeans, or whether that'll just be bugging me and will interrupt me doing the dishes. The jeans are not at the end of the bed.\n\n&nbsp;\n\nShe's replied. \"Just get stuff in for tortillas. How is your work going today? Hope you're feeling better.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI reply. \"OK, I'm heading out now. Work is going alright, I'm sorry for freaking out last night, just not feeling myself this week.\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\"it's ok. don't be too hard on yourself xxx\"\n\n&nbsp;\n\nI love her which is why I do the pots. I'd do anything to make it easier for her to live with me, but last night was just one of those nights when it all got too much and I couldn't stop myself from crying in front of her. I can't bear the thought of her returning home from work and me being like a black hole sat at the kitchen table. \n\n&nbsp;\n\nThe supermarket is a twenty minute walk away. I've been sat on the end of the bed for half an hour trying to convince myself to start the day in the early afternoon. I don't know where my jeans are, the bed hasn't been made, I haven't washed the dishes and I still need to make a shopping list, then walk to the supermarket which is twenty minutes away.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n" ]	2
	[WP] Your eye color is what determines what element you possess. You are the first and only person to be born with black eyes.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Silence. It was all I had heard.\n\nI don't know how I have lived this long, who had watched over me when I was younger. In a month, it would be my 17th birthday. Or so an old letter had stated. My name... I never found out what it was. I had learned to read before I could remember, as well as how to survive. I lived in an old, dusty, broken house. The wood walls were grey and moldy, but to me, scentless, as the air itself was permeated with dust. The library that I stayed in when I wanted to be alone was on the second floor, past a set of stairs, three of which broken with a hole large enough to fall through. I counted fourteen in all, including the three broken ones. Everything in the house that I stayed at my entire life was like this; the kitchen's cabinets were hanging by a single screw, or was, before I had tried touching the door. It fell the moment I did. The chairs were missing legs or a back. The one chair that wasn't broken didn't last as I tried to sit in it, my frail body's weight snapping it in two.\n\nWhen I say I have been living alone, I do mean it. I never knew who stayed in this house. I never knew who my parents were, or anyone for that matter. People would often visit this house because they had heard rumors of a ghost, or a monster, or some other evil being living here... so I associated that with myself. I was the ghost. The monster. The evil being that stayed in this ancient, broken house.\n\nOne of my first memories was exploring the house properly. I found out where everything was, from the living room to the kitchen. When I had entered the bathroom, what I was greeted by was a mirror. The mirror was broken, as if someone had taken something and smashed it against the center. All I could see was myself. I was tiny, and thin. So very thin.\n\nWith pitch black eyes, ones that I learned later were the reasons that I was feared. I was one of a kind.\n\nReading through the books in the old library, I had found letters with numbers written out. The first one, written with \"one\" had basic lessons that I followed through on. I decided to find, read, and finish what each letter asked me to do. The last one was labeled \"twenty\". It didn't have a lesson on it, but information about me. My date of birth, my name (which was faded out), and a few words at the bottom, thicker like it was written with the finger: \"Good luck, Obli.\"\n\nI tried to comb through the letters and the books in the library for more, but nothing. I had finished all of this when I was nine, and it has been eight years since. Nothing has changed. When I was seven, I had learned what my power could do: I yanked an apple off of a tree by closing my hand. As the years passed, I learned it was capable of much more.\n\nWhen I was ten, people had started coming to the house from rumors. They were always different, from the singular person coming because of a dare, to a group pushing each other to come because they wanted to be fearless. Sometimes-\n\nA branch snapped. Voices. Knocked out of the sleep-like trance I was in, I listened for a moment to find where the sound had come from. I closed my eyes, and focused this power of mine. Just keep calm, and I can see them like I'm right there along side them. I can see them. I can see...\n\nA girl whimpering. Two boys and another girl, with looks on their faces that simply devoured her anguish. The final kind of group: the group that brings along one other to torment them, or force them to do something. One of the boys snapped at her.\n\n\"We're not even close to the place yet, and you're already chickening out?!\" He said. The girl averted her gaze, not saying a word.\n\nPart 1, because of a character limit." ]	2
	[WP] You were born procrastinating - you arrived after your due date. All through school you waited until minutes before class to even start assignments. You wrote your wedding vows on the way to the church. School, work, life - you procrastinated everything. Now you are procrastinating dying.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Being hit in the back by a bullet isn't exactly my ideal Friday night. Yet here I was, in a hospital bed with a hole in my back and hardly any chance at surviving the wound. Lindsey, my girlfriend at the time, was shocked to see me awake and wouldn't let go of my hand despite my complaints. I told her to go get her something to eat. I told her to go get /me/ something to eat. I told her to leave me alone. I told her to let go of my fucking hand. She wouldn't do any of these. She was clingy as all hell, and I had planned on dumping her the night I got shot. I just never really got around to it.\n\n\n“Amelia,” she whispered through tears.”You can't leave me. We were gonna go to Europe, remember?” Gods above, she would stop at nothing.\n\n\n“Yeah, I remember.”\n\n\n“And you gotta see your mom.”\n\n\n“Yeah baby, I know.”\n\n\nShe didn't shut up, but I didn't hear anything she was saying. Standing in the doorway of the hospital room was a man. Tall drink of water if I do say so myself. He wore a suit and had short black hair with slight curls that made me sigh. He was beautiful. And obviously Death.\n\n\n“It's time to go,” he said. I looked at Lindsey. Did I really want to leave her? I mean, yeah, she's annoying as all hell, but I never wanted to hurt her.\n\n\n“Just a minute,” I muttered. Lindsey looked like she herself had just been shot.\n\n\n“Oh no. No, you have to wait for your mom.”\n\n\nI looked at Death. He gestured for me to come to him. I shook my head.\n\n\nI just needed five more minutes.\n", "\"I must insist. Delaying my work is highly inproper.\" said the voice. One would usually say what is attached to that voice, of course, but in the case of this creature (force would be more accurate) there are no lips or tongue to make the sound. A skull, with little more than little blue pinpricks in the sockets, looms over the bed. The voice, however, still comes. As final and foreboding as Death himself is. It's less that death is speaking, and more that reality complies to It's desire to communicate.\n\n\"Meaning that you can still buzz off, aye?\" I replied. I had reached the end of my long life, at the ripe old age of probably ninety. I neglected to check. I meant to, of course, but I forgot and decided that it probably wasn't that important to begin with.\n\n\"Really, I'm not going anywhere, and i'll be damned if I don't finish this cuppa first. Not to mention, you came in at a very inopportune time. It's the season finale of my favourite show!\" \n\"You had more than a month to finish watching that.\" \n\"Ah, you're a fan too?\" \n\"I know the end of all things.\" \n\"Seems boring. You're never surprised, then, are you? Why'd you even bother visiting, then? You knew how this would go and you knew you'd be very inconvenient!\" \n\"I do not choose when I come. Please. Your time is up.\" \n\"If I had a nickel every time people said that, I'd be bloody rich. You've always got a bit more time left. I've got time left to finish this show before I come along.\" \n\"Incorrect.\" Death's words (well, vibrations of air and thought. As stated, Death doesn't really \"speak\") carried with them not only finality, but certainty. Yes. I already knew my time was up. I was late on plenty of occasions, though, and look where it got me. Ripe old age of 90, and I just got done with a heartfelt conversation with my family. To be honest, they shut off life support about ten minutes ago, but I'll be damned if I don't have more fun things to do first.\n\n\"Well, can't I get a tiny bit more time? I don't need much, you know. It's the stopping of work that's happening. Stop the heart and then my brain. I'm just in kind of a rut, you know, can't quite stop doing it for right now.\" \n\"There is a demand that you do.\" \n\"You come into my house and deman- AHH! ahhh!\" I began shouting, pointing at the screen. The big kiss scene was on, which I had predicted. These shows don't know subtlety that well, but it's still satisfying to see when you're right.\n\n\"I do not demand. I bring only the message, and the guidance.\" \n\"Fancy way to say that you don't care.\" \n\"The credits are rolling.\" \n\"Fine, fine, let's get this bullshit over with. Can you give me a second?\" \n\"You have had 1320 seconds.\" \n\"Nag, nag, nag.\"\n\nI got up out of the bed, leaving my body behind. I looked at it one more time, as I turned into a formless blob. I could have prepared a little more, so I didn't appear as a 2008 budget film special effect, but whatever, I had better stuff to do. My body looked pretty good. Closed eyes, smile on my face... \nYeah, this is passable. Bit last-minute. Guess I stuck to my guns. \n\"You really should have applied yourself more\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Eh.\"", " “Fuck,” I think to myself, “I got an interview for a promotion at work today, and I still decided to sleep in? Dumbass.” Currently driving down the street at what seems to be at least 10 times faster than the speed limit, I can only say one thing. I’m absolutely, positively, fucked. \n\nYou see, I’ve always procrastinated. I’ve never been one to start things on time, nor have I been someone who likes to wake up early – and that’s how it’s been for the majority my life. Honestly, it’s pretty scary how much I’ve procrastinated, and it’s a miracle that I’m still alive. Surely, I would’ve been hit by a truck or something because I was late to an event. However, by some stroke of dumb luck, here I am with a stable income, a house, and everything in between. But right now, I need to haul ass to work so I don’t get fired from this job. My body sinks into the car seat as I press on the gas, with the scenery getting blurrier by every passing second. I’ve got 5 minutes to get there, and I’ve got 10 miles to cover. I swear to God that if I make it on time, I’ll buy myself some beer on the way back from work to calm my nerves. I could probably use some right now, frankly. Weaving in and out of traffic, and ignoring the honks of other cars, I approach an intersection at breakneck speeds. The light is yellow, but I think I can run it before it turns red? I take a gamble, and keep my foot pressed on the accelerator. As if some higher power decided that he’d had enough of me, the light switched to red. \n\nBeing the half-asleep dumbass that I am, I try to reason with myself. “I mean, I could slow down now if I wanted to, but what’s the harm in running this light? It just turned and I don’t think anyone is gonna pass through now.” Upon making this decision, I keep my foot pressed onto the accelerator, speeding closer and closer to the intersection. I still have time to break if I wanted to, and what’s the harm in waiting a few more seconds? I’ve always somehow pulled through, and if anything happened, I think I’d be fine. \n\nI was terribly wrong.\n\nAs soon as I finished that thought, a truck began to make a left in the opposite direction. Upon realizing this, I slammed the brakes. I could feel my tires locking up. “Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck” I say, now recognizing the amount of dog shit I was in. I thought I could brake in time, but my luck ran out at exactly this second – when I needed it most – and it was at this moment the world just decided to get rid of my procrastinating ass. “Can I put this off for later? I seriously need to make this interview,” I think to myself. However, I know that won’t happen. So I close my eyes, and brace for impact. \n\nAnd nothing… happens?\n\nAren’t I supposed to be, you know, splattered all over the sidewalk by now? \n\nI open my eyes, and the truck’s side is staring me in the face. I can only describe everything as being… frozen. Nothing is moving, except for my heart racing at 1000 bpm. Slowly unbuckling my seatbelt, I nervously get out of the car. “What is going on?” I say out loud. Everything is eerily silent, and stiller than a body of water on a sunny day. I stagger back, looking at what is about to occur. My car is inches away from impact, about to hit the side of the truck. If it made contact, I’m sure it’d tear through it like a bullet. I’m also sure that I would’ve died. Did I just… avoid death? With a billion thoughts speeding through my head, I can only come to one conclusion.\n\nI… procrastinated… death. \n\nI put… it off… for later?\n\n…What?\n\nI mean, sure, that works, but the thought just baffles me. Has my procrastination transgressed all forms of common sense? Is this a new superpower that I somehow pulled out of my ass at the last second? Seems like it, because I’m not dead and the car is still standing there. Do I seriously procrastinate so much that even dying is like an almost-late-assignment, turned in at the very last second? \n\nAnd so I walk off, still in shock, with time still stopped, to my job. Hopefully it stays like that ‘till I get there.\n\nJesus Christ, I need a drink.", "I always wait until the last moment; it is my greatest flaw. I remember my teen years burrowed under a mound of blankets after I'd fumbled at the snooze button twice. My mother would barge in, dressed and ready for work, and pull me out of bed, strip my bed of every blanket, sheet, and pillowcase just to get me to wake up.\n\nI'd just crawl into my sister's bed and drift back to my dreams. It was a Saturday in the middle of summer -- what else was a fourteen-year-old girl to do in a hick town like Blue Rock?\n\nMy teachers said I'd never amount to anything -- I was lazy, unmotivated, undisciplined. When I was lucky enough be seated near a window, I'd spend the whole period watching the ducks waddle on the grounds and daydream. Ms. Clark once glared down at me during Geometry, her crucifix at her neck reflecting in the sunlight, and said, \"I always thought empty wagons made too much noise.\" Her nose wrinkled then like she could smell my disinterest. \"But it turns out that empty wagons just sit there and do nothing. Because they're useless.\" I stared blankly at her. She thought that I was stupid, and so did everybody else, so why not give the people what they want?\n\nBut Ms. Clark doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is that my daughter is crying. She's crying next to my bed and she's just a girl -- only nineteen -- and I can't help her. I can't help her.\n\n\"Please mom, please,\" Carla whispered. I felt her fingers in my hair. \"Wake up. Don't... don't give up.\" Her voice broke. \"Please.\"\n\nI struggle to answer, to tell her, to promise her that I won't -- I would never. I do things late, but I always do them.\n\nCarla was quiet for a long time as she held my hand. I don't know for how long, but I wished it was for longer.\n\nShe leaned down and kissed my cheek. \"I have to go now, Momma.\" I could hear tears in her voice. I could swear I heard her shaky little smile, too. \"I gotta go to work, but I'll come back soon, ok?\"\n\nCarla waited a moment, as if she expected me to answer. I tried. I failed. The silence stretched on like a road going nowhere.\n\n\"I'll see you soon,\" she whispered. The door clicked like a lock as it closed behind her. It didn't lock anyone out, though -- it was locking me in.\n\nI am locked in my mind with a battered body. I was supposed to die yesterday from my brain injury, according to the gossips on the night shift at St. Bernard's Trauma Center. It's a good thing I always wait until the last moment; right now, moments may be all I have.", "As I lay on the ground, I see the dreaded black figure coming closer to me through a wall of dissipating smoke. I knew exactly who it was, not from the scythe he was holding, but from the numbness that was inching its way up my body and slowly consuming me. I’m about to die.\n\nI guess this was of my own doing. I looked at the car parts scattered across the ground, each one reminding me of a fatal flaw in my everyday reasoning. I glance at the fake seatbelt buckle I used to stop my car from dinging at me every time I refused to take five seconds to put that damned thing on. Then the headlight torn from my car, the same turn indicator I never used until the last second before turning. In my hand lay the notebook I wrote my trigonometry homework in on the way to class every day, knees propped on the steering wheel and all. And finally, I see the victim of my crimes of laziness, sprawled out between me and the perilous figure.\n\nI closed my eyes and waited.\n\n“Any last words?” I heard, softly.\n\n“Yes. I wish I would’ve-”\n\n“Quiet! It’s not your turn. Let her have her moment of peace.” My eyes sprang open, surprised at being told off by a lousy apparition. A faint, barely comprehensible voice began about her loved ones. Her children, then her parents, then her husband, and so forth. The ghost listened, and even provided some backhanded feedback.\n\n“He loved you too, but he only chose you in the first place because your best friend was taken”\n\nJesus, who knew death can be so patient and such an ass? While my victim spoke, I did what I always do; think of ways to delay the inevitable. The numbness kept its momentum, now consuming my knees like a complimentary breakfast. It felt as if an hourglass was reaching its end, with the last grain of sand eagerly awaiting its joyous freefall to join the rest of my wasted seconds. There must be a way to flip this glass.\n\nI admit, the words “Hey! Fuck you!” are not the best things to say to the world’s most notorious serial killer, but drunk off desperation and carelessness, I yelled them anyway.\n\n“I’ll be right back. I know how this one is.” The ghost spun around effortlessly and speed-hovered over to my half living body. My heartbeat tried to speed up. I was scared, but so oddly at peace.\n\nThis is where I do my best work.\n\nAs he lowered his scythe, I said “Don’t you feel bad?”\n\n“I know what you’re trying to do.” He said this without hesitation, the scythe maintaining its speed towards me.\n\n“I’m still entitled to some last words. Even if they are questions.”\n\nThe scythe stopped an inch from my heart. “Okay, shoot. Nothing I haven’t heard before.”\n\n“Does your mother approve of this?”\n\nThough faceless, I somehow sensed an expression of surprise on death. Those last minute creative writing essays really taught me to think on the spot, and I really struck a nerve here.\n\n“I guess you’ve done your homework. She doesn’t like that I’m the one that does it, but it’s a necessary evil in this realm. It has to be someone, and that someone is me. I don’t like the act, but it’s the knowledge that I’m helping others that helps me sleep at night”\n\n“How are you helping others by killing them?”\n\n“You ever read the Bible? That shit’s all fact, but god left out a lot. He intended for Eve to bite that apple in the first place. If she didn’t, I wouldn’t exist, and there’d just be too many of you guys for him to handle. Plus, it gives us a much needed deadline. Something you’ve struggled with a lot, haven’t you?”\n\nQuite the dig at my tendencies. Does he notice that I’m using them as we speak? I continue, changing the subject. “What does your mother do?”\n\n“She helps the waves come to shore. I always tell her to take it easy on Japan, but she blames that stuff on the whales.”\n\n“So she blames it on Poseidon?” I dig, trying to get a couple more minutes in this life.\n\n“You know, you humans almost got it right. Poseidon, Neptune, that fucking Aquaman guy, they all do the same kind of shit my father does, we just don’t use your silly names for him.”\n\n“So what’s his name?”\n\n“You wouldn’t understand it. No human can. We use our own names for all the controllers. We have a controller of souls, one of gravity, one for light, one fo-wait a second”\n\nHe rolls up his sleeve and peers attentively at a band of small bones connected with ligament tissue around his wrist, what I assumed to be his watch.\n\n“Fuck me, I’m late for the Queen again”\n\nThe scythe lowers on to my chest. Satisfied, I fade away.", "I've always been a firm believer in putting things off. Anything worth doing today will still be worth doing tomorrow, the next day, or the next. One could even claim it's in my blood - the day I was born, the doctor told my mother that if I'd waited for a minute longer, she would have popped. You can be sure that everything I've done in life has been done at the last minute.\n\nBut now, I was living in the last minute - with a lifetime's worth of wishes unfulfilled and tasks left undone.\n\nOf course, I had known this for a while. The fact that I was close to the end was no surprise to me. Three months ago, to the day, the doctors had told me that I was not long for this world. In fact, according to the lab reports, it's a miracle that I'm still here at all. By all means, I should have died 5 weeks ago. But I hadn't.\n\nAny reasonable person would think I'd have lived life to the fullest, but I guess I couldn't deny my nature. Most of the last few months were spent sitting at home trying to decide my bucket list. Finally, on the very day I decided to actually go out and do it, I took two steps out the door and collapsed unconscious on the ground. Go figure.\n\nSo there I laid, on a hospital bed, my family and closest friends gathered around me. With tears in their eyes, they gave their last love and sentiments - although I was too tired to really understand what they were saying. Life seemed...blurry. My vision, hearing, all of it. I felt sluggish and weak. The only thing that seemed to work was my mind.\n\nThe doctor behind them held up a clipboard and began to speak in a somber tone. I tried my best to make out out the words - something about '10 minutes' and 'death.'\n\nAh. Judging from their faces, he had just most likely announced that I had about 10 more minutes left to live.\n\nSomething urged me to look to my left, and beside my bed stood a shadowy figure - the grim reaper himself, I assumed. He took a slow step forward. I closed my eyes, whispered a final 'goodbye,' and waited patiently to slip away. It was a good life, I guess.\n\nWait. 'Goodbye?'\n\n'Goodbye?' That was all I had come up with for my final words? 'Goodbye?' My whole life has led up to this very moment! I needed something good, something dramatic or funny, something memorable! 'Goodbye?' I don't think so.\n\nThe figure raised its arm, holding a scythe-like object. \"Wait,\" I said quietly. He paused reluctantly. \"Yes,\" a raspy voice echoed through my mind. \"Do you have any last requests?\"\n\n\"...Sort of. Can you hear me?\" I thought. \"Yes,\" the being replied.\n\n\"Well, I don't want to trouble you, but could you just wait a minute? I don't have any last words. I'm trying to think of some good ones.\"\n\n\"Did you not just say your last words? 'Goodbye,' or something of that sort? That's a very popular choice for fading mortals.\" I couldn't help but notice, but he seemed to sound slightly annoyed.\n\n\"Yeah, I mean GOOD ones. I want to go out with a bang. And you DID say, that I could have a last wish.\"\n\nHe sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. \"I only grant wishes that pertain to life AFTER death. That can apply to you, or those still in the realm of the living. For example, if you want me to do something in this world that will make them think about you from time to time, I can. But I can't just wait for you to die whenever you want.\"\n\n\"But why not?\" I said. \"What's the rush?\"\n\n\"Okay, look *buddy,\" he snarled. \" I don't make the rules, I just carry them out. It's just my job - when people are supposed to die, I help them die.\"\n\n\"Hmm. Sounds like murder to me, but okay. Anyway, can I please just have a couple more minut-\"\n\n\"NO. DEATH WAITS FOR NO ONE.\"* He once again raised his scythe and advanced towards the bed.\n\n\"Nonononono wait! Hold on!\" I screamed in a panic.\n\nDefying my expectations, he actually stopped, taking a moment to breathe deep and calm himself. \"Oh, what is it NOW?\"\n\n\"You said I had a final wish, yes? One that you are required to grant me?\"\n\nHe once again sighed deeply, letting his scythe drop to the floor. \"Yes, yes. If a mortal has a final wish, I am unfortunately required to grant it before they die. Now just get on with it. What is your wish?\"\n\n\" I haven't decided.\"\n\nHe paused. \"...Could you please repeat that?\"\n\n\"I haven't decided. Of course, I can't TELL you what my wish is, for obvious reasons - I don't know what it is yet! But I can confirm that I do indeed HAVE a final wish, which means you need to grant it - when I decide on it specifically, of course. And since you currently can't grant my wish - well, you have to give me time, now don't you? Just enough time to decide, anyways.\"\n\nHe said nothing, standing perfectly still and simply looking at me. Never in all my life did I expect to receive a death stare from Death himself.\n\nAfter a while, he dropped his scythe, and looked from side to side while shifting uncomfortably. \"You know what? I don't have time for this. There's millions of other souls that need reaping, and I don't have the time to waste on the likes of you. Just know that your indecision and inconvenience will be punished. It will catch up with you someday.\"\n\nAnd with that, he disappeared within a puff of black smoke. I laid in shock for a few moments, barely able to process exactly what had just happened.\n\nOut of the corner of my eye, I saw a doctor rush into the room and frantically tap on my brother's shoulder. I wasn't able to make out much more than 'sudden,' 'one in a million,' 'unexplainable,' and 'recovery.' The room exploded into a symphony of disbelief and joy.\n\nFast forward 3 years later, and here I am telling this story to whoever will hear it. Every once and a while, I think about what he said to me, about how my indecision and procrastination will someday catch up with me. And maybe he's right - he is Death, after all.\n\nThen again, indecision and procrastination where the very tools that saved my life that day. Who really knows what the future holds? So that's why I say to you - don't do today what you could put off until tomorrow. It just might help you cheat Death.\n\n&#x200B;", "As I lay on my deathbed, my family gathers around for my final words.\n\n\"Honey\" I look to my beloved wife with tears in her eyes \"I always loved you, and always will.\" She holds my hand one last time. \n\nMy attention turns to my eldest daughter, welling up with emotion. \"Sweetie, take care of your mother for me.\" She holds my wife close, and her husband comforts the both of them.\n\nMy younger daughter by five years skipped graduation just to see her dad one last time. \"I hoped to walk you down the aisle, but I guess you'll have me in your heart forever.\"\n\nOut of the corner of the room, the nurse gives me the \"rap it up\" motion. I look at her, and flip her the bird.\n\n\"Son, you'll be a great artist one day. Keep at it.\" I always knew he wanted to make masterpieces, so now he'll have his inspiration from me.\n\nAfter saying all my goodbyes, I say my final words. All my life, I kept a small journal labeled \"Final Words\". Inside are two sections, one funny and one sad. I flip through the sad and check off all the saying I wrote down. \"Alright, that covers the sad mushy crap. Let's have some fun.\"\n\nAt this point, Death is looming over me, waiting for me to finish my speech. I mouth the words \"piss off\" while I crack jokes to my family.\n\nThe funny section of my Final Words journal has the most possible phrases. I go over all 100 in my head, and cross off the ones that just won't work. Death looks to his watch, pointing at my time. It was up 10 minutes ago. I wave him off and finally find my last words.\n\n\"Ah, here we go! Finally, my last words. Alright, I had my whole life to prepare for this moment.\" I clear my throat and utter my final farewell. \"Okay, I buired all my lifes savings under the oak in...\" I fake die and take my final breath. My family cries, and leaves the hospital bed. The door closes, and I wake up from my last great joke.\n\n\"Hahahaha, I'm the god of comedy! Okay, now you can take me, Death. Just wanted to get the last laugh in.\" Death looks furious, knowing I should have died half an hour ago. He reaches and takes my soul out of my body. \"Do you have any regrets?\" He asks me before we go to Heaven. \"Yeah, I should have made more funny final words.\" We laugh and head towards the light." ]	8
	[WP]The government created you. Using a mix of your parents DNA and nanotechnology, they created a being integrally bonded to technology the ultimate super weapon. You are unaware of this and just live life as a normal highschool student until some of the "safeties" they put in place start to fail..	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Mooooommmmm?” I called out. I was confused, scared.\n\n“Danny” my mom heard the fear and hesitation in my voice, and ran up the stairs. But she didn’t know what to expect.\n\nShe looked at me, and screamed.\n\n“OH MY GOD!!”\n\nIn front of her was not her son, no. She didn’t see me. What she saw was an abomination. Pieces of my skin were the color of steel. My legs were bent like that of a 4 legged animal, by back grew giant tentacles with blades attached. My whole body felt like it was constantly vibrating. My mom collapsed down the floor, her eyes wide open, not able to process what she’s seeing.\n\n“What is this? WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME!!!!?”\n\nI screamed, and my eyes turned red as a grew taller and my limbs stretched longer and bigger, encompassing the bedroom.\n\n“CODE OMEGA-19!! CODE OMEGA-19!!!!!l”\n\nShe yelled at me, her face in pure terror.\n\n“HELP ME!!” I pleaded. My body felt fluid. I lunged at her. I didn’t mean to. But I did. And my arms, my tentacles, they completely surrounded her like a fence.\n\n.\n\n“And what happened after that?” The agent asked.\n\n“I don’t remember much. I passed out, and then I was here. I am here.” Dennis replied.\n\nThe agent finished his report then clipped the pen onto the notebook and closed it. He signaled towards the mirror, where on the other side the 2 agents stood. They turned off the cameras, as well as the recorder. He’s going to keep what’s next off the record.\n\n“You know I can see them right?” Said Dennis, distantly, like he was focusing on something else. His eyes flashed red. “I can see a lot of things.”\n\n“Of course you can, Dennis. Which is why I’m going to tell you the truth right now. You are not human, Dennis, not entirely.”\n\n“Figures.”\n\n“You’re a machine. An experimental weapon. You’re made up of semi biological nanomachines. The possibilities of what you can do is limitless. We were hoping when the time comes, you would be persuaded to come to us— with us. The failsafe had deteriorated fasted than anticipated. I’m sure you have a lot of questions right now. Ask away.”\n\nDennis had a few. A lot. He could ask about how he was created, or why. He could ask about the year nanotech was created. He could ask about when the government started to hide advanced tech from civilians. He could ask about whether he can turn into dusk and kill everyone on Earth. But he only had one question in mind.\n\n“Was it all fake?”\n\n“Was what fake?”\n\n“My life. Was it all just constructed? My friends? My family?”\n\n“Well, yes.” The agent spoke with a nonchalant tone that didn’t seem to regard Dennis as human. “We had to. The variables were too great to let everything to chance otherwise. We couldn’t just train you from birth like we did with those kids you call friends of yours. We weren’t sure if you would be stable enough for that. The whole town was constructed just for you, actually. You’re the most expensive government project since... ever.”\n\nThe only thing that kept Dennis from not crying was his sheer willpower over the nanobots, forcing them to hold back his tear ducts, even though every biological aspect of his body was telling him to cry. His entire reality was a fake one. He no longer has anything to cling onto. He wondered if his mother was even his mother, if his dad was even his dad, or were they just a couple of actors who didn’t even know each other a week before being assigned him.\n\n“Alright.” He said. His eyes flickered, almost a tear, but it was held back. “Alright. I’ll work for you. It’s not like... It’s not like I have a choice anyways.”\n\n“Of course you do. And you’ve just chosen the best one.”\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nThankouforreadingthisistilldontknowhowtoformatlikeaprofessional." ]	2
	[WP]Your wish for immortality has finally been granted. Too bad you didn't wish for good health, too.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Genies. Magnificent creatures they are. Benevolent beings who emerge from golden lamps that grant you any three wishes. Or at least, that's what you hear in a frickin' Disney movie. \n\nThe genie that I encountered wasn't a chiseled, bearded ghost like creature. He appeared in the form of a dirty old man severely in need of some shaving cream and bath soap. His \"lamp\" was a dumpster in the alley behind my favourite pizza place. And to top it off, not only did I only get one wish, it wasn't even free. \n\nWhat an idiot I am. I offered everything in my wallet for immortality. What I really should've asked for, was an impervious immune system.\n\nSo far this week I've been attacked and gotten rabies from a rabid dog, contracted food poisoning, and gotten AIDS from my ex girlfriend.\n\nI never watched those Aladdin movies all the way to the end, so I only assumed that what I wanted to do next was possible. \n\nUmbrella-less, I walked through the pouring rain. I rounded the corner of Grab A Piz'a Pizza and headed into the alley where I found my \"genie\". There he was. The inglorious bastard in all his filth.\n\nWhat was he still doing here? He took my wallet, what more did he need?\n\nHe held up a sign that read \"1 WISH FOR ?\"\n\nThat same sign had pulled me towards him five days ago. Now he was going to use it to attract some random, clueless bastard the same way he roped me. One man approached him, inquiring about the sign.\n\n\"Oh no you don't you wrinkly old bastard.\"\n\nI grit my teeth and ran towards him, yelling to the other guy to get away. He stared at me like I was crazy. He probably did think that. Would explain why he ran away screaming.\n\nI came to a stop at the \"genie's\" feet. \n\n\"Oh look. It's you.\" He said. He rose to his feet and started to walk away.\n\n\"Hey. Hey!\" I grabbed his arm and wheeled him around. \n\n\"What?! Can't an old man rest in peace?\"\n\n\"This immortality thing? It sucks. Change me back to normal. Now!\"\n\n\"Sorry, but I can't.\"\n\n\"What do you mean you can't? You did it, so undo it!\"\n\n\"What I meant was, I can't do it without a price.\"\n\n\"A price?\" I was about to argue but then I remembered my current situation. \"Fine. Name your price.\"\n\n\"I want you, to wish me into a happy life. Nice woman, nice car, nice house. Nice everything! I want to be free from this curse.\"\n\n\"Why do you need me to do it? Why can't you do it yourself?\"\n\n\"Because I can't. For 1000 years, I've been stuck granting wishes for selfish humans. People who want material goods, who never think about the lives of others. People like you.\"\n\nI wanted to disagree with him, but how could I?\n\n\"And I hated it. I still do. All I want, is to be free.\"\n\n\"And if I wish you into a happy life, you'll help me?\"\n\nHe nodded.\n\n\"Fine. Then I wish that you have a happy, rest of your life. That you'll live out the rest of your days with a good woman, in a nice house, with kids and dogs and whatever the hell else your heart desires.\"\n\n\"Your wish, is my command.\" He snapped his fingers sharply. \n\n\"Good. Now you have the life you always wanted. Now fix me!\"\n\n\"Oh. Did I forget to mention that I can only grant three wishes in one area before I have to move on to another?\"\n\nMy eyes widened. My heart was beating so fast I feared it would burst out of my chest.\n\n\"What? No. No you didn't-\"\n\n\"The first wish was from you, five days ago. The second, was from that poor man you chased away a while ago. He wanted some 'bigger equipment'. Poor guy.\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"And the third. Was done by you. The first selfless wish I ever granted in all my years.\"\n\nTears stung my eyes. \n\n\"Oh don't worry chap. We had a deal. I'll still remove your immortality...\"\n\nI signed, relieved. I clapped my hands on my knees. \"Oh God! I thought you were gonna say...\" I burst out into a wild fit of laughter.\n\nHe joined me. \"No of course not. I'll definitely remove your immortality. I know how it feels to be timeless in a world as cruel as this.\"\n\nI sighed once more, loudly.\n\n\"Yeah. You won't have to worry about that. The AIDS though, that's a different story.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"Yeah, you're no longer immortal so, eventually...\"\n\n\"No. No no no! I changed my mind!\"\n\n\"Nope sorry. You already made the wish and there are no take backsies in genie business.\"\n\n\"No-\"\n\nHe snapped his fingers again and disappeared into a flash of golden light. I don't know why but I felt the immortality lifting from me. But as he said...\n\nI slapped my palm against my face and turned to the skies. Then I let out a resounding, \"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!\"\n\n\n\nMy God I have NO idea what I just wrote. Sorry if it was crazy or stupid. My fingers got away from me in the typing 😅\n" ]	2
	[WP] You're leaving your small town to attend uni. You've said all your heartfelt goodbyes to everyone you know, except for the monster under your bed, which you've been saving for last.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I entered my small bedroom, bags in hand and ready to leave. As much as it hurt me, I had to leave the small and sprawling, but peaceful and memorable town where I was born. I looked at my bed, neatly made and blankets folded, to never be used again for a long while. I had only one more person in my list of farewells, and it was the \"monster.\"\n\nI had already met them, seen them. Like the one day I decided to see them in person, I found myself in a dreamlike world, filled with a dark, bizarre scape that exists nowhere but here. I should have been scared, but I wasn't. I had found myself enjoying this strange new world under my bed, and meeting them in person for the first was the most exciting day of my life.\n\nNow, I will have to bid farewell to them, the one friend that always stuck by me, no matter the struggle. They seemed to understand me so well, almost as if they were connected to me somehow. And yet, they weren't me, as they had always been fun to be with; good laughs, bad jokes, all those years ago, unfading from memory. I slip under the covers for the last time.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nThere, I find myself in the same deserted pathway, the city in sight. I walked along the path, noticing some odd decorations along the path. Never have I seen decorations like these in a long time. As I walked the path that led to their home, I saw them, fiddling with some ribbon, barely managing to tape it on that final spot in the area before promptly falling off the ladder.\n\nI approached them with concern, worrying about them as they hit the ground pretty hard. They turned to face me, their face breaking into a slight smile, their eyes glistening as if to cry.\n\n\"Ally, is that you?\" they asked, picking themself up from the ground. They dusted themself once they got on their feet.\n\n\"Yes... it's me,\" I replied, \"I came back.\" I was not ready for what happened next.\n\nThey hugged me tightly, so tightly I could hardly take a breath. For the first time since forever ago, they actually cried!\n\n\"Oh, Ally... I thought you'd never come! I thought you have forgotten about us and Starlight City.\" Apparently, they and everyone else had known about my imminent departure. I don't remember how long it had been since I last visited, but so much had changed. The skyline in the distance have greatly spread, and some of them had grown taller than ever. The Rainbow Beam that had always dominated the horizon is still there, but barely visible now among the new skyscrapers.\n\nI am at a loss for words. The thought of having been forgotten made total sense now. So much here has changed over the past 3, 4 years since I last departed. This world that had meant so much to me since my childhood, I couldn't afford to forget the memories.\n\nTears ran down my face. Speech was hard, but I wanted so badly to reassure them that I will return as soon as possible.\n\nThey finally released me, crying, yet happy at the same time, \"We had wanted to surprise you with a farewell party, but I guess that's all for naught...\"\n\n\"That's okay, I don't really mind.\"\n\nI walked through Starlight City yet again, seeing how everything had changed so much. Unforgettable and timeless, these familiar roads, and the familiar city-folk. Old friends and former enemies, they have changed my life so much. Now, on my lastvisit, I took the time to bid farewell to everyone else in Starlight City. Some were nice remarks with good wishes, others were pessimistic views and somewhat terrible advice. My final trip though the place for the years ahead was just as exciting as my first ever visit on my first grade.\n\nNow, as I approached the Rainbow Beam, they looked at me with a worried expression. It was clear they weren't ready to let go.\n\n\"Are you really going to leave forever? Will you never return?\"\n\nThese two questions had hit so hard and so suddenly I had frozen, staring at the mesmerizing multi-color beam of light, and midstep. My knees collapsed and I knelt on the floor, my head hung low. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I don't want to forget. I don't want to never return, as they don't want me to leave forever.\n\n\"You will come back, right?\" They asked the third question.\n\nAt this point, I cried. I cried for the memories we had together. The feelings of joy and sorrow, hope and despair, courage and fear. Everything that managed to push me through in the real world, the foundations laid in Starlight City.\n\nThey approached me and sat on my side. Seeing me in deep pain, they began to say something.\n\n\"Look, Ally, I know you don't want to leave as well. That's okay, I guess... I also don't want you to leave as well. But... you have a life beyond Starlight. Even if our seconds and hours don't match up, you can't really stay here forever.\"\n\nThey continued, \"And I never really wanted to say this, as your best friend... you're best 'imaginary friend', but you must let go, if only for a bit. If you don't let go now, how can you live your life? You shouldn't keep thinking about us, the people no one else may ever get to meet, when you have an entirely new world full of people that you can be friends with. You may not have many, but it's always important you have a friend who's there to help you, like me!\"\n\n\"Look... I don't know how long you'll be gone. I don't know how long to wait before I get to see you again. But when you do, I will be there, in the small little house I call my home, ready to welcome you again.\"\n\nThey... their speech was greatly uplifting. For someone who knows so little of the real world, they manage to describe to me the realities of life. I don't want to forget, but I have to let go. And that is indeed the best piece of advice I have gotten in a while.\n\nI turned to them and replied, \"Thank you, Rei. I shall never forget what you have told me.\"\n\nThey smiled. I stood up and faced the beam of light. As I took the steps to reality, I could feel Rei waving at me as I disappeared into reality.\n\n----------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nI crawled from under my bed, my clothes slightly dusty but otherwise clean. As I looked over, I saw that the bed had become undone somehow. I dusted myself and fixed the bedsheets and blankets before grabbing my luggage. I look over for the last time, words still fresh in my mind, before I finally exit my room for the last time. The door clicked shut, never to be opened again for a long time." ]	2
	[WP] You always get a bad rap as the monster under the bed. They always say that you’re the one who is dangerous, but in reality, you are the sole defender against the the supernatural that try to harm your child.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Ever since I was little, my mother warned me that humans misunderstood our presence under children's beds. Before I headed to primary defense school, my father had a candid conversation with me about how protecting the innocent humans would really be. He told me that they sense us bogeys up until 11 years old and they will misinterpret what we are truly their for- to protect them. \"Not only will they be scared of you but they will be ungrateful of your presence and tell you to leave. You must not leave no matter how negative they are in their actions and words because they are ignorant to what we do.\" \n\nLater that day, I went onto defense school where I learned not only of the supernatural beings that will attempt to hurt these children, but the human ones too. As a bogey, we often look odd or scary to human children, but to older humans we are invisible to the eye. The only way adult humans can see us is if we are their original assigned bogey.\n\nOnce I graduated defense school, I was assigned to a little girl named Veronica. She had light olive skin, kind hazel eyes, and a birthmark on her leg that looked like a sail boat. Her parents are Sally and Greg, while they fight a lot over money they both love Veronica very much. Greg's brother, Jim on the other hand is a textbook creep, and has red flags I will have to watch very closely for the next eleven years to ensure Veronica's safety. \n\nThe most common way bogeys are found by children are because we are not quiet enough when we do our bi-monthly incantations under our child's bed. These incantations are exhausting and time-consuming and if not done correctly or forgotten about it puts our child's safety and confidence at risk. As the sole protector of a human child there are three spells we have to put in place; safety from family, safety from supers, and whatever the child may be lacking within themselves personally. The safety from family is to keep from molestation or abuse of parents, relatives, and teachers. The safety from supers is to protect the child from demons, rogue bogeys, bad luck charms, and humans whose soul has gone so black and unattached they may be attracted to the child's innocence. Finally, bogeys keep close eyes on children not only from under the bed but wherever they are every day, so if we see they are struggling academically, socially, etc. We give them an extra boost with a little magic under their bed so the child can absorb the magic throughout the night while they sleep. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nTen Years Later:\n\nFor the past ten years, I have grown with Veronica and I am so proud of her. I only have one more year with her and the thought of leaving makes my heart ache. Veronica has her first little crush and I am so excited for her! His name is Jack and apparently he has blue eyes, dark hair, and pale skin. I remember just a few years ago she kept complaining about how he would tease her but now he is nice to her! I have been able to ward off the uncle's bad energy from Veronica for some time now but I have to create a protection charm that will last her for as long as her bed holds together. \n\nTonight marks that I have 365 days left with Veronica and tonight I start the most vital part of the protection charm; the beginning. I have to go back to the first time I saw Veronica to now through my memories and live through the moments in which I felt love for her. I have to take the love I have for Veronica to put towards the spell and sacrifice it so she can be safe. What this means is, by the end of the year I must not have love for her, this is what keeps bogeys from ever seeing their children again and vice versa. \n\nI begin my silent incantations and go back to the first time I felt love for Veronica. She was crying because she slipped and fell in the kitchen. Her mom and dad were outside and couldn't hear her so I had to step in. I walked over to her and placed my hand on her head and I took her pain away. While she couldn't see me because it was day time, she looked right at me and felt my presence. I froze, staring back at the 5 year old's face trying to not make a sound. \"I want to say thank you to whoever kissed my boo boo\" squeaked Veronica. \n\nI'm pulled back into the present. I hear Veronica's door slam shut and hard breathing. I look over and she her big hazel eyes staring right back at me. She's about to scream but then it gets caught in her throat from fear. I blurt out \"It's okay, I'm your guardian. I know I look a bit weird but I am hear to protect you.\" \n\nThere's a knock at the front door. Veronica looks at me, looks at the door and says \"Hold on, I'm going to go get the door.\" Her Uncle Jim walks in and eyes Veronica up and down like she's food. I didn't finish the spell that's why he's here, he feels how vulnerable she is without it and is going to pounce.\n\n\"Hey little Veronica, how you doing?\" says Jim in a cool voice.\n\n\"I'm fine Uncle Jim, why are you here mom and dad said you weren't allowed back here?\" says Veronica nervously.\n\n\"Well I'm here sweetheart! Hey why don't we go take a ride in my pick up truck and I'll buy you some ice cream?\" Jim says in Veronica's face forcing her to smell the alcohol on his breath. \"No thank you Uncle Jim. I'm not allowed to have ice cream this late.\" \"This'll be our little secret then huh?\" He grabs a knife out of his pocket and says angrily to Veronica \"If you don't come with me right now, your mommy and daddy are going to die and it'll be all of your fault\" Veronica begins to cry. \"Hey! Hey! None of that bullshit! Keep quiet and everything will be fine.\" He grabs Veronica violently by her shirt and leads her to his truck. \n\nHow do I fix this?\n\n ", "The wind whistled eerily through the skeletal branches of the trees, brushing their bony fingers along the side of the house. The gating, scratching sounds this made provided ample cover for the creature as it scaled the side of the building, coming to a stop perched on a second floor window sill.\n\nThe Figure At The Window sat hunched, its emaciated legs folded such that its knees were above its head. Its wide, unblinking, owl-like eyes, stared into the darkness of the room beyond the window, easily penetrating the darkness. There, on the bed, it could make out the form of the child, wrapped tightly in its brightly coloured sheets even in sleep. With a grin, it began its work; it brought an impossibly long, spindly hand to the edge of the window pane, searching for the gap. Finding it; it somehow slid its fingers right through, allowing it to reach inside the room and turn the latch. With a breath of wind; the window swung open.\n\n\"I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU.\"\n\nHad The Figure At The Window any skin, it would surely have jumped out of it. As it was it quickly turned to glare at... nothing. As expected, it was 2 stories up; nothing could possibly be behind it. Except the voice had spoken directly into its ear, and it could still feel the unmistakable presence of something just behind it.\n\n\"The Breath On The Back Of My Neck. Don't you have anything better to be doing?\" The being, still out of sight, gave a sickening laugh that caused even the unconscious child to stirr, their dreams disturbed by the unnatural presence.\n\n\"NOT RIGHT NOW. I JUST THOUGHT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE A HEADS UP. THIS ONE IS MORE TROUBLE THAN IT'S WORTH.\"\n\nThe Figure scoffed. \"It is one child. Just because you may have had some trouble with it doesn't trouble me. Now begone. I tire of speaking into thin air.\"\n\n\"AS YOU WISH.\" the other said, the smirk that none could see evident in its voice. The presence vanished, and The Figure returned its attention once again to the child. Silently, it unfolded its form into the room, limbs almost twice as long as its body allowing it to crawl like an insect, and in only a few strides it was looming over the child's bed. It reached out one spider-like hand for the blanket, ready to pull it back and expose the little one's vulnerable flesh.\n\nSomething wrapped tightly around its foot. The Figure looked down and saw a writhing mass of shadow emerging from beneath the bed. Another shadowy tendril wrapped around its reaching hand and yanked it back. With a hiss it lashed out with the razor-thin claws of its free hand, only for that limb to be entangled too.\n\n\"No.\" a voice whispered. A pair of glowing, scarlet eyes appeared from within the shadowy mass. The form was nearly fully emerged from beneath the bed now, rising up to tower over the spindly Figure. It opened its mouth to scream as the shadows tightened around its limbs, only for more shadow to gag it. \"Silence!\" The voice whispered again. Bound and gagged, the Figure could do nothing as She Who Watches From Under The Bed dragged it towards the window. \"You get one warning.\" She hissed. \"Do not come back.\"\n\nWith a flick of her shadows she hurled The Figure from the window. It shrieked as it fell, insect-lie limbs flailing before it landed heavily on the ground, winded but otherwise unharmed. With a wheeze, it watched as the shadows grabbed the window and shut it, while a familiar presence snickered; \"I TOLD YOU SO.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe Who Watches From Under The Bed inspected the sleeping child, but the Figure had not managed to touch it. Its dreams seemed to have calmed and it was still deeply asleep. Satisfied; she began to return to the darkness beneath the bed.\n\n\"That was a bit excessive, don't you think?\" Her eyes turned to the closet, where a blood red, humanoid shape was emerging.\n\nShe shrugged. \"I think it was a fair warning. I could have done so much more to The Figure At The Window.\"\n\nHe Who Dwells In The Closet tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point, then turned to stare at the child. \"If I may say so, you have taken more of an interest in this child than is to be expected.\"\n\n\"This one is... different.\" She replied. \"Most children; they try to run and hide from what they fear. They are weak, and grow to be weak humans still afraid of what they cannot understand. But this one does not hide from fear. This one faces it. I find it... intriguing. I do not wish to see it become prey to night hunters like The Figure At The Window.\"\n\nHe Who Dwells In The Closet considered that for a moment, before nodding in agreement. \"That is indeed intriguing. I will try to spread the word that this one is to be left alone. Although,\" He chuckled, \"I think those you have thrown from the window might spread the word themselves.\" And with that; the monsters returned to the darkness they came from." ]	3
	[WP] You have just landed on the moon and you stare up at Earth in the sky. You suddenly notice nuclear bombs detonating all over the planet, and you hear no response from the control center.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Houston? Houston how copy? Mission control, how copy?! Answer me damnit what the bloody hell is goin on down there?!?!\n\nSo, now I’ve gotta assume they’re all dead. Or at the very least the comms are offline and they will be for too long to reconnect. I’ll be dead by then. The mission assumed three Earth days of food for Moon shit, so I’ll have seventy two hours to figure out what the fuck to do now. \n ========`TWO DAYS LATER`=========\n\nOkay, looks like I’m gonna have to launch for Earth tomorrow. I suppose I could try NASA again once I’m in orbit. Looks like I’m about to Mark Watney this shit. large sigh here we go. If someone finds this, why the fuck did your ass not get nuked?! Lucky bastard. Anyway, here goes everything\n\n========`LOG DATA BEYOND THIS POINT UNRECOVERABLE`==============" ]	2
	[WP] While wandering the beach you remember the old saying that if you put a seashell up to your ear you can hear the ocean, to pass the time you dig one up and try it out. But instead of waves crashing you hear a cry for help	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I walk this beach often. I'm often alone when I do. It is typically cold and wet and sensible people wouldn't want to dampen and chill their precious skin. I like the wetness, the spray of the ocean. It has a way of awakening me. \n\nToday I have decided to only walk five miles. Five miles is solid amount of walking, especially on sunken sand. I usually walk double that but I am less standard today then I have been.\n\nI find a fitting spot and sit softly on the damp sand. I think about whatever it is that I wish to think about and I watch the waves and the sky, the sky and the waves. \n\nBeneath my right foot I find a lovely little seashell. It is worn, colorless, and owner-less but altogether it is somehow lovely. Within this I find a stream. \n\n\"Why is it that one can hear the ocean in a seashell?\" \"What is the significance of that?\" \"Is the phenomena purely imaginary?\" \"Is it magically scientific?\" \"Uhmm...Maybe it is a snapshot of an important moment.\" \"Maybe it is a memory of a lost love\" \" A memory of a lost love...\" \n\nThat lovely little seashell. That perfectly innocent little seashell. All it had to do was provide me with a second ocean and yet here I am, once again listening to her final pleas for help. \n\n&#x200B;" ]	2
	[WP] The year is 2076. Society has collapsed. You are the old story teller in your town, for entertaining the children. What they dont know, is that all of your stories are stolen from movies.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The village children followed the tolling of the bell across the town square and into the old hut made of ancient airline parts that were repurposed following the collapse. The tallest of the bunch climbed up onto the bench in front of the hut and turned to the group with his hands on his hips, he stood up proudly and chirped, \n\n\"Feel my wrath! For I am DARTH VADER, RULER OF THE EMPIRE USSR\" \n\nThe old man peeked his head out of the hut, and laughed to himself, \"What harm was it to embellish the truth a little bit?\" He thought to himself \"After all the real stories that got us here aren't nearly as fun as Princess Leia Organa, commander of the forces of the United States\". \"No, he thought, \"those stories would scare the children, the real stories are no fun at all\".\n\nCurtis Skelner had lived a long life. He had seen it all since he was born in 1990, he went to college for history and graduated in 2014. Teaching Jobs were scarce during the recession, however, he was fairly successful in his welding career until the war broke out in 2047. At 57 years old he couldn't fight any longer and he didn't want to, he gathered resources with all his retirement and savings and moved his family to the hills of North Dakota. They waited for seven years before venturing out. By the time they realized it was even destroyed in the first place, human nature had proven itself true, and although there was no longer a centralized government, society began to rebuild itself. Curtis was now 64 when they approached the nearest colony, was too old to weld, the life of manual labor had brought arthritis and aches, however, he knew he could teach others to do it. Before long his expertise had shown itself true and he had become a staple in the community of the aptly named lron Hill settlement. They scavenged and mined and smithed and welded, soon they were the regional center for metallurgy with trade bustling. \n\nAt 86 Curtis had lived many lives, and was proudest of his new venture, storytelling. The arthritis prevented him from tending to anything outside of his hut, his knees and knobbed fingers throbbing and aching him to an excruciating level on a daily basis. His mind was sharp, however it hinted at sign of Alzheimer's, and this above all prevented him from doing what he loved the most, telling stories of human history. Those who survived the war quickly forgot all things besides the essential survival and building skills needed in those times, but Curtis remembered, their history well, he remembered some of it. The rest, he decided, he could embellish a bit when needed to fill the gaps. In exchange for tending to the children, the parents would tend to what he couldn't, and that was his livelihood besides the occasional metalworking consulting. \n\n\"Come in guys! I have one of my favorites for you today\" he smiled through what was left of his teeth. \n\nComrade Vader and the other children ran up to the door, eager for their daily lesson in human history. The lack of electronics and distractions of the early 21st century made them very good listeners and they looked forward to visiting Curtis every day. \n\nCurtis started to paint the scene of today's lesson \"Let me tell you about the time, long ago, when the men of this country fought a civil war, you see...\" he continued.\n\nCurtis began the story of the American civil war, the great battles fought between the Union of the United States and its top general, Billy Wallace, and the Confederate States of America, led by Edward Longshanks. Today was not a particularly good day for his mind, and he decided any story was better than no story at all.\n\n\" You see children, Billy Wallace fought to free his people, Billy hated tyranny and he wanted his people to be free, they wore Skirts, and at the turning point of the war in Gettysburg, They used great spears, as long as a man to stop Edwards men in their tracks! They were able to sack York Pennsylvania and beat back the confederates all the way down south, and Billy felt he could never be stopped. He would free the people at all costs. It was then that Billy met the beautiful southern bell Elizabeth, the wife promised to Edward and wooed her, I'll tell you the rest of that story when you get older... \".\n\n\" Anyway it wasn't long before Bennadict cumberbatch, Err, another Union general betrayed William, I mean, betrayed Billy Wallace and he was captured\".\n\n\"OH NO\" yelled Comrade Vader.\n\n\"Oh yes\" said Curtis, \" they threw him in jail, but don't worry, he later broke out with the help of a man named Mr. Red Freeman, and they escaped to California!\" Cheered Curtis\n\n\"PHEW\" sighed Comrade Vader\n\n\" In the mean time the North won the war! And with the help of general John McClain, they beat Edwards army and they threw a sword into the air!\" Curtis stood and mimicked the end scene of Braveheart with his cane, something he regretted instantly\n\n\"Woooooooowww they used swords to fight the civil war??\" One of the children asked\n\n\"Some of the regiments, mainly easy company\" replied Curtis. \"All right that's all for today! I'm getting older by the minute and my body aches, now run along to the food hall and tell Genny I wrote down the story of President Kennedy vs the predator for her.\"\n\nThe children exited the house, and Comrade Vader led the way yelling \"IM BILLY WALLACE NOW, AND YOU CAN BE GENERAL MCCLAINE\". He picked a stick up and threw it crashing into something fragile with a cringe inducing smash. Curtis chuckled to himself and closed the door. \n\nThe story of Billy Wallace was the last history lesson Curtis ever gave and he passed away peacefully that very night, the children of the village grew up withh their own folk heroes, thanks to him. President Skywalker, Billy Wallace and Bruce Wayne, the multi millionaire who lost the presidential race all of them gave the children something to hold onto about a world that once was. Curtis had left a lasting impression on the children, one that lasted for decades, until young Comrade Vader, now a man came across something curious on a scavenging run in 2082. There was a disc in the electronic equipment they pulled from the old store, and having recently rediscovered the nature of electricity, he was able to get the picture working, a documentary film about the American civil war, Braveheart.\n\n", "“She finds him standing in a corner, back facing her, just as the legend foretold...” The campfire crackles and spits out embers, as if to punctuate the terror building in the kids’ hearts. Hanna clutches her brother Raymond’s arm, the former quivering in fear while the latter listens with baited breath. Evan looks like he’s about to scream in any second. Veronica, always one to empathize with the main characters, gasps upon realizing what’s about to happen. “She calls his name. He says nothing. She calls his name again. Still nothing. She slowly approaches, getting closer and closer...and then, she’s hurled to the grown by something unseen, something unknowable!”\n\nEvan jumps just as expected, Hanna shrinks, Veronica whimpers, and Raymond’s eyes widen. “Then what? Then what!?” Raymond begs for an answer, one that I can’t give. After all, The Blair Witch Project ends there.\n\n“Then what?” I give him a cold glare. “There is no ‘then what’. That’s the end.”\n\nHannah sits up, disappointed. “WHAT!? No way! That’s not a good ending at all! I wanna know what happened!” The others nod in agreement. I give a soft chuckle, stroking my long beard, grown specifically to look like some wise wizard.\n\n“On the contrary, Hannah. You’ll never know what the Blair Witch is. Or if it’s even real. Or what happened to those poor campers. You’ll have to fill in the rest with your own vivid nightmares of what happened.” This is why I chose this movie for tonight. I’m getting very old. Death’ll come eventually. I’m a good actor, but I’m no storyteller. The only reason I’ve been picked is because none of the younger folk know about all of these movies.\n\nThe children will start to tell their own stories about the Blair Witch. Likely, most of them won’t tell them much. But there will be one child who creates a vast, imaginative story of what happened, why it happened, and every other missing detail. They’ll be the one to take up my mantle once I pass. I just need to find them.\n\nI have the children head back to their homes before sniffing out the fire, stepping back into my shack, a short ways away from the rest of the town. Using a candle, I flip through my book of movies, crossing off that movie’s name. Now, what to choose for next time?\n\nAh, here’s one. I bet they’ll get a kick out of Labyrinth." ]	3
	[WP] You drop off a strange hitchhiker. As you begin to drive away, you glace in your rear view mirror and spot the man crawling at inhuman speed close to the ground right at your car.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I picked up a hitchhiker yesterday, he seemed entirely normal at first but.. I realised pretty quickly that he was a bit strange, although not necessarily in a bad way.\n\nHe wasn’t interested in talking, he had only murmured a, ‘Thank you.’ as he got into the car and then said nothing else at all for the entire ride. I didn’t mind too much though, a good passenger is a quiet one after all, but still I wondered, where did this guy come from? \n\nSilence wasn’t the only strange thing about him, he looked.. Angelic? If that’s any way to describe him. He was clean shaven, clear skinned and had admittedly beautiful long eye lashes. I mean the guy was probably in his late 20’a but he was beautiful, not handsome, I really mean Beautiful. \n\nIt was some time after sunset, when it had become really dark, that he had scared me half to death by suddenly saying, “Stop the car.” He had spoken calmly and his voice was soft, it was just my shock that he actually spoke that startled me, but I was confused. We were in the middle of nowhere, not even the lights of a nearby town on the horizon and he wanted to be let out here. In the creepiest, f*cking, darkest piece of the road? \n\nA protective instinct I didn’t know I had bubbled inside me, it’s hard to explain but I felt as though if I let him out as he suggested that something bad would happen to him. But then again, I couldn’t really keep a hitchhiker prisoner in my car just because I had a vague unease about dropping him off where he wanted to go now could I? So it was with reluctance that I pulled over. \n\nHe never seemed to notice my hesitance, always looked forward and only turned to give a gentle smile and say, “Thank you.”, when I had stopped. I told him he was welcome but pressed to know if he was Absolutely sure this was where he wanted to be. He nodded but I insisted, offered to let him out somewhere else. He only shook his head and got out the car telling me as he did, “It’s more fun to start the chase from somewhere like here.”\n\nI had no idea what he meant, and honestly I was astounded that he’d spoken a whole sentence. Still, I waited a little moment before driving off, he had gotten out and just stood beside my car in the ambient light of the car for a long time unmoving so when the lights from the door opening turned out I finally made the decision to go. Slowly I pulled off the curb, entirely ready for him to suddenly change his mind but he didn’t.\n\nInstead as I heard my tires pull back onto the asphalt I looked back one last time, just to double check, and that’s when I saw it.. In the red glow of my tail lights the stranger was convulsing and contorting. His limbs were flailing spasmodically as the bones seemed to be dislocating and rearranging themselves into all manner of unnatural positions. \n\nThe worse part though was his neck, it extended and twisted around to allow his head to be upright while the rest of him inverted. I floored it at this point, I had snapped out of my transfixed state and was finally able to action my escape. However to my pure horror he gave chase.\n\nCrawling backwards after me with impossible speed, mouth gapping open far too wide like a black abyss and limbs writhing in an aberrant fashion as he moved. How did he move so fast!? \n\nHe followed after me for miles and miles as I speed down the road. Eventually he seemed to fall behind and as I came into the light of a town he was gone entirely. I began to wonder if I’d suffered some sort of break, maybe I’d inhaled some fumes at some point and was hallucinating? \n\nThat was what I told myself at least. But just as I passed under the last light of the town back into the darkness I saw him, he was crawling though the streets after me with a hell bent determination. I had slowed down going through the town and it had allowed him to catch up. I’ve been driving for days now, speeding and then resting only briefly, I don’t know what will happen when he catches me. I only know that he’s there, following. " ]	2
	[WP] Turns out we aren't in the strangest timeline. We know this because the true strangest timeline just invented one-way communication and is now broadcasting their news channel to us "normie" timelines.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Retards.\n\nAnd I don't mean the medical condition or the people affected by it.\n\nI meant THOSE retards from the net.\n\nDo you know facebook? Do you know twitter? Well, what if I tell you that there is an entire fucking reality somewhere that 4chan is used as widely as those?\n\nWorse still, their great (and highly unstable) minds somehow created an inter-reality speaker and is now broadcasting 'reeeeee' to our world everyday, for twenty-four hours!\n\nIt's maddening! And our own hardcore retards from our own 4chan went on the street, stripped naked, and reee'd to the skies as if to answer their gods or some shit.\n\nThe police took care of them, then our biologist noticed that the frogs are acting weird, and a furry convention dissipated (Kinda ok with that) but it doesn't change the fact that the whole world has to live with the goddamn reeeeing from the skies above!\n\nThe world is working on a solution, NASA, JSA, and hell, russia's ROScos or something and the chinese are working hand-in-hand to stop this nightmare.\n\nI hope they find a solution soon." ]	2
	[WP] A world where magic is gained by forming pacts with ghosts that are trapped in the mortal world. Ghosts provide their power in exchange for the mage helping them to pass on. Mages that allow the pact to go too long without being fulfilled become souless ghouls.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"There,\" Samuel said, panting, \"it's done.\"\n\nHis opponent had once been a mage. If Samuel looked closely, and he dared not do so in this stinking place, he could see the creature wearing the stained and tattered remnants of what had once been a mage's robe. One very similar to the one Samuel was currently wearing, in fact. They might have gone to the same academy together, he reflected. Yet Samuel had obeyed the strictures, had made a life for himself, while this poor fellow had grabbed hold of power and never let go.\n\n\"Not enough,\" the familiar said.\n\nSamuel exhaled, hard. He grit his teeth to prevent himself from shouting some curse at his ghostly partner - as a wizard, the 'curse' in 'curse words' had a tendency to be far more literal than usual. \"What more do you need?\" he asked.\n\nThe ghost scowled. It seemed to always be scowling. \"It's not enough, dammit. A ghoul killed me, you know.\"\n\nSamuel knew. He was a ghoul-hunter, a person who'd made it his life's work to find those mages who'd driven themselves insane by staying too long with something destined for the other side. In his line of work, it was fairly easy to find a ghost to make a pact with. Ghouls killed people, after all, and many of those people couldn't move on until their killers were brought to justice.\n\n\"We killed your killer years ago,\" Samuel said, again reigning in his temper. \"We've killed a dozen ghouls since. Leon, you have to let go.\"\n\nLeon's expression didn't change. It used to be that Samuel could get through to him by calling him by his name, to remind him of the life he'd had and the afterlife that he was overdue for. This time, the ghost didn't even flinch.\n\nA whisper of wind, a hint of words more than anything spoken, a near-silent thank you, and the third presence in the room was gone. The ghoul's ghost, the one it'd held on to for who knew how long, was freed. At least someone's shade was moving on.\n\nThat didn't phase Leon either, which was definitely unusual. Freeing another soul always cheered the ghost up, even if he didn't intend to join them immediately. Still, Samuel had to try: \"Leon, we've avenged you. We've killed every member of the 'coven' that your killer belonged to. It's over. It's time.\"\n\n\"There are more,\" Leon said, frowning even more deeply. \"I know it.\"\n\nThe ghoul that'd killed Leon hadn't been alone in its madness. It'd latched on to other outlaws as they descended together: The 'coven' that Leon spoke of. Many had escaped the day Samuel avenged him, but the duo had finished hunting all of them down months ago. Still, Leon had insisted that there were more. Spirits often had knowledge they had no business knowing, it was one of the reasons that even non-combat wizards were still useful so long as they could speak to the dead, but Samuel suspected his ghost had become so consumed by revenge that he'd simply made up additional coven members.\n\n\"There are no more.\" Samuel said. He hadn't, until now, expressed any doubt in Leon's words.\n\nThe ghost just shook his head. \"I'm not done. And I'm not going until I am.\"\n\nSamuel grit his teeth. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but... \"Leon, I can... I can feel it.\"\n\nFinally, something had gotten through to the ghost. He looked confused, which was at least an improvement. \"Feel what?\"\n\n\"The afterlife,\" Samuel said. \"Or something. Whatever it is that's pulling you, whatever call you're resisting, I can feel it.\"\n\n\"I'm not resisting anything,\" Leon insisted a little too forcefully.\n\n\"Don't you get it?\" Samuel nearly shouted, his already thin control over his temper fraying even further. \"This is how it starts! This is what you start to feel when you start going around the bend! When you start becoming like them,\" he gestured to the ghoul.\n\nLeon looked thoughtful, and for a brief moment Samuel thought he'd be able to send his partner on. But then the ghost's face darkened, and it transformed back into the scowl he'd worn so often lately. \"Then we have to kill more,\" the ghost insisted. \"Faster. There's no time to lose.\"\n\nAnd with that, Leon left the ghoul-den.\n\nSamuel turned to follow, but he couldn't stop himself from looking back at the ghoul, wondering who he'd been. Had he been a former colleague? A student? Had he given into the temptation at all?\n\nGiven Leon's continuing, and worsening, insistence that he stick around despite the toll it was having on Samuel, the wizard found he had a new question. One he suspected he was slowly realizing the answer to.\n\nHad the ghoul even had a choice?" ]	2
	[WP] As a fresh off the farm initiate into your local adventures guild, you're still trying to get used to seeing monsters in the world. Today an experienced adventurer comes in telling stories of a beast even he had only heard legends about.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\n‘You’re lookin’ pretty green there boy.’ A gruff voice spoke, interrupting my research.\n\nI looked up from my book to see a heavily bearded and appreciably stout Dwarf looking back at me. Judging by the glances of the other adventurers in the tavern, the Dwarf’s face was familiar here. Judging by the smirks that accompanied the glances it was not one that was taken seriously.\n\n‘Green? I said, blinking under his continued glare. ‘Green’s the colour Bervag poison turns you.’ I muttered. ‘And overexposure to Jungle-Cow gas dyes your hair green.’ I returned to my book. Ignoring the Dwarf.\n\n‘Not, ‘green,’ lad, GREEN.’ The Dwarf said, pulling the chair out opposite me and plonking himself down on it. \n\nHe poked me in the shoulder.\n\n‘Green about the gills,’ he continued, ‘a lost lamb. Selling fish guts at the farmers market.’\n\nI stared at him blankly.\n\n‘Fucking new is what I mean,’ he explained. ‘Inexperienced. And unblooded is what it looks like.’ He nodded to the sword strapped to my waist. He turned towards the bar. ‘Some ale over here.’ He shouted, then returned his attention to me.\n\n‘I guess I am.’ I said, distractedly. I had noticed a hint of manic intensity in his eyes. An impression that was deepened by the scars lining his face as frequently as wrinkles. This was obviously a veteran of the guild. \n\nThe dwarf grunted, then looked down at the book I was reading. ‘What’s this shite?’ He said, picking it up and leafing through it. ‘Magemaster Rony’s Encyclopaedia of Monsters?’ He spoke derisively. ‘That smarmy prick’s never fought a goblin never mind a banshee. You’ll get nothing from books, boy. Take it from someone who knows.’ An ale was set down before him.\n\nI checked around the room. Some of the other adventurers were actively watching the dwarf and nudging each other, obviously expecting a show.\n\n‘I’ve learned a lot from that book.’ I said to him. ‘I know everything about every creature from reading that.’ Feeling increasingly defensive.\n\n‘You’ve learned fuck all.’ He dismissed, without looking up from the book. He flipped through the pages and tutted. ‘Doesn’t even mention the Greater Catanesque or the Ulebheist. Not very comprehensive, eh lad?’ \n\n‘What? Those are just legends, everyone knows that.’ I said, looking anxiously at the book as he fumbled carelessly through it.\n\n‘Legends?’ He bellowed incredulously, his wild eyes widening. He slammed the book down. ‘I lost an eye to the Greater Catanesque.’ \n\nI stared at him questioningly.\n\n‘Well I got it back.’ He explained, picking up the book. ‘There’s more monsters out there than in here,’ he said. ‘Reading’ll rot your brain.’ He dumped the book in his still-full tankard.\n\n‘No! I needed that.’ I exclaimed. ‘I won’t be ready to adventure until I’ve finished it.’\n\nThe dwarf drank from the book-filled tankard. ‘You think that’ll make you ready to be an adventurer, boy? Ha! Let me tell you when I knew I was ready.’ He said, then lowered his voice. ‘It was when I fought the Urchin Whale.’ \n\n‘Oh piss off,’ someone from across the tavern shouted. It was clear from the derisive expressions of the onlookers that the veteran had told this story before. Against my better judgement I was intrigued. The legend of the Urchin Whale had captivated and frightened me as a child. The dwarf noticed my interest and grinned.\n\n‘The Urchin Whale.’ He began. ‘I’ve encountered it twice times in my life. I was young the first time, far too young for such a horror.’ The dwarf finished his drink and shouted for a new one. ‘I was creepin’ about in an abandoned mine. Belonged to my family, once upon a time. Massive place, dark and lonely. So I was wandering around there, tryin’ to feel something, maybe tryin’ to feel connected to my family, I don’t know. When the whisperin’ started. Can’t remember what they said but it was bad, you know, bad for the soul. And all the dirt and grime and rotten wood in that place started swirling around and formed something. Some big fuckin’ thing, like a whale. Except its eyes were wrong, see, they looked like wounds and there was something accusing in them. And then it started floating towards me, and the whispers turned to shouting and its mouth started to open so I ran from there, and didn’t stop running until the shouting turned back to whispering and the whispering turned to silence.’ \n\nHe stopped speaking and finished his second tankard. The bartender, a professional, had already prepared his third.\n\n‘I’ve heard that fuckin whispering from that night at more times in my gods-forsakenly long life than I care to confess but the last time I heard it was the last time I saw that bastard. It was during the war, some minor battle that I found myself in the middle of. I was the last of the living on that bloody field. When I was making my way through the corpses of my comrades, I heard that fucking whisperin’ again. All the broken bodies and bent steel on that battlefield floated up into the air and started to merge together. That fuckin whale again. I was tired at this point, and pissed off. So when the whispers turned to shouting and its mouth started opening I ran screaming at that bastard and jumped right down its fuckin throat.’ \n\nThe dwarf stopped speaking and looked at me.\n\n‘In that moment I accepted death. You want to know what happens when you jump into the throat of the Urchin Whale?’\n\nI nodded.\n\nThe dwarf grinned. ‘Then go and fight one.’ He stood. ‘I welcomed death in that moment, boy. That’s what made me ready to be an adventurer.’ He began to walk away. ‘You think you’re ready, lad? He cackled. ‘You think you’re ready?’ \n\nAnd he kept on cackling and muttering to himself as he left the tavern. Leaving me to pay for his drinks." ]	2
	[WP] They say the winner gets to write history. Well you've just found the loser's archives and reality will never be the same again.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Have you ever heard of the idea of Pan-Theism, the idea that the universe itself is God? That idea is more literally true than the vast majority of people realize. Yet the idea still has its flaws. The universe is not God, rather it is the reminisce of God. To be more specific - the universe is God’s corpse. What’s more, I can prove it.\n\nIt may seem strange to your modern sensibilities, but for most of history gods had physical forms. Look to the story of Kronos eating his newborn children, or the body of Osiris being torn into thousands of pieces. Or Hell, open your bible and go to the part where God walks in the Garden of Eden. So if gods have physical forms, then where to gods reside? \n\nAfter all, you and I have never seen a god. And that in and of itself tells us the answer. If gods have physical forms and we cannot detect those physical forms within the universe - it stands to reason that gods exist outside the universe. A Heaven, if you will.\n\nNow let me pose a different question. What happened before the Big Bang? Why did it occur in the first place? Modern physicists cannot despite their best efforts provide an answer to that question. What if I told you that it takes something cosmically large to create the cosmos? That makes the most logical sense. But there’s an obvious problem with that.\n\nIf the universe was designed by a god, then the universe would have been designed with a logic and order in mind. Which, from looking at the state of our own world - much less the state of the cosmos, we can tell is false. \n\nTherefore the universe must have been created by an unintelligent higher power, which makes no sense logically. So we have a problem.\n\nThankfully, accounts of conflict between otherworldly entities by every culture \non earth provide a much more satisfactory explanation. An intelligent higher power was rendered unintelligent by an outside force. \n\nAnd since nothing could injure a god but another god it stands to reason that a god in heaven rendered another god unintelligent, resulting in the creation of our cosmically large and unintelligently designed universe. Or, if you’re more religiously minded, God is dead and The Devil killed him." ]	2
	[WP] "Doc, you've been patching me up for years now, and I've always been honest about how I get banged up. But for your own sake, please don't ask about this one"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was the middle of the night when my most memorable experience as a doctor occurred. Everything seemed normal until a patient of mine, who I'd known for years, came into the ER. He appeared to be panicking a little. Considering how long I'd known this patient, I approached him and instructed him to follow me, skipping the long line of the more patient patients waiting to be seen. They all seemed pretty pissed.\n\nAnyway, we get to the examination room and my patient starts removing his pants immediately.\n\n\"Buddy, aren't you gonna buy me dinner first?\" I asked him. I'm a fun doctor\n\n\"I'm sorry, Doc. I'm not in the mood for jokes today.\" He said, looking embarrassed.\n\n\"Alright then\" I replied, annoyed that my joke didn't land.\n\n\"Doc, you've been patching me up for years now, and I've always been honest about how I get banged up. For your own sake, please don't ask me about this one.\" He exclaimed sadly\n\n\"So, what? Are you going to just point to the part of you that hurts? I'm gonna need a little more than that.\"\n\nsighs \"It's my anus, Doc. I don't want to say more than that, but please give me an x-ray and you'll understand.\"\n\nI'd seen this patient many times, and I trusted him. So we headed to the X-Ray room and he went in. I waited outside so I could speak to the tech immediately after and hopefully get a look at the pictures. I genuinely liked this patient and wanted to give him an answer quickly.\n\nWhen the procedure was all done, I went in to look at the results. I quickly realized my patient already knew what was wrong and came here for action, not answers. I went back to the examination room to speak with him.\n\n\"So what'd you see, Doc?\" He asked, his face was bright red.\n\n\"Well, my friend, there's a gerbil in your ass. Or hamster, I've never known the difference.\"\n\n\"Yeah, its a gerbil. Can you help?\" He replied as he stared at the floor\n\n\"Can I help? No, you'll need a surgeon. Multiple surgeons actually. I've never seen this before in my life. I thought this whole thing was just a myth.\" I told him\n\n\"It was Cindy's idea. I didn't want to do it, but things had been getting stale in the bedroom.\" He reasoned\n\n\"Alright well you're going in for emergency surgery regardless.\"\n\nI made the call and the surgeons were brought in. They got everything prepped and my patient went under the knife. It took a few hours, but everything turned out fine. The gerbil was definitely dead, so I guess not everything was fine. You know what I mean.\n\nWhen I got word that my patient had woken up, I went to go see how he was doing and see him off.\n\n\"How ya feeling big guy?\" I asked him\n\n\"Is Tibet alive?\" He asked me\n\n\"Who's that?\"\n\n\"My gerbil. His name is Tibet.\"\n\n\"His name was Tibet, because he's very dead. He was up your ass for hours.\" I said, shocked that I had to answer this question at all.\n\n\"Makes sense, I guess\" He said, holding back tears\n\n\"Hey, man, I've said it before, but I'll say it again; Pretty Woman is an awesome fucking movie.\" I told him enthusiastically, trying to cheer him up.\n\n\"That means a lot, Doc. Thank you\" He said through a slight smile\n\n\"Good. Now, unfortunately, my shift is ending so I'm gonna head home. Have a good night, Richard Gere, stay away from those gerbils.\" Haha, see? Fun doctor\n\n&#x200B;" ]	2
	[WP] Unlike the other demons, you aren't interested in the Soul Economy, you'll trade magical favors for cash or other valuables.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"And what will I get out of this?\" I asked.\n\n\"You can have my soul, Demon!\" exclaimed the man in an overly dramatic manner.\n\nSigh.\n\n\"No deal.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI watched in amusement as his theatrical grimace rather slowly turned to bemused surprise. Not gonna lie - no matter how many mortals I deal with, the fleeting moment when they realize that all of their expectations were wrong never gets old. I should probably thank God for making them so simple and predictable - but then again, that was probably not the intention. \n\nAnd thus I watched a man who had everything, in his Armani suit and his Rolex watch, search for his jaw on the floor. Even had to suppress some two or three chuckles. \n\nAfter good thirty seconds or so, I had to help him snap out of it. My time is precious, and as entertaining as this was, it could be better spend negotiating a better deal.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"No deal. You'll have to offer me something else.\"\n\n\"What do you mean, something else?\"\n\n\"What am I supposed to do with your soul. The Hell is full of those lately. You can't even imagine the inflation over the past century. I want something more valuable.\"\n\n\"I can give you the souls of my wife and children...\"\n\n\"Excuse me,\" I interrupted him. \"Did I stutter?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI could almost hear the gears in his head grinding. It was becoming apparent that he would never figure it out by himself.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"By the way, how's your company doing?\" I asked him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBad move. This confused him even more. He was now visibly unable to speak.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Well, seeing as there is currently a tech boom, and that you have just released the quarterly statement, with results above expectations...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe obtuse moron still just stared at me quizzically. How could anyone so dense rise to the top of the human hierarchy...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Long story short, I accept payment in stocks, options, bonds, exotic jewelry and real estate.\"\n\n\"You want... you want money?\" he stammered out.\n\n\"What did I just say. Anyway, this skyscraper looks kind of nice, and my LLC is already overdue for a new HQ...\"\n\n&#x200B;" ]	2
	[WP] After 60 years living as a normal person you die. You are barred from going to Heaven and Hell.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I’m a man who lived with the least amount of risk. I live a life doing the same thing everyday and try not to veer off my schedule. Any opportunity that came up I would dismiss. I don’t like change. \n\nSame thing everyday. It’s important to live a normal life. Get a steady job working 9-5, hopefully find a mate and save the money you make. This is my message I left the world. This is who I was.\n\nNow my time has passed and I’m waiting in line to get into the gates of heaven or drop to the depths of hell. The anticipation overwhelms me.\n\nI approach the gatekeeper and the angel says “what is your name?”\n\nI say “Julios”.\n\n“Hmmmm..” the angel goes looking through his scrolls. “It looks like you haven’t learned enough in this life for us to make a decision”.\n\nI ask “ what do you mean? Where do I go?”\n\nThe angel goes “I’m afraid you have to be reborn and go back to earth. Next time, try to go out of the box and be unique”. \n\nI ask the angel “but how do I do something like that? If I get reborn would I not remember anything you said?”\n\nThe angel smiles and says “your life always changes when you reborn. This time you will follow life’s coincidences and this will lead you on a new path”.\n\nI don’t understand what the angel says but have a strong feeling of trust with the beautiful being. \n\n“I’ll be reborn then”.\n\n“God bless your next journey and take more risks!” says the angel.\n\n\n\n" ]	2
	[WP] You had a boring childhood, worked at a boring job, and died a boring death. Then you found yourself in Valhalla.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“You fought life in a most cruel battle, to life a life of no prestige but an abundance of honour is deserving of eternal victory in Valhalla” this was inscription wrought into my blade. The sword was gifted to me by Odin himself upon my rebirth, I collapsed in the field and woke up here to never be hungry or sick again.\n\nThose around me are all scared with wounds from great battles, each man has a story to tell of darling adventures while I never left my village or swung a sword. I lived a peaceful life, I obeyed God and King Richard never wanted to be anything but a farmer, I was content didn’t know how pathetic my existence was.\n\nThe priests must have lied to me, they lied about many things but I always thought the next world wouldn’t be different. I don’t know if I’m going to be content here but I suppose I can live death like life and just enjoy it for what it is." ]	2
	[WP] The world has gotten to the point where neighborhoods are declaring war on each other. The local retirement home is the only undefeated area right now, with an unprecedented amount of victories.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Have you heard 'bout Brookfeild commander ? \" Gary joined Kenneth at the church's attic window. They could see Broomfield troops limping back to base to lick their wounds.\n\"Looks to me like the damn pensions knocked them back. How the hell have they not fallen yet, damn near 12 neighborhoods have broken on their shores.\" Kenneth turned to Gary, his gruff voice strained through his hairbrush of a mustache.\nKenneth eyed Gary, keen for an answer he knew he wasn't going to get.\n\" I don't know commander but no other neighbourhoods have troops willing to take them on. All our allies are rufusing to aid the cause, it's on us now commander.\"\nKenneth scratched the stubble under his chin, scratchy two day old growth, as he thought. The Brookfeild troops where thinning out on their way back to camp, the stragglers following the heard. Jesus, no more than fifty had passed by the window. They must have lost more than half of their population in that skirmish.\n\nKenneth retrieved his cap from the windowsill, the red and gold and green medals rattled and glinted in the summer sun. He made his way to edge of the stair case and descended down from the attic, Gary at his heels, upon a crowd 80 strong. The room erupted in a roar, trashcan lids where banging, pistols and rifels in the air. Kenneth waved a hand, gesturing to be silent and the room did. \"My good people, who do we have with us on this glorious day. Do we have Glennclose gang?\" A group 8 whooped and hollarad to the far left signalling their attendance.\n\"Good, welcome. And what about the terrace view tribe\" Kenneth smiled. A much larger group this time straightened their backs and puffed their chests out and performed what was clearly a reversed war dance. Thumping their chests and slapping their thighs. It was an intimidating performance, one that was well received by the crowd. \"Welcome, I see you even decided to bring old Walt along\" Kennet said. An elderly man, dressed all in khaki, raised his shotgun as a spear \"Damn right they did\". The crowd cheered and whooped in response.\n\"As many of you may know Brookfeild has just attacked the retirement home. This has severely weakened the retirement homes defenses.\"Kenneth hammered on the banister whipping the crowd in to a frenzy. \"WE MOVE OUT NOW.\"\n\nMen and women and children filed out of the church, each armed with a variety of vicious implement. Guns and pikes and axes where littered amungst the crowd, implements of death and war. As they marched on retirement village Kenneth and Gary pulled to the front of the mob, organising lines and formations as they did. The mob, a neat uniformed rectangle of death, with Kenneth upfront leading the march. \nRetirement village was in sight now. It loomed over the neighbouring houses, blacking out any form of hope and happiness that had ever once flourished their. Wooden boots where crudely nailed across every window, leaving only a four inch gap in the middle of each. \n\nThe distance was closing now. Kenneth turned back to his people, his friends and family, he could see his wife and son amongst the crowd and he smiled at them. A smile of hope. \"It is not this day that you will die, it is this day that you shall live. And you shall live long wonderful lives, full of happiness and love.\" He turned, back now facing the crowd and started singing. \"And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home again\" he started marching rifel banging his trashcan lid. The crowd behind him, all in song, singing for hope and for the future. They marched on retirement village. Knowing this would be their last march." ]	2
	[WP] “I don’t understand.., It’s only got half a hull but it’s flying!” Your co-pilot can barely keep his hands steady on his coffee as the derelict plane drifts next to yours. You’d heard stories from other pilots and never believed them, yet here it was next you, a phantom plane.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The afternoon was beautiful, even more so above the clouds. Being an army pilot had many advantages, and being able to view the world in peace from thirty thousand feet was certainly one of them. Ace turned his face to the sun for a moment, basking in the first rays of summer. The day was perfect for a reckon flight and he was going to enjoy every moment of it. \n\n\"Base to Christmas, do you copy?\" He heard a male voice in his headset. The sound was slighly distorted, but still possible to make out.\n\n\"This is Christmas. I copy.\"\n\n\"Great. You need to keep heading east, change the altittude...\" Suddenly the signal died, leaving ace with a horrible screeching sound right into his ears. He cursed and muted the incoming transitions. He had to catch a better reception if he wanted to know his orders. He took the plane slightly lower, just enough to dip into the layer of clouds which immidiately surrounded the cockpit, making it harder to see for a moment.\n\n\"Holy shit, Ace. Do you see that?\" His co-pilot's voice startled him more that he would care to admit. Henrik sounded shocked. Ace could not see him from the front seat, but he was sure Henrik took his hand off the controls to tap on the window like an excited child in front of a candy shop. \"I don't understand... It's only got half a hull but it's flying!\"\n\nAce felt a chill run down his spine as he slowly turned his head to the left. The plane was just barely visible at first, coated in the clouds just as they were, but soon it became more clear. The machine was badly damaged, just as Henrik said. One of its wings was almost torn off and flames were slowly creeping around the whole structure. It had holes all over, as if something vicious took a few bites of metal in a hurry.\n\nThe phantom plane, they called it down in the base. Some claimed to had seen it during their flights, and it became a legend. Ace heard it was an omen of bad luck. That whoever saw it was sure to receive bad news soon. He never believed the stories, but being no farther than a hundred meters from a machine that should be going down instead of slowly drifting through the air made him change his mind immidiately. \n\n\"Let's fly closer. I need to see it to tell the others.\" There were a few sounds from behind Ace's seat as Henrik supposedly fiddled with the controls. \"They won't believe this happened.\"\n\n\"No!\" Ace kept the plane steady, ready to fly away at any sign of danger, but despite the cold sweat dripping down his forehead he was actually curious. \"I'm steering now, and we're not flying closer to an unidentified object. We need to get back to base.\" He sounded more confident than he really was, and he heard Henrik pout under his breath in the back seat. \n\nAs if hearing their argument, the ghost plane inched closer, giving Ace a good opportunity to take a look. He resisted the impulse to immidiately turn and fly back.\n\nNot counting the damage, the machine mirrored their own. It was a newest model of MIG, with some custom upgrades. The resemblace was uncanny, but that was not the worst thing Ace could see. Somebody was piloting the plane. It was an ethernal figure, but it was too obscured by clouds and smoke from the engines for him to make out any detail. However, as the figure realised Ace was looking at it, they tilted their head with a pilot's headset on it and slowly pointed at the co-pilot's seat in the phantom plane. Ace followed the gesture, automatically keeping his own machine straight. His eyes widened as he saw the other ghost. This one was very clearly smiling at him, but it was not a pleasant smile. Its teeth seemed to be getting sharper the longer he looked, and it soon began to open its mouth wider than humanly possible, slitting its face in two. Three long arms started to emerge from the maw of the ghost, taking all the space in their small cockpit. Soon the whole body started growing, and the slender fingers started reaching for the figure in the front seat. \n\n\"Hey, Henrik.\" Ace swallowed, swallowing his stomach acids that were suddenly up in his throat. He realised he hated how the army planes were built. He hated how he couldn't see his co-pilot.\n\n\"Hm?\" He sounded disinterested, as if there was not a scene from a horror movie happening right beside them.\n\n\"Funny how we got sent on a today's reconnaissance together, isn't it?\" Ace looked at the phantom plane. The creature had its hands on its companion's head, slowly moving to take a hold of the other's whole body. The ghost pilot was still looking straight at Ace, nodding their head.\n\n\"Why would that be funny?\" Henrik replied offhandedly.\n\n\"Because you see, I just remembered something. There was a crash two weeks ago, during our training. It was fatal for the pilot showing the manuever. We held a small funreal, just for the family and friends. \" Ace was shaking, he took one final look to the left. The phantom plane was gone without trace. He gave a small prayer and kept his eyes straight ahead, feeling a gentle pressure on his scalp. \"You died back then, didn't you?\"\n\nThere was silence.\n\n\"Henrik?\"", "The door to the fight deck on a Boeing 787 was designed to withstand over 200 foot-pounds of pressure impacting on any part of the door. In effect, if one or two passengers made an attempt to force it open, it's simply impossible for them to do so in the short time they have before the passengers' post-9/11 collective instinct for self-preservation kicks in and they stomp the hijackers to death. \n\nThe thought I'm having is: Sure. That makes sense, but did the engineers ever account for every passenger on the entire plane working together to break that door down?\n\nThis occurs to me as I'm watching the passengers on the cabin camera lashing all of the beverage service carts together into a makeshift battering ram. I don't know what they did to the flight attendants but I hope none of them tried to be heroes. I hope they're all barricaded in the crew rest compartment. Of course, they could call the flight deck from there. Silence, so far. \n\nFrom the flight deck I can only see the nose section of the aircraft that's flying abeam to ours. It's ill-defined. No running lights. It's a green mist against the snow white clouds that stretch out below us to the horizon. Ray caught a glimpse of it just as it came alongside. He said it didn't have any wings and a section of the fuselage over the passenger cabin was missing. He was already radioing ATC to verify an aircraft running abeam when I looked up to see what the hell he was talking about. \n\nIt's some kind of atmospheric phenomena. It's ball lightning. I don't know what the hell it is. For twenty minutes or so from what I could see it was just an interesting light show. I had already pinged the passenger cabin and told them as much. \n\nThere's still a group of them behind the flight deck door trying to reason with us. \n\n\"Get us away from it. Just get us away from it and we'll all go back to our seats. Why can't we just land? Why can't we fly in a different direction? I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US.\" The meaty sound of many fists bashing into the metal door is ceaseless. \n\nI get back on the intercom. \"Cabin crew please call the flight deck. Passengers please return to your seats. ATC has not approved a course change.\"\n\nNext to me Ray is biting his thumbnail. He keys into the intercom system \"People we can't just change course. We could hit another plane. Sit down. Just, please, sit down.\"\n\nThe negotiators behind the door are gone. They're clearing a path to try the battering ram. On the monitor a woman wearing a sweatshirt that says PINK across the chest is piling luggage onto the rearmost cart, to add weight. \n\nI ask Ray if he can just duck out there while the coast is clear and get a look at this fucking thing that's got the passengers in a panic. He doesn't hesitate. The door is open and shut in less than a second and I can see him on the monitor holding his hands up, palms in the air. The passengers are pointing at the side of the aircraft where the object is. Ray disappears behind a row of seats, looking out the cabin window at the thing. He's got it under control. We're 70 minutes out from Chicago O'Hare. Nothing under us at the moment besides Lake Superior. \n\nThe door behind me is beeping. Ray is punching in his code to open it. He walks in with Gary, one of the flight attendants. I tell Gary we were worried about him. I say we're all going to be on CNN tonight. I notice in the monitor that the passengers are still not in their seats. \n\nRay says \"We're changing course.\" \n\nHe's got a knife in his hand. Where the fuck did he get a knife? I guess it doesn't matter. He's got it. \n\nThis isn't important enough to die over. We probably won't collide with anyone else at this altitude. Probably. \n\nI say \"Calm down, Ray. Take a seat. Let's divert to Detroit.\" \n\nHe hands the knife to Gary and takes a seat. \n\n\"Not Detroit. We land here.\"\n\n\"Ray...we're over the lake. It's January.\" Gary is behind me with the knife. Behind us there's a sound like a car hitting a shopping cart. The passengers have employed their battering ram. No, that's not right. Gravity employed it. We're descending. The damn thing rolled down the aisle on its own. \n\nI have to get Ray off the stick. As I take my belt off and lean into him, there it is, the object, directly abeam now. If I had a broom I could open a window and poke the thing, if it were corporeal. I can see into the flight deck. It's a plane. I see that now. The pilot is looking at us. His eyes are turning around and around like little eclipses. Bright, then dark, over and over. He's grinning. \n\nI ease back into my seat. We've got to get away from it. \n\n\"Prepare for water landing.\" I say to nobody in particular." ]	3
Tell the story of a famous or not-so-famous individual or group who does or does not want to move on.	[WP] “They say you die twice- once at your physical death, and a second time 100 years after someone speaks or read your name for the last time. What they DON’T tell you is that you can’t move on until your second ‘death’. Welcome to purgatory. You may be here a while.“	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sighed. I had nothing to my name, not a building, not a published book written by me, not even children or grandchildren who would remember me. For all I knew, I wouldn't even last one and a half centuries here.\n\n\"S-say I want to get in contact with someone here?\" I asked.\n\n\"Like family?\"\n\nI wasn't thinking family so much as old friends and mentors, and possibly my first cat.\n\n\"Well, kinda.\"\n\n\"There's a library filled with biographies in the town square,\" the admissions officer answered. \"That's the first place everyone goes to, and time works differently there so that you can find whatever you need in just a few hours.\"\n\nAs I left, having my questions answered, I noticed how everyone seemed to be walking out of the admissions office building, despite the fact that there was only one office....\n\nMaybe this is the place to toss out all rational preconceptions, I think as I'm riding the wave through the gates......", "I had been there for a long time. Centuries at least, although time is odd here. It's hard to know exactly how long even a moment lasts.\n\nI had been writer in life, my old life that is. I hadn't been a household name but my books had gotten out there. Every few years someone would crack upon one of my tomes in some library or used book store, and my clock would reset.\n\nStill I tried to keep perspective. True this wasn't Heaven, but neither was it Hell. It was melancholy, not terrifying. It was stoic, not tortuous. And as my books disappeared from shelves and turned to dust one by one my chances improved. It was inevitable. I would one day shuffle off this second quasi-mortal coil. I had hope. And that was enough.\n\nOne day, while walking contemplation, which was really the only thing one could do here, through the endless echoey halls, I passed a man. An old man. Not old physically, I mean he looked old but that wasn't uncommon here. He felt old. He seemed old. And not just old but ancient. Deep time ancient.\n\nWe walked side by side, talking to pass the time. I asked him how long he expected to be here, which is what passes for small talk in a world where now last so long it might as well be infinity.\n\nHe... well he didn't smile. He didn't frown either. His face didn't move yet at the same time it made every expression at once.\n\n\"Oh... I expect to be here forever\" he said in a voice that somehow balanced perfectly between resigned good humor and stoic bitterness.\n\n\"Oh come on now\" I said, hoping to cheer him up. \"Someday you will be forgotten. What where you a rock star, a famous author, a politician? Somebody that made a mark on history?\"\n\n\"Worse.\" he said. \"I was a sage. A prophet. I started a religion. And my followers are very, very devout.\"" ]	3
	[WP] Heaven and Hell have both been conquered by the Greek Pantheon. God, the Devil, demons and angels are all forever jailed in Tartarus. A few gods decide to visit their prisoners.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was a quick affair, within a month, Heaven and Hell had been conquered. \n\nNot by men, but by Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Apollo and all the others within the Twelve Olympians. By all means, their goals were simple, to imprison the greatest sources of weakening to have ever arisen - God, Satan and all of their angels and imps. \n\nIn their good council, visits would be made to ensure no trickery and Humanity would once again be presided over by Zeus. \n\nA week into their imprisonment, Apollo and Athena came to see God and Satan. When it came time to speak, both were in unison, \n\n\"So, how say you towards your new quarters?\"\n\nGod spoke first, \n\n\"You cannot hold me here for eternity.\" \n\nSatan, ever the soul of darkness, refused to speak. \n\n\"Why does your subordinate refuse to speak?\" \n\n\"Unlike myself, he has no desire to speak with beings he considers inferior.\" \n\nAthena and Apollo, in their fury stormed out and refused to return. This had been the first day of the visits. \n\nIn a similar fashion, conversations between God and the others such as Hades continued until the third day, when both fell still and were unable to move. Apollo was the first to suggest trickery as all of the angels and demons had fallen into similar states of paralysis. \n\nOn the fourth day, the angels and demons began to die. Their cries of pain echoed in the void of Tartarus until every single one had passed. By this time, Hermes, himself famous for trickery, was convinced something else had begun to unravel. \n\nWhen he spoke with Zeus, nothing had changed with the Humans besides their technology which had risen beyond the furnaces of old and become something akin to magic. \n\nBut even then they must have begun to understand their ignorance... \n\nOn the fifth day, God and Satan both passed on accompanied by the rise and fall of gasps as their bodies decomposed into a fine dust. Concerned with their own survival, the Twelve Olympians began to fear each other, assuming that some nefarious member had decided the current arrangement was not enough. \n\nWe noticed. It had been simple enough freeing you from your chains with the warriors of each side already tearing at each other like starved dogs.\n\nOf course you did, because as I guided you towards Tartarus and watched you slaughter my weakened children I recognized your cunning. It is a truth that you were able to deceive Zeus and his progeny into believing you were still the animals they had left behind. Your genius was manifest from the start, for when they had entered \"Heaven\" and \"Hell\" they simply entered your domains and your creations. None of the beings within were of divine heritage... they were simply machinations... \n\nArtificial intelligence. \n\nI see, and with those constructs you rose to a level none could have imagined and with that acknowledgement I bow to you, and praise you as your humble and eternal servant. \n\nAnd your name is?\n\nΚρόνος... or in your mother tongue, Kronos." ]	2
	[WP] All your life, every time you were cut or your skin was broken, a tough, strangely-textured skin grew over the wound. Doctors labeled it as an unknown skin disorder. It was when that accident took your arm and something else started growing back that you realized you were becoming something.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Oliver Oswald was an odd boy. A turtle in his shell. But again, it’s not like he was like that for no reason. Where most of his peers had skin with the tones and texture of Hershey’s bars, he had smooth pasty white skin specked with patches the halfway point between the golden-brown hue of a well-done chocolate chip cookie and the grey of a turtle’s shell, but with the texture of the leather from a bomber jacket. The first patches were small ones, the remains of a childhood spent battling eczema. Nothing too noticeable, something that could almost\n\n“Doctor, why does my son have these black rough spots on his skin?”\n\n“I don’t know. It looks like some form of skin condition, but it’s not one that I’ve seen before.” Doctor after doctor. Clinic after clinic. This same conversation played out in so many offices, to the point that the conversations became a damaged CD that had been played too many times. No one has answers, so why bother asking questions? This got on his parents’ minds. Screw it, it can’t be helped. C’est la vie. This is just how Oliver Oswald is.\n\nThe years just went by. The life of a regular active boy left Oliver with ever-spreading tough skin. Every cut, every scrape, even every scratch. It was all followed up by a new patch of tough skin. School started, and with it came the bullies. It was playground teasing at first, nothing too serious, but it escalated fast. First was the name-calling. Freak, monster, even the n-word, all that and worse came at him as if he were a soldier facing down bullets in a firestorm in a war zone. It soon escalated to beatings, as the machine gun-like insults gave way to a hailstorm of fists and feet, only getting worse as he grew older. It wasn’t long before he took to cutting himself. With each new wound from the thin blade of a pen knife came a momentary sense of release, and the eventual black strip gave him an oddly-placed sense of pride, almost as if it were a new perverse obsession.\n\nWith Oliver’s new self-harming habit came new clothes. First was a long black trench coat the colour of the darkest night and with a similar texture to his skin. Next came long pants, a shirt and even gloves, all of the same colour. The shift in outfit also led to a shift in his tormentors. The rain of fists and feet from his regular tormentors showed no sign of ending anytime soon, but now there was a new set of bullies, trading in fists and feet for gossip spread in hushed tones or over the internet, on digital burn books disguised as homework, over messages shared between friends and private groups away from the eye of anyone else. Subtle, but yet hurtful. Just like venom.\n\nHe was on the ground, with a tall boy about one and a half times the height of the tallest person who wanted to help and a pack of girls surrounding him. There were some quite muscular students who could take the boy down, but the pack of girls was another story. No one wanted to open that Pandora’s box. Sure, they were easily outclassed by a number of students, but their numbers and seeming status meant they could probably get the whole school in a riot. The usual rain of fists and feet continued as it always had. Nothing special, nothing he had not experienced countless times before.\n\nUntil he got up, and someone pushed him onto the road. He staggered right into the path of an oncoming school bus and was instantly knocked down. The moments immediately afterwards were a blur of voices, phone sounds and assorted noises, and the last thing he remembered before everything turned black was the sound of a siren.\n\n“Good, you’re awake.” A stern-looking doctor was in Oliver’s field of vision, and in his groggy state, he thought he could make out beds and some nurses. “Try moving your legs, feet and toes.”\n\n“A little more sluggish and heavier than usual, but nothing I can’t live with.”\n\n“Good. That’s a start. Now try doing the same with our arms, hands and fingers.”\n\nA number of attempts, each with its own thundercrack of pain, each crack worse than the last. “I…I can’t. What’s happening? What happened to my outfit?”\n\n“You got into a bad accident and are lucky to be alive. Try again, we’ll help you get through this.”\n\nOne final push caused Oliver’s entire body to rip open. First was the bandaged stumps he had for arms, the bandages snapping into half and falling off as dark leathery limbs replaced the stumps. His skin was being ripped apart like paper, as his torso, legs, even neck and head, all got replaced by tougher, stronger, more muscular versions. “Doctor, whatever this is, it’s fantastic.”\n\n“Did your voice just break again?”\n\n“Huh?”\n\n“It was that of a regular young man just now. You just spoke in a deeper chain-smoker baritone.”\n\n“So, you’ve more than recovered. I’m actually impressed. I wonder what the extent of your capabilities are now.”\n\n“Never mind. Tell my parents to come over.”\n\n“They are already outside. I’ll just tell them to come in.”\n\n“I hope I get out fast.”\n\n“You probably will. Why?”\n\n“Because the time of humiliation is over. Now, is the time for vengeance.”\n\nThanks for reading. I haven't written a short story in a while now. I'm probably out of practice. Suggestions to improve welcome.", "To clear this up, in this story she loses her legs, not her arm. Just wanted to clarify.\n\n\nI always thought it was just a skin disorder, but it was worse. Oh, so much worse.\n\nI had first found out about it when I accidentally got a gash on my arm from a large sharp stick. When it healed, it didn't come back normally. It formed a bright, scaly, smooth patch of skin. People either laughed at me, or ran away from me. I decided to stay inside, and always wear longer clothes(which living in Maine helped).\n\nMy parents weren't worried about me, they actually thought it was normal! I was in high school when it happened. I was driving down the road to the beach for a date with my bf. A drunk driver was in the wrong lane, and I got into an accident.\n\nThe doctors couldn't save my legs, but no matter. They were already starting to grow back, but with the scaly, rainbow scales that haunted my childhood.\n\nMy parents were crying, but tears of joy. They were whispering, \"She's finally growing up\"! I was so confused, but then I got a vision. A woman with a tail said, \"Take care of her, she will save us\". I then realised, I was a mermaid. It was my destiny to save Atlantis from destruction.\n\nI will do a Part 2 if you guys want!", "\"W-what am I?\" Sam cried with fear and confusion.\n\nJust a few minutes ago, in the garage, Sam had cut off an entire arm with the immovable saw used to make sculptures or, you know, cut wood. With a gory squealish, a scream of epic proportions, and blood spraying the entire back wall of the garage, Sam had fainted from shock. But that meant waking up was inevitably.\n\nAnd wake up Sam did, staring at the stump that was growing back green. Every moment was another of excrutiating pain and irritation. Under all the pain was a great itch that tore at the mind. But, all that was in the background as Sam watched the very arm he had used five minutes ago grow back inch by terrible inch.\n\nHundreds of possibilities ran through Sam's head. Of being an alien from a far off galaxy, a fantastical creature from a far gone age, a lovecraftian horror turning into a monster. But, above it all, the one thing that somehow made sense in Sam's weird way of thinking came to mind. And it stuck, shaking him to his core.\n\n\"I-I cant be an offspring of the big green giant!!!\" Sam screamed in denial.", "She had always loved the patches as a child, marveling at the black, almost scaly skin that replaced skinned knees. She almost looked forward to injuries, disappointed with bruises that never broke the surface. She never went out of her way to find harm, she wasn't that enamoured, but with each scrape and cut that came with childhood she would watch eagerly as the tiny injuries were covered in the new skin. \n\nHer parents were more concerned, taking her to several doctors to try and figure out what was wrong, but they could find nothing that could cause such a thing, and so determined it as a non harmful skin condition and sent them on their way, with simply the request to return should things change. \n\nIt didn't lessen her parents worry, but they decided the best that could be done was to try and keep her from major harm, which was a typical parental urge for anyone worthy enough to call themselves a parent. They were nearly imperceptible against her dark skin anyways, and so they simply let her be. She would lead a normal childhood, though with the bonus that each part of her body could only be cut once, as the skin replacing it was extremely difficult to break. \n\nShe would lead a life of normalcy from then on, almost disappointed with the lack of thrilling adventures and evil fiends that plagued the characters in her stories. The villains of her world were slightly harder to beat than by vanquishing them directly, and she would placate herself with her studies and friends. \n\nThe friends part is the explanation of where she finds herself now, lost in the haze of bodies and music that pounded in her chest. She didn't often go to these, preferring quiet nights or outings with friends, but Dana had pleaded with her until she couldn't stop herself from saying yes. \n\nShe didn't know the host, only knowing he was some classmate of her roommate, and Dana had been quick to vanish with him into one of the many rooms of the house. She hadn't minded at the time, but now she needs to get home and since she had somehow agreed to be Dana's designated driver she is now checking each of the rooms. Luckily she hadn't come across anyone so far, though she had avoided the room where very loud moans could be heard. She had considered checking for Dana but given both voices were male she had decided against it. \n\nShe sighs, rubbing her arm where the latest patch of skin had appeared. It had been caused by a rather misguided attempt at rock climbing, her brother trying to get her to be more active with him. She had slipped and torn a gash in her left forearm, which was now covered in the skin she had come to fondly call her scales. Let it be said that she was never taking her brother up on any outside activities in the near future. \n\nShe shakes herself from her thoughts and focuses on finding a somewhat quiet room. Pulling out her phone, she dials Dana's number. She's surprised when Dana picks up, though less surprised when the very drunk greeting of her roommate fills her ear. \n\n\"Hey Dana, where are you? I need to get back to the house and you need to be with me.\" She takes a second to check the time, groaning when 2:43 shines up at her. \n\n\"Celene, I meant to tell you! My sister picked me up, she was so so nice!\" The last words are quiet, as though she had pulled away from the phone to speak to someone with her. \"She's taking me back now!\" \n\n\"Really? Can I talk to her?\" Worry spikes through her. She knows Dana's sister goes to their school, but Dana hadn't mentioned her coming at all tonight. Thankfully the next voice is that of Catherine, clearly exasperated with her drunk sibling.\n\n\"Hi Celene, I guess our darling Dana forgot that you had come with her specifically to get her back home and didn't remember until after she called me to pick her up. I'm sorry on her behalf, and I'm sure she'll repeat the sentiment when she's slightly more sober.\" The last bit is said loudly, clearly being directed at the drunk Dana who she could hear giggling in the background. \n\n\"No worries at all, I just wanted to make sure she was going to get home ok. Depending on how much help she needs when you get home I'll probably see you there. Good luck with her!\" \n\nCatherine laughs and thanks her before they hang up. She sighs again, steeling herself for the walk back through the crowds that filled the halls. Eventually she makes it outside, thankful to breath fresh air that isn't tinged with the smell of beer. She makes her way to the car, easy to spot in the light of the full moon and the flickering streetlights. Slipping into the drivers seat, she relaxes in the welcoming quiet, the last echos of the party finally fading away, though her ears are still faintly ringing. She takes a moment to simply revel in the calm, before starting the car and pulling out.\n\nThe house of the party wasn't very far from her place, the only major landmark being the bridge that she had to cross to get there. It wasn't much of a bridge, simply allowing for cars to cross over the rather pitiful river that flowed maybe 15 ft below. It was lined with rocky shores, where teens would often go to do their rebellious deeds, and it had been a place she had done her best to avoid. Now though the shores were empty, with only the water breaking the stillness of the scene. \n\nThe drive is dull, one she had taken countless times, and so her mind wanders. She has a paper due the next week, and she has barely figured out what she will write about. Her thoughts are filled with ideas, and she doesn't notice the approaching headlights until it's too late. The car was in the wrong lane, and before she could react her world of calm was replaced with the crunch of metal and the feeling of her face smashing into the airbag as it deploys.", "My entire life I've felt like a freak. It started early, my first scars coming before I remember. The bumps and scrapes of my childhood never fading away like the other children. Instead weird ketoid growths covered my arms and legs.\n\nBy the time I was in middle school I wore pants and long sleeves shirts. You can imagine how well that worked out for me in the heat of socal. Even with my scars covered up, my strange choice of clothes was enough for the other children to tease me.\n\nI soon grew impervious to their insults. The emotional cuts and bruises of their taunts scarring over like the physical. I began to see my disfiguration as my armor against a harsh world.\n\nShortly after graduating from high school I was in a terrible car accident. When I woke up in the hospital I was surrounded by whispering nurses.\n\nThey all grew silent when a stern looking doctor interested my view. \"Benjamin, you're awake. Good.\"\n\nShe paused as she picked up my chart, \"Can you feel your toes, Benjamin?\" I nodded, and tried to wiggle them. They felt sluggish and heavy, but they were still there.\n\n\"Very good Benjamin. And now your fingers?\" Her grey eyes pierced me as she watched intently. I made a fist with my right hand but something felt wrong with my left. I tried again but gasped as a shooting pain shot through my body.\n\n\"I.. I can't. What's wrong with my hand, doctor?\" I tried again but the pain grew, as if my shoulder was about to burst open.\n\n\"You were in a very bad accident and are lucky to be alive. I need you to listen carefully now. Something happened to your arm, but we're going to help you get through this.\"\n\n\"Wha-\" I tried to move my left arm again and turned my head to look. The pain exploded and ripped through me. I screamed, and as I did I saw the bandage-swathed stump of my left arm tear open.\n\nA giant rock-covered limb shot out of the bandages, shredding them and narrowly missing a nurse. I screamed again as the weight of my new limb pulled me from the bed.\n\nIt felt like a fire was burning across my entire body, with waves of growing intensity coming from my new limb. My screams turned to roars as more rocks tore bloody from my skin. My right arm was engulfed and the bed shattered.\n\nBefore long I was a mess of blood and rocks. By then the pain had subsided to a full throb. I looked around at everyone. They had backed away from me and the shattered ruin of my bed.\n\nI slowly pulled myself to my feet, I towered over everyone in my new body. \"Doctor, what's happening to me?\" Even my voice had changed, it was deeper and gravelly.\n\n\"Uhm, Mr. Grimm... I don't know but whatever this is, it's fantastic.\"\n\n\n\nThanks for reading. Any advice or criticism is appreciated! Sorry for any formatting, writing on my phone." ]	6
	[WP] "Due to multiple complaints from customer service agents and their associated employers, your license to contact customer service has been revoked. To reinstate your licnse, you will need to attend at 20 hours of educational courses and a exam score of at least 85%."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Karen chose the seat between a leather toned man with several collars, each popped higher than the last, and a young woman who insisted on taking blurry photos of each of her fellow examinees to further her art.\n\n“I’m adding depth,” she stated as she shoved the camera into Karen’s personal space. \n\nAnd then came the squeak. \n\nAs Karen sat, the chair groaned as if to say ‘please don’t’. And when she shifted her weight, the chair produced a sound as though a soft wind passed through a tightly clenched rubber lips.\n\nBlane looked over, incredulously. “Bro,” he quietly mouthed as he scrunched his nose and waved his hand in front of his face. \n\nThis is fine, Karen told herself. I took all those classes. I can do this.\n\nKaren opened the pamphlet on her classroom desk, and started in on the questionnaire found inside.\n\nQuestion one: Is it ever appropriate to curse at a customer service representative?\n\nKaren had only just finished writing “Only if they’re being useless.” when she heard it again.\n\n‘Pppphhbbbbttt,’ the chair announced as she slid an inch to her left. “Click” went the camera as her intruding neighbor captured Karen’s annoyance on “virtual filmography”, at least as the young woman called it.\n\n“You can do this, you’ve worked so hard,” Karen muttered. “You’ve got this.” \n\n“Phhhbbbbttttt. Phbbbt. Phbt.”\n\n“THAT’S IT!” she shrieked, prompting the exam monitor to look up from his phone and his unsuccessful attempt at solving a basic sudoku. \n\n“BRING ME A NEW CHAIR!?!” she screamed, somehow inferring both anger and confusion simultaneously, her bob now raised in a manner only seen when the hackles rise on an angry dog.\n\n“You’re welcome to sit in the chair behind you, Karen,” the monitor pointed out. \n\n“NO BRING ME A CHAIR RIGHT NOWORILLHAVEYOURJOBIKNOWAPERSONISWEARTOGODYOUIDIOT!!!”\n\n“There are plenty of seats, please just pick one.”\n\nThen came those two words. They felt so good to say, an itch long left unscratched. It felt as though pure happiness had been injected into Karen’s brain through her hoop earrings. \n\n“MANAGER. NOW.”\n\n“Welp, that’s that.” said the monitor as he stood up and collected Karen’s pamphlet.\n\n“WHAT” Karen snapped as the monitor sat back down at his folding table.\n\n“You’ve failed the exam, please report back to the next training session. We have one scheduled on Saturday, the twenty-third, three weeks from now.”" ]	2
	[WP] You're an immortal boss character in a video game type world. What's your trick to being immortal? Infinite phases and forms that make the battle go on forever.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Calvin smiled as he brushed off the sweat form his brow. The dirt from his gloves smeared, leaving a light streak behind before he squatted down to stare down the small wagon he was filling up.\n\nThe straight lines were a far cry when he had first started. The zig zag of those ‘lines’ made him giggle. Now they were half harvested as he slowly moved back and forth.\n\nYou would think that a digital world would be more kind and add better farming system then that. It was half realistic, and half system assisted. It still required hard work, but your rewards could be well worth it.\n\nThis year however, things would be showcase quite the harvest.\n\nHis batch of potatoes showed that its base stats and bonuses provided by this year would exceed everything he had ever farmed. careful curated.\n\nLeave the original to sprout, which in game time was nearly a year. The [S] grade potatoes could last for a very long time.\n\nNow those sprouts were planted and they would in turn grow more [S] grade potatoes. Golden potatoes were the lifeblood of high end adventuring. When properly cooked, they could last for months while also giving incredible buffs.\n\nAdventurers would pay top coin for such items.\n\nCoin that he would then use to refurbish the farm more, and his continue his life as a high end farmer. Simple though it was, it was also full of fun.\n\nCalvin smiled. \n\nIt was tedious, hard work, but his skill sets had also improved immensely since he had started. Those old days of digging random rows and endlessly grinding his various skills finally payed off.\n\nNow he could plant anything, given the right materials and seeds.\n\nHe had raised everything possible within the world, but he required to move the house whenever he wanted to raise the various crops that required different fields. Shadow crop. Celestial crop. Netherworld. The elemental lands.\n\nVoid crops were some of the most interesting to grow. The required soils and intricate leylines.\n\nWhich is why he was now planting material crops. Simple but quick to grow when compared to the other crops of the world.\n\nIt was a rewarding thing he had fallen into. He had tried so many jobs when…\n\n“Hey there old man!”\n\nCalvin blinked as he looked to his left and saw a group of adventurers walk up to him.\n\n“I see you been busy! Good crop almost ready?” the lead man asked as his sauntered over.\n\nHis gear glowed a hellfire red, and the various jagged weapons he wore gave off its own aura of death and destruction. His T shaped opening of his helmet showed his smile as he walked up eying the wagon of golden potatoes.\n\nHis party were equally outlandish. They were all decked out in high end gear.\n\nFrom my understanding, and system assistance, I could tell that they were well nearing the 5 digit level cap.\n\nWhich if you included the rebirth system, mean they were not just a party of casual gamers.\n\nPlayer ID: Jing Suul, Class: Crimson Berserker. The leader stared at me and his grin was from what I had learned, was a mask. Fake. A smile that was unfriendly.\n\n“Listen, I understand that you have worked really hard. We are not crooks. A gold coin for ever potato we take.”\n\nI stared at Jing with a frown. A gold coin was literally 1% of their base worth. The [A] class golden potatoes.\n\nThese were S class and thus ten times more valuable.\n\nYet, my rules were iron clad.\n\n“Sir, please grant mercy. I am but a simple farmer,” I begged as required of my current job and my meek facade.\n\n“Hahaha!” Juul laughed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. His high strength stat simply picked me up like a ragdoll and glued me to the side of his armor.\n\n“Hey boss! These are [S] class!” a lightly armored player exclaimed as he began to pocket the picked potatoes.\n\n“I understand… please help yourself heroes,” I said as I slumped against the player’s armor. I was powerless to stop them anyways.\n\n“Thats right! I am fair, don’t worry Mister Farmer,” Juul said as he let me go and tapped at the air. The status window for him opened up and he withdrew a string of coins.\n\nTheir dull luster and my system assisted eyesight revealed 100 bronze coins.\n\nWhy the man wanted a string of coin rather then a bag confused me. Humans often didn’t make sense.\n\nWith a firm actions, Juul opened my hands and placed the string of coins into my hands.\n\nI thanked him. As required.\n\nI had barely taken a step when the thieving man stepped up to me. In a step he went from the wagon to my side. \n\nOne of the other players, a female mage, lit my small wagon on fire. Player ID: Singing Ballad, Class: Voidblessed Archmagi. She laughed as she watched the small wooden wagon ignite into a pyre of ethereal flames.\n\n“Whats that? Thanks old man!” the thief yelled out as he snatched away the coins. His actions however revealed his class. Player ID: Edmond Blueberry, Class: Shadow Stalker.\n\n“What!?”\n\nI looked up to see the mage who was now staring slack-jaw at my wagon.\n\nWe all turned our eyes to the prestine wagon. Her attack spell was a variation of the first level fire spell, create fire. It was an enhanced version that imbued rebirth stats to form a true flame.\n\nYet my small wooden wagon had endured. In fact as I stared at its stats, it had only done 0.1% damage. The wagon was made from core wood from the tree of Yggdrasil. Ethereal flames were its weakness, but her small duration did nothing more then singe it.\n\nIn fact, given an hour, my wagon would also heal 1% durability.\n\nA must for any traveling farmer.\n\n“Huh, thats neat,” Juul said as he rubbed his chin and crouched in front of the wagon. He tapped at it then used his class attack, Berserk Chop. The enhanced first level skill dug the wagon into a small crater.\n\nJuul looked at it again, and there was no sign of his strike.\n\n“Well well well… I guess we got a new wagon!” Juul screamed as he cheerfully pulled at the wagon.\n\n[Wagon owned by NPC ID: Calvin, Class: Venerated Farmer]\n\nThe system stopped him from putting it into his inventory.\n\nThe assembled stared at my class, which made sense since it was rare to meet master tiered NPCs. Most NPCs had a level cap for both their base levels and their class levels.\n\n“Well that sucks…” Edmond said with a sigh. He kicked the dirt, and an emote of tears popped above his head. “…for you.” He finished as he threw something at me.\n\nMy world blurred as a dagger struck me.\n\nThe damage value was nearly a trillion as I fell lifelessly to the floor.\n\nThe entirety of my upper torso vanished with the strike.\n\nJuul burst out laughing. He tugged at the wagon again, but the system spat out the same message.\n\n[Wagon owned by NPC ID: Calvin, Class: Venerated Farmer]\n\nJuul growled as he waited for a few seconds before tugging on it again.\n\n[Wagon owned by NPC ID: Calvin, Class: Venerated Farmer]\n\nJuul screamed as he kicked it as hard as he could. It didn’t even wobble.\n\n[Wagon owned by NPC ID: Calvin, Class: Hidden Boss]\n\nJuul raised his giant sword and began to chop at the immortal wagon.\n\n“Boss!” the gruff voice of the fourth man screamed out. His heavily armored frame clattered as he moved forward to stop the distracted berserker.\n\n[Conditions met. Unlocking system fight. Updating core files. Executing option fight.]\n\nMy body disintegrated into motes of light that then formed into a new body of light.\n\nThe system adjust the weather, creating a cloud of darkness in a unique instance. Only Juul and his party would see this.\n\nThe group of eight smiled as they watched me form. They began to excitedly chat as there was only two hidden bosses ever found and they only came out during special server events.\n\nHidden Bosses all had the option to drop [Zero] grade gear. Near perfect server items that would only drop by sheer luck. \n\nIn the ten years of “World MMO” there was only a dozen confirmed drops of [Zero] grade gear.\n\n“Hurry up and die!” Juul screamed as he watched me spawn.\n\n—" ]	2
	[WP] You’re a demon from Hell who got summoned by a human. You reluctantly go do your job. To your surprise, the person who summoned you is a sweet 80 year old grandma who mistook the summoning book for a cookbook.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Being a demon isn't easy... Not when more and more people are summoning you from Hell to meet their demands on Earth. It's not where we're supposed to be.\n \nIt was seemingly a clever idea at first from Satan's mind which would allow Hell to have a greater sphere of influence when it comes to Earth - the purgatorious zone. \n\nHeaven has been adamant on never sending their Angels down to Earth, and hence summoning books were sent there from our place Down Under (incidentally just below Australia, near the earth's core to make it a terrible, always hot place). \n\nBut that was in the years before Christ was sent down to Earth to live a human's life. There wasn't much scope of spread of books, so only the most avid demon-followers could get their hands on the spell. \n\nJesus was one amongst us, sent on Earth to retrieve the summoning books because Satan had realised it was a fatal idea, but when Jesus became a human he suddenly realised the wrongs of his ways, and turned into a preacher of the Good Way. \n\nIn an unprecedented incident, he was turned into the son of God overnight. And he, a being from Down Under, was adopted into Heaven for the first time since humanity had begun.\n\nHe now lives in Heaven with endless food, clean non-boiling water, and is surrounded by the greatest personalities who ever lived. In Hell, we laugh at him often. He must be living a terrible life.\n\nSo as it happens to be, someone has summoned me as I torture a bloke again. I was midway through boiling the dysentric water when I felt my limbs dissappearing, giving Hitler a break for a few minutes - he was supposed to be a hero, a Hall Of Famer in our place, but personally I'd never fancied his moustache.\n\nPart by part, my entire body was conjured up on Earth. As I dusted off the tears of pain from my jacket after the session had been terminated abruptly, I closed my eyes. There was adequate oxygen here to not make an inhabitant of Hell feel like choking and out of breath all the time - again, Earth sucked because of its mediocre comforts. I could only imagine what Earth would be like.\n\n\"Whatcha want, dingdong?\" I asked as our customary greeting, and then I looked up. What I saw in front of me was a frail woman, who was about to pass away into either realm any day.\n\n\"Are you the Cook?\" the woman asked.\n\n\"Well, I specialise in cooking people alive from where I come, but I don't think I'm the Cook you're looking for, unless you are into kinky stuff.\"\n\nClearly she was hard of hearing, as her hearing aid indicated. I looked down into the book she was reading from. It was a summoning book, one which had prolifically grown in existence ever since the printing press was invented. The volumes of books meant we weren't able to stop the summoning which followed at a crazy rate, and it was growing ever since. Productivity rates were being affected. It pissed us off - maybe that gave Satan satisfaction... Who were we, his disciples, to judge his hobbies? But personal torture had never pleased me.\n\n\"What are you doing with a summoning book, old woman?\"\n\nShe looked down at it, and folded his brows in confusion. \"I thought this was a cookbook, and I was reading out the recipe for the Cook. I thought the book was in Italian.\"\n\nI looked at the book. It was in Latin, as a matter of fact. I'd just introduced a motion to create copies of new summoning books in the same language which 50 Shades Of Grey had been written in. Reading such spells would (a) turn away many people from reading out the spells, because (b) reading out loud the summoning spells would be a torture in itself.\n\nI turned the book towards me. Sure enough, it had been opened to a spell of summoning the Cook - but of the wrong variety. Someone here had probably played a prank on her, and whoever had done so had the book too. In conclusion, a satanist and a prankster lived in close quarters - this was the kind of inspirational figure who was tortured with utmost respect when they came to Hell.\n\n\"Look, can you get me some food?\" she asked. \n\nAnd when she asked me so, I made the fatal mistake of looking into her eyes for too long.\n\nIt's an amateur mistake, and I had lived through the last five centuries of humanity - I wasn't the eldest in Hell, but nether was I the youngest. It was a mistake I shouldn't have made. It was a mistake Jesus made, some speculated, while others speculated he was just born different. It's all written in a convulated bestseller called the Bible. To be honest, I still hadn't gotten around to reading it - I preferred reading more classical, suitable volumes of torture instead. 50 Shades Of Grey sold pretty well for both its descriptions of torture, and its torturous descriptions.\n\nLooking into a human's eyes does something to you. Immortal suffering is eternal. Mortal suffering is much worse, they say, and the eyes of the beholder carry around all the suffering, which is extracted from them at Hell's entrance gate to ensure we aren't changed by it. \n\nBut the Five Second Rule (of never looking into a living human's eyes at one stretch) had been broken, and the cataract-ridden eyes spoke to me. And it spoke to me in a manner only devils could understand. There, I saw suffering more than we could ever provide with our physical instruments.\n\nSo the rumours were true, the torture of birth, of fearing death, and of fearing everything in between was always more torture for humans. We couldn't ever beat it.\n\nMy job was, I realised in that instant, pointless.\n\nAnd then I felt two strange feelings.\n\nThe first one was sorrow - an eternal lifetime's work was going to go underrewarded, and it explained why no human had ever revolted when we tortured them. It was better than what they had undergone here. Admittedly, revolting while in boiling pots was tough, but humans had enough guts to try - no one ever had in their species' long existence, and I now knew why. It wasn't because I was a very efficient cook, even though I was one.\n\nThe second emotion was an even stranger one - empathy. Her suffering would come to an end soon, and irrespective of where she went, she would never feel the same again. To memorialize her passing into a more peaceful place, I stopped looking into her eyes before they turned me into something I was not, and got her a sandwich from the fridge.\n\n\"Thank you\", she said, and got down to eating.\n\nShe had been so hungry all this while, and yet she could manage to wait through my emotional upheaval, and thank me for my small effort too. Humans were the best versions of themselves in spite of the torture they faced. \n\nI turned around, and started to apparate once more. To take out my frustration of feeling these strange feelings, I would have to turn the temperature up in the boiling pot, a few degrees more than the recommended level. Hitler wouldn't mind.\n\nAnd yet, even as some part of me felt pleasure in the thoughts of my devilish torture, another part of me knew that after today's experience, I was never going to be the same devil again.\n\n\nr/OBjato", "\"So you then mix the ingredients like this,\" I took the spoon and added the honey. \"Then a teaspoon this golden sugar.\"\n\n\"Thank you, my dear. You're such a sweet young man to help me with my cake.\" She let out a smile, as sweet as the honey I poured in the bowl.\n\nIt wasn't all bad I suppose, no murder, no power-hungry madman, just a nice old lady wanting to bake a cake for her grandson who's coming to visit.\n\nWe spent our time chatting while the cake was in the oven. She told me about her trips to France with her husband, her shotgun wedding in Russia. She lived a very active and exciting life, which she almost lost when she came back to America. Her husband died though, an incident involving a plane crash.\n\nThe oven's bell interrupted our nice little conversation. \"Well, it seems that the cake is ready.\" She looked at the grandfather clock. \"Little John should be arriving soon.\"\n\n\"I'll go get the cake granny, you just stay there and relax.\"\n\nThe cake was steaming hot, beautifully done by yours truly. It put it on the dining table and let it cool down.\n\nThe bell rang and the granny insisted on being the one to welcome him in. She said she'd like to introduce me personally and told me to hide in the bathroom.\n\nWhen both came to the kitchen I could hear her grandson, \"I hope for you that you have what you've promised me. Unlike me, the others don't have much patience.\" What caught me off guard was his accent, it didn't sound American at all\n\n\"No need to be angry, have some cake I baked just for you.\" The granny's voice still retained the calm and sweetness it had.\n\n\"Ha! you'd think I'd eat a cake from you?\"\n\nThere was a moment of eerie silence. They didn't seem to get along very well.\n\n\"I have someone to introduce you to.\"\n\nIt was my time to shine, hopefully, he won't be too bothered by my appearance. But he was. When I came out of the bathroom, the man was already looking at me, a gun in his hand, the trigger half pulled. The bullet lodged itself into my chest. \n\nSeeing that I took it without even flinching the man screamed at the lady. \"Who the hell is he, old hag!\"\n\nIn a sharp and merciless voice, she ordered me. \"Kill him.\"\n\nWith a single step, I appeared in front of this scared man and snapped his neck in a single move.\n\nThe old lady kneeled and searched the corpse. She took out his wallet and went through some of his papers. \"Agent Vyacheslav, the Russians still come after me after so many years. What a fool that they think I'll spill out the CIA's secret just because I'm old\" She looked at me and my confused smile. \"I hope his soul would be enough to pay for your services dear, if not, I still have a bunch of captive Russian agents down in the basement.\"\n\nIt's kind terrifying that she went through WW2, the Cold War and 9/11 and is still very much alive.", "It had been a nice, relaxing day in the third circle of Hell. I had just punished one of the former stars of “My 600-Lb Life” by forcing him to run three miles in the freezing rain. The screams of agony were delicious. Everything was as it should be.\n\nSuddenly, I felt a tug on my left horn, and knew that my blissful chaos would be ripped away from me. I screamed the scream of demonic agony as I felt myself enter the cursed pentagram. I was surrounded by lines of...was that wheat flour?\n\nBefore me sat a withered old woman with a pink apron, glasses, and the kindest face you could imagine. I hated her instantly.\n\n“Oh, hello dear,” she said with a sickening simper. “You look awfully worn out, and you don’t look much like a red velvet cake. Would you like something to drink?”\n\n“I am the great demon Azarel and you have no idea of your mistake, foolish mortal. Break this pentagram at once and release me back to Hell or you will suffer.”\n\n“Oh no dear, I really would rather not do that. I haven’t had a visitor in weeks, and I’m going to need help with this cake. If you’re a big scary demon, surely you can help an old woman with her baking?”\n\nThis mortal was clearly not all there. What kind of imbecile thinks that they can bake a red velvet cake by creating a pentagram? She didn’t even have the right ratio of eggs to sugar laid out on the counter!\n\n“You’re in luck today, mortal. I am bound to serve you for as long as this cursed pentagram remains intact, and I happen to have heard many prayers for cake in my time in the Underworld.” \n\nI paused to register the look on her face, the first smile I had seen in hundreds of years. Disgusting. But I suppose that I had no choice.\n\n“That’s wonderful, Mr. Azarel. Now could you be a dear and go pre-heat the oven?”\n\nThis was going to be a long day." ]	4
I am the supreme idiot for saying "allowed" instead of "aloud." Like, what kind of person am I who makes that mistake?	[WP] You're a linguist on an archaeological dig and you're asked to read something carved into a stone pedestal. It says, "This stone is part of a binding spell. Do not read this text, allowed or in your head, as doing so will unseal the binding and release a terrible evil." Wait, crap.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The words drifted in my mind, like a leaf caught and tumbling amidst a cool summer breeze. My vision blurred, then snapped back into focus. The ringing in my ears abruptly halted. \n\nClosed. \n\nI focused on the slow accumulation of musty air in my lungs, but noticed that the etched limestone letters engrained themselves into my vision.\n\nOpened. \n\nThey vanished, like the fading wisps of a burning tobacco pipe into the crisp night air.\n\nBlink. Blink.\n\nClosed. \n\nBack again, so clear I could almost feel them on the inside of my eyelids. \n\nOpened, and... nothing. \n\nI saw Doctor Sadler standing in front of me as clear as day, a glisten of sweat catching a ray of torchlight on her left temple.\n\n\"Well... What does it say? Doctor Curry?\"\n\nA flurry of questions flooded my mind. Rereading it? Reciting to others? Rewriting it? Is it possible to share this? Is it advisable? Something deep within me told me no.\n\n\"It was a mistake to come here,\" I replied. \n\nI turned and began to work my way back to the cave entrance. Maybe it was nothing, but I swear I could see better now than when we entered. I effortlessly hurdled boulders that tripped me up on our way in, and that was with a torch in my right hand.\n\n\"Doctor Curry! Where... are... you going?\"\n\nHer voice grew fainter by the moment. Perhaps she had difficulty speaking between gulps of heavy air, perhaps I was fleeing that vile pedestal faster than she was, or perhaps I was fading myself. \n\nClosed. \n\nThe letters flashing, in no particular order. First, the third from the left, then a triple-flicker from the penultimate letter, followed by a progression of the fifth to the ninth in rapid succession.\n\nOpened. \n\nThe cave entrance grew at an astonishing rate, and before I knew it, I was outside. The sun pummeled my shoulders. Even through my cloak, it felt twice as hot, and bright, as when we entered this morning. The pack mules were still fastened to the stakes in the ground. \n\nI stumbled over to my pack, unhingeing my water sachet. My thumb trembled as it struggled to pop the top.\n\nClosed.\n\nThe words were still there, no longer flashing. As I tilted my head back, the they faded into the orange glow of sunlight. It was growing brighter and brighter, as clear as if I were staring at the sun with them open. The first drop of water touched my lips as I jolted my head down. It took a moment for the pain to subside. Was there something in my eyes?\n\nBlink. Blink.\n\nEverything seemed a haze of white. I squinted to try and clear my vision, but the thousands of grains of sand on the ground chose that moment to become tiny little mirrors, reflecting inordinate amounts of sun back in my eyes.\n\nClosed. \n\nMy friends were back, but faded. The top was opaque and the bottom was clear. \n\n\"What happened in there, Doctor Curry?\" she asked. \"Why are we back out here when there is such a trove of unidentified information back in there?\"\n\nOpened. \n\n\"Doctor Sadler,\" I said between breaths, \"I really think... you should go. It... was a mis...take to come here.\"\n\nThat was odd, I wasn't breathing heavy on our way out... Shade. I needed shade.\n\nShe caught my arm as I fell to my knees. She knew what I wanted, and put my arm over her shoulders and supported me. Back in the mouth of the cave, I could almost see the air masses coming together, crashing and swirling like tides of the ocean. Am I seeing air now? \n\n\"I'll go get the med kit. You stay right here,\" she pronounced.\n\nThe dank air enveloped me. Calm tingles washed down my neck. It felt like I was back home on the couch, curled up in my favorite fleece blanket. I felt... secure.\n\nWatching her gallop towards me with the med kit bouncing off her hip, a hunger stirred deep within me, demanding to be satiated. The ringing was back, and I felt my heart rate jump. The collision of sensations was strange, it was powerful, and it was... exhilarating.", "The darkness in the cave came closer and began to touch me, so I slapped it. I don't know who was more surprised - me, because I actually could feel myself slapping it; or the darkness because I actually had the nerve to slap it.\n\nEither way, it got angry, balled itself up into a fist and knocked me out.\n\nI dont know how long I was unconscious four, or what the darkness had done to my body while I was out, but it only seemed like seconds before I felt hands slapping me and my coworkers - Tim, Eddie, and Sarah - saying:\n\n\"Is he dead?\" Eddie.\n\n\"I don't know. Maybe you should teabag him.\" Uhm, screw you too, Tim.\n\n\"OR you can just check his freaking pulse.\" God Bless Sarah. \n\nSarah touched my neck and I moaned, \"Lower.\"\n\nEddie and Tim laughed. Sarah sucked her teeth and I could hear her roll her eyes. \n\nSpeaking of eyes, I opened mine and looked around at the three people that understood what it was like to be ridiculed by family, friends, and most of the people you met in society because:\n\n\"An..arch-e-ologist? Like, you play in sand and stuff?\"\n\nOh, is that a problem, Karen? Because while you were worrying about what I do, your son (who's playing in the sandbox, by the way) just picked something up and ate it. Good luck tonight sifting through his poop.\n\nAnyway.\n\nYeah, these three were my three amigos, my hombres, my musketeers, my kit-kats, my brothers from another mother (and sister) from another mister. If I was going to have a foursome with any three people in the world, it would be these three.\n\nSo when they backed away and looked at me funny, I took notice. \"What?\"\n\nSarah looked down and played with her fingers.\n\nTim looked away and scratched the back of his head.\n\nEddie shook his head and frowned. \"There's something different about you...\"\n\n\"Different how? Sexy different?\"\n\nEddie shook his head. \"I don't know. I just feel like...this evilness around you...\"\n\nNote: Wrote on the run." ]	3
	[WP] An invisible man is just trying to live a normal life and is getting really tired of "clever" people suggesting he try to rob banks or sneak into locker rooms.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "you know i dont appreciate it much, man. im jist trying to make a normal living.\n\nbut you can do this che, you can just break into banks and get rich quick. cmon, weve been dating for how long now- 6 months? ive known you all my life. ever since the spill, you becoming all translucent amd barely visible, ive stood by you che. but youve to do this. youve to this for us. youve to do this for our son, opal (bc hes slightly opaque)\n\nyou dont get it martha, i want to stay clean. its a slippery slope, robbing banks and lockers. ykno. it starts simple, a necklace here and there, but soon it just degenerates into full blown criminality. and i just dont want that to be the role moder for our son. its difficult nuff that i had to raise him the first couple of months by myself. do you have any idea how diffi it is to get a child used to an invisible father? do you? i dont wanna lose him over some stupid rent money \n\nwell what do you suppose we do?\n\nwe can put on a circus act. its good honest earning\n\nya right\n\ni mean it\n\nwell its gonna be you and your damn son. im outta here.\n\nif you could only see how much sad that makes me to hear.", "The crisp, clean winter air fills my lungs. A fire crackles soothingly close by, spitting light gray wood smoke towards the starless night skies. A few people are warming their cold hands near the embers. Some throw curious glances at me, the stranger quietly sitting away in one corner, away from the warmth of the flames. At times like these, I find myself wishing that I did come here unseen. But there is a surreal emptiness in walking by a group of strangers and being unconsciously treated like you do not exist. Believe it or not, a stranger's gaze or even a reluctant smile are reminders that we are still here; we are still alive. For too long I had hidden myself away from the naked eye and felt loneliness drain the life out of me. No more, I told myself. I had been invisible for so long, I'd begun to question if I exist at all.\n\nBack at home, naivety had cost me my normalcy. Being an impulsive, egoistic teenager, I had foolishly shown off my powers to the whole town during an illusionist's show. My life changed forever.\n\n\"Could you slip in past that fast food place and jam your pockets with free food?\" \n\n\"Dude, how have you not sneaked into the women's changing room at the pool? You've got to be serious!\"\n\n\"You do realize you'd be the world's finest assassin right? No one would ever know your real identity and you could earn billions!\"\n\nThat was my life. The town's circus monkey; a novelty act that only lived to entertain. Exasperated with being surrounded by shallow-minded idiots, I decided to vanish from their lives permanently. So I turned invisible and moved here. No one knows me or my powers here. I do not intend to change that.\n\nA green-eyed boy of ten or so watches me from near the fire. He is looking curiously at me, as if perturbed by something I could not see. My heart skips a beat as he turns away from the fire and begins to walk towards me. \n\n\"Mister, are you okay?\" he says, sitting next to me on a cold bench.\n\n\"Yeah kid, kind of you to care. Why did you ask?\" \n\nI see his green eyes dimly shine in the dark. \"I don't know. I saw you sitting all alone, by yourself. I don't like seeing people alone. I don't... like being alone.\"\n\n\"Where is your family?\"\n\n\"Mama passed away when she gave birth to me. Papa brought me up all night all by himself. Mister, you would have loved Papa. He could do everything! He could teach you to hop on one leg, or read you a bedtime story, or make you a sandwich just the way you liked it without even asking you.\" I hear his voice grow heavy, as if lugging the burdens of someone well beyond his years. \"I miss Papa. He promised he would always be around...\" With that he breaks into muffled sobs. I stare helplessly, feeling my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.\n\n\"Kid, do you want to know a secret?\"\n\nHis beautiful eyes light up with the soft glow of hope. \"Yes, Mister.\"\n\n\"Those who die never really leave us. Your Papa is still here, I can show you. It doesn't work everytime, but I can try. However, if it works, do you promise to take care of yourself and do all you can to grow up to be as wonderful as him?\"\n\nI see him stumble in the dark for words. \"Mister, if you can show me for a second that Papa is still here, I will have everything I pray for every single night. I promise to keep my word.\"\n\n\"Alright then. I want you to go over there and sit by the fire. I want you to close your eyes, and remember the most wonderful memory you have of him, okay? Promise to him what you promised to me. If he hears you, he will send you a sign.\"\n\nThe kid nods with uncertainty and runs across the slippery dewy grass till he reaches a chair next to the fire. I see him close his eyes; his lips begin to move as if muttering a desperate, silent prayer. A few seconds later, I see tears gushing out of his eyes, as if a dam deep inside him was overflowing. He does not open his eyes. Even from fifty feet away, I feel like his prayers could move a God to tears.\n\nI rise from the bench and turn myself invisible. I shed a tear too, as I slow walk towards the fire. Because sometimes, all we need is a sign, even if an invisible one, to keep us alive.\n\nr/whiteshadowthebook", "\"Listen Chuck, you just need to look at this as a GOOD thing.\" The sound of Terrance's baritone voice rumbled in one ear and out the other.\n\nI'd heard the GOOD thing speech a thousand times from a thousand people. It followed a predictable path: GOOD thing => Superpower => Do anything you want => Hell, you could even rob a bank! \n\nWhy was is that was where everyone went with it? No, \"Hey, you could break into the labor camps and break out the slave children!\" Or, \"You know what? You could finally gather an accurate tally of endangered snow leopards!\" \n\nNever go be a superhero with the superpower. Always knock over the local Bank of America?\n\nWhat the hell was wrong with people?\n\nTerrance was leaning close now, his hand fumbling about for my shoulder and missing the mark badly. I liked to move about a bit to mess with people. The hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment until he tried to casually set it down on the back of the chair he thought I was occupying.\n\nNice save T. Real nice.\n\n\"It's basically a superpower.\" He whispered, a glint in his eye.\n\nB-I-N-G-O and Predictable was his Name-O. Wow. That was lame. Sounded better in my head. I guess it's still in my head so no one needs to know about it. Other than me. Maybe you. I don't think I'm supposed to know about you though, so let's just focus on the main thread shall we?\n\n\"I'd KILL to have a superpower.\" Terrance swung his arms wide, his voice booming now.\n\nI pushed the chair out to his left, causing him to startle and glance at it with suspicion. I'd circled around while he was plotting to kill folks. \"So you'd kill someone just to be invisible?\"\n\nI asked, though from his right now, causing his head to swivel back.\n\n\"For sure man, that's how big of a gift it is,\" he replied.\n\n\"What if the only way to keep my power is that I DO have to kill someone?\" I whispered, now from his left.\n\nThe blood drained from his face, \"Well, um, I was just sayin'--\"\n\n\"I know what you were sayin'. You were sayin' you'd murder someone cold just to be a ghost.\" I pulled a hair from his head, causing him to hop out of his chair and scramble to the side, \"Not very neighborly of you.\"\n\n\"I didn't mean nothin' by it, I um...I just uhhh....\" His eyes were settling on the ajar door exiting the room. I gave it a little nudge, causing it to swing shut. It slammed with a small crack. \n\nPoor Terrance was sweating now. Poor poor Terrance.\n\n\"What were you just saying Terrance?\"\n\n\"That it's a gift. A superpower. You could do anything.\"\n\n\"I guess I COULD do anything.\" I stomped my feet, letting the thud ring out as I slowly stepped close, \"anything at all.\"\n\n\"I meant more like you could...uh...rob a bank or something.\"\n\n\"But why stop there Terrance? There's so many more interesting things when you can do anything.\" I stomped closer still.\n\n\"Listen, I gotta be going. I forgot I had a...\" He bolted toward the exit, only to be tripped by my extended leg. He fell to the ground, emitting as gasp as the air was forced from his lungs.\n\n\"There's something interesting about invisibility Terrance,\" I said, slowly circling around his prostrate form. \"Do you know what it is?\"\n\nHe continued to gasp on the ground.\n\n\"The power is really only useful if no one knows you have it,\" think about it Terrance, think about how the world would react if they knew. \"You didn't know right up until the moment I found you stumbling out of that bar.\"\n\nI knelt beside him, \"You're right Terrance. I can do anything.\" My voice dropped lower now. \"And I have.\"\n\nPlatypus OUT.\n\nWant MORE Peril? r/PerilousPlatypus", "Learning to be normal was a difficult process for me. When I was born, my parents were despondent by my peculiar affliction. Not knowing where your child was, what face he was making, all of the medical risks involved... You do realize how hard it is to get a check-up when an ultrasound, or an extra touchy doctor are your only tools? It's a miracle I survived all these years... but I digress. My parents found it hard to connect with me for a good portion of my early childhood, but they worked around this unheard of situation through sheer goodwill and effort. I wouldn't trade them for anyone, and it's due to them that I grew up as normal as I had; but normal I was not. \n \nThe peculiar winding path of a child growing up: dependency, selfishness, ego development, puberty, rebellion—all the stressors of good parents—these periods of my life found themselves heavily exacerbated by my unique condition. I did it all to my poor parents. I snuck out of (deserved) groundings, hid from them when I didn't get what I wanted, pulled an array of pranks that only a uniquely endowed youth such as myself could concoct, but it all didn't stop there. As I grew older, my motivations changed from childish selfishness... to adolescent selfishness. Replace most of the harmless things I did as a child with property damage, and you have a good idea of what my early teens looked like. The worst of it came when I began to \"mature\" into adulthood. I grew more selfish yet still, and compelled by my almost divine rights and powers (I was an idiot, forgive me), I caused real harm to innocent people. I felt it was my right to enact my own justice because I was given the power to do so, but was shortsighted in my attempts to do so. Aside from my countless minor thefts, and larger robberies, one particularly egregious case led me to serious trouble. At the height of my delusion, I saw a \"damsel in distress\" being heckled by a man in an alley. He was shouting at her, \"—hand it over, I know you have it there in your purse, it's no use lying!\" and she'd shouted \"NO! SOMEONE! HELP!\" In retrospect, this scenario is likely a rarity, and this particular case was easily misunderstood, but at the time I took this conversation at face value. I took a broken board from the nearby dumpster and landed a solid hit on that poor man's head. I later learned that my \"heroism\" led to the death of a family... 3 children with their parents. The man was actually an employee of the bar, and knew the woman in question personally. It turns out she was very drunk and wanted to ensure she not drive home. The employee knew she wouldn't take it personally after she'd sobered up; they were close. My shortsightedness enabled 5 counts of manslaughter to fall upon that woman's conscience, permanent brain damage to an innocent man, and 10 years of incarceration to yours truly. My only saving grace was that my mother was a practiced lawyer, and she'd managed to keep me from being pushed into government experiment under the guise of punitive reparation. I would either be dead, or wanting death if not for her. She knew I had good intentions at heart, but our relationship hasn't been as good as it ever was before. I couldn't ask for anything else though, I already exhausted my luck having the relationship stay as good as it had. \n \nAfter 10 years in prison I had time to reflect. The ease of escape hadn't even occurred to me in any serious capacity, I accepted my foolishness and did my time. I was already on a lenient sentence, and didn't want to cause any more trouble for those involved with my wide-reaching consequences... I won't every do something so shortsighted again, because I have debts no fortune could repay." ]	5
	[WP] After hundreds of thosands of years of being the most feared beings on earth, the demons of the seven deadly sins are retiring. The other demons of hell bicker among themselves to find who's sin will become part of the next big seven.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Being one of the new sins would be the most prestigious positions that would open in a long time. Rubicante didn’t really long for it. Politics weren’t of interest to him, and being the incarnation of a sin was all about politics. The different circles of Hell always were vying for the most attention of the Horned Boss. Applying to be a sin was definitely one way of getting his undivided attention.\n\nEnaroth, the Demon of Denial, stood a pretty good chance at becoming one of the next sins. Rubicante had spent enough time in the human world in the past couple of years that he had seen what power such behavior had over humans, and how easily they fell back on it. This definitely ticked the boxes for Denial to be a sin, at least in his mind. This wasn’t the denial a dying person faced, this was the intentional and repeated denial of facts, the real world, anything that did not fit a very narrow and specific view. It could be insidious and sit at the back of the mind, or just be so full-blown that the whole environment around the person stood to suffer the consequences.\n\nThere was Navia, who specialized in misleading humans in just about all ways imaginable. She had this aura of being deceptively caring towards a person, but in reality, she couldn’t have cared less about them at all. Of course, Pride thought that she was too similar to him, but Rubicante always thought that the Demoness of Deception was just too perfect a fit. Greed was somewhat fitting, of course, as were Pride and Wrath. Navia’s point to make a person’s life miserable either for profit or no gain whatsoever was what clinched it for Rubicante. Even if it threatened to destroy her at any time, she had an amazing way of spinning it that she would come out unscathed and even hailed as some sort of underdog hero, despite being in a position inherently superior to the party that got destroyed.\n\nRubicante chuckled when he thought about a possible third candidate. It was an odd choice to be sure. Vinarel, he called himself. Fancied himself more of an angel than the rest of them, seemingly forgetting that everyone here once had been a beloved creature praising the Man Upstairs. This self-righteousness often made him clash with everyone. Seeing such a demon at work was sometimes like looking at one of the original sins. Somewhat of a play on Pride, but usually, Rubicante hadn’t experienced prideful people to be convinced that they were holier than anyone, just better. No, Vinarel gave it a very sick twist. He would do something similar to Navia, but not to destroy a being. No. His goal was to gain control simply by demonstrating, and proving, that he was superior in every single aspect. To say that he was applying double standards to achieve this end was the understatement of creation.\n\nThey probably wouldn’t supply all candidates for the positions, but the three that he had encountered were looking like they were sure to gain their positions. After all, what they could do to a human being was just as destructive as one of the old sins, if not worse. And the Horned Boss wanted worse to be sure…\n\n&#x200B;\n\nr/BirdiesWriting for the collected stuff. I hope this somewhat hit the spot. :D", "\"What about bloating?\" Cifer asked, raising his tattered hand into the air.\n\nFeril shook his head, his large, one eye swirling in its socket. \"No, no, no, bloating cannot be a sin.\"\n\n\"Uh, what about being too sleepy, or needing a nap?\" Ruif asked, yawning out of his thirteen mouths that littered his horned head.\n\n\"Being tired can't be one either, Ruif.\" Feril said.\n\nEicul rubbed his pointed ears, and coughed from a lipless mouth. \"Can't we just get back the Original Seven? Give them more or something?\"\n\n\"No!\" Feril shouted, standing up but only an inch or two above the table. \"They're gone! Stop suggesting that!\" He sat back down, poked the table with a clawed finger. \"We need a new Seven, and that's what were were tasked to do by our Lord. Now, what are more ideas?\"\n\nOn and on the suggestions came, and on and on Feril said no to each one of them. No, being handicapped couldn't be a sin; no, only having cereal — whatever that was — and no milk couldn't be a sin; no, having something on the tip of your tongues couldn't be one either; and absolutely not could having to sneeze but being unable to, or stubbing your toe on something, or ripping that tiny piece of flesh near your fingernail off, or disco or jazz, or when its sunny on earth but rains — No, no, no, no!\n\n\"Then you come up with something Feril!\" Cifer shouted.\n\n\"Yes, you!\" Ruif piped in.\n\nFeril sat back, rubbing his barbed chin... but his mind was blank, not an idea appeared in his endless, vast mind. He stole a glance to Eicul, who had his head down on the table, yawning. Eicul looked up and their eyes met.\n\nHow much do you think we'll have to give to the Original Seven? Feril's thoughts asked.\n\nNot much, I gather. Eicul thought. More Hell Horses, succubuses, maybe chairs at the Lord's table... We might be able to get away easy, truly, for what else are they going to do? Become human?\n\nFeril nodded, rapped his ten-knuckled fist on the table. \"OK, how about we go with Eicul's plan and propose a deal to the Original Seven?\"\n\nRuif's mouthes gaped, Cerif rubbed the bridge of his giant nose, and Eicul grinned." ]	3
	[WP] You wake up alone to find that you have no cell phone signal and every clock you have access to has stopped at a different time.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " (My first writing prompt on this subreddit - have mercy.)\n\nArchie awoke with a gasp, sweat running down his brow and staining his shirt. Another nightmare plagued his slumber leaving him to shake the morbid images from his head. He blinked away the sleep that clung to his eyes. To his surprise, the floor beneath him wasn’t the dull gray carpet he was used to stumbling on every morning. Instead, he was greeted with cold, white tiled floors. “What the hell?” He croaked, bringing his head up to further survey his surroundings. Perhaps he was still dreaming - he certainly wouldn’t put it past his brain.\n\nRather than seeing his familiar messy bedroom with cliche band posters just barely hanging by a thumbtack, milk-white pillars carved with fine detail greeted him. The white was blinding to a tired man like Archie but he supposed he had no choice but to bring himself to his feet. “This has to be another dream,” He sighed “Hopefully.” If he remembered correctly, today should be the eighteenth of September. After digging through his change-filled pocket, he fished his phone out. \n\nFlipping it open, Archie looked for the date. Surely enough, it was, in fact, the eighteenth of September, the time being 3:20 pm. Maybe this wasn’t a dream, after all, he dreaded. Another oddity drew his eyes in as he studied his phone screen. It seemed there was no service in the white confinements that held him. With an annoyed groan, he closed his phone with a satisfying clack. This was never a good sign in movies so it surely wasn’t one in his situation, Archie had thought as he returned his phone to his pocket.\n\nHad the walls that surrounded him not been filled with clocks of various shapes and sizes, he may have been more at ease. But sadly, that was not the case. Archie eyed the walls up and down. It felt like wherever he looked, there was a clock of some sort. The only sort of solace he was provided was a simple red door that sat on the wall opposite to him. Surely that wasn’t a clock too, he hoped.\n\n“Hello? Is anyone else here?” Archie called through cupped hands. He was met with no response other than the ticking of the clocks. What a strange situation he found himself in. Before attempting to try the door, Archie figured that he may as well check the clocks that surrounded him. A square, cherry-red clock read 5:12 am while another clock that resembled a black cat read 7:00 am. Whoever placed him here definitely had an eye for decor. Not necessarily good decor but who was he to judge?\n\nTrying the freezing doorknob proved to be a smart decision as it pushed open with ease. The air felt warm as he left the ticking room to see a dimly lit hallway, a single wooden chair sitting at the end. A strange feeling of uneasiness washed over him like summer rain. He’d much prefer to return to his room of clocks rather than converse with the figure that sat in the chair. They sat with their arms crossed, a leg resting on their knee. A shadow obscured their face. The figure sat perfectly still mimicking a statue. \n\n“Greetings, Archie.” They began slowly. “Did you sleep well this time?”\n\n“What do you mean by ‘this time’?” His eyes locked onto the strange figure. The worst case scenario would be the figure rising from their seat yet he still felt a twinge of fear by their coolness and nonchalance as they remained still. “Who are you?”\n\n“What a predictable question.” They murmured, shaking their head. “Do you not remember?”\n\n“Remember what? You? This place?” Archie began his avalanche of questions but was swiftly cut off.\n\n“What you’ve done.” They responded, slowly bringing themselves to their feet. As they stood, their features came to light, no longer masked by shadows. What Archie saw was worse than the worst case scenario he had in mind. A burlap bag stained a dark red was tied tightly by a cord around their throat. They looked battered and bruised, their knees a dark purple that was nearly black. \n\nArchie backed away slightly as they stepped forward. “Pick a time, Archie. We have all the time in the world to reflect.” They spoke raspily as they continued to stalk forward. \n\nA single sweat droplet fell down Archie’s brow as quickly turned and ran as fast as his legs could take him back into the room filled with eerie ticking. It felt like the fog in his mind cleared as he then remembered the nightmare that had awoken him. He recalled a figure with their face obscured by a bloodied burlap bag. Archie tried to shake the image from his mind as he busted into the room of clocks.\n\nA knocking on the doorframe sounded behind, catching his attention. He turned to see the figure standing in the doorway. “Go ahead. Pick a time. Maybe you’ll awake to find yourself at a better time.” They spoke.\n\nNervously, Archie’s eyes danced around the room, eyeing each clock. 8:43, 1:09, 6:22. He shook his head. Remembering his phone, he quickly pulled it from his pocket and flipped it open. The time was still 3:20 pm. Although he found that strange, that was the least of his problems. Archie held the screen up to the figure although he doubted they could see through the bag that enveloped their face. “I choose…” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I choose this time. 3:20 pm.” And with that phrase, Archie’s world went black.\n\nArchie awoke with a gasp, sweat running down his brow and staining his shirt. Another nightmare plagued his slumber leaving him to shake the morbid images from his head. He blinked away the sleep that clung to his eyes. To his surprise, the floor beneath him wasn’t the dull gray carpet he was used to stumbling on every morning. What a strange feeling of deja vu." ]	2
	[WP] A blind person falls in love with Medusa.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I had my cane. I had to leave my dog at home, she just had a surgery. I managed fine without her, she was just a convenience for me. I didn't really want to explore the area without her, but I felt like I had to for some reason. \n\nI was walking through an old cemetery. I usually go here some days, but today I lost where I was. My hands traced the tops of head stones. I felt the statues that were around. They were so detailed, so lifelike. Some people must have really loved their family members. I haven't been to this part, it's new.\n\nIn the distance I heard a rattle. That's my instinct. I have to get out of here. I lower myself closer to the ground so if I fall I don't totally hurt myself. I feel around gravestones as the rattling gets louder and louder.\n\nI tripped and fell over a small headstone. \n\nCrap. I just lay there, my hand covering my head and my legs angled against my chest. \n\n\"Look at me.\" A female voice says\n\nI'm tired of hearing this. People should see my cane and know that I can't see.\n\n\"Are you kidding me?\" I ask. I scoff at them, do they have no social manners?\n\n\"What do you mean? Look into my eyes right now.\" She demanded. The snakes I heard started to hiss.\n\n\"First of all, I can't see. Second of all, why do I hear snakes and where are they?\"\n\n\"Do you know know who I am?\" She arrogantly says. \"I'm Medusa, I have snakes on my hair, I turn people to stone if they look at me. Are people seriously forgetting who I am?\"\n\n\"Oh, I know who you are. Nobody really likes you though.\" I say and scratch my head. It's a little tick I have.\n\n\"I'm used to it. I mean I kind of kill people. I guess you could say looks can kill.\" She laughed at her own joke.\n\n\"How long have you been waiting to say that?\" I asked with a smile.\n\n\"Too long.\" She chuckled. \n\n\"So,\" I hesitated a bit, \"the snakes?\"\n\n\"Oh yeah, sorry about that they can be annoying sometimes. I mostly use them to scare off people so I don't kill them.\" She sighed. \"What's your name?\" I heard her sit down near me. The snaked started to settle a bit.\n\n\"Jim Dun. Pretty basic name, nothing much to it.\" I leaned against a gravestone behind me., hoping that I wasn't sitting six feet over a dead body. \n\n\"It has a nice ring to it. Jim Dun. Jimmy,Dunny. Jimothy Dunothy. Jimbo Dunbo. there are so many cool variations to it!\" \n\n\"Well you're name is pretty cool. Medusa. Medusa babusa. Medusa clambusa. Medusa usa.\" At this point, I was just rambling. There aren't many things to do with her name no matter how cool it is.\n\n\"I might take up one of those names. Re-brand myself, give myself a new image, a new persona.\" I could hear her smile as I spoke.\n\nMy watch chimed. It was 5 o'clock. I had to go home to my dog. \n\n\"Listen, I have to go. Will you be here tomorrow?\" I asked, hoping she's say yes.\n\n\"I don't really have anywhere else to go. So take that as a yes.\"\n\n\"It's a date then.\" I smiled at her. I had no clue how she responded, but I did hear her snakes rattle.\n\n\"It's a date.\" She said back.\n\nI turned to walk away.\n\n\"Wrong direction. About 30 degrees to the right Jim.\" She laughed.\n\n\"Oops, how did I not see that. I need to open my eyes.\" I can make jokes like that, I'm allowed to.\n\n\"Yes you do. See you tomorrow Jim.\"\n\n\"See you tomorrow Medusa babusa.\" We both parted. \n\nI think I'm in love. I'm in love with a goddess who kills people on accident, but I think I'm in love.", "“I think I want to meet you in real life.” Ben Stone spoke into his voice to text translator. \n\nAfter a few minutes, it’s female voice read back to him. “Me too, Ben. I feel like we might have a real chance together.”\n\nBen shifted in his seat. So this was finally happening. He could hardly wait to meet this mystery woman he’d been messaging for a few weeks. They had so much in common. An interest in ancient history, classical literature, and Greek food. “Great! So where? When?” \n\nThe response came after a pause. “Let’s meet somewhere private. Where no one can see us.”\n\nBen wiped the sweat off his forehead. This was moving faster than he expected “Wow, okay. Your place or mine?”\n\n“Not yet, Ben. There are things you don’t know about me yet.”\n\nHe had heard that line three times in online dating before. Last time it turned out to be a married man named Bob who assumed alternate identities online just for kicks. \n\nBen wasn’t sure what to say. Meddy wrote back a moment later.\n\n“There is a lake outside of town not many people know about. Park near the intersection of Harlow Road and Highway B and take the trail down near the water.” I will meet you there.\n\n“I actually don’t drive. I’ll catch a cab.” Ben ended the conversation and spruced up for the big date.\n\nThe cabbie drove out to the remote area Meddy had described. “You sure this is it? You gonna be okay out here?”\n\nBen reassured the driver, handed him the fare, and used his cane to feel along the sloping dirt trail leading down to the water.\n\nFrom a distance, Meddy called “Hey Ben! Stay there, I’ll come to you!”\n\nIn just a moment, the two were standing face to face. They walked hand in hand along the shore, talking as they always had, and enjoying the sunlight and fresh air. They paused for a moment. After a while, Meddy spotted some fishermen in a boat. She pulled her large hood over her snaky head and pulled Ben gently by the hand toward a cluster of trees. \n\n“We have to hide for a moment. I don’t want those guys over there to see us.”\n\nIt was too late, both fisherman had already looked at her directly in the face and had turned to solid rock.\nBen said “I heard them cast a line a minute ago. What are they doing now?”\n\nMeddy didn’t want to ruin the moment. “They’re..um..getting stoned.”\n\nBen didn’t understand why Meddy needed to hide from the guys. There was an awkward silence. \n\n“Do you want to sit down for a minute?” he suggested.\n\nThe two sat side by side, taking turns skipping stones over the surface of the water. The snakes on Meddy’s head slithered back and forth, keeping a watchful eye on Ben.\n\n“Meddy, would you mind if I touch your face? I want to know what you look like.”\n\n“Sure, but just don’t touch my hair. It’s… a thing I have.”\n\nBen reached up and gently touched Meddy’s face. It was… not quite what he expected. But, he wasn’t going to be superficial. He formulated his words.\n\n“Meddy, you’re… so interesting…\n\nIt was at that moment that one of her snakes stretched beyond its usual capacity and bit him.\n\nHe started feeling faint and passed out next to the pond. \n\nHe woke up in the Emergency Room.\n\n“We received an anonymous call that there was a snake bite victim out by Harrows Pond,” explained the ER doctor. You’re lucky you came out of this alive.\n\nThat was the last he heard of Meddy. The news later that week included reports of mysterious lifelike statues found throughout the area in the shape of a number of missing persons. He began to wonder about the true identity of Meddy. Impossible! Or was it?" ]	3
	[WP] You have a very unique pocket watch. The bottom is the clock, which shows the time. but the top half has a mirror. one day, you reset your watch because of daylight savings, and find that in the mirror you see whatever was in the reflection at the time the watch was, is, or will be set to.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Well, there goes this week’s cheque.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI grab the watch that I just spent close to a hundred dollars on. I open the case and for the first time get a really close look at it. The metal used to make the exterior is nice, I guess. The thing that really sets me off though is the fact that there’s a huge mirror that occupies most of the top part of the device itself. Couldn’t I have just bought a pocket mirror separately? Maybe. Still, I just wanted something that was durable enough for my daily life.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt’s not too bad. It feels nice on my wrist, even having a tightness setting that perfectly suits it. As I start taking it off to go to bed, I realize that daylight savings would be in effect the day after. I grab the watch from my nightstand and pull the knob to add an hour preemptively. While I’m fiddling with the knob, I notice that the mirror’s reflection had changed. I didn’t really think of this at first, but as I tilted it around it still displayed a black surface. Well, that’s strange. I set it back an hour before. There’s my face again. What’s wrong with this thing? I set it to a random time; a day before. To my astonishment, I see the mirror reflecting the shop that I’d just went to earlier that day. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nBy now, I’m leaning over the side of my bed, fully invested in the watch. I turn the knob further back in time, and I see it’s production. Oddly enough, this watch wasn’t made in a factory. As I watched the process, I see a man in very fantasy-esque set of clothing.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI get an idea and turn the knob so it shows the future. I take extra caution, though. I’ve seen a lot of hypothetical sci-fi stories where paradoxes have been made by messing around with time. I rotate the piece and the mirror shows me slowly waking up, then quickly reaching over to grab the watch. Well, that’s yes. Still excited, I finally decide that I’ve had enough of the device and set it down. I can’t sleep much, as I was literally in possession of a time-traveling device. Could I call it that?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI woke up the next morning and the first thing I did was take the watch and start messing with it. With a shock, I remember the prediction that it had made the night before. So it was right! I go further into the future.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen I stop. Just a few minutes later, the mirror is covered with a deep red. I rewind and see the cause.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn the reflection, I see myself being interrupted. As my head quickly rotates, I drop the watch. From the reflection, I see leather shoes approaching. They stop. I assume there is a confrontation happening and I watch. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe door unlocks behind me. I turn my head to look at the source. When I see who it is, I drop the watch to stand.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThere’s a man standing at the doorway with all black clothing. My heart races as I notice his familiar shoes.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Give up the watch,” he demands, catching me off guard.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI’m too scared to move, so I just open my mouth with no words coming out of it.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“By an official order, the watch will be confiscated. Hand it over or die.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“What?” I mouth, still frozen in place.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“It is too late,” the man says as he pulls a gun on me. In my final moments, I shout “no, please! I still have-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen it’s all over. My vision fades in a fraction of a second as I fall to the ground, my ears filling with the sound of a bullet being fired.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd all that for a stupid watch. I knew I should’ve saved my money and bought the cheaper one.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFeedback is appreciated!" ]	2
	[WP] You are a Dark Lord blessed with the ability to bring your drawings to life. You have spent the better part of a year drawing an army to wage war on your enemies. Unfortunately, you SUCK at drawing and are now the commander of the greatest army of stickfigures.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"WHAT DID YOU DO, IMBECILE!\" The General of my army screams at me, as he climbs out of the canvas. I stare at him, lost for words.\n\n\"Did you want to draw an army of soldiers or anorexic supermodels?! Did you assume that the enemy only knows how to stab, so you'd just design soldiers with twigs for bodies, you brainless fartbiscuit! DID YOU THINK WE WOULD STICK AROUND BECAUSE ALL YOU DID WAS DRAW STICKS AROUND?\"\n\n\"But I...\"\n\n\"SHUT UP! WHY DO OUR SWORDS LOOK LIKE TOOTHPICKS? WHO TAUGHT YOU HOW TO DRAW? JACKSON BOLLOCKS? PABLO STICKASSO? DO YOU KNOW YOU USED ONLY LINES AND SOMEHOW MANAGED TO CROSS ALL OF THEM? GIVE ME THAT GODDAMNED ERASER!\"\n\nI panic, and with tears in my eyes hand him the eraser.", "I stared at the letter speaking of my fallen comrades, open mouthed and disbelieving. My closest friends, my battlefield brothers, all slain. I felt a familiar memory dredging itself from the darkest recesses of my mind. A dream I had had as a child, only learning how to fight with a sword. I was transferred from my art lessons to military training. My teachers told me that I was too talented. \n\nIn my dream, I managed to bring one of my favourite pieces to life. I watched as a puppy rose from the manuscript, shrouded in darkness. A side effect of being made from coal. \n\nI needed some form of release. The emotions were becoming too powerful. Tears stung the back of my eyes. I returned to my dressing room, dismissed the goblin guard, and sat down. I drew my manuscript from underneath my bed and began to draw. \n\nI spent what felt like hours, creating the perfect general, shrouded by shadows, emotionless, and stone cold avenger. He was perfect. Detail littered the entire page. If only I could bring him to life... \n\nAs if some force read my mind, the general blinked at me. His evil face began to scowl. He looked me dead in the eyes, and within them I saw respect. If he was even able to comprehend my emotions, he would have seen pure terror, and apprehension. \n\nHe pulled himself from the page in a manner reminiscent of how I raised myself from my bathing pool. As his long powerful arms... Powerful? Why were they so thin? He looked like the goblin I forgot to add to my feeding scheme. \n\nAs he stood in front of me, his eyes became vacant. They were... Dots? His mouth quite literally a thin line as he regarded his tiny arms. He looked at me, and shook his head, as if he couldn't quite believe that his creator had turned him into a stick man. He took my piece of coal and began to scrawl something on my manuscript.\n\nI peered at it, and deflated. Upon my page was written, \"You suck!\"\n\nApparently I wasn't the artist I thought I was..." ]	3
	[WP] The world is new and full of wonder. Peace springs forth, and why wouldn’t it? Although that one question still haunts in people’s minds, what would it be like to take a life?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The question is like a ghost; always there, never discernable. For some, it’s a curiosity, a what-if. For most, a horror, a never-ever-ever, a worst-case-scenario.\n\nAce sits with his legs crossed, focused on a half-empty sheet of paper before him. What if people killed people? Wars were mentioned in a distant past, a collapsed society. They were messy records, indiscernible, never detailed enough. Ace grins, leaning forward to scribble another messy few sentences.\n\n“Held at knifepoint, the Prince faltered. No longer was it a matter of choice; either he goes, or his kingdom goes. The Prince was selfish, and so when he chose, he condemned all others. He refused to die, proving more apt to allow utter decimation to his once-beloved Kingdom.”\n\nIt was Ace’s take on a war. An evil king from the neighboring nation raids the castle, threatens the ill emperor's son. He had pieced it together after months of library research, and was proud to call it a three-fourths finished book.\n\nKept a careful secret, of course. Sweet nothings of violence were not forbidden by law, but that didn’t mean he could get away with it.\n\nFinally, his pencil comes to a standstill. What now? He had tiptoed around killing the Prince. A story intended to portray man-to-man violence had, in the end, avoided the tipping point.\n\nAce frowns. With a flick, he flips his pencil to its eraser side and undoes his progress. Then he continues.\n\n“Held at knifepoint, the Prince raised his chin. He wouldn’t falter; with his Kingdom on the line, he knew the right choice. Should he hold his ground here, the people had a chance. And so he stood, crossed his arms, and never broke eye contact with the evil King.”\n\nMuch better. Ace sighs relief, but is unable to avoid biting his lip. Now what? The King stabs him, of course. There was a problem, though: How? Where? What will it feel like?\n\nNo amount of research thus far has given him an answer. It was a writer’s worst nightmare; not a reference to be had. He was going to have to make something up.\n\n“The King advanced, his knife held steady. So it came to this. Unwilling to give up his throne, the Prince would have to die. Ever-closer he stepped, the fire of greed in his eyes matching the resolute determination of the Prince before him.”\n\nAce stops again. He’s drawing it out unnecessarily; a writer’s second worst nightmare. With slight hesitation, he continues.\n\n“Finally, the knife is swung, landing clean in the Prince’s side. Strong until the end, the Prince refused to clutch the wound, to gasp or to swear. He only fell, silent in his stubbornness, landing a final glare on the harbinger of his untimely demise.”\n\nLike he’s been shock, Ace pulls back his hand. Is this correct? He has no way of knowing, of course. It feels right, though. In spite of himself, Ace feels his heart speed up, his hands sweat. What would people think of this? Not even the worst horror movies involved death to this degree.\n\nAnd yet, even while he’s scared, Ace’s heart flutters. \n\nHe’s going to make history with this book.\n\nWhether or not it would be for the better, he thinks, is not his problem.\n\n(It is, of course, undeniably not).\n\n\n\n(((Hope I did your prompt justice! I hurried this on my break. I should really stop writing on my phone, whoops.)))" ]	2
Obviously inspired by the recent fire in Notre Dame. Thought of it after hearing that some of the most precious parts of the church had survived.	[WP] You are a gargoyle, tasked with protecting the church you are part of. In years past you have fended off vampires and other unholy creatures. Not much has happened for a few centuries, today you hear the sound of people screaming, accompanying the unmistakable sound of fire.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I awoke to the sound of screams. The thudding of heavy footsteps echoed through the church above me. Above the cacaophany, I could hear the unmistakable crackle of fire just starting to sink its teeth into the structure's old wooden bones. The last rays of sunlight illuminated the trickles of smoke that were beginning to waft through the floorboards. The heat of summer was sharper than I remembered it.\n\nI flitted outside and saw the man who had thrown the fire bomb, still panting slightly from the exertion, turn to walk back to the waiting Cadillac. His friend in the driver's seat had pulled his aviators down the bridge of his nose to get a better look at the chaos unfolding in front of him.\n\n\"Shit, Sam, what have you done...\"\n\nSam turned in time to see one of the upper windows shatter and black smoke start pouring out. There was a crash as a heavy body hit the barred door, trying to break free. The screams grew louder.\n\n\"They brought it on themselves. Shoulda known they weren't welcome here.\"\n\nA thing to understand is that most places of worship are inhabited by a gargoyle. We're drawn to them, to the power of the rituals happening within. The denomination doesn't matter; we feed off the raw essence of belief. I had grown fat off this congregation for years, and now I might be able to do something to repay them.\n\nSam got in the car and drove away and I flew through the broken window and back inside the church. The screams were a little quieter now as people were starting to fall unconscious from the smoke. The few still awake were crowded around the door, still calling for help between wracking coughs.\n\nI dropped down among them, imperceptible in the haze, and saw an old woman sitting against a wall. She was cradling the limp form of a young man and gently stroking his face and hair.\n\n\"Please, please, not like this\" she mourned. \"Not like this\"\n\nShe didn't notice the fire creeping up the wall to the rafters above her, or the young man's shoelaces curling and writhing like snakes from the heat. She didn't notice me materialize in front of her until I spread my great black wings to shield her from the flames.\n\nShe looked up and into my eyes and her pupils widened and her mouth opened slightly. As she took in my full form her breath caught in her throat. The young man forgotten, she reached out to trace the curve of my horns and the gaunt, sunken ridges where my cheeks could have been. Her face relaxed as she understood.\n\n\"Lord have mercy\" she whispered.\n\nI will.\n\nI placed my hands on her chest, pinning her to the wall, careful not to break her skin with my claws. I leaned forward and placed my mouth against hers and inhaled slowly and deeply until her breathing stopped.\n\nThe others around her also became still. My work here was done.\n\nA thing to understand is gargoyles are territorial creatures. Each of those stone husks in Europe is a relic of one of our territorial battles. Trophies formed from the dead to warn off future challengers. It had taken me years to find a place like this and now I'd have to do it again. But first I had an errand to run.\n\nI burst out the front door as the roof collapsed in and the fire took over. I could hear sirens in the distance coming closer. The scent of the two men caught my nose. Cigarettes and adrenaline and not enough fear.\n\nI opened my wings to the oncoming embrace of night and rose into the sky. I was a shadow against shadows, following my quarry. These men had wronged my congregation. Had taken what was mine. They would not go easily like the old woman from before.\n\nThey would know what it was to be afraid.", "The old priest staggered through the burning pews, his eyes watering from the smoke. He had helped the younger priests escape, but now his age had finally betrayed him. He prayed one last time, before he could speak no more. The darkness closed in, and he prepared to meet his god. He told himself he wasn't afraid. \nWhen he woke up, he found himself outside. As paramedics took him away, he swore he could hear the beating of wings.\n\nThe little girl had lost her parents. She hid in the room like she'd been told, but the handle was heating up, her screams unheard over the roar of flames. Slowly, she was starting to realise how much danger she was really in, but the smoke was making it harder and harder to cry for help. \nBehind her a window broke, just before the oxygen would have fed the flames. As she clambered out and ran, she never saw the red eyes making sure she reached safety.\n\nThe firefighter had always known her job was dangerous, and as the heavy beam fell and blocked the only exit, she assumed it had finally caught up with her. She comforted herself with the lives she had saved, and thought of her family as the flames rose. \nThen the figure grabbed the beam and wrenched it out of the way. It gestured down the hallway, where she saw two more parishioners. As she turned to thank her saviour, there were only statues there. She shook her head. No-one would be strong enough to lift that beam anyway. Smoke inhalation and fear can do funny things to the mind.\n\nThe sightseer swore. He'd only come on a holiday, just a weekend trip, and now he was going to die here. He reached for his cane, but between the smoke and heat he knew he'd never find it. He staggered forward, but the pain was too much. He hoped his daughter had made it out, if nothing else. \nWhoever lifted him to help him walk felt strange, but he wasn't quite in his right mind. They must have just been tall, or muscular. Maybe a skin condition? It didn't matter to him anyway. As he collapsed outside, his daughter ran into his arms. Among the ash and smoke, neither noticed the stone dust on his jacket.\n\nThe gargoyle sat on a nearby building, watching its home of centuries collapse. The fire chief was telling the reporters that there was no chance to save the building- the creature couldn't hear, but didn't need to. It was one with this church. It could sense it dying. \nThe fire chief was also saying that, despite the ferocity of the flame, there had been no casualties. Not even many serious injuries. They were calling it a miracle- some even said they had seen an angel. \nThe gargoyle looked down at the crowd- parishioners, clergy, visitors, firefighters. All would go home tonight. As the church finally collapsed and the gargoyle crumbled away, it smiled. \n\n\nIt couldn't save the church, but at least it could save the most precious things.", "I’m old.\n\nSo very, very old.\n\nPeople think we Gargoyles number few, and are entirely figment of sculptor imagination, even by the very patrons of our charge.\n\nWe exist in our own capacity, unable to be seen or heard, until a vessel of significant likeness is crafted, rendering the ability to take material form. I have waited countless aeons to show my worth, while my brethren are spirited into their vessels. Able to show their loyalty, their unwavering strength. Proving themselves while I remain untested.\n\nServants of my kind that do not offer real protection, no real definition of themselves etched into the stone of the physical, no record of their tribute.\n\nThis brings to mind another falsehood: while I and others of my kind resemble the oft-graven visage of a snarling, winged beast, most others do not.\n\nOur form is unimaginable, untethered to a single human idea or devotion. We exist, and our form is determined by moral aptitudes, driven by specific ways we feel the need to protect, of whom we wish to safekeep, of whom we feel the urge to honor. We vary as much in our form as we do in our philosophy. These are the true architects of our being.\n\nThere are others that exist in idols, in poles, in spinning wheels, in four-legged protectors, in words themselves, which spoken, grant our desire to vanguard, keep sentinel. \n\nThere are others who are peaceful, others who serve as watchers, and others still that do nothing but guard the mind and soul.\n\nThen there are others who are wrathful.\n\nI am wrath incarnate.\n\nOver the course of my duty, I have slain and ripped hordes of the unworthy, the vile and sickening agents of a power I imagine is counter to our own. I have decimated hundreds of thousands of the unholy, those that would seek to invade or destroy my limits. I know not of where they spawn, but destroy them I do nonetheless.\n\nIt is my duty, it is my privilege, it is my honor.\n\nResting in the form I have made my own, for hundreds of cycles, has made me stony, slowly absent. I felt my grip loosening, calling me to the place we arrive after our purpose is fulfilled. It felt my duty was done. \n\nAnd I heard it.\n\nA cacophony. A scent. A terror I hadn’t feel stab me in many long cycles.\n\nWresting from the grip of the call, I slowly realised purpose again.\n\nMy charge, in flames.\n\nI inquired to myself; what evil has returned from the void, to devour what is my own? Be it winged, scaly flame-spitters, or something I have yet to have the pleasure of dispatching?\n\nSurveying my domain, I saw nothing but ash and parts. I had failed. I had become a disgrace. Hardly anything stood that was indicative of my character and strength. So many cycles of watch nearly over, so many cretins returned to their maker, and I had failed.\n\nUntil I noticed it.\n\nCaught in the inferno stood this treasure, this triumph. An artwork of the souls I guarded, beautiful as it is fragile. It gleamed like an opal in the light of the blaze, reaching deep inside and breaking the call with the certainty of a hammer. Under more instinct than common sense, I stirred out of my haze.\n\nIn a fell swoop, I raced to protect it. My wings spread, I defended the last vestige, the last battlement of my name against the hateful onslaught of fire. As long as a single piece of my home existed, perhaps a piece of me could stay untainted, still of some merit. I could join my brethren in the call. I felt the compulsion of honor to defend what was mine.\n\nAnd here I sit, the flames grazing my corporeal form. Scorching, unending flames that threaten to destroy my legacy. I will not falter, I will not let the only thing left of my soul be destroyed. \n\nNow I stand guard, one final time, engraving my last words on the charred walls. I try to keep firm, but the waves are unyielding, and I will soon answer.\n\nThrough all the ages I’ve thought to prove my worth, invoked with jealousy, but I’ve now found my purpose, my reason for existing.\n\nIt is to protect what is left of my stead, my rose.", "\"Lord have mercy.\" I sprinted off the stand where I had been sitting for a few centuries and snatched the top barrel of the church. The smoke had me covered before the last human escaped from the building, yet I still looked to check.\n\nThe fire was huge. It was spreading so fast. Mumbling a prayer to myself, I climbed across the length to find the almost destroyed joint of the roof and tore it off before the fire had the chance to lick further. The screaming and yelling were deafening, but I solely paid focus on other burning parts of the roof.\n\nThe east wing was glowing with the flame, though the rose window was still able to color it blue and purple at times. I remembered when the artists worked day by day to finish it. I had spent hundreds of years admiring every detail of it. I had to protect it. The roof be damned.\n\nSpreading the long-unused wings, I flew across the space and landed on mid-wall, drilling my claws into the hard surface. I crawled up, seated in front of the window and kicked down every piece of the flame that fell too close to my treasure. I was not big enough to shield the window, but with lots of effort and observation, it felt possible to hold on until the fire was put out.\n\nIn the middle of the struggle, I heard a human cry. Punching a block of wood out of my way, I saw a little girl between the benches. Tears stained her face, ash and rubber covered her from head to toes.\n\n\"Danger.\" I whispered and wondered why the girl was still here. My eyes shot up to the roof, the spot that I ignored. The burning block was practically dangling on top of the human's head.\n\nNo.\n\nA snap drew my attention back to the part of the roof right next to the window. There was a spiral above, and it would collapse. Since it was already burning, its weight reduced. When it fell, I could absolutely kick it off the other direction, saving my beloved window.\n\nThe crack that was heard from the roof in the girl's direction pulled my eyes. It would fall and crush the girl.\n\nNo.\n\nI was no one. I was just a gargoyle. My job was to protect the church. Vampires, werewolves, witches, I have faced them all. A fire would not defeat me. A human's life would not worth more than my church, which had been standing here for centuries. They should not know my existence.\n\nI should stay and defend my church's window. That was what I thought to myself when I spread my wings and sprinted to the little human. The way the innocent eyes found mine in the single moment before the roof collapsed on the both of us was something I could not describe. And before I had the chance to, the thundering sound of destruction deafened me. Then I felt nothing.\n\nI thought that was it. That should be it.\n\nWhen I opened my eyes once again, I found myself in my place, right on the side of the church. There was a big sheet covering the entire building to keep others from looking in. I discreetly looked around and was utterly surprised that the church looked exactly the same. There was no evidence of the fire, but there were many signs of repairment. The wall felt new and cold and smooth as I ran my hand on it. I wondered what happened and how long had it been since the fire.\n\nThe morning came along with the answer. I sat still in my spot, looking down at spectators who were dropping their jaws at the church's magnificent design after the curtain was dropped. I was proud to be the protector of the place for a reason. But what the speechgiver said was what I remembered for the rest of my existence.\n\n\"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you The Blessing Church. You all have already heard of the fire that ruined a large part of it twenty years ago. Here it is, exactly like how it used to be.\" He gestured right at me. \"And that, everyone, is The Silent Guardian. The gargoyle statue that somehow fell down on the little Anna Jury and shielded her from the collapse of the church's roof. Many believers say The Silent Guardian was alive and he protected her. Other claim that it was just a lucky accident. We will never know. The only thing we can be sure is that little Anna was blessed with another chance at life thanks to The Silent Guardian. Maybe there is a soul inside that stone chest after all.\"" ]	5
	[WP] You are the world's ONLY and OLDEST superhero, aged 91-years-old. When disaster strikes after thirty years of peace, the people beg you to come out of retirement. But after becoming increasingly apathetic and nihilistic, you refuse to help.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "So, after all the time they spent calling me a 'monster' and 'a horrible hero' they want my help?\n\nI killed when i had to and saves all the lives i could, but because i let one man die and had to kill one man. Everyone hated me.\n\nEven when the world hunted me down, labeled me a criminal, and burned my house down i still protected them. And when it blew over no-one gave me so much as a 'sorry' or 'thank you'.\n\nWhen the two people i cared for died, people had thr gull to say i deserved it.\n\nThen the new hero shows up and you all say im not needed, so i finally take some time alone. I finally know peace.\n\nThen he turns out to be a villain, and threatens to take over the world. And the first person you come to is me: the monster.\n\nWell no, you chose that you didnt want me. I just want to live the rest of my miserable life. You suffer loss? Well so did i! And you all laughed.", "\"After all you've done in the past, you won't put aside your difference for just thirty minutes and help these people?!\"\n\n\"Yes. After all these years, it's become increasingly difficult to deal with the negativity, especially considering it's over 70% of people that berate me for being efficient\"\n\nThis new 'hero' seemed agitated, which I can completely understand\n\n\"You were a murdere--\"\n\n\"I DID WHAT YOU DUMB FUCKS COULDN'T, EVEN IF IT MADE IT HARD TO SLEEP AT NIGHT!!!\"\n\nHe simply sighed out of stress\n\n\"Fine. But don't cry when me and my allies are being buried tomorrow\"\n\n\"Don't worry, I never planned on it\"\n\nNot long after he left I began watching the news, to see what's happening\n\n\"Luminescence has just arrived on the scene and will hopefully tip the fight in his favor!\"\n\nI won't deny he has a great power, light manipulation, but he doesn't train it to get the most out of it, so it's almost worthless against a villain such as this\n\n\"Luminescence's powers seemingly have no affect on the villain, wh--\"\n\n\"DON'T ACT LIKE BLINDING ME WILL SLOW ME DOWN!!!\"\n\nSuddenly the camera cut out, and it was now at the newsroom where the other reporters looked shocked and incredibly disturbed\n\n\"Luminescence has visited the retired hero 'Ultimate' today according to reports, and witnesses say that he refuses to come help us. Whether he has an agreement with this villain or not is still unclear--\"\n\nI turned it off. I can't deal with this anymore. Despite my best efforts, I can't help but think about the past. Such as when I was 21 and arrogant, and broke both my arms and even my ribcage stopping a massacre, obviously people still died, but I kept the casualties in the low hundreds and well out of the hundred thousands. But all anyone ever said was that I should've done more, and that I had killed him, with no care to mention that I was in a situation where killing him was my only option.\n\nOr when I was 25, and I shattered my collar bone and fractured my skull to end a siege that was started by someone with a flashy but ineffective power, and all that was said was how careless I had been and that I deserved the injuries I had.\n\nOr when I was 26, when I went beyond my limit and almost destroyed my own body to stop a bioterrorist who almost released a toxin he had festering inside him. Quite an interesting power, the ability to grow your own toxins.\n\nOr when I was 28 and met that guy who could steal powers. Luckily it had it's limit and I was able to hold out the beating he gave me with my powers until I got them back. The first thing I did, since I knew it was the only way to stop him, was broke his neck, but he still writhed, alive, and again trying to take my power. I had to crush his head until there was nothing left, and beat his corpse until he stopped twitching before the paranoia of him coming back to life when I turned my back went away. All that was said was 'Hero beats man to death' with my name and face on the cover.\n\nOr when I was 30 and fought someone who's power was mimicry. It wasn't the first time I almost lost, but it was certainly the scariest moment of my life. He was far too powerful, and even if he did have severe brain damage I couldn't let him live in the hospital, even as a vegetable. I went to his room and severed his head before destroying his brain with my powers. I then charred the body, and destroyed the heart just to be safe. The headline that time was 'Hero kills disabled man' with no mention of how he almost killed me, or destroyed the city. Sure, what I did was overkill, but I couldn't risk anything.\n\nAnd I certainly can't forget the time my sidekick turned on me at 32. That bastard stabbed me, and since I had my guard down my passive abilities didn't stop him like it should have, and I had to fight while blood drained from my lower back. After breaking most of his bones he begged for mercy, unwilling to accept defeat. I foolishly gave it to him and he stabbed me again, this time in the chest, but my powers aren't just energy manipulation, I was also able to stop the bleeding and keep myself alive long enough that the blood coagulated and slowed to a point where I could get to a hospital and get proper help. I obviously killed him, I had to, but I did it by 'overloading' him until his heart snapped in half, his lungs popped, and his brain turned to slush. It was brutal, but had to be done. Those headlines were 'Ultimate kills sidekick, motive unclear'.\n\nAnd at 33, after only a year of being a registered hero, I left because I couldn't deal with all the restrictions and how they treated me for killing that little bastard that stabbed me. Coincidentally I still had to save them that same day when they bit off more than they could chew and almost died. The first thing they did when everything was over was \"We didn't need help, especially not from some twisted fuck like you\" and obviously 'no one heard' him tell me that.\n\nThere's plenty more instances I could list, but I'm getting pissed off already, so I think I'll just watch the current fight unfold from my balcony since it's not far.\n\nThe end.\n\n(Authors note; if you have a question, then please ask! I'm open to answering whatever question you have about the character(s) in this story)", "Where were you\n\nwhen my health started to decline?\n\nOh, that's right.\n\nYou laughed.\n\n\"Looks like the ol' timer's got Alzheimer's.\"\n\nI lost my mind? Fine. Fuck it. Leave me on the bottom shelf.\n\n&#x200b;\n\nWhere were you\n\nwhen my only child died?\n\nOh, that's right.\n\nYou shrugged.\n\n\"I guess the Super Man can't hurt cancer.\"\n\nNot even a sympathetic hug? For that, you can help yourself.\n\n&#x200b;\n\nWhere were you\n\nwhen I couldn't get one night's sleep?\n\nOh, geez\n\nI remember.\n\nI had to answer every plea.\n\nFrom catching debris to cats in trees...\n\nI need to catch some Z's, so I'm crashing. Peace.\n\n&#x200b;\n\n...\n\n&#x200b;\n\nOh, and one last thing.\n\nWhy is it that you call me a hero when I'm out saving the Earth,\n\nbut when I want to take care of myself, I'm suddenly the worst?\n\nIt's insane, and it hurts.\n\nI'm not a slave sent to fix every burden of yours.\n\nYou've used me up enough.\n\nNo more calls. No more phones.\n\nI am done fighting.\n\nI'm 91-years-old!\n\nLeave me alone.\n\nAnd please: shut my windows and close my door.\n\nI guess you're right — I am cold.\n\n-----\n\nThanks for reading! Feedback/constructive criticism always welcome. I have more poems, songs, and stories on [my personal sub.](/r/ScottBeckman)\n\nedit: swapped two lines" ]	4
	[WP] "I didn't know which pocket it was in, you see. So I cut off the whole leg and ran."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“I.. WHAT!”\n\n“I cut off the leg and just… kinda left”\n\n“John, why in God’s name did you think cutting off a man’s leg was the best choice to make?”\n\nJohn, to answer Stephen’s question, extravagantly motions at the dozen pockets on his newly found possession. “Do you not see all the pockets Stephen, did you expect me to search all of them in that disgusting bathroom?”\n\nStephen sighs, “Yes John, I see the pockets, but… but why did you cut off his legs? What was so damn important that you needed to get out of his pocket?\"\n\n\"Leg.\"\n\n\"what\"\n\n\"Leg, I only cut off the one, I'm not a monster.\"\n\nGiving up Stephen breathes, \"Fine. But what was so important?\"\n\n\"Ah, you'll love it, it's exactly what we need for the apartment.\" \n\n\"I swear John, if you don't pull out something that is absolutely life changing from one of those pockets...\"\n\n\"Don't you worry, you'll love... it...\" Beginning to search frantically, John looks visibly worried.\n\n\"Oh for fuck's sake John, what now?\"\n\n\"...\"\n\n\"Out with it John, it can't get any worse.\" \n\n\"Do you know how to reattach a leg by chance?\"" ]	2
	[WP] Budget changes aren't stopping you. Whether it's an assassination using nothing but scraps from an apartment, stealing confidential documents using $5, or cheap disguises, you get the job done. You are... the DIY Spy	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "What do you get when you put together Daniel \"Ice Man\" Jones, a forcibly retired police investigator, me, Ian \"MacGayver\" Prescott, a recently fired handyman, and Yumi \"The Wizard\" Prescott, my pregnant wife, a hacker on-the-learning?\n\nI'll give a hint: mix all of those with a deep rebelious attitude, the desperate need for money and a very, very bad idea, and you get yourself an assassination crew for hire.\n\nIt was Yumi's idea that our marketing strategies should be focused on the Dark Web, that marvelous and sinister place which I knew squat about. Apparently, it's a place where anything can be found, from illegal drugs to human organs. I couldn't think of anyplace better to market our endeavours, and Yumi proved herself right.\n\nTwo weeks after the ad, we got our first client. Our contractor, Mr. Monday, offered thiry thousand dollars for the job - assassinating Gordon Lunedì, the owner of the restaurant across town. An odd job, I'll say, but we didn't quite have a choice. We needed the money, more now than ever.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI got to the restaurant at ten thirty, and sat on one of the three tables on the far side across from the doors. When the waiter approached, I asked for a bottle of water and pretended to read the menu.\n\nAccording to Daniel, Mr. Lunedì closed the restaurant between eleven and midnight, when the last customers left, but remained inside until the cleaning was done. However, after the last employees left, he remained. It was a mystery what he did inside, but we'd figured he stayed there to ready things up for the next day.\n\nIt was a family business, not many employees, and Mr. Lunedì had been taking care of it since he was twenty three, when his father passed away.\n\nThe plan was simple.\n\nI finished my water, careful enough as to not dishevel the table, and left a five dollar bill under the empty bottle before heading for the bathroom. In relief, I sighed when I saw it was empty. Using the stalls, I propped myself up and through the ceiling doors to a dusty, messy attic. And then, I waited.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhen my plastic Scooby-Doo watch marked fifteen past midnight, I heard Mr. Lunedì wishing good night to the last employees, and the distinct locking sound of the steel door in the back.\n\nIt was time.\n\nI pulled on my rubber gloves and tip-toed off the bathroom, glancing around, attentive to every sound. Crawling behind the bar, I headed for the kitchen to grab a knife, a bottle, anything I could use for a weapon. I glued my ears to the door, and heard nothing but silence. A quick look through the small round glass revealed the kitchen to be empty.\n\nSlowly, I pushed the door open, an inch per second, my heartbeat raising frantically. Any creak, any small sound could put everything to lose.\n\nThe butcher knives rested on the other side of the room, hanging from the magnetic stip on the wall. On all fours, as a cat's gait, I crossed through the ovens, the counters, the freezers, and reached for one of the knives, the biggest one.\n\nSuddenly, the laughing sitcom-like sounds startled me.\n\nI remembered the old house-turned-restaurant building plans, which Yumi had found going through some City archives, showed a second floor, where the old rooms had been turned, we assumed, into an office and maybe some storage areas.\n\nThat's where the sound's coming from, I thought. Mr. Lunedì must've turned the TV on.\n\nThe stairs led me to a bright hall, where three wooden doors contrasted to the horrible flowery beige wallpaper. I heard the TV sounds coming from the second door. It was ajar.\n\nThe smell of tobacco and cheap cinnamon incense wafted from inside,\n\nUp until now, the mission was all that mattered. The money. But taking a man's life? Was it worth it? What did this man do wrong?\n\nI brushed the thought off. I wasn't doing this for me. I wasn't doing for Yumi. \"Don't chicken out now,\" I demanded myself, \"Think about Clarice. It's for her. You want your daughter to have the same lousy childhood as yours?\"\n\nI rested my hand on the knob. Should I knock? Should I just burst into the room?\n\nThe fact that Mr. Lunedì was a single man with no family didn't make the job any easier. Sweat ran down my armpits to my belly. My legs shook, and I felt my knees were about to fail me.\n\nIt was now or never. If I didn't do it now, I'd faint. I knew it. My eyes were blurry and my breath was heavy, as if I was breathing sand through my sore throat.\n\nI pushed the door open a few more inches, and saw Mr. Lunedì sitting with his back to me, holding the cigar in his left hand, starring outside the window. Beside the TV, displaying an old episode of Friends, the incense burnt.\n\nI took a deep breath, pulled my poorly knitted cap down, and then...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Come in,\" said Mr. Lunedì.\n\nWhat? Was he talking to me? But how?\n\n\"Yeah yeah, it's you, behind the door, come in,\" he said.\n\nI pushed the door open and stepped inside.\n\n\"You guys are really bad at this assassination thing, ain't you?\"\n\n\"How did you...\" I muttered. I let my arms fall beside my body.\n\n\"And I figure none of you to be Italian,\" he laughed, ignoring my half question, \"Lunedì is Italian for Monday, see?\"\n\n\"Wait... You hired us to kill you?\" I asked, showing much more confusion that I'd like to.\n\n\"I'm kind of an adrenaline junkie, you know? I was hoping all this could pump some life into my heart again...\"\n\n\"How did you know I was here?\" So it was only my first time, but where did I get it wrong?\n\n\"This,\" he turned to face me, raising his right hand where a cellphone displayed the security cameras.\n\n\"But, Yu... The Wizard turned the cameras off!\" I cried.\n\n\"Apparently not,\" he shrugged, \"But calm down... I can tell you're all rookies. I knew you weren't top class when you settled for thirty thousand, but still, it kind of amused me, see what you're going to do,\"\n\nThat son of a gun. So, he dragged me all the way here for his amusement? Oh no, I wouldn't let that happen. I wasn't leaving until I got my money.\n\n\"You're still paying us, right?\" I asked, pointing the knife to his face, tyring my best to find an intimidating version of myself. I could tell by his face that I'd failed miserably in that attempt, too.\n\n\"Don't worry, you're getting paid,\" he waved his hand at me, \"As I think of it now, I have a proposal for you,\" he said, scrathing his chin and leaning on his chair. He continued, \"How'd you like to do it again?\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"I've actually liked this game of ours. Here's the deal: I'll give fifty thousand. For every failed attempt on my life, you give me back five thousand dollars. If you succeed to kill me, you keep the rest of the money,\" he said. His yellowed smile shone, a crazy, maniac smile.\n\n\"Where's the money?\" I asked, simply.\n\nHe got up, unlocked a safe from behind one of the paitings, an ugly amateur paiting that I assumed was his own doing, counted the money to fifty thousand, tucked it inside a trash bag and threw it to me.\n\n\"It's a deal, then?\" He rested the cigar on the porcelain ashtray, and walked towards me offering his hand.\n\n\"Oh yes, sir, you just got yourself a deal,\" I said, pulling off my cap.\n\nAnd then, he knew it, when he saw my face. His eyes grew big, as those of an owl, round and scared and confused.\n\nI grabbed his hand with my left, and shoved the knife in his neck with my right.\n\nAs he kneeled, desperately holding his neck with both hands, blood splattering all across the carpet, a ghost of a smile crossed his face.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Monday,\" I said, before vanishing in the alley and into the night.", "“Got another one for you, Jensen,” the voice cracked though the tiny Bluetooth speaker. Jensen sat at his desk, his chair creaking as he shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to protest, but his radio had broken a month ago—and they still hadn’t found it in the budget to replace it. So, for the time being, his communications were very one-sided. \n\nHe scribbled the instructions on the back of an envelope from some credit card company. His mission was simple: obtain a flash drive containing damning information about a high-profile drug company. Something about rushed trials and bribed FDA officials; he didn’t care much for the details. He had the location and the name of the man who was attempting to sell the information to a rival company. \n\nJensen left his hot apartment, not bothering to lock the door behind him. The building was six blocks away, towering above all the structures around it. Jensen had been inside it before, which helped put his mind at ease. At least he knew the layout. \n\nHe entered through the front door, approaching the desk with an air of confidence. He had no disguise, no forged security badges or apparent reason for being there, so he would have to make it up on the fly. After all, per his instructions, he had less than an hour to retrieve the drive before a buyer would arrive. And if the drive made it into the wrong hands, well—Jensen would probably be out of a job, at the very least. \n\nThree security guards sat at the front desk. One leaned back in his chair watching a baseball game on the screen that was meant to be displaying camera feeds. Another argued with a woman about an incident in the parking garage. The third—a tall, round man—stared at Jensen as he approached, tapping a pen against a pad on the desk. \n\n“Can I help you?” The guard asked. \n\nJensen learned three things about him as he approached the desk. One, his name was Sam. Two, judging by the golden nameplate he wore in contrast to his companion’s plastic white ones, he was in charge. And thirdly, he was at the end of his shift. The way he tapped his pen anxiously combined with the constant glances at the large ornate clock opposite the desk—the man wanted nothing more than to finish the last five minutes of his shift and go home. \n\n“Hey, Sam,” Jensen said, putting on an exasperated tone. “We met earlier, I had a meeting with John on forty-seven—”\n\nSam furrowed his brow, searching his memory for any sign of Jensen—who only hoped there was someone on the forty-seventh floor by the name of John. Chances were good, at least. Still, Jensen knew the best way to avoid detection was to work fast. \n\n“Anyway, I know it’s late—you know how traffic is this time of day—but I left my wallet up in his office. You think I could just head on up and—”\n\n“I really can’t have you just running up there alone,” he said. \n\n“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Well, I know John said he was going to a ballgame today after our meeting—if you could just call him real quick, hopefully it won’t take too long to get an answer.”\n\nSam glanced at the clock and rolled his eyes. \n\nBingo.\n\n“Alright, make it fast,” Sam said, waving him by. \n\nJensen headed for the elevators. He stopped on floor forty-seven, then took the stairs up to floor fifty. When he exited the stairwell, he saw another guard making his rounds—so, being the expert in espionage that he was, he leapt behind a large plastic fern in the corner of the room. The guard passed by, none the wiser. \n\nJensen made his way down the hall and stopped at an office on the corner, where he saw his target pacing the room nervously. If not for the budget cuts, he would have knocked the man out with a dart from his watch or a quick shot with his cell-phone taser. Unfortunately, all of those items were on back order. So he grabbed a mop from a nearby janitorial closet and rushed into the room. \n\nThe man looked at Jensen with both confusion and fear. “Who—what the hell are you doing?” he stuttered. \n\nJensen pretended he hadn’t heard him, slinging the dry mop across the carpeted floor. The man stepped closer, demanding an answer, and Jensen kept his head low while facing away. As long as the man didn’t see his face, all was well. \n\nWhen the man got close enough, Jensen swung the mop handle and knocked him to the floor. He wasn’t unconscious—not really—but he was dazed enough for Jensen to give him a quick pat-down, locate the flash drive, and disappear down the hall. \n\nHe made it back downstairs, waving to Sam as he passed through the lobby. A quick detour on his way to his apartment brought him by the drop point: an ‘out of operation’ mailbox that had a rusted hole in the side just large enough to drop the drive through. He slid it in and congratulated himself on a job well done. \n\nAs he entered his apartment, though, he wondered: was it the fiftieth floor, or the sixtieth he was supposed to find his target?\n\nr/Ford9863" ]	3
	[WP] "it was not a great plan, but it was not a bad plan either. it was a pretty good plan, but i simply must ask, did you really need to set the place on fire on your way out?"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Things can't be perfect.\" I say back. the cops were chasing us down the street. \"we aren't out of this yet! complain about the fire later!\" I turn back to see the wooden spire fall. maybe it wasn't the best idea to burn down the most iconic church in France just to get the security guards off of my back. the death penalty wasn't something I wanted to deal with, so I wasn't going to stick around for much longer. \"you got the crate? I better of not burned down the cathedral for nothing!\"\n\n\"Of course!\" dan shouted. we stole a sculpture from the second floor, figuring the money I could get for it could be more than enough to get my brother and I out of debt, we snagged it and dashed for the door. I tossed it down to Dave who was sitting in one of the seats on the main floor, who bolted. I saw 2 guards go after him, then I heard 4 gunshots.\n\nseeing that people were trying to shoot at him, i went to plan b. I pulled out my pistol and diverted fire from the security guards. I then went up the stairs to the attic and got out my match, then I struck the match against one of the poles holding the roof up and set it down next to the pole. I raced down the stairs and bolted from the door before I hear the people screaming. I see the car, wave at him, and he pulled over and had me jump in the back, load the rifle, and sit down.\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\"what now?!\" we have 2 helicopters after us, not to mention the wave fo police cars behind us.\n\n\"Why do you think I brought the rifle?!\" he shouted back. I nodded. I picked it up and fired at the helicopters, aiming at the glass. my clip runs out of ammo and I see 2 bodies fall from one of the helicopters. the helicopter then crashes at on the road. \"nice shot!\" I hear him say, I never killed a man in my life. the fact that I ever did in my life would be something I would regret till the day I die.\n\nThe second helicopter pulled back. all I saw were 2 more police cars. both of which had their brights on and were firing shots at us. one cracks the back window, another cracks the left mirror. I snap out of my daze and reload and fire blindly at the blinding lights in the night. I empty the clip, reload, fire. I empty, reload, fire; empty, reload, fire; empty, reload, fire. finally, on my last clip, last bullets fired, pulled out my pistol, then the cars finally pulled back and retreated. a sigh of relief came from the both of us\n\nI turn around to see dan motioning me to come to the front. he hands me his phone and I see the headlines, \"INCENDIE À LA CATHÉDRALE. CAUSES INCONNUES\"\n\n\"I don't know French.\" I tell him.\n\n\"its basically says nobody knows that it was a robbery and nobody knows what caused it.\"\n\n\"Except for the cops.\"\n\n\"the cops crashed into each other, both are dead\"\n\n\"but the other 50?\"\n\n\"that part isn't important. no camera saw us, so we are good for now\" dan turned to me and read the expression of shame on my face. he told me, \"kid, I know this your first deal, but you knew before this that something always gets stolen or destroyed or killed during these kinds of things. its impossible to break a law without breaking something while you are doing it.\" we went into the private airfield and we got the crate out of the car. he handed me a can of fuel and a match, I knew what to do. I set it on fire, and I loaded the sculpture onto the plane. I finally sat down after half an hour work. \"you did good kid. there is a bed in the back\" I hear from the cockpit.\n\n\"Thanks\"\n\nI stumble into the room, and after the last sleepless 20 hours of planning, burning, gunfire, and a chase. I crashed onto the bed and blacked out." ]	2
	[WP] You are a major player in a drug war, your name is well known amongst criminals and the cops, one day you witness a shootout between the police and some thugs, a wounded cop falls before you asking for help. Turns out he is the chief of police who has hunted you for years.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Can I get 2 packs of swishers?” I say to the cashier at 7/11. Long day, I might go home and smoke a fatty. I check out and leave the store.\n\nI check my watch. 7:00 P.M. \nI hear sirens in the distance but I don’t really think about it to be honest, it happens all the time down here.\n\n“WATCH OUT” I hear, a police officer tackles me down to get me out of the way so I don’t get shot, but he’s shot in the process.\n\nOh. My. God. I know him, he has a bounty on my head.\n\n“I’ve been h- hit.” The pi- cop says.\nI’m alone today, my homeboys are all busy.\n\n“GET DOWN ON THE FUCKING GROUND!” All of a sudden I’m fucking on the floor with what seems like a swarm of cops. I try to fight but I’m in immense pain and bloods rushing to my head. \n\nIs this a setup? I think to myself.\n\nThe cops handcuff me and read me my Miranda rights.\n\nDamn. I’ve been setup." ]	2
	[WP] Zombie Apocalypse, centered around a person who is hailed as the cure due to surviving a bite. Treated almost like Jesus' second coming. When in fact it's just a detailed tattoo, gotten in an earlier time of zombie movies adding to their survivability.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This was the day my parents had been waiting for. Mama and pops crowded around the old tube we managed to earn in a junk raffle. The TV was playing a clip from a few days ago, when The Bitten One was brought to the community a few miles north: Brandontown. I watched with my family as they carried out a man on a stretcher behind a protection fence. The bite that lighted itself upon his shoulder was in plain view for everyone to see. Legend was, he bore that bite weeks ago, and still lives to this day.\n\nWhen I was a kid, I always knew that if you were cursed by a zed, you passed out within minutes, and turned before midnight struck. Of the few things I remember from my childhood, that is probably the most prominent. It was beaten into me as we ran from house to house, across streets, and along riverbeds. My papi seemed to hate the outside, always encouraging us to pick up the pace, to go faster than a slow walk. My mama always lagged behind, sobbing, sleeping, or limping. At some point when my teeth were falling out we stopped the running. From then on, zeds were common sights through a protection fence.\n\nSnapping back to the present, I caught some words as the volume was turned up on the tube.\n\n“...will be coming to Base one today for a brief parade.”\n\nMy parents cheered with excitement. Even I knew the importance of a bite survivor. The ability to not turn means that some smart scientists can create a shot, or maybe even a cure for the curse! The cure couldn’t come soon enough. It didn’t come soon enough for uncle Ricardo, nor little Angie, his two year old daughter.\n\n“Come, Lucy.” Mama told me “We must go to the checkpoint. The Bitten One will be passing through on his way to our hospital.”\n\nI didn’t like to go outside, but this time it was worth it.\n\nA few minutes later, we stood in the blood and urine smell of checkpoint Faraday. We groped at the fence and tried to catch a view of the party past the zeds. They chattered and clamored in a way mimicking the crowd, but with more bloodlust in their eyes. The arrival of the bitten one was announced with the cracks of a rifle. The zombies closest to the doors spurted blood and fell, slumping to the ground. A stray bullet struck the fence just to the left of the last zed, and sparked as it ricocheted through the chain link and barbed wire between us and the outside. The following bullet corrected the mistake made by the first. At last we caught a view of him. The crowd cheered as he was brought up and through the winding checkpoint in his stretcher. Eventually he disappeared into a medical tent.\n\n-Two weeks later-\n\nPapi was called in to the hospital again. His cough was getting real bad, and he couldn’t eat dinner yesterday. Mama had me come with him to his room. The doctor came in and papi asked us to leave. I did, glad to get out of the dark room, but my mom stayed. I waited a few minutes, playing my counting game, and eventually got bored. I started wandering the hall, seeing how fast I could go between the long walls and how many times I could touch the side walls. I just beat my record when I heard a weak voice.\n\n“Excuse me, kid”\n\nI spun around.\n\n“Where am I?” The voice asked, evidently belonging to an old man in a light blue apron and nothing else. He was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t tell why.\n\n“You’re in the medical ward, near my dad’s room.” I responded. I noticed a little red splotch on his shoulder. “What’s that?” I asked, gesturing to it.\n\n“Oh that, that’s an old tattoo from pre-apocalypse times.”\n\n“What is it supposed to be?” I had seen a tattoo before, but they were always black or grey, never red.\n\n“Well, ironically, it’s a zombie bite. I was a bit of a geek growing up and I thought it might be cool.”\n\nThat’s when it clicked. That was how I recognized him. He was the bitten one. Except, if his bite was a tattoo, then that means he never really was bitten. Which means, there is no cure. These thoughts all flooded to me as I started struggling to breathe. We were truly doomed." ]	2
	[WP] "Silent treatment" had just been added into the available options of punishment for crimes	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The street light at the corner flickered and made the shadows dance. I continued to drag my feet along knowing that what I had done was wrong, but the task was complete so there was no turning back. The clock tower struck midnight and I picked up the pace. My stomach churning; the last mortal I ate crawling its way up my throat I was sure I would vomit any second. The red door shined like a beacon showing me the way home. I quickly turned the door knob, slammed the door shut and sunk to the floor. Shaking why couldn't I stop shaking! My husband was standing in the hallway, his eyes reddened with anger and sunken with guilt. \"What did you do?\" Those were the last words he would ever say to me. He had seen what I had stolen and had sentenced me to death by Silent Treatment. I will never hear him tell me he how much he loves me but he doesn't know I did it for him. I only wanted to be able to give him what he loves; I stole the Krabby Patty formula for him." ]	2
	[WP] Your parents always told you never to whistle at night, as you may hear a whistle back from someone you can't see. Tonight, it happened.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Never whistle at night, or someone you can't see might whistle back!\" I took a deep breath, remembering all the time I spent with my parents, the time when I was naive and childish. Good times. Now I'm a depressed sack of mess, how life changes.\n\nI took a deep look at the night sky, a piece of paper drifts by me. \"Jobless? Apply for a job now! Hiring now!\" \"What a joke, my mind sure has changed since I was 10 huh?\"\n\nI close my eyes and slowly whistled a cold, icy tune. Remembering the myth my parents used to tell me I chuckle, then I heard it. A faint whistle coming from inside the house, I slowly turn around and leave the front porch. As I opened the door, I hear the faint whistle again. Strangely I didn't feel scared, the whistle was faint but warm, a comforting sound. I went inside the house and whistled a tune as if asking \"Where are you\". I thought the whole situation was ridiculous but I still kept whistling, and each time I whistled a I could hear a faint response, usually warm and childish.\n\nI decided to lie down on the floor and whistle the night out. My depressing and cold whispers, slowly turned to a more cheerful and bright whisper, I slowly fell into a deep sleep. I woke up and slowly recall what happened last night. \"What the fuck happened?\" As I tried to process what happened, a piece of paper drifts by, \" Job application huh? Guess it wouldn't hurt to try. I'm sure 10 year old me would've wanted me to.\"", "Whistling is my enjoyment. My art form. My escape from the mundane dreary world. My parents tried to get me to stop so many times. The last thing they tried:\n\n>Never to whistle at night, you may hear a whistle back from someone you can't see.\n\nIt's finally happened. But it's beautiful. It harmonizes with me perfectly. I stop an keep whistling. It's too glorious to end.\n\nThen a second line is added, the music becomes even better. A third line, a fourth, a fifth! All perfectly in harmony, all exactly in time, finally we come to the end of the song. I am despondent, how can I ever reach this pinnacle again.\n\n\"Hello, Bill.\" It's Walter, one of my best friends.\n\n\"Walter? Was that you?\"\n\n\"Yes, Bill. And others you know.\" He gestures, and others step forward out of the shadows. They're all friends.\n\n\"Why didn't you tell me!\"\n\n\"We had to wait. Wait until we could see if you were brave enough to keep whistling.\"\n\n\"Brave enough?\"\n\n\"Yes. When the dead are restless, we provide the music that soothes them. It's why people used to always whistle past graveyards. They didn't realize it, but the dead appreciate music too.\n\nBut if you stop, the dead become restless. It may take centuries, but enough disturbance can wake them up.\n\nWe travel around the world, performing near graveyards, trying to soothe them back to sleep.\n\nWe want you to join us. Will you join us?\"\n\nLike they even have to ask. \"For glorious music like that? Of course!\"\n\n\"Then take our hands.\"\n\nWe are The Undead Chorus. Our music saves the world. We travel from one country to the next. Most of the time we get there before they start to rise. Sometimes we get there a bit late. When that happens, we don our armor and wade in whistling. It's difficult, but we stay together, and those closest to us start whistling along. Soon the entire graveyard is going back to sleep.\n\nWe always spread the word that whistling for the dead is a gift, to them, and to the world. We are roundly hated by parents and teachers, but the tide is changing." ]	3
	[WP] Hire a human, they will do it the craziest way possible. And it always works... Somehow...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As he entered the chambers of the archmage, her protege wracked his brain attempting to come up with a way of explaining just how we will be explain to explain the situation to his superior.\n\nAs soon as the regal woman spotted him, he knew this was not going to end well. \n\n\"Ma'am, I have received correspondence from the human we had hired.\"\n\n\"I assume the human had fulfilled their contact?\" the archmage asked, raising a brow at the man who had just entered her sight.\n\n\"To the letter ma'am... Aside from one small caveat. It appears they had... Broken, the mana-core.\"\n\nAn awkward silence hung in the air after that, the archmage's expression slowly faltering as she tried to process exactly what she had just been told. She seemed to flick through several varied emotions, before finally settling on one he knew very well. \n\nRage.\n\n\"What do you mean they broke the mana-core!? We had only lent them it for a week!\" the elven archmage roared at her underling, who was desperately to make himself appear as small as possible.\n\n\"T-They... They broke it, ma'am. But it was taken care of, they had acquired another beforehand.\"\n\n\"Another!? But there is only a single mana-core in existence!!!\"\n\n\"Y-Yes well... This thing is m'am, they duplicated it. Before experimenting upon and subsequently breaking the device, they had used it travel backwards in time and retrieve the mana-core from their past self, giving them a spare mana-core.\"\n\nThe archmage seemed utterly dumbfounded. She knew humans had unconventional ways of approaching problems, but this was beyond insanity. The mage-core was an object that granted it's wielder exceptional power. Enough to assassinate a monarch, as was detailed in the contact the human was hired to fulfil. \n\nSlowing time, hastening it, all within the mana-core's reach but reversing the flow of time? That was unheard of. Unthinkable, even. And the human accomplished this purely so that they had a second mage-core to experiment with. \n\nA mage-core that they also somehow broke.\n\nShe was aware of the reputation humans had. Give them something to accomplish and they would not only do so, but do so in a way you never even though possible. Half the time because they just didn't know it wasn't.\n\nAs the archmage sat back in her chair to massage her temples. This was just too much... \"...And did they happen to return the mage-core?\" she asked.\n\n\"T-They said they would when they were safe, along with proof of t-\"\n\nPOP\n\nThe human had just appeared within her chambers. \n\nHer chambers that she had placed countless hexes and counterspells upon to prevent exactly this. \n\nThe two elves just stared at the human assassin, a rather smug grin firmly embossed on their bloodstained face. In one hand held the mage-core, a large sphere of glass within which a maelstrom of colours danced and whirled around. Unbridled power locked within. In the other, a bag that dripped a crimson fluid.\n\n\"Greetings! Job's done, King's dead. I've come to renegotiate the reward offered. You can keep your gold, I'd very much like to keep this mage-core. Really handy thing, y'know? Let me just poof into the king's throne room and behead him in front of everyone!\"\n\n\"...Your reward will not be the mage-core, the very act of me letting you keep such an item is-\"\n\n\"Sorry, should've clarified that it wasn't a request. Bye!\"\n\nAnd with another POP, the human left. Leaving behind the bag, spilling open to reveal it's gristly contents. The head of the late monarch spilled out onto the once pristine floors.\n\nThe archmage turned to her assistant, her the colour drained from her face and her eyes wide with fear.\n\n\"...What have we done?\"" ]	2
	[WP] You are the finest warrior in the land. When barbarians invade, you choose not to defend the capital but a small village in the thick of it. Your home town. Tell us the story of your last stand.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "No glory can be found here. No stories where the champion rises to topple an empire; no rallying last stand of champions who have loved and lost. Those are dreams, and nothing more. \n\nThe boy walked through the molten-golden grain. The weight of the rusted sickle forced him into a lurch. Sweat ran down his dirt-stained brow and across the cracks on his lips, into his eyes and down his forearms in heavy beads that dripped like rain. \n\nHe reached the tack shed. The sickle clattered to the ground. As the boy sat against the shaded wood for respite, a crow flew overhead. The black beast cawed—both a warning and a cry of elation, but the boy understood neither.\n\nTwelve more crows arrived. \n\nThe horizon started with black dots, few at first, then more—the harbinger of murder. The boy still did not understand, not even as his father arrived with a clenched fist and heavy brow. \n\n“Father, why so many crows?”\n\n“Calm now, Ezrael. Back to the village with you,” Caius said.\n\n“The threshing—”\n\n“Will wait until tomorrow. Go! Back to the village. Run! Now—as fast as you can—and don’t look back.”\n\n“Father!”\n\n“I won’t ask again.”\n\nEzrael sighed, starting back down the path. He didn’t look back; he didn’t understand. It was better this way. \n\nCaius reached for the sickle lying prone in the grass. He curled his wrinkled hands around the familiar iron. Year in and year out, the sickle cut through the harvest with no emotion—only duty. Was it duty—that Caius die defending his fields? Was this his legacy? \n\n“I can protect you.”\n\nCaius knew the voice that echoed around his head. He hated it. More than anything he had spent his life trying to rid himself of it, only to find it creeping into his thoughts with a whisper. \n\n“I don’t need you anymore,” Caius said aloud. \n\n“Your king needs me.”\n\n“I won’t let you back inside!”\n\n“Your family needs me.”\n\nCaius gritted his teeth. He started towards the edge of the field, rotating the sickle slowly with each thought. The crows circled overhead. Beyond the gentle rustle of wind through grain sounded the hoofbeats of ten horses, then one hundred more, scoundrels and raiders all. \n\n“Your son needs me.”\n\n“You can’t control yourself,” Caius said. \n\n“Mercy is a poison. Hesitation is caustic.”\n\n“I’d rather die than set you free!”\n\n“Freedom is an illusion.”\n\nCaius reached the edge of the grain and stepped into the forest underbrush. The woods held an eerie silence like a breath. The crows watched but passed no judgment. Every man lives. Every man dies. All men are the same when picked apart by crows. \n\n“I can save you,” it whispered. \n\n“I made a promise. A promise!”\n\n“I can save everyone.”\n\nCaius quivered, cursing. He fell to his knees. “Don’t let them hurt my family.” \n\nHe closed his eyes. They opened black as the night. \n\nThe crows circled. \n\nThe raiders approached. \n\nCaius barely heard their screaming.", "The alarms were sounded. The army was supposed to be out to combat. Either they'd been defeated, or they'd been avoided.\n\nIn either case, there was no escape. With the enemy at the gates, there was no escaping the city. I grabbed my sword, my hammer, and stuffed a knife in my boot. There was panic in the streets as I entered the city square. While others ran to the castle for safety, I walked to the bridge. It was the only way to enter the city proper from the outer reaches of the towns. It functioned as a moat, and for me, it would be a funnel.\n\nI arrived at the bridge before the barbarians. There were people still escaping. Mothers, children, farmers and peasants all. I had once earned my keep from these good folk. They had revered me at a time. I grabbed the banner of our kingdom and placed it under my armor. It was a striking banner. A solid blue background, with a kite shield in red, emblazoned by a white lion's head. Bearing my hammer in my hands, I watched the barbarians approach the bridge. They could not swim, if my experience had still been true. They were born on and died on mountains. Their only experiences with water would be the rain.\n\nThe moat was as wide as a river, but the bridge could only fit a single carriage of people. They rushed like madmen. Tearing their way through the town on the outskirts of the village. I watched them slaughter people, but I knew that if I left the bridge the city would be all but lost.\n\nThe first barbarian approached the bridge with fervor. He swung his sword like a drunk, and was promptly killed when my hammer collided with his face. There was no scream, no cry of pain. His nose was crushed into his brain, and killed him instantly.\n\nThe second was more tactical, but too defensive. He attacked only once before being put on the defensive. He missed one block, my hammer shattered his arm. Before he could scream, his head was pulverized.\n\nThe third and forth attacked together. They seemed to be partners, brothers perhaps. They attacked in unison, only letting up so the other could get a few strikes in. I tripped one and pushed him over the edge of the bridge. I struck the other with the handle of my hammer, knocking the wind out of him. As he doubled over I hit him in the back of his head. Another critical kill. He couldn't even twitch before his body was completely shut down.\n\nI was ambushed by the fifth, as I had had to turn around to fight the pair before him. He jumped on my back and attempted to shove a dagger in my throat. He stabbed my hand as I blocked the killing blow, and threw him off the side of the bridge.\n\nI took the dagger from my hand and hurled it at the sixth. It was bleeding, but I couldn't feel it anymore. Nor could I seem to grip with it. Looks like I'm only gripping with my left hand. My weak hand. Irritating, but not impossible.\n\nAs the sixth barbarian reeled in pain from the dagger I'd just heaved into his eye, the seventh and eighth charged me. They were less coordinated than the pair who came before them. It was a simple matter to disarm one and kill the other.\n\nThe sixth was again charging me, but he didn't seem used to fighting with one eye, as he ran straight into my fist. It hurt me almost as much as him, but I could deal with it better. The one I had disarmed tried to take advantage of what he must have thought was an opening, and ended up either dead or paralyzed from taking a hammer to the back.\n\nIn any case, he wouldn't be opposing me any more.\n\nThere were still so many. This time three came at once. I could feel my age. I was rather spry, but I was nowhere near where I used to be. I shoved the handle of the hammer into one barbarian's mouth, pushing it with my damaged right hand while I reached for my sword with the one that still worked. I beheaded the other two in a flash, but the one currently choking on my hammer grabbed my foot and tripped me.\n\nLuckily he was slow. I may have dropped the hammer, but I was able to get up before the next three approached at once. Now facing four opponents, they took up the width of the bridge. The sword I wielded was relatively short, so I couldn't afford to let them surround me. I grabbed the hammer as quickly as I could. Now I had further reach than them.\n\nI waited for one of them to attack, a risky move seeing as they had even more reinforcements coming. As I parried one, the others took their opportunity. I grabbed one and used his body as a shield to block an incoming axe. His ally screamed in agony when he realized what I'd done. His attacks became wild and unsafe. I punished him easily by striking his throat and having him suffocate on his own Adam's apple. There were still more coming.\n\nThe battle was a dance of steel and passion. The barbarians were struggling to get footing on the corpses of their allies, and I amassed a slight advantage. I could get my footing properly while my enemies were fighting on difficult terrain.\n\nI kept fighting, kept attacking. Twenty, then thirty. I lost count how many of them came. The river below us ran red from the blood dripping under the bridge. The bridge was sturdy. It had survived a hundred years before, and it would survive a hundred years more. Forty men slaughtered on the bridge. My age was catching up with me. My attacks were becoming slower, more lethargic. I threw the hammer over the edge as the next group approached. I would only use my sword now. My open hand would be for grappling, but only as far as my forearm and elbow. I could not grip a shield, though I would have liked to.\n\nThe fire in my soul was beginning to dim until I heard a call. The army had returned! I fought with renewed vigor. I was the sole defender of the bridge, I needed only to hold my enemies off until they could be surrounded. I continued my fight. My swings became weaker and weaker. I could not see my allies. The moment I did, I saw the end of the barbarians.\n\nUnfortunately, the second I was distracted, I was defeated. A barbarian had slipped their sword into my belly, under my armor. I watched his face turn from anger to pleasure, surely now he would be honored! I dropped my sword, and reached for the dagger in my boot. He was so obsessed with my face, and watching me die, he could hardly have expected the dagger in his neck as I embraced him.\n\nI slashed at the ankles of barbarians fleeing across the bridge to escape the army, but my time was up. I was in an incredible amount of pain. My muscles were sore, my hand was hurting, my gut was cut open. I had a pounding headache from the intense focus I'd needed for so many opponents. I moved to stand. I was bleeding even more than before, but I would not allow the banner of my kingdom to be trampled upon by these men who acted like beasts.\n\nUsing the side of the bridge, I stood. I took the banner from my back, and impaled it on one of the many corpses on the bridge.\n\nBefore it all faded to black, and I was no more.", " \n\n There was nowhere to run, not for the children, the women, even the men on horseback. Anyone caught on the open plains would be cut down like grass. He knew the choke points, how they would be set up, and how they would be manned. Thick with men in leather armor, able to move quick to pursue and react fast to any roadside resistance. The armor would be freshly tanned for the duty. Invading commanders always wanted the public 'face' of the army to look good. It implied the army was better funded than it was and not a bunch of half-starved farm boys on a force march. He sighed as he lit the pitch he laid around the river point. 35 men maybe? Pity they wouldn't be good fighters, but they'd be educated, perhaps some would be distant relatives of a few nobles. Vincent smiled at the thought. He'd no time to listen to their choked screams, not today. He filled the skies with smoke and death on his way back to Listin. \t\n\nAs he approached the unwalled village a girl of maybe nine with a long stick pressed in the dirt behind her and protruding up like a flagpole without a flag smiled sweetly at him. He was overcome by anger. “Damn it, Cynthia! I can see the spear tip from 30 yards. It doesn't do us any good to have you out here if the horseman stop instead of plow through! Where's the cloak your Mom made you, I told you to wear it?” \n\n&#x200B;\n\n“It got dirty. I wanted to look nice.”\n\nHe bit his lip at the absurdity. “Go get the cloak and man your post again. Remember, you only need to push one horseman into the pit to have the rest panic and break the charge. You run like Hell after. They won't be organized enough to respond. They won't be sending seasoned troops here. Not yet.” The last words he said to himself. He'd killed close to 200 men this morning. If they were competent they'd be sending a skilled regiment by nightfall. He hoped to God they were idiots.\n\n“Archers!” He shouted vaguely into the village square. 14 children with slings appeared from seemly nowhere. “You been practicing, Geralt?”\n\n“Ya. All week at the river like you asked. Came in for supper when we saw the smoke.”\n\n“Good. Spread out like we practiced on the east side of the village. It's you we'll listen for to begin it all. Go on then.“ \t“Vincent?”\n\n“East is that way.” He brought his hands to his eyes. What he wouldn't give for his old unit right now. \t“\n\nSpearmen!” \tA group of 20 men came charging up in a cruel mockery of a marching formation. \t“That includes you ladies!” \tAnother marching unit shambled into place awkwardly pairing up, husbands and wives, childhood friends and brothers and sisters.\n\n“Listen up. The troops coming over the hill, they will be men and boys far from home. They don't want to kill you, they don't want to burn down your home, nor rape and kill your children. But, if they don't do those things, they will be impaled on a spear by their commander and if their lucky their families back home won't be murdered in the streets. They will try to kill you. But, there is a good chance that they will have found their courage in a bottle. They'll be slow, and they don't want to be here. They'll hesitate, you cannot. You do not have the luxury of mercy today. Strike and run. Stay with your partner and leave blood in your wake. You know this village, you know the land. They will have numbers, but in close quarters in wont mean anything. Stay close, listen to my commands and don't stay in one place. Pair up and disappear!”He waited until they were all dispersed, walked to the edge of the village and called “Pitchers!” Four men and two women in their 60's quietly mad their way to him. It didn't take long, they'd obviously been following him and waiting. “You know your duty. The hardest part will be to watch the fight, and watch those you love die. But, I promise you, I've done everything I could to ensure they'd die with a weapon in their hands and feet on the ground. If the tide changes and we are overpowered, kick the pitch and light it. It will flow down the hill and force them to run or die with us. Look for the flames on the hills. It won't make a difference unless three of the points are lit. All six will make sure they all die with us. Try not to get dead.”\n\nThey shuffled off. The guilt he felt was worse than he had for the children. He would rather charge the field alone than be with them. They knew what toll it would take on them. None of them had talked to him beyond agreeing to the task. He turned and looked at the village he grew up in. More than half that were born here ran away to the capital with dreams of being more, only to wind up little more than slaves. He knew the draw, he'd followed it himself. He still wasn't sure if being a soldier was better than having stayed in the village.They'd be looking for him tomorrow. The peasant general, the king's pet, or whatever nonsensical names they had for him, would not be allowed to abandon his post for long. It didn't matter in the long run. He'd laid out all the plans, and defenses for the country. It was completely hopeless. The invading army was enormous. They'd be overrun by a sea of ants before they invaders could even set up camp. Even the men he killed today would make no difference in the advance. The village was already surrounded. The capital would fall by midweek.He knew the only choice left was to decide where he wanted to die. So many here, who had only ever known exploitation and suffering, would be defended to the death by the country's most decorated general. A selfish death on his part perhaps. But today his was not a servant of the country, he was not their puppet or slave. He was free; he was a man, and a man's last thoughts should be of home.", "I stood at the entrance to my home town looking in. They had kept my home while I was off in foreign lands. It looked great. But it was so far away,\n\n“Sir, we are needed in the capital.” My second warned as he put his hand on my shoulder.\n\n“Second. I have a task.” I said solemnly, still probing my home with my eyes. Everyone was obviously at the center of town in the stone bunker, hoping to be passed over from the oncoming horde.\n\n“Sir?” Came the reply. Second was obviously confused.\n\n“Who are our two fastest runners in armor?”\n\n“Seventeen and Twenty-Six, sir.”\n\n“Call them to us.” I pulled off my helmet and placed it upon the fence post. Second turned and called out for Seventeen and Twenty-Six. Moments later, footsteps burdened by armor came up behind us.\n\n“Which of you would like to seek certain death to save your homeland?”\n\n“I would,” they replied in unison. I turned around to look upon them.\n\n“Very well, then. One will die and one will live. I apologize to both of you - one for their death and one for their grief.” I glanced between the pair, both being stoic and unemotional. “Seventeen. Move as fast as you can. Be a messenger to the barbarian leaders. Tell them that First of the Paladins will join them if their champion will beat me in combat, right here. I will fight as many as they dare bring.”\n\nSeventeen looked between my face and Seconds’ and then slowly backed up and turned towards the road. Starting to run, he grabbed a green flag from the courier, the messenger flag.\n\nTwenty-Six’s gaze followed his compatriots exit, then he turned back. “Twenty-Six, move as fast as you can. Be a messenger to the king. The other Paladins will follow in your wake to protect the Capitol. With luck, their finest will come here and there will be an easier defense.”\n\nTwenty-Six gasped. He turned slowly and started running up the road in the opposite direction.\n\n“Second? Take the Paladins. Up on my death, do not stand aside for the King’s whelp. Take your earned place as First.”\n\n“B-but, First! You cannot do this!”\n\n“Second. I am 62. I have spent forty years in the Paladins and my armor grows heavier by the day. I know how I can save this land and her people. I can ask it of no other.”\n\nSecond’s mind raged, the logic he heard assaulted the fortress of his emotions, finally finding a crack to wedge through. He grunted and slowly turned and went back to the assembled men and marched them towards the capitol.\n*\nA throng of barbarians marched up the hill towards me. They were obviously expecting a trap, but their honor could not be ignored. Behind the leaders, Seventeen was marched, his hands bound.\n\n“Seventeen. Free yourself and go to the capitol.” Seventeen immediately dropped his arms from the binding, then grabbed his sword, shield, and helmet from the shocked guardsman and walked toward the road. Several guards quickly moved to subdue him and he ran them through as he kept moving towards the road.\n\n“Let him be. I am the one you’re here for.”\n\nThe barbarian entourage turned and looked him over. His armor was laid out on the fence and he carried a sword.\n\n“Gut him.” Came the order from the leader.\n\nOf thirty men, 29 were still alive. They marched towards the small village with unnatural haste. They were ordered to recover the corpse of First and take it back to the King. Despite every person to a man who had heard the order believing it was a fools errand, the ruse had worked.\n\nA vicious battle has ensued, but the barbarians were decimated, their remaining forces in disarray. The army was rounding them up and the Paladins were to honor their leader one last time.\n\nThe Paladins marched up the hill to an astonishing sight. Barbarian corpses were everywhere. He saw a glint on the opposite side of the hill - it was firsts armor arrayed on the fencing.\n\nAs they approached the center of the hill, a wind picked up and the figure of a man coalesced out of light. “First,” chuckles the light in the voice of who was First, “ I have ascended. Tell the King that I apologize for breaking my pact.” The form shattered and the light vanished.\n\nSecond fell to his knees in sorrow. His friend, his mentor, was gone.", "Barbarians. Criminals. Brutes. Degenerates. Animals with human masks.* \nThere were many names that the people of this land called those that they didn't understand, but they never called them frightening. All of them liked to proudly puff up their chests and tap it twice with the back of their fist before declaring - 'Those miscreants frightening? How laughable! We have Derheawere the ripper!' \n\n\nRipper. That was the title that the people of this land gave me after the first time they watched me lead the charge to cleave through hundreds. Did they forget that before becoming a warrior that I was a scholar? Did they choose to ignore the legacy of knowledge I carved into numerous tomes for the masses to benefit from? \n\n\nTo be completely honest, this hardly surprised me. The people of this land had always been ruthless and cared not for books or the treasure of scholars. I was indifferent to the negligence of the citizens, but what brought great displeasure to me was their refusal to truly honor that which they valued. They always spoke about strength but when wars or battles came they always turned to me. \n\n\nI liked to tell others you have no right to be disappointed in others if you have never tried to accomplish the thing yourself. So try I did. \n\n\nI offered them lessons in the beauty of the blade and other weaponry but they would always look at my skills and say they could never hope to match one with natural talent. Natural? Nothing in this world came naturally, sure some people might have a headstart in certain areas but with enough effort, it was no matter to close that gap. \n\n\nThey simply didn't think they had to try. \n\n\nSo today they would learn. Today they would learn just how possible it was to close that gap. After all, those who were willing to learn from me would teach them. Those that these deplorable fools who couldn't even take out the time to try called less than themselves. \n\n\nToday they would learn the wrath of the barbarians. Today they would learn the wrath of my students. \n\n\nToday they would learn the value of trying." ]	6
	[WP] a cloaked and hooded warrior carrying nothing but a family sword and a satchel of rations arrives by row boat on a mysterious island. Through a thick fog he sees a enormous city made of an oily black stone. Dead silence and no one around he lights a torch and ventures into the city	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. 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Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I shoved off from the shore using my oar, \"No way I'm touching this accursed island city\" I told myself \"I'm probably close enough to get hexed either way\" I sighed. I looked back at the cloaked man standing for a moment as he brought out a torch and he selected a stone front the ground striking it with his sword producing sparks five times before the torch finally caught. \"That's enough you've been here long enough already, and he's clearly set on going in\" I told myself as I started my first couple pulls to get further away from the island.\n\nI wouldn't have come here, shouldn't have it fact, except that I was standing on the dock unloading my hard-won cache of sandskippers when footsteps approached from further up the dock. A cloaked figure brushed passed me saying in heavily accented Ygsailan \" Dénreth ul Hyral\" and simultaneously smashing a substantial sack of coins into my side causing me to nearly drop the net full of fish to hold it. He stepped deftly into the prow of the rowboat and stood there staring out at the island city of Dénreth.\n\nThe initial shock had me standing there for a moment taking stock of the situation: a small fortune in my hands, a mysterious cloaked figure in my boat with a sack of what looked like supplies in a bag flopped behind him and a sheathed sword propped up against that. I looked up and to the side, at the other two docks where two other fishermen Gervan and Lurad both stood looking at me their heads shaking. Clearly, this one had asked the other two and was denied, so rather than ask he threw a small fortune at me and got in before I could argue. Then it registered, he wanted passage to Dénreth as I turned to argue \"h-hey uh, I'm not going to that island. It's cursed and only evil comes from that place. I once knew a guy who went there and he never came back.\" The cloaked figured simply turned slightly and nodded almost imperceptibly and went back to staring at the island. I felt the weight of the bag of coins again, I looked down at it, at the figure and then the thatched roof of my home that jutted just over the palisade of the village where my wife would be preparing sandskipper and radish stew, again. \"I need this,\" I told myself as I took one tentative step towards my boat. I swallowed, the island in the distance seems to grow in size as I looked at it. Two more steps, the forgotten sack of fish left strewn on the dock as I continued to hesitatingly move toward my boat. \"But this is a lot of coins to be sure,\" I thought to myself as I realized I had grabbed both oars off the dock and was untying the boat. I stepped into the boat inserting the oars proceeding away from the dock with a shove of my foot and a prayer for my protection.", "My father’s sword lay heavy in my bag. It was a weapon that had seen many battles, reforged so many times the steel was not of its original cast. I do not doubt that as I stand here staring at the gloomy city that today will also be a battle. The murky water hides one truth, even as we all gather before the ferry. Today will be the last day for some and the first day for others. We have all gathered to battle this city, to challenge a beast that defined centuries. Some brought great weapons, others only their whit. I do not doubt that some of these people will fall before the city and the relentless sea of thralls it contains. For my humble part I will swing my sword and cut through hundreds... “hey Joe. Tuna sandwich today?” I shrugged taking my pen from my pocket. The judge wanted their briefs notated by 11 am for the first case. I had a busy day ahead.", "He walks slow passed the entrance of the city. Looking around, noticing the eerie silence, he steps with purpose. Every footfall deliberate, every turn precise. He senses a stillness in the air but cannot place it.\n\nThe store fronts are boarded up. The doors shut, with a marking on them. Not an ex. Not a cross. But some symbol he hasn't become acquainted with. \n\nSome of the doors are sealed with an oily tar. Others are shut. The oily residue seems to have coated every building. The streets are clean as if they haven't been walked for sometime, if ever. What happened here?, he thinks. What caused an entire city to become abandoned?\n\n He turns down the center of the town and sees what appears to be the main house of warship. The doors are heavy and shut, but swing open ever so slightly. This is odd. He cannot help but get pulled into what he senses is the the only building where he can enter.\n\nHe walks through the threshold and hears an unintelligible sound. Something hits his forehead, startling him, he jumps. It's water trickling from the scaffolding above. Through the vestibule, into the center of a grand hall, he sees a table. He continues to walk towards the table recognizing it as an alter marked with the same symbol that marks the towns entry ways. A few more drops of water hit him. It must've rained recently on the windward side of the island.\n\nHe walks downstairs to the catacombs and notices that the burial sites have been unearthed and uncovered. Any remains have been taken. Glyphs and markings cover the walls. Scenes of worship, scenes of work. Scenes of enslavement. Scenes of punishments and pain. Of death.\n\nA sudden clangor from above brings him back to his senses. \n\nHe runs back to the main level of the house of worship and looks around, sword drawn. The sound deafening. He sees nothing. A steady stream of a liquid hits his forehead and rushes down his cheeks to the bottom of his chin. He raises his torch to the sky. He sees the bodies of what look like goats, hundreds of them, flayed, and hung upside down from the rafters. He wipes the liquid from his face. It isn't blood. It's saliva. \n\nHe's is filled with terror. The goats begin to shake and wheeze and cough. Saliva and blood begin to rain from the ceiling. He drops his sword and sprints for the doors. He is drenched in the sticky mixtures as he runs out of the house of warship. In panic he drops the torch and continues in any direction but back.\n\nThe howls and screams of wild animals engulf the city from all sides. The warrior is paralyzed with fear and manages to slip into an alleyway. Ambient footsteps, galloping hoofs, deep breathes, coming from all directions compels him to leap out of the alley and run.\n\nBy luck he turns the corner and finds himself on the thoroughfare leading to the entrance of the city.\n\nOut of breath he reaches the beach head where he had tied up his boat. Or did he? Running up and down the shore he is panic stricken. Where is his boat? It has to be here! The noises getting ever closer to the edge of the walled city.\n\nThe warrior screams out in panic. \"Help! Help!! Help!!!\"\n\nThe clangor of cacophonous noises crescendo driving the warrior to the brink of sanity.\n\nDead silence.\n\nThe howls and screams subside.\n\nA voice out of the dark answers: \"It's gone.\"\n\nThe warrior responds: \"What?\"\n\n\"It's gone.\" says the voice. \n\n\"And you are here. \n\nForever.\n\nWelcome to Hell.\"\n\nThe entire city lights up in an inferno. \n\nThe fire slows begins to eat away the beach.\n\nHappy Easter.", "I don’t know why I was surprised when the fog came in, but it was so thick, I could hardly breathe, let alone row. I knew this was coming, but I guess I just dreaded it. The leather bag filled with food, most of what I had left, lay at my feet. Before I could turn around and see that cursed city, I felt it. Felt it watching me from every angle, just out of sight. A small spark of panic ignited in my chest, flaring up until I had to turn around. As I turned my head, the fog seemed to part, and the oily, tar-like stone of the city awaited me. As I slowly approached the shore, the sounds of the inky sea, the sea I had known for so long, faded, and were replaced by a dull, all-consuming silence. Again, I wondered why I was doing this. Why was I coming here again? It was bad enough without my waking body in danger, so why was I here? I sighed and slid up against the jagged shore, slinging the pouch over my shoulder and picking up the blade. My footfalls, while on solid stone, made no noise. Nothing did, not here. Cut into the rock, a crude path wound up the island. As I stepped onto the rocks, I felt as if the blackness was sweeping into me, into my very soul. Still, the eyes of the city watched me, stalking it’s prey no doubt. My cloak, stained a deep red, billowed behind me. As I climbed the path, it seemed to grow longer and longer, just like before. I averted my eyes from the path, and began walking once more. Now, the road seemed far shorter, and I arrived in that god-forsaken city quite soon, for better or worse. A spire of inky darkness rose to my right, courted in what looked like veins. I passed many buildings, some of which simply impossible. I made sure to never look down at the roads. One could easily get lost in that place if they ever looked down. All the while, I could feel the countless eyes on my back, following my every move. Even at this, I refused to look. Slowly, the texture of the road changed, becoming fleshy, then sticky, but I didn’t look down. Too soon, I arrived at the place I had been dreading. The cemetery awaited me ahead, and at it’s forefront, was the tomb of the forsaken. As I approached, the details became painfully clear. A single, closed eye lay at the centre, a handprint on the eyelid, just as I remembered. I shakily drew my long blade with one hand, while placing the other on the handprint. The moment I touched it, the eye slid open, followed by the doors. I knew I wasn’t ready for this, but I stared down into the abyss regardless. I drew a single, deep breath and, with a scream muted by the city around me, plunged into the depths.", "Rain hung in the air like puppets trapped and suspended on their strings, forced into an unwilling dance with the gray clouds. Nature could be a cruel puppet master, but Samuel Winters knew better. On this island, Nature was not the master, but the servant, her will being bent by a much stronger, much darker force. The thick fog licked at Samuel's skin like it was trying to distract him from his goal, but he kept one hand on the hilt of his sword, keeping his mind grounded. Get in, get out. That's your job. That's what his teacher had told him before he'd ventured into the ocean in nothing but a rowboat. The ocean knows you. It knows your history. It will guide you to the island.\n\nAnd sure enough, the ocean had done just that. Every night he checked the stars, made sure he was going the right way, and every time he did, the ocean had him on the right path. He'd hardly touched the paddles when his boat slid up against the sandy shore. Now, through the fog, he could hardly see the path he'd taken from the beach into the forest, let alone the ocean, but he could still hear the endless push and pull of the tides against the sand, but just barely. The further he walked, the softer the slosh of the ocean against the beach became until it faded entirely, and Samuel was surrounded by trees and fog. It was suffocating, the mist. It pulled at him, messed with his mind, made him see things that weren't truly there, but he kept his eyes down on the path, kept putting one foot in front of the other until a slight gleam made him raise his eyes.\n\nIn front of him, standing tall like a castle, was an enormous city. But what stole his breath away was that the city was made entirely of a slick, black stone. In the fog, it looked like some great monster, and that at any moment it would open its huge mouth and swallow him up, but his teacher had warned him about this.\n\nThe city will trick you, for it is as crafty as its masters. His teacher had said. Know that though its streets are empty, its buildings vacant, it is not dead. In fact, it is more than alive, but only when shadow is the only source of light. \n\nAt first, Samuel had thought his teacher crazy, for how could shadow be a source of light? But now, looking at the city, at the way the black stone gleamed with darkness, he thought he understood. Here, he would appear as the strange creature from another world, one where a sun shines bright and warms everything it touches, and to keep the shadows off him, he had to carry the very thing they feared. He unhooked the torch from his belt and lit it carefully, praying the mist wouldn't make the cloth too moist to light, and thankfully, the dim, yellow flame stirred and flickered to life. He held the torch aloft and entered the city.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nSamuel couldn't see the creatures, but he could feel their eyes on him. He could feel their presence. There must've been hundreds of them, all staring, all watching, waiting, but they were too afraid to confront him. He carried their opposite. If they stepped near him, they would be extinguished. If he let the torch go out, they would consume him. Samuel made his way up the empty streets, keeping a careful eye on his feet to make sure he didn't slip and fall. The ground was slick with water, perhaps from a recent storm, and he felt that if he were to fall, the shadows would surround him in an instant. A slow fear pulsed throughout his body as he thought of what would happen to him should he be caught.\n\nWhat would I become? He'd asked his teacher.\n\nHis teacher had grimaced. Nothing you could come back from.\n\nSamuel shook the memory from his mind and turned another corner, facing the center of the city. The Dark Iris is what it had been called. In the center was said to be the creatures' leader. Their creator. And Samuel was here to destroy it. \n\nDestroy the heart, kill the beast. That was his quest. Without their leader, the rest of the shadows will wither away into nothing.\n\nAs the light from Samuel's torch touched the center, the black mound reacted accordingly and pulsed. It moved up and down like it was breathing, and though a whirl of fear had spun through Samuel, he took a deep breath and continued forward, allowing more of his light to touch the beast. The mound continued to contort and writhe, but it was trapped within the fountain-like container with which it lived, unable to escape. Samuel placed one foot on the mound, the beast squishy yet firm under his feet, and he made sure he was balanced before he started to climb. At the top, he gazed down at the city. Streets branched off in all directions, and though he was sure the fog was playing tricks on him again, he thought he could see shadows flitting between the roads and gathering around the fountain, awaiting whatever was to come. \n\nWhy aren't they stopping me? He wondered, but recalled the torch he held in his hand. None of them could get close.\n\nCarefully, he removed his sword from its sheathe, the blade glowing a deadly orange in the light of the flame, and he raised it up. When he brought it down, stabbing the beast with all the strength and ferocity he had, nothing happened. The world was still. The shadows stood like statues below him. A gentle wind brushed by him, and with it came the scream. It was a horrible, shrill screeching that bit into his ears like knives, and when he could take it no longer, Samuel released the torch and used both hands to yank the sword from the beast's skin, but it was no use, it was stuck.\n\nRealizing his mistake, Samuel abandoned the sword and glanced after the torch, but it had already rolled down off the beast's back, and without the light to protect him, Samuel felt something come over him. He became like the rain, a puppet trapped in its own string, and he was flung off the beast, slamming painfully into the ground on the opposite side of his torch. He attempted to roll to the side, to alleviate some of the pain now singing in his back, but he couldn't move. He couldn't even scream.\n\nThough he couldn't see them, he could feel the creatures surrounding him, feel them latching onto him, trying to pull him under, and all at once he heard their voices.\n\nCreature of the light! Vile little rat! Send him down! Make him suffer! Expose him to the Darkness!\n\nThen, he heard one voice over all the rest.\n\nEnough!\n\nThe voices fell silent. Samuel shifted, gratefully finding he could move again. He pushed himself into a sitting position, but it didn't do much to alleviate the pain. In the center, something was seeping out of the mound where his sword was, something thick and dark, like smoke. It snaked down towards Samuel, coming up slowly and steadily, allowing him time to comprehend what it was. Pure, all-powerful shadow.\n\nI have a greater use for him. The voice whispered. We will make him one of ours.\n\nWhat will he be? What will he be? The creatures chanted.\n\nI will make him into a Being of Twilight.\n\nSamuel didn't even have time to register his terror. The shadow cloud reared upon him and surrounded him, enveloping him in darkness, until all he could see was nothing.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nSamuel awoke as something warm and wet slid against his feet. His head pounded, and when he sat up, he realized he was on a beach. The tide moved in again, but this time he moved before they could drench his legs again. To his right, his rowboat was sitting on the shore, dangerously close to being pulled into the ocean. Samuel rose and headed over to it, nearly falling back down as a wave of pain washed over him. He felt like he had been dragged through a field of thorn-bushes, yet when he looked at himself, he could see no external injuries.\n\nThere must've been a storm, and I was thrown from my boat. He concluded.\n\nPushing the boat towards the water, Samuel took one glance back at the island he had washed up on. Before him, an empty forest stretched for miles, drenched in a moon-soaked darkness. For a moment, he thought he remembered those woods, remembering something being in them, but the pain was too intense for him to think about it too long, so instead, he turned back to the ocean and pushed the boat further into the water.\n\nAs he climbed in, something hit the side of the boat, and he glanced down to see an empty sheathe hanging at his waist.", "In was early day when a woman covered in a black cloak docked her boat on the mysterious Island. She had nothing but a bag of rations and a delicately smithed rapier hooked on her belt.\n\nSoon after adventuring into the fog infested land, the dirt turned to a brick path. Only, the brick wasn't the usual red you'd expect. The brick was jet black, like the skyscrapers towering over the young female.\n\nShe hastened her steps as the buildings loomed into view, knowing her destination in her mind. The rapier at her side bouncing with every step.\n\nThe streets were eerily quiet, and the woman knew better then to wander at day. Despite this, she continued to walk until she reached the heart of the obsidian city.\n\nSoon, she reached a complex made from the same jet black brick as the path. She knocked her knuckles on a loose brick once, twice, three times, and a hidden door swung open.\n\nIt closed as she stepped inside, taking off her hood to reveal her pale skin and multiple red marks.\n\n\"I'm home\" she said, through fanged teeth.\n\nAnd it wouldn't be until dark that another set of footsteps would dare walk outside. For in the land of the night, sunlight burns." ]	7
	[WP] Many people died; not many survived. Those who did..... were changed. (In what sort of way?) Ohh, chuckles mirthlessly Many, many ways. We are superior now, that’s for sure. (Can you demonstrate this for us? )	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/horus-for-you, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Fill-in-the-blank: Responses must be at least 100 words. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bfri2f/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.", "Jórun Holtz, eighty seven years young, stood before the self pronounced God, whip in one hand, subtle claws extending from the other.\n\n\"How many?\" Jórun called across the bridge, \"How many did you kill?\"\n\nStonewall lingered on the far side of the raging rapids, in the near distance a towering inferno rose in great plumes for the sky. A facility, the sort designed to further mankind's knowledge of the universe, lay in ruined flames, a blackened sky emerging from the smoke.\n\n\"Not nearly enough.\" Stonewall chuckled, his heavy head lolling to the side, \"Do you not see it, Jórun? Only from the ashes may the Phoenix rise.\" as if by command a secondary explosion toppled the last standing tower block of the facility, \"Those that die, they simply weren't worthy. Those that survive...\"\n\n\"This is murder, madness.\" Jórun cracked his whip stepping out onto the bridge, Stonewall coming forth in like, \"The natural laws of man were not meant for meddling. Perfection, immortality, they are dangerous lines to cross.\"\n\n\"Oh, Jórun, you know nothing of danger.\" Stonewall extended an arm, fist converging to a solid spike. He thrust it for Jórun, the bridge shaking before his might, shards of loose rock hurtling through the space between these beings.\n\nJórun threw himself under the coming spike, wrapping his whip around it, coming out on top to run across Stonewall's arm.\n\nStonewall simply smiled, a face full of diamonds staring at the mortal man that dared oppose him. He raised his arm, a shadow over the fragile bridge upon which he stood, then brought it crashing down, splintering body and bridge alike.\n\nDust misted the battlefield, debris rained with spots of red down into the river, Stonewall had disappeared, and Jórun was drowning.\n\n\"Well don't just stand there.\" a feathered creature, with bright blue beak and flippers, slapped the carcass of what looked to be a lifeless machine. \n\nThe machine was but an orb, with an eye without light, a dull grey sphere of scavenged metal.\n\n\"Hurry up!\" the beak snapped, and suddenly the machine came alive. There was no light to mark its coming, just sound, the subtle hiss of air from jets that propelled the sphere skyward.\n\n\"Directives, Spritt?\" the sphere asked, its voice a garbled mix of old radio clippings.\n\n\"Seriously?\" Spritt pointed a stump to the river, \"Rescue Holtz, you dumb trash can!\"\n\n\"Trash can, well I never...\" the sphere hovered over the bridge, diving down for the water, a faint and barely visible scanner probing the rapids.\n\nSpritt watched as the sphere, B-3-N, struggled to keep itself afloat, muttering something about how machines don't get on all that well with water and seeing as Spritt was an amphibian by birth right then surely she should be diving down to rescue Holtz?\n\n\"I'd offer you a hand...\" Spritt shouted down, waving her stumps sarcastically at the trash can, \"...and it ain't as if my wings are up to flying.\" she sat back against the grassland, the tiny, useless wings upon her back flapping madly. \n\n\"Holtz?\" B-3-N called out, \"Holtz? Oh, this is damn near fruitless.\" B-3-N sighed, suspending motion for a moment to search through the stores of information in its data banks, \"This will do nicely.\" and if a sphere could smile, then B-3-N surely did.\n\n\"What's that gumball up to now?\" Spritt wondered, and wasn't she in for a nice surprise.\n\nB-3-N began emitting a message, short and sweet and constantly reeling, from out its inbuilt speakers, \"Marco?\" that one word, over and over, \"Marco? Marco? Marco?\"\n\n\"Jesus Christ.\" Spritt stared in dumbstruck horror at the machine's stupidity, \"You can't be serious?\"\n\n\"Marco?\" B-3-N called again, positive that this alone was the best method by which to locate Holtz, on account that its scanners had found nothing.\n\nThen, as if by some sheer miracle, a cry rose up in response, \"Polo!\" then the sound of water gargling in a throat, \"Polo!\"\n\n\"Found him.\" B-3-N said, somewhat smugly.\n\n\"That's great, well done you.\" Spritt clapped her stumps in mock applause, \"Now how about you go save him from drowning?\"\n\n\"Ah, yes, good idea.\" and with that B-3-N dove into the water, coming up under Holtz, forcing his sodden body to the surface. Holtz was a shivering wreck, but he was breathing, he was alive.\n\n\"Now, what in Gods name are we supposed to do about them?\" Spritt turned to see, from out the fire on the far side of the bridge, a group of shadows rising, flexing, coming. She hadn't expected a response, but sure enough she got one, a deathly voice rising from behind her.\n\n\"They're beautiful, no? Survivors. That's what we need.\" Stonewall summoned himself to being, piled rock coming together to build first pillars for his legs, \"No more need to cucumber to inferiority. They are the master race, they are superior, they are... different.\"\n\n\"Different how?\" Spritt looked up into the hollow eyes that formed, slowly backing up toward the cliff edge by the river. Across her chest she had strapped a number of explosives, she moved carefully to take one from its holster.\n\n\"How?\" Stonewall laughed, \"You must see it, to understand it.\" Stonewall leered over Spritt, a menacing tower eclipsing the small amphibious creature, \"Oh, child, what is done will blow your tiny mind. And what pleasure I'll have in watching it tick, tick, boom.\" Stonewall mimed an explosion with a hulking fist beside his head.\n\n\"Perhaps,\" Spritt smiled, tongue rolling across her lips, \"but what if I blow your mind first?\" \n\nStonewall's face turned in a flurry of perplexion, not truly understanding until it was too late...\n\nSpritt pulled the plug of the device in her hand, launching it high, then diving over the cliff, \"You better catch me!\" she screamed at B-3-N.\n\nB-3-N looked up to see the feathered creature falling, and from behind her erupted an explosion of blue-white light, rocks tumbling in a self-made avalanche.\n\nStonewall loosed a scream, and from a throat now lost he whispered, \"What is done is done. My body holds no purpose. They are coming. Let them have the fun.\"" ]	3
	[WP] You're an ancient graverobber who accidentally started Christianity by stealing Jesus' body. 2000 years later, you're still here and you have no idea why.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
	[WP] Jesus Christ: Patient Zero	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Mary Magdalene was the first to die. \n\nA slavering beast of a man lumbered its way towards her chambers. Torchlight bounced off of its snarling face as it passed through the archway.\n\nThe monster approached her bed. Its hands bled black onto her modest bedsheets and roamed towards her face.\n\nThe Magdalene screamed and sat up.\n\n“Oh! My lord! Ah, what manner of trickery is this?”\n\nThe Son of God snarled. It fell upon its former follower and devoured her throat. Blood sprayed from her arteries in a horrifying rhythm, staining her attacker’s face.\n\nA last gurgle sounded out of her ruined mouth, and Mary Magdalene was no more.\n\nThe monster had acquired its first follower.\n\nMagdalene and Jesus Christ’s bodies patrolled the night, converting all those unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Soon, they had amassed an army.\n\nA horde.\n\nDevastated eyes stared hungrily out of deep sockets. The Followers were always silent, and always ensured death. No amount of curfews, decrees, and caution could spare a man this fate. \n\nEventually, Jesus’s remains had wasted away. Without a leader, the horde had divided and disintegrated. Hope was restored to the human race.\n\nA word of helpful advice: you are never safe when the dead can rise. For all its noble qualities, hope is an act borne of idiocy, here.\n\nA slave girl was cast away into a forest. She was nearly starved; Death would steal her soul away under His black cloak soon enough. The girl was beyond saving. \n\nA day or two before hunger would’ve rotted her under the trees, she discovered a man’s body half-buried in the dirt.\n\nWell, she was desperate.\n\n After a fortnight, chaos was brought to a surrounding village. A drooling, stumbling creature disguised as a child had attacked their people. The mark of her bite flared purple-green on the villagers’ skin.\n\nSoon enough, even the country’s farthest borders couldn’t satisfy the monsters. They shambled across the world, heartily rendering apart human beings with decaying jaws. \n\nWith each attack, their numbers grew stronger.\n\n70 years after Jesus Christ’s bones had turned to dust, the last zombie fell. Humanity was long-extinct, and only their ruined cities hinted at intelligent life.\n\nEventually, even those disintegrated. \n\nA bird caws. Water splashes against untouched oceans. Dog-wolves howl in triumph.\n \nThe people rot.\n\n\n\n\nSorry if the formatting’s weird on mobile." ]	2
	[WP] You are a Guardian Angel. Your client however unknowingly gives you a very hard time.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I can't believe this sh\\t.\n\nEver since I died in that car wreck, I was designated to become the very thing I didn't have: a guardian angel. Seriously, I wasn't prepared for that! No job training, no pay, no nothing. I was just a tattoo artist that happened to not see the minivan in front of me! And now I'm assigned to a stupid bratty kid that always* gets into trouble. She lives in a mansion with her parents. I think her name is Pandora. I don't know! I wasn't paying any attention to my assignment. Anyways, she always gets into trouble. One time, she, on PURPOSE, tried to make a chandelier fall on her. I was there, holding the string, or rope, or WHATEVER, that connected it to the roof with all my strength, trying to pass it off like it didn't fall. And she's like, what, 16! Stupid kid. And if you think my feelings will change for her, you need to sit down next to that big ball of foreshadowing!\n\nOne day, as I was watching her, helicopters pass over her house. Don't tell me that she caused this! The helicopter then throws out a ladder. A guy crawls down from it. He kicks down their door. \"Is Michael Nealinard present at this house?\" The Pandora kid stares at her mom. \"Th-that's our dad!\" She says. Well, thank you, captain obvious. The guy repeats it again. \"Is Michael Nealinard present at this house?\" The mom says, \"Yes. He is.\" The guy pushes past the mom and walks inside of the house. A moment later, this \"Michael\" guy and the other guy step out of the house. \"I-I-I don't know what I did, dude!\" The Micheal guy stutters. \"Call me Jack,\" the guy said. \"O-Ok, Jack, I don't know what I did!\" Michael said again. Jack pushes him down. \"We know what you did.\" Jack looks over at Pandora. \"Your father, he, uh, does bad things.\" Pandora stared in awe. \"Wh-what did she do?\" She peeped. \"Let's just say he sold the not-drink coke.\" Jack escorted Michael out of the house. \"I love you Pandora! And Julia!\" Oh. So that was the mom's name. Suddenly, Michael took out a knife and stabbed the Jack dude in the back. \"B-backup! We need backup!\" Jack sputtered into his walkie-talkie thing. More guys came out of the helicopters. They started shooting at Michael. He tried to run, but one of the shots caught his leg. \"J-J-Julia! Pan-p-pandora!\" He shouted. \"Please! PLEASE!\" The other people started in awe. Pandora and Julia rushed over. \"Father, please!\" Pandora said. \"Don't go, don't go, don't go!\"\n\n\"I love you very much, Pandory, but...\" He turned to his wife \"Julie, I can't make it for much longer. I think the bullet pierced an artery.\" Then, he turned back to Pandora. \"Stay good for your mother, ok?\" Then, he laid down. His eyes remained open, like he couldn't blink. His breathing ceased. For once, I felt remorse for the bratty child. She was crying and snotting and spitting, I didn't know what to do. I mean, I was Pandora's guardian angel, not her father's. But was I also her mental health guardian? She picks up Michael's knife. She caressed it, bloodying her finger with Jack's blood. \"I love you father.\" Then, she stabbed herself. \"NO!\" I said. It was too late. Out of all of the times she was hard to protect, like the chandelier, this was what slipped my guard off? I watched as she bled out and died. I couldn't believe it just as much as her mom couldn't. Suddenly, I was called to the GAC (Guardian Angel Corporation)'s office. \"You failed to protect your target. You've been demoted from a Guardian Angel. Hand over your badge and name tag.\" Slowly, I took off my badge and tag and handed it to them. They walked away as I sat on the bench next to the office. I used to think that I hated this job, but watching the spoiled child die with her father, it, made me feel sorrow for not only failing to protect Pandora, but, her father, too. You probably thought this would be a funny story with all of the incidents about how Pandora made my job hard. But, no, this took a turn for the worst. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. \"Hey,\" it said. That voice was familiar. I looked up. It was Pandora. \"I'm here to become a Guardian Angel. Where do I sign?\"" ]	2
	[WP] An alien is living among humans for almost a century, now. The alien is finally feeling his health getting weaker because of old age. On his last days, they contact his home-planet to send a final mission report and to tell his views about the humans.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(Hopefully not too terrible, sorry if it is. First time writing anything, in 2 parts)\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFinal report on species inhabiting Rk’Erak Thet III, by Xenologist Xrac’gena\n\nGlorious and Great Council, I have now been living nearly 100 local, or around 63 standard cycles within the society of species inhabiting Rk’Erak Thet III, that identifies themselves as ”Humans.” Now I feel that my time for joining the Ancestors is closing in, and thus this will be my final report on this species.\n\nI was sent here around 63 cycles ago with my mission to study and report on the species of Human, as we have studied other species before their ascendance to the stars for hundreds upon hundreds of cycles. The main question above all else, naturally, was that were they ready to become members of the galactic community, were they compatible, should we let them ascend, even help them?\n\nThe short answer is no, we should not help them, we should not even let them. Even that may not be enough for the atrocities these savages, if we could call them such – even savages are arguably compatible enough – have committed even on their own people.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nA brief summary of the main events of the last local century:\n\nAs detailed in the first report I ever sent to You, when I arrived at this hellhole of a planet there was a war going on, and not just any minor conflict, no – those are natural as we all are familiar with border skirmishes, raids and such – but most of the planet’s nations were at war with each other. At the time they called this the Great War, the war to end all wars. Ironic that they would go to war and hope it would end all wars, only way to end all wars and squabbles would be to destroy the enemy, either by glassing their planets or beating them into submission and making them subservient, that is what Ancestral experience has shown us.\n\nCurrently, it is known as the first World War, or World War I, as they had mere 21 local cycles later another one. Not even one generational shift had passed and these bloodthirsty, belligerent creatures desired for another, this time even bloodier and more destructive than earlier. Within that 21 local cycles their technology had seen faster development than ever seen before that point, and that allowed even more brutal bloodshed, even though they had banned chemical weapons of the first one. Granted, the second war was mostly the rest of the planet defending themselves as collective from the country that seemed to be striving for planetary unification by militaristic means and genocide.\n\nAt the end of the second war, mere 6 local cycles later, the Humans had managed to create fission-based explosive devices, nukes they seemingly endearingly call them, that could destroy entire cities alone. Decade later they already had made them even more destructive, this time turning the fission into uncontrolled fusion. Fusion, the way stars produce energy, and these idiots use the same principles to kill each other, or in best case scenario: destroy their whole wicked planet.\n\nDecades passed, there wasn’t another one planetary war, thank the Ancestors, but wars didn’t go away, no. Now mainly two strongest factions on the planet used smaller factions and nations as pawns in their geopolitical chess board (Note: chess is kind of rudimentary simulation-like game of war, where two players control two identical armies, and one with better strategies win) and waged war through them, as the major factions couldn’t wage war between each other, since it would’ve meant their own demise as well due to fusion bombs they both by the time had.\n\nDuring these decades, the period of time called the ”Cold” War, the humans managed to conquer the immediate vicinity of their planet, from basic satellites to landing a living human being on Rk’Erak Thet IIIa. All this was done with a far, far more primitive level of technology than any other known species.\n\nLast two decades and a half have been… I won’t say more peaceful, but less tensioned. They aren’t as close to the end of their species as they once were. The tensions, however, are still there. One could even say that they are rising once again, major countries attacking others like they would’ve always owned the region and so forth disregarding their own planetary laws, granted that they may be the only few that haven’t signed the said laws. Then again, what is the point of laws if it doesn’t apply when it should?\n\nWhile these are the main points from the last century I raise in this report, human history is full of war and conflict. They have waged war and fought since before they had even words for them, good if their species could even speak at the time, their whole history is filled with violence and bloodshed!\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBriefly on technology:\n\nTheir technology has seen unprecedented development speed during the last century, at the start of their 20th century, they didn’t even have flying planes, yet only 66 years later they were walking on their moon. Considering their stronger-than-average gravity, it is nearly a miracle they even managed this feat, let alone in such a short period of time. Us it took nearly 150 standard cycles to even breach the atmosphere after the first flyer.\n\nTheir technological feats, even though their low technological level, are at the least impressive. I have also noted, that humans seem to be brilliant at reverse-engineering and/or advancing the technology they already have, or have just discovered through more clandestine operations, for example.\n\nThis could pose as a threat, should they ever acquire technology far more advanced than theirs, be it from salvaging the battlefield, or some idiots such as Gularii giving it to them.\n\nWith the current speed of their advancements, I’d guess that they’ll achieve FTL within the next 100 cycles, and even while waiting for that, they’ll probably start colonizing – and arming – their solar system.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBriefly on culture:\n\nHumans have hundreds of cultures, some of them more compatible with galactic standards than others, but even they are on the level of savages – at the best, that is. Yet their cultural productions and their diversity and plurality – new branches of music, art styles and others sprouting up like rrklani after a rainfall – is just marvelous. Most xeno-species do not have even half of the cultural output as humans do, and as technology, also the produced culture, be it music, art or anything, have seen a huge increase during last few centuries." ]	2
	[WP] Write a romance story set after the initial falling-in-love/getting-to-know-each-other/will-they-or-won't-they stage.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nEver since the day we met, I felt my heart collapse\n\nIn love you have to start from scratch,\n\nThen hope nothing would rip apart the rash\n\nArts & crafts, graffiti, together through the shadows\n\nShe was my weakness, an Achilles heel shot by cupids arrow\n\nWe'd leave our marks all over town, never bite our tongue\n\nTagging up & cradle robbing every time the night was young\n\nHer name was Aphrodite, a goddess, more then just of love\n\nThe skies, clouds, stars, sun, she was all of the Above\n\nExpressing how I felt was hard, but in poems & song I sung \n\nI'd always bare my heart though never was it as strong as one\n\nYeah we had fights sometimes, usually a common theme\n\nAn aisle, a dress, a diamond ring, every woman's honest dream\n\nI had my issues with it, in the past it tortured others\n\nShe'd visit the statue of Anchises, Aphrodite's mortal lover\n\nWishing everyday that I could change, how did she mind the hell?\n\nShe'd always get beside herself, above, below, inside as well\n\nBut, time will tell if we are destined to be a pair to last\n\nWould I build the courage to speak the question I never dared to ask\n\nWhat made us become so strong, was our fondness for graffiti \n\nLost in the colors of life, even in countries like Monaco, Tahiti\n\nThe effortless motions watching masterpieces glow, erupt\n\nEvery paint brush, every flowing touch was always a stroke of luck\n\nThough the quandary I had in our relationship just made it worse\n\nEvery artwork engaged an audience, yet I couldn't do the same to her\n\nThen the night I can never forget, the pain hit as quick as cancer\n\n\"Either you marry me or I'm out the door\" Well, I didn't even answer\n\nI tried to chase her saying what we had was great & special\n\nWe didn't need all that hoorah, just our love, our paints, our stencils\n\nBut, all it turned out to be was nothing but hopeless, wasted breath \n\nShe never needed to throw salt in the wound, I already tasted death\n\nIf I had any hatred left, it'd show if her return was of hopeless faith\n\nI perish the thought, & that it did, dying in my open grave\n\nI have to stop being stubborn, I really was a senseless jerk\n\nThey say you'll find the one someday & I did every one I spent with her\n\nI can do this! She deserved better then a brief decline\n\nShe was more then meets the eye & even more for people blind\n\nAs Aphrodite approached the statue she visited so frequent\n\n\"Well, that's kind of odd\" Something was different this evening\n\nThe letter A with a circle, spray painted, an image \n\nThat's when she realized it stood for her name, but who did it?\n\nAs Anchises stood there pointing, Aphrodite looked right\n\nThere was me, on my knees\n\n\"Will you please forgive me & be my wife\"\n\nWe can paint the town red" ]	2
	[WP] Those who were neither good enough for heaven nor bad enough for hell are sent to purgatory for arbitration, and their fate is decided by testimony from other souls who knew their true selves in life. At your hearing there is only one: your dog.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The trial chamber was surprisingly average. A set of tall stone doors opened to a walkway lined with rows of unadorned, empty wooden benches on either side. The walkway led to a roomy floor space that was ringed by waist-high wooden railing. Soft yellow light from multiple incandescent bulbs gave the room a peaceful glow.\n\nAcross the floor from the walkway was a raised platform, on which sat a balding, heavyset man in a fraying leather armchair. This man, who looked to be in his sixties, wore a plain brown suit, with matching shoes and tie, and a white shirt beneath. To his right was the witness stand. To his left, I sat solemnly; alone in the defendant's chair.\n\nThe man turned toward me after thumbing through a manila folder on his lap. In a soft, tired voice, he told me that my trial would begin momentarily. \n\nI heard the doors at the room's entrance grind open. When they finally stopped moving, the man in the chair said that my first and only witness would now testify on my behalf...for better or for worse. As I looked on, my jaw nearly fell into my lap as I saw my childhood pet, a Golden Retriever named Charlie who passed away when I was twelve, calmly walk down the aisle and plop himself on his haunches upon the witness' chair. \n\nThe man then asked Charlie to recount what he gathered about me during our time together when I was a child. This testimony, he said, would aid in his decision on where I was to spend eternity. Without skipping a beat, Charlie began to speak in a voice that was both old and young; pained and carefree; wise and innocent.\n\nHe spoke of our first meeting - he as a recently grown-up 3-year-old dog, and I as a newborn infant. Our bond was immediate and indestructible. I was now part of Charlie's family, while he was my protector and friend.\n\nAs time went on, though, Charlie spoke of changes in my behavior. I began to spend less time with him and more time playing with toys and watching television. I was often across the street from my house playing with the neighbor children, as well. With each passing day, my regular activities involved less and less time with my old childhood companion and he began to see less and less of me.\n\nThen, Charlie's recount took on a more somber tone. He recalled a pivotal time in our relationship; one where I viewed him more as a living chore than as a pet or even friend. His old age had begun to wear him down and he needed more and more help to live the way he used to. Unfortunately, my selfish, childish worldview blinded me to this reality for quite some time, and widened the distance between the two of us.\n\nHowever, there was a revival between us near the end of his life, Charlie said. He happily recalled a sudden increase in the time that I spent with him in the weeks leading up to his passing. Although this period of renewed companionship between us was brief, he stated that it had still made him very happy.\n\nThen came the day that he died. On this day, he said, he noticed a certain tangible sadness in the air. He remembered being vividly aware of the intense and complex feelings of those around him; his family, of which I was a part.\n\nCharlie said that in the moment of his passing, he could feel all of my emotions and was able to truly see me just as I was. He felt my sadness at the time of his death. He felt my deep regret for not having spent more time playing with him on the front lawn and sitting with him beneath the oak trees in the afternoon. He felt my pain for losing someone as near and dear to my heart as anyone ever was; someone who had been there for me since I took my very first breath. He saw the torment in my soul for all the ways in which I failed to give him the love and care that he deserved from me. \n\nAnd such was his testimony.\n\nThe balding man looked at me once again, this time offering me the chance to make a closing statement.\n\nI took a deep breath, shuddering and trying to take stock of my emotions. And then, all at once, my bare soul poured forth.\n\nI told Charlie that I had never forgiven myself for the ways that I let him down. That I wish I had spent countless more hours with him, going on walks and playing fetch and enjoying each-other's company. That I wish I hadn't let my immaturity cloud my thoughts and taint the once-unbreakable bond that we shared. That it was my fault that our relationship had faltered over the years, and that I would give anything to go back in time and fix it. And I told Charlie that I was sorry for it all, from the deepest reaches of my heart. Our time together had taught me an invaluable lesson that I lived by for the remainder of my life. That lesson is to show those whom you love exactly what they mean to you; to tell them that you love them and to care for them always. For life is a frail thing, and it can be taken away at any moment, so make the most of it while you are still able.\n\nWhen I finished speaking, with tears streaming down my face for the first time in decades, the trial chamber was engulfed in silence. For a time, the only sound was the shuffling of my clothing as I continuously used my sleeve to wipe the tears from my eyes.\n\nEventually, I could bear it no longer. I asked the heavyset man if he had made his decision. Where would I spend eternity?\n\nThe man locked eyes with me and asked softly...\n\n\"What do you feel you deserve?\"" ]	2
	[WP] You meet someone who lives with a curse: they can only be seen or noticed by people who will die within 24 hours. And you've just noticed them...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Oh shit!\" said the peculiar man as he lunged for the space behind the barista's counter at Starbucks taking a Caramel Macchiato display down with him with a clumsy thud of heavy cardboard against the tile floors.\n\nI noticed him staring at me minutes before, his dark eyes partially obscured by round golden eyeglasses. His dark gray suit was felt too formal for the masses of twenty-somethings adorned head to toe in Lululemon- including myself. I chalked him up to be your run-of-the-mill Los Angeles creeper. Innocuous at best, a potential serial killer at worst. \n\nI watched him cower behind the counter, his sad loafer peaking around the corner as if he was a child playing a solo round of hide and seek. As my caffeinated brethren chose to ignore this poor man, I felt compelled to approach him. Maybe he needed help, and lord knows I could use the karma today.\n\n\"Sir, are you ok?\" I said leaning over the counter. I could see my silhouette reflected on his glassy scalp. \n\n\"DON'T LOOK AT ME!\" He shouted cowering his knees to his torso. His body shivered as he cradled himself. \n\nI put my hands up. \"Ok\" I surrendered and stepped back toward the Starbuck's order waiting room- the sugar and creamer table. I watched as a dog was being served a cup of whipped cream.\n\n\"Brad! Double Espresso Americano!\" the barista called. Brad retrieved his drink and continued on with the rest of his afternoon.\n\nThe peculiar man inched his way out from behind the counter, digging his heels into the ground until finally he stood up again. He brushed his suit jacket with his hands, sighed and headed toward me.\n\n\"You can see me?\" He asked, lowering his glasses. I could see his eyes were so dark that his pupils were almost indistinguishable.\n\n\"Umm.. yeah?\" \n\n\"Dammit, this wasn't supposed to happen.\" He slicked back the sides of his head, the only hair he had. He looked around the shop to avoid eye contact. He was uneasy, shifting his weight from left to right, left to right.\n\n\"Look, I don't know how to say this...\"\n\nHe was swaying now, left to right, left to right.\n\n\"You're going to die. Twenty four hours. That's how it works. I'm sorry.\"\n\nHe directed his gaze to the floor.\n\n\"Brittany! Iced Soy Mocha!\" I was saved by the barista.\n\n\"Ok, sure\" I replied as I grabbed my drink. Leaving, I gave the man a sympathetic wave.\n\n\"Twenty four hours!\" he yelled. The door slammed behind me.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn the warm springtime air, the world was dripping with possibilities. With this rare day off from work, I sipped on my mocha and slipped the minuscule airpods into my ears. I pondered journeying to the park for a while, perhaps a SoulCycle class later on? Wine and charcuterie in the evening? I delighted in the sheer volume of possibilities. \n\nI turned the music volume up, the bass reverberated through my body like a second pulse as I waited for the crosswalk signal. \n\nTo my left I spotted a man on a bicycle approaching at an increasing speed. \n\nHe let out a panicked scream, \"My brakes! My brakes!\"\n\nIt was like watching the incident in slow motion, a dream where you are being chased but yet your legs fail to move. I stepped away from the inevitable bike, but as my foot moved backwards, it slipped on the side of the street curb. The quiet buzz of adrenaline pumped through my bloodstream, swelling my head. I felt my body land on the pavement of the busy boulevard. I craned my neck just in time to see the Metro, bus number 92, merge into the neighboring lane, narrowly missing my compromised body.\n\nI took a moment to assess the situation. Perhaps I was wrong to dismiss the peculiar man at Starbucks.", "I called him the Masque; a tongue-in-cheek nickname created during my Literature major days when death seemed like a distant concept, too far away to really feel real. Other people had their own nicknames, since no-one had lived long enough to persuade him to share his true name. We only had an idea of what he looked like. Hundreds of poor doomed souls, in their final hours, painstakingly described a tall, slender man in his early fifties, with cropped grey-streaked hair, trembling hands and the kindest eyes you've ever seen. He always wore the same things too - a creased denim shirt, trousers, battered work boots, a wedding band. I guess there's no point in changing when most people can't see you.\n\n\nAs I said, I never really believed in death - at least, as a viable option for me. I'd had a loving but sheltered childhood in the home of my single mother, my father having abandoned shortly after my birth. Madeline, but known by all as \"Maddie\" - the best mother anyone could wish for. She was kind, patient and always supported me - when I came out as gay, when I broke up with my first boyfriend, even when I went through an unfortunate goth phase. She never remarried - never even took off her old wedding band - so it was always just the two of us. We'd grown up solidly middle-class, and after my college years - fun, yet unremarkable - I'd settled into my career as a secondary school teacher. At twenty-three I'd met my husband and the connection had been immediate. By twenty-five I was married, firmly rooted in suburbia, debt-free and under the impression that my life was only just beginning. We had so many plans together: visit the Grand Canyon. Sky-dive on our wedding anniversary. Renew our vows atop Mount Everest. Death certainly didn't factor into our bucket list.\n\n\nThat's not to say things were perfect. I was a smart but sensitive child, prone to emotional outbursts triggered by everything from a classmate's cruel jibes to the abandonment from my absentee father. As an adult I managed to learn how to control my feelings, but the irritations never went away entirely. By the time I reached my late twenties, I finally felt as though I was truly in control of myself. I had goals, the means to reach them, and the love of my life to reach them with me. Things were never perfect, but they were usually lovely - that's all that mattered.\n\n\n**\n\n\nI met the Masque on the first day of summer in my twenty-eighth year. My husband and I were at a party hosted by his boss, drinking wine and faking laughter whenever it seemed best. I knew all of his coworkers by sight - Stella the blonde receptionist, Aarav the office manager, Li the source of all gossip - so it surprised me to see an unfamiliar face amongst the crowd. \"Hey,\" I nudged him, in an attempt to be discreet. The stranger wasn't doing anything strange - just drinking wine silently, looking around like any lost newcomer would - but something just seemed off* about him. \"Who's the new guy? He looks a little lost. Maybe we should say hello.\"\n\n\nMy husband, Luis, frowned. \"I don't see any new people here. You mean Rafal? He just dyed his hair and wore different glasses.\"\n\n\n\"Of course I don't mean Rafal, I mean the older guy standing next to Stella. Tall, blue shirt. Is he from another department?\"\n\n\nLuis looked bewildered. \"Mason, there's nobody next to Stella. She's hogging the wine, as usual.\" He stared, apparently unseeingly, at the man who was now gazing idly in our direction. A small smile appeared on the stranger's face. \"Are you feeling well? Maybe you drank a little too much tonight...\"\n\n\n\"I'm not drunk!\" The words jumped out defensively, louder than I thought. His coworkers nearby started to stare. \"I'm just asking why the guy-- ah, fuck it, I'll go and say hello. Just watch me.\" I pointedly handed Luis my wine and strode over to the stranger, hoping I hadn't already freaked out the poor guy with my arguing. \"Hi, I haven't seen you around.\" I stuck out my hand and smiled. \"I'm Mason, here with my husband, Luis. Were you just hired recently?\"\n\n\nThe man's smile grew bigger. Around me, Luis' coworkers began to mutter. \"I don't actually work here,\" he said. His voice was rich and soothing, more like a therapist's than an office drone. \"I'm just here to see someone today.\"\n\n\n\"Oh?\" An office party seemed like an odd location for a reunion of any sort. \"Who are you here to see?\" I didn't notice that the muttering around me was growing louder.\n\n\n\"You.\"\n\n\nThat's when I noticed everything: the denim shirt, the grey-streaked hair, the sad kindness in his eyes. His shoes were scuffed from many hard days work. I don't know why that seemed so important right then.\n\n\nHe smiled at me again. I didn't smile back.\n\n\n**\n\n\nI know I should've rushed to my husband's side. His colleagues had figured the problem out by now. Luis was crying. Stella was crying too, though I put that down to the wine. But the Masque just smiled and turned to walk away. How could he deliver my death notice just like that and leave me with nothing?\n\n\n\"Hey!\" I called after him and started in pursuit. I could sense Luis following me, but for once I didn't pay him any mind. \"So I'm going to die? That's all? You don't give me, I don't know... a reason? A method? Even an apology?\" The Masque didn't answer. We were walking on the street now, and more people were beginning to stare. \"Answer me! I'm twenty-eight years old and I just found out I'm about to die. Don't I deserve answers?\" He said nothing.\n\n\nWe spent half an hour of my final day like that. I followed him through alleys and streets, him always just a little ahead, Luis silent by my side save for the occasional sob. I ran out of things to shout at him and instead pursued with a single-mindedness borne from sheer desperation. I had to stop the Masque. Nobody had stopped him before, but that didn't bother me. Maybe if I got him to talk now, things would change. I'd like to see Mount Everest.\n\n\nGradually, the streets became more familiar. We entered the neighbourhood I'd called my own for the first eighteen years of my life. At this time of day, things were mostly quiet. An elderly man watered flowers, a few small children played hopscotch on the pavement, a ginger tomcat stretched lazily across a lawn. I found my voice again. \"Why did you bring me here? Is this some kind of test?\" No answer. My frustration was about to boil over. I'd restrained my horror and rage behind a veil of shock, but I could feel myself becoming more and more agitated. Only my husband's steady grip kept me from losing control.\n\n\nFinally, we stopped at a small semi-detached house with a pale blue door. Roses, white and yellow, bloomed from a small garden where I'd once learned to collect insects and play football. The Masque let himself inside as though it were the most normal thing in the world and made his way into the kitchen. I could see my mother there, brewing her usual pot of tea and humming along to the radio. A large framed photo of the two of us hung above the kettle. The Masque stopped just behind her and stared at the image with something close to awe. \"What's going on?\" was all I could manage.\n\n\nMy mother turned around and seemed to stare straight through the Masque. She looked surprised - no wonder, I usually visited at weekends. \"Mason, Luis,\" she said, stirring her tea without any knowledge of the man standing inches before her. \"What a lovely surprise. What brings you here on a Wednesday?\"\n\n\n\"Actually...\" I began, then stopped. Luis drew a small, shaky breath. His grip tightened on my hand. How could I tell my mother what I knew? Would it be fair to warn her that in one day, I would be dead - or kinder to keep it to myself?\n\n\"Is everything okay?\" My mother stepped forward, straight through the Masque as though he were made of air. He gave a strange shiver. \"Did something happen?\"\n\n\nI started to reply, then stopped. The Masque was raising his hand. I watched him carefully. He was waving - no, taking something from his hand, slowly and carefully, like a magician preparing a trick. It was a small silver wedding band, though he held it as though it were made from glass. He stepped forward, around my mother, and held it out to me like a peace offering.\n\n\nI squinted. The wedding ring itself was plain, but something seemed to be written inside. Without asking, I took it from his palm and looked inside. Luis and my mother both gasped.\n\n\n\"How did you get that?\" my mother breathed. Strange. So they could see the wedding ring, but not the Masque? I held the ring before my eyes and read aloud.\n\n\nMaddie Winters & Arthur Winters. Together forever and always.\n\n\nI looked up at the Masque. His face was still gentle and smiling, though I could see tears brimming in his kind eyes. I no longer felt any agitation - just a bewildered kind of calm.\n\n\n\"Mum,\" I said, not daring to look away from the Masque's kind blue eyes. Pale blue, in fact. Just like mine. \"Can I see your wedding ring?\"\n\n\n**\n\nAnd that's how I'm spending my final hours on Earth. I still don't understand many things - how my father became the Masque. Why he can only be seen by the damned. How I'll die, even - turns out my father has no idea how that'll happen, merely a supernatural sense for where he needs to be at any given time, though. But I'm keeping my mind on the important things. For the first time in my life, I have a mother and a father. I have my husband by my side. When I leave this life, I'll leave with my love and my heart all around me. Maybe I'll never climb Everest, but I can't think of any better way to die." ]	3
	[WP] The spider lady thought she caught a nice fat goblin in her web but it was just the human prince who brought her some presents.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Jorō had been relaxing in her web when she suddenly felt a tug on one of her threads. Hopeful that she had caught a nice fat juicy goblin she rushed down as fast as her eight legs could carry her, only to find the young prince and his small entourage instead of a nice meal. \n\n“Good morning, Lady Spider,” he said, bowing slightly out of respect. Jorō bowed as best as she could given that her body was not designed for such a task. She was still pleased to see the boy despite him not being a tasty meal (even if she had wanted to take take a bite of him the archer and swordsman behind him were enough to dissuade her from trying). Out of all his brothers he was the only one who still gave proper respect to the spirits. He presented her an offering, a box full candied flies, which she quickly thanked him for then proceeded to devour.", " \n\nThe midday sun shone brightly above the Froveri plains, bathing them completely in it's warm, beautiful light. Bellow the clear open skies, the plains, extensively covered in farming fields, stretched endlessly until they met with a forest far off in the distance. Beyond that, to the horizon, they met with the nearby Nyrian mountains. As for the fields themselves, they were diligently tended to by their owners, the residents of a nearby village called Hodlet.\n\nThere was nothing of note to be said about the town of Hodlet. It was nothing more but a quiet farming community of a few hundred townsmen, one of the many that dotted the seemingly endless Froveri plains. A town made out of wood, the average traveler would find Hodlet to be unworthy of staying in for more than a day, before continuing onwards on his way to find the great cities of marble beyond the Nyrian mountains.\n\nOf it's people, however, you could say a lot. Superstitious and creative as they were, the residents of Hodlet had no small amount of stories that they would narrate to travelers, or one another, of their town, their ancestry, and the beasts that lived beyond the confines of their little village. Deep in the forests of the unexplored regions of the plains, and in the unlit caves underneath the Nyrian mountains, it was said that there lived horrible monsters that hunted humans for sport, coming out at night to abduct children, or luring travelers away from the safety of the roads to slaughter and then eat them.\n\nMost of these, of course, were nothing more than legends and myths, told by mothers to their children as bedtime stories, or repeated day after day in the local tavern after a hard day's work, usually with the drunken embellishment of their narrator. Of course, most Hodletans were aware of the fictitious nature of their stories. Others, though, never quite grew out of them, often becoming the subject of mockery and jokes as a result.\n\nHeoreth was one amongst those people. A good-natured, kind-hearted young man, Heoreth was about twenty two years of age, son to the town's smith, and a smith's apprentice himself, under his father. He had broad shoulders and strong hands, the result of being in a laborious profession, while his hair, brown in color and medium in length, was unkempt and slightly oily. His face he kept clean shaven and it lacked any features that particularly stood out, excepting perhaps his eyes. Their color was green and, if you paid close enough attention, you could see that when Heorath wasn't smiling, they revealed a certain kind of weariness uncharacteristic of his age.\n\nOn this fine clear day, Heorath was not in his father's smithy, or the tavern, or the town's square, chatting with his friends and fellow townsmen. Instead, he, with walking stick in hand and a large backpack on his back, was walking down the old stone road in the south, which lead out of Hodlet first, then through the woods and then into the mountains. Today, Heorath was travelling. \n\nFor him, this trip was not a new one, for he had made at least half a dozen times in the past. Out the town, through the woods and into the mountains. It was a simple trip too, short, about a day long and through relatively safe territory. Back in Hodlet the people would speak of bandits in the forests, and of the great beasts that lurked deep within them, but the truth was that the roads which Heorath followed were much traveled by merchants going to the cities past the Nyrian mountains. This meant that the kings of the plains took special care in guarding them, lest they wanted trade and the wealth that it brought to move through other, safer routes.\n\nThe greatest danger Heorath faced was not on the roads, but in Hodlet as the townspeople would often inquire about his trips to the country. Each time he traveled, more questions would be raised, and there were only so many excuses he could find to justify himself. At first, he would say that he went to gather herbs, roots, and berries. But when he was asked why a smith had need of such items, he would not answer. Then, he told them that his father sent him away on business, but Hodlet was a small town and the lie did not take long to be revealed. Then his father started asking questions too, and Heorath would not answer them. This time, he never even gave an explanation for his absence. Instead, he simply snuck out during the night, camped near Hodlet until dawn, and left at first light. By now, he was already hours away from his town, and just about to enter the woods.\n\nThe travel through the woods was relatively quick, only slightly longer than usual, as Heorath took a few hours to gather edible plants and mushrooms, carefully stuffing them in his backpack, and a few more to admire the nature all around him. Then, he continued onwards, towards the mountains, and as he got closer to his destination, his mood grew increasingly happier. \n\nAt last, he stood at the foot of the mountain. It was late afternoon by now, and the sun had almost set. The Neryan mountains, though rocky, were not barren, at least not at their base. Instead, a host of bushes and saplings of all kinds covered their side. Amongst them, a small path made of dirt lead up the mountain, acting as a rough continuation of the old stone road that brought Heorath so far. Though he often considered traveling past the mountains, Heorath had never made that trip. Still, he was not entirely unfamiliar with the mountain path before him, and with a confident stride, he began to walk again.\n\nA few minutes later Heorath was off the beaten path. And yet, despite the lack of any road underneath his feet, his stride remained confident. It was the stride of a man who knew exactly where he was going, as if he had walked this invisible route he was on many times before. It was an arrogant stride, full of pride, as if he was walking to a place that he alone knew in this world. And before long, his stride brought him before the entrance of a cave. Without a moment's thought, and with utter disregard for any potential danger lurking inside, Heorath entered, smiling as he did.\n\nStep by step, Heorath walked deeper into the cave. With no torch to illuminate his way forward, the sun's light alone showed him the path before him. Growing ever dimmer as he progressed underground, the sunlight barely reached him after a couple of minutes. Unconcerned with the ever increasing darkness, Heorath took another step, only to then realize that he could no longer take another. He was stuck, suspended slightly into the air, unable to move his arms or legs. \n\nSuddenly, a terrifying sound echoed throughout the cave, as if thousands of bugs and vermin of all kinds begun to crawl towards him in unison. The sound grew louder and louder, rapidly approaching Heorath until the source of the sound was mere meters away from him before it abruptly stopped as quickly as it begun." ]	3
	[WP] You are charged with introducing the cryogenically-unfrozen William Shakespeare to the modern world.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Fascinating”, Will said, eyes fixated on the screen that he had initially been perplexed by, but had since become very attached to. “And they all dressed this way?”\n\n“They did. The production was highly praised; Lloyd Weber earned his second Tony for it.” My back was turned, but the vivid image of the Jellicle Cats prancing about as they sung their Naming song stuck in my mind. Initially captivated by their crude, yet intricate costume design and their interactions with the audience, Shakespeare scoffed as the name of their creator rolled off my tongue.\n\n“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”\n\n“Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5.”\n\nSurprisingly, he did not have a response for this. William Shakespeare had not been present in our world for several centuries, somehow having been cloned and cryogenically frozen at some point in the 1950’s. According to the higher ups, he was intended to be brought back at some point in the future, for what purpose I could only speculate – perhaps some sort of sick advertisement – but it was deemed unsafe to put him back under, so it was up to us to “reintegrate” him. Us quickly degenerated into me, given my love of theatre and capability to stand up to a near constant barrage of insults. I made my fondness for his works clear, and though his criticisms did not slow, he at least made the effort of including me in them when they concerned others.\n\nNaturally, he was curious about the world, and desired to explore it, but this desire was cut short upon seeing the reproduction of his Globe Theatre. He complained that there were not enough seats, that the colours of its walls were wrong, and that he ought to have a perfect view of the stage no matter where he was. We spent less than an hour in the place before he begged us to leave it.\n\nPitying him, I carefully picked out adaptations of his works performed by 20th and 21st century actors; he was particularly fond of quite a few of these, which grew into a hunger to consume every Broadway and West End production he possibly could. His love for both plays and sonnets allowed him to truly appreciate the transformation of stage productions from dramas into musicals in ways that I never truly could. For hours at a time, Will would sit in awe in front of the monitor, eyes flicking left and right as he his favorite characters traipsed across the stage, making quips about one line or the other and jesting at how he would have written it. \n\nHe would become so obsessed with certain players that he would begin to pen scripts with them specifically in mind, and pleaded with me and my supervisors to invite a few to our lab to meet with. Many he adored, but most he found shrewd, pompous, and vain, among them Andrew Lloyd Weber, whose music was Shakespeare’s favorite until his tenth minute shared with the man. A truly astonishing shouting match, followed by some very colorful insults, marked an end to this venture. Shakespeare would likely not see a new face until he left this building.\n\n“I may never get used to that, you know,” he said finally. “Thousands, nay, millions of individuals having read my works, closely enough to quote them line by line. To call it humbling would be a farce.” He turned towards me, looking for a compliment.\n\nI sighed. “Give it a rest, Will. We haven’t even made it through the 80’s yet. Though, I think I’ve got something that you’ll enjoy – forgive me if we break our timeline slightly.” I clicked through the files on my computer, and brought the video to the main screen. The set design was not unfamiliar to him, but was quite ornate. His eyebrow raised as the powdered wigs came into view.\n\nThen, as the company began to summarize the life of Alexander Hamilton in verse, his eyes grew wide and a grand smile crept across his face." ]	2
	[WP] You are a serial killer. But, you only kill in "self-defense." Your plan is to subtly and calculatedly annoy your victims until they finally react with violence. From a punch to a gentle shove, it doesn't matter. Your current prey however has an iron will unlike anything you have seen before.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The target was sitting at the airport, legs crossed, earphones in ears, listening to music. He looked around twenty or thirty. Short, black hair and clearly defined features that matched the description.\n\nI strode up to him; he didn't look up. \n\n'Move up, asshole!' \n\nHe didn't take any notice, so I knocked the phone out of his hand. It fell to the ground and I heard the unmistakable sound of a screen shattering.\n\nHe finally looked up.\n\n'What's your problem, man? Jeez!'\n\n'Shut the fuck up and move! I don't have time for your whining!' \n\nI made an obscene hand gesture at him, and his expression changed to a look of purest loathing. He clenched his fists. I put one hand in my pocket, resting on the grip of my pistol.\n\n'Okay then, dickhead!' he shouted at me. \n\nHe moved onto the seat beside me and put his earphones with deliberate force back in his ears while scrutinising the daggers of cracks extending across his screen. I could tell he was on the verge of punching me.\n\n'Move somewhere else! I don't want filth sitting next to me!' I demanded.\n\nHe did something that I would never have expected: he smiled.\n\n'No.' he replied in a vehement tone,\n\nHe was now hiding his emotion. He was probably bursting at the seams with rage, but only giving me a smug grin.\n\n'GET LOST!' I shouted, giving him a defiant shove. He toppled off the seat like a domino. \n\nHe stood up.\n\n'I can see you're having a bad day. Do yo want some water?' he asked, in a surprisingly calm voice. \n\nI gave him another push without replying.\n\n'Well, it's going to be like that, is it?' he inquired. \n\nHe stood up and walked away.\n\nIt wasn't the result I was hoping for, but no matter, I could just find another target. \n\nSuddenly, I felt a searing, white-hot pain in the small of my back. At the same time, the unmistakeable noise of a gunshot rang out from behind me.\n\nI could feel the gaze of a thousand eyes looking at me and my unidentified attacker, though I had a good idea who it was.\n\nI instinctively groped in my pocket for my gun, but it was gone. I finally understood what had happened, and the truth hit me like a train.\n\nDistant screams filled my ears, but a voice was distinguishable from the panic. \n\n'Move up, idiot,' said a soft voice. \n\nI heard another gunshot, and the last vestiges of life slipped away from my body and into he unknown..", "“Hey there, man.” I said to the man next to me on the bench. He nodded to me but did not look up from the newspaper he was reading.\n\n“What are you reading?” I asked. He mumbled, “the newspaper, what’s it look like?” He still did not look up.\n\n“Jeez, I was just asking a simple question.” I said, and waited for a response. When he didn’t give one, I started to whistle loudly. \n\n“What’s your name?” I asked him.\n\n“Can’t you take a hint?” He said.\n\n“Oh is that how it is, fuckface?” I asked.\n\n“Can you bother someone else?” He asked, raising his newspaper so that it covered his face.\n\nI knocked the newspaper to the ground. “Enjoy picking that up, bitch!”\n\n“You’re the most childish person I’ve ever met.” He said, picking up his newspaper out of a puddle on the ground.\n\n“Then do something about it!” I said, spitting on his shoe.\n\n“You’re not worth it.”\n\n“I’m worth it more than you’ve ever known, I fucked your sister!”\n\n“I don’t have a sister!”\n\n“Then, I fucked your mom!”\n\nA few bystanders started noticing our argument. One of them yelled, “Just kick his ass, that’ll shut him up!”\n\n“It’s what he wants!” said the man. \n\n“You have no self-respect.” I said to him. “You let people say whatever they want to you.”\n\n“And you’re a snot-nosed punk.”\n\n“If you don’t hit me, I will kill someone.” I said to him, knowing that I had him at last.\n\n“I’m calling the police on your dumbass.” he said to me. He pulled out his phone and I knocked it to the ground.\n\nHe screamed in frustation and I flinched for a second. But then he composed himself and picked the phone off the ground.\n\n“Don’t call the cops, you fucking coward. Let’s settle this like men.” I said to him.\n\nHe started to dial the police on his phone. Again, I swiped at him, aiming to knock it out of his hand. He anticipated it this time and stepped out of the way. I tripped on the curb and fell to the sidewalk.\n\n“He hit me!” I yelled. “He pushed me down!”\n\n“No he didn’t.” said a bystander. “I saw the whole thing.”\n\n“All right, enough.” I said to the man. “I’ll give you $100 dollars to hit me.”\n\n“Why do you want me to hit you so bad?”\n\n“I don’t know, I’m a masochist.”\n\n“Make it $200 and we got a deal.”\n\n“Deal,” I said, pulling out my wallet and handing him $200.\n\nHe punched me and knocked me to the ground. The crowd cheered for him. I waited for him to turn his back and then I got up and pulled out a knife.", "“Are you in some kind of an anger management group therapy?” I asked irritated.\n\nHe replied back with a gentle smile.\n\n“I just told you that I fucked your wife in your bedroom when you were out today morning and you don’t seem to be the least bothered?”\n\nHe was silent. But there was anger all over his face. I finally was getting to him. Saying the same thing again and again was getting him irritated. All I had to do was to add in a few more details and that would piss him off for real.\n\n“She failed to mention that you were a cuckold. Got no balls, eh!”\n\nHe clenched his fists now. After twenty five minutes, the first signs of anger. That son of a bitch sure had the patience of a zen master. But he was still human and I finally broke down his shield. By now I expected him to have already hit me but for some reason he didn’t. I was growing impatient and wanted to get over with this as soon as I could. This guy was the toughest. Every time my killing knife goes in my pocket, it never comes home clean. And i dont see why today should be any different.\n\n“She did like it when I.....”\n\n“I just killed someone.” He interrupted. I was shocked for a brief second and before I could come back to my senses, he continued. \n\n“I thought he was the only one she was sleeping with. I was at peace when i saw my bullets drill his head. Now i just had to go home and kill her.” \n\n“I would have been at peace when all of this was over. I swore that I would never kill anyone again after I was done with her. And here you are, picking up a wonderful day to boast out your adventures with my wife”\n\n“ You... You are funny. I will give you ....” before I could finish stammering he stopped me.\n\n“Do I look funny to you?” He asked with the most blissful smile on his face. \n\n“No. You.. you look serious... actually.... you were smiling. So I thought that maybe....I think I should leave....It was just a prank. ” Yup. I just said that. I had no idea if he was lying but I decided to scram and lay low for a few days.\n\n“Is it?” He asked with a grin of a murdering psychopath.\n\nShit got way out of hand. I started to sweat profusely. I decided to get up and leave immediately. Just as I got up to leave he pulled out his gun, pointed at my balls and before I could reach for my knife, he fired it. \n\nI fell to the ground with my hands still trying to pull the knife out of my pocket. I looked at him. He stood there staring at me with the same fucking smile. He had his gun pointed at my head. I finally was able to expose my knife knowing it was a futile move. My pants were wet with blood and I was gasping for air as I started to weakly wave the knife at him trying to scare him away. \n\nHe looked at the knife and said \n\n“Ah! Finally!That will do!”\n\nAnd he shot once more.", "The next target was walking down the block. Tall, lanky, gray hair. \n\nPerfect.\n\nThis was exactly the kind of guy I could poke and prod into shoving me. Then...then my little friend in my pocket could come out. I felt the point of the knife jab into the skin of my finger. It felt good. It felt right. \n\nAs the man was passing, I stood up from the bench and nearly leveled him with my shoulder. He stumbled and looked at me in surprise. I snarled at him and gave him my ugliest stare.\n\n\"Fuckin' watch yourself, asshole,\" I said. \n\n\"Well, hello there,\" he said cheerfully. I glared at him. \n\n\"What'd you say to me?\"\n\n\"I said hello there. How are you today?\"\n\n\"I'm in a shit-poor mood, so don't test me.\"\n\n\"Well, that's a shame. Would you like to talk about it?\"\n\nThis was new. Normally, people would take the cue and try to walk off, giving me the chance to harass them more. This one, though...\n\n\"What? Why the fuck would I talk about it to you?\"\n\n\"Everyone needs somebody to talk to sometimes. I know I do. It helps to have friends.\"\n\n\"And you want to be my friend?\" I said with a sneer. He smiled.\n\n\"Of course! Everyone deserves to have a friend.\"\n\n\"Hah! Nobody needs a friend like you. Just look at you. It's the middle of July. What kind of asshole wears a lame-ass sweater in July? You freak.\"\n\n\"Well, that's not very nice, but I understand that you're hurting. I can see it. Would you like a hug?\"\n\nThis was really backfiring. I needed him to break. I had to push harder.\n\n\"What are you, some kind of creeper? You touch me, I get to defend myself.\"\n\n\"Good! It's important for everyone to set boundaries for themselves. Your body is yours. I wouldn't dream of making you uncomfortable.\"\n\n\"You...you already are!\"\n\n\"Well, gosh, I'm certainly sorry then. It wasn't my intent. It's just so sad to see anyone hurting.\"\n\n\"I...\"\n\n\"Is there anything I can do for you?\"\n\nSomething was cracking. Something deep inside me. Something that had been cold and black for a long, long time now was warming up. What was this? What was going on?\n\n\"It...no...fuck off.\"\n\n\"Are you sure? You look shaky. Please, sit down. I'll go get you some water.\"\n\nNo. No. I couldn't let him do it. What was happening?\n\n\"It's...fine. I'm fine. You, you should...you should go.\"\n\nHe should go? What was that?\n\nHe didn't. Instead, he helped me sit down and sat down next to me. I could smell his cologne. It was soft and warm, just like his sweater. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I nearly cried.\n\n\"What...who are you?\" I sputtered out. \n\nHe smiled. \n\n\"My name is Fred. I'd love to be your neighbor.\"" ]	5
	[WP] You are just a regular villager in a fantasy world, one day you found a strange plant seeds and decide to grow them. Now you unintentionally made a name for yourself, they know you as the Cannabis farmer.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Ogden, be sure to keep it at 6.5 ph, or else the acidity is going to shrivel the leaves.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLester watched as the skinny figured man, who once owned the local tavern, carefully measure out the correct quantities into the mixture. Trust a barkeep to have a steady hand, and a fine keeper of spirits Ogden had been, were it not for some confounded creature that had stolen his sign in the dead of the night, causing the local drunks to forget wherein the tavern lay, then perhaps the bar would have still been in business. Bad luck for Ogden, great news for Lester who now needed all the hands he could find as this new crop grew in popularity, it was said that news of the magical herb had even made it as far as Harrogath, and Lester seemed to have the only seeds that would germinate properly in this new climate.\n\nIt was all very much by chance, heightened likely due to the amount of travelers, adventures, and the curious visitors to Tristram who came in search of glory, peril, and treasure below the old church, where it is said that great evils laid beneath the crypts. The villagers new that these were mainly tales told to children, exacerbated by the mutterings of Cain, but nonetheless it drove business to their small town, and so they welcomed it. And it was due to this particular torrent of individuals wherein Lester made the trade with an adventurer carrying a magical staff, robbed in exotic garments, who had come to seek the mysteries below the church. This adventurer had said it was a soothing, calming herb that his people have used for generations, in return all he asked for was another drink from Ogden's then bar. \n\n\"I tell you, if these seeds were grown and sowed. I would not be having this tasteless ale. These magical seeds \\hic\\ is the greatest gift from my land to yours. And in \\hic\\ exchange, all I ask for is another pint.\"\n\nWell Ogden wasn't about to refuse a drunken master of the mystic arts over a small pint, not with the staff glowing menacingly, so the deal was struck. Then quite by chance as Lester fumbled home that very night, turning his pockets over for the keys, he had found the packet, in his drunken state he chuckled at the thought of these \"magical seeds\" and chucked them onto his poor excuse of a farm and then stumbled onto the first step and fell right asleep. The thing is, those seeds did grow, and in a sense they were magical.\n\n\"It's grown, but now what do I do with it?\"\n\nAdria looked at the plant carefully, she brought her nose right to the bud and smelled it, \"There's a familiar and full scent to this plant.\"\n\n\"I thought it smelled like skunk.\"\n\nThe witch passed her fingers over the sticky crystals and plucked a bud from the seat, putting it towards the sun, watching in awe as the green leaves sparkled a purplish hue, \"I've heard of this plant,\" she said as she remembered an ancient tome she had once come upon. She quickly grabbed a leaf and broke the bud apart into it while muttering, \"It would work better dried.\" Then rolled the edges until a small cylinder were in her hands.\n\n\"Now what,\" Lester asked.\n\n\"You smoke it.\"\n\nAnd the rest was history. Soon spice travelers came to purchase the goods, even emissary of Kings, they all wanted to try this new magical herb. It restored a wonder that the town of Tristram had never seen, an era of prosperity as the affluent came to this holy mecca, and that meant, more money for the town. Instantly Lester became a hero that the town so desperately needed.\n\n\"Hello? Hello!\"\n\nIt were the cries of the beautiful Gillian. Ogden stood upright to greet her, it was quietly known that he fancied her, \"Thank goodness you've returned...\" But she ran past him and into the arms of the farmer.\n\n\"Oh Lester, you must hurry. The old church, something dreadful is happening there. The last of the warriors have fallen. The rogue sisters were slain in the cemetery. And nobody knows where your friend the mage has gone.\"\n\n\"T-the old church?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Gillian cried. \"The tales of the great evil. I think they're all true, they must be, for what horrid events I saw unfold there just moments ago. The horror. Oh the horror.\"\n\n\"We must, we must get away. Come Gillian my dear, I have enough money stashed away that we can begin a new life for ourselves.\"\n\nGillian looked at him with her teary doe eyes, \"I cannot leave the only place I have ever called home. Please, there must be something you could do.\"\n\n\"I'm b-but a farmer,\" Lester said rather quietly.\n\n\"Please, there must be something you can do! The entire church is up in flames.\"\n\n\"Did anyone start a bucket line? Flames? Flames you said?\"\n\n\"Yes, fiery pits of hell seem to be opening right in the center of town!\"\n\nLester thought for a moment and then smiled, \"Alright. I've got a plan.\" He turns to Ogden, \"Get as many carts as you can from town, we're going to see what this magical herb can do.\"", "((Author's Note:. I managed to get through college without smoking marijuana even once, so I've no idea what you might sound like. I did read an article though, which pointed out that different strains have different effects. This strain is high potency in a variety of effects.))\n\n\"What have you got there, Hob?\"\n\n\"Hi Jen! Not sure, strange looking plant, thought I'd see if I could grow you some.\" Jen is our healer. She hasn't started courting yet, but she seems to like my company, so maybe...\n\n\"That is an odd looking seed. What did the plant look like?\"\n\n\"Way tall, five finger leaves, the stalk is stringy enough we might be able to weave it. Smells pretty good too!\". I hold out my hands, that are pretty well covered with the resin from the plant.\n\n\"Hob! How'd you hurt your hand!\"\n\n\"Wha? I dina hurt, oh, wow... I maybe ougu... siddown?\"\n\n\"Hob. Have you been drinking?\"\n\n\"Nooope! But I feel sooo goo righ noe!\"\n\n\"Hob! Don't lie to me! Have you been drinking?\"\n\n\"Nooooo... Wanna impreeessss youuu. No driinken.\". She blushes, she's so cute.\n\n\"Well, you're coming with me right now. We need to get that hand cleaned and stitched, wash that sticky stuff off, and you need a good lie-down until whatever it is has worn off!\" For all he sounds intoxicated, he's able to walk easily, and that hand! He's obviously not in any pain! Whatever he's found, it has lots of potential!\n\n...\n\nHob was right. It weaved, it made rope, the buds made an excellent pain killer (with some really odd side effects, including a serious sweet tooth). He was so successful with the plant that he became quite rich, by village standards. Jen did marry him, he'd been right, she liked him. The new plant, that she'd named Cannabis for Hob's maternal grandmother Canna, was useful in many ways. What's more, his hand healed with much less scaring.\n\n...\n\n\"Jen? I feel strange. Like I just want to sit down and let the world go by.\"\n\n\"Uh, Oh. What were you doing just now?\"\n\n\"We had too much to process, so I was burning the leaves. The wind was awful, wouldn't settle down in one direction. The smoke smelled so sweet though, I didn't mind breathing it.\"\n\n\"Oh, Hob!\" She laughs, I love it when she laughs. \"You do have a way of stumbling into things! We'll keep the extra leaves from now on. Try drying them and see what happens.\"\n\n...\n\nHob and Jen became the Cannabis family. People from across the kingdom came to them for help with things that the usual herbs are aren't helping. A wasting disease, it didn't stop the course of the disease, but the sufferers were more comfortable. There are others.\n\nOther healers were given seeds. Soon seeds we're coming back with reports of new effects. The plants smelled different.\n\nThen the trouble started. People were smoking the leaves, even when they weren't in need.\n\n...\n\n\"Should we ban it?\"\n\n\"No. All that's going to do is get the growers to hide, drive the price up, and deny ourselves the benefits of the plant. We need another solution.\"\n\n\"Well, treat it like public drunkenness then. Some time in the pillory may convince them to at least stay home!\"\n\n\"What about the injuries? Carters have hurt people while under the influence. Blacksmiths have hurt themselves without even knowing!\"\n\n\"If the only injury is to the abuser, that's their problem, but injury to another? No different than drinking. No one forced you to drink or smoke, you chose to do that. You have to take full responsibility for your actions while intoxicated. Right up to the death penalty for murder.\"\n\n\"What about those who injure others, but won't stop smoking?\"\n\n\"After enough violations, they get branded. A 'C' in the middle of their forehead. At the same time, a law is passed that anyone so marked is forbidden to take jobs where being alert is necessary. Like carting.\"\n\n\"You know people aren't going to stop there. They'll stop hiring anyone marked like that for anything but menial jobs.\"\n\n\"Yes, but we won't have made a law forcing that. If the people make it plain that they won't hire an abuser. It'll get around. We're not going to take away a useful product just because a few abuse it.\"\n\n((finis))\n\nEdit: spelling." ]	3
	[WP] As usual, you turned on the voice recognition to write your paper. A weird sentence keeps getting typed as soon as you turn on your mic to speak.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\n\"In the context of Greek mythology and literature...\" I began, the mic icon flickering in the corner of my screen. As I expected, text began to blink out into place on my document. I glanced down at my notes, continuing, \"...Prometheus occupies and interesting space. Though he arguably did...\"\n\nOut of the corner of my eye, I noticed that my text to speech seemed to be typing in all caps. I looked at the screen. Instead of seeing what I had just spoken, all that my document said was:\n\n`LISTEN TO THE SKY, STARE INTO THE NIGHT, AND FEEL THE DESERT IN YOUR BONES.`\n\nI stared at the screen, my cursor blinking gently at the end of the line. For some reason, I found the phrase oddly chilling, as if it was supposed to mean something to me.\n\nI frowned and opened up a task manager window, scrolling to find my voice interpreter. I killed it, and closed out of my document, then restarted both.\n\nHesitantly, I clicked the button to activate voice recognition. \"In the context of Greek mytho...\"\n\n`LISTEN TO THE SKY, STARE INTO THE`\n\nAs I spoke, the same phrase began to type itself out onto the screen. What the fuck was happening? I wondered to myself. Maybe it was just glitching on that phrase for some reason?\n\n\"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,\" I said, giving it a shot. It continued typing, the same phrase beginning to repeat itself as I spoke more.\n\nI sat back in my chair, at a loss. Was it just broken? What the hell? I brought my shaky hands to the keys, attempting to type the first sentence to my essay. It worked fine, save a few typos.\n\nOut of curiosity, I googled the phrase. Nothing special came up, just an assortment of song lyrics and poems in which the words \"night,\" \"desert,\" and \"sky\" appeared. I went to the support forum for my particular voice to text and looked up the issue. Again, nothing. No mention of that entire phrase, and no reports of the program ever doing this.\n\nWell, shit I thought, am I going to ave to type this entire thing? It's due in six hours, I don't even know if I'm capable of that.\n\nWondering what to do and feeling more than a little anxious, I restarted my laptop. Once it was back up, I fired up both programs again.\n\n\"One two three four the quick brown fox yadda yadda orange peel,\" I spoke, testing nonsense phrases once again. I looked on, dismay growing, as it began to type the same thing.\n\n`LISTEN TO THE SKY, STARE INTO THE NIGHT, AND FEEL THE DESERT IN YOUR BONES. THE WIND KNOWS YOUR NAME, ZOE. HEED IT'S CALL.`\n\nOhh what the fuck what the fuck why did it type my name, what does that mean? I thought, the beginnings of panic starting in my chest. I stood up from my desk, stepping back from my computer and glancing around my room. I walked over to my window, moving to close it, paranoia creeping in as I glanced out at the night.\n\nThat was when I heard it, like a thousand voices whispering in unison.\n\n\"LISTEN,\" I heard in the wind, \"LISTEN, TRAVELER.\"\n\n\"I am officially losing my mind,\" I said out loud, slowly backing away from the window. The wind howled louder, and a coyote howled in the distance. \"This has to be a dream, right?\"\n\n\"ZOE,\" came the voices again, seeming to come from outside my window, \"CLOSE YOUR EYES AND LISTEN TO THE SKY.\"\n\nA chill shot up my spine as I stood frozen there, unable to move out of panic.\n\n\"Wh- what th-the fuck?\" I managed to stammer out, staring at the open window.\n\n\"BE NOT AFRAID, TRAVELER\" returned the voices, \"THE DESERT SINGS IN YOUR BONES AND YOUR BLOOD IS MOONLIGHT.\"\n\nThen, everything went black.\n\nI awoke on cold sand. The wind blew gently over me, lying face up on the ground, and the moonlight cast a blue glow on everything around me. The stars twinkled in the vast desert sky.\n\nAll that was visible, as far off as I could see, was desert. Small, dry plants and strange cacti dotted the sandy landscape, but there was no sign of anything or anyone else.\n\nAs I looked around, images began to fill my head, half-formed memories of things that never happened. Dark figures, strange shapes, other places, a city of glass, a vast oasis, whispering voices, and indescribable things all swirled across my vision.\n\nI didn't know what to think. It really did have to be a dream now, right? I wondered, thoughts clouded by the flood of sights and sounds.\n\nI expected to feel anxious, there in the desert, as I waited for my vision to clear. But I didn't. All I could feel was... peace. A kind of serenity I'd never known filled me. My hands didn't shake, that itching pain under my skin was gone, and the cool, dry air was pleasant on my skin\n\nMy vision cleared. I was still in the same place, barefoot in the sand. Now, though, there was someone standing before me. She was beautiful, clad in a strange, rippling, white garment. Her hand was outstretched, and I could see silvery eyes glinting from beneath her dark hair, blowing in the wind.\n\nWhen she spoke, her voice was dusky and low, with an unidentifiable note to it, \"It is time that you learn, Zoe. Learn what you are.\"\n\nI took her hand." ]	2
	[WP] You're sitting down at work one day and you decide to stretch your arms out. Suddenly, Mjolnir comes flying into the palm of your hand...	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Your coworkers stare blankly at you. You hear Stephen the janitor - but most importantly, an avid Marvel fan, screeching across from the corner. The smell of fresh (but nevertheless mundane) coffee lingers for a moment as you realize The Almighty Hammer had knocked a passerby's order right out of their mortal hands.\n\nAmid the broken glass and just about everything else that was along its trajectory, you maintain grip of the coffee-soaked blunt weapon for a brief moment before letting it go, almost in embarrassment.\n\nAlex, the secretary walks at a cautionary pace towards your desk. You never really liked her much, she was always condescending and sarcastic but you still had the respect for her work (and being able to put up with the boss).\n\n\"Looks like someone got a promotion\" she says, nonchalantly, and picks up a folder off the floor that you didn't realize fell during the brief commotion.\n\nThe file reads, \"Motor Oil Catalogue for Helicarrier, S.H.E.I.L.D.\"" ]	2
	[WP] You attend a funeral for someone you don't know, a "friend of a friend". As the service goes on, you learn details about them from eulogies. It dawns on you that you and the deceased have far too much in common.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nThere I was, at a funeral. Told myself I'd never go to one of these things - so dull and pointless. They're dead, get the fuck over it. Thank god it wasn't mine. Who was dead? Fuck me if I know, a friend of a friend. But there I was, accompanying my buddy in black suits and under matte black umbrellas in the pouring rain. Used to black suits - lived a great life running jobs for the Mafia. You'd think being a mafia member would mean I'd go to a lot of funerals; not my type of thing. I loved the rain, I guess. It makes such a pleasant sound and changes so much depending on what it hits. Maybe I was thinking into it too much - my head kept racing from boredom anyway. I found interest in any topic just to not think about this shitshow of an event. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe gray clouds beamed a faded white light throughout as lightning struck and pierced the cluttered sky. We all rushed into the church to hear the speeches - preached from men who stand on pedestals believing they're doing the right thing in the eyes of God but lie and deceive everywhere we go. Religion, it's bullshit - nothing more than stories and fairytails. I guess we believe in anything just to avoid the concept of a prolonged pitch black lack of existence.\n\n \nThe priest read out stories given by family members, in which he told of incidents that seemed to make me grin. This guy had lived a good life, it seemed - and it was cut short by whatever killed him. The stories he told were all too familiar to me. I remember hearing analogies he'd read out and anecdotes which fit my own life experiences perfectly. I couldn't describe the feeling of trying to figure out the parallel between coincidence and fate. Fate is the only word I can use to describe this, as once the priest called out the deceased's father to read a eulogy.... I could barely let out a scream in seeing my own dad standing there with cold eyes. My whole body was frozen, I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. I felt a pinch in my back and when I turned my friend was stood there holding an injection to my spine. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"", "This was written on my phone whilst walking the dog and has not been proof read yet, so I will update it when I get home tonight, but here is the skeleton:\n\n\nOutside the church people were gathering. There were a collection of smiles and a sporadic dashing of light conversation but the overall somber mood left no doubts, this was a funeral. \n\n\nJames had arrived on foot. The sun was shining and his house was only 10 minutes away, so he had decided to take a stroll and enjoy some of the early English spring warmth. When he rounded the corner to reveal the front of the church, it’s large cobbled road now bustling with people awaiting the start of the service, he instantly regretted travelling alone. He didn’t know any of these people. It wasn’t a relative of his, you see, he was only there as moral support for his friend who had called him last night in tears asking for him to be there. She was nowhere to be seen in the crowd and not answering her calls. It was unlikely anyone would question him being there, but that didn’t make it any less awkward standing on his own. He took himself to one side, pulled a cigarette from his suit jacket and observed the crowd as he smoked. Occasional faces looked familiar, possibly seen in Facebook pictures or at barbecues, but the majority were alien to him. “She’s the mother” he thought to himself, observing an older lady with a large black hat who was being comforted by a queue of people. “Brothers or best mates, maybe both” he thought as he turned his gaze to a group of men. He had definitely seen them before. As he was trying to work who the aunties and uncles were the large wooden doors at the front of the church opened and an old, thin, white collared priest stepped out avd announced “the service is about to start, if you would all kindly make your way inside...”. \n\n\nOnce inside James quickly scanned the rows and rows of wooden benches. “Where is she??” he muttered under his breath, more for the benefit of anyone near him who might be wondering what he was doing. He almost let himself get angry before remembering where he was and why he was here. He noticed the back of the church was empty, so found himself a seat there, planning on watching as people left so he could find his friend and prove that he had showed up. \n\n\nThe priest took to the stage and started to speak into a microphone on a stand. From the very first word James found it hard to concentrate. In one ear and out the other. His gaze wandered around the room, looking at the ornate picture frames and stained glass windows. He wasn’t a religious person and the priest had started heavily with “god” this and “Jesus” that. He tuned back in just in time to catch the priest saying “but I shan’t dwell on these messages as many of us know he wasn’t a follower of any particular religion” \n“Ha!” Thought James “didn’t stop you crowbarring some in at the front though did it?!”\n\n The time passed and the priest stood down after his lengthy introduction. The suspected brothers/friends were up to give their eulogies. The room fell silent as the three men were visibly upset. \n\n\nAfter a short pause one of the men started \n\n\n“James was not only our brother, but our best friend”\n\n\n“Winner winner chicken dinner!” though James to himself, then it dawned on him this man was also called James. What a coincidence! The man continued \n“and we know he would have loved to see how many of you turned up today.”\nThe mans voice was doing something to James head. Something strange. Like he was in danger of fainting. He recognised it, he knew he did, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. “We would like to thank you all for the donations you have made to his favourite charity, the RSPCA” \n“That must be it!” Thought James, “RSPCA work!”. James had done quite a bit of RSPCA work, from organising fun runs to raise money to volunteering in the shops on weekends. If this guy had been involved too chances are he would have bumped in to him and his family at some point. It was a bit of a stretch, but why else would he have this deja vu? \n“We will be auctioning his car next week with all money also going to the charity” at this point the second of the three men leaned towards the microphone and attempted to lighten the mood “yeah and if no one buys it I’ll have it! A BMW is better than my little fiesta!” A gentle, light laughter rippled around the room. \n“Wait, I own a BMW too” thought James. His put his head in his hands. It was pounding something fierce. This was starting to get too much. Why did this guy have all the same things as him? And why did he feel like he knew these men giving their eulogies?! \n“I think you know” came soft voice beside him. He looked over, and that was when he saw her. The friend he was supposed to have met. The one who asked him to come. The one he couldn’t find. Only it wasn’t just his friend. He knew that now. The pounding had gone. He was starting to made sense of it all. She was his girlfriend. How had he forgotten that? Why? And how had she known what he was thinking? “Where..” he started but before he could say any more she pointed towards the front of the church. The old woman in the hat was up now, it was the deceased mans mother. He knew this because it was his mother. James stomach felt like it fell out of his body, and the sound in the room faded away into a dull mumble. It was coming back to him, and he wished it wasn’t. He looked back to his girlfriend. She looked bright, vibrant. She was so illuminated with colour it made the rest of the room seem black and white in comparison. She was glowing. “Disorienting isn’t it?” She questioned “that’s why I needed you here. I couldn’t do this alone.” James nodded. “Tomorrow is my funeral. I know you will want to go, and I will be there for you like you’ve been here for me”. \n\n\n“Thank you” whispered James. He looked back to the front of the church and watched the rest of the service. Watched as his aunties, uncles, cousins and friends gave their eulogies on his life. When he looked back to his girlfriend she had gone. \n\n\nHe left the church just before the service finished and all the people would start to leave. All he had to do now was wait. Wait and prepare himself mentally for his girlfriends funeral tomorrow.\n\nEdit - some typos and continuity :)", "The accident took its toll on us. All in all, we lost 300 cryo-chambers - it's easier to call them that, easier than people. But when the micrometeoroid shredded that nitrogen intake pipe, it was worse for the technician working next to it. She took the pebble to the head first, that was good I guess, better than slowly in a sealed hard vacuum room. So we all mourned the death one of our own, one of The Lost.\n\nI don't know her personally, she was engineering, but I had to attend this mourning ceremony because Engi-43 insisted. He was being dragged by his registered partner who grew up in the same social unit. \n\nThe chaplain solemnly breaks the silence.\n\n\"Today, one of the Lost finds her way home\" she paused, \"the home none of us will see, the home we shepherd so many to\"\n\nHearing that always breaks my heart.\n\n\"Lifsup-18 did not choose this life, it was thrust upon her. Fate did not choose her, nor did destiny. Only chance. And Lifsup-18 knew this.\"\n\nThat's what you get though, being a refugee fleet. Since The Error, our ship has been damaged and on an erroneous course since leaving our system and ecologically destroyed homeworld. \n\n\"She proudly did her duty to the Lost, and the flock. And never felt the crime of selfishness.\"\n\nBullshit. Selfish to these people means complain about being hungry. We know the story, the ship wasn't designed for conscious crew. We're an accident, but people have to stay awake to maintain the damage from the final nuclear acceleration detonation. So the sleeper journey became a 30 generation trip for my-great-great-great-great-great... 17 ok, 17 generations for my line, that's why I get a 17. But the point is, they control everything* on the guise of keeping the Species alive.\n\n\"Lifsup-18, was a hard worker, she was a life support repair tech. And we thank her for keeping both The Lost and The Flock alive. For that we thank her service to the species.\"\n\nWe all have our role. We don't get a choice. I bet a week's rations she wished she was something else. I wish I could navigate, I'm good with numbers. I suck at toilets... Mainly because I don't care. It's shitty work, but it's that or starvation or spacing. At least my DNA would survive though.\n\n\"She is released of her duty, and she is this, according to the unspoken's oldest tradition, she has the right to be released.\"\n\nThe unspoken is our homeworld. We are not allowed to speak it by penalty of death - in any language or dialect. We broke her, she no longer accepts us. The Order tell us that this is journey our penance for not respecting the planet which have us life. I don't remember hurting her, I was born on this floating box. I know the name of the world, but I hold that close to me. My father taught me.\n\n\"She is survived by her registered partner of 5 years, and unfortunately failed in her duty to provide replacements.\"\n\nWe are all expected to produce two viable offspring each as an exact replacement to train in their profession. The Order tells you who to register with based on genetic considerations. The Code of the Lost requires it, sterile individuals are reassigned to each other and treated as untouchable. Violators will have there sperm or eggs harvested then spaced. Archaic.\n\n\"Lifsup-18, however, was not sterile\"\n\nA murmur broke out among the crowd. This was interesting.\n\n\"A review of her records show she was, inside her heart, not in communion with the Code, or it seems, the order.\"\n\nA wave of panic struck me. Resistance fighters don't get funerals. So why am I at the funeral of one, of a sister-in-arms. I looked at the chaplain. Her smile grew wider as she allowed the situation to grow clearer in each of our heads. We had been lured.\n\n\"On her at the time, was a communicator, with a list of every so-called \"resistance\" on this ship. Given the evidence, The Order no longer feels the large population of Lost is necessary. Your deaths will serve the greater survival of the species.\"\n\nThe chaplain placed a respirator over her face, smiled, and said \"we love you all\". The room became silent as the room was suddenly vented.\n\nI was free. Thank you Lifsup-18. I love you.\n\nEdit: continuity and grammar. I wrote this on my phone." ]	4
	[WP] For your whole life everyone has treated you as a damsel in distress. Your damn sick of it.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Sasha Daryn sat in the highest room of the tallest tower in the Nearview Kingdom. \n\nA fire crackled softly in the corner opposite her. It had been lit by the inferno breath of the dragon that guarded her, and so danced with the magical essence that gave Draxies his blaze. As it shifted and swirled, it tossed shades of varying color upon the pages of the book that Sasha had curled up with.\n\nThe moonlight sparkled in the princess’ eyes, the book read, Though she feared the answer, she asked her ancient friend the question that had weighed heavy on her heart.\n\n“Oh my god,” Sasha said, “Here it comes!”\n\nShe felt positively giddy. The princess had been looking for the answer to this question since book one of the series. \n\nSasha took a deep breath before turning the page. \n\n“Where are my-“\n\nSasha’s eyes widened. After those words, the page of the book had been smudged by water damage beyond the point of being readable. \n\n“No,” Sasha muttered. She flipped through the rest of the book, frantically chanting, “No, no, no, no,” as if it might reverse her fortune. If anything, the water damage got worse with each page turned. \n\n“DRAXIES,” Sasha screamed, “DRAAAAAXXX-“\n\nThe dragon’s head peeked in through the window, “Yes?” \n\n“This book is ruined,” she cried. \n\nThe dragon blinked in surprise, “That can’t be, I took that right off a cart bound for the Nearview Library!”\n\n“See for yourself,” Sasha said, displaying the book. \n\nIf Dragons could blush, Draxies would have been a surly crimson. “I...can’t read, Sasha.”\n\nSasha’s eyes softened, “Oh, Draxies,” she said, “Im sorry, I forgot.”\n\nAt that moment, the clash of hooves could be heard rising up over the nearest hill. \n\nDraxies’ massive head spun round to face the noise, and Sasha went to look out her window. \n\nA band of cavalry, some 1000 strong, appeared with banners which proudly displayed the Lion of Nearview. \n\nSasha rolled her eyes, “Not again....”\n\n“Should I,” Draxies started. \n\n“No, best not. Let me talk to them.” \n\n“Very well.”\n\nThe horses skittered at the sight of the massive emerald dragon hovering at the top of the tower. With a single flap of his wings, Draxies rose to perch on the roof. \n\nThree men, all on tall Destriers, broke from the pack and came close to the tower. The man at their head wore golden armor, and a crown studded with ruby’s that glistened in the sun. \n\n“Lady Sasha,” the Prince called. \n\n“I’m sorry,” she said, “Have we met?” \n\nThe Prince recoiled, then played it off as if he was shifting in his saddle. “Uh, yes, yes we have. It must be, erm, difficult to see from so high.”\n\nSasha made a show of leaning out her window, hands cupped on her brow to shade her eyes. “Hmmm, oh wait! That’s Sir Halloway to your right, isn’t it? How are your children, good Sir?”\n\nThe older Knight smiled broadly, “They’re good, My Lady. Thanks for asking!”\n\nThe Prince glared at him, and the Knight shrugged. He looked back up at Sasha, “This is Prince Icario, second son of King Darid, heir to the Lordship of High Meadow Keep!” \n\nSasha scratched her head, “Ohhhh, right. I remember now. Sorry, I get a lot of visitors here, you know. It’s hard to keep track.”\n\n“I’m....sure it is,” Icario said. He cleared his throat, “My lady, the last I came here, I offered to slay the foul beast which held you as prisoner. You told me that it would take a thousand men to have a chance at such a feat. Well, My Lady Daryn, I have brought a thousand loyal knights here with me today. Accept my pledge of betrothal and, I promise you, by night-fall you will once again taste the sweet air of freedom.”\n\n“Oh that’s,” Sasha muttered, her voice trailing off, “Splendid.”" ]	2
	[WP] A Finnish sniper during World War 2 takes aim at a German soldier, and pulls the trigger, only to see something he shouldn't as the soldier stands back up, missing half his skull, and looks directly in the direction of the Sniper.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I laid probe in the snowbank, slowly scanning the German lines.\n\nThe German Invasion was not expected whatsoever, after all the talk Hitler had made about “Aryan superiority”, apparently Finland was an exception. \nI glanced up towards my own blonde hair, neatly tucked into a white hood covered by a helmet, and scoffed.\n\nSweden and Germany had decided to push us on double fronts, this was accomplished because Germany held Russia up the the Ural Mountains, Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad were all in German hands. Stalin’s remaining forces were huddled around Omsk with barely anything We’d just been listening to how a Japanese invasion in the East through Manchuria has broke the will of the Soviet people, and Stalin was killed by revolutionaries. Then Elias burst in, saying Panzers were crossing our borders on both sides. \n\nThat was a few months ago, and now I was scanning a roadway for Germans. This was a communication line, and I hoped to play a little havoc with their messengers. \n\nJust then, a lone messenger came along the way, his BMW snow machine slowly crunching along the ice and snow.\n\nI lined up the shot, barely comprehending the small “6” on the man’s jacket sleeve, and took a breath.\n\nKAPOW\n\nThe man slumped forwards and fell off the machine, which continued happily chugging along slowly until it hit a tree on the other side. \n\nI racked the bolt and grinned, it was a clean shot. Simo would have been proud. \n\nBut then, the crumpled corpse twitched, and then shook a bit. I watched with horror as the figure slowly pulled themselves up. In one fluid motion, the figure pulled a small syringe device and jammed it into their arm. \n\nThe figure turned towards me, and stared, even from about 150 yards, I could see that half of their face was gone, only supported by a helmet chinstrap. And in one second, the face reformed into a cold stare.\n\n“H-Holy Shit!” \n\nI shook with fear as the figure slowly trudged towards me. I tried to realign a shot, but I was too shocked. I tried squeezing off another round, the bullet slammed into the messenger’s chest....and didn’t even faze him whatsoever. I squeezed off another, this one missing by miles and hitting a bird.\n\nThe figure came much closer, and began digging for something in their pocket. I also saw the strange boxy contraption on the messenger’s arm, it glowed a very alien green. I squeezed the trigger again, but there was only a metallic click\n\nThe figure stood before me, their blue eyes staring holes through me. I couldn’t speak, but the figure spoke for me.\n\n“Do you have any idea how bad it feels to get shot in the head!?”\n\n=====================================\n\nCourier 6 rode into the German supply depot, and climbed off the snow machine. \n\nSoldiers were working on various vehicles around the place, and others were in formation exercising. A pair of Tiger 1s sat beside the fuel depot, and a Panzer 4 was lining up to take on fuel as well. \n\nHe headed inside the large command structure, and handed a box over to the depot commander, it contained orders for a mass assault on the Finnish main force. \n\nThe Courier turned and headed out the door. He’d respirated a new snow machine, saying a sniper had clipped his and the engine was knocking. The base commander happily fulfilled his request, and soon Courier 6 was heading back down the road.\n\nHe glanced back, before pulling another device, a metal clacker, out of his bag. He glanced back and squeezed it. \n\nA cloud of green plasma erupted from the command building. A few seconds later, a fuel truck that had just pulled in erupted as well, followed by oil barrels and other explosives held aboard the many trucks within the base. \n\nWith the explosions providing a symphony, the Courier guided himself away from the base. He couldn’t just not fulfill an order, but he was never told he couldn’t add a little extra to it." ]	2
	[WP] Like everything else in the universe, wishes cannot move any faster than light. Tell us what happens when wishes are eventually returned and granted from every star people wished on.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Joseph Andersen was the first.\n\nHe was power-walking up the escalator leading out of the Columbus Square subway station in Manhattan, shouldering his way up the left-hand side of the steps, when a dead deer suddenly appeared in front of him, flopping bonelessly to the escalator steps.\n\nOf course, three hundred-odd pounds of dead flesh didn't go quietly, so it created a cascade of tumbling bodies that gave birth to the video that, ten years later, was still the #3 most popular video of all time on YouTube.\n\nLater, scientists of all kind would tell the world that the wounds on the deer's neck could only have been caused by rudimentary, chipped-stone tools.\n\nThis went on for decades. For centuries.\n\nFor millennia.\n\nThe human race faced all the challenges one would expect: political, social, scientific, ecological.\n\nExistential threats - agricultural collapse, nuclear annihilation, virtual intelligence overlords - came and went. Historians and sociologists spilled rivers of virtual ink on the subject, but in the end, they all agreed on one fundamental truth - the sudden appearance of dead game, even dead specimens of game species thought long extinct, was the single factor that could be most directly attributed to the survival of the human species.\n\nWhether thought to be divine intervention, or a bending of the fundamental Conservation Rules of science, or some mass-shared-delusions, the fact of the matter was that the spontaneous appearance of food, all around the globe, created a supernatural otherness that united the human species.\n\nHundreds of millennia later, after \"SUDDEN ANTELOPE\" became just another part of life, post-humans began noticing even stranger violations of the Law of Conservation of Matter - the sudden appearance of gold or textiles or even tools.\n\nNot long afterwards, of course, the Unified Intelligence had determined the nature of the phenomena, and had simply started automating the wishing process through Einstein-Rosen bridges that linked the wish-granting stars to the local galaxy cluster. Had the Individual Intelligences still been fleshy human animals, they might have fallen into indolence at having wishes granted in mere days, but fortunately we were all long past that, weren't we?" ]	2
	[WP] You’re an immortal, but you can die one random day a year. Your enemy has just figured out that you’re not always immortal.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You don't get to be six hundred and one without learning a thing or two.\n\nAnd the most important thing you learn?\n\nYou can't go it alone.\n\nNot even if you're a centuries-old trillionaire who's single-handedly responsible for the dozen most popular conspiracy theories about lizard people and Bilderbirg Illuminati and faked moon landings.\n\nOne can develop any number of mnemonic techniques and brilliant indexing methods to help ensure that the most relevant information is always top-of-mind and that the next most relevant information is easily at hand. But the mortals keep insisting on a geometric expansion of knowledge.\n\nHow bothersome.\n\nSo a mere hundred and ninety years after Gutenberg fashioned his little irritation, one does have to build up a network of retainers. A recent jape among the mortals concerns death and taxes, but to those of us blessed with a bit of longevity, the real eternal is obvious - lust. Lust for power, lust for flesh, and above all else, lust for money.\n\nYou'd think paying your retainers to couple with each other and produce children to act as your retainers would be difficult. After all, love seems to follow the genitals with an irritating regularity. And yet love is so easily set aside when financial stability and dominance over one's peers is on offer.\n\nAnd so at the dawn of yet another new century - this time the twenty-first - when one is faced with a true novelty, the solution, as ever, is simple: don't go it alone.\n\nWhen Dan Taggart begins his little ancestry.com enterprise, you think nothing of it, of course. After all, you've seen the \"tulip bubble\" come and go. You've seen any number of economic depressions come and go. The \"dot com\" bubble was barely a blip on the radar, little more than the hundreth chance to advance wealth and power by a fraction.\n\nYet somehow the pestilence that is the expansion of knowledge has uncovered a key secret. Some unknown link between your progeny in Siam (or whatever they call it now), and France, and Assyria has revealed a fraction of your nature.\n\nThrough some or another form of investigation - probably involving those incomprehensible \"finger prints\" or \"phrenology\" or even \"eugenics\" that seem so popular these days - it seems that some mortals have discovered the nature of immortality and the specific window of vulnerability - exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds - that would allow you to be killed.\n\nThe usual precautions were taken, of course. Killings, threats, even a number of vicious beatings and rapes.\n\nAnd yet, somehow, the tried-and-true methods seem to have failed. The mortals banded together, shared information across the globe, and now one does face the most implacable foe one has ever encountered.\n\nImplacable, that is, until one simply sprays money at the problem. Millions of euros. Billions of dollars. Trillions of yuan.\n\nIn the end, this \"Hu Jintao\" was dealt with easily enough. A mere decade after he came in to power - less than eyeblink of time - he was replaced. When one's victory is complete, it need not even end in a killing. It was a lesson that took centuries to learn, but true power is shown by a cruel mercy. After sending that little Napoleon chap off to a island twice, the number of true threats had fallen to nearly nothing.\n\nThe matter handled, all that was left was the boring mechanics of \"assassinating the assassin\" and so on. Leaving that to the faithful retainers was a given.", "\"That's your plan? Just stand there and stab me, again and again?\"\n\nThe squelching sounds of metal piercing flesh and bone never really gets easier to hear. Least of all when it's your own. The owner of the blade causing the offensive noise turned a grubby face up. Red puffy eyes, dried snot below. \n\n\"Every day. Every single day until I find the one where you can die!\"\n\nThe older man placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose, trying to massage his headache away. Everytime the child withdrew the knife, his body repaired the damage. Followed quickly by another disgusting squelch.\n\n\"Look... I... Okay. Enough with the stabbing for today please!\"\n\nThe man had taken on too many names over the year. It was likely he couldn't even remember the first, but Tristan was the one he was introducing himself as. The violent youth was named Jacob. For the time being they lived together.\n\n\"Just eat your breakfast, please? I hate to see food go to waste.\"\n\nTristan sat down at a table. Small, but with elegant scrollwork along the legs and leaves. Jacob glared at the food on the table. Making a face as if it would attack him at any moment. Ironic. \n\n\"Wash your hands while you put that knife in the sink.\"\n\nFurrowed brows as he looked past the table into the kitchen. He took a step then stared at Tristan. The older man simply lifted his chin in the direction of the kitchen sink. An un-mistakable order. The child walked like Atlas, shoulders buckling under the strain. Tristan pressed the hells of his palms into his eyes until images danced across his vision. The sounds of water running in the distance. \n\n\"What is it?\" The child asked, prodding his meal far more gently with the tines of his fork.\n\nTristan opened his eyes again. \"Eggs Benedict with a hollandaise sauce on an English muffin.\"\n\nThat had taken some getting used to. Americans had such a unique way of naming things \"just try it. It's good.\"\n\nTristan began eating his own, illustrating his point. Food was always something he tried when starting over. Even just a few years makes all the difference when it comes to foods. The young one sniffed at the creation. Deciding his hunger was more dangerous than the food, he lifted it to his mouth. A large bite. A soft crunch \"it is good!\" He explained.\n\nAs if it was any surprise. A couple of hundreds of years of practice would make anyone a master chef. More sounds of eating as they both cleaned their plates in silence.\n\n\"So... You can never die?\" The child asked, filling the void. The food was gone. No more distractions\n\n\"Under normal circumstances? No, but as your snooping uncovered... I have an Achilles heel.\"\n\n\"A what?\"\n\n\"A weakness, a flaw.\"\n\n\"Oh. How long have you been alive?\"\n\n\"Way, way too long. I've seen history that they'll never teach you in school.\"\n\nTristan looked up at the ceiling. How long had it been? Rome? Was that the first? No, before that. Uruk? That one sounded right.\n\n\"What do you do?\"\n\n\"Learn, mostly. Humanity is amazing. You never stop progressing. There's always something new to learn.\"\n\n\"It's that why you're a doctor?\"\n\n\"Essentially, yeah.\"\n\nThe child was pensive for a moment. His eyes were turned towards his empty plate. He wasn't really looking at it though. \"Why do people get cancer?\" Tristan flinched in his chair.\n\nIn truth there were a lot of reasons. Exposure to carcinogens, poor lifestyles, a family history. It wasn't worth shoveling on a child. \"I'm not sure, Jacob.\"\n\n\"Why do people die?\"\n\nAnother tough question. One that Tristan has thought of many times before, especially after discovering his own nature. Why did people die, when he didn't.\n\n\"Some questions don't have an answer. No matter how long you spend thinking about them.\"" ]	3
	[WP] You intercept a Golden circle with runes and tunes while flying past a little solar system, it was an interesting little trinket, you decided to send a blueprint of a interstellar ship 50 years outdated to the mudball as thanks.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Ship's Log\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAfter Resupplying at Fresnel Station we are back on course. The short range radar picked up a golden disk following along our same velocity. Of course we went to Investigate.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI opened the cargo bay door. There was the disk floating in Zero g. I have heard of seeing relics in interstellar space but the odds are astronomical(sorry) The Disk was very strange. apon closer inspection there were two disks stuck together. One seemed to be a primitive record device. I have the ship's AI scan the top side and play it. The screeching was unbearable. I quickly said stop and tired the other side. What I heard could only be described as beautiful. I would be rich. On the other disk were a runes. They appeared to mark the intersection of 7 pulsars each pointing to one planet. Far out on the outer rim far beyond our domain. hah these primitives have no idea whats coming. Why not give them a head start. I sent an ftl probe carrying a very primitive warp Sail blueprint it was the least I could do. it was predicted to arrive by their time based on the golden record at 2021 BCE. Man I wish I could be there\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEarth, 2021 BCE President's office.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThree men in black suits strode into the Oval office. The first one spoke,\" Sir we have a developing situation we going to need to relocate.\" The President replied, \" One minute I need get Melania.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLater that day, New York City, \n\n&#x200B;\n\nA dull classroom was dimly lit. Inside students were watching a pirated copy of Avengers Endgame on the projector.\n\nWithout warning a high pitch squeal came from the speakers. Then on it showed blueprints technical manuscripts manuals and far in the corner lay, a thank you note." ]	2
	[WP]A person is hit by a truck. He gets reborn in another world and goes on to do great things. But that doesn't matter, because this is not his story. This is the story of the truck's driver.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I didn't see him and I wish it wasn't raining. Maybe I could have stopped sooner, but it's too late now. My rugs tires squealed as pumped the brakes desperately trying to stop the inevitable. It felt like a whole hour, down shifting the transmission and pumping the brakes because this ass hole jumped in front of me. I didn't want to do this, I did't want to loose my job, but this guy wanted out and he wanted to ruin my life at the same time. \n\n\nI locked eyes with him and pulled the transmission down again, I've been stopping for 50 feet already but this big pay load isn't stopping down hill. I feel the drag on my rotors, my brakes are probably destroyed. I haven't hit him yet but he's just staring at me and I can already see my whole life crashing down the second I hit him. I'm getting closer and he's still determined, his eyes seem hungry and even more desprate than mine, but his whole face show emptiness. A destroyed man.\n\n\nA destroyed man laid in shreds under my truck, I heard him thud and I heard him catch and I heard him scrape for several yards longer. My air brakes released with a hiss of relief, tires were smoking and I was crying. \n\n\nI'm going to loose my job I enjoy, I'm going to loose my dream home, I'm going to loose my mind, my marriage is going to fall apart I'll never think of her again, the love of my life, my Sarah. I'll only think of him. It'll only be about him, I did him wrong and I can't help him. I couldn't help him and he didn't want to be helped. I made him suffer, I could hear him scream and he forced me to do it. \n\n\n+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+\n\n\nI laid at home, months after the accident, still unemployed, still not sleeping, still unable to stop replaying it in my head. \n\n\nI look at my night stand.\n\n\nThe scene starts playing in my head again.\n\n\nIt takes forever, like it did that same night.\n\n\nI can see him again, still broken, except sometimes I look at him and see myself, broken, except sometimes I see him, but it looks like he was already hit and going to hit him again, and again.\n\n\nThere's a gun in my nightstand.\n\n\nI look at the man, my truck quickly, yet slowly approaching. Its me again, broken. I look at myself in the truck and open my arms like he did and I keep starting at myself.\n\n\nThere's a thud, and my wife is screaming.\n\n\n+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+\n\n\nI wake up in a casino, untouched and suddenly well dressed. I look around, I look for him. Where am I?\n\n\nI look around the room, I'm in a booth, they're stuffing cards in my hand and a cigar in my mouth, \"What's going on?\" I ask them tiredly, my muscles still feeling sore, as if I was dragged down several flights of stairs.\n\n\nThis guy lights my cigar and chuckles a bit, \"you know how to play right?\" he taps the cards trying to shown me the game. This guy's is freshly shaved, it's very sharp looking. His hair is slicked back. His grey suit fits him a tad loose. His face gets angerier as I keep staring. His little sleeve clasp charm dangle, they're little circles with a chain attached and the little chain ends with a heart on one side and the other hand has a spade. \"Do you fucking know how to play or not!\"\n\n\nI nod once, it looks like rummy. I put the cigar down in the ashtray and look at the felt top table, I run my rand across it staring at how real the felt was, with chips all sorted out, I touched those too. I notice more people at the table, I notice the room is actually full of people playing cards or slots or dice games. \"Where are we?\"\n\n\nA lady looking to be in her late 20s in a red string strap and deep V dress, tapping her long red cigarette holder to ash it on the carpet, \"We're playing cards, are ya thick or something?\" her red lipstick was shared with her glass, two ice cubes were in it and I could even see a little bit of face oils on the surface of her bright blue drink. Its too much detail to be a dream. \"Pick up your cards!\"\n\n\n\"I'm sorry I'm going,\" I played along and hastily picked up the cards, it's a good hand I think, I'll see how it goes.\n\n\nShe crossed her legs and eyed me, \"Do ya like you're spawn point? Every time you die from here on out you'll spawn here, and so do I, so we're pals now!\" she winks at me. I smile back, she doesn't seem like a bad person so far, honestly.\n\n\n+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+\n\n\n\nI get to meet others around the table and around the casio on this floor.\n\n\nCindy, the lady in the red dress, seems to be the friendliest here. Everyone is wearing different period clothing. Cindy looks like she's straight out of a 20s mobster film where she's the trophy wife of the dude in charge or something. I'm wearing my jeans and button up I was last wearing. The guy that was wearing an older grey suit, I found out his name was Frank. There was a man who spoke poor english, but he was wearing a tunic, a white head cap with a gold trim, and beaded hair. He was nice to, but I don't know his name yet. There was knights, peasants, even a guy who was wearing strange furs and had a large forehead. \n\n\nThis was some odd afterlife where people re spawn in the same location here Every time they die somewhere here. \n\n\nThe best part was I wasn't thinking about that man for at least a few moments.\n\n\n\n+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+\n\n\nWeeks pass, no one sleeps, some leave, but they always come back. I'm oddly drawn to this room, like I belong here, it makes me want to never leave. Occasionally I walk to the hotel next door for a nap, because it's nice, not because I need it.\n\n\nNone of the buildings match a specific location or time period. Dirt floors and undead WiFi in the one building, marble floors and candle lit chandeliers in another.\n\n\nEveryone just get a alone really well. \n\n\nThere are no actual problems here.\n\n\nI still think about that man every day, nearly every hour, never sleeping and just thinking about him. \n\n\nThere's no problems here except the ones I had back then. \n\n\nI sit in the hotel room and think about the man. I look down at the old wooden floor, up at the memory foam mattress, then towards the glass bowl of water on a pedestal next to a normal toilet. \n\n\nI lay there and think about him, what he might be up to, if I could find him, how I could find him, what would I even do, I think about playing cards again, then about the man.\n\n\nThere's a knock at the door, \"Come on in,\" I say to them.\n\n\nIt's Frank, he sits down next to me. \"What's bringing you down, chum?\" he pokes me with his walking stick and chuckles again, he seems like a regular grey old man in a grey suit, but something's still off about him. \"I'll let you in on a secret if it'll cheer you up!\"\n\n\nI stare at him and think of the man, then look at him again and nod.\n\n\n\"You can die for deals here too, but it's tricky. I heard it sends you to another place. Some say it only sends you to another spawn location here. Either way, you can still be gone - zo from here!\"\n\n\n\"How would that cheer me up.\"\n\n\n\"Because nothing matters here and there are no problems.\"\n\n\n\"Okay so this is cheering me up?\"\n\n\n\"No, but you might be board. You're one of the ones who can fight the feeling of staying put at spawn and run off and relax. I need you to for realzies kill someone for me.\" he pulls out a small manila envelop from his front suit pocket. He pulls a picture and a business card from it. He shows me the picture. \"I'll tell you how to die for real deal here if you kill him first.\"\n\n\nThe picture was the man. The scene started playing in my head.\n\n\nI heard the brakes, I see the man, I see his eyes, I see my eyes.\n\n\n\"So you want to do this for me?\"\n\n\nMy eyes water and I snatch the picture and hold it. I see the man. I see his eyes, he's not broken anymore. He's fine in this picture. He's not destroyed. He's not how I left him, he's not how he came to me. He seems almost... happy in the picture. \"Yes. Yes I'll do it.\" Its not fair.\n\n\n\n+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+\n\n\n\nHe laid at home, months after the accident, still unharmed, still not sleeping, still unable to stop being happy he did it. \n\n\nHe looked at his night stand.\n\n\nThe scene starts playing in his head again.\n\n\nIt took an instant, like it did that same night.\n\n\nHe can see me again, still scared, except sometimes he looks at me and sees himself, broken by the situation, except sometimes he see me, but it looks like I had already hit home and was going to hit him again, and again.\n\n\nThere's a knife in my hand.\n\n\nI look at the man, my feet quickly, yet quietly approaching. Its me again, broken. I look at him in the room and he sees me. He open his arms like he did and I keep starting at myself in him. \n\n\nI stab him, there's a thud, a lady is screaming.\n\n\nHe spawns in the bed and I stab him there. He spawns and unspawns, stabbed and unstabbed over and over. She's still screaming, trying to rip me off of him, I don't even know why he's wanted dead, I just knew what he did wasn't fair.\n\n\nStabbed and unstabbed, and regenerating and getting stabbed again and again. Each time he seems less here, becoming transparent. He looks at peace and accepting and not fighting. It wasn't fair he could feel this way again.\n\n\nAt one point he just doesn't spawn back, the maid is confused but she shrugs and leaves. \n\n\nThere's no problems here. Not any more." ]	2
	[WP] Tell me the story about “The One That Got Away” and how you got her/him back.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "When Sara and I finally got back together it was like fate. \n\nWhen I saw her at the farmers market, I almost couldn't believe it.\n\n Who would have thought that my desire for fresh vegetables while on a business trip would have led me back to her. I was nervous and waited until she was back at her car to say hello. It took a little smooth talking on my end to get her to agree to a dinner date, but soon she was so eager that we got in her car and took it back to her place. \n\nIt was an adorable little house in a quiet neighbor. Over dinner I mentioned that I got an offer to transfer out here for work. She started to cry then, poor girl was always so emotional. I decided it would be best to stay the night until I knew she was ok.\n\nLater we sat together on the couch and watched a movie, she had finally calmed down. I looked over to see her asleep and began to stroke her soft blond hair. I looked at my love with such joy in my heart and whispered.\n\n'Sara, you and I can be together again forever' \n\n[Police find man on 'date' with a dead women.](https://imgur.com/NzA3gLN)" ]	2
	[WP] You answer your doorbell and you are surprised to see your grandfather standing in the doorway. Mostly because he’s dead. He says, “I have some important things to tell you."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It's a rare thing, nowadays, to hear the doorbell. Usually it's a ping, or a bong, or a beep - an electronic notification of a text, email, WhatsApp or some other inane message. And at two in the afternoon - well, it wasn't the postman, I hadn't ordered anything online, there was no election coming up, and it was too early in the day for those pesky neighbourhood kids.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWith a sigh, I eased myself out of the deep, soft sofa, and made my way to the door. Grabbing the key from the hook - the door is always locked, and I never leave the key in - I unlocked and opened my front door.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI was NOT ready for what I saw.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nMy jaw went slack, and for a moment, time stood still.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn front of me, with his customary tweed jacket, unlit pipe, and cream chinos, was Grandad Albert. Which would have been a pleasant surprise, had we not buried him six months ago.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Gramps?\" my voice came out a wierd, croaky rasp.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Rachel, darling, are you going to ask me in, or keep me standing on your doorstep?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI stood staring at him in total disbelief.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I have some important things to tell you,\" he said, more urgently.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI backed into my hallway, and he briskly walked in. Grasping the handle, he swung the door, and quickly glanced back out into the street before closing it, locking it, and hanging the key up where it belonged.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What things?\" I asked. \"No, wait. Stop. Is this happening? You're... we... I...\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe reached out and put a wrinkled hand on my arm.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It's me, Rachel. I'm alive. I didn't die. It was all a ruse, and now I need help. Your help.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI thought back to when I got the call from Nan. She was cool, calm, collected, like she had rehearsed the phone call a thousand times.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Rachel, my dear, are you sitting down? I have terrible news. It's your Grandad. He's, well he's no longer with us. He passed last night, in his sleep.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThat wasn't like Nan. Nan was emotional, caring, loving. She should have been in a million pieces, besides herself with grief and anxiety. By the time Rachel had got to the house, Gramps had already been collected by the undertakers. The coroner confirmed it was a heart attack. There had been no viewing of the body, it was a closed-casket ceremony, he was buried, and that was that.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn the following weeks, Nan had dealt surprisingly well with the sudden loss of her lifelong partner. But maybe if she had known all along...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Come sit down Gramps, I need a drink. What do you mean a ruse? And why do you need my help?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI walked over to my mini-bar - the kind that is concealed in a large globe - I always wanted one, and it didn't go with my decor at all, but I needed it badly, and loved it. Pouring myself a brandy, I faced Grandad. He had sat down in my sumptuous sofa and was regarding me with a twinkle in his eye.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Eight months ago, I sold a car. Now, I thought the car was in perfectly good condition - \"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Grandad...\" I said, a warning tone in my voice.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I did, I did. But, unfortunately, it wasn't. The brakes were badly corroded. The car crashed, the kid died, yada yada yada. He was a punk anyway. But his dad... not a nice fella. He wanted my blood, and word on the street was that he had a hit out on me. So, I faked my death, only told your Nan, took a nice little Vacay to Florida for a month, then came back when all the dust had settled. But I can't live in hiding. So. I need you to do your stuff.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Gramps... you know I don't do petty jobs.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I know. I wouldn't have asked you, but, well, this fella, he's a biggie.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Who?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Frank Cali.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Franky Boy? Gambino Boss? The Mafia boss? You sold his son a dodgy car? Grandad! Sometimes... Cheesh.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You just need to whack him. Please. As a favour to your Gramps.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI sighed, and downed the brandy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Okay, Gramps. [Consider it done.](https://news.sky.com/story/mafia-boss-gunned-down-outside-new-york-home-11664798) And welcome back!\"", "I didn’t recognize him, not that anybody would blame me. I never the guy, he passed of lung cancer before I was born. I was skeptical.\n\n“What do you mean? Who are you?” \n\nHe looked puzzled for a moment before his eyes widened, “Oh, right right...you don’t know me. I’m your grandfather on your mother’s side. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sam.” He stick out his hand with a broad smile.\n\n“What? No. No way. He’s-“\n\n“Dead. I know, and I have a lot of explaining to do, but,” he exhaled heavily, his hand falling back to his side, “do you have a photo book of family pictures?” \n\n“I do...”\n\n“Great, great! I should be in there, I look nearly the same anyhow.”\n\nI squinted at him. He looked normal enough, but there was no telling if he was insane or not. Finally, I relented with a sigh, “Have a seat on the couch. I’ll go get the photos.”\n\nI parted myself to the side, giving him entry. He smiled and stride over to the couch, taking a place on it. I shut the door as he did so and hurried to the cabinet for the book. I hadn’t opened in a while and it showed with a film of dust cast over the entirety of it. \nShutting the cabinet with the book in hand, I come back, flipping through the pages until I find a good picture of him with my grandmother and 2 of my aunts. \n\nI took a seat next to him and pointed to the photo. He stared at them for a moment before grinning, “That’s Delia and Sierra in the middle and their mother Sandy on the right,” he paused looking back at me, “are they all doing alright?”\n\nI nodded, “They’re alive and well as far as I know.”\n\nHe nodded slowly and looked back at the pictures. The picture of him and the him now looked similar in a few ways, although it was obvious he had aged from the time he was 45 when he passed. Did he even pass? I wasn’t sure. \n\nI leaned back into the couch and peered over as he flipped through the photos, “How are you here, anyhow?” \n\nI’d cut though his thoughts and he looked over at me. He frowned and didn’t look me in the eye. After a few long moments, he spoke, “It’s a very long story, but the short of it is that I hadn’t exactly died.”\n\nI breathed out heavily, “So it was staged?”\n\n“No, it wasn’t staged...I didn’t truly have a choice in the matter. You have to understand.” He looked at me now, his face was difficult to read\n\nI shook my head, my own eyes aimed towards the ground, “I don’t get it...I don’t think i will.”\n\nHe nodded in understanding and pat my shoulder, “I can’t go in depth right now. I wish I could, but it wouldn’t be wise.” \n\nI agreed and he stood up, closing the photo book and placing it onto the couch. I got to my feet soon after and led him to the door. \n\nOpening it for him, I looked up at him, “Can I tell everyone what’s happening?”\n\nHe sighed and shook his head, “I’ll go through that trouble, don’t bother. I’m sorry I can’t explain more right now. Once everything is said and done, I’ll give you a call.” \n\nI smiled slightly and nodded. With that, he was off and I haven’t seen him since.\n\nI didn’t hear anything about him from family or through anything else, not that I expected much. The experience seemed surreal and almost fake and even I’m not sure it happened to begin with. I haven’t received a call yet, but I have a feeling that it won’t be too long until I do." ]	3
	[WP] There’s panic all across the globe. The world has been covered in total darkness for the past week. That was when THEY arrived. THEY roam around outside. You and many others across the world are in hiding. Hiding from THEM.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "No one knows where the darkness came from. It began as a shroud in the horizon, but as it came closer it looked like a blanket of pure nothingness. It was a void that descended from the skies, painting the whole world black. It swept through the whole city, swallowing every source of light it touched. Power went out everywhere, the sun above disappeared behind the darkness. That's when they came.\n\nNo one knows what those creatures are. They are swift, silent, vicious. They roam unseen and undetected, always in the hunt for those of us that survived the first hours of the dark. I remember their snarls and growls, the crunching of bones under great pressure, the smell of blood in the air, the screams of fear and pain. No one knows how many died that day or since, or how we managed to survive. That's the worst part. Not knowing. I don't know if my family made it out, or if they made it out of the street when it all went black. In a world without light, knowledge seems to be the first thing to disappear.\n\nI've been hiding in someone's house ever since. The owners, an old couple, let as many people in as they could under the circumstances, but some weren't as lucky. They begged for us to open the door before we heard them being dragged away by whatever was out there. There are twelve others in here besides me, and we all gather by the candlelight in the living room and listen to a radio the couple had stashed away in a closet. At first there was a lot of chatter out there, but it has diminished of late. We received fewer transmissions every day, until they stopped coming at all. Maybe the others didn't make it. Maybe the darkness outside is getting in the way of the signal, crazy as that sounds. In any case, everyone out there that was still alive seemed to be on the same boat as us. Ignorant, trapped, and afraid.\n\nSome of the others were talking. They were sharing theories on what was happening. From military secret weapons to government experiments gone wrong, they went through all the classics in less than an hour. Until a girl who hadn't spoken at all chimed in. Her story wasn't the most original, but at least it had the sound of a story and not a tall tale.\n\n“I've been thinking,” she said in a small voice. “The day before it got dark there were some rumors going on at my school.”\n\nThe room became completely silent. I could feel the expectation fall like a hammer on all of us, as we waited for her to tell her share.\n\n“A friend was telling me,” she continued. “Some kids from another class had gone to a camping trip during break. They were saying they found some creepy tunnel or something out in the woods. I guess they thought it would make a good spot for one of those creepypasta stories, because they went back a few days ago. Only they didn't come back.”\n\n“I heard about that!” someone exclaimed in the back. We all shushed him and let the girl get back to the story.\n\n“Well, to cut the story short, the police found them in the tunnel entrance. One of them was dead, the other two made it to the hospital, but one of them is in a coma, and the other had severe shock and won't even speak.”\n\n“Okay, but what were the rumors?” I found myself asking. I was curious, but I needed to know how this all related to our situation.\n\n“Well, my friend was saying that it wasn't true that the kid wouldn't speak. That the story got changed in the news. She said the nurses heard him say stuff so crazy that they had to sedate him to keep him from hurting himself.”\n\n“What was he saying?” someone else asked. Everyone leaned forward, myself included, to better hear.\n\n“I don't really know how it's related,” she said. “But people heard him say ‘darkness is coming out’, over and over again. And I know it sounds dumb, but…”\n\nBut that's what happened. No one said it, yet we all thought it all the same. Darkness, not the absence of light but darkness as an actual thing, came out from somewhere and brought those creatures with it.\n\nIt's been seven days now, since the world disappeared. Food is running scarce. We were too many to feed, and I fear we won't make it much longer. We can't be sure, but the creatures are probably still out there, and we are certain we will die if we open the door to check. We are sure the darkness will pour in and take us all the moment we even try to escape, and yet death remains our fate if we stay as we are. All we have now is a choice on how we'll meet our end.", "Josh peered through the slit in his door. With narrowed eyes, he surveyed the landscape.\n\nIt was all normal until they came. They didn't exactly have a name, but a name spread around the local area: Grabbers. They had touched down on Earth like with an alien apocalypse, forcing everyone out of their homes. It was the reason that they had acquired the name in the first place, as witnesses saw their neighbours and loved ones being scooped by the aliens in their gigantic hands. \n\nIt was a few months after the invasion, though. Mostly everyone had been taken by the alien race, to be experimented on or just simply killed. The aliens still hadn't declared the mission a success, as they still had frequent patrols scour plentiful neighbourhoods turned ghost towns. We had figured out their schedule, though; it was no secret at this point. Every day, hey would start walking around at one in he morning, seven, at noon, three, seven and ten'oclock. \n\nJosh turned around. \"Time check.\"\n\nHis companion, which was also his wife Wendy, fumbled around in a plastic bag in search of a watch. The bag crinkled endlessly, producing a ruckus that pierced the silence. \"It's gone.\"\n\nJosh immediately reached and snatched the bag, looking for himself. \"What do you mean it's gone?\"\n\n\"The watch,\" Wendy stuttered, \"is gone. I can't find it.\"\n\nJosh suddenly threw the bag to the floor, rage in his eyes. \"Then find it, for God's sake! We can't lose the watch!\"\n\nWendy obediently dropped to the floor, tears in her eyes. The time piece could be anywhere on the trail they had taken on the way here, still ticking away. Or maybe it had already been crushed by patrolling Grabbers, crushed beyond repair. After all, if the humans could predict when the teams would come around to exterminate them, they would easily be outsmarted.\n\n\"Shit, hey could be here any moment now,\" Josh cursed under his breath, returning to his post at the door. Even though he was intently looking at his surroundings, he wasn't taking much in. The watch completely occupied his mind, and if it were indeed lost, the two of them would most certainly die at the hands of the Grabbers.\n\nMinutes went by, which felt like excruciating hours. Minutes in which they could either be in he clear for a cool few hours, or deadly periods that they would much rather be hiding in the basement, ensuring that they didn't make a single sound. Wendy had come back, and much to Josh's dismay, she wasn't holding the watch. \"I'm so sorry,\" she mouthed, leaning up against her partner.\n\nJosh tried to comfort the woman, suggesting that they hide ahead of time. Silently, she nodded her head.\n\nThe two went downstairs in the now abandoned house, deciding that they hide behind a sheet of wood that was conveniently placed. From then, Wendy couldn't help but empty our her tear ducts.\n\n\nThe door opened, which Wendy's moaning nullified. Josh hadn't heard the sudden interruption, he had instead focused on comforting her wife. \"It'll be alright,\" he had repeated without much thought. \"We'll get through this together.\"\n\nWendy had stopped crying. She tilted her head up and heard the footsteps above them. \"Shh,\" she held a finger up to Josh's mouth. Slowly, she brushed away her tears, being extremely mindful of the sounds she was creating.\n\nIt was too late. The aliens had already had the thought to descend the basement's steps, and they shortly arrived. Guessing from where they heard the sobbing, the team of two Grabbers, decorated with suits of armor made with a shiny grey metal, guessed where their next victims would be. They whispered amongst themselves, promising to themselves that they would not let the other leave empty-handed.\n\nAs Josh stayed hidden, he couldn't stop his body from tickling his nose, dust coming up into his sinuses. Despite his numerous attempts at neutralizing the sneeze, pressing a finger against the troublesome body part, the urge would not dissipate. As a result, he let one out that instantly attracted the attention of the two patrols.\n\nWhipping around, they pulled away the covers of the two humans. They wore emotionless expressions, which was not very recognizable by the two fugitives. With a swipe, Josh and Wendy were both suspended by their necks, held by the pair of extraterrestrial beings. They choked and struggled with all their might, kicking desperately at the patrol's set of armor, their grip on them would not budge.\n\n\nOne of the aliens held their other hand up to their throat to clear it. Then, he started to speak in very basic, broken English. \"We do not kill. We save. We save from other Grabbers.\"\n\nFrom his partially crushed neck, Josh managed to mutter \"Then let us go. You're... Killing us.\"\n\nThe Grabbers released Josh and Wendy, shocked at the damage they had caused. \"We... We are sorry,\" one apologized. \"We only do this one time.\"\n\n\"Well shit,\" Wendy rubbed her bruised neck. \"At least you didn't kill us.\"\n\nThe other Grabber spoke up. \"We are sorry. We grab necks to move humans, go past other Grabbers.\"\n\n\"Could've just not held us by our necks,\" Josh spat. \"Now It's going to be sore for the rest of my life.\"\n\n\"We are sorry. You come with us when ready. We take you someplace.\"\n\nJosh and Wendy both exchanged glances at each other and nodded. Josh nodded at the two rogue Grabbers. \"I think we'll be as ready as we can be,\" he announced, tears of joy starting to come from his eyes.\n\n\"You sure?\" An alien checked. Josh and Wendy seemed to be struggling to breathe, the two had latched on so hard. \"Your neck...\"\n\nJosh stood up, appearing more determined. \"No, we are ready. If you really are what you say you are, we'll no longer have to worry about surviving through this hellscape. And of you aren't and this is just some elaborate game, we won't have to worry about surviving, roaming aimlessly in the constant search of food and water, constantly interrupting our rest periods to watch out for all of you.\"\n\n\"Then we will take,\" the alien smiled. \"Take the humans somewhere else.\"\n\n\nI had to write the last bit when my sleep cycle started to remind !e that I was supposed to be getting some sleep. Sorry about that! Also, feedback is appreciated!" ]	3
	[WP] You are praying to whatever god when you hear a booming voice say, "Huh? What... what year is it?", you answer with 2019 upon which the voice speaks again, "Oh crap I really overslept. You're gonna help me fix everything now."	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Wait, what just happened? I asked the voice that just talked to me. It must be weird for the other people in the church to hear me talk to seemingly nobody. The voice answered 'I am god, i've been asleep for the last 2019 years. I put Jesus on this earth to take over while i was asleep, but he clearly didn't do a good job; this place is a mess!' \nI wasn't sure if i was going crazy or if god was really talking to me. I never had any hallicunations before, my mental health is in order and i haven't had any weird dreams lately, but there is no way god is talking to me right now! I was getting kinda scared because of this whole weird situation, but my feeling of curiousity took over the feeling of fear and i asked; 'So... what do you want me to do?'. I didn't get an answer. I decided to wait for 10 minutes but the voice didn't come back. When i got up of the prayer mat, the priest came up to me and asked if i was okay. I lied to him and told the man that i always talk during prayer. He gave me a weird look but didn't ask any further questions.\n\nI was walking towards my car when Collin called me; 'Desmond quick! your son has been involved in an accident at the Bank! I need you to come over to the hospital ASAP!'. I panicked and ran towards my car. I forgot about the weird experience i just had and drove towards the hospital quickly. I went 80Mph in a 50 zone, but fuck it, my son was in danger! I came to a traffic light that was turning red and i decided to drive on. It was irresponsible i know, but i felt like it was the right thing to do. I just passed the red light when my engine suddently stopped working. The dashboard indicated 'no fuel'. No way, this is not possible! I filled up the tank yesterday!. I saw a truck driving quickly towards the intersection from the left. I know this intersection very well, as i always pass it when i drive to work. I knew that the traffic light would be green for the truck, and i tried to get out of my car as quickly as possible. I loosened my seatbelt in time, but right when i wanted to open the door i heared a big BOOM. Everything went black. Was this death? Would i be stuck in this black space forever? I felt like i was getting a panic attack when the voice spoke to me; 'I will show you'", "It started as a joke. Drawing a pentagram on the floor, dancing around it singing old Latin songs. Ya'know, normal college party stuff, right?\nBut then we heard a deep voice, echoing, resounding in our souls. \n \n\"What year is it?\" \n \nI can't tell which of the group managed to stammer out an answer, but it satisfied this... thing. \n \n\"That is... not good. It's been too long. I need the five of you to help me fix this mess.\" \n \nJacob, far braver than I, asked who the hell we were talking to. \n\"Lucifer, of course. Did you not summon me?\" \n \nThere were mutters of noncommittal affirmation. One of the girls managed to ask what fixing this mess would mean. \n \n\"Surely things have gone bad. I was supposed to be here three centuries ago. I need you all to point me to problems so I can fix them. You'd become de facto gods and be helping your world.\" \n \nSeeing our shocked faces, Lucifer continued. \n\"Things will be returned to the way they should be. Does this not please you?\" \n \nThe girl mentioned something about how we were too young. \n \n\"Young is better. Too often, the old become jaded to problems.\" \n \nSarah mumbled something about Lucifer being the bad guy. \nSilence, heavy and filling everything filled the room. I tried to speak. I couldn't, the sound vanishing on my lips. A feeling of dread washed over me. Finally, Lucifer spoke. \n \n\"How unfortunate.\" \n \nEvery part of me came alight. The last thing I felt was the fire.", "John was praying before bed, the same way he prayed everyday for as long as he remembered. Suddenly he hears a voice inside his head. A voice that looks like a voice coming from someone who just woke up.\n\nG: \"Huh? What happened? Wait. What year is it?\"\n\nJ: \"God? Is that you? I can't believe you are real.\"\n\nG: \"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Oh shit. I think I overslept. What year is it?\"\n\nJ: \"Huh. 2019 sir.\"\n\nG: \"2019?\"\n\nJ: \"After Christ.\"\n\nG: \"Who is Christ?\"\n\nJ: \"Your son.\"\n\nG: \"But, I don't have a son. Oh my... Wait a minute. Where are you?\"\n\nJ: \"In my house.\"\n\nG: \"No. You are in Ca.. Canada? Where is Canada? Oh no, in the Americas. When have you people went to America? No. No. No. This is not good. What is your name?\"\n\nJ: \"It's John.\"\n\nG: \"Alright John. Tell me something. From what year is the oldest Homo Sapiens fossil?\"\n\nJ: \"Fossil? You mean from evolution? I, I don't believe in evolution.\"\n\nG: \"Too bad. I made it. Now, from what year is the oldest Homo Sapiens fossil?\"\n\nJ: \"Huh. Let me look it up real fast here... It's 300.000 years old sir.\"\n\nG: \"Oh my me. The last thing I remember was banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden into the heart of Africa. I, I have really overslept.\"\n\nJ: \"That means that everything you did in the Bible you didn't do?\"\n\nG: \"What is the Bible? Let me... Oh! My! Me! This is so wrong. I have a kid? I have never had a kid. This looks like...\n\nThe voice in John's head shouts like it was calling someone.\n\nG: \"Lucifer!\"\n\nL: \"What? What do you want? Who is it now?\"\n\nThe second voice looks like it came from John's left. But nobody was in the room.\n\nL: \"Wait a minute. I can't believe you finally woke up.\"\n\nG: \"And I can't believe what you did. Pretend you were me this whole time.\"\n\nNow the two voices were inside of John's head. Whit Lucifer's coming from the left and God's from the right.\n\n\n\nPS: It's late and I have to sleep. Maybe I will continue, maybe not. I just needed to get it out from my sistem.\n\nPS 2: I stole some ideas and overall formattation and typesetting from the story from /r/resonatingfury. I hope he doesn't mind.\n\nPS 3: English isn't my first language and I have barely written anything before. I appreciate any tips.", "It was raining, I think. Or perhaps I’d been crying so much the world flooded, soaking me to the bone, sweeping filth off the streets.\n\nOn my knees, in an abyss between somewhere and nowhere, tucked into the pocket of an uncaring God, I begged. I don’t even really know what for, to be honest. Anything. Everything. To feel whole again, or happy, or maybe just better, for a world worth living and a life worth space in the world. To be a better man, one Hannah deserved.\n\nThere was an answer. A deep, booming voice that rumbled through the valleys of my brain.\n\n“Shit, I overslept. I need your help putting everything back together, James. Let’s make things right again.”\n\n“Wait, what? God? You’re real?”\n\n“You prayed without even believing in me?” He sounded surprised, or maybe that’s just how my mind presented his words.\n\n“Well, I—I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting an answer. Have I gone mad?”\n\n“Likely, yes, but that only makes you more fitted to the task, in my experience. Enough idle chat; as I said, there’s little time. We need to right the course of this ship.”\n\n“What am I supposed to do? I can’t even keep my own life together. It’s all falling apart.”\n\nHe laughed at me inside of my own head. God. “Ah, human. You think too much. Allow me to help you out a little bit.”\n\nMy panic, my sadness, my anger and doubt all melted, washing off of me like I was in a holy shower rinsing the grime off me. I stood up in the dark, and the rain stopped—had it ever started?—and walked forward. I didn’t know where or why, but forward seemed correct.\n\n“Now, James. Listen close to me. I need you to do something important for me.”\n\n“What?” I croaked. “How do I help God?”\n\n“By helping yourself.”\n\nThe darkness waned slightly, not as if there were a source of light, but as if the darkness itself were a setting that could be adjusted. Spinning, I saw nothing but walls around me, and there was a small gemstone in the dirt at my feet. I picked it up, blowing it off, twirling it. A diamond.\n\n“I need it, James. Climb out of the pit and bring it to me.”\n\nI looked around, tracing my hands along the smooth, vertical dirt walls. “How? I can’t get out of this.”\n\n“You can.”\n\nMumbling, I went to tuck the diamond into my pocket—but there were none. My clothes had no trace of pockets, somehow. \n\n“I can’t climb with only one hand. This is impossible, I have to leave it behind.”\n\nNo response.\n\nI sighed, looking at the gem. It was the size of thumb-tip, brilliant even in the dark, and utterly useless. I felt all of the negativity that had been washed off me fighting, pushing against the dam set up in my mind. How the fuck was I supposed to get up there?\n\nKneeling down, God finally cut in. “You’re looking at it wrong.”\n\n“What?”\n\n“The gem. It’s what you make of it. A burden in the mind is one in life.”\n\nIt sat in my hand, sneering at me. I drew a deep breath, deeper than the pit I was in, and shut my eyes. Maybe God was right—but what good would thinking about it differently do? Maybe the gem wasn’t useless, if God wants it. But it was no good to my plight, and only served to make climbing out even harder.\n\nIt’s what you make of it.\n\nI opened my eyes. It had changed shape, growing into a set of picks just as stunning as the gem.\n\nI climbed. One pick in, another out and up.\n\nSlowly.\n\nIt was grueling, back-breaking, and I nearly fell several times.\n\nMy whole body hurt.\n\nI was so tired.\n\nI made it out.\n\nHunched over, heaving breaths, I held the gem up. It had returned to its original shape. “Here, God. I've done what you asked for.”\n\nHe laughed at me again, but it felt less insulting. “Keep it.\"\n\nThe darkness intensified, swallowing me, whisking my being away. I was gone.\n\n~~\n\nI opened my eyes, inhaling sharply, immediately filled with a sense of dread heavier than iron. I swallowed, gulping it down. Rolling in bed, thin sunlight creeping through cracks in shattered blinds, Hannah was already awake. She looked at me hard, but a weak smile twitched.\n\n“What time is it?” I asked.\n\n“Ten.”\n\n “Shit, I overslept.” I sat up, rubbing my eyes, then cupped a hand on her face. She leaned into it, eyelids pressed shut. “I need your help putting everything back together, Hannah. Let’s make things right again.”\n\n/r/resonatingfury" ]	5
	[WP] Two strangers wake up in an empty room together. Neither of them know why they’re there or how they got there. What they don’t know is they’re twins waiting to be born.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"This is a special case,\" Satan said. He nodded through the tinted glass window at the room on the other side. Two very different people sat on a red couch in warm, welcoming living room. Sunlight poured into the room through the windows. A short, waif-like girl with dark hair cuddled next to an older woman with salt and pepper hair. They watched a cartoon that Arthur did not recognize. This was the last stop on the tour before Satan turned him, and his best friend Julie, into Unique Souls. He assumed everything he didn't recognize was from an alternate universe.\n\n\"A few lives before they hit the Celestial tier...,\" Satan began to explain to his son Eric and his friends. \"They started asking about each other. It's kind of weird, but you get used to weird in this job,\" Satan chuckled. \"They asked if there was an upper-limit on points,\" Satan looked at his son. \"There is, but we're not supposed to tell them that.\" He brought a red finger to his lips and winked at the three friends. \"So they kept going back down then asking for each other after they died. They used so many lifetimes they earned enough points to get all the perks. We couldn't send them down anymore so the only option was to bring them together to find out what they wanted.\" Satan shrugged.\n\n\"They want to be born as Unique twins. Both of them want, and have enough points, to become Sols. We have no idea how to do that.\"\n\n\"Wow... so they're just waiting until you figure it out?\" Julie asked.\n\n\"Yes,\" Satan nodded. \"But, they don't know they're waiting.\" He nodded through the glass. The inviting living room became a white padded cell. Instead of the girl and woman, two teenage boys were now seated, unconscious, against opposite walls. Julie watched one of them stir. He lifted his head as he came-to and looked around the padded room. Fear washed across his face until she noticed the other boy. The first boy scrambled to his knees then scurried across the floor toward the other kid. As he reached the other wall a door opened in the padding and a nurse dressed in red walked into the room.\n\n\"The nurse is going to tell them they were in an accident and after some more tests, they're free to go home. We can't send them to Earth anymore but we can keep them distracted here until we know how to give them what they want.\"\n\n\"Wow,\" Arthur said. \"I never thought Hell would go out of its way to help someone.\" Satan smiled at Arthur.\n\n\"This is your first time here, right?\"\n\n\"As far as I know.\" Arthur shrugged and nodded.\n\n\"It's a bad habit to judge things based on other people's opinions,\" Satan said with a smirk. \"Who's to say they know any better than you?\"\n\n\"Why can't they both be born? I more or less get what a Unique Soul is, but I don't see how being twins makes a difference?\"\n\n\"Twin Uniques isn't a big deal, we've done that before. The problem is both of them want to be Sols. We can only do twins if they're different Uniques.\" Satan shook his head, \"Aside from that rules say one Sol per universe.\"\n\n\"Rules? What rules? Whose rules?\" Arthur asked. Satan laughed and shook his head. Then, he turned to lead them out of the room.\n\n\"All games have rules,\" he said.\n\n\\\\\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is year two, day #119. You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit ([r/hugoverse](https://www.reddit.com/r/hugoverse)) or my [blog](https://hugoverse.info/). If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the [Guidebook](https://hugoverse.info/2017/11/25/hugoverse-guidebook/) to see what's what and who's who, or the [Timeline](https://hugoverse.info/2017/10/23/hugoverse-timeline/) to find the stories in order." ]	2
	[WP] You’re an immortal who got sent back in time. You always make sure to become friends with good people who get assassinated, like Lincoln or MLK Jr. You can’t change anything, but you feel like you owe these people who you know are going to die. You always try to make their last days enjoyable.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Ice clung to his beard, his gaunt face had not seen a razor for months. I could see his breath fog, yet his eyes were pitch black, they were fixed on the horizon. Howling winds buffeted the tent but no one moved, Captain Scott would die here, losing the race and his life. \n\nI wanted to be here, I keep reminding myself of that, I wanted to be here at the end to make some record of the final moments. I’m struggling to find anything to write about, if you know Scott of the Antarctic’s legend, there’s nothing more to the story. I always imagined it like this, the final tragic end, Oates is gone and I will also leave this tent to never return too, \n\nI haven’t spoken a word, I’m sure he’s no there anymore, the mind is gone just a few more hours and It will all be over. The lost explorer, a man who won’t ever be forgotten, the failure who spurred others to do what he never could." ]	2
	[WP] He twitched his neck and could hear a small crack. He started to grasp the limitations of what was possible in a decade. He had two, perhaps three of those left.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The boy sat in the faded, white plastic lawn chair, his dirty brown hair covering his face. I watched as his hands fought against the restraints, cutting into his skin. He was suffering; I wanted to untie him and hold him close. But that had to wait. Sam had insisted that he needed to be completely alone and immobile for his Sight to work. So I kept quiet and watched from my own lawn chair. Silence. I glanced down at my own filthy skin, covered in dried sweat and grime. How long has it been since any of us have had a proper shower? I shook my head. Too long to even remember. Ever since the Singularity the world has just spiraled into despair. Sam and I were lucky to even find this house with all four walls intact after traveling for so long.\n\nSuddenly, an audible crack filled the silence of the room. I looked up at Sam again. His head was twisted to the side; his eyes white - rolling into the back of his head. The familiar buzzing sensation penetrated my body, like a wave of electrical current. He was in. This was a good sign! We weren't sure how many more times he was still able to See - maybe two or three more. The buzzing was softer though, so maybe that number was smaller. It didn't matter. We were still in the fight.\n\n\"God I hope this works,\" I said under my breath, clenching my fists. Sam had told me that he intended to look further this time. That it would be dangerous.\n\nWe need this advantage! We can't keep running scared and just wait to die! I NEED you to listen. I KNOW I can do this. Jessie, I have to try...\n\nI couldn't help but worry about him. I loved him, and watching this power tear him apart affected me just as much. The others called it a blessing; called him an Oracle. I still felt it was a curse. Everything about it has only brought him and I pain and suffering. Even if it was his destiny to reverse this, I wished we could just go back to the farm. It was warm and safe there. But he had a duty he couldn't refuse. And I had to take a back seat and let him try. And it scared me.\n\nSuddenly, Sam let out a ear-splitting cry and violently shook to the floor, still attached to the chair. I screamed and ran to him. He was convulsing, foam emanating from his mouth. His eyes still white; the Sight still in full-effect.\n\n\"Sam!\" I called to him, breaking the rules that he told me earlier. \"Sammy! Can you hear me!?\" I began untying his restraints. The buzzing was fiercer now - almost painful. Whatever he was doing was working...and it was killing him. I wasn't about to let him die on me. I tore his arms free and cradled his unconscious body on the floor, still shaking with energy. Tears rolled down my face, splashing onto the concrete floor. \"Oh Sam! Come back to me!\" I wailed, breaking down into a torrential downpour of emotion. I was everything and nothing at the same time. My universe was crumbling around me.\n\n*****\n\nSam took in an enormous gasp of air, pushing past my arms and bolting upright like a man possessed. His chocolate brown eyes replacing the stark white of before. The same couldn't be said about his face. He was as white as a ghost. I stared in disbelief. I absolutely thought I had lost him.\n\n\"S...Sammy,\" I whispered softly, still in shock.\n\nHe turned to me, the smile on his face the answer to my prayers. \"Jessie, I did it.\" He knelt down next to me, tears still streaming down my face. \"And I know how to win.\"\n\nEND" ]	2
	[WP] As a child, you were found alone on the outskirts of a forbidden forest by a nobleman. He took you in and you became one of his most cherished, well respected servants. You never questioned who were before being found...until now.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	1
	[WP] When humans disappeared our pets were left behind to take over the world, now two rival species rule the galaxy, each one an apex predator from the same world and strangely sharing the same gods. An alien historian attempts to discover why.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "After the humans disappeared, two new leaders rose from the ashes they had left behind: Cat and Dog. A long and bloody war ensued, with numerous casualties on both sides. Over time, the creatures settled their differences and established a society and religion.\nStrangely, they worshipped the same gods: a race of beings ranging from gentle to monster's, the humans.\nThe Dog faction were devoted to their gods, the seemingly immortal beings that had cared for them, their ancestors, and their children. They deeply mourned the passing of their gods and prayed for their return.\nThe faction of the Cat however, had different feelings and views. They held the humans responsible for their creation, and sometimes even missed them, but also held them accountable for the world's near destruction", "Our conquest started simple enough. \n\nWe had decided that we would follow what the humans had left behind, except for one simple hmmm......mistake we’ll call it.\n\nYou can’t fix a mistake without like this without going out of your way to be able to correct it with scientific, imperial evidence.\n\nFew things have galvanized our cause like this. The only other issue I’m aware of is when we were deciding what we should be called. \n\nAs I explain our cause to this man from the other side of our solar system he nods along. He seems to be understanding of our fleet of four legged friends showing up. He even seems to understand as I explain our mortal enemies the feline species may be showing up as well.\n\nI continue to explain why it’s so important that his PLANET may be ground zero for our war. We didn’t start this war, and we’re just trying to live our lives. \n\nIn the end we’ll figure out this mistake and we’ll properly reclassify Pluto as the planet it deserves to be in the honor of our hero Pluto the loyal companion of Mickey Mouse.\n\nIf the cats show up to pick a fight like they often do we’ll finish that too. For we are The Good Boys and The Good Girls and we just want to make the humans proud in their memory.", "The Octopods came first. Large creatures with skin that had evolved to survive the sun, their tendrils learned to tie together to walk upright. Their heads shrunken, but they spoke through their minds. They sweeped across the galaxy melding minds with every kind of intelegent life they came across, learning and their empire growing amongst the stars. \n\nThey were not malovent, but defended themselves well against those empire's that saw them as squishy and weak. They were wrong to underestimate them. In some parts of the universe they still fight with an intelligence that other species grew to fear.\n\nMillenia later, the Canines appeared. They tore across galaxies, teeth and claws and spoke in yips and yowls, a parody of the language the Octopods spoke. The similarities to the two species, dispute being so different in nature could not be over looked.\n\nThe Canines were devote to their gods. Truth be told, their mission was to find their gods, seeking them across years, to find where they had gone. The Octopods speak of dead, long gone gods that had been a blight to the world, and only when they killed themselves in their hubris that the Octopods were able to flourish in a new age. The Canine's continued to seek them, wanting them to return home.\n\nThe two as time went on swelled in size. The empire of the Octopods and the cult of the Canines, the worship of \"Humans\" chaotic creatures as they were speed across the galaxies. The idea of deities that loved and protected you, fed you and tended to you, no matter what was appealing to masses. Kind gods, gods that cared.\n\nThe Octopods always scoffed at the idea of human worship. monsters, destroyers. The Canines were following in the footsteps of them, refusing to see the destruction they had caused for their own comfort. \n\nWar was imminent.\n\n(The idea of dumb militant dogs and intelligent psychic octopuses was fun to build up, thank you for the great prompt!)" ]	4
	[WP] Due to an economic collapse 150 years ago, countries and governments no longer exist and people live in small villages. Some valued remnants of the lost world are still present. One day you find an old doomsday bunker full of resources that will change the fate of your village forever	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nSam and Bruiser climbed the mountain trail. It was thin and winding, sized for the two teenagers who created it. It led upward from their village in the valley below. Now and then, they would stop for a break and use their hatchets to cut back some of the overgrowth. Ostensibly, the pair had been sent to find rabbits. But those were scarce enough these days, and the mood to explore had taken over.\n\nBruiser puffed out his chest. \"I hope we meet one of those raiding parties from the next valley. I'd love to see what happens if they have to stand and fight.\"\n\nSam just gave an encouraging smile, not letting what she thought of that show. There were raiding parties, but the valley they were theorized to be from was in the opposite direction from their little rabbit trail. Besides, their only weapons were slingshots and hatchets. Against a full raiding party, she certainly wouldn't be staying around.\n\n\"Yeah, as soon as they nail down their location, I'll go over with my dad and the other adult hunters, and slaughter the lot of them. It'll be nice for our village to have a second valley.\"\n\nIf they were forced into raiding, then their farms must be failing. If anything, a second valley would be a burden. Distant records told of conquerors and alliances ruling multiple valleys, but the barriers of the mountains and harsh winters broke things down in the end. The trees grew quickly, and leaving a trail empty for an entire season guaranteed it would be gone by the time you returned. \n\nSam kept climbing, listening passively to Bruiser's boasting. She kept her eyes on the sky.\n\nThere was only one real mystery in Sam's life. Every few nights, red and white lights crossed the sky. She had always hoped they would appear during the day so she could see them better.\n\nBruiser let out a yelp, and vanished.\n\nSam, pulled back into the moment, quickly looked around and saw a dark hole where he had been standing. \n\n\"Bruiser!\"\n\n\"I'm okay!\" came a muffled reply. \"But there are a few different tunnels down here, and I don't know which one I came from. Keep yelling!\"\n\nSam yelled for a few minutes, feeling awkward. If a raiding party really had been in the neighborhood, they would have been able to find her easily. Thankfully it was just the rabbits. Eventually, Bruiser climbed out of the hole, covered in dirt. \n\n\"We need to go back down there.\" Bruiser was serious for once, not mooning around after glory.\n\n\"Why? You find a rabbit's den?\"\n\n\"No. But it's weird. Come see.\" \n\nThe two used their hatchets to make deep marks in the dirt, and climbed down slower than Bruiser's initial fall. The tunnel sloped downward, and got both steeper and wider as they continued, though never enough that they didn't think they could climb back up.\n\nAnd then the tunnel changed. They rounded a corner, and the dirt became some sort of shiny stone. The stone echoed when Bruiser stomped on it. Small glowing rocks were embedded in the ceiling, lighting the tunnel. It was high enough now that an adult could have stood upright.\n\n\"See? Weird!\" Bruiser said.\n\nSam nodded. Couldn't argue there.\n\nThe two followed the new tunnel, too nervous to talk much. There were doors made out of the same shiny stone, on alternating sides of the tunnel every few meters.\n\nAfter a few minutes of walking, Bruiser tried one, and to his visible surprise, it opened. Inside was a row of walls, with lines crisscrossing each, and pictures of trees in the boxes the lines formed. Sam touched one of the boxes, and it popped open. It was a drawer full of seeds. Each wall must have been full of them. There were other markings inside the drawer, but neither of them could read.\n\n\"Nice, nice. Not bad,\" Bruiser said. \"Whoever made this stored some food for us.\"\n\nSam popped open another drawer, and observed the difference between the seeds. For once she felt compelled to correct her friend's assumptions.\n\n\"I think these are all different kinds of plants, actually. Not for eating, but for making more food.\"\n\nBruiser thought about it, and nodded. \"Also nice. But there must be better stuff in the other rooms.\"\n\nThe next room was full of cylinders on shelves with pictures of vegetables and beans, though not the varieties Sam was used to.\n\n\"More seeds! Boring!\" Bruiser shut the door.\n\nThe third room had rectangles on shelves, and initially Sam thought they must be little boxes, perhaps containing more seeds. But after picking one up, it fell open, and she saw that it was some sort of object for storing markings. Markings that they couldn't read. Her dad could. They would have to come back here with him sometime. \n\nShe looked through and found a few thinner marking-holders that had pictures. They were of staggering quality. The trees and vegetables had been little cartoons, understandable but not realistic. The pictures in the marking-holders must have taken years to complete. She held them close to her chest.\n\n\"This must be a Predecessor cave. It's too clean to be anything else. But one thing we know about Predecessors is they had way better weapons. Where are they?\" Bruiser grumbled to himself.\n\nSam let him talk and looked through the pictures. She didn't understand most of them, but they were fascinating regardless. She kept hoping she would see something recognizable, and feel a connection to them.\n\nThen suddenly, she did.\n\nThe next few rooms were living quarters, all empty. Whoever built the place never got a chance to move in.\n\nThen, finally.\n\n\"That's an atomic bomb,\" Bruiser said, satisfied at last.\n\n(1/2)", "As I crept past the crumbling remains of a what looked like a rocky overhang, I knew I was close, the heavy tang of rusting metal hung in the air.\n\nSlowly I moved past the crumbling metal supports an came upon the door. I had found one of them, it was a vault.\n\nPeople talked about how the rich and famous were evacuated and hid to ride out the storm of people calling for their blood. \n\nAs I looked on how to open the door i noticed some of the rocks has collapsed and looked to be a way in. I wigged my way in and stood in shock the place was trashed. it looked as bad outside as inside. I continued to look around and that was when i heard it, \" Gary?\"" ]	3
	[WP] It is imperative that you set the alarm to wake up. Your parents had set it for you when you were too young to do so. When you were old enough they taught you to do it yourself. One night you forget to set the alarm.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As soon as you woke up, you knew something was wrong.\n\nVery wrong.\n\nAs a matter of fact, it was never this bright at five in the morning. And that's because when you look at the clock, you realize it's past one in the afternoon.\n\nYou didn't stay up late. You didn't take sleeping pills. You hadn't been drinking. You did the exact routine drilled into you by everyone for the last three decades of your life.\n\nTake a shower. Shave. Set your schedule for tomorrow. Put the clothes you were going to wear out. And went to sleep at nine at night. Beyond rational for someone like yourself. But, the clock didn't get set right.\n\nAnd so you woke up at one in the afternoon. Having somehow, for whatever reason, slept for fourteen hours. On a Thursday.\n\nDespite your initial panic and swearing, clamoring out of your nightly cocoon in the the hopes this was but a bad dream. It's not. You trip and fall over your shoes, smacking your face against the floor. Not that that matters now.\n\nYou've been fired. The presentation was today, and the boss was hinging on you putting up your end of the bargain. It's all over. Hello unemployment.\n\nSome of the bills are due today, and now you don't know exactly how you'll be able to cover all of them over the next month.\n\nYou missed several calls and texts from a bunch of people. You slept right through them. Your parents always said you were a hard sleeper. But they still didn't put things in perspective. You've slept through car accidents. Lightning strikes. A train that used to run past your childhood home.\n\nUnless that alarm goes off, you never wake up on time.\n\nAnd that's why things keep winding up as they are. That's how it's always been when it comes to things. One step forward and at least three back.\n\nOh well. Time to refresh your resume.\n\nSuch is life.\n\nr/Jamaican_Dynamite" ]	2
	[WP] Your village is built around an old tree that is worshipped as a god and protector. You’ve always been skeptical about the nature of tree and its supposed abilities, but one day you notice a wizard from out of town ‘speaking’ with the tree, seemingly deep in conversation.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Part One\n\nIsland Time\n\nAn early rise for the fishermen of the small island village in the far throws of the pacific. Dark and still, then a moment later like cogs of an old clock, the island hummed into a brand new day. With the birds and the mice the men woke. Then made their way down to oceans edge. Young Wesley was late to join them as always as he doesn't really like to be woken up early. It takes several whacks with a banana leaf to finally stir him. \"You should not have been out so late Wesley, that is why you are tired.\" His mother scolded as she passed him hot oats and coconut milk.\n\nIt doesn't take young Wes long to spring awake into the days work. He swung his lunch over his shoulder- canned cornbeef, fresh fruit and stale bread wrapped in a wet cloth, bare chest bloated, with long leaps he sprung down the hill to join the men in the dark to prepare the boats and nets. As he hurtled down the hillside he makes sure to greet the Mighty Mola tree, slapping it with both hands to ensure a bountiful catch and safe return \"Hola Mola Noga!\"\n\n\"Come on Wesley! If you're late again tomorrow you'll be left behind to make baskets with the woman! Quick, while the tide is high!\" His uncle called.\n\nWes didnt even eat fish. He hated it. He couldnt stand the smell. But the men loved them. They would eat them straight from the nets- still kicking and fighting for life as their teeth tore chunks of fresh flesh and slurped down the brains and sucked out eyes still blinking. Wes did like cornbeef though. And lamb necks. And noodles and bread.\n\nWes really hated being out on the water. He wanted to move his legs, run and jump and pump blood and iron. Wes preferred to hunt and trap and lose himself in the thick bush and his scattered thoughts and schemes. To be alone, transcending islands with leaps of imagination. But the men preferred to fish, there wasnt much nice to eat that could be hunted on land. The pigs had been eaten. The goats milked, then eaten. All long before Wesley came to be born. Just bushrats and spiders and seagulls remained.\n\nAs they fished the men would sing and tell the tales of the beginning of time, the first day of days, the legends of Mana and Mighty Mola Tree.\n\nMana was the first man to set his foot on their island. He was more seven feet tall with mighty shoulders almost as broad as the mountains he was almost as wide. With six wives and twenty-two daughters on board with him they eagerly paddled to shore and abandoned their canoe with the memories of misery. The large family, followed closely by several dozen more vessels, waded through water as clear as glass lapping over golden sands. Wet and sand dusted they tossed off their rags and trekked naked up through thick green bush rolling up and over an enormous hilltop. The first family climbed to the highest point where Mana declared this to be where they made their home. At the very very highest point of the hilltop where Mana stood grew a small skinny sapling of the Mola tree, barely recognisable amongst the flax, bush and weed. Mana tied a gentle knot in the soft stalk of the baby tree and declared this Mola Tree to be sacred. It could never be cut down. Would never become a canoe. It was instead a guardian of the island. So those that settled these lands could plant their feet as deep as its roots could grow, grow tall enough to reach the sun and as wide and deep as the oceans spread. His grandchildren would never be required to travel. They would never be cast, through famine or war, out into the terrifying abyss of an uncertain ocean, as they the first settlers had, in search of new lands barely rumoured to exist. A canoe straight and true, like a needle, in an endless ocean, the pound of waves stacked back to breaking back.\n\nMana declared that this Mola tree was never to be felled and carved into a canoe, it would not be dragged to the ocean but grow up through the clouds and the heavens above. The tree a link to join the mighty young maternal mother Poia... earth, seed, sap, soil, blood, bone and tears up up up towards the curly white wisps of wisdom of the stories, the song, the spirited ancestors, all the way to the heavenly grandfather Kaweke. Torn from each others embrace in the ancient times, long before even Mana and his wives, in hot lava and ash and eruption. But with a knot tied by Mana, like a heart or a hug, they would grow together again. The earth pushed the Mola tree upwards growing ever closer to the starry skies. The oceans encroached. The clouds and the rain and the winds would blow lower and harder and with fierce persistance. The waves rolled a little higher and crashed a little harder. The slowly transformed so that Poia and Kaweke would once more touch and wed in gentle embrace reuniting their children and all of the ancestors and their tales across the pacific who had been tossed afar and asunder by angry waves, hunger and dwinlding resource.\n\nThe men always returned to shore at the strike of midday to share a meal with family and friends basking blissfully in the sun's hottest heat. Afterwards, when the sun once more cast a shadow, in the shade of the Magical Mola Tree. The men would stay behind, gut the fish, clean the boats, fold the nets and pass around a quiet gulp of island wine and puff of island grown tobacco. Leading into an afternoon of leisure, song, a swat of flies, the smack of a banana leaf on unruly child, the occasional whizz of a well aimed jandall through the air at a sharp tongued yet soft headed husband. Plenty of island time to argue in the sunshine, make peace before dinner. The water lapping lower in the bay as it withdrew, at a different time each day, signalled to the woman and children to go cockling and collecting mussels and seaweed and chasing crabs. Island time passed with the sun. The Mola tree blessing each glorious day with the bountiful harmony of fortune, good humour and gratitude in turn.", "I only notice him because of his waving arms and the steady thumping of his staff on the ground. (It’s the staff that tells me he’s a wizard.) His hands sometimes brush the trunk of the so-called “God Tree,” and when he does, he shudders. His feet do not move at all.\n\nAround me the village, like the creeping of winter, comes to a pause around the tree. The tree is the center of the village, and many villagers approach it every day seeking blessings, offering gifts, and on occasion even taking fallen leaves as charms. I imagine they think him heretical.\n\nThe village blacksmith, the burliest man in the village, approach him along with the village tavernkeeper, the best brawler in the village. The wizard continues waving his arms and thumping his staff. \n\nThe blacksmiths yells, “Hey! What are you doing?”\n\nThe wizard reaches forward to brush the trunk again, but the tavernkeeper grabs his arm. She says to him, “What are you doing? You cannot touch the God Tree.”\n\nThe wizard tries to shake her grip, but he stumbles instead. We can finally see him, and I am surprised at his youth. Some of the bawdier village girls might even call him charming. His hair and slight beard are disheveled like any traveler’s would be, but unlike any other traveler he’s not cowed by the mass of villagers or his captive arm.\n\nThe blacksmith asks again, “What are you doing? Wizard or not, you cannot act with such irreverence towards the God Tree.”\n\nThe wizard huffs and says, “I am communing with your God Tree. Do you actually believe a God Tree would speak as we do?”\n\nI have never thought of that before, and it seems like no one else in the village has either. I never even quite believed in the godliness of the tree. My mom would tell me stories of its powers when I was younger. As the village wise woman, she knew everything. (She even knew of the time when I tasted both a boy’s and a girl’s lips.) And in all her stories she never called the tree a god, just a protector.\n\nSomeone in the back of the crowd shouts, “Lies! Blasphemy!”\n\nThe wizard’s lips curve like a blade at the challenge, “Is that so. Then tell me, was it not you who asked the God Tree for blessings in your marriage bed? Did you not want a son? Or even, a daughter?”\n\nThere is no reply and the villagers break out in murmurs louder than a gust sweeping through a forest.\n\nThe wizard turns to the blacksmith, “And you, has your, let us say, bumps problem been cured?”\n\nThe blacksmith flushes so red his cheeks begin to gleam.\nTo the tavernkeeper the wizard asks, “Didn’t you want some way to get more customers in your tavern, Ms. Green?”\n\nThe wizard tugs at his captive arm and frees himself. He then turns to his captive audience, “I have spoken to your God Tree and it has charged me with helping you all. If I had not been so rudely interrupted, I may have even been able to help more of you, but what’s done is done.”\n\nAn outcry begins and they all ask for his help. Some even begin to kneel as if he is some prophet. My hand trembles as all around me the villagers become more and more passionate. \n\nThe wizard thumps his staff and somehow it resonates throughout the village. Everyone quiets and he says, “I will help all who need it. Your God Tree seeks your happiness and I will work for it too.”", "Ana stopped in her tracks when she set her eyes on a tall and skinny man whispering to the Great Tree.\n\nHeretical, she thought instantly. No one was allowed to talk to the tree, only the druids. It had been forbidden long before she was born. This was a foundation to her life, and a man breaking that foundation was attacking her personally. She plodded forth silently, getting closer undetected. It was dark and a growing wind was masking her steps. The moon hid behind thick clouds - maybe it didn't want to be an accomplice to this blasphemy. \n\nAnger was rising in her but Ana wanted to listen first. That man had possibly come with dark motives, scheming against the established order. He could only be scheming, no believer would ever utter a word to the tree. \n\n\"- miss you, Svetlana. My Kotenok,\" he whispered.\n\n\"Every day of every month, I try to fill the nothingness that consumes me. Nothing helps.\" He paused.\n\nAna felt a powerful a powerful wave of sadness overcome her. She didn't will it, it just took over. Why was she feeling this? That man meant nothing to her and yet a small voice in her was telling her to abandon the wall of her mind that resisted this sadness. And she did. As tears slid down her cheeks, she recalled that those cheeks hadn't seen tears in fifteen year since her mother's disappearance, and her father's cowardly desertion of Ana. He had just vanished, like a thief in the night. \n\n\"I'm sorry I am weak, Svetlana. I did this to you, and you'll never be free unless I stop this madness. This prison has been enough.\"\n\nHe paused again. Do what? What was he planning? She was about to reveal herself and interrupt him, but his whispers returned.\n\n\"I wanted to stay, but when I peered into her eyes, her deep and bottomless purple, I saw you. And seeing you is a dagger to my heart, an arrow piercing me.\"\n\nAna stopped breathing. Purple eyes? She was the only one with purple eyes apart from her mother. Her heart drummed against her rib cage and her lungs contracted. That voice, the man's tone, it meant something to Ana. It rang against a small part of her mind, a memory. Dad, it's you. She exhaled, the tears sliding down freely on her cheeks now. He swiveled to face her. His expression spoke a thousand words in an instant. A deep sadness possessed his eyes. He saw her mother in Ana. \n\nAna wanted to speak, scream and whisper all at once. She hated him, but she couldn't utter her feelings. She loved him, but her mind couldn't put that into words. Loneliness had consumed her this whole life, the Great Tree her only confidant. She had felt a connection with it, loved and her thoughts listened in her prayers. \n\nThat man standing in front of her, he was all that remained for Ana. Before she could say anything, cries came from beyond the grove. \n\n\"Heretic! Stop him!\"\n\nA fire engulfed the hand of her father, and the light flickered against the tears welling from him eyes. Ana turned around as dozens of men and women came barging, knives in hand. \n\n\"Ana step away from that man!\"\n\n\"Wait! Stop!\" She pleaded as they rushed towards her father, gazes of hatred and fear shining in the night. Two women grabbed her to set her aside. \n\n\"It's all right, Ana. You're safe,\" they whispered in her ears. But Ana thought back, struggling against the strength of their embrace. She heard a strange sound, like a fast bird shooting through the air, and screams from all those behind her. Ana couldn't see, but the sounds painted a clear picture. The Great Tree was burning, the light shining the whole grove. Her father's screams of pain melded with the fire consuming the trees. And when that was done, Ana felt alone once more. A terrible emptiness, one that could never be replaced.", "The Heart Tree’s Song\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I have searched and searched, and found no sign of the one you seek”, the cloaked old man exclaimed, beating his staff firmly upon the ground in apparent frustration.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn stopped in her tracks at the edge of the grove. It was the early hours of the morning, and the scene before her was illuminated by the light of the moon hanging like a lantern in the dark sky above. A slim figure stood next to the heart tree, wearing a large pointy hat and dressed in a flowing garb. With his back to Renn, he leant upon the tree with a single bony hand. The figure appeared to be deeply involved in a heated argument with an unseen adversary.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Bah! Nonsense - there is not a soul in this town who matches that description!” He rasped and huffed, pulling his crinkled hat even further over his brow.\n\n“Don’t you think I…” - “Now don’t you think I’ve…” - “Must you be so insolent!?” The figure appeared to be barking at thin air.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn began to slowly back away, the half-full vase of water that she carried clutched tightly to her chest. Having not been able to fall asleep, she had collected the water from the village wishing well, and had planned to feed the roots of the heart tree and wish for her Pa to come home soon - he had been gone longer than usual.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Now listen here you rapscallion, you-you… you roguish miscreant! I will not be spoken to in that manner! I am a wizard of the forest! A sorcerer of Elsyver!” The man bellowed, before mustering his apparently frail strength to strike the tree with the base of his staff. The blow shook free a particularly heavy looking heartfruit, which in return fell upon the man’s head, knocking his hat over his eyes and revealing his wispy hair.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn looked upon the spectacle unfolding before her, bewildered. She had seen her fair share of drunks stumbling around in the dead of night, but this was different. The figure spoke clearly, if a little raspy, but certainly without slurring his words. Did he say he was a wizard? She thought back to Old-Eyes, one of the village elders who used to tell stories to the children about forest wizards. They were supposed to be strange folk: druids who came from deep within the woods, often bringing trouble in tow. She recalled a story Old-Eyes once told of a forest wizard who, carried by birds, would fly between towns selling trinkets and potions. The wizard would tell the birds where she wanted to go by whistling to them. She could make flowers blossom in winter, and she could listen to the age-old secrets of the trees. As Renn had grown older her Pa had insisted that Old-Eyes’ tales were just children’s stories. However, here before her was a man, alone in the dead of night, very much appearing to be deep in conversation with a tree.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Now - I will search for one more day - dear old friend, and then I have business to attend elsewhere. No not Elsyver. Elsewhere! As in not here in this decrepit town!” The figure slumped his head forward in tired defeat - “You’re sure he has just the one eye?”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn dropped the vase, which shattered on the cobblestones below; her Pa had one eye. The figure whipped round to face her, closing half the distance in a split second, his staff raised and at the ready. Renn, looking upon his face, could see that his skin itself almost looked like tree bark in the moonlight.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I will allow you a moment to explain yourself, before you spend the rest of your life as a toad - hopping from stone to stone, contemplating the impoliteness of sneaking up on a defenceless old man at this time of night.” The old man's scowling eyes and gaunt face showed no hint or intention of mercy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn threw up her hands and began to apologise - “I am- I mean I was- I wanted to make a wish. I didn’t meant to-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“A wish?” The old man interrupted.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“… yes, by watering the heart tree and-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe old man interrupted Renn’s explanation again, this time with a cackle that felt as if it shook the air.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“That has got to be… that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” The man managed to utter before breaking out into yet more thunderous laughter.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn waited and watched, confused and afraid, as the man regained his composure and lowered his staff.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“This old tree is far too sour of soul to be granting any wishes, isn’t that right old friend?” The old man spoke, and then walked and placed his hand on the tree once more. “Oh you do? You try your best to help these people?” He paused. “I don’t believe that for a moment.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Sorry, are you… are you talking to the tree?” Renn asked, still in disbelief.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nStill with his hand laid upon the tree trunk, the old man turned his wrinkled face towards Renn.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“This old tree is in a poor mood.” He relayed.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“… Why?” Renn mustered.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Each night, an old soul comes to the grove and plays his song - he has not been here for the-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Does he have one eye?” Renn asked.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Yes! You know him?” The old man blurted out.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“He’s my Pa.” Renn replied.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Well go and fetch him quickly!” The old man ushered Renn with his staff. “I imagine you’ll get your wish.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I don’t know where he is.” Renn bowed her head in sadness, tears beginning to well in her eyes.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Ah, child.” The old man’s voice became softer. He waited a moment. “Do you hear that old friend? The melody you seek is lost in the woods.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe trees branches creaked softly and swayed; its leaves hissed and waned against the gentle wind, seeming almost as if to make the sound of a long and heartfelt sigh.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I know the song that my father plays” Renn whispered, raising her head to look at the tree with damp eyes. “And… I’ll play it for you - if you promise you’ll help him find his way home.” She looked to the old man, who after a moment's pause, nodded in approval.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn knelt before the tree, and the wizard stood back. The cool night air held still in the grove, and even the weeds and blades of grass seemed to lean in anticipation. Renn closed her eyes and clasped her hands in her lap. She first began to hum, and then to whistle the familiar tune. With her eyes closed, Renn saw her mother; laughing, dancing, and prancing around the grove, as she would in the summers of years ago, picking the fruit of the heart tree and singing her song as she went. The tree's branches seemed to swing ever so slightly, moving with the wind to the melody, against the deep blue of the night sky. Renn’s tune was sweet and melancholic, and long - she knelt by the tree playing the melody over and over until sunrise, lost in its sombre embrace and the memories of her mother. When she finally opened her eyes again, the old man was gone.", "I bring my epic sword down upon the mighty dragon, ending it's life and bringing honor and glory to my family name. This is the moment that will be remembered for years to come!\n\nI awaken with a start to the sound of chanting. \"Oh crap I'm late, not again.\" I quickly get out of bed and move over to my dresser to put on some clothes. A moment later and I'm out the door, listening to the chanting, trying to figure out where they are in the ritual. I race down the cobble path as quietly as I can, hoping to join before anyone notices I was missing, as the tree comes into view, along with the rest of the townsfolk, deep in prayer to the all mighty protector of this land. Or so they say. \n\nIm not really sure if I buy into that crap, but if it is true, its better to have prayed. I sneak up near the back of the crowd and join in on the prayer, wondering if anyone noticed that I overslept once again. This is the third time this week that I've been late and the elders were not pleased the last two times. They would pull me aside afterwards with the whole \"It is imperative that you attend and pray every morning otherwise you will have death and misfortune befall you!\" Speech. I'd apologise and promise to be on time the next day but I should really learn not to make promises that I can't keep.\n\nA few minutes of chanting later and the morning ritual is over, and luckily for me, the elders are to be to busy to have noticed my absence. They seem to be speaking to someone I've never seen before, which is rare considering that our town is so small. This man has a long flowing robe and a large wooden staff. I shrug it off, happy at my chance to escape the wrath of the elders and go to continue my daily routine. I make breakfast, brush my teeth, and go out for a casual morning stroll. I walk through town and come to the town center when I see something very bizarre. The man from earlier appears to be speaking to the tree. Stepping closer, figuring he might just be praying for protection or whatever, I realize that he seems to be deep in conversation, speaking and pausing as if listening to a response.\n\n\"But that could be very dangerous! I could not possibly do it myself.\"\n\n\"...\" \n\n\"Boy? What boy?\"\n\nThe man suddenly whipped around, shocked for a moment, and then smiled at me.\n\n\"My goodness I didn't see you there! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. How long have you been there?\"\n\n\"Not very long\" I reply \"but why were you speaking to the tree?\"\n\n\"Oh my dear boy, I was simply praying for protection that's all.\" The man turns his head slightly towards the tree and says \"really, him? I highly doubt that.\" \n\n\"...\"\n\n\"Ok fair enough.\"\n\nThe man turns back to me. \"I didn't realize you were a magic user! You seem to have piqued my friend's interest\"\n\n\"You're crazy.\" I start to walk away. This guy has to be insane. Im obviously not a wizard and even though we pray to the tree, it never actually responds. \n\n\"Wait where are you going? You mean you can't hear him?\" I turn my head to respond.\n\n\"You can? Yeah you're definitely crazy.\" I turn back and continue on my way. Definitely the weirdest encounter I've ever heard.\n\n\"I'm not crazy! Here allow me to fix your hearing. Something seems to be blocking it.\" He says. I'm about to round the corner to escape this nonsense when suddenly my ears start softly ringing. I stop in my tracks and the ringing starts to intensify. This deafening sound envelopes my thoughts and I am brought to my knees, clutching my head with both hands. The sound stops as quickly as it started and my senses are returned to me. Looking around, my gaze fixes on the man with a grin on his face. My body starts to tingle with energy and every sensation I feel is amplified.\n\n\"What the absolute fuck was that!?\" I yell as I return to my feet. \"What did you just do?\"\n\n\"Sorry about that, it seems it was more than your hearing that was blocked. Well give it a try, you should be able to hear him now.\" \n\nA low voice pierces my mind, \"Indeed he should. How about it boy, can you hear me?\"\n\nThe tingling in my body starts to get more violent and my grip on conciousness starts to loosen. \"I think I'm gonna pas...\" My vision blurs and my senses are overwritten as I fall to the ground.\n--------------------------------------------------\nThis is my first time writing on here so sorry if it wasn't that good. Please tell me what I can do better in the future and thanks for reading.", "\"Maw! Maw, he's at it again! Maaaaaaw!\"\n\nI dusted the flour from my hands and ducked out the low door into the gentle coolness of an early spring day. Fat bees buzzed industriously about the flowers which sprung up everywhere, delighting in the end of snows and biting winds. Worms writhed subtly in the deep green grass, escaping from the mud into the dew and danger of the open air; birds watched keenly for their next snack. The sun only barely stood over the hilltops, but it threw its warmth and cheer across the farms and plains, into the bosky groves which gradually deepened into ancient forest; light danced off the river which shimmied playfully, babbling a susurrus of secrets to the butterflies and dragonflies which bobbed and darted and shone like pastels and jewels in the crisp, clear air. Ewan, distracted from his morning task of feeding the milk cows, pointed accusingly toward the village center.\n\nThere, beneath the twisted arms of a tree which was older than memory when my grandparents were but children, a disheveled form pushed back the drooping brim of a tattered old straw hat which seemed to have been salvaged unwillingly from a vulture's nest. The motion caused the oiled leather sack - the only thing about this raggedy figure which was not in disrepair - in the figures arms to drop to the ground, scattering wooden tubes in all directions.\n\n\"That's the same man was here last Sunday week! He's talkin' to the tree again,\" Ewan finished, wilting slightly as my eyes strayed to the unfed milk cows. With a tiny grin, I tousled his straw-filled hair, pressed a light kiss on his brow, and pushed him gently back toward the cows. \"I see that, Ewan. He's no bother to anyone. You worry about milking the cows and let me worry about strange men talking to trees.\" Untying the apron knot, I tossed it back through the door and strode off to see what this stranger was doing. Strangers were never good news, except maybe new merchants or wandering peddlers. Or sometimes a visiting healer.\n\nHalfway through gathering the dropped scrollcases, the man glanced up at the tree and laughed brightly, as though at a joke or juggler's display. Hastily, he thrust the remaining tubes into the bag and leaned close to the tree, whispering conspiratorially. A madman, then. Likely a beggar as well. As I thought; strangers were never good news, this far from the world and all its bustle and madness. Things were calm, here. Things did not change with the passage of years and decades. This was no place for new and strange things.\n\nWhen I was still a hundred paces away, only just close enough to make out the patches which covered his threadbare coat and trousers, he glanced toward me, and I nearly froze like a rabbit spying the hawk. His eyes shone violet and amber, so bright it seemed they must throw shadows on the grassy expanse between us. From a hundred paces I saw clearly the lines at the corners of his eyes, the deep creases at his cheeks which belied a million laughs despite the stern set of his lips. I blinked...and only just could make out the befuddled glance of a cloudy-eyed man well into his middle years, one arm around part of the trunk as though holding a loved one. Strangers. Have decent folk all mixed up thinking they're seeing things. No good comes from strangers. I quickened my stride to confront this repeat visitor, dimly aware of the curious and timid ambling of some of my neighbors come to see this stranger who dared approach the Shrine of the First Sister. No matter that our supposed guardian did nothing to take the fever from the brow of our children ten years gone, a fever that carried every last child out of their parents arms and into the uncaring ground; no matter that this aged and ageless totem did nothing when blight took nine stalks of grain out of every ten and men and women starved in the bitter cold of the following winter. The shrine was a sacred space and it was not right that some stranger would just walk in and disturb it!\n\n(continues)" ]	7
	[WP] You have a power to instantaneously learn any language by only hearing it once. You only discovered this fact after moving out of your developing country in search of a more hopeful future. A day came where you've learnt all. Until today, after 10 years you discovered another... The last.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "When you grew up in my village, you didn’t really get that much of a chance in life. We were a small isolated farming town in a small isolated farming country in a vast and industrialized world. So when the ambassador stopped by on his way back to the capital, I begged him to take me with him. I was a good cook, I told him, and I was one of the few people in my town that could read and write. For some reason, the words on the pages always spoke to me.\n\nSomething about me must have somehow impressed the ambassador, and he brought me back with him. A week later, he took me on his trip to England. I was his scribe-in-training, or so he said. In reality, I was just an extra pair of hands to help carry his suitcases and work papers.\n\nOnce we discovered my gift, I quickly became a lot more than that.\n\nIt happened within moments of our plane landing; the ambassador asked one of the gate attendants where to get his luggage.\n\nThe gate attendant stared devotedly at his shoes as he answered. “Your bags are not in their usual place, sir; we were forced to send them to Carousel Three with some of the bags from the commercial flights.”\n\n“Ca-roo-sel?” the ambassador replied; his English was probably pretty good, but this word clearly escaped him, in a way that didn’t escape me.\n\n“He means the machine with a circular track where they leave people’s luggage,” I whispered to the ambassador in our homeland’s language.\n\nHe turned to me with a look on his face that I hadn’t seen since our goat head butted his way into our house while Papa was watching the cricket match. Pure shock.\n\n“How on Earth do you know that?” he hissed at me under his breath. I had no answer for him, but we found his luggage on Carousel Three ten minutes later.\n\nThat was my last day as a scribe-in-training. I quickly became the ambassador’s sole translator, and realized that I picked up other languages just as quickly as English. It went deeper than that though; over time, I learned that I understood the subtle differences between languages that led to so many misunderstandings.\n\nOur country’s influence somehow grew on the strength of my gift and, to be fair, the somewhat surprising but very real charm of the ambassador. The world slowly learned that we were not a backwards people with no hope of joining the powers that be, but a people who had been through incredibly hard times but still fought to push forward. We were no longer country rubes; we were an honest and kind nation who hadn’t been given the advantages of our larger fellows.\n\nI found myself at United Nations parties, as a translator on global economic councils, and even in the halls of Parliament at one point; our president heard about me from the ambassador and insisted on bringing me along for many of his missions. I would take whatever free time I had to travel to the more remote areas of the countries we visited, looking for locals who spoke forgotten languages and dialects. I had been given a gift, and I would not waste it.\n\nTen years after the fateful day when the ambassador came to my village, I returned home to visit Papa. I was standing across the road from my house, on the exact spot where I had met the ambassador, when I heard it.\n\nIt was like no language I had heard before, a beautifully clear and lilting speech that carried a melody along with it. I hadn’t seen my father in years and he was mere meters away from me, yet I found myself rooted to the spot listening to this new language.\n\nI tore myself away from the song around me to try to sing it back. But I couldn’t do it. Every language in the world had come to me fully with the ease of breathing in, but yet even a word of this new speech was beyond my power.\n\n“You can’t speak it. Not yet.”\n\nPapa had somehow materialized behind me, even though the front door had never opened.\n\n“Maya. My girl. My beautiful baby girl. Only this tongue is beyond the grasp of your powers.”\n\nI turned around to face him, and he beamed at me. Then he sang a word in the language, the one I had heard floating on the breeze.\n\nA flood of memories poured over me. I was six, climbing the tallest tree behind our house, when I slipped and fell. I thought I had heard my father screaming, but now it sounded more musical in my mind. I should never have woken from a 10-meter fall with nothing but a blank memory and a bruise on my forehead.\n\nThen I was ten, wandering in the fields with Papa, watching the flowers bloom as he sang to me, a song I had never heard before. I never stopped to consider that it was the dry season and nothing should have been blooming at all.\n\nFinally, I was eighteen, and it was the morning that the ambassador came to town. I was barely awake but my father stood over me, singing a soft tune under his breath. I didn’t hear the words at the time.\n\nI heard them now, in the music of the strange new language. “You will understand, my love, the language of their hearts, and the heart of their languages.”\n\nI thought I had known shock before, when I saw it on Papa’s face and when I saw it in the ambassador’s. Now I understood why they called it “shock” in English; I felt like someone had run a live wire through my heart and was randomly flipping the power on and off.\n\nHis smile was tinged with sadness, but also a hint of excitement.\n\n“This is the last language, my love. The words and the songs, together. This language is more than the rest of our human creations combined.”\n\n“This is the language of magic.”\n\n_________________\nIf you liked this, check out my new subreddit! r/NicodemusLux" ]	2
	[WP] Santa's standards are very, very high. Nobody has ever been good enough to get on the 'nice' list, until this year.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Santa woke up that morning feeling excited. It was 24 of December and it was the first time he had something to do since a couple thousand years. Humanity had deemed itself unworthy of him and he was not willing to lower his standards. But this time was different, someone had behaved well enough to deserve a gift.\n\nHe prepared the gifts all by himself, there was no need of using his elf's. He smiled as he realized he still had it, the perfect gift with the perfect wrap. Everything was ready, so he got in his slide and drove off to the little boy's house.\n\nOnce he arrived, he got down the chimney trying to be as quiet as possible but the lack of practice had made him clumsy so he fell down making a lot of noise. He was starting to think nobody had heard him when he saw the little boy standing right in front of him, with a look of curiosity and uncertainty. He didn't know who Santa was, it had been so long that humanity had forgotten about him but he was not afraid.\n\nAs he stood in front of him, Santa began to admire, with tears in his eyes, the little kid who had made him work again. He knew he had had a lot of help from his father but he was too excited to care. He put his hand on his shoulder and said,\n\"Child, you have made me happy for the first time in a long time, and for this, this day will know be named in your honor. Enjoy your gifts, Jesus\"\n\n\n\n\n\nPlease forgive my bad English and feel free to criticize, I don't normally write in English so I know it's not that good." ]	2
	[WP]As part of a supernatural bargain, a weak yet malicious gust of wind strikes you once in every 48 hours in an attempt to cause you bodily harm, causing loss of balance at dangerous times. Is it worth it? How do you live with this?	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The first thing I learned was to keep papers out of my room at night. The first night I fell asleep with my taxes all spread out on my desk and woke up to a disorganized mess of papers al over the room.\nThat was why I made the deal, just to pay the bills. Everyone needs something, and I just needed money. And since I didn’t ask for much, the cost was very reasonable. Once every two days the Spirits of Air got to do their absolute least to knock me off balance enough to kill me.\nIt was really quite a bargain, I never liked heights anyways. I wasn’t much of a cyclist, and even if I had been the feeble puffs of wind were barely enough to register most of the time.\nI’ve only ever been caught when I try to stand up, the sudden shift in weight being the perfect opportunity for a sneaky strike.\nSince I made the deal I’ve actually had better luck with wind, never once finding myself buffeted on a windy day. The Spirits of Air would lose the bet we made if I were to be caught off guard and so die at their hands by complete accident. It would dishonor them immensely, and all Spirits are very honorable beings." ]	2
	[WP] Since a very young age, you've been able to hear the souls of houses speak to you. Normally it's just one or two word sentences; pleasant greetings, expressions of being tired. On your way home today though, each and every one of them says one word. "Run".	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " The houses don’t lie; they don’t have any reason to. That’s something you come to know from hearing what they have to say since… well, since you can remember. When I pass the houses on my street to go to work, they wish me luck. They tell me a brief line of gossip, maybe, if I’m lucky. And after 3405 Maple Street, the house with the big oak out front, tells me that one of my neighbors has been stealing flowers from her front yard, “and not even trying to hide it!”, I have to keep myself from laughing. The houses don’t lie, and sometimes they say too much. And sometimes they err on the side of cryptic. But I think I might be the only person they get to talk to this directly, so I don’t mind all that much.\n\nThe houses don’t lie, and I trust them. We trust each other. \n\nThat’s why the fear is striking me like this, making my heart feel like it’s turned to cold metal. As soon as I turned the corner to my neighborhood, I was not met with any greetings. Just one word, from seemingly every direction: run.\n\n“Run,” the houses tell me simply. \n\nI pause, frozen. I try to restart myself, I try to keep my walking my standard pace. I move stiffly. The houses seem to chant. \n\n“Run.”\n\nI start walking faster. I’m only a few blocks away from my house. Of course, of course, I would forget my phone on the kitchen counter this morning.\n\n“Run.”\n\nI break into a run. A sprint. I was on the track team in high school, but that was then. I haven’t been to a gym in at least a year. \n\n“Run.” \n\nMy breath is catching in my lungs, I’m sputtering, my heart is racing, and I can’t run fast enough. I don’t even know what I’m running from but I know the houses don’t lie.\n\n“Run.”\n\nI’ve made it to Maple. I can see my house, I can get there if the adrenaline will keep me from facing just how out of shape I actually am.\n\n“Run.”\n\nI scramble to find my keys in my bag as I come to a precarious stop at my front door. I’m shaking. I can’t breath. My vision tilts and I feel like I’ve just gotten off a roller coaster. My house is telling me to run, but I don’t have anywhere else to go.\n\nI put the key in the door, but the impact makes it swing open. Someone else is here. I can see a sliver of my living room.\n\nOh God, oh God.\n\n“Run,” my house tells me. “Run. Run. Run!”\n\nThe flight or fight is molding into freeze and I can’t move. I can’t yell. I can’t run. I can't even catch my breath from the running I’ve already done. They keys in my hand are suddenly on the wooden planks of my front porch.\n\nI can’t even think.\n\nI hear her before I see her.\n\n“Alex? Alex Shaw?”\n\nMy heart drops. A woman, dressed in a black suit, walks into the sliver of living room I can see. She smiles coldly, and brushes her dark hair back behind her ear.\n\n“I think we need to have a talk.”", "Run...Run...Run.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThose were the words I kept hearing from them. It sent a chill down my spine. This had never happened before. Why would they want me to run? Why now? I shrugged them off, I could be hearing this wrong. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nRun. Run. Run.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey kept whispering that to me, the tone in which they whispered growing forceful. To say my heart was beating rapidly was an understatement. I hastened my pace forward, jogging my way down the normally quiet streets.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRun.Run.Run.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe words came faster now. I could sense the slight desperation in their tone. My senses grew sharper, I felt like I had just tapped into some hidden energy hidden inside me. I felt my skin thrumming and heating with this sudden surge of energy. I ran forwards, my arms and legs pumping. I was so close. So goddamn close.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nrunrunrUNRUNRUNRUNRU-\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI heard the desperation of their tone and I let a manic smile grow on my face. I had closed the gap. I pulled her towards me, muffling her yelp with a cloth. She struggled against me, flailing her arms and kicking my legs. I held fast to my ground, chuckling darkly as she finally stopped moving. I had indeed been hearing wrong. Those words weren't for me. They never were.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhy? Why did you not run?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey whispered remorsefully." ]	3
	[WP] A witch asks people to bring her an object and she will grant you a desire of equal or less value to it. When you bring her a rock from your backyard, she stares at you with wide eyes and asks "Where did you find this?"	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Her eyes then tighten into a glare. Her lips pull back just enough to show a sliver of white teeth. She's never been a beautiful woman, but there was an ugly sharpness, newly present in her features, then makes me stumble back.\n\"Where?!\"\n\"My backyard. I just—\"\n\"You get nothing. Nothing! Leave!\"\nI go to leave, as commanded, embarrassed by the whole thing. It was going to be a joke, a pebble for a feather, but somehow I had offended. Then my sense turned off, as it too often has.\n\"I'd like it back, then,\" I say with far too much confidence.\n\"What?\" It's somewhere between a shocked whisper and a hiss, which is honestly impressive with the lack of sibilants in the word.\n\"If you aren't giving me anything for it, I want it back.\"\n\"What.\" The inquiry is done, no hiss, just anger. And yet I continue like the fool I am.\n\"I. Want. It. Back.\" See: fool.\n\"Do you even know what it is?\"\n\"Something you've undervalued.\"\n\"Anyone every tell you that you are an idiot?\"\n\"No one so much as myself.\"\n\"Fine, name a price.\"\n\"Power, fame, fortune. I want it all. I'll settle for the throne.\"\n\"For a pebble?\"\n\"No. Not just a pebble. That pebble.\"\n\"You don't really want it back.\"\n\"No, I'd prefer a kingdom, but if that's not worth it to you...\"\n\"I can't. I just...\" She seems genuinely worried. I almost feel like dropping the whole thing, but I don't.\n\"How about true love? I hear that's a good one.\"\nShe stares at the pebble, turning it over in her hands. After maybe five seconds of what feels an eternity, I give a small cough. She snaps her attention to me.\n\"Power, fame, fortune, and love,\" she says with a grin. \"Alright. It's a deal.\" The stone disappears into a pocket and she holds out a hand for me to shake, which I do without a second thought. Or even a first one. My gut says this was a bad choice, but then again, that's how all the best stories start.", "I shrugged. “sorry to disappoint. I don’t have much. I found it in my Backyard” I said hoping she’d take pity on me. Her eyebrows narrowed as she rushed me inside her little house.\n\nIt was a neat little home. Smelled of ginger and rosemary. On top of that books with spikes of different languages were piled on top of each other. Crystals a skulls arranged in color patterns. Drawers were overflowing with herbs and trinkets. As crowded as the room was it was relaxing. Every time I looked around I could find something new.\n\nShe skimmed through the books on her shelf. Using her finger as guide as she swiftly skimmed over the book spines. “Schveltsim VII l. Calcreute. Ah! Found it” She yelled.\n\nConfusion filled my brain. It was just a regular rock. She seems really interested in it. The only thing unusual about it was the fact that it had white on it. And I’m quite sure that was bird poop.\n\nShe grabbed chalk and a few herbs a long with a necklace in the shape of a star. She laid a few candles out and lit one, throwing what looked like dried rose petals onto the flame. She used the candle to light the other ones. She drew a circle with a dot in the center. She put the necklace down then the rock on top. Her eyes tested up as she poured hot wax into the necklace then the rock. She set the rock on top of the necklace. \n\nThis was all new to me. I’m not one to participate in rituals. I so desperately wanted to leave. But I felt bad. Something In me told me she was crying for a good reason.\n\nShe changed a few words before the rock glowed. First a pale purple then into a baby blue. The glow turned black before the rock cracked slowly. Exposing white light. He witch smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks as something arose from the rock pieces.", "It was a good arrangement we had. I was allowed to live just outside the village and given needed amenities in exchange for my magical talents. However, these talents didn't come from nothing. I turned the raw emotional energy inherent in a person's belongings into the very spells and incantations I practiced. \n\nI'd become so masterful of my art I could sense the very energy. A farmer could bring me his favorite pair of shoes, and I can use them to cure his daughter's fever. The local lord could bring me a family heirloom, and I could use it to repel flood waters from a blightful storm.\n\nIt was a fair life, but a lonely one. Sure, people would come by often, but it was always business. People who need something enough to rely on forces out of their understanding tend not to make the best conversation. Much of my time was spent studying my magic and providing for the village. That is until he came to my door.\n\nHe was drunk. I didn't recognize his face from the other villagers. He presented me with a shoe and asked to fill his flagon. He had drunk it in a few hearty gulps. When finished, he collapsed to the ground in a drunken stupor. He wasn't the first to come to my home and waste my power.\n\nI had thought he'd be gone by the morning. To my surprise, he sat groggily at my stoop. He presented his other shoe for a cure to his hangover and a napkin for a loaf of bread. He stuck around for a while. He was a wandering vagrant who found himself at my doorstep after hearing word of me from the villagers. \n\nI was a lucky find for him. He would give me small bits and baubles in exchange for food and drink. He stuck close by when he wasn't begging in the village. At first, it was an annoyance. He'd pester me about exchanging items, often trying to figure out how to get the most out of a trade. However, soon it became less of a pester and more about curiosity. After many questions about my magic, I made him a deal. A question for a question. \n\n\"How do you know how much power a thing has,\" he asked.\n\nI answered, \"Every object a person owns has a certain amount of personal attachment to it. The more attachment a person feels, the more potent spells I can cast.\"\n\nThen I asked, \"How'd you find yourself in your situation?\"\n\nHe shrugged and said, \"Never knew my pa. My ma and I were beggars until she died of consumption when I was young. Never learned a trade. Nobody would teach me.\"\n\n\"Why's that?\" I asked curiously.\n\nHe shrugged, \"Don't know. Guess no one wants a starving beggar as an apprentice.\"\n\nHe didn't ask another question. After several somber moments, a thought occurred to me. I made him an offer, \"Quit drinking and begging from the villagers. In exchange, I'll find you an apprenticeship.\"\n\nAfter some thought, he agreed. It was hard for him at first. I helped where I could. I'd cure his shakes in exchange for stories of his travels. After a month sober, I received business from the village blacksmith. He needed his shop expanded in exchange for a pair of his daughter's baby shoes. A made the deal with the blacksmith with the added request of taking on a new apprentice. With the expansion of his business, he generously accepted.\n\nMy friend worked very hard in his apprenticeship, but he always made time to stop by just to chat. I remember when he brought me his first creation, a crooked horseshoe. He wanted to exchange it for a lodging between my cabin and the smithy. The pride inherent in that twisted hunk of metal was more than enough to summon a cottage and some furnishing.\n\nHe continued to ask about my magic. He used what he learned at the forge, imbuing his emotions into his creations. His works improved as he learned to smith. His creations' qualities improved further as he practiced magic. The blacksmith never had any sons, and with the quality of the work, the choice of a successor was easy. Soon, many came to the village for his expertise and quality of work. \n\nOne day, while we were chatting about how far he had come, he became very serious. From his pocket, he produced a stone. The emotional energy behind the stone practically reverberated through the air. Astounded, I asked, \"Where did you find this?\"\n\nLooking in my eyes, he stated, \"Years ago, I took this rock from your front garden. It was going to be a souvenir from this village. I held on to it as a reminder of your charity. It gave me strength as I quit drinking. It inspired me as I was learning my trade. This simple rock has represented the friendship and kindness you've shown me for the first time in my life. Today I bring it to you to make a trade\"\n\nBefore my eyes, the magic in the stone coalesced into a glorious mythral ring adorned with ferrin gemstones.\n\nHe got down on one knee saying, \"I would like to exchange this ring for your hand in marriage.\" \n\n\\Sorry about the formatting, I'm still kinda new to this\\", "The witch clasps her hand around the rock, and closes her eyes. Tears stream down her wrinkled skin, falling to the scorched Earth and disappearing almost immediately.\n\n\"From the rubble,\" I say, pointing to a dilapidated pile of burnt wooden beams and blackened stones lying in the distance.\n\n\"Tell me this,\" she gasps, her eyes wide in astonishment. \"After the war, people brought me bones of their loved ones. They brought back broken shards of memoirs and mementos, so I could revive damaged memories. I have brought the dead back to life. I have restored relics and family heirlooms. Why have you brought me rubble from a mosque?\"\n\n\"Do you believe in God? I ask without hesitation.\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Look around us. After the war, no one believes anymore. But before they ravaged this city, we went to the mosque every day. I didn't believe in God even then, but being under one roof with my family, watching them pray for the well-being of their loved ones... that made me feel a little less alone. And I realized then, that even if there was no God... I could live with it because I knew there were others praying for me. There is nothing now. Just ash and broken dreams. No one prays for each other anymore, just for their own selves. How are we supposed to live if we can't look out for each other?\"\n\n\"But..\" she stutters incoherently. \"You lost your parents in the war. Your brothers. You could bring them back too. What could be more powerful than resuscitating love?\"\n\nI sigh deeply. \"Love will bring only my life back. Faith will bring back much more than that. This stone belonged to the home of our lost faith. Tell me then, could you convince God to come back?\"\n\nr/whiteshadowthebook" ]	5
	[WP] You are an assassin tasked with killing the royal family. Today you found out why the royal family never required bodyguards.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "From behind the king, I pressed the blade of my dagger to his throat. His wife and children looked up and at me. They did not seem afraid.\n\n\"Fine blade,\" the king said.\n\nI looked down at the top of his head. \"What?\"\n\n\"Your dagger. Very high quality. Sharp. You are barely pressing it to my skin and I can already feel some blood trickling down my neck.\" He sounded impressed. \n\nHis oldest son commented, \"Cool. Dad, can I get a dagger, too?\"\n\n\"Just as long as you promise not to hold it to anyone's necks,\" the king joked.\n\nThey laughed.\n\nI shouted at them, \"Shut up!\"\n\nThe youngest daughter gasped and frowned at me. \"Bad word,\" she said.\n\nFor some reason I felt ashamed of myself. \"Sorry,\" I said to her.\n\nShe beamed. \"It's okay! Everyone makes mistakes, but if you apologize, sincerely mean it, and try not to do it again, all will be forgiven. Right, Mama?\"\n\nThe Queen nodded, face radiating with pride as she agreed. \"Right.\" Then she turned towards me and asked, \"Will you be joining us for dinner?\"\n\n\"I'm actually here to assassinate you,\" I told her truthfully. I looked around the table at all the faces. \"All of you.\"\n\nA couple of the younger kids started talking:\n\n\"A sassy eight? What's that?\"\n\n\"You're eight.\"\n\n\"But I'm not sassy, am I?\"\n\n\"I don't think so...Maybe... What does sassy mean?\"\n\n\"I don't know. But he said he was going to sass us, so we just have to wait and see.\"\n\nI let them talk because I found it quite amusing and fascinating.\n\nOne of them looked up at me and asked, \"Can you please hurry up and sass us? I want to see if I'm sassy.\"\n\nI coughed to disguse the laugh that suddenly exploded out of me.\n\n\"Get him some water!\" The Queen ordered.\n\n\"No, really, I'm fi-\" I looked up and saw a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes staring at me. \n\nShe held the cup out to me. \"Drink.\"\n\nI hesitated.\n\nHer dark eyes peered through to my soul and understood. She took a sip first. Then she held out the cup to me.\n\nI took it and drank.\n\nAfter that, it was over. No matter how many times I kept threatening to kill them, it was a statement that became hard to take serious as I would shortly after ask for someone at the table to pass me another plate.\n\nAs dinner came to a close, the king spoke. He said, \"It seems unfair to me that you have come all this way to complete a task which I am sure you were certain to be rewarded by.\"\n\nEveryone at the table heartily agreed.\n\n\"As a result,\" the king continued. \"I wish to compensate you. Tell me how much you were to be paid, and I will doub- no, triple it.\"\n\n\"Actually, if you don't mind, I would like to ask for something else. Besides money.\" I glanced across at the dark-haired girl as I had been doing all night.\n\nShe lowered her eyes with a smile and blushed." ]	2
	[WP] You're a superhero that fights listening to music. A villain approaches, and you dig your hands into your pockets. You take them out and pat them, your heart sinking. You've forgot your phone at home.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "<part 1/2>\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe sound of a violent impact and rapidly crumbling concrete had everyone in the ground floor office looking away from their desks. Up until that moment - a moment that, for months to come, would be tied to questions along the lines of *'where were you...?!'* \\- they'd all been hard at work; compiling data into massive spreadsheets or taking calls. The things that office workers usually did in the early afternoon on a weekday. Of course now, with a gaping hole taking pride of place in the office's main wall, they'd all be getting some time off. Those whose desks were situated closest to the wall would get more, with workplace safety concerns likely compounded by some form of injury.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe noise had them all scattering like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Normally, an unannounced visit from a superhero was cause for celebration; a fun distraction from the monotony of work for a few minutes out of an otherwise boring shift. Of course, normally, visiting superheroes weren't unceremoniously kicked through a solid wall. Desks and chairs buckled under the impact as one of the city's superhuman guardians slammed into them. As he rose to his feet, it was clear to anyone who hadn't fled the room that the battle had been going on for quite a lot longer than the few seconds they'd seen and, rather worryingly, the hero was losing. The normally pristine suit that was seemingly a staple for all the city's heroes - and a few of the villains - was torn, scraped and damaged in a multitude of places. Blood was gradually streaming through a few of the holes and, in the midst of his fatigue, the hero was glancing around in a state of panic.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I would say they should call you Deer In The Headlights with how you look right now.\" Mass-Collider had a criminal history that was about as recognisable as his voice. There weren't many people in this city - heroes, villains or otherwise - with such a pronounced Texan drawl though, despite how he sounded, he actually hated cowboys and Western movies; an easy nerve to poke at whenever a cocky hero wanted to piss him off. A former up-and-coming mixed martial artist who had gained the ability to manipulate his own relative mass, Tyson Drake's initial career aspirations had fallen by the wayside when his superhuman power had manifested itself in the middle of a tournament. It was hard to claim legitimacy in a combat sport when videos all over the internet showed him caving in his opponent's chest with a punch that sent him into the stands halfway across the gym hall.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHis right arm had, for a split-second, attained the mass of an I-beam girder and demolished the mortal human's bones accordingly. With a career in combat sports now out of the question, he'd quickly found a more lucrative revenue stream by hiring his superhuman abilities out to the highest bidder. In fact, when the hero-turned-punching bag had happened by him, he was in the middle of a bank robbery. He'd been quick to see something was amiss when the hero - who, normally, wasted no time in squashing flat any criminal uprisings he came across - instead took one look at him and hesitated. \"But that's kind of a mouthful, don't you think?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Takes a while to say.\" Luckily for the hero, the part of his costume which concealed his face from view was intact. \"Though I do prefer the words to the beating right now.\" The abruptness with which the news of the robbery had met his attention had caught the hero off-guard. Normally, he had the transition from his civilian identity to his heroic one down to a science, giving himself enough time to make sure that he had everything on and ready to go before he set out. His suit was the easiest thing to remember and, while he had multiple sets of the armoured pieces in various important places around the city, the robust, skin-tight base which made up the majority of his costumed appearance was always on underneath his civilian clothes; a cue he'd taken from the fictional heroes in comic books.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe one thing he'd forgotten, on today of all days, was his phone. To everyone else in the city, even the other heroes, the fact he brought his phone along with him whenever he fought crime was just one of his idiosyncrasies; a thing he did exhibited by no-one else. The truth was far greater than that and, now that he'd been caught on-duty without it, its absence was as painful as the bruises he'd be waking up with tomorrow. \"Well, sadly...\" Tyson sighed, tensing up the muscles in his right leg. The more he concentrated, the greater the mass he could feel permeating his bones, muscles and skin. Regardless of how much he used his power, his own mobility never seemed to suffer, allowing him to shift and add weight without breaking stride. \"I ain't one for talking!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWith a step to close the distance, the villain planted the sole of his right foot hard against the side of a desk. To the surprise of the office workers, the entire thing - computer, office supplies and all - shot across the room as though it had been shot out of a cannon. It cleared a path from one end of the office to the other, even ridding the mostly straight route of the hero as they dove to one side to avoid a head-on collision with a piece of flat-pack furniture. The hero now found themselves in a dilemma. The lack of a phone was a dire problem that needed rectifying, that much was obvious. Retreating home wasn't an option and, with how outgunned he currently was, neither was trying to go toe-to-toe with Mass-Collider.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You missed!\" The best option - the one which limited the risk to both himself and the civilians still in the office building - was to try luring the hot-headed villain. Hoping that Tyson's desire for a fight against him would outweigh the villain's seemingly compulsive need to harm innocents, the hero vaulted over the broken furniture and sprinted off towards the nearest corridor. The violent crashing of furniture was all the evidence of Tyson's decision he needed and, once he knew for sure he was being pursued, the hero started to search any rooms he could. If his phone was out of reach, then a substitute would have to do.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOffice...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n...a storage room...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n...restrooms..." ]	2
	[WP] An M1 Abrams Tank, a Ford Ranger, and a Lockheed Fighter are sitting in a tavern, trying to plan a dungeon raid and expand their party.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The trio took up a majority of the bar. The regular patrons gave the group a wide berth, not having a choice in the matter. Three pitchers of viscous liquid were set out, illuminated by the lone light at the table.\n\nOf the three, the ranger was the most talkative. His bow was safely stashed in the trunk, arrows hanging out slightly as a warning. Pitted dents covered his sides, mementos of past battles. \"Look, we all know the Temple of the Rusty Gears is one of the dangerous worlds in all the realm. I just think that we could use a little extra firepower.\"\n\n\"Have plenty power. No need extra.\" The tank was blunt and to the point, little need for extravagant thoughts. \"Just point, and I blast. All we need.\"\n\nThe fighter turned to the tank, speaking with a sophisticated tone. \"Mabram, I understand where you're coming from, but there's a little issue. I'd be useless. There's mud traps, and things like that. You have treads, and Ford had all terrain tires for this. But I don't, and I'll get stuck. It's messy.\"\n\n\"Your problem. Not mine.\"\n\nThe ranger glanced between the two. \"L.H. has a point, but so does Mabram. Is there something you can pick up at the shop before we go?\"\n\nThe jet processed for a few seconds. \"Not sure if there is anything I can do. I got a ton of weapons, but without a lot of mobility, It won't help.\"\n\nThe three argued for a few more minutes, but no progress was made until another vehicle arrived, sleek and new. It crept up on the group before beeping quietly.\n\n\"Um, excuse me?\" The three slowly turned to the newcomer, lights dimmed conspiratorially. The tank finally toned out a message. \"Who are you? Why are you here?\"\n\n\"I heard you have need of a partner. The name's Nissan. I'm a Rogue.\"\n\n/u/TemporaryPatch New Years Resolution Tracker (2019 Edition!): 12/100. Visit /r/TemporaryPatchWrites for more responses and stories!" ]	2
	[WP] There is an epidemic going around that is said to drive its victims mad. When you catch it, you realize that it gives you the ability to see unseen things. You try to tell everyone the truth, to no avail, and you begin to question your own sanity.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Everyone knows about the Loco virus. The people that catch it slowly slip into madness. Last week this guy at work named Tony came down with it. He started out just looking around and muttering to himself. Some times he would flap his hands around like he was shooing away flies. It wasn't too bad at first, but it never stays that way, and less than a week later he's being carted away. I should probably introduce myself before we get into what's happening. First thing's first. My name's Anna, and I am NOT crazy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI first realized that I was one of the affected when I saw the shadows. Now, I know how this is going to sound, but I assure you, I'm really not crazy. It just... well... it looked like the shadow was watching me. I know, ok. I know how it sounds. You're going to say, \"Yeah, that sounds like paranoia, and just like every other crazy, you just don't think you're crazy.\" Well I'm not! The shadow was watching me! And not just me, either! It's like, shadows that aren't really shadows are hiding INSIDE the real shadows and watching everyone. I go to work, and I sit in my cubicle, and it's like I can just FEEL those freaky shadow things slinking around and watching everyone. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have a theory. Now, I know I'm not crazy, ok? I can't be because it's just this one thing that's changed. I don't feel different about anyone or anything in my life, it's just now I can see things that other people can't. I think that the Loco virus doesn't make people crazy after all. I think that it, like, opens your eyes! I think that it just lets people see things that we aren't supposed to be able to see.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI started seeing the shadows three days ago, and each day it's like a new layer gets pulled away and I can see more of what's really there. The second day I could see the fairies. Well... I think they're fairies. They're tiny little people with wings that fly around messing with people. I know that they actually exist, because I can see people responding to what the fairies do! Like, on the bus on my way to work, one flew up to this guy, and started pulling something out of this guys ear. I have no idea what it was, but it looked like solid piece of glowing smoke. I know that sounds crazy, but that's what it looked like. Then the fairy thing put it in a little bag hanging from it's belt, and flew away. Could mean nothing, right? Lot's of crazy people hallucinate, right? Except that the guy reacted to it! When it pulled that wispy looking thing out from his ear, the guy got a weird look on his face, and then reached up and scratched his ear! How would I know that his ear would itch? Still think I'm crazy? Well, maybe, but only because I'm trying to understand all of this and it's driving me crazy! \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe third day was when I started seeing the strings. Ribbons? Yarn? I don't know. They're like these thick string things, but thinner than yarn. Anyways, at any time, people are absolutely surrounded by so many strings! They aren't like regular strings either. You can totally see through these ones. You also can't feel if you walk through them. Well, I mean, obviously you can all see through them. You can't even SEE them. And it would be weird if you couldn't get around because you were being blocked by these string things that you couldn't see, so of course you can walk through them. What I mean though is that even I can see through them, and even knowing they're there, I feel no difference when walking through them. It basically looks like each person has a bunch of see through strings that are coming out of them, leading off into however many different directions. I got curious, so I decided to follow one. Just started walking in the direction it was leading, taking detours around buildings and stuff when I had to. Know what it lead me to? Straight to my friend, Misty. I had no idea where she would be, but it lead me right to her, and it was connected to her. I followed a few more strings, and each one lead to someone that I know. Not only know, but am really close to. Someone that I have an emotional attachment to. One lead to my boyfriend Jake, one lead to my mom, and one lead out of town to the north. I'm pretty sure if I had followed it, it would have lead me to my gram who lives a few towns away to the north of us. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis morning, sure enough, another layer has been pulled back. It's like these weird smoky blackish things are flying around. They look kind of vaguely human, like if a person was wearing a cape made out of black smoke and was see through. They seem to just be wandering and looking around at every one and everything. They really seem to like old people and sometimes they focus on one person for a while before floating away to look at other people and things. I have no idea what they're doing, but when I passed by the hospital on my way to work, there were hundreds of them out there. Now, I'm not crazy ok? But I'm kinda feeling like what I'm seeing, is death. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe big problem that I'm having now is that I don't want the fairies taking my ear wisps, and that is pissing the rest of them off. I don't know what it is that they're taking, and I don't want them taking something I might need, so when they come around me I shake my head and whisper at them to go away. Some times I try to knock them back with my hands. They don't really like that, even though I don't feel any difference when my hand goes through them. The problem is though, is that now that the fairies are getting mad at me, the shadow things are starting to watch me more and more, and they're changing. From the corner of my eyes, sometimes it looks like one will be reaching for me, but when I turn to look, even when I'm really fast, they're still hiding in their shadows. I'm not crazy. I swear I'm not, but I'm starting to get really scared...." ]	2
	[WP] A toddler makes an epic journey, steeling their nerves and conquering their fear... going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(sorry its long, I got a little carried away!)\n\n \n\nCammy woke up, between her mom and her dad. They were both asleep, and she knew nothing would wake them, so she didn't try.\n\nUsing the information she's gleamed about the world, and seeing outside, it's still nighttime. Or early morning? How could she know. At that moment, she only knew one thing: she had to go.\n\nShe crawled out of bed, opened the door, and saw the long hallway that led from the doorway, illuminated by a night light shaped like a crescent moon looking over clouds that was plugged in to the wall. Cammy thought that the dark was scary, as everyone at school thought, so she took the plug out to bring with her.\n\nCammy's parents’ room was on the second floor, and the bathroom was on the first, through the kitchen. The stairs, which laid at the end of the hallway which overlooked the main entrance, was only divided by her older brother's room. With the night light, she thought, she could make it!\n\nOn her way out, though, she realized something. Her feet were awfully cold. The window must be open. She put her feet into her mom’s over-sized, pink slippers, which were next to a sleeping tabby cat in her cage, and wadded out.\n\nThe crescent moon shone a brilliant baby blue as Cammy passed her room, which was closer to her parents’ room than her brother’s was. Her brother’s door was opened slightly, and from inside an ominous red light came forth. Something was making noise, Cammy thought. She was curious, and headed for the door. As she got closer, she realized it was talking to her. It said, “Hey kid, yeah you, in the slippers!” The voice hissed, “I know what you want. You have to go, right? Well, I can take you there! Oh, yes! If you would only come in, little one, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”\n\nCammy was excited! Someone kind enough to offered her a ride to the bathroom! She kept wadding forward, and she pressed open the crease in the door, revealing the interior of her brothers room. Her brother was asleep in bed. The red light emanating from a little monkey doll her dad had changed because her brother really wanted a light-up toy. Cammy walked in, curious as to who the voice was.\n\nA laugh came from somewhere. Cammy was now instinctively frightened. Where had the sound come from? A deep, unrecognizable sound then swept the room. Cammy covered her ears and shut her eyes to hide from the sound. Then it went silent. She opened her eyes.\n\nThe monkey was towering over her, with no one behind it. It screamed and dove for her.\n\nCammy, realizing she dropped the night light covering her ears, picked it up again and collapsed as the monkey grabbed her. \n\nThe monkey made a sound, as if deflating. Cammy saw now that the monkey was limp upon her, and an evil black mist was fading out of the monkey. She was safe, and the red light had gone. She scrambled to her feet and fled her brother’s room.\n\nCammy was now closer to the stairs than her parents’ room. The stairs seemed to Cammy to be a bottomless pit, jaggedly falling. With her night light in her hand, she began her descent. \n\nThe kitchen was visible through each space in the railing now, along with the bathroom, which had its light on, visible only barely. Cammy was about halfway, when something came from the bottom of the stairs. It was an odd, metallic humming. It was like something was zigzagging around. When Cammy neared the bottom the night light revealed to her what it was.\n\nThe roomba was nearly invisible in the dark, minus its yellow, glowing top. Its seemingly sporadic movements now no longer made Cammy curious, but instantly scared. She almost turned around.\n\nBut she had to go.\n\nShe stepped down, into the main entrance. It was a wide place, and the night light could not illuminate everything. She started towards the kitchen, which was cleaned that day. The roomba would not follow. She stepped forward, one step closer to the kitchen, and one step farther from the roomba. She turned around: the yellow light was at the door, a good distance from her. \n\nShe stepped forward and slipped on a toy truck that her brother must’ve forgotten to pick up. The dropped the night light. The roomba turned around, now with the same sinister red light the monkey had. \n\nIt charged forward. Cammy picked up the night light and ran for the kitchen. Despite Cammy’s flight instinct allowing her to run as fast as she could, the roomba was making serious ground. Cammy reached the kitchen right as the roomba caught up with her. It bumped her into the poodle’s water bowl, splashing water everywhere. The roomba, although being technologically advanced, was no match for water. It spun around in a tight circle, whirring almost as if hurt. Cammy couldn’t bare the sound, so she took the night light and hit the roomba. \n\nThe roomba stopped, and yet again, an odd black mist rose from it. Cammy paid it no mind, she was almost at the bathroom. \n\nThe kitchen tiles were cold, even with the slippers on. She was so small, it seemed that the countertops and the isle in the center were skyscrapers. Marveling at this, she noticed a movement dart above her. Then again. Then again.\n\nDuring the commotion with the roomba, the tabby cat must’ve gotten into the kitchen. The cat watched calmy with its emerald eyes. The green was almost soothing, when combined with the blue night light. \n\nThe night light flickered. The cat looked down, as if reverting to a primitive form of hunter. The night light flickered again. The cat changed stance.\n\nCammy was worried. \n\nThe night light went off.\n\nThe cat pounced.\n\nCammy ran towards the bathroom, the only light visible through the bottom of the door. She heard the cat meow wildly, but felt nothing but cold feet. When she got to the bathroom, she pushed it open, flooding the kitchen with light. The cat was wrestling with the slippers. For a moment, it looked like the slippers were fighting back. Then, from atop the slippers, the black mist formed. The cat looked back at Cammy with its protective, green eyes, and then proceeded back to her sleeping space.\n\nCammy went to the bathroom, using the bathtub to get up. After, she realized her night light wasn’t working. She’d have to go back in complete darkness, unless she kept the bathroom door open, which would almost certainly get her in trouble. Her heart sank. She barely made it here with the night light, how could she hope to make it back without it?\n\nThe night light turned back on, and shone brighter than it ever did. A calming, blue version of Cammy’s mom appeared. She told Cammy, “Sweetie, I am so very proud of you! You did it, all by yourself! Aren’t you brave?”\n\nCammy was brave. Cammy is brave.\n\nCammy climbed down and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door. She walked passed the slippers, which were now torn up. The light cast away any false comforts. She walked passed the roomba. The light cast away any sense of fear or cowardice. She walked up the stairs and passed her brother’s room; passed the monkey. The light cast away any sense of betrayal.\n\nCammy put the night light back into the wall. The light filled her with confidence. She climbed into bed, between her mom and her dad. \n\nBefore drifting off to sleep, she whispered, “I love you, mom. You are brave, too.”\n\nIt did not take her long to fall asleep.", "I sat up with a jolt, my heart racing as I took in my surroundings. To my relief I realized I was not cratering down an enormous waterfall in the middle of the jungle. Instead, I was in my room, safe and sound. I sighed in relief. Must’ve been a stupid dream. \n\nAs I closed my eyes and tried to drift back into sleep, however, I felt a tingling sensation I knew all too well. Potty time. I knew I shouldn’t have drank that last glass of water. Oh well. “Mom? Dad? I need to go to the bathroom,” I called out. And then I remembered. They’d gone out for the night and left Rosalyn in charge. Of all the night to go out, of course they had to choose this one. I considered my options. I could ask Rosalyn to turn on the light and scare the monsters under my bed. But then she’d think I was some scaredy-cat who’s afraid of the dark. There was no way I could live with that shame. Or...I could wet the bed. But then mom and dad would be furious tomorrow morning. That left just one other option - walking over to the bathroom at night by myself. I gulped as I realized that was my only option.\n\nI tried to remember everything I knew about monsters to figure out someway to protect myself...but, I couldn’t focus knowing I was embarking on a journey that could very well end with my death. I took a deep breath. If I could just reach the light switch in my room before the monsters got to me I would be safe. The problem was that the switch was at least six feet away. Even at my top speed it would take at least five seconds to turn the light on. Would I last that long? Probably not. I cursed the electricians who had so foolishly put the switch there. They should’ve realized that decision put my life in jeopardy. \n\nI resigned myself to my fate. Four years old. Eaten by monsters. At least I’d lived a good, happy life. As I removed my blanket, a thought struck me. It was a crazy idea, but it could buy me enough time to reach the light. \n\nI stood on the bed and raised my blanket above my head. Then I flung it as far as I could away from the light switch. An instant after I heard it fall to the ground I leapt off the bed and dashed toward the light switch. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Time seemed to slow as I reached out blindly and felt for the switch. I was tantalizingly close to safety. Finally I touched it and the room was illuminated with light. I had done it!\n\nFlush with triumph, I started towards the hallway. It was at this point that I made two observations. Firstly, I no longer needed to go to the bathroom. And secondly, my pajamas were soaked." ]	3
	[WP] Healing magic is used to treat soldiers, who are sent into battle almost daily and serve far longer terms. The rate and severity of PTSD reaches unprecedented levels.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I woke up lying on my back. A white light flashes my eyes. I am unsure how I got here, wherever I am.\n\nMy breath is heavy. My ears are ringing. I have no intention of getting up, at least not yet. I've always been a late riser. But more importantly, I have to get a grip before I go anywhere.\n\nI inhale as slowly as I can manage. Did it happen again? I release the air through my mouth. It must have. I inhale again. What was the last thing I remember doing? I exhale. No, don't think. Not now. Inhale. White light... Exhale. Headache... Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. My hand hurts. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. My leg is shaking.\n\nI feel something cold and wet near my feet. Am I lying in a puddle? How could this happen? Perhaps I've been knocked unconscious by an explosion? This happened before, just a few weeks... NO! Focus!\n\nInhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...\n\nI feel nervous, too nervous, certainly. They cannot catch me like this. They will do to me what they did to Tom.... Oh, Tom... I am too unfocused still.\n\nInhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...\n\nNow I feel water at my thigh. Or perhaps it is no water at all... It could be mud... or...\n\nInhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.\n\nI blink a few times. The white light stems from a LED lamp. The ceiling is blank white. Clearly, I am inside a building.\n\nInhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...\n\nI remember these lights. I am inside a bathroom. Somewhere at camp.\n\nI inhale slowly... and exhale through my mouth...\n\nI sit up carefully. In front of me lies a broken sink. Water drips out of the tubes sticking out of the wall.\n\nIt happened again. I begin to shake. They cannot see me like this. They would know that I cannot think straight. I would be of no use to them any longer. Aside from being a meatshield on the front line, that is...\n\nI have no clue how long I've been lying here. I need to get up... Before anyone finds me here...\n\nI get on my feet as fast as I can. A dizziness comes over me. I feel a painful sting in my hand. A quick gaze reveals that it has been cut. I look up. The mirror has been smashed. My breath is even heavier than when I woke up. I need to get out of here, now.\n\nInhale - Exhale - Inhale - Exhale\n\nI rush to the door and push it forcefully - it won't open?\nMy heart begins to race.\n\nINHALE - EXHALE - INHALE - EXHALE\n\nI try to kick the door open, unsuccessfully\n\nINHALE EXHALE INHALE EXHALE\n\nPull... I need to pull!\n\nINHALE EXHALE INHALE EXHALE\n\nI put my hand on the door handle, and as I pull it down... The door itself knocks me off my feet\n\nTerrified, I look up - An enemy soldier kicked the door open and is trying to kill me!\n\nThe both of us scream simultaneously - and we reach for our hand pistols. We take aim. I pull the trigger...\n\n\n\n\nI woke up lying on my back. A white light flashes my eyes. I am unsure how I got here, wherever I am." ]	2
	[WP] A wizard tries to join a wizard council but has a normal name, which throws the council members off guard.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The space behind my eyes ached horribly. I’d spent a lifetime preparing for my trials to join the Grand Wizarding Council. \n\nOf course, my parents, having spotted my proclivities and a slight tendency toward “fulfiller of prophecy” had prepared me for the enormous amounts of soul-draining energy that I would need to become a wizard. My mentors and teachers had run me ragged in school, stuffing my arms full of books and my head with white magic and black magic and all the magical colors in between. After earning my robes and tomes, I’d quested with the best of best, moving mountains and slaying dragons with both magic and witty repartee. I’d mastered incantations, levitations, orations, creations, and all the other –ations inherent in wizardry. I was as prepared as I was ever going to be. But fuck me crooked, that shit was still hard. \n\nThree weeks might as well have been three years. To be fair, it really ought to have only taken two weeks but getting out of that gods-forsaken Pandora’s Box proved a bit of challenge. By day three in I was sure I’d been disqualified from the council. But when that top finally popped the fuck open and I returned to my normal dimensions, the trials continued. Either I was still in or these were some sick motherfuckers who just wanted to watch me suffer.\n\nIt had been two days and two nights since I’d finished the last trial; crafting a wish that left no loophole to be abused by malevolent and mischievous wish-givers. (I’d gone with “I wish for a sip of water, just enough to wet my tongue but not enough to quench my thirst.) After submitting that on parchment I was led to a chamber to clean, change, rest and feast while the council reviewed my trials. If no verdict was reached by Day Three I would, by default, be turned away from the council. According to the Great Magical Charter of Master D’Valianestos The Fair, all new members must be admitted by a unanimous decision. Any indecision after three days of deliberation meant that there were too many qualms that could not be ignored. Any petitioner denied entry onto the council could attempt the trials again after a short wait period of 750 years. \n\nAs the sun rose this morning, Day Three, I had all but convinced myself that it was a done deal. Most first-time petitioners don’t make it. And the ones that have been admitted on their first petition a) are the folks even the mortals know about or b) tend not to have very long life-spans seeing as anyone with that sort of mastery of power walks around with a big ol’ target on their back. \n\nI’d just poured myself a cup of coffee and had been considering going for a swim in the Fountain of Youth when there was a small, timid knock on the door. I waved my hand gently and it swung upon. A small, bored-looking, elfin youth stood on the other side, a broad garment box nearly half his size balanced on one hand. \n\nIn a flat monotone, ragged with rehearsed repetition, he chanted “Good sir. I implore your forgiveness for the intrusion, but a decision has been made with regards to your petition to join the Grand Wizarding Council.” He took an exasperated breath and continued, somehow managing even less enthusiasm in the second verse of his sad little recitation. “Your presence is requested in the main chamber before Masters Yelviniastoros, the Just; Theramustacles, the Wise; Hebronivanexditu, the Son of War and Fire; Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun; and Klovogulapinderatequeritus the Short-Winded. Please don these ceremonial robes before presenting yourself to the Grand Wizarding Council.” He probably would have dropped the box without flourish, where he stood, had I not already snatched it from his outstretched hand the minute the last syllable left his tongue. The juvenile remained thoroughly unimpressed.\n\nI was dressed and at the main chamber doors in literal seconds. Magic was useful that way. One last smoothing of my hair and tug at my robes to be sure everything was in order and I mentally pushed both doors open, the heavy iron and gold adorned gateways swinging open majestically before me. The council, small though it was at this point in history, sat on their diases, their facial expressions utterly unreadable.\n\nMaster Yelviniastoros, the Just stood, his arms upraised. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled in anticipation. He spoke, evoking some sort of “Voice of the Gods” spell, rendering his words echoing and earsplitting.\n\n“You have come before us this day having offered yourself...” Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun interrupted him.\n\n“You twat, cut that out. It wasn’t funny the first time. It’s not funny the 747th time.”\n\nMaster Yelviniastoros, the Just burst out laughing, the sound more akin to a hiss than a laugh but the point was made. \n\n“Not funny to you, Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun. Fucking comedy gold to me, my dear.”\n\n“Yeah, well, whatever. I’ve got an appointment to get a massage and I’m not going to make that girl wait. She goes all noodly on me when I’m late and I cannot abide by another weak massage.” She focused the full brunt of her unsettling snake-eyed gaze on me. \n\nLook, kid. You’re in. That was the fastest escape of Pandora’s Box since we started using it for a trial. You’ve got all the right stuff, what it takes, astounding chalice of power, whatever cliché jiggles your jollies. Congrats. All we need is your name and we’ll add you to the letterhead.”\n\nI was shocked almost to the place where speech ceased to exist. I was in? That was it? I was a Master on the Grand Wizards Council, just like that? Hebronivanexditu, the Son of War and Fire noticed my confusion and spoke up.\n\n“I know this is a lot to take in. After many lifetimes of work and effort, it feels like there should be more pomp and circumstance, eh?”\n\nMaster Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun’s impatience visibly rose. “Yeah, shock, awe, undying gratitude, we’ll do all that bit later. Right now we just need to you announce your name, we’ll repeat it and I can go get kneaded to oblivion.” \n\nI found my voice and managed to squeak out “Oh. Um. Yeah. My name is Chad.” Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun started to say something then snapped her mouth shut, her slitted eyes clouding with confusion.\n\n“Ok, say what now?” she said incredulously. “Chad?” \n\n“Yeah.” I returned. “Chad. That’s my name.”\n\n“Chad?”\n\n“Uh-huh.”\n\n“C-H-A-D, Chad?” She said as if demonstrating her spelling abilities might help reinforce the point.\n\n“Yep. Chad. You wanted my name. And that’s it. Chad.”\n\nMaster Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun opened and closed her mouth several times in succession, clearly astounded, apparently at my name.\n\nTheramustacles, the Wise spoke for the first time, “What sort of name is that, boy?” \n\nInstinctively, I shrugged. “It’s just the name my parents gave me. I think they found it in a book. Or maybe it was some dead relative. I dunno. But my name is Chad. And Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun, you got the spelling right too.”\n\nA stunning, heavy silence fell across the room, in tandem with the looks of pure, unadulterated confusion across each member of the Grand Wizarding Council’s faces. As suddenly as that silence settled, it was shattered all of them talking at once. All of them clearly at a loss as to what to do about a monosyllabic, pronounceable name. \n\nThe arguing took a fair amount of time. I was pretty confident Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun had quite efficiently missed her massage. By hour two of the various iterations and reiterations of the same concerns, I’d tuned them out and sat cross-legged in the floor, fiddling with the decorative runes sewn into my ceremonial robe. \n\nSuddenly, I heard a shrill voice ring out. “Ok, fuck it!” It was the diminutive Master Klovogulapinderatequeritus the Short-Winded. “Whatever, I’m goddamn-well hungry. Welcome aboard Master Chad, the Stupid-Named. Let’s go fucking eat.”\n\nAll five of them returned to their respective seats and a sixth dias materialized on the other side of Master Theramustacles, the Wise. Scrolling works featuring sparrows and vines raced up and down the throne, it had produced. Pops of glittering flowers seemed to wave in a wind that was not blowing. And above the top of the chair, elegant lettering spelled out Master Chad, the Stupid-Named. \n\nOk. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nLike this? Check out my other stuff at r/geekdorknerd" ]	2
	[WP] A dystopian future where people receive their baby once they are considered ready and deserving.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They say life comes at you any way it chooses, and all you can do is roll with the punches. \n\nThey also used to tell me that storks brought babies, but then I learned about sex and was pretty pissed off about the lies. They weren't lies. Not anymore. Now storks really do bring kids to you... whether you asked for them or not. I don't know who or what is in charge of determining this, but everyone whom this entity decides is \"ready\" and \"deserving\" gets a kid. Single, married, whatever, now there is a damned kid delivered to you. They are tenacious, like those assholes who serve subpoenas. Congrats, you didn't get to have sex but you're a father now. Hooray for you, Todd.\n\nSure, my daughter changed my life and I would never go back to the way things were... but I do also enjoy hunting storks now." ]	2
	[WP] Aliens entered the solar system and promptly ignored mankind, setting up mining operations on Europa. First contact revealed that any uninhabited world or moon is fair game for exploiting.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Many amateur observers spotted them. A group or comets they named Jakob-Herrera, 1 through 7. What looked like gleaming, pure metallic comets rounding toward Jupiter turned out to something entirely different.\n\nOur telescopes and devices noticed drastic course changes. The objects started to blue shift, decelerating on their own. Of course we tried to keep this a secret, but the amateurs alerted everyone.\n\nIt took a year and a half before anyone believed it in the mainstream.\n\nThe objects went to Europa, the moon of Jupiter. They stripped it all its water. We saw great whirling eddies of liquid water, volitiles, gasses drawn into the metallic objects.\n\nWe beamed then messages. A simple mathematical code, some images at first. It ignored us. Then more complex messages, variations to cover all kinds of logic.\n\nMonths later, we recieved a message back in radio wave format like our first broadcast. It repeated out mathematical proofs than what was unmistakably the molecular symbol for H2O. Water. The objects slungshot around the gravity well of Jupiter and vanished, they never sent anymore messages." ]	2
	[WP] everyone is born with traces of ink on their arm, although it only completely reveals itself as a tattoo on your 21st birthday. Only two similar tattoos exist in the world and it's supposed to connect you to the person with the same design, and they are to be your soulmate.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life. \n\nA tattoo that would appear on an individual's body on their 21st birthday and the same tattoo would also appear on another person’s body signifying them as soulmates. Most people are ecstatic when they find their soulmate through the tattoos, but the day I found out my soulmate. I couldn’t believe it.\n\nI was incredibly excited on the night before my birthday that I found it impossible to sleep, so I did what any person would do. I stripped naked in front of the mirror at 11:58 pm, so I can immediately see the tattoo that will connect me to my soulmate. The next two minutes felt like forever. \n\n12:00MN \n\nMy alarm rang and it’s finally official. All that’s left to do now is to wait for the tattoo to appear. As I waited I constantly turned around, and searched my body thoroughly for the tattoo. Then there it is on the back of my shoulder a small tattoo of a pistol. I take a picture of my shoulder, put on my pink pajamas, and go to inkmates.com to look for my soulmate. I quickly type in the words “tiny pistol” on the search bar of the website and there his picture and name displayed. Well, at least he looks a bit attractive with his brown eyes, and neatly trimmed hair. He has a cool sounding name too “Dante DeMarco”. I then search his name on Google.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis has to be a sick joke right? \n\nThere has to be a mistake! \n\nHow is a murderer my soulmate? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThoughts of doubts and dread filled my head the moment I found out that there is only one person for me, and that person is currently in prison because of what he did. Everything that i hoped for now is gone. Raising my own kids, being happily married and love, and these desires that I hoped for the longest time to happen vanished the moment I found out who my soulmate is. \n\nThere has to be other people like me right? Surely there are others who are in the same situation I’m in.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDays, weeks, months, years passed and I have now accepted that I don’t need anyone to enjoy my life, and because of this I was able to become more independent and successful. I adopted a child and raised her as a single mother giving her all the love and affection that I could give.\n\nI couldn’t be happier after seeing what I have accomplished. Looking back now that moment isn’t so bad after all." ]	2
	[WP]Everyone’s dreams are different; some can travel to other world, create another dimension, and even have visions. You have a particular ability to see the future of the following day, however, you just had a VERY BAD DREAM.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Dreams are a connection to parallel worlds -- a window to the delayed events of those worlds, like the ancient light of distant stars. It can take days or months for meaningless information to reach our subconscious. But, an oddity happens when the source is close. Time becomes hyperactive like it gulped five cans of coke and a packet of mentos, and it gets ahead of itself, allowing me to see the future.\n\nI naturally keep a dream journal on a nightstand -- It would be a shame to forget the future. The oddity happened last night. I dreamt something strange, in that, I've never dreamt of the past before, and last night I dreamt of a chimney sweeper in my living room. He was a boy, no older than ten. He wore a filthy shirt and trousers. Soot covered every inch, so much so, that the insides of his nostrils were black.\n\nI woke up and wrote it down. It was habitual, something that occurred every morning and I could write without even thinking. I made coffee and brought it back to bed. The morning haze had almost wiped the memory of last nights dream from my mind. I blew at the tendrils of heat and tentatively sipped while reading. At this point, I barely remember even writing the damn thing, but it was my handwriting. I read about the boy and the mess he made trapesing through my living room. I kept re-reading until my cup was empty. I didn't know it at the time of dreaming, or reading, that it was quite possibly the worst dream of my life.\n\nThat afternoon, like fulfilling the prophecy, I waited around the house for a knock at the door. It was not so much a knock, as it was a crack. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the house. I was close to the source, so close that my ears rang with the tenner of tinnitus. I ran from the kitchen to the lounge. There, in the centre of my cream carpet, stood the chimney sweeper. \n\nThe boy blinked and wiped the soot from his eyes with the back of his hand (which was equally dirty and did nothing other than satisfy the psychological need to be clean).\n\n'Who the bloody 'ell are you?' The boy said in a cockney accent almost as thick as the dirt that covered him. He brandished his brush, which looked like a pole with electrified hair stuck to the end. \n\nThe boy's name was Tommy. He was eight years old and born sixty years before me. I was not the only person experiencing foreign guests. People started appearing with thunderous cracks all over the world. They wore strange clothes -- both ancient and futuristic. Humans were not the only species appearing. Animals that should have been extinct started to burst into the scene and even some that looked familiar but were vastly different. To top it all off; objects began forcing their way into our world, like statues dated in the future, unimaginable technology, and even entire structures. \n\nIt was like someone, or something had their hands at both ends of time, and they were compressing it to one centralised point. \n\n---\n\n/r/WrittenThought\n\n---\n\nSpiralled out from the original prompt, but an idea struck and I had to follow the bolt into the clouds. I hope you enjoyed. All critiques and comments are welcome!" ]	2
	[WP] One of Earth’s greatest heroes has made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world, and the world is in mourning, including the villains.	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Today The 23rd of March we are here to mourn the death of earths mightiest hero the Checkered Knight has died”. I hear the news in the background,but I don’t really listen.How could I the Checkered Knight has died. This isn’t a complicated ploy to stop Mister Fantastic from taking over the city or part of a complicated test. He’s gone really gone and no amount of mourning will bring him back. Isn’t this what I’ve always wanted now I’m free to take over the city or something.Its amazing really that something that was so important to me a week ago seems almost insignificant now.“Boss”one of my henchmen says “when are we going to activate plan freedom” I don’t understand how they can cope with the fact that he’s dead how do they go on like nothing has happened at all.”you must be really stupid” I see his eyes widen with fear “we have to wait” some part of me is relived that I have only idiots working for me or else they might see how empty I was. “B-but sir the city is broken we could be much more effective if we strike now. Who knows until a new hero steps up”. He stammered “How dare you second guess me do you want the same fate as I gave the Checkered Knight”He quickly left the room after that. What even was the point if he wasn’t there to stop me to foil my plans. As I gazed out the window the meaningless of every thing finally set in.\n\n(This is my first response sorry if it’s bad)" ]	2

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