Arthur’s Comments (group member since Oct 25, 2008)

Arthur’s comments from the Short Story Contests group.

You have until Sunday afternoon to post a poem on here before the Topic changes. Please post it directly onto this topic, rather than posting a link. You're welcome to discuss poems on here also.

This week's Topic is Crystal. If anyone has any objections to this topic, please go to the Poetry Topic Objections post.


Poems can be as long and short as you want them to be. This is not a contest, it's just for fun and to show off our own poetry.

The ugly of his face was the color pink. It grew from that rakish pink to feverish yellow to bowl green.
“You’re a goner!” exclaimed of dissatisfaction Dorchester’s doctor told him.
“I’m a goner die?” Dorchester asks.
“No, did I say that? Oh, sorry Dorchester, I forgot your absence of English again, sorry I mean you’ve got a bad case of gonorrheal disease.”
“Is it going to hurt?”
“Oh I should think it does.”

congrats

I'd say Teen Ink Magazine's pretty nice. And it has American writing contests too. awesome stuff

Nice eerie bedtime stories! Alright everyone, once you finish reading go to the poll and vote for your favorite story.

**DONE** Please GO Vote!! And no more stories of this topic (next Monday will have a new topic, see you then)

These are stories that are ALWAYS less than 75 words. Today's topic is Ugly.

You may write your story to be a really short self story, personal mystery or experience. It can be anything

Title: Hilltop House
Author: Arthur
Words: 760
Short Stories Contest: Yes

……………..

Hilltop House

There was a sound from a thumping that followed the trailing noise it made into the next room. The one who is escaping was the hunted. Already alerted with maybe a single minute to quickly scurry out the window, slam down the window came and an over turning of a near by shelf, crashing cans unsteady they roll about the sill along the floor in dirt.

Cautiously, Doctor Driptizerlizt steps after Little Eagle into the dirty room. “Did you need to trip from the corner of that shelf Doc?” Little Eagle asks. “I think the little perp got through that loosened window.” Little Eagle said pointing in hope to a window tapping in the wind. The night had come and a chill from a gust ran into the room from the lonely alley outside.
“I did not see it, get the lights.” Doc said, then pointing to a body that lay unnaturally on its side in the rough storage room. “And I don’t think he could of got far,” it looked like another of its victims.
Only this one may have been still alive.
“You’re all in one piece!” Little Eagle said, wringing his hands in his excitement, using his boot to turn the body onto the back. Then he saw gashes in the victim’s neck.

Little Eagle grew up outside of town in what was once considered the nice part of outside town. But when he was growing up at Hilltop House, an orphanage, he soon became another depressed orphan. The orphanage had its own graveyard. This graveyard attracted a lot of attention through the years too. It had many of its residents from the eighteen hundred buried in the Hilltop Graveyard Cemetery. Only next door to his Orphanage were caring and loving family members visiting their loved ones of the afterlife.

When Little Eagle was about thirteen, and a troubled teenager at that, he had watched one of his friends drown at a swimming meet. He thought to himself that others had cheated help causing the accident. He feared it for weeks. But there was never anything after that, except Tommy was buried in the new graveyard dug next door to Hilltop Graveyard Cemetery, on the Orphanage’s own property because in those days the orphanage was new and could not afford buying a plot at the cemetery. Tommy was also the first to die at the orphanage. It brought news and guilt by the public after it was published in many of the national magazines that an orphaned had to be buried at the orphanage after his death because no one could afford to buy from Hilltop Graveyard anymore. The Cemetery’s prices had gone up and up through the years.

Needless to say, years later Tommy’s body had been dug back up after enough money had been raised by charity to have one bought in his honor in the Cemetery. Only that was when the trouble started. Tommy’s body was never buried in the Cemetery next door to the Orphanage. Tommy was never reburied. When the diggers dug him up they found only pieces of him. Parts of Tommy’s actual body were missing. His head, limbs, and segments that had a lot of meat. All that was left was parts not really edible.
That year all the graves of the Hilltop Cemetery were excavated and meant to exhume bodies in an attempt in finding if other bodies had been consumed. There were a good fifty percent of the newer graves dug in the cemetery with body graves desecrated by something authorities claim are mutilations.
Little Eagle thought hard one night after the story hit all the national papers. He thought he was dreaming of the angels coming out at night to take away the spirit of a good person buried when he saw three cloaked figures at Tommy’s grave the night of the burial. Little Eagle watched from his window at night after he couldn’t sleep, for there was no Tommy in the next bunk. Little Eagle told the other Orphans, but would you never guess, they all laughed and jeered Little Eagle about the angels until Tommy’s body in his grave had disappeared.

Twenty years later Little Eagle still hunts the night visitors. He hunts them down to destroy them. Now with Doctor Driptizerlizt to believe Tommy’s story and other things Little Eagle discovered since the pair have tracked down several misunderstood sinister characters. Like this one they nearly caught tonight. This was the first time they caught one in the act of killing the victims.

You may need your parents help.

That was just cannibal randi!

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w2...


http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss...

Name: Chapter 10 & ending of The Quinnizodiac
by: Arthur
Word Count: 926
notes: the zoo ......

……………………………………………….

Chapter 10

That night they sat up staring into each others eyes. There grew an attachment for each other. To send Deacon to do something dangerous like breaking into the politician captain’s office was pretty serious.

“You do love me you know?” Deacon said. He thought if he returned to Earth he might marry and if he did why not Dember?

“Yes, I know I do.” Dember replied. A small sea water liquid called an emotional tear formed at her eyes. She was about in tears when she caught herself. Wiping one away she stood to open the door for him to leave. He turned and pecked her on the check then went out.

In the hall he took his time moving past the robots that took things through doors. One wheeling past him paying no attention at all closed a door. Deacon stepped past then opened his map of the area. According to the map he found in the library his destination was not far.

A screen opened. A face very familiar came on the screen. There were busy people moving in the pictures background. “Greetings.” Said the voice. “First, let me ask of my son. How is he?”

Univocal stood at attention when the face appeared. “Greeting my lord. He is fine. I shall tell him I spoke with you when I see him next.”

“Has he been good? Does he become homesick anymore?” Lord Wine asked.

“Yes he seems to talk about politics to flattery. He talks about promises the Wine race recommends to entire Welwitsch.” Univocal replied. “he never tires. And I do know for sure but he talks of home all the time too still.”

“Ha ha ha, like his father. He will be a superb politician one day. Now let’s talk about your post Univocal. How goes the Quinnizodiac?”

“Lord, are we secured?” Univocal asked of the encryption.

“As ever. Univocal stop hesitating. You know what we need and you know what must be done. Get on with it!”

Without a possible hesitation to be unflattering Univocal responded with a quick nod. “Yes lord.”

Just then Deacon found the right air duct tunnel and was now looking into Univocal’s office. He saw that Univocal stood there and talked to a screen. The man’s face on the screen looked like a much older Icewine.

Deacon decided to stay until Univocal left his office in duct. Once Univocal would leave Deacon could spring into action.

“I understand lord.” Said Univocal.

The screen went out. It was a white wall. For a moment Deacon thought Univocal was leaving, he opened his door then said, “Do come in Peter-cut.”

“It’s late you know, I want to go home Petercut.”

“Why are you still up?” asked the mutant officer. “I thought all the offices closed. Was it a screen message from his lord?”

“Yes. He wants to keep up with Icewine’s progress.” Univocal replied.

“Why don’t I believe that?” Petercut asked.

“Because you are nosy. Petercut are you standing there and telling me you have nothing better to do?” Univocal said.

“No Captain. There is news of further protests.” He said.

“Oh? About experiments and governments again?” Univocal said.

“Yes. They are trying to get to lord Wine’s son to get him to speak of what we do. We are a free ship and they thing having a government official’s son aboard means we are experimenting secretly. There are ways captain of leaking the truth.”

“Aye, except there are no secrets. Lord Wine wants this zone system prepped for inspection by the end of a year. That’s not a problem is it?” Univocal asked Petercut.

“No sir. As you know the downsizing has almost completed.” He said.

“Really? What about the couple who got through the downsizing wave? How did they survive and reach us through our fields?”

“I don’t know sir. I searched their ship with the drones and they found a energy emitter that looks like it got the ship through both our wave and our fields.” He answered.

“That’s amazing. Have you copied this machine.”

“Of course. Nothing special about the machine they had, it was the energy. It was emitting an unknown value of energy.”

“No doubt why Lord Wine wants this zone downsized. And turned into a black hole. Now what of this pressing Icewine by media?”

“I can keep them at bay until the downsizing of this system is complete. And there is a black hole where that star is where that planet is that they arrived from. Will you be here when they inspect this system, the Quinnizodiac is almost complete.”

“No, I think we have other systems to downsize. But the discovery of this black hole should dampen the media for a while.” Said Univocal.

“Aye captain.” Said Petercut.

“One more thing, nothings said about the Quinnizodiac having a black hole until that star goes supernovae to Icewine. Once it’s confirmed, give him the news and he with contact his father directly on the screen. His father will decide to announce its discovery.”

Petercut was about to leave. “And what should we do with the couple meanwhile?” he asked.

“No sense sending them back. And we don’t need more of their kind in our zoos. Let’s place them in a private gallery and when we return sell them.” Said Univocal.

“At a good price. They human at that advanced stage is very rare. They are not like the apes you have in our zoos.” Petercut said.

“People come to see animals, not boring people. Goodnight Petercut.”

“’O Night captain.”





The end……

Name: Chapter 9 of The Quinnizodiac
by: Arthur
Word Count: 905
notes: What is the monster ......

.................................................

Chapter 9

“Hey!” shouted Deacon, “What are you doing?”

“What?” said one. “Who are you?”

Another of them who had been pushing the creature into the cage said something to the other. Then he realized who shouted and he looked embarrassed and then decided how to reply.

“Sorry Deacon. I didn’t know it was you. I thought for a moment that it was someone else who was supposed to come and help us with this escaped lunatic.”

“It escaped?” Deacon asked.

“Yes and well, no.” the man offered. “it’s an alien from one of the colonies. But payers pay big dollars to sport with aliens. Do you have a preference?” he asked Deacon.

“A preference? Do you mean an alien from my world I would like to face in some kind of sport?”

“Yes. If you have, we trap one, and then you may use it in one of the arenas. Look for yourselves.”

“Only thing we have as horrible as that creature you have bound in that cage are elephants.” Deacon said.

Dember let out a frightened sigh. Elephants were tamed creatures that roamed around Africa in the wild or lived in zoos. But they were not especially known for attacking people. The alien thing they looked at now was indeed terrible to look at.

“Do you mean on the other side of that cage is a door to the arena you spoke of and it enters it?”

“Yes to play combat against another.”

“This creature will fight one of its own?”

“Tonight yes.”

“An entertainment fight?”

“Right. You two go through that door in about an hour and you can watch from the arena’s viewing zones.”

“Thank you, we will do that.” Said Deacon.

He took Dember’s hand and the two of them started to move toward the gate. There was a baleful of noise from inside the gate. They could hear yelling or uproars of excitement for the fighting going on inside.

“What are you doing Deacon? I don’t want to see fighting. It frightens me.” Dember said.

“I think we should see it. We have nothing like this on Earth.” Deacon said with real conviction.

Dember hesitated.

“Come on. Let’s see it before we judge it.” He said. They turned toward the gate and entered together.

It was a sight. There were hundreds of wealthy people gawking in cages and at the arenas. There was gambling bets on every animal shape and size. Anything alien like made conversation. Anything with a champion record was talked about even more.


“This isn’t so bad, is it?”

“It hasn’t started yet.” Was all Dember was willing to say.

Deacon order two containments and they sat beside a flighty couple who seemed to be ignoring them until the handmaid noticed or realized who she sat next too. She was in the throw of making much of it to her husband as the entertainer entered on the stage.

“Tonight is special because we have with us from Baklava two mere primate destroyer Dinosaurs.” And as the crowd cheered Dember tugged at Deacon’s sleeve.

“Please, let’s just leave. This is not a good idea. I don’t think I’m ready to see all of these things.”

“Nonsense,” Deacon said bravely, a little too knavery in his voice forcing Dember to remain. “Give it a chance. If we don’t like it after that, we may leave. Alright?” Deacon was being honest while trying to compose himself. It was both an honor to be in such a place and frankly a surprise. He father had always taught him needless killing or fighting was unadventurous. It leads to finding evil cravings and influencing bad ideas.


But the show must go on and it did. There were suggestions in the arena that the fights were fixed. There were cheers when a champion fought. There were boos when little creatures had been used to fight larger ones. There were deaths. There was blood and scenes of agony. Dember had turned in her seat and looked away. Deacon in fright of things he saw, of the people gambling and swearing around him brought him back to the present.

“Let’s go.” He said disappointed.

They left and walked to their apartment.

They talked about the poor creatures that had been captured from other worlds and kept as slaves to puppet people who wanted to see the creatures and aliens destroyed. It was horrible.

“Deacon? How can we let this happen. Where is mankind today? Are they all selfish and arrogant? Does Captain Univocal know what his people do with those alien creatures?”

“I don’t know. I suppose he allows them because they need to act this way to prove something. If he didn’t allow it there would be a mutiny.” Deacon said.

“And what of the creatures? Couldn’t we find the bills of trader slips in his office and know where the creatures are from and report the men to the police for stealing creatures?” Dember asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe if the creatures were protected on those other worlds and Univocal didn’t know what was going on I’d say we could put a stop to it.” Deacon said.

Deacon made a plan of sneaking into Univocal’s office. Learn where those people found the animals and do a little research on the rareness and protections of the creatures they saw tonight. Maybe they couldn’t stop the arena’s killing but Dember was set definitely against seeing it more.

Name: Chapter 8 of The Quinnizodiac
by: Arthur
Word Count: 1130
notes: This is chapter 8. Later on the ship......

.......

Chapter 8


“I hope you enjoy these rooms.” Icewine had said. He had brought the two visiting astronauts to customary rooms.

“If you slid this door,” he paused and pushed a number on a pad at a door, “it opens the rooms to each other. Like this!” the wall slid to the left. And opened about eight feet, giving plentiful space making two large cordon bedrooms to look much more like a couple’s apartment.

Icewine pressed another number on the wall pad. Then a light flickered against the wall and the pattern changed. The usual white walls displayed any number of images. “There are about 600 billion images. So you may go through them at your leisure. I promise there are sights you’d have huge pleasure for wall landscaping. It’s an art unsurpassed in Welwitsch. To find automated refreshments, press” he held the button for a long moment. A light about a counter appeared. The counter island rose too. It had a tray platter, cups and saucers. “You’ll find something you like from the bar. Press the number on the counter pad and then you may pour your containment. Food, you have to order out to dine in or join others at messes or there are some special restaurants, and you may ask anyone here about where they are and what to eat. It’s very pleasant, really.”

Icewine left them. Dember stood there astonished. First they thought it was a world run by robots. But now they find it was heaven populated by advanced humans.

“There’s nothing to do till morning.” Deacon said. He assumed they would have been questioned more about their origins. Maybe trick and forced into telling secrets about society. But instead they are treated like guests in a hotel.

“I’ll find a pleasant wall light.” Dember said. She looked at the control on the wall. Pushed on the pad numbers until a pleasant moving sea change appeared on the wall. The waves washed in. the salt and weeds were caught on a sandy beach and the water drained back as the next wave came. The sun was invisible but it was bright and opaque. Dember stood back and watched the waves roll in one by one.

“It’s beautiful.” Deacon said.

“Yes. I only wondered where I’d seen such a sea. The water is green, not blue. Most of Earth's will be blue. This is indeed very exotically beautiful.” Dember said.

Deacon brought some refreshment over. They stood talking about Earth and how they missed it. How wrong everyone on Earth was. How young and knave in comparison to the people they have now meet in the Welwitsch. Real people in a real universe.

Two days of relaxation Dember began asking Deacon when they should insinuate upon their hosts about contacting Earth and sharing with them the discovery that there was life elsewhere in a dark universe that Earth could not see. She wanted Deacon to press the other men, she felt something for Deacon, and he would make a good captain of flight-paths some day. Deacon could fly back and forth in the Welwitsch with the other human peoples and she could settle down and start a little family. With Deacon by her side she felt the reassurance she needed and settling and leaving responsibility of commitments would be for Deacon.

Deacon agreed with Dember’s suggestion. That in time they would need to return to Earth and bring news that close by there is a colony of humans waiting to meet Earth people. He would bring this good news and both races would meet and he would be remembered for his involvement.

They walked together after being to the ‘Lost Time’ a new wave dinner and bar. They passed a couple of robots that duck pass no and then without a word. Dember was laughing about the waiter, he had an earring the size of a silver dollar hanging from one side of his nose, and a lady she who caught the waiter’s eye before they could sit, and the waiter pulled the chair to far out, then Deacon would not sit until the waiter pushed it back in a little way.

“That was the best food I’ve ever had,” Deacon admitted. “I didn’t like the waiter though,”

“The music was so good; I want to go back some night, before we leave.” Dember said.

“Yes, leave. Definitely, one day we will. I had a hard time discussing our preparations with Icewine. He seemed in his usual good spirits with aiming to talk with Univocal and about Welwitsch and finding Earth a represent commissioner. Someone who could patch up a deal in the discovery of Earth. He thinks we could refer one of the Earth politicians to Welwitsch. Univocal says we can contact him once with an encryption once we return.”

“Politicians,” Dember said, “they want to discuss politics.”

“Yes he does. I wonder why we have not seen him or his special men since Icewine introduced us.”

“They only talk politics, and Univocal has no interest in us. He is the captain of this entire colony.”

“That he is. And I am very proud for him. Imagine earth being ran by one politician like the captain.”

“And being a ship?”

“That too, oh Dember you never miss a point.” Deacon said.

They kept walking past robots and the tinkering noise the machines make as it opens doors on some maintenance order then disappears. They were walking towards their sector where there apartment was. They had not gone so far before in this direction. They heard a frightful sound. It was not a robot on a duty or any human sound they ever heard before. The noise was loud like an animal caught in a trap. The holler of the animal was so baleful it deadened in the sleepless night like air. On a plunge for understanding of what was going on in the next block Deacon quickly paced himself for the animal noise.

When Dember finally reached to the spot where Deacon had run she saw exactly what he did. It was three men with whips slashing at a dumb animal. It was bigger than the men and they were forcing it into a cage. It had broken a chain it wore and was nearly free before the men were trying to move it from one place into the cage.

Dember was frightened for the first time since she was on the ship. She had no idea there were animals. Especially ones like this. It had fangs hanging from its mouth. It had fierce wrists that looked like they could pound a human to death. Its face was frozen in anguish not only for being capture but for being what it truly was, some kind of monster.

735341 Name: Chapter 7 of The Quinnizodiac
by: Arthur
Word Count: 1048
notes: This is chapter 7. The saga continues......


Chapter 7

Dember fell quickly into conversation with Icewine. With Icewine she felt comfortable. He was a curious sort, not like the diabolical Neumann. Neumann was totally bald and for some reason beyond Dember she felt a cold instinct towards him. Icewine was different; he was cheerful and easy to talk too. They sat in the room still. Then it was quiet. Then there was a good deal to discussion learning marvels of a universe Deacon and Dember never would have imagined on their own. Dember was surprised that they were in some dark corner of the universe on an observatory.

The observatory was in the Quinnizodiac. Not the name Earth has for thousands and thousands of stars making up the Milky Way, their home was the galaxy and but a struggling field of emerging young mass in the universe still fully unexplored. According to Icewine Quinnizodiac was the name the rest of the universe called it. It was a mirroring universe. There had been man and beasts in the universe always. Reaching the Milky Way of Deacon and Dembers was only a small step for the rest of the Welwitsch.

“So you would have discovered us, eventually?” Dember said amazed at all these facts.

“Yes, it’s important to meet the other living creatures still today. All various sorts of beings have been sweep aside in the past. A history we are still ashamed of todat. But a strong realization brings us to protect and conserve. Suppose I told you we have discovered planets not yet awake to civilization and have left them in their galaxy without them knowing we were even there. Why bother with nature. I ask you, what god does Earth worship? Religion is a concise knowledge in the Welwitsch. We have no longer arrogance or brutal systems. We are meek men working as gardeners to help the planted seeds god has given unto us.”

Deacon looked up. Ashamed that the Earth would have been only waking up to. The words Icewine spoke made him feel relieved; to a knowledge to open further the eyes of all people. “Are you a politician?” Deacon asked.

“Yes. You noticed why I am enamored by science and its equal religion.” Icewine said. He pointed to a sliding door at a wall. It opened to refreshments. He opened a bottle and poured drinks. “Take cider to the soul, they say.” Icewine said remembering all the people who said it to him.

“Thank you.” Dember said. She sipped her goblet. It was some kind of metal and plastic. It was smooth to the touch. When she drank the liquid inside the goblet she smiled. “I’ve never heard it put quite like that before, that is so beautiful.” She said.

“Ah yes, we have many men in history. Too many to really want to remember who have said the kindest words at the right moment.” Icewine soothed as they drank the cider.

“So tell me about this place you are from, Earth. How old is it? What color is your skies? Do you feel that they can adjust to Welwitsch?”

“I feel the answer to your question is yes.” Deacon said. “Mankind has given something back after all our undue troubled history. Now we are united, each of us. We all agree about unity and society as a system. Our mistakes are forgotten, only stories in books. Something seldom taught in schools any longer.” Deacon replied why Earth would like to remain living.

“And did they all grow up on Polyester: poly stem Deck sector D as you said?” asked Icewine. Icewine had taken interest in Deacon. It is the first in Welwitsch Icewine heard in history of a planet being taken over by its own clones.

Deacon showed him after he told him his identification numbers on his neck. It looked like a tattoo. And he spoke of their artificial cloning and their natural upbringing. It happens in an environment to stimulate breading by marriages in the cultures on Earth. Deacon and Dember had lived isolated all their lives until they were the ones selected for the flight-path from other cultures, this one was called Polyester. They had come from the poly stem Deck sector D, hence being named Deacon and Dember, their names began with D’s.

“Only B’s, Bh’s and D’s live in Polyester.” Deacon said. He remembered the unusual friends he had. He knew about the others, a class of people who represented a higher up order in society than who lived a long time ago and made the clone people.

Fascinated by their talks Icewine rose again. He stiffened as three large men entered the room. They went to their three chairs and sat briefly before anyone spoke.

They were old and gentle, except Petercut. Petercut, the same shape and size as his two other was cut and shaped differently than them. He had not lively color at all. His hair was old and the darkest black. He had no grin. No emotion. He looked demented as a robot made from reproductive dead or living parts from other humans or organisms. He looked much like Earths pictures of a Frankenstein’s monster. Only he sat there in a cold stare at the man and woman newly arrived wearing a uniform. A smart military uniform he had on with brass metals on the chest.

The other two introduced them. They had been brief to greet the man and woman after listening to their interview by Icewine.

“Greeting to you. Our supports will like to extend their welcome from our universe, Welwitsch.” He spoke very dedicatedly. He had sandy blond hair, short cut and even. When he removed his helmet and placed it on the table next to him he signified himself to rank then said their names. “I am Univocal. I am captain of the observatory in Quinnizodiac. These are my men, Eugene, the engineer. And Petercut, second in command. A man with fine attributes and also well known around here for his quick selective mental skills.” From that introduction Petercut nodded his head to them. Dember stared at Petercut trying to remove herself from the instant fright. He looked so strong and hard, but he was described by the captain as gentle and intuitive in judgments, she thought it odd.

Name: Chapter 6 of The Quinnizodiac
by: Arthur
Word Count: 1061
notes: This is chapter 6. They try landing on the new planet....

………………………………………………………

Chapter 6

Landing a flight-path ship to an alien made planet is easy, all Deacon did was fly the flight-path down close enough in a clear atmosphere to see it. When he saw what looked like thin but comfortable atmosphere and seeing ships the size of their flight-path landing through large metal doors, and in constant fashions he took a moment without hesitation then slid the flight-path through the doors. There, he saw an amazing idea for a colony, and what could amaze Earth when he returns. They were only robots. Only robots working to smaller ships with other robots for attending on them. He took the flight-path through a bay onto a planet of robots.

Dember took a sweater from the craft storage and put it on over her shoulders. They had depressurized the flight-path to the environment of the hidden bay found through the metal door. It was breathable air and normal gravity. They stood out on a landing field a size of Boston, and began to walk past the robots as they seemed to ignore Deacon and Dember. It was fine air, a bit dry and a little cold like a cave or tunnels under the ground, which incidentally could have been in.

Dember had walked along Deacon for fifteen minutes. It had such artificial light that they could see their faces. “The robots!” Dember excvlaimed. As if she was brought to a world of a paradise but there was no one around except Deacon to hear her. She had hoped to meet living creatures once they landed the flight-path.

“Yes, they just keep working while they are ignoring us.” Deacon said.

“It’s like they know we are here, but they like us and work around us.” Dember had never seen such order in robots before. There were little ones moving small items, and bigger robots pulling ships into chains and pulling the ships into storage areas. There didn’t appear to be people or anything in the ships which came through the bay.

A playful robot on one wheel drove up to them. It stopped Deacon and Dember is a most curiously friendly way. It stood there at attention to them then produced an antenna from its box. It rose and rose then a sheet uncurled making a screen. Then the face appeared on its screen.

“Welcome. Welcome man and woman. Please feel free to explore as you wish. But first please follow me to the interior doors and there we will let you in to society. Yes despite our appearances out here in the middle of the universe we have brought civilization along.” The face on the screen said.

“Can you hear me too?” Deacon asked in reply.

“Yes. Please don’t feel alarmed and follow me until you reach the grey doors. But first save your energy for a little longer before you badger me with your curiosity. I’m still pleased to answer all your questions in a few moments. Come.” It said.

With a slight look of surprise the sheet folded back up and the antenna slid back into the box and the robot began to blip a light indicating it was in a stand by mode.

“Then lead us.” Dember said.

The blinking unit slid into motion and took them onto a few minute walk to a large grey door. There the doors slid open with unusual cranking noises. Like grinding wheels spinning not on a pendulum. Then the doors were finally open. The unit began its flashing light again. Deacon took Dember pressing his hands against her leading her through the doors. When they enter they saw white hall ways and observation rooms with narrow doors. The great grey metal door swung close again. The hall was well lighted. They began to walk down it looking for a source beyond this one. A door slid up, and inside a room stood two men.

“Greetings man and woman. Please come in. I’m am Neumann. And let my present Icewine.” Neumann said. He reached out a hand to the man. The man shook Neumann’s hand in return.

“But,” Deacon said. He was in a surprised awe of his little adventure across the barrier which separates all of Earth to the rest of the universe. “Where is this place?” he asked Neumann.

“Welwitsch.” The known universe had been named Welwitsch. It had always been a name Neumann respected. Like the chaotic and hierarchical universe that it was. He was a specialist in the field of science. He was also a savant. He leaned back to one side and smiled to Dember who tried not to notice. “And who may you be?” he asked the woman with as a savant of grin as he could muster for women.

“Dember. Pleased to meet you and Icewine Neumann.” She said.

“And I am called Deacon.”

The two mean fronded when the man spoke. “You are Deacon! And the captain to your ship you came in?” Icewine asked.

Deacon tried not to show he caught a surprised frowned. And really he tried to ignore them. He thought differently being a being from Earth. The two men he faced were from some far off place.

“Yes. We both share the rank. We both fly.” Deacon was proud to be the same as Dember.

Again he noticed the confused frowns on their faces when he spoke.

“Well come, sit here at this table.” Icewine flashed a wand at a space and a table lighted up. It had three chairs sat beside it. Dember wondered if she was supposed to remain standing. Then two, three more chairs slowly materialized. The three chairs were a little bigger than Deacon or Dember would be able to sit in.

“Sit.” Icewine said, as himself strode toward one chair, then he sat. They followed and sat too beside him. When they turned to watch Neumann leave the room he had a pleasant smile for them as he turned away into the hall eventually into darkness.

“So where have you two come from?” Icewine asked.

“Earth.” Dember answered. Her first concern was for the people of the Earth and their safety. But then she suddenly felt like resistance was the wrong movement in the arena. An arena of death for her if she had been these people’s foes. That she quickly decided for the fate of the Earth she was not.

http://www.witchyswikkedgraphix.com/c...

yeah ...

Instructions:
Please do not use a story previously used on goodreads. After the week's contest, you are welcome to put it on your profile writings, but please refrain from using stories you have already put on there.

You have until Saturday afternoon to post a story on here. Please post it directly onto this topic, rather than posting a link. Also, please do not discuss stories on here. You must go to Weekly Short Story Contest Discussion for that. This will avoid any clutter and confusion, so that people can simply come on here and read the story, without having to read comments on the story.

This week's Topic is Gamboling. If anyone has any objections to this topic, please go to the Objections post. The rules are pretty loose. You may write about being playful, to leap or skip about playfully (in the instance of being playful) or just have the word in the story! **No not the word gambling**

Weekly stories must be at least 500 words long to 2,500 words long. (if the whole story won't fit in one post, divide it into two)

Good luck!

Clare

P.S. PLEASE say if you would like to have your story on Short Story Galore, if you win. This way it wouldn't take me ages to get your consent afterwards. This includes adding a link to your stories. If you want to have your story on the Short Story Galore, but not the link, just say so.

Congrats to everyone who wrote a story this week. Since there is a tie between three of those people, I just may make the person at the head of the file the declared winner. Any objections? (I was kidding)

But for now I will congratulate and thank the winners. Congrats for Christy and her story titled Epitome of Rejection. Congrats
Camerandi with her short story Charley's Strange (who I personally voted for – hope that wasn’t strange). And last but not least, the final winner in the tie Jimmy aka Sunny who wrote the short story Nanny in Vegas. Again congratulations to each of the winners. I appreciate everyone posting their stories and hope to see everyone writing more.

Thanks. I will read these.