Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
Congratulations to our new comer, G.C. Groover, Champion of the Science Fiction Microstory Contest
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Congratulations, G.C. Nice, evil little story. :-)
And boom! A win right out of the box! Nice job, G.C.! :)
Thank you J.F. and Chris, and everyone who voted! It's an honor to be chosen out of so many great stories. The microstory format really challenged me to keep it short and sweet, and I reworked every section of that story multiple times. Oh well, it's all downhill from here :-)
Yes, very well done G.C. Not downhill, onwards and upwards!
Well done, G.C. Nicely worded closing paragraph. We're lucky to have you in the group.
Thank You Jot, Justin, Paula, Tom! What a welcome I have received to this fine group. I truly appreciate your kind words and also the critiques of my story which gave some spot-on advice.
Great way to come out of the chute, GC! Good story.- C.
By G.C. Groover
Copyright © 2017
When GlobeEx arrived on Thursday, John Kimball was inside the office of his modest country estate waiting for the perfect time to strike. He was an investor… the investor, the man behind the scenes, manipulating financial markets to his sole benefit. His focus on the task at hand was absolute as he quickly stabbed a single key. Millions of orders flooded the market, and he watched with quiet satisfaction as the target company, McCallum Specialty Materials (MSM), lost a hundred million in market value. John wasn’t even sure what MSM did, but he knew that they were now ripe for acquisition, and the subsequent dismantling and sale of their assets would swell his coffers. It was a good day’s work, the result of months of planning.
Satisfied, he turned to the parcel. It was deceptively heavy for its small size. Inside was an oddly shaped piece of metal; gray on the outside, dark silver on the inside, with smooth curves and jagged edges all polished to a high gloss…beautiful, really, shaped like a part of a 3-D puzzle. He admired it briefly and then put it down on his desk to examine the box. The package was from Columbus, Ohio, and John wondered about that; did he know anyone from Columbus? A note inside the box announced “Big things have small beginnings!” It was like the box was a cardboard fortune cookie. John smirked at that thought as he left his office to prepare dinner.
On Friday as John was plotting the beginning of the end of MSM, GlobeEx delivered another package with the same Columbus return address. Inside was a second piece of metal as odd as the first. John held the two pieces together; clearly they were two pieces of the same puzzle with an intricate curved shape. He fiddled with them, trying to match the smooth curved edges up in several different directions before giving up. “Another piece to the puzzle!” announced the included note. With no more time to spare, John turned his attention back to the management of his financial kingdom. He wanted to finish MSM off as quickly as possible, and companies don’t close themselves.
Saturday came and so did another parcel. A third piece to the puzzle, and this one was important! A visibly excited John tried to fit them together. After some trial and error, one of the originals fit snugly with the new arrival, but the second did not; all three wouldn’t stay together unassisted. The partially assembled puzzle felt curiously warm in his hands despite the cool of his air-conditioned office. He held the pieces up and imagined how it would look. Once completed, it would be a stunning curiosity! Perhaps it was a gift delivered a piece at a time to enhance the experience.
The next day John was feeling under the weather. He thought it might be the sushi he had eaten the night before; his stomach was unsettled and he felt lightheaded. He was surprised by the GlobeEx man delivering a package on Sunday. The Columbus return address declared what must be inside, but he set it aside and retreated to his bedroom for some much needed rest. “Tomorrow is soon enough”, he thought.
Monday morning found John recovered from his brief illness and both his appetite and enthusiasm had returned. He spent the morning putting his master plan into motion. As MSM died, he would orchestrate a transfer of the company’s financial lifeblood to himself and then he would retire. The GlobeEx delivery man interrupted his self-indulgent daydreaming with another delivery from Columbus. John had forgotten about yesterday’s package! He opened both boxes to reveal what must be the final two pieces of the puzzle. John was able to easily assemble the first four pieces, leaving only the hole for the fifth piece. It was shaped like a wedge with a curved end, and seemed to be a frustratingly tight fit. Like a blacksmith from the past, John used his desk as an anvil and forcefully slammed the final piece into place.
John had no time to scream before the puzzle in his right hand attained temporary supercriticality and released approximately 4.18 x 10^10 joules of energy. This was a technological breakthrough made possible by the advanced neutron reflectivity of the puzzle’s outer layer. The resulting fountain of fire vaporized everything nearby, including the unread note in the final box, which declared: “Have a blast with this puzzle! - Your friends at MSM Nuclear Division!”