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Monthly Short Story Contest
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Sept. 2020 Your Utopia, My Dystopia Challenge
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Compound words often change their styling over time, with many starting open, then being hyphenated, and finally settling into closed form. For example, the closed compound "baseball" began with open styling as "base ball," and for a time was styled with a hyphen as "base-ball." Compound words can also change styling depending on their function; open compounds often get hyphenated when used to modify a noun, as in "science-fiction convention." Compounds are also frequently hyphenated in compound adjectives like "funny-looking" or "sun-bleached," but are typically left open when the first element is an adverb, as in "lightly salted peanuts." In many cases, though, styling is a question of taste and tradition. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words...
Mod
I was wondering if I spelled something wrong. :(
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Here is a one story in a collection of short stories that I named "World Net Utopia". The first short was published in Giant Tales Dangerous Days , the title : World Net Utopia . This story below was written during a monthly writing challenge 4 years ago. (Notice the references to "punch hole clouds" and "space elevator," story prompts used years ago. The reference to "ring-necked lizards" was from a short story that I tried to submit to an anthology but was deemed fantasy instead of science and therefore rejected for publication.
Dead Zone Residence
By Glenda Reynolds
True to their word, after the World Net’s henchmen told Rob and Christa that they would be watched, a drone was assigned to their home, always viewing and listening. Christa decided to buy curtains for the living room and bedroom. Up until then there were no curtains. They were not aware that World Net spied on them through their television as well. Christa became more modest in their home as she became paranoid of the surveillance.
Rob and Christa narrowly escaped the Orbital Oasis Space Station in which a ring-necked lizard had escaped its bio-hazard cage and went on a murdering spree. Government men were waiting for them after they arrived on earth by way of the space elevator. Since then, Rob and Christa tried to go on with their lives as normal.
A week went by when Rob was driving home from work; he spotted a small round object sailing in the air. It landed on the side of the road. It appeared to be a vintage baseball with signatures from famous players long dead. It came in the direction of the Dead Zone. He ignored his inner voice of warning as he steered his vehicle into the parched wasteland. There were so many tumble weeds this time of year that they tended to pile up, making it difficult for him to drive. He soon came to a small handful of boys who were playing baseball. They were dressed in clothing that had been patched many times over. The boys looked jittery at the sight of Rob in his fancy Leaf 200 car and wearing clothing from the present era.
Rob rolled his window down and asked, “Hey, did you boys lose something?” as he held the baseball out of the window.
The tallest boy approached the car and said, “Thanks, mister,” as he reached in with his grimy hand.
“Where do you boys live?”
“Just over the hill there.”
“Don’t you know that it’s not safe in the Dead Zone?”
“We’ve lived here all our lives, mister. The only things we’re afraid of are snakes, ring-necked lizards and the government.”
“Okay, but you boys be careful out here. It’s getting dark soon.” He decided to drive over the hill to take a look. At first he saw no dwelling places. I wonder if those boys were lying to me, he wondered. Then he saw a hatch open as a mother came out of a subterranean dwelling to shake her rugs out. Her husband sat in a rocking chair beside the hatch as he smoked a pipe. Their clothing was crude as if not made in the present century. Rob parked the car and walked over to the dwelling.
“Good evening,” Rob said to the startled couple. “My name is Rob Gentry. I just returned a baseball to the boys over there,” he said as he pointed in the direction.
“I told you that baseball would be trouble, Emma,” the man said. “By the way, my name is Bart, short for Bartholomew. I was named after the apostle in the Bible.
“That was brave of your parents to give you that name since the Bible is banned by World Net.”
“We don’t live our lives under the thumb of the government out here, Mr. Gentry,” he said as he picked up his shotgun and laid it on his lap for emphasis. “This here’s my wife, Emma. And this little feller at my feet is our youngest son, Peter who was blinded by a ring-necked lizard. The good Lord spared his life though.”
Bart’s black, straight hair was very long. His face was covered in a dark beard. He was barefoot and in need of a bath. Emma was a beautiful woman in her thirties with brown wavy hair that she pulled back in a pony tail. She was seven months pregnant.
Rob said, “Pleased to meet you,” as he shook their hands. “Pardon me for staring, but I’ve never seen a pregnant woman before. Our children are grown in labs now.” At this news, the couple shook their heads in sympathy. After a moment’s pause, he asked, “How is it that you all came to live here in the Dead Zone?”
“Is that what they call it these days? We’ve been living here for three generations now, ever since the nuclear war happened. We’ve home schooled our kids. We even grow our food underground.
“How do you manage that?”
“There is a whole network of us. You’d be surprised.”
“Aren’t you afraid that one of World Net’s drones will spot you and your kids? Perhaps they could force you out of here.”
“The government calls this a "no fly zone", but they’ve been known to lie, haven’t they?”
Since World Net was now monitoring Rob’s activities, a drone had been following him home from work. It halted at the edge of the Dead Zone to observe the boys playing baseball. It then went in between some layers of hole-punch clouds. Upon locating Rob’s vehicle with tracking technology, the drone zoomed in on the three adults. Facial recognitions were made for Emma and Bart as hostiles who were listed as enemies of the state. The drone flew out of the clouds to get good video footage of them. As it did so, Bart saw it fly closer to them. He stood up from his rocking chair, aimed the shotgun, and blew the drone out of the sky.
“I’m sure that World Net is alerted to your presence now,” said Rob nervously. “You better get yourselves and your kids underground. This place will be crawling with agents very soon.”
“That’s not a problem, Mr. Gentry. I always shoot these things and sell them for scrap parts.”
When the agents in black suits showed up, there was no trace of the family. They and others like them had learned the art of camouflage so well, that the agents never found them.
I will read your story, Glenda, after I have my story line nailed down.
Glenda wrote: "Here is a one story in a collection of short stories that I named "World Net Utopia". The first short story was published in
Giant Tales Dangerous Days
, the title :
World Net Utopia
. This s..."
Glenda wrote: "Here is a one story in a collection of short stories that I named "World Net Utopia". The first short story was published in
Giant Tales Dangerous Days
, the title :
World Net Utopia
. This s..."
Off to get a handful of salted-peanuts before I start my Zoom call with my booking-agent. Or is it my booking agent? Thanks, Terry for the lesson on changing words. BTW: I added an the article "a" to a closed form.TERRY wrote: "Compound words often change their styling over time, with many starting open, then being hyphenated, and finally settling into a closed form. For example, the closed compound "baseball" began with op..."
You're welcome, Patricia but I just copied it from some web page. I thought others might find it interesting.
Patricia wrote: "Off to get a handful of salted-peanuts before I start my Zoom call with my booking-agent. Or is it my booking agent? Thanks, Terry for the lesson on changing words. BTW: I added an the article "a" ..."
Patricia wrote: "Off to get a handful of salted-peanuts before I start my Zoom call with my booking-agent. Or is it my booking agent? Thanks, Terry for the lesson on changing words. BTW: I added an the article "a" ..."
Thanks so much for the post, Terry. Keep the writing help coming. Staying current in word usage is most useful to our growth as writers. Your post is very enlightening.TERRY wrote: "You're welcome, Patricia but I just copied it from some web page. I thought others might find it interesting.
Patricia wrote: "Off to get a handful of salted-peanuts before I start my Zoom call w..."
I find these two words confusing: PAST AND PASSED Does anyone have a simple way to use them? Is there a simple rule?
Which is correct: as it passed/past over the trees below.
Which is correct: as it passed/past over the trees below.
Mod
Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "Passed is only used as a form of the verb "pass," whereas past functions as a noun (the past), adjective (past times), preposition (just past), and adverb (running past). "Past" will always have the same form regardless of the sentence construction or tense ("I went past" vs "I will go past"), while "passed" will be interchanged with other tenses of "pass," such as "passing" and "passes."
THE CHANGELING
tturner 1297 words
Troy scanned the landscape of Earth from the window of his small cloaked spacecraft as it passed over the treetops. The journey, traveling alone, from his home-world in a galaxy far away, had been long and tiresome. He was excited but also apprehensive about coming to a new world knowing very little about the planet and the people who inhabited it. Earth would be his new home. The life he knew as a Changeling would be dramatically different after he converted into human form. He was aware that his ability to morph would grow weak over time and then there would be no going back to his former self. He could live almost anywhere on Earth but he was looking for a region that was closest to what he was used to on his home planet. He had seen large bodies of water with islands and land with great deserts and areas that were lush with plant life. All with varying degrees of temperature which he could read from the instrument panel on the command center in front of him. He saw no evidence of war or any kind of environmental disaster. In his eyes, Earth was a Utopian world where the people lived together in peace and tranquility.
The spacecraft slowly descended on a clearing surrounded by a great forest of trees and green plants and shrubs. Butterflies fluttered by as he stood in the doorway surveying the surroundings. Birds darted from limb to limb in the trees nearby chirping loudly, announcing his arrival. A squirrel scampered by, stopped, stood on its hind legs, to assess if the strange object was a menace or peaceful.
Troy was intrigued by what he saw of the new world before him. He paused to give thanks to the Creator of the universe for giving safe passage to this new world. Then his thoughts traveled back with sadness to his former planet and the raging wars that were tearing it apart. It had become a dystopian world where clashes among the various societies could never be mended with each agreement breached time and time again. During the years of conflict, his people had built small spacecraft to send their children to new planets all over the universe. Troy was one of the first to embark.
The scientists of his world had studied the planet Earth and its inhabitants. Troy had practiced changing into human form and was well versed in its many languages. All he had to do now was find a human community and secretly integrate himself into their society. He put the spacecraft into cloaking mode so it could not be detected with the naked eye and then proceeded down a path toward a settlement he had seen shortly before landing.
The hungry Grizzly bear sniffed the ground and the shrubs along the path in search of his prey. The distinctive odor of the human he was following was very strong but soon the scent abruptly vanished near a large rock. The bear sniffed and sniffed and searched around the boulder but the scent-trail had ended. Realizing he had lost his prey, the giant bear stood erect on his hind legs and roared ferociously. With his nose in the air, his acute sense of smell picked up another scent. While sampling the warm humid breeze surrounding him, he detected the unmistakable scent of a female Grizzly. Once he had determined her location, he lumbered off to find her.
The changeling waited until the bear was out of sight before he transformed himself from the boulder into a man and continued on his way. The trek to the village was much farther than Troy had expected. He was growing tired and when he could finally go no further, he sat down beside the trail and fell asleep.
Laura James was returning home with a pail of berries gathered for her grandmother who was planning to make a pie. As she turned the corner she almost stepped on a man lying beside the path. She screamed and dropped the basket of berries which spilled and rolled across the ground to Troy's feet. The commotion caused Troy to wake up with a jolt.
“Who are you and where did you come from,” Laura asked as she backed away putting some distance between herself and the stranger?
Troy gave much thought before answering. "I don't know. I can’t remember how I got here."
Laura perceived no malice in his demeanor so she asked, “did you hit your head? You don't look well. Are you able to stand? If so, I will take you to my father."
“Yes, I can stand. I’m just tired and a little dazed.”
Arriving at Laura’s home, her father was at once suspicious and started to question Troy straight away but Troy continued with his pretense of not remembering anything.
Laura said, "let's all sit down and talk about this over a hot drink."
While they were talking, a news bulletin flashed across the television screen announcing that an asteroid, fifteen kilometers wide was discovered, two hours earlier, by space observers and would collide with Earth in two days. Everyone was advised to seek shelter in basements or underground until further notice.
Troy knew that an asteroid that size would destroy the planet and seeking shelter would be futile. Either the governments of Earth did not realize the gravity of the situation or they were not forthcoming with the truth. Either way, Troy knew what had to be done.
The James family immediately began to prepare for what was to come. Her father went downstairs to prepare the basement. Her mother and grandmother went to the kitchen to gather food and water. Laura stood by the window gazing into a cloudless sky.
Troy went to Laura's side and whispered, "my name is Troy and I must go now. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Laura watched as Troy took his leave and started down the path toward the place where she had found him. When he was out of sight, she followed without saying anything to her family who was too busy to notice. Troy was walking fast so she had to hurry to keep a respectable distance behind. After a tiring fast pace, Troy arrived at the clearing where he had hidden the spacecraft.
Laura watched from the edge of the trees and was shocked to see Troy change into his alien form as he uncloaked the spacecraft. In disbelief, Laura's legs became weak and she fell to the ground as the craft, with Troy inside, disappeared into the late afternoon sky.
At warp speed, Troy navigated his spacecraft to intercept with the center of the asteroid. The explosion sent the largest pieces away from Earth and the smaller fragments would burn up in the Mesosphere layer that protects the Earth from falling space debris.
Soon afterward, the television news reported that a mysterious event had caused the asteroid to explode and that the danger of it hitting Earth was over. They also stated that there would be a magnificent shooting star event that night.
Laura and her family spread blankets on the ground to watch the show. It was a meteor shower the likes of which had never been seen in Earth's history.
As everyone was in awe, Laura's grandmother asked, "what did they name this shooting star event?"
“It will always be in my memory," Laura answered, "Troy’s Meteor Shower.”
That night, after they all had retired to their beds, Laura thought about Troy. ‘Did he leave the spaceship before it collided with the asteroid and changed himself into a form of gas or even another spacecraft or a beam of light? It could have happened,’ she thought, ‘and perhaps someday we will meet again.’
tturner 1297 words
Troy scanned the landscape of Earth from the window of his small cloaked spacecraft as it passed over the treetops. The journey, traveling alone, from his home-world in a galaxy far away, had been long and tiresome. He was excited but also apprehensive about coming to a new world knowing very little about the planet and the people who inhabited it. Earth would be his new home. The life he knew as a Changeling would be dramatically different after he converted into human form. He was aware that his ability to morph would grow weak over time and then there would be no going back to his former self. He could live almost anywhere on Earth but he was looking for a region that was closest to what he was used to on his home planet. He had seen large bodies of water with islands and land with great deserts and areas that were lush with plant life. All with varying degrees of temperature which he could read from the instrument panel on the command center in front of him. He saw no evidence of war or any kind of environmental disaster. In his eyes, Earth was a Utopian world where the people lived together in peace and tranquility.
The spacecraft slowly descended on a clearing surrounded by a great forest of trees and green plants and shrubs. Butterflies fluttered by as he stood in the doorway surveying the surroundings. Birds darted from limb to limb in the trees nearby chirping loudly, announcing his arrival. A squirrel scampered by, stopped, stood on its hind legs, to assess if the strange object was a menace or peaceful.
Troy was intrigued by what he saw of the new world before him. He paused to give thanks to the Creator of the universe for giving safe passage to this new world. Then his thoughts traveled back with sadness to his former planet and the raging wars that were tearing it apart. It had become a dystopian world where clashes among the various societies could never be mended with each agreement breached time and time again. During the years of conflict, his people had built small spacecraft to send their children to new planets all over the universe. Troy was one of the first to embark.
The scientists of his world had studied the planet Earth and its inhabitants. Troy had practiced changing into human form and was well versed in its many languages. All he had to do now was find a human community and secretly integrate himself into their society. He put the spacecraft into cloaking mode so it could not be detected with the naked eye and then proceeded down a path toward a settlement he had seen shortly before landing.
The hungry Grizzly bear sniffed the ground and the shrubs along the path in search of his prey. The distinctive odor of the human he was following was very strong but soon the scent abruptly vanished near a large rock. The bear sniffed and sniffed and searched around the boulder but the scent-trail had ended. Realizing he had lost his prey, the giant bear stood erect on his hind legs and roared ferociously. With his nose in the air, his acute sense of smell picked up another scent. While sampling the warm humid breeze surrounding him, he detected the unmistakable scent of a female Grizzly. Once he had determined her location, he lumbered off to find her.
The changeling waited until the bear was out of sight before he transformed himself from the boulder into a man and continued on his way. The trek to the village was much farther than Troy had expected. He was growing tired and when he could finally go no further, he sat down beside the trail and fell asleep.
Laura James was returning home with a pail of berries gathered for her grandmother who was planning to make a pie. As she turned the corner she almost stepped on a man lying beside the path. She screamed and dropped the basket of berries which spilled and rolled across the ground to Troy's feet. The commotion caused Troy to wake up with a jolt.
“Who are you and where did you come from,” Laura asked as she backed away putting some distance between herself and the stranger?
Troy gave much thought before answering. "I don't know. I can’t remember how I got here."
Laura perceived no malice in his demeanor so she asked, “did you hit your head? You don't look well. Are you able to stand? If so, I will take you to my father."
“Yes, I can stand. I’m just tired and a little dazed.”
Arriving at Laura’s home, her father was at once suspicious and started to question Troy straight away but Troy continued with his pretense of not remembering anything.
Laura said, "let's all sit down and talk about this over a hot drink."
While they were talking, a news bulletin flashed across the television screen announcing that an asteroid, fifteen kilometers wide was discovered, two hours earlier, by space observers and would collide with Earth in two days. Everyone was advised to seek shelter in basements or underground until further notice.
Troy knew that an asteroid that size would destroy the planet and seeking shelter would be futile. Either the governments of Earth did not realize the gravity of the situation or they were not forthcoming with the truth. Either way, Troy knew what had to be done.
The James family immediately began to prepare for what was to come. Her father went downstairs to prepare the basement. Her mother and grandmother went to the kitchen to gather food and water. Laura stood by the window gazing into a cloudless sky.
Troy went to Laura's side and whispered, "my name is Troy and I must go now. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Laura watched as Troy took his leave and started down the path toward the place where she had found him. When he was out of sight, she followed without saying anything to her family who was too busy to notice. Troy was walking fast so she had to hurry to keep a respectable distance behind. After a tiring fast pace, Troy arrived at the clearing where he had hidden the spacecraft.
Laura watched from the edge of the trees and was shocked to see Troy change into his alien form as he uncloaked the spacecraft. In disbelief, Laura's legs became weak and she fell to the ground as the craft, with Troy inside, disappeared into the late afternoon sky.
At warp speed, Troy navigated his spacecraft to intercept with the center of the asteroid. The explosion sent the largest pieces away from Earth and the smaller fragments would burn up in the Mesosphere layer that protects the Earth from falling space debris.
Soon afterward, the television news reported that a mysterious event had caused the asteroid to explode and that the danger of it hitting Earth was over. They also stated that there would be a magnificent shooting star event that night.
Laura and her family spread blankets on the ground to watch the show. It was a meteor shower the likes of which had never been seen in Earth's history.
As everyone was in awe, Laura's grandmother asked, "what did they name this shooting star event?"
“It will always be in my memory," Laura answered, "Troy’s Meteor Shower.”
That night, after they all had retired to their beds, Laura thought about Troy. ‘Did he leave the spaceship before it collided with the asteroid and changed himself into a form of gas or even another spacecraft or a beam of light? It could have happened,’ she thought, ‘and perhaps someday we will meet again.’
Thanks Glenda. Glenda wrote: "TERRY wrote: "I find these two words confusing: PAST AND PASSED Does anyone have a simple way to use them? Is there a simple rule? "
Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "Passed is only used as a f..."
Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "Passed is only used as a f..."
Mod
tturner 1297 words
Troy scanned the landscape of Earth from the window of his small cloaked spacecraft as it passed over the treetops. The journey, traveling alone, from his home-wo..."
Very interesting take on dystopian world. I'm glad I extended the word count to get more of the story. I enjoyed it.
Are you familiar with the Interrobang symbol? I don't like the looks of it - why not !? at the end of a sentence.
The punctuation mark with the most exciting name. You’re probably missing opportunities to use an interrobang without realizing it. If you’ve ever asked an incredulous question and added an exclamation point, you could’ve done with this combined symbol.
A mixture of a question mark and exclamation point, the interrobang was defined by advertising executive Martin K. Speckter in 1962. This was the first time a new mark had been suggested in English in some 300 years. The interrobang is designed to be placed at the end of a rhetorical question to indicate disbelief.
The punctuation mark with the most exciting name. You’re probably missing opportunities to use an interrobang without realizing it. If you’ve ever asked an incredulous question and added an exclamation point, you could’ve done with this combined symbol.
A mixture of a question mark and exclamation point, the interrobang was defined by advertising executive Martin K. Speckter in 1962. This was the first time a new mark had been suggested in English in some 300 years. The interrobang is designed to be placed at the end of a rhetorical question to indicate disbelief.
Mod
(often represented by ?!, !?, ?!? or !?!), is an unconventional punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark, or interrogative point; and the exclamation mark, or exclamation point, known in the jargon of printers and programmers as a "bang".
THE BULLY – a true story??? by Todd Folstad (1064 words)It always seemed that life should be relatively easy for a rational, thinking, intelligent person, but in the country of D’lanod, this premise served as a total reverse. Lies and laziness were the currency that were traded upon, and the learned and honest were the bad people.
Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t suffering like in many other lands. There was food, and shelter, and a sense of normalcy to the everyday structure of life, but in order to get along, you had to “dumb-down”, and go along.
It all started a few decades ago when the government decided that the people needed to be handled by one of their own, a commoner, a person of absolute averageness. They did not want the exceptional, or the brilliant, or even the wise. They looked high and low and settled on finding such a person in the worlds of entertainment & sport. Someone who people felt comfortable with and would not feel anything other than sameness.
Such a person was located, installed at the top of the pyramid, and life began to level out for the masses. The occasional gaff, the miscue, sometimes the indiscretion. A humanizing factor that pacified the general public and allowed life to just be life. The first of the new leaders came from a sporting background and was at times a bit overzealous and aggressive. The second, from the world of movies, a fine actor, speaker (with cue cards), but at best, a vanilla creation lacking any form of substance or more than a two dimensional version of humanity.
Now mind you, up until the story which I am about to unfold occurred, not one of the new cadre of leaders had ever tried to exact revenge on the intelligent folks. Most had been content to let them live their lives as long as they didn’t attempt to push their worldview onto the mass of society. None of our leadership had ever felt threatened by wisdom, or eloquence, or even truth, that was until in the 27th year of governance when he appeared.
Darius Julius Taylor was the newest leader to run our country. It was said that his parents had been scholars and named him after a great warrior, an emperor and a former President of a now defunct country. They had felt that had he followed in their footsteps, he might grow to be a very solid individual with wisdom, courage and drive. That was not how he turned out at all. Slow witted, lazy, and slovenly, he took to the role of being a bully from a young age. He did not enjoy talking with people or reading even the most rudimentary of books, so the media and television became his learning center.
It seemed that whenever he was caught doing something that many found outside the normal behaviors of all, is when he would be at his worst. He’d call others names, belittle people whose opinion he had asked for and in all ways, try to make everyone believe that he was far better than he was or than they were.
It didn’t take long for the more, moralistic, of society to see what was going on. This man had no morals, no ethics, and mostly, no true human emotion. He was fueled by nothing more than basic aggression and avarice.
Because of his lack of forethought or vision, crises after crises began to wash over our shores, each in growing intensity. He passed them off as “HOAX”, or “VINDICTIVE LIES”, or the best of them, “AN ATTEMPT TO STOP MY BEAUTIFUL WORLD”. He went on all forms of media, day and night, preaching to the average and the sub-average that the intelligent were to blame for their lot in life. That the neighbor from another country was the problem. The neighbor who spoke in a different tongue or looked different, they were what was wrong. The more he shouted at the wind, the more of those he spoke to in fervent tones, believed him.
Then came the natural disasters. Floods, Hurricanes, Solar Flares, all manners of Virus, decimating the very people he was to lead. It was always someone else’s fault. Someone else who didn’t do what was needed. It was never a lack of leadership on his part, he felt he was infallible. It was to this point that his harshest critics took umbrage. He had never led anything to victory, let alone, completion. He brazenly stated that he, “was not responsible”, to wit, many agreed that he never had been or ever would concede that point.
The final straw was when he sought to assume permanent leadership that society had finally had enough. Riots and protests erupted from every corner of the country, calling for justice, equality, peace and most of all humanity for each other. It fell on deaf ears as the leader ramped up his attacks against now, not only the intelligent, the moral, the humanists, but also against those he saw as turncoats, even within his own ranks.
As popularity for him waned, the attacks on everyone increased to the point where new walls were erected around the base of operations, armed people from all walks of life were illegally conscripted to protect the “Bully”, who could not do so on his own anymore. Like most things in his life, his own lack of judgement has caused another collapse, this time though, the fate of an entire country hung in the balance.
The general public came out and fought pitched battles of words and weapons while safely in his bunker, the leader worked the media, fanning the flames and making one last ditch effort to hold the position he had been granted.
How does this story end, I’m quite sure in the way that all stories of this nature end. Eventually, the bully gets his comeuppance.
Order and peace are restored. Life begins again and hopefully, this episode becomes another chapter in the “what not to do” book of life.
It is a story as old as time.
It is a story that has happened before.
It is a story that will happen again.
The best thing anyone can do is to remember it, pass it along to the next generation, so that maybe one day, the cycle can be broken and this “historical story”, can come off the repeated list for good.
TERRY wrote: "THE CHANGELINGtturner 1297 words
Troy scanned the landscape of Earth from the window of his small cloaked spacecraft as it passed over the treetops. The journey, traveling alone, from his home-wo..."
A great start to the month Terry - with a hopeful ending. An enjoyable read with some very good descriptive dialog.
Good read, Todd. Engaging story. So good to see you back with another excellent writ.
Todd wrote: "THE BULLY – a true story??? by Todd Folstad (1064 words)
Todd wrote: "THE BULLY – a true story??? by Todd Folstad (1064 words)
Mod
Mod
I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Me? I thought I was being smart by going for groceries today instead of tomorrow or Tuesday since hurricane Sally is churning in the Gulf of Mexico. Nope, My groceries and I got completely drenched. Can't wait for more of your stories to be posted. Please invite writer friends to participate. Thanks.
Not to be voted on...sorry, just wasn't in a writing mood. So it's short and sweet.Brick Mansions - by Gene Hilgreen
The Space Needle of Old Seattle—once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi river, and built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph and earthquake of up to 9.0 in magnitude, served as the command center of Brick Mansion I. A similar tower was built two-hundred and fifty miles to the south in Old Portland, and served as the command center for Brick Mansions II.
Six months earlier, President Charlotte Vice-Davidssen—re-elected in a landslide, stood at the White House lectern. WD40 couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as thousands of faithful supporters screamed, BUILD THE WALL.
And build a wall—she did. In fact she built two. One around the city of Old Seattle and one around the city of Old Portland—now known as Brick Mansion I and II.
The walls were built while reprobates—those who called themselves Antifa, BLM, and other acronyms of hate—burned the cities to the ground. And now they were walled in—until death do they part.
The scum of America—those who screamed kill the police and kill Vice-Davidssen, and members of the fake media who spewed vitriol and lies, were rounded up, and transported to either of the two Brick Mansions.
There was only one way into Brick Mansion I—Old Route 90, and it was patrolled by the Nation Guard, who were armed to the teeth. Old Route 84 was the only way into Brick Mansion II and it was protected as well.
Vice News Network broadcasted—the REAL news, twenty-four-seven, from Vicevision screens and speakers throughout the walled cities.
Ne’er-do-wells, who attempted to break in, were seized and brought to the Old Superdome, where the new sport—Rollerball, replaced football.
After curfew, the streets of Brick Mansion I and II were thronged with the drunk and adventurous students of debauchery, as well as the lonely, desperate, and un-effulgent—all there for the picking. They joined the other ne’er-do-wells, who attempted to break in to the cities, at the Old Superdome, where the new sport—Rollerball, replaced football.
Friday night lights had a new meaning in the land of Brick Mansions. For the entertainment of the Right, the wastrel, would transverse through an obstacle course for their life. Those that lived, were sent back to the streets of the foul-smelling lodgings they called home—only to be scooped up again the following week. Those that failed, joined the other dead lying waste in the dank and odorous Duwamish River.
“Burn baby burn,” Jules said, and smiled as she looped around the grounds of Brick Mansion II and glided her AH-64 Apache attack helicopter onto the landing pad atop the Superdome. Her team—The Renegades, would be competing tonight against the Losers.
Game on—
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Enoughby Karen Hopkins, 1068 words
Rani hunkered down in front of the hill. He was all alone. Maybe he would always be alone. Maybe that was for the best.
He’d left the city after the fires started to spread. He had to get away from the smoke, the destruction and desolation. He wasn’t sure where to go until he remembered the stories his mother had told him about his great grandfather Boli who had lived so far from civilization that it was a three day walk to the nearest unpaved road. Boli had come to the city to make a life for his family, but his heart as he often told his little granddaughter, had remained in the mountains.
Rani headed south. No one stopped him at the border. Customs and border security had been shut down after the coup, but he’d expected patrols, guards. There was nobody; and there was hardly another vehicle on the road as he made his way south. He crossed the desert and climbed into the foothills consulting the map he’d copied from the old family Bible on the nightstand. It was a relief to get up above the desert floor and the higher he climbed the cooler the air became. The road wound up into the sierra narrowing from two lanes to one lane paved, then to a solid rock track cut into the side of a sheer cliff. Eventually the road leveled out meandering through the mountains as a dusty ribbon, then two tire tracks, and finally nothing more than a path along a rocky creek bed. He followed the creek for several miles, as far as he could go, before abandoning the truck and setting out on foot.
And at the end of it all he found his own little Shangri-La. It was everything his grandparents had said it was.
Bindi and the kids refused to leave the city. Bindi couldn’t leave her family and friends. She couldn’t leave everything familiar to go live in some godforsaken ruin on the edge of a desert. She was a city girl. It was all she knew. No use thinking about them now.
Rani found himself in a narrow valley, a lush, green valley. The old ranch house tottered and leaned, mostly in ruins. It wouldn’t do for much more than temporary shelter. Rani’s first concern had been the lack of a water source in the valley. How had the old man lived here for so long? Nobody could get by for long without water. But then Rani found the springhouse and discovered that great gramps had tapped into an underground river, a cold, sweet, flowing river just a few feet below the ground. Rani could look down into what must have started as a well and watch the water moving beneath his feet. The springhouse was cool and damp. And it brought life with it. Great gramps had left him well provided in other ways as well. The tool shed was full of tools, rusty but serviceable. The barn still held a few sacks of seed corn that had somehow escaped the mice. It would take work but he could revive the long dead cornfields. With his solar generator Rani was even able to power up the antique short wave radio sitting intact in the living room.
Of course the news was not good. From the news on the short wave it sounded like half the world was on fire. And the Central government has collapsed not long after Rani fled. Good riddance, he thought. How had they allowed their country to be so destroyed? With no central power cities one after another had fallen into disarray. And if politics weren’t destructive enough nature had joined the fray. Strong dry winds spread the fires and there were very few municipal services available to fight them. One by one the short wave operators signed off until there was no one left. Rani knew everything and everyone he’d left behind was gone. He did the only thing he could and threw himself into his work at the ranch.
Briefly he considered rebuilding the ranch house but ended up salvaging wood and metal to build a smaller space. Enlarging a cave in the hillside he built himself a sturdy, dwelling insulated from the heat and cold. He situated the front door well back in the hillside, hidden from view and secure against intruders. No one would find his place unless he wanted to be found.
Intruders? Who was he kidding? What were the chances anyone else would find this tiny remote valley? He might never see another human being again. He thought about growing old and dying here all alone and the next day he started a journal. It was the only way he could leave his mark for his time on earth. Rani was left to build his own world and imagine what was happening in the world outside his new home. He was not completely alone. Wildlife flocked to his green valley providing both food and companionship, and Rani found he had almost everything he needed.
Outside his remote valley fires, some started by lightning and others started by arsonists, had destroyed plant life, clogged waterways with ash and ultimately changed weather patterns. The summer rains no longer fell, nor did the winter rains. Rami began to mark the days since the last rainfall—413 days so far. How long could a drought last? It was only the springhouse and the hidden river that kept the valley alive. How long would the underground river continue to flow? However long he had, he would continue to make a life for himself. Life was good enough.
Late one afternoon as he walked from the springhouse to the cornfield Rani heard an unfamiliar sound, a cry. Was it a wounded animal? Suddenly alert Rani crouched low turning only his head back and forth looking to see what had disturbed the peace in his valley. There it was again, a cry. And then he saw her. Jumping to his feet he ran down the valley calling to her, “Bindi, Bindi.”
Bindi, filthy, exhausted, beautiful stopped, her eyes searching for her husband. “Rani!” she screamed. And then they were together laughing, crying, holding one another. “How, how?” Rani gasped. “The Bible,” Bindi whispered. Carrying his wife, his children trailing behind them Rani led his family home.
Let the world end. They were together.
It felt good to write a story again. Thanks!
Mod
by Karen Hopkins, 1068 words
Rani hunkered down in front of the hill. He was all alone. Maybe he would always be alone...
Let the world end. They were together..."
Oh, my gosh, Karen. I loved your story and your ending. I couldn't help but think of the woman that called in from Oregon on my shift while working who said she wasn't aware of any fires in her state. You would think SHE was living in a cave. I loved your description, how you painted a picture. Thanks for posting.
The World No Longer What It Was by F. F. Burwick 1500 wordsThe world was no longer what it had been not so long before. There was the failed global economy, a broken model of politics, and nonexistent global social contracts. The temperature had been rising, every year, things were not ever going to be the same again. 2020 with the spreading coronavirus was showing clearly the path that would not return people to where they were. There were further existential threats. The risks to the industrial capitalist civilization, to economies, and to democracy, were now greater than the small capacity to handle them.
Outbreakers were those first people who had come out from cities in very small groups, to run far away to generally hidden places in wilderness or mountain areas. They had hid as well as they could soon enough, as designated searchers would come looking for rounding up any deserters from workers being used now more than ever to keep the unstable civilization going. Few were found still, as others hid more effectively. As the years worsened, control from the ruling elite of the main political union of civilization that was left tightened its grip. They kept that union united with the hostility against the eastern united contestor, and the confederation of the south, with any from them vilified. With less available from the world at greater costs everything grew worse, there would be more desperately trying to leave those cities with their increasingly harsh conditions to get away, under more risky circumstances, from the control.
There were far less resources, and agriculture had largely collapsed with nature no longer in balance anywhere, the great majority of species extant in the previous century now extinct.
Darren with his wife Cheryl and their young son Ronnie were with two other couples in a labyrinthine canyon. There were small flat areas along the small steam running from various places through that canyon where they had small fruits and berries growing, and there were small seeds around that could be roasted, and they found growing things like dandelions and cattails were edible. There were unknown mushrooms, that all regarded as risky. There was just enough around for very simple food, fish and small animals were no longer around, other than a few spiders and insects, mostly beetles and flies, but not even many of those. After a long time they spent gathering from what grew wild around there on one of those early days after they had arrived there, as they sat in an area a little in front of their structures, Darren and Cheryl discussed the needs and concerns of the group with the two other couples, Mike and Debbie, and Garth and Nora, as Ronnie, and little Cyan his recent friend, a child of Mike and Debbie, sat nearby sometimes listening.
Mike said, "Darren, you put a lot of trust in the gassy marsh around here being a decoy for any of the heat sensors I heard could be used, to not find us. I wish I could know it would work if the searchers ever came this way."
Darren said, "It's why we traveled so far, even while much of the way had to be on foot, we are still over a hundred miles away from the nearest still continuing city remnant. There are too many directions for searchers to go looking for this place to likely be singled out. Our structures where we stay in are camouflaged well along the side of the canyon, with the rocks and mud and dried grass we used, which hide the small caves we found. We could see them from far away in that unlikely case, and take shelter in those hidden places we made, and they will still go to the heat that was sensed from the marsh. They will figure that was all that was sensed, and only give this otherwise empty looking area a superficial look from that far, as this is one dead end of many in this canyon. This is why I knew this was a good spot. There are no more great forests for any to hide well in, you know."
They talked still a little while, as the sun lowered and the shadow from one canyon wall stretched far to the other side. There were always furtive looks to the open end of that branch of the canyon. Cheryl said abruptly at one point, while staying quiet, "There is someone there at that open way, see?!"
Darren said, "Now we do need to take cover in our shelters, and stay quiet. Ronnie, come, it is time."
They each went quickly and quietly to the camouflaged shelters they had prepared for homes. A small door to enter was obscurely on one side for each of the three structures, close to the canyon wall, with dried brush placed in front making the opening even more hidden after they entered. There were a couple of very small holes in the front to view what there might be outside.
Cheryl said quietly to Darren when they were hidden within, "There was only that one person, just walking. That does not really seem like searchers. That person had hardly anything along, other than a bag. Does that seem like a searcher to you, coming here alone?"
"Not really, but we can't be too careful. This was a place that should be too hard to find, so I did not really expect any to come this way after us." He moved to one of the peepholes. "I will watch to see who comes."
Darren stood watching a while. At length he returned, and said quietly to Cheryl, "I see it is a very young woman. She has worn clothing, and a she brought along a small blanket, with a bag with other items, she must have walked a very long way. She put her blanket and bag of items down not very far away, to settle out there for the night, it seems. She can't be in service to searchers, she must be a more recent outbreaker."
Cheryl said, "Then we don't need to leave her alone out there while we hide. She would not want to be found by any searchers either. She probably has no one anymore to befriend. We should let her know we are here, where we can be helpful with letting her have shelter. None of us would have made it if we were alone on our own."
"Then you go out, to make yourself known. If she is a solitary woman seeking to be hidden from any searchers, you would not be a sudden threat to her, like a man approaching would be."
"I will. She will need this help from us." Cheryl went through their dim space of the small covered cave, and moved the dried brush on the side out of the way to exit. Ronnie remained quiet as he had learned to be, and Darren went to look out through the same small hole again. Cheryl was crouched by this new woman there around a hundred feet away, they were clearly talking together. After some time, Cheryl stood up straight, and the young woman gathered up her blanket and bag with things, and they walked toward Darren's and Cheryl's small home shelter.
Darren went to sit by Ronnie. Cheryl moved the brush aside and entered, the young woman came after her and stopped by the entrance, her eyes certainly needing to adjust to the dimness. Cheryl said, "This is Wynona. Wynona, this is my husband Darren, and our son Ronnie. If you are willing we will share this shelter for our home with you. If you prefer, after you meet the other two couples, you might wish to stay with them. Either way would be alright. We see you need shelter too."
"I think this would be good, for now anyway. I really would have tried making a simple shelter for myself, though it would not look so great, with so little for material. A good shelter would take a long while to build. A cave, as you have found, is much better."
Darren said then, "But what about searchers? You would worry about your shelter being seen by any of them if they came this way."
Cheryl said, "Wynona was trying to tell me something about them. What was it, Wynona?"
"There is rioting that authorities are trying to keep suppressed in the city remnant I came from, far away, I barely managed to slip away with what I brought, only because a nearby riot was such a distraction, and all designated civil servants have their hands full right there. When I was far from there I could see various columns of smoke. It is becoming a disaster area. Of course there will be no help from anywhere else. The city remnants are becoming more cut off from one another."
Darren said, "We do know, the end of civilization is certainly coming. Who knew things would move toward that so soon?"
Fred, that is quite a created story. I hope it never comes about.
F.F. wrote: "The World No Longer What It Was by F. F. Burwick 1500 words
The world was no longer what it had been not so long before. There was the failed global economy, a broken model of politics, and nonexi..."
F.F. wrote: "The World No Longer What It Was by F. F. Burwick 1500 words
The world was no longer what it had been not so long before. There was the failed global economy, a broken model of politics, and nonexi..."
Loved your story, Karen. Though the future is unknown, I was happy the family came together again.
Karen wrote: "Enough
by Karen Hopkins, 1068 words
Rani hunkered down in front of the hill. He was all alone. Maybe he would always be alone. Maybe that was for the best.
He’d left the city after the fires star..."
Karen wrote: "Enough
by Karen Hopkins, 1068 words
Rani hunkered down in front of the hill. He was all alone. Maybe he would always be alone. Maybe that was for the best.
He’d left the city after the fires star..."
Mod
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https://glendareynolds.survey.fm/sept...
Remember that you MUST vote if you submitted a story.
Submitted stories:
THE CHANGELING by Terry Turner
THE BULLY by by Todd Folstad
ENOUGH by Karen Hopkins
The World No Longer What It Was by F. F. Burwick
Kudos to Gene Hilgreen for submitting a short story, not to be voted on: Brick Mansions
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I have posted October's theme: Fallen Angel for anyone who wants to get an early start:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
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We've received some good ideas for 2021. If you have some ideas to share, please visit this link:
www.goodreads.com/topic/show/21699635...
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Terry, and Glenda, thanks. I believe we have to do things for being sure, it will get harder with waiting to avoid it getting more likely to resemble that. I had been busy both with being more involved with further writing otherwise, which I thought I could manage with still contributing here, and other issues, and then the lockdowns created further issues, which even interferes with publishing goals, and creates some further difficulties. I still had tried composing things for submitting in these writing contests on occasion. Some I could not get far enough with, one or two were pretty far but not of the quality I would want to submit, and one I thought was good and would have submitted that, but I had remembered the deadline wrong and had just missed it. This contest came and I committed much more to it being sure I had something to say in writing for it.
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First Place: ENOUGH by Karen Hopkins
Second Place: THE CHANGELING by Terry Turner
Third Place: The World No Longer What It Was by F. F. Burwick
Thanks to everyone who both submitted a story AND voted. Hugs to everyone. The October theme is posted here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Please invite others to join us.
Congratulations Karen and Terry. As is often the case I find the writing here to beinspiring.
Thanks Fred. I was just thinking recently...... would I be able to come of with a story without this group. I think not.
F.F. wrote: "Congratulations Karen and Terry. As is often the case I find the writing here to be
inspiring."
F.F. wrote: "Congratulations Karen and Terry. As is often the case I find the writing here to be
inspiring."
SEPTEMBER WRITING CHALLENGE: Dystopian World
Writing Prompts:
1. An all controlling government
2. A global catastrophe
3. An unusual home.
Theme: Your Utopia, My Dystopia
Storylines based around an all-controlling government, a post apocalyptic wasteland, or an environmental disaster that threatens to eliminate human civilization. Unlike a utopian society in which everything is harmonious, a dystopian society is often chaotic. Write about what the world could be like after a global pandemic or nuclear war and anarchy reigns in large cities around the world. Communities now live underground, under the sea, or in outer space.
In most cases, the dystopian genre explores a fictional future, tapping into present fears about the path society currently travels. The art is in imagery of the not yet
SETTING – Any, Past, Present or Future
PLOT – your choice
LENGTH: 1,000 to 1,500 Words
DEADLINE: Sept. 27th ( 11;59 pm MST)
Voting will take place between Sept. 28th and Sept. 30th. Winners will be posted in this thread on Oct. 1st (or when all votes have been cast).
If you need some inspiration, here are clips from top 10 dystopian movies: https://youtu.be/heAVOA8iyCw
Here is a movie trailer from one of my favorites Oblivion staring Tom Cruise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIIg...
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CHALLENGE GUIDELINES – Skip over this comment section if you are familiar with the Writers 750 Challenge.
GENRE: Fantasy, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Crime, Comedy, Romance, or a mixture (BASICALLY, anything but erotica)
PURPOSE -
Some fiction writers are looking to win a short story contest, keeping in touch with making deadlines, and/or simply sharpening the skill of writing fiction. The main purpose of this contest is to sharpen plot and character skills, collect your own short stories, receive good feedback, make a good connection with other writers, and take a short break from your current novel to get a fresh view when you return to it.
RULES & DIRECTIONS -
• Type in English - a minimum of 750 words; a maximum of 1,000 words; no erotica, no profanity.
• Post your title, byline, and word count total in the first line of your story posting.
• Writers are responsible for their own copyright. Authors keep all rights. PRIVACY POLICY IS ENFORCED. COPYRIGHTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS BELONG TO INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. THIS CONTEST DOES NOT GRANT ANY PERSON THE RIGHT OR LICENSE TO COPY OR USE OTHER STORIES. EACH STORY IS PROTECTED BY THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.
• ONE entry per person, must be the writer's original work, a final revision, and a new piece of writing. Please do not delete and re-post since this becomes confusing to the readers. Try to post your final revision.
JUDGING: The story will be judged on creativity, proper grammar, good punctuation, and overall good quality for the story.
VOTING: Please vote for first, second, and third place. You are not allowed to vote for yourself. If posting this month, you MUST vote for your story to remain eligible.