Micro Fiction

Back in September we held a competition on the Forum to write a story no longer than 200 words! We had the biggest response EVER to this and so a big thank you to everyone who entered.

It's a tall order to fit a complete story with a beginning a middle and an end into such a short space, but the judges felt that these examples manage to show that it is possible.

So here are the winners as selected by Blane, who set up the competition in the first place, and the other members of the Starbase Leicester Admin Team.

------Winner------

The Last Hope

by Paul L

He sat alone in the small capsule, his face turned towards the tiny glass porthole that was now his only connection to the spinning planet below.

He knew it had to be done. There was no other option left, not after the infection had spread the way it had. The leaders of the Earth had made it quite clear – if there was no hope, then the world must be destroyed. But it looked almost peaceful from here.

The clock beside him counted down slowly, ready to send the remote signal that would detonate the warheads.

Any moment now.

He would be the only survivor, but at least the Human race would continue.

The clock reached the 1 minute mark, not long now. He glanced down at the embryos beside him. The last hope for humanity.

30 seconds. Just 30 seconds until everything he knew, everyone he loved, would burn for eternity.

At least he had survived. That gave them all hope.

20 seconds. He inhaled deeply, and tried to relax.

The last hope.

10 seconds.

An inhuman scream from outside! Something clawing against metal. The handle of the airlock began to turn, and below him, the world began to burn.

------Runners Up------

ABC

by Logic

(Having been given an alphabet of words from the editor it was a story he wanted…so a story he got…)

Anthony blamed Coraline his personal AI buddy.

“Why did I have to get a girl buddy! ‘don’t expect financial gain. Hell I justkilled Larry’ is a classic quote from 26th century gangster movie… a boy buddy would know.”

Coraline the AI folded her holographic arms and pouted.

“If it made sense I’d know it.”

“Doubt it. I bet the teacher did this on purpose, for a laugh” moaned Anthony.

“Maybe not on purpose…”

“Gah! Shut it with your artificial logic! I’m calling Ted. Dial Ted.”

“Dialing”

Two seconds later Ted’s holographic face appeared on Anthony’s media wall.

“Yo! Ant”

“Yo! Hey you having trouble with your AI?”

“I was… Stan Fixed it.”

“Stan? Quick ring Stan!”

A second later Stan was convincing the boys he could reset the AI even with its top security. But the interference from all his hacking gear meant all they heard was “take up” and “very willing”. But soon the reset was done and a new AI appeared. It was a Telazian kid.

“Hey! It’s a Telazian” moaned Anthony.

“OI! You xenophobic young zeolets!”

“Oh boy it’s a grumpy one too. Good luck Ant… Bye”

And both Stan and Ted left Ant with his new … grumpy… AI.

The Ship Crashed

by Garak

The shiny, polished, sleekly marvellous, glitteringly beautiful, glimmering, majestically-starbourne, silvery, thin, graceful, feather-like, heavily-laden, lightening-quick, altitude-losing, air-splitting, radio-signal-absorbing, guidance-laser-reflecting, delicate, fragile, vulnerable, ground-destined, doomed, precious, aerodynamically-unstable, gravitationally-attracted, carbon-spaceframed, computer-misguided, non-impact-absorbing, Altair-originating, shelter-from-asteroid-storm-seeking, ice-trail-streaking, abnormally smooth, overheating, highly-insured, well-maintained, pristine, illogically-navigated, incomprehensibly-flight-planned, unmarked, brand-new, pleasantly-spacious, rich-merchant-owned, explosive-carrying, space-trading, comprehensively-armed, courageously-crewed, inexpertly-piloted, ship, spectacularly, quickly, magnificently, completely, heart-crushingly, inexplicably, unexpectedly, totally, unmissably, firestorm-inducingly, terribly, amazingly, fatally, greatly, non-planet-missingly, formidably, unpredictably, urgently, ungently, quite-accidentally, profitably, horrifically, horrifyingly, horrendously, atrociously, abominably, deplorably, egregiously, abhorrently, frightfully, shockingly, hideously, grimly, monstrously, sickeningly, seriously, non-non-non-non-heinously, gravely, nauseatingly, gruesomely, noisily, loudly, unpleasantly, excruciatingly, agonisingly, unbearably, cruelly, hatefully, unfairly, lamentably, song-of-legend-inspiringly, hopelessly, obnoxiously, crappily, brutally, wretchedly, sick-but-not-the-good-kind-of-sick-ly, conscience-strickenly, shamefully, troublingly, repellently, bone-crushingly, skull-burstingly, blood-spillingly, ash-tray-emptyingly, remorsefully, 'I've-been-in-bed-all-day-feeling-ill-just-thinking-about-the-nastiness-of-it'ly, utterly, bitterly, badly, unforgettably, 'oh-the-humanity'ly, crashed.

Gun

by Blane

The barrel of my gun is pressed against her cheek; tears spill over it and I can’t help wonder if it might rust.

"Don’t hurt me."

I usually remember detail but I’ve overlooked something.

The city canopy swayed overhead casting a light shade to the buildings and streets some six hundred metres below. Still, the sandy desert wind bit hard underneath, not many ventured out from their comfy air-conditioned homes or offices. I leapt from a rooftop and easily landed in a roll on an adjacent platform. I felt fuzzy from the blow to my head. My readouts flickered in my sight –

Memory Caching Error 0x1AF

- my target, a building downtown. I scaled the wall, scratched my way up the crumbly concrete before it’s self-aware™ surface repaired. The roof was vacant. I kicked through the service door – Habitat A – and sprinted through the guts of the building to room 2401.

"Taren please." She struggles against the vines, "it’s me, why are you doing this?" I glance at her. She’s naked.

"A runner finishes the mission." I place my finger on the trigger.

Memory Caching Error 0x0AC

I open my eyes and it’s dark. The implant restarted.

"Sarah."