Drabbles Project

[Lumin]

Just something fun and low effort I thought we could do. 'Drabbles' are a kind of extreme form of flash fiction, just 100 words. Or if you really want a challenge you can make it 50. It's a good quick writing exercise either way.

The thread for these have remained pretty popular over at CYS, but ADRIFT means we can take it a step farther. What I'd like to do is let this thread sit here awhile and collect a bunch of stories, then put them all as readable book objects in an interactive library.

Reposting a couple of mine from the CYS thread just to start us off:


50 words:

They say the Dry Sea is the world’s end. Nothing but dust, venomous lizards, and petrified shells of antediluvian beasts. The only water a bitter poison oozing from pitted rocks. None will ever cross it. They say it just can't be done.

So I turned around and went back home.

The defiant boy made his first and only mark on the world. Silently, the cameras watched. His paint hadn’t yet dried when the drones launched themselves from the gleaming tower.

Afterward, workmen cleared the scorched body and graffiti away. The peaceful city was once again free of corruption or blemish.

100 words:

The sea holds many secrets, dear. But none at your command.

Her draggled form seems so unlike her. She was prettier before, if inconvenient.

The grim-faced men cordon off the beach, and every camera flash dashes you against the rocks.

They want to speak with you again.

That dreadful yawing as the waves creep up, nibbling at the faults in your castle of lies. Revealing that after all, it is only made of sand, and you are nothing greater than a lump of clay.

The sea grants no favors, dear. Direct such requests to the judge and the Devil.

[The0didactus]

all 50 words or less:

44:

Centuries ago, the Children of Veth fought a doctrinal war on the question of whether their monstrous god dwelt in the sea or the sky. The war ended inconclusively. Since then, it has been difficult for many sentient beings to take their religion seriously...

39 words:

In that time, there were gods of just war and lost causes, fair deals and benevolent law. There was no god for what Lugarsphi meant to do. Lugarsphi prayed to his lover, having no other god to pray to.

50:

"I inspected the courthouse" he said. "It will stand for 500 years, however, the frieze is of limestone, the etchings of angels upon it will dissolve long before then."

"I did not see the angels." I confessed.

"Perhaps the courthouse will not last as long as I thought." He replied.

44 words:

On my first day as king, she cautioned me to heed the dictates of the priesthood. She swore the gods would never steer me wrong. She predicted my mortal advisers would

On my last day as king, she told me the very same thing

[DazaKiwi]

50 Words:

The duel lasted moments. Power lost. Oil smeared the screen. Forces pulled me earthward. It's jammed, no escape. My eyes center upon the locket. Just one more time to see her face. A tiny folded note falls out. I search frantically. Sunlight pours in as I open it. It says..

100 Words:

Upon hours the Darnacle weathered the storm. She took a beating, sails in disarray. The storm retreated. Just the day before whispers of mutiny had reached the Captain ears. They rounded the point to fit and repair- their long lost quarry came into view across the bay.

The spyglass told the same tale of the other ship. The men cheered, the guns rolled out. Ever slowly they gained on them. Then from nowhere a dagger did pierced the Captain's heart, then he remembered.

The anchor dropped, the laughter flowed with the Rum. By dusk the Darnacle laid down to rest.

[The0didactus]

Well cr*p, DazaKiwi somehow read my mind and knows EXACTLY how I want to die. This of course is in reference to the first one.

Well done

[Lumin]

Yeah, I liked that one.

'How do you want to die?' could be a great writing prompt on its own, I'll be filing that one away.

[Lumin]

100 words

The grating voice droning about nothing, the obnoxious laugh, the cigarette stench. You hated them all. You would trade shifts just to avoid her. So of course when the dead began to rise, it was just you and her behind the steel door.

“At least we won’t starve. There must be two years worth of food down here--“

“Four.”

She’s shocked by your suddenness. When it’s over, you are too. But man always becomes the real monster in these scenarios; fiction has taught you this.

When you hear the first groan behind you, you remember something else you should’ve learned…

Yes yes I know zombies are freakin' tired and played out, but so am I this week.

[David Whyld]

This looks fun. Let's have a go.

100 words:

He didn't think the tiger had followed him to the caves. Couldn't be sure, of course, but he felt 99% certain he'd lost it. But enough to risk his life on?

Well, that was the kicker, wasn't it?

After turning it over in his mind for a while, he eventually decided to go and check. Just to set that 1% of his mind at ease. A waste of time, he told himself. The tiger hadn’t followed him. He was just being paranoid. Foolish-

That was when the tiger bit his leg off.

That last 1% was a real swine sometimes.

100 words:

She loved Hubert. She loved the way he looked and dressed and smelled (well, she tried, and that was the main thing, right?). She loved his bank account most of all, though. She loved the shoes and the dresses and the yacht it bought her. All necessary expenses, of course. She wasn't frivolous with Hubert’s money. The diamond swans she’d bought for the pool and thrown away five minutes later because they clashed with the tiles were absolutely necessary.

She loved Hubert. Everything about him.

Including the coffin he buried her alive in when he got his credit card statement.

100 words:

The novel was finished, and not a moment too soon because the deadline was today. His publishers weren't patient people. He took the final page from the typewriter and laid it with the others.

Then he had a glass of wine and lit a cigar, flicking the match away.

“And that's how you burnt your house down?” the publisher asked him.

He nodded.

“And your novel?”

He held up the pages he had recovered from the fire. Pages 2, 5, 17 and 123. The other 396 were lost.

“I, uh, might need a bit of an extension on that deadline...”

[Lumin]

Finally David comes out of hiding!

These were great, got a laugh out of the last two. I was waiting for the twist on the second one but it took a harder swerve than expected lol.

[Lumin]

You guys mind if I crosspost a couple of these to the CYS thread? I'll link this one of course.

[Lumin]

Not mine, just snagged a few 50 word stories from the CYS thread with the author's permission. (David, also posted one of yours in the 100 word thread without permission since I wasn't sure when he'd wander back in, so let me know if you want me to take it down.)

From OriginalClamurai:

She's wearing that sexy, black corset from your wedding night. She's dancing to a song, but you don't hear it. Her hips sway seductively; her hand trails down the bedpost. As she turns toward the window, you exhale deeply.

One...

Clear sight picture.

Two...

Slow, steady pressure.

Three...

Happy Anniversary.

From ninjapitka:

“You look nervous. First day?”

“Yeah.”

“Just don’t overreact to weird requests. Some men have strange… taste.”

“What if I can’t do everything?”

“Try your best.”

A man with slicked-back hair approached. The gold chain at his neck was barely visible through his thick chest hair.

“One large coffee please.”

[David Whyld]

That's fine by me. Just as long as you mail me the royalty cheques, okay?