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Short Story Competition February 2013!

 
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Tikanni Corazon
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:40 pm    Post subject: Short Story Competition February 2013! Reply with quote



Hey All!


Better late than never, the February Short Story Competition is here! My apologies that it's a few days overdue!

Anyway, lets get right to it. The theme for this competition, rather than being the likely expected Valentines associated subject, is as follows:


Sagi, on 25th Jan wrote:
Tomorrow is "Australia Day", which "celebrates" the day a British fleet arrives in Australia and set up a penal colony (i.e. prison colony for British convicts) in 1788. "Australia Day" is also known as "Invasion Day", especially by the Indigenous population, which is fair considering all the genocide that happened soon after.


So, the theme is the discovery/exploration of a new world, and/or an invasion. Any genre, as long as that is the main theme of the story. As soon as I saw this idea, I was hooked! The possibilities are so diverse and I cannot wait to see what you come up with! Smile

So, just to clarify, the theme for this competition is The Exploration/Discovery/Invasion of a New World. You may use any genre you wish, be it sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romance, etc. For those of you who like a challenge, try and push those boundries and see what you can come up with. I'm not even going to give examples, I'm just going to wait and see. But, needless to say, I can think of multiple ideas for most genres!

The prize will again be 1000 fables!


The Rules

1) This is a short story competition and therefore there is a word limit of 3000 words. Please keep within this margin.
2) Minor swear words are okay, but please try to keep it to a minimum. There are younger people on this site, after all.
3) You must include the single prompt stated below in order for your story to qualify.
4) There must be an Exploration/Discovery/Invasion of a New World theme to the story, whatever genre you choose.
5) The closing date for entries will be February 17th. After that period, it's time to vote for your favourite entry. Voting will last until Midday February 26th.
6) The competition is open to everyone, and can be any genre you choose.
7) All entries must be posted to me via PM, so that each entry is anonymous and the votes will not be swayed through friendship/dislike/etc. Should I discover (with proof) that anyone has attempted to override this rule by convincing people to vote/not vote for someone, there will be consequences.


And finally, your prompt for this competition. This prompt must be included, or your story will not qualify. The current prompt is, just to slip a slight Valentines Day association in there:

A romantic relationship/affair

As with the others, it has to be significant. It doesn't have to take over the story, it just needs to play a part.

And so the competition is now open! Thanks to Sagi for the awesome suggestion! Any questions, feel free to ask!

Good luck to all who enter!

_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887




Last edited by Tikanni Corazon on Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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Seraphi
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yay! <3 I will start brainstorm-ifying right away!

Hooray to Sagi for making the awesome suggestion! Very Happy
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Tikanni Corazon
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have our first entry! Enjoy! Smile


Story One ~ Clang!

"To the puppet queen," she declared.

"To the puppet queen," I agreed, before we gulped down a pint of the darkest stout I've ever tasted.

She burped loudly and giggled as we called for more beer. "What else can we toast to?"

I glanced towards the entrance of the tavern. "To being stood up?"

Lisa looked expectantly at the front door and frowned. "To being stood up," she agreed before starting our seventh pint that night.

"Considering how wonderfully my date went last night, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

She laughed heartily and slapped my back in consolation. "Mine had no such excuse," she lifted her hand in appraisal of the golden band wrapped around her finger, "---if this ring's any indication. I'm beginning to wonder if I fantasised the whole wedding thing."

I looked up and smiled. "At least it was a very nice imaginary wedding. I should know, I was the best man."

She giggled as she downed the rest of her pint and gave me the 'you cannot beat me' look. Rolling my eyes, I poured mine down my throat and slammed the mug on the bar.

"You know---" I wiped my mouth on my sleeve. "You should give Wesley a break. He's a, you know, he's a---" I felt myself swaying on the bar stool. "---right, he's one of those dreamers, you see."

Lisa glared at the front door. "A dreamer? That doesn't make it alright for him to spend all day in his studio and forget our damn anniversary. God, I can't believe I'm jealous of his stupid maps!"

I burst out in uncontrollable laughter. "Whoa-kay, calm down, lioness, you're gonna scare my customers away!"

She shook her head and smiled, taking a look around. "Your tavern's doing pretty well, considering the owner's a sailor."

"Half-price Tuesdays," I burped. "You would know if you or Wes ever paid for the grog," I lifted a freshly-filled pint in a salute.

"Now, now, you're the one who insisted that we never have to pay."

"For good reason. If I charged you both, you'd both be, what's the word, ahh right, broke, within a week," I grinned before we gulped down more stout.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Oh jesus, mary, mother of---what have I done?

"I have to tell him," announced Lisa, on the other side of the bed.

I snapped my head towards her. "What?"

She reached down and gathered her clothes. "I can't lie to him. I have to tell him," she stated matter-of-factly while pulling her dress up her waist.

"No, wait, you---" I grabbed my shorts and stepped into them. "You can't do that!"

"Look, Dean, I'm sorry, but this is between Wes and me," she said as she grabbed her bag and walked out of the door.

Hurriedly buttoning my shirt, I followed her out into the street. "But it isn't!" I yelled after her. "This is between Wes and me, too!"

She continued walking towards their house. "Dean, go back. I'm his wife. This is my betrayal."

"Dammit, you've only known him for three years. I've been his brother and best friend since we were in the womb together!"

"Exactly, he'll always forgive you! But me---"

"No he won't! The last time I kissed his girl, he stopped speaking to me for a year!"

Stopping in front of their house, Lisa spun around and stared at me incredulously. "Wait, this isn't the first time you've done something like this?"

"No, it's not like---I didn't just---oh dammit, it's complicated!"

She shook her head in disbelief, turned towards to her house and unlocked the door.

"Lisa, please, you can't tell him," I begged as she disappeared into her house.

I closed my eyes and cursed my stupidity over and over again. I shouldn't have drank so much. What was I thinking? Stupid, idiot, witless, traitorous moron! Inhaling deeply, I resigned to a miserable lifetime of loathing from my twin brother, and entered their home, quickly making my way into the room Wes usually spends all day in.

The studio wasn't a large room, made even smaller by the large table in the middle. Every inch of the room was decorated with a map of some sort. Ocean maps. Local terrain maps. Constellation maps. Insect habitat maps. Flood disaster maps. And most importantly, spread out generously over the table, the largest World Map ever made. Large enough to cover two automobiles side-by-side.

It was our father's life work, and it was his dream to create the greatest World Map ever, a true masterpiece, before he…

"Wait, where's the mini world map?" I muttered to myself, looking around for the map father had used as the draft. Then it hit me. Suddenly filled with the feeling of dread, I dashed out of the studio without warning, bounded up two flights of stairwell, crossed the master bedroom and stepped into their balcony.

"Wait!" Lisa called from behind. "What's going on?"

My heart sank as I stared at the pier a few blocks away. "It's not there. It's gone."

She leaned over the balcony and squinted. "His sailboat?" Her face scrunched up in puzzlement. "He's out on the sea?"

"I don't get it. We were supposed to go together."

She turned to me. "Go where?"

"Why did he leave without me---" I stopped when I finally put the pieces together. "Oh jesus, this can't be happening…"

"What can't be happening? Where did he go? Dammit, Dean, you're freaking me out!"

I stumbled back into a chair. "He must have caught us," I looked at her, horrified. "Us, at my place, he must have dropped by---it's the only explanation! Why else would he go there without even telling me?"

"You---you think he saw us last night?" she slid down weakly and leaned against the railing. "Dean, you have to tell me where he's going."

"I should be with him. He doesn't even know how to cook---"

"For christ sake, if you don't tell me where he's going, I'll throw you off this balcony!"

Looking out into the sea, I thought about the very last time I saw my father. "To uncharted waters, the only one left on the map."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"We really should bring the sails in!" yelled Lisa over the violent winds, as she stuck her head out of the cabin door.

Pushing the rudder as hard as I could with one arm, I pulled on a rope that releases the headsail with my other arm. "I can do this!" I shouted back. "Go back in the cabin, the deck is no place for a lady!"

Instead, she climbed out further, narrowly missing her head from being clipped by the swinging boom. "Dean, the storm is only going to get worse!"

"Who's the sailor, here? Get back inside!" The forty-feet sailboat rocked side-to-side as the wind switched from port-side to starboard-side. I jumped forward and grabbed the rope attached to the headsail, and tied it onto a hook, allowing the wind to inflate the triangular cloth. I felt a sense of satisfaction as the mainsail also caught the wind and propelled the boat upwind.

"Uh, Dean, big wave---"

"Yes Lisa, I know there's a storm, and there are big waves everywhere, but I swear I can do this!"

"No, I mean, BIG wave!" she pointed ahead.

I grabbed onto the boom and stood up cautiously. At first, I couldn't see anything past the fast-moving pockets of mist, generated by the earnest pouring of water that seemed to be everywhere, flying in every direction. Then I saw it. An entire wall of water, almost fifty feet high. "You gotta be kidding me!" I jumped back on the rudder to steer the boat into the oncoming giant. I hadn't seen a wave that big since the great hurricane five years years ago!

The wave hit our vessel moments later. Unfortunately, we were still angled against the rising waters, which meant we could capsize! Lisa lowered herself onto the deck and wrapped her arms around the mast. The sailboat tilted upwards and to the side, so steeply that I thought we were about to simply fall off the wall of water.

I muttered a thousand curses under my breath as I struggled with the rudder, desperate to keep the vessel steady on rising waters, while also fighting to stop myself from falling off the deck. My mind raced frantically to find a solution when I realised I was losing both battles.

That was when Lisa climbed towards the headsail and pulled it out of the hook, allowing it to flap around. Suddenly, the vessel stopped resisting my steerage and turned towards the wind, allowing us to ride out the rest of the enormous wave.

I stared at Lisa with my jaw dropped.

"You're welcome," she yelled over the storm. "Now can we pull in the sails?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Biting a chunk out of the apple, I stared over the horizon. Still no land. We had been on the ocean for two weeks now, and we were about to run out of drinking water. I shouldn't complain, though. At least the weather had been calm. "Where did you learn to sail?" I asked.

Lisa was sitting on the other side of the deck, legs hanging over the edge. She was wearing her blue dress, the same one from that night. "My mother taught me. She dated a sailor before she met my father. Why, can't get over that I'm the better sailor?" she grinned.

I choked on the apple. "Whoa, no way, I never said that!"

"During the storm, I seem to recall having to save your arse while you were too busy being out of ideas."

"Out of---I was gonna do the same thing, except I suffer from this condition called 'third arm deficiency!'"

"Clearly, there wasn't anyone close enough to lend you a hand," she laughed.

"Hey!" I frowned at her. "I had no idea you understood sailor-talk at that time! Also, you're being very hurtful."

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Aww, I didn't mean to hurt your sailor feelings."

I mumbled some less savoury nicknames under my breath before taking another bite. "You could have told me you sail, you know."

"You rented a forty-feet sailboat --- I thought you knew! How was I supposed to know you're crazy enough to think you could handle it by yourself?"

I ran my hand along the side of the boat. "I'm a very good sailor. I've handled bigger boats on my own."

She folded her arms and studied my face intensely. "You know what I think?"

I raised my eyebrows and sat back, gesturing her to continue.

She took a deep breath. "I think you rented the bigger sailboat because it's faster. I think you sailed through the storm on purpose, too, for the same reason," she said, staring hard at me. "You wanted to get to your brother so bad, that you've forgotten how to sail safely."

I looked down and stayed quiet for a while. "Wes only had a one-day head start," I finally let out. "Which meant he was in the same storm as us, Lisa. The same, damn, storm…by himself."

"Dean, your brother knows how to sail."

"But not like me!" I snapped. "Not like me. He's a cartographer, Lisa. He barely goes out to the sea, and he has never sailed by himself." I clenched my fist. "I'm the sailor, I should've been with him."

She didn't say anything for a long time. Eventually she stood up and stepped into the cabin. But before closing the door, she glanced back. "What are you going to tell Wes, when you see him?"

I had no answer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Dean! I see it! I see it!"

Snapping awake, I bumped my head on the headboard. Cursing softly, I jumped off the mattress and ran out of the cabin. I squinted at the direction Lisa pointed at. It was land! Realising that it was uncharted land, my head started reeling.

"Wait, is that…"

I turned my attention towards the eastern shores. Then I saw it, smashed to pieces against the rocky cliff. "It's Wesley's sailboat!"

Wasting no time, I manoeuvred the vessel as close as possible to the shipwreck, jumped into the water, and swam towards the debris. Lisa yelled her disapproval as she took over the lines and brought the sailboat ashore.

"Wesley!" I screamed as I climbed onto the boat and pulled open the cabin door. I cursed when I realised it was completely filled with water. I wondered briefly if my brother was floating somewhere in there. Shaking my head, I turned towards the land. "Wes, you bastard, where are you!" I screamed again.

It was then I noticed something very odd. The erosion and the rot of the vessel were very severe. Too severe. But before I could stop to think about what it had meant, Lisa screamed.

Startled, I jumped onto the rocks and hopped from one rock to another towards the shores. When I made it to the beach, I saw a group of half-naked, olive-skinned men trying to restrain Lisa as she struggled with surprising ferocity. But, instead of running heroically to her aid, I stopped dead at my tracks and stared at one of the lighter-skinned men.

That man, as if he felt my stare, turned and noticed me. He paused for a moment before shouting in a foreign tongue, causing the group to release Lisa. Then, he turned back and looked hard at me, with an expression of surprise and disbelief.

I blinked a few times. I couldn't believe it. "Father?"

Suddenly, the man started laughing loudly, and he just kept laughing. "All these years, I thought I made it all up," he said in between laughs, with tears in his eyes. "Oh god, I haven't spoken English for so long!"

He kept talking after that, and he wouldn't stop. About how was saved by the natives, and how he couldn't remember anything when he first woke up. About how he married the chief's daughter, and how he became the leader of a tribe. Then he told me about the other sailboat that crashed into the western shores, just yesterday. There was no one on that boat.

"Dean, how are you doing?" asked Lisa when my father, who I barely recognised, finally left my side. She had been silently following us, as if afraid to interrupt the moment.

I didn't answer, and only stared blankly ahead.

"I know you must be feeling overwhelmed---"

"WOO HOO!!" I suddenly jumped and threw my fists up in the air. "My father is alive! My brother made it here!" I grabbed her arms and danced around in circles, laughing happily. "Now I only have to save Wes from whatever trouble he's in, get all of you on my boat, and bring us all the hell back home!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Of course, that wasn't quite what happened. Turns out, Wes had to save me from a tribe of cannibals, father was too much in love to leave, and Wes wanted to explore further to finish his map, which kinda ruined my rescue plans. Also, somehow Lisa managed to become the leader of the cannibals---sorry---ex-cannibals. How she swung that, I leave to your imagination. Some of the natives may have started worshipping me, like serious worshipping, after I made their first ale. Oh, and, Lisa and I got married at some point.

Wesley hated me for a long time for sleeping with his then-wife, which was unfair considering how quickly he forgave Lisa. But, he did finally forgive me, after making me run around the tribes stark naked, everyday for a week. Wes had completed the World Map a few moons ago, but he was perfectly happy to let it sit in his hut, where he spends a lot of time with a native girl he swore was only a friend. Being his twin brother and best friend, I'll let you in on a little secret: that's code for "I'm marrying her."

Eventually, we realised none of us wanted to go back, ever. So, one particularly sunny day, we went back to the beach and pulled the boat inland, and hid it among the trees. Every summer, the four of us would return to the vessel, sit around the cabin and toast to my tribe's ever improving ale. We kept the tradition a secret, even from our beautiful children. Oh yes, father, Wesley and I each had a son at around the same time. The three of them were inseparable best friends.

Our children must have had found out about the sailboat somehow, because one day, when they had grown into teenagers any parent would be proud of, the vessel vanished along with them. We just knew what they were up to.

They were discovering new worlds together.

_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887


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Tikanni Corazon
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just bumping this thread! Let's have a couple more entries please! Smile
_________________
.... there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham....
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, 1887


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Tikanni Corazon
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have a second entry, and completely different from our first, though both are awesome in my opinion! Smile


Story Two ~ Untitled

The Galaxy Blogger
Whether you like space, or are just plain spacey, this is the place to be!

March 26, 2137
Putting Monkeys Back in Space

Breaking news, everyone! Five years after the first successful automated flight into hyperspace, and the subsequent discovery of the world Aster Planetes E (I still say it’s an uncreative name. Read all about it here The Planet Named Planet? and then tell me what you think it should have been called here Celestial Body Baby Names!), scientists are finally ready to send a team of researchers out into the beyond to explore this new Earth! Among them is renowned entomologist Andrew Morgan, who you might remember made the headlines of every webpage just last year after discovering a beetle that was thought to be extinct in his very own back yard. They will depart for Aster Planetes E on April 3rd at 8 a.m. Best of luck guys!

HyperSpaceGal245

____________________________________


Private Chat
[8:03:29] BugWifeJM LogOn 2137 April 3
[10:31:37] BugManAM LogOn 2137 April 4
BugManAM: Have you been on this thing since my takeoff?
BugWifeJM: Yes. I told myself I would be here until I knew you were safe.
BugManAM: I’m safe.
BugWifeJM: Obviously. How was the flight?
BugManAM: You can get motion sick even in space.
BugWifeJM: Aw, honey. Are they letting you rest?
BugManAM: Nope. Right to work I go.
BugWifeJM: That’s bull.
BugManAM: The life of a researcher.
BugWifeJM: I always told you that you were a masochist.
BugManAM: And I never argued.
BugWifeJM: True.
BugManAM: I have to go. Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you again tonight.
BugWifeJM: Will they let you?
BugManAM: I’ll be sneaky.
BugWifeJM: Riiiight.
BugManAM: Oh ye of little faith. You’ll see.
BugWifeJM: Okay, okay.
BugManAM: Love you.
BugWifeJM: Love you, too.
[10:36:21] BugManAM LogOff 2137 April 4
[10:36:23] BugWifeJM LogOff 2137 April 4

____________________________________


April 7, 2137

…and so we can conclude that, though it has distinctions belonging to the Hemiptera, it must, instead, be of the Coleoptera family because of the elytra and hind wings and the absence of forceps on the abdomen.


Sighing, Andrew quick-taps the screen of the holojournal twice to save his work and leans back in his chair. It had only been three days since his landing in the new world and already he was behind in his research.

“How’s it going, Andrew?”

Andrew opens his eyes and peers at his assistant Kyle, a fun, and sometimes rather annoying, guy that, at first glance, Andrew never would have thought cut out for the life of a researcher.

“I’m a bit tired.”

“No kidding. How about you take a load off? Go chat with wifey?”

“I’m too far behind to talk.”

“Dude, that’s how you ruin a marriage. Though flying across galaxies to another planet certainly gets an ‘A’ for effort, too. I would have just-”

“Kyle?” Andrew says, interrupting the other man.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“Woah! No need to get so hostile, I was just joking, you know. But in all seriousness go talk to your wife. Your billions of miles away from her, if you can’t be with her you should talk to her.”

“You won’t stop will you?”

“Dude.”

Sighing, Andrew opens his mouth to say something but pauses when he sees the sincerity in Kyle’s eyes. Knowing he is beaten, Andrew gets up and heads towards the door to the lab. A triumphant Kyle smiles and waves at him as he leaves.

“Don’t worry – I’ll take notes while you’re gone! And get some sleep when you’re done, cranky bastard!”

____________________________________


The Galaxy Blogger
Whether you like space, or are just plain spacey, this is the place to be!

April 11, 2137
Lord of the Flies

Amazing news, everyone! After only 1 week on Aster Planetes E, Andrew Morgan, and his fellow team of researchers, have discovered and identified over 30 kinds of insects. It looks like we’ll be outnumbered by the little pests even in the new world! (If you had found these bugs Insects of Aster Planetes E, what would you have called them? Tell me here Calling All Creepy Crawlies!) We can’t wait to see what you guys find next!

HyperSpaceGirl245

____________________________________


Private Chat
[19:13:27] BugManAM LogOn 2137 April 22
[19:17:50] BugWifeJM LogOn 2137 April 22
BugWifeJM: It’s been a while since we talked. How are you holding up?
BugManAM: I’m alright. I miss you.
BugWifeJM: I miss you, too.
BugWifeJM: So…
BugManAM: So…?
BugWifeJM: There’s another hyperspace flight next week. I can be on it.
BugManAM: No.
BugWifeJM: But you just said you missed me, so why not?!
BugManAM: It’s dangerous.
BugWifeJM: They’ve done lots of other successful flights since yours! It will be okay.
BugManAM: No one has ever made the trip in your condition. I don’t think it will be good for the baby.
BugWifeJM: I think it’ll be worse if he doesn’t know who his dad is when he pops out of the oven.
BugManAM: You know I love it when you talk about our baby like a loaf of bread. What’s that other mannerism you use? Some word that sounds like a pasta sauce?
BugWifeJM: Don’t change the subject.
BugManAM: So you noticed…
BugWifeJM: Duh.
BugManAM: He’ll be two when I get leave time to come back home. And since he would be older, both of you could come back with me. We will be one big happy family.
BugWifeJM: We could be one now if you would just let me take that flight out there.
BugManAM: No.
BugWifeJM: Come on!
BugManAM: Look, Julie, I want you here, I do, but I don’t think it’s the best thing right now.
BugWifeJM: So you’re happy if your wife and child are miserable and alone?
BugManAM: That’s not what I mean and you know it.
BugWifeJM: Please, Andy, please. I want to be on that flight. I want to see you.
BugManAM: No. That’s final.
BugWifeJM: Fine.
BugWifeJM: Ass.
[19:23:42] BugWifeJM LogOff 2137 April 22
BugManAM: Damn it.
[20:11:37] BugManAM LogOff 2137 April 22

____________________________________


April 27, 2173

Though the Coleoptera Stemphata most closely resembles the Archostemata of Earth, there are similarities with the Polyphaga as well. By the elytron we can tell…


“Hey, Andrew, you okay man?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Andrew jumps. He looks up to find Kyle staring at him with concern. Then he looks at his holojournal. There is one sentence, and the beginnings of a second, recorded on the holopage that he had started that morning. It is almost time for dinner now. Wearily, Andrew takes off his glasses and rubs his temples.

“I’m sorry, Kyle, no matter how long I stare at that insect I just can’t...I’m distracted.”

“Worried about Julie, huh?” says Kyle, taking a seat on the metal stool next to Andrew. He pulls over the holoscope containing the specimen retrieved from Sector K by the spider bot. He alternately rotates and enlarges certain portions of the insect, scribbling in his own holojournal as he goes.

“Yes,” Andrew sighs. She had convinced him. It had taken three days, but he had finally said yes, just in time to get a last-minute seat on the next shuttle. He looks at his watch. Julie’s shuttle, Flight 463Alpha, would just be exiting the Earth’s atmosphere and preparing for the jump. He chews on his lip nervously. “Do you think I should have tried harder to make her stay home?”

Kyle shrugs. “Well, you miss her don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Then relax. You did good to let her come. You know you’ll probably do your job better once she’s here,” he says pointing at Andrew’s holojournal and the sorry entry within. “It’s not just today, either. Compared to your stuff from home, your research has been severely slacking since we got here. I figure you just need a romp in the old sack to get you back on your feet. That’s what I’d be doing if I had a smokin’ hot wife, pregnant or not.”

“Kyle,” Andrew says sternly.

“If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t have shown me pictures, man. I told you right off the bat I’m a perv.”

Despite himself Andrew smiles and briefly holds his hands up in surrender before doing his best to return to his observations. His mind, however, wanders again. Has it really only been one month since he has seen her? She will have just hit five months yesterday, her belly plump and swollen. She had sent some photos through email with details about how the baby kicked, but they were nothing compared to how it would be to see her with his own eyes and feel the baby move with his own hands, to feel her soft skin and whisper to her how much he loved her.

“Kyle?” he says, interrupting his own daydream.

“Yeah?”

“I really miss her.”

“I know, I know. And she’s on her way. Now help me finish looking at this thing so we can go get some food and sleep. We don’t want you to be a complete wreck for her when she arrives tomorrow.”

Smiling and nodding Andrew picks up his stylus and scribbles diligently on the elevated screen of the holojournal, the thought of seeing Julie urging him on.

____________________________________


Private Chat
[17:14:26] BugManAM LogOn 2137 April 27
BugManAM: Until you’re safe

____________________________________


The Galaxy Blogger
Whether you like space, or are just plain spacey, this is the place to be!

April 28, 2137
Space Ghosts

Horrible news, everyone! The most recent hyperspace shuttle scheduled to go to Aster Planetes E has met with a most unfortunate end. Officials have not you released any information about the incident, but many believe that it was an unstable fusion drive that caused the explosion of the craft. Give your condolences to the loved ones of the departed here RIP Flight 463Alpha. Our hearts are with you!

HyperSpaceGal245

____________________________________


Private Chat
[23:41:05] BugManAM LogOut 2137 May 31

____________________________________


June 1, 2137

First non-robotic field exploration of Sector K. Have discovered another insect, another beetle.

It is blue, the same color as Julie’s eyes.

I wonder what color his eyes would have been.


____________________________________

The Galaxy Blogger
Whether you like space, or are just plain spacey, this is the place to be!

June 2, 2137
Going Buggy

Shocking news, everyone! Famed biologist Andrew Morgan has gone missing! He was last seen exploring the wilds of Aster Planetes E’s Sector K. So far they have only found his notebook, but a 24 hour search party continues to scour the area. What do you think happened to our dear Dr. Morgan? Was he devoured by beasts, taken captive by a yet unmet native population? Tell me your thoughts here Where in the Other World is Andrew Morgan?!

HyperSpaceGal245

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Tikanni Corazon
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poll is up!

A few days later than planned, for which I apologise, so I'll allow another couple of days voting and will close the poll on 28th of February. Thanks to the authors of both our awesome entries, and good luck to you both! Smile

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*bumps* Come on, votes people!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Votes, si vous plait! (It's the last day for them!) I can't, and shouldn't, be the only one that has read these :/

Hope you don't mind me bumping for you, Tika!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Competition is over, and this months winner is Sagi with 'Clang!'! Congrats to Sagi and commiserations to second place, Seraphi! I personally loved both your tales and just wouldn't have been able to choose. XD

1000 fables will be on it's way to you from the IF Treasury asap, Sagi!

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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*claps* Congrats, Sagi!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aww thanks!

Although, it's pretty much actually tie between Seraphi and me, since I didn't vote and Seraphi did! I kinda assumed the writers shouldn't vote...sorry! Wink
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I figured it was okay to vote...I just don't vote for my own story as I don't think that's entirely fair.

And I did like yours, Sagi Smile
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For the record, I loved your story, and would have voted for it, Seraphi! The narrative is so different from anything else on this site. Very Happy
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daw, thanks, Sagi. *blushes*
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Who will be your winner?
Story One ~ Clang!
66%
 66%  [ 2 ]
Story Two ~ Untitled
33%
 33%  [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 3
Who Voted: misterbiz, Seraphi, Tatkret Sos

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