Very Short Stories, Collection #5

I’ve been working hard on completing my first novel, recently — after many drafts, and many more mistakes, there’s just a little left to polish. Which is very exciting for me! But today, I have another collection of my #vss365 stories, based on one-word prompts.

***

Close

As water thick with crimson algae flooded the corridor, the CO barked, “Close the hatch!”

“Sir, men are still in there!”

“Not anymore. Not even close.” He drew his sidearm. “Did any splash in your mouth? Your eyes?”

“Sir?” The young sailor blinked away red tears.

Demotic

“Demonic language? So, it’s not the relic we seek?”

“#Demotic.” The thief brushes dirt from the moonlit pillar. “As in, ‘commonly used.'”

The former knight limps to the cliff’s edge and stares at the smoldering ruins of her kingdom. “These days, what’s the difference?”

Teardrop

The chained satyr leaks a teardrop, caught by a tube leading to a giant copper vat. Hundreds like him line the factory floor.

A tinny voice repeats, “…Worthless. You Are Unloved. You Are…”

In an office above, the Sorcerer has sorrows, too. Productivity is down 3%.

Humble

The intruder wore a black robe, his skull deathly white, nose bulbous and red. On his lapel, a lotus — the mark of Death.

“What ghastly taste,” said the aged clothier. “So, you’ve come to take me?”

“No, to humble.”

Water sprayed from the flower and splashed his face.

Read

The apprentice read the mantra aloud, “Imezo stew pudd… I’m… so… stu- Hey! This isn’t an ancient summoning ritual, it’s just a dumb prank!”

Behind him, a voice as deep as perdition chuckled, shattering the foundation of the stone chamber. “Can’t it be both?”

Munted

She gulped glowing green sludge from a bottle and slurred, “It’s ‘witch’, to you.”

“Leave it, Ed. She’s munted, and all of five feet.”

Once more, Ed failed to properly enunciate.

Out in the Channel, a fisherman was startled when two front teeth landed on his deck.

***

Thanks for reading. More stories coming soon!