100 Word Anonymous Writing Challenge - November 2014

[mosaix]

This thread is for the posting of stories only - by mosaix!

Robert Mackay won the previous 100 word anonymous challenge and has chosen:

Theme: The Last of Its Kind
Genre: Science Fiction or Fantasy

Entries are to be filed by 24:00 GMT on the 19th November. Voting will be until 24:00 GMT on 22nd November.

Only entries posted by mosaix will be considered eligible - to have your story posted please PM it to mosaix separately. See corresponding discussion thread for further info.

 

[mosaix]

Stray Arrow

Her haunting cry carried on the wind, echoing through the mountains.

We hid in our caves, covering our children’s ears.

The hunter refused to meet our eyes.

They had been our protectors, keeping us safe, until a careless arrow killed her mate.

Now she is dying, turning away from the offerings we leave out for her.

Lonely.

The last of her kind.

Silhouetted against the cold moon in the empty sky, her shadow reproaches us.

They creep towards us.

Goblins with foul breath and warty skin.

They will slaughter our children and enslave us.

We brought it upon ourselves.

 

[mosaix]

Another Kind

Her beauty twanged my heart: big green eyes lined with squirming tentacles, skin the colour of lilacs and the way her snake-like body hovered, gracefully, over the grass.

She reached into my mind and like a video in my head, I watched her spaceship crash. My stomach turned as her family was crushed by scorching metal.

She felt my loneliness, felt me longing for her.

After months of dating, she gave birth to our twins: human in shape, skin the colour of lilacs.

She died shortly after, the last of her species, the beginning of a new one.

 

[mosaix]

The Rose-Petal Dress


I remember the first gift those darlings left in the entrance to my tree-hollow home..*phew--phew*..’twas a bird made of clay, and the littlest sang “Never do forget us, never leave.”

They’d spied me flitting about the meadow helping bees gather pollen…none had glimpsed me in ages, since the flower wasps angered and killed the others, and my chakra faded. *phew*

Oh, they’ve done this because I scolded them for rending my rose dress..I’m forsaken and mudded into my home. There’s no air, and the littlest sings “We never will remember you, never come back.”

 

[mosaix]

 

[mosaix]

Martha

“If I may have your attention, please.” Professor Brown’s booming voice silenced the whispered conversations of the students. “Today’s lesson deals with a famous example of extinction.” The chronoscope’s screen blurred into a milky fog. “Unfortunately, we can only look back a few centuries, so don’t expect any dinosaurs.” The chronoscope focused on the scene of a large dove in shades of slate and russet. “This is Martha, the last living passenger pigeon, who died the same year one of humanity’s major wars began.” Professor Brown lifted a tentacle. “Tomorrow we will discuss the demise of Homo sapiens. Class dismissed.”

 

[mosaix]

Oh joy! Oh Raptor unforseen!

It may not be popular in these days of instant information and gratification on demand, but for me a paleontological dig is the most exciting thing in the world.

I have just spent 2 years to unearth a pack of velociraptors near Veracruz.
Evidence suggests they may actually have witnessed the Alvarez Extinction Event.

Yesterday, Loughborough University announced they will test their newly developed time travel machine there. Going back 66 million years they hope to watch the raptors “at play”. They then propose to sell tickets!

Sigh!
I honestly believe I am the last of my kind.

 

[mosaix]

Last Man Standing

He watched as the invaders burned his planet in its entirety. They didn’t see him as he climbed aboard their vessel and hid in the cargo bay. As they broke Earth’s atmosphere, he could see the world ablaze through a floor port-hole. At this moment he realized he was the last of the human race.

The crate he was hiding behind held a huge, metal bomb. Crossing his fingers, he hit what looked like the ignition. He would avenge his home, and with any luck see his family again once the dust settled in Heaven.

 

[mosaix]

It Was The Best of Times, It Was The Worst of Times.

“So, you’re leaving me. Just turning your back and walking away without so much as a wave? After all we’ve been through together, the things we’ve done, the places we’ve been? You’re just going back to your life at ‘home’ and abandoning me – here of all places. Did I ever let you down? Even once? Anyway, see if I care. I always suspected this would happen and I haven’t got much longer anyway.”

The dying thoughts of the lunar rover on the last Apollo mission as Cernan walked away to prepare for lift-off from Taurus-Littrow on December 14th 1972.

 

[mosaix]

Bill4636278463

Halle wondered if Bill4636278463 was dead by now. The fembot indicated no vital signs.

She thought back to her ship’s arrival on this planet. Their endless wars and cruelties. Such a promising but primitive species.

Her solution was simple and planet-wide. Y-chromosome mutations occurred in waves and the effects were cumulative. Their wars petered out. The untouched laughed and danced and sang. And began to take back control.

“A new age has begun for wumanity,” said Commander Halle as she looked down at Bill4636278463. His eyes blinked once and remained open. The last of its kind.

 

[mosaix]

Orbital Vector​

"This virus," said the professor, from the centre of the spherical auditorium, "…killed more than one point eight million humans."

He held up a small sealed test-tube, seemingly full of water. "We keep a sample here in case we need to manufacture the vaccine again. I show you the real thing to emphasise…"

Sudden dampness dragged his eyes to the vial. A silver air bubble showed in the liquid.

Terrorists? A practical joke? A Laser from the assembled students? No time to guess.

One button. "Exodus terminate lecture-hall."

One phrase; the entire sphere flash sterilises, expanding into vacuum.

 

[mosaix]

Fay's End

It was becoming harder for Elon to remember their names as the years rolled on. He could recall when Kunya, Zola, and Artur had allowed themselves the final release, but all the countless others were just a blur in the confusion of his ancient mind.

The only clear memories he still had were of all the tricks he and the other faeries had played on the humans. So gullible, and yet so much fun to play with.

But flying was too much effort, and his powers were almost gone. Finally, he gave in, and joined in his brethren's final rest.

 

[mosaix]

The Death Of Legends

She found him out the back of the bowling alley, smoking a furtive cigarette and wearing a lumpy trench coat that looked and smelled like he’d been rolling in sewage.

“Aren’t you…?”

He looked at her wearily, cigarette poised between two claws. “Yeah. Would you prefer to be captured or to run screaming?”

“What?”

“I’m assuming you’re a princess. It’s a compliment.”

“I’m seven.”

“Royalty begins at birth.”

She frowned. “What are you doing here?”

He glanced at the cigarette.

“Weren’t you all killed by knights?”

He sighed. “No. Lung cancer.”

She backed away slowly, thinking it might be contagious.

 

[mosaix]

Auksalak

Kal’s gloved finger traced around the switch.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Her voice was barely audible inside the enviro-suit hood but the figure behind her picked it up on his comms.

“It costs too much,” replied the second Science Officer. “People won’t stand by and watch their families die in the Warming while energy is wasted on this.”

Kal peered through the magnifying walls of the plaskolite case at the flawless six-way symmetry of the last natural snowflake, rotating slowly in a cold, blue beam. She pressed the button and the light began to fade.

 

[mosaix]

Last Chance to Read

Excitement. Discovery. Tragedy. And now, great fear.

A real, alien ship, crash-landed on our planet. Something from another world, far away.

No survivors. Battered bodies of magnificent star-travelers.

And the book. The only book remaining after the wreckage cooled. The ship's log.

On the fortieth day, the first tentative translations: their planet's location, 98 million miles from a yellow sun, in the Western Spiral Arm of the galaxy.

Next day, shocking news deciphered, of the destruction of their planet. Were they followed here?

The following day's translations – maddeningly vague words, but strangely full of hope: Don't Panic.

 

[mosaix]

The challenge is is now closed. The poll is here:

http://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/550393/#post-1863083

Please keep your comments / guesses to the discussion thread.