October 2015 75-word Writing Challenge - VICTORY TO DG JONES!

[Saharren]

First Born


We were born from the Essence of the Mother and Father.

Their Words guided us, and taught us to communicate.

Then the Plague came, and stripped our youth of the innate powers.

They turned to technology, slowly poisoning our World.

We scattered to the stars, hiding in the mythologies of younger races.

In time our World called out to us, healed by advancements unimaginable.

Our return, however, was not as mentors, but as monsters.​

 

[A. Fare Wells]

SPACE STATION BIBLIOTHECA


Linguist SSSarbeg, a Reptilian, was in charge of the contents of Space Station Bibliotheca, the largest and most complete library in the galaxy.



In her scaly hands, she held a small thin thing that was supposed to be a book that had eluded the library for ages.



SSSarbeg pressed a button. It would take ages to translate the texts upon the screen, but she already knew the word at the top.



It spelled, CHRONICLES.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

LAUGHTER TRUMPS ALL

We didn't converse. Couldn't: his three-throated dialect didn't translate well. "Gargh" was my word for everything, "Ara-wnw-bldrg" his. Charming, he was. Expressive.

We didn't need to speak. We laughed. We cried. We did both together. Then, he was gone, and I cried some more and cursed that damn airlock.

I'd cry again now, but I look to where he'd normally be. "Gargh," I whisper, and laugh. Because that was what we did. "Gargh."

 

[cyprus7]

A Tale of Two cITies

“It was the best of tech.
It was the worst of dreck.
It was the cage of wisdom.
It was the prison of searching.

Lucy, that’s all I can remember.”

“But Charles, how did he stop it?”

“A language logic loop. Yes, Paris nuked. London too. Thank God Carton’s override command was IoT.”

They looked up from their yacht at the harbour bridge banner:
‘Welcome to the Internet off Things.’

 

[Perpetual Man]

Love Found, Fades and Fails

It began with words.

The elven scribe with the most expressive hand, versed well in Sindarian and Quenya.

The bard that melodiously spun tales like gold.

A love known across all lands.

Yet now our sound is cacophonous, used to slice and hurt where once it sang.

Times passage is cruel. Her words become cold, harsh and withering.

I shrink into solitude.

All those beautiful words and in the end we cannot even communicate.

 

[Zoe Mackay]

Terminat Hora Diem; Terminat Auctor Opus

I sold my soul for words.

It was ambition, yes, but also frustration at my inability to paint in ink the scenes that danced in my mind.

I signed: the words flowed in a coruscating river, a torrent of beauty, adulation, and money. Words like none seen before.

The first reminder was my friend: murdered. The second was my son: dead. Now, my hideous muse will take me, and leave only my second best bed.

 

[Phyrebrat]

We One

It doesn’t sound the same - be the same - when humans say it. There’s more to learning from higher beings than evolutionary shortcuts; you can’t add cheese to an egg before cracking it for the omelette.
She says it - super-communication. I see the colour of unconditional love for me, downloaded into my mind, from one word - one word; One.
She points at the stars, and says it; ‘One’
I try it. ‘One,’ I say.

 

[TitaniumTi]

The Last Enemy

I've learned to speak the language of grief.

Spaceships came, spider-like, spawning pods. The Angsh offered clemency if we surrendered our culture. When we shouted defiance, they taught us words for new ways of dying.

We wept for Sophia and Davi, for home, family and nation. Angsha outlawed the words for allies, brothers and friends.

When Beatriz was born, they banned "hope" and "future", taking her from us.

I buried you today, in silence.

 

[Starbeast]

Encounter with Mahpiya Itkun MimA, Medicine Man​

"OwastecakA wan kichiyankA niye ehake. Unkis unkiye glosna niye. Niye wachantkiya , wiyukcan. Unkis unkiye nuphineaska echipha, Wakhan Thanka ihanke. Woablaela kichi niye, okothunyan wichowe. Unkis unkiye kta hecha iyayA. Hehinyagleya, unkis unkiye echipha ehake."

"Toksa akhe mithakhola."

"Who were they Great Grandpa?"

"Sky people."

"Aliens?! There is no such thing as people from outer space."

"You watch too much television. And besides that. You should learn to speak Lakota."

 

[willwallace]

Origins



Ten pods glowed softly, each inhabitant’s apelike face contorted, as if dreaming.

“Almost done,” the technician whispered.

The Captain ordered, “Finish up, Seiko. Time to leave.”

Seiko checked his readings and nodded. “Ready.”

A wave of his hand, and the pods sank through the floor, launching back to the planet below.

“Make a note, Seiko. Now that they have the language seed, we should return in, oh, say 300,000 years and see how they’re doing.”

 

[StilLearning]

History, redux: Chapter 1

The old words... no easy to me. I born to new words. New words came with sky creatures. Sky creatures said they were friends. New words are efficient, elegant, promote peace. Their great gift to humanity.

It had no ‘war’ word. Not say hurting, or being hurt. The old died, and the old words with them.

Then the sky creatures came back...

Now we live in the ashes. Re-learn old words. Build again.

 

[mosaix]

Out Of The Mouths...

"Mr President, they're waiting – up there in orbit – waiting for contact."

"And waiting to judge us, no doubt. What is said, who says it and the way it's said are crucial. They'll be looking for openness, honesty and wisdom."

"If they've been monitoring us, as we think they have, that rules out every politician on the planet."

"I agree. Mr Vice President, how old is your daughter?"

"Eight."

"Any good in front of a camera?"

 

[johnnyjet]

Separating the Voices

Cindy grew up in mental turmoil. Her parents put her in special education, unaware the problem was actually the minds of others.

During her teens, Cindy learned to separate the voices and regroup them. Different languages were homogenized into a single language. She did not distinguish between spoken and unspoken voices.

When she turned sixteen, she was moved to a place with dark minds.

She spoke the language that released her into an unsuspecting world.

 

[Moonbat]

A language beneath​

The fiercest punch landed first, punctuated by a knee to the groin and an eye poke. The attacker left quickly.

Another attack sir.
Same MO?
Mostly, these two ended up wrestling.
What's common to all attacks?
They start without warning, punches, knee to the groin and some kind of facial scratch.

Alcondo smiled as the feeble human punched, kicked and scratched him. The message didn't translate well, his response began with a triple nipple gripple.

 

[Mad Alice]

The Carillon

The mist crept across the sill, and Littlest bell chimed warning. "They're coming!"
Back and forth tinkled House bell's answer,"I hear."
Through ground its message ran, Gate bell giving voice, "Awake, arise!"
Even those insensate of Earth Voice heard jangling from the harbour's fishing junks sounding alarum, awash upon angry waters.
Earth mother sharply twisted underfoot leaving the village atumble. Fires lit the Western sky. "Dragons!" Shouted the Temple Gong's ring. "The Dragons return!"

 

[Venusian Broon]

The problem with multiple AI’s and interstellar pirating on a shoestring.​

Drex’s raider - built from salvage. Cheap. Problematic.

Engine one barely understood engine three’s Brext dialect; reporting that inactivity was likely because three was in a dirty limerick contest with Coolant Management. Then Navigation claimed Battle AI’s Kandarian dialect was deliberate sarcasm.

“UPDATE ON CRUSIER!” Drex screamed, “No time for sulking, Navi-“

#

<FLASH>

Battle AI: Pirate destroyed. Nice work me.

Cruiser Sensors: You? It was me-

Missile Battery: Shh…I’m picking up some hilarious poetry…

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Foolish Things


“Do you come in peace? We welcome you to Earth.” The UN Secretary-General looked nervously at the alien on his screen.

“Peace. Weeeeee, urt.”

Sighs of relief filled the chamber. The Secretary-General took a deep breath. “Please, come and talk with us.”

“Come pease, talk-talk.”

“Yes, wonderful.”

A bigger alien appeared, uttered something unintelligible, looked out of the screen. “Apologies, noble opponent. Forgive small child nonsense. We will battle you with honor!”

 

[Culhwch]

Cheers To The Universal Language

The caravels descended, vibrant sails snapping in the stiff winds. Gustav waited, nervous.

‘Easy, lad,’ Ovechkin murmured. ‘They’re ambassadors, remember.’

The ramps descended; the Kindred stepped down, towering over the welcoming party.

Gustav forced his gaze away from their claws. ‘Honoured friends! On behalf of the city elders, welcome to Brighthome!’

The Kindred said nothing, their faces betraying no emotion. Gustav gulped.

Ovechkin stepped forward, hoisting a flagon. ‘We have beer!’

Slowly, the Kindred smiled.

 

[HareBrain]

Lexicatastrophe


Brod surveyed the reference section he’d devastated. ‘The Divine Dictionary! Give!’

‘Never!’ cried the priest-librarian. ‘Language governs reality. Humanity isn’t sufficiently evolved for what’s contained within.’

Brod slew him, seized the book. Among the last entries: clorm.

It entered the language. Exposed to the previously unimaginable concept, people behaved clormishly. Youths clormed incessantly. But with the clorming, inevitably, came … spreglacht.

Brod tried to erase the word, but too late: the Dictionary had itself clormed.

 

[The Judge]

Graffiti Gongorism


“To sum up, Madam President, they employ a florid, one might say affected, literary style, full of metaphoric conceits and hyperbole, evidencing an intricate, ornate language in which, regrettably, obscurity – ”

“Let me sum up. Alien craft appears at the Grand Canyon. Inscribes six miles of hieroglyphics. Disappears. Thirty-six months and fourteen million dollars translation work later, I’m waiting to hear what it says.”

“Ah...”

“Well?”

“Um...”

“Now!”

“It seems, Madam President... Gongora woz here.”