FEBRUARY 2017 -- 75 Word Writing Challenge -- VICTORY TO VICTORIA SILVERWOLF!

[LittleStar]

RULES:

Write a story inspired by the chosen theme and genre in no more than 75 words, not including the title

ONE entry per person


NO links, commentary or extraneous material in the posts, please -- the stories must stand on their own


WHEN WRITING YOUR STORY, PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY FORUM



All stories Copyright 2017 by their respective authors
who grant the Chronicles Network the non-exclusive right to publish them here



The complete rules can be found at RULES FOR THE WRITING CHALLENGES


Contest ends at 11:59 pm GMT, February 23 2017
​

Voting ends at 11:59 pm GMT, February 28 2017



You do not have to submit a story in order to vote --
in fact, we encourage all Chrons members to take part in choosing a winner



The Magnificent Prize:
​

The Dignified Congratulations/Grovelling Admiration of Your Peers
and the challenge of choosing next month's theme and genre



Theme:

Growth


Genre:

Fable



This thread to be used for entries only
Please keep all comments to the DISCUSSION THREAD



We invite (and indeed hope for) lively discussion and speculation about the stories as they are posted, as long as it doesn't involve the author explaining the plot




** Please do not use the "Like" button in this thread! **​

 

[Cat's Cradle]

The Jewel Thief

Frog set the emerald down, then peered into Raven’s divining cauldron.

“My family. The jewel’s stolen to better their lives.”

“But regard – Constable Toad arrives for the jewel thief. Assuming you’ve skedaddled, he’ll substitute son for father: son’ll repay this shameful debt through torturous internment. Observe – your penurious wife weeping her sorrows.”

“So stealing … hurts, not helps, those we love!”

“That’s some growth.”

“Without your wisdom–”

“No – over your eyes … surely metastasizing melanoma.”

“Ah, damn …”

 

[Ashleyne]

Vince's Fury

Vince hated people walking all over him. Children climbed atop him just so they could roll down his face; it was so disrespectful and infuriating.

Years, his anger boiled and simmered until, one day, he erupted. He never meant to hurt the children.

Now, Vince has gone from being the most popular hill, to the hatefully feared mountain.

He's perpetually sobbing. "Nobody visits me anymore. All because I couldn't control my temper."

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

The Woman and the Moon

A woman said to the Moon, "You are high above me now, but I will grow tall."

"I doubt it," the Moon replied.

The woman built a mighty tower that looked down on the clouds, but the Moon just laughed.

So the woman built a ship and flew to the Moon.

"You have grown as tall as I," the Moon admitted.

"No," the woman replied, "I am taller." And she flew off to the stars.

 

[Shyrka]

The Ivy and the Mushroom

Larch spread her branches wide, bathing in the sun. Beneath, Ivy and Mushroom languished, Mushroom in his dirt, Ivy clinging to Larch’s bark, as ever.

“I will grow taller than you,” said Mushroom.

Ivy looked down from her perch. “You will not,” she replied, and grew as hard as she could.

Larch groaned, strangled by Ivy’s embrace. She rotted and fell, leaving Ivy to fade in the dirt.

Mushroom smiled, ate, and grew tall.

 

[Cathbad]

Growing Wiser


The gnarled green creature groveled before the Faerie. “Grem sees his wrong, My Queen!”

The Queen, fading in and out, smiled. “Then, I declare your punishment at an end! Go, Gremille, and pester not your fellow Fae!”

Grem gave thanks, then fled into the forest.

“Grem has learned, yes,” the creature spoke to himself. “Grem pesters Fae no more!” He smiled slyly. “Humans are more fun, anyway! Grem and his little gremlins will have fun!”

 

[Luiglin]

Bushy Tailed Annihilation - The Nut Death Butchery Tour

Squirrel grinned as the ambulance disappeared. “That went well.”

“We didn’t finish the set,” grumped Fox, cracking open a lager.

“That’s rock n roll!” screamed Squirrel, letting loose with a bit of air guitar.

“This was our chance to step up and expand our fan base, not lose them. And the moral is?”

“What’s a moral?”

“It’s a ‘make sure you get a bigger bouncer than Mouse and don’t encourage Hedgehog to stage dive’ thing.”

 

[Cory Swanson]

Growth Mindset

When growth was the size of a peanut, man looked on with fear and said, “I do not wish to think of you.”

“This suits me,” replied growth.

Through the years, growth grew. From the size of a lime to the size of a pomegranate. Man still did not wish to think of growth.

One day, it was no longer clear which was man and which was growth.

“This suits me,” was all he said.

 

[BionicGriff]

Predator and Prey

Danger prowled the forest floor; a tree top refuge was built.

Massive hunters lumbered below, but one slithered among the boughs.

A desperate act of survival, a serpent was slain! The beast was consumed.

Predator became prey and the serpents were no longer feared.

An unnatural snake, the hero grew larger with each devoured.

Straining to support the growing mass, the refuge gave way, falling into darkness.

A howl from below, the predator becomes prey.

 

[Stable]

The Golden Rule​

In the future the children’s kingdom chose one of them to age.

“Our supplies of eggs are running out.” They said. “You must mature so that the kingdom may continue.”

The first teenager for a thousand years looked at the world.

“This isn’t fair.” She said. They had forgotten body hair and bras, children are insensitive to others’ needs.

She drank formaldehyde to become infertile again and died.

They chose another. None would volunteer.

 

[Calliopenjo]

Spring has Sprung

The season had come at last. Colorful blossoms and new babies cried out for her to awaken.


Sister Spring made the sun brighter and the winds warmer. Flora and Fauna flourished as a result.


Father Winter still had energy to cast snow and ice.


Sister Spring shook her head as she reminded him her time had come. She watched as he walked away but smiled at the visions of color and wonder.

 

[Peter V]

Every Cloud...

“I see Cumulus has changed his name to Cumulonimbus.” Stratus said.

“And he has grown dark and ugly too.” Cirrus replied from on high.

“Grown, yes but he is not ugly. Look close and you will see.” Stratus sighed. “We are all the same on the inside.”

“He grumbles now, I will not venture near.” Cirrus says, wispily.

“I have seen and he too is lined with silver.” Stratus sank to caress the ground.

 

[chrispenycate]

The Growing Menace

"Fabulous!" municipal employee loud exclaimed
While crawling from the wreckage, hardly maimed.
"Fortnight ago, a mere protruding cobble stone,
Now to a major blockage you have grown."

Sinkhole spits out yellow bulldozer remains
Fragmented flood defences from the drains
As power, gas and internet fold up and die

Virginal buildings, new invited to the dance
Quiver and curtsey, drawn by destruction's swift advance
Planetary revenge for humanity gone by.

 

[Glen]

Boom!

Nature says, her voice like the sighing of wind through forest, ‘What multiplies and depletes me...must in turn be depleted that I may multiply.’

Captain Fantastic is confused, unable to fathom Nature’s meaning.

The princess shakes her head, pulls the pin from a singularity-grenade, drops kicks it to Nature’s core, says ’Riddle me this, bitch!’, and falls into the captain’s arms. ‘You better save me before that thing goes off!’

 

[johnnyjet]

Baucis and Philemon: The Continuing Story

Rewarded for their hospitality to the gods, Baucis and Philemon ended their lives as intertwined oak and linden trees.

But their story did not end there. For their children went out as seedlings in the wind. Wherever they landed they grew. Vast forests were populated with their offspring.

Wood sprites favored these trees, generous in their provision of food and shelter for countless creatures.

And the roots of kindness continued to grow. For a change.

 

[Sapheron]

The Warmth of Experience

Oak cracked out through the shell of his acorn and stretched sunward. So close was that warmth, that light. He reached up. He grew.

He was the tallest tree of the forest, and the sun was so close. He reached, strained, ever upwards.

He was the oldest tree of the forest, no longer tallest, and he had stopped stretching upwards. As an acorn he had been as close. He still felt the warmth.

 

[AstroZon]

Jeemey and Anzo

A weary mouse, launched into space by a great nation, found at last a small planet on the far side of the solar system. Upon landing on this planet, the mouse encountered another creature quite similar in size to himself. They stared and sniffed, both frightened of the other. Finally, the earth mouse stated, "I am the tiny mouse Jeemey, of the planet Earth." The creature responded in kind, "I am the giant urg, Anzo."

 

[Starbeast]

The RAT FINK GIANTS
​

"Yes. The Rat Fink Giants! Formally, a diminutive, punk rock rodent band, known as, Mouse Droppings. Now owe, fame, fortune, and three extra meters in height, to a magical wishing fish."

"Yeah."

"Our number two album is, Skid Mark Shark."

"Fans, like your fecal references."

"Yeah."

"We don't write crap. We make good sh*t."

"There you have it. Congratulations, John Splatter, Dwayne Poole, and, Clog."

"Peace out."

"Stay regular."

"Yeah."

"I'm, Shedd Brownie. Good Night."

 

[farntfar]

What goes around comes around, or Like father like son.


I think I overdid it with the yeast, teach.
It started out the size of an egg and now it’s bloody massive. And I don’t mean just big.
Some bits are starting to develop independent life.
Worse than that, some of the life is fighting over what to call me.


It’s Yehoovr, isn’t it?
You'll have to clear up your own mess; I’ve already washed my hands.

 

[Droflet]

AWAKENINGS

The dragon slowly awoke from her thousand year slumber. Within her sealed cave the intense cold had preserved her.

The first of her eggs began to hatch. Soon the others would awaken and she would lead them against the humans who nearly annihilated her species. She and her thousand progeny.

She remove the stone blocking the entrance. Within a region of perpetual cold, the warmth struck her as odd. The work of the foolish humans?