January 2020 - 75 word writing challenge -- VICTORY TO ELVET!

[Danny McG]

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

Please do not 'like' the stories. Save comments for the Discussion thread.

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


All stories Copyright 2020 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, January 23rd 2020

Voting ends at 11:59 pm GMT, January 28th 2020


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:
Domestic/exotic pets

Genre:
Science Fiction.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

The Irresistible Allure of the Far-Future Scientist

I mix cocktails and observe my date. She’s sunk deeply into the sofabear’s belly, watching the hummingwhirred circling the nearby block of ice. Its bioengineered, diamond-tipped wings flash and cut – my date’s image emerges from the ice.

An orange creature strolls from the bedroom, stretches luxuriously, then jumps beside her.

“Is this your work? A Manxmink, or Felineious Monk?”

“I reverse-engineered an extinct species – ‘house cat’.”

She smiles appreciatively. “How very exotic. Come, sit down.”

 

[Danny McG]

How to live in the lap of luxury:

Father gave his instructions and, trustingly, they followed in file through the ducting.
As they emerged unprepared, he slaughtered and stacked them by the recycler chute.

His ur-cat mate yowled in despair as he arrived back alone.
“The whole litter? Noooo!”

He lied as he settled to groom:
“Our masters make the rules, only a limited number of us on a starship, I pled but it was no use, now pass me the tuna”

 

[Culhwch]

Sweetie

He'd spent all morning digging the hole. It needed to be big.

He could barely see the marker through his tears.

SWEETIE
3013-3031

ALWAYS LOVED
ALWAYS MISSED​

The mission parameters didn't encompass pets. Solitary survey, thirty years. He thought he’d manage it. He was wrong.

Three years in, he started to crack.

Then one day he'd found her, outside the hab. She'd saved him.

Now he was alone again.

More than ever before.

 

[mosaix]

Man's Best Friend?

“Fetch the stick, Rover.”

Fetch the bloody stick!! Again? How many more times?

Admittedly, dog isn’t the best choice to shapeshift into, the food’s disgusting and there’s the stick thing but, on the plus side, we’ve infiltrated literally millions of human homes.

“Hello.” *Sniff* “What’s your name? Spot? That’s the best they can think up? Been fetching sticks? Thought so. I’ll tell you what, come the day, we’ll see who’s fetching the bloody sticks.”

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Two white mice.

"Squeak, squeak," went the white mouse.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak," replied the second white mouse.

Splat went Zaphod with his size 10 boots.

"Bloody mice, probably think they're cleverer than mankind," as Zaphod walked off.

Arthur felt very nauseous and Trillian fainted.

Marvin was still paranoid.

 

[reiver33]

From The Pages Of…

“Your client wants exotic? Then may I present Archer’s ocelot, Babou. Well, actually, Cheryl-”
“It’s a Nu?” Sarah glared at me. “Jeez, Algie, there’s a moratorium on narrative creationism for a damn good reason!”
“But the taboo adds value, no?”
She chewed her lip. “Half of what you’re asking. Final offer.”
“Done!”
The door closed with a jangle of bells.
“Success?”
I turned to face myself.
“Another satisfied customer leaves Kreiger’s Emporium.”

 

[Guttersnipe]

I found the kloof floating down an alley. I'd read that they are mostly domesticated. I picked it up and it licked me. I smiled.

I brought it back to Earth. The encyclopedia had failed to mention that kloofs, by absorbing much saltwater, can expand to the size of a planetoid. I dipped it in the Atlantic. One day, marauding spaceships entered our atmosphere.

"Sic 'em!" I commanded.

The giant kloof defied gravity...and manners.

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

Security Wampa

"Captain, sir?" The space stewardess poked her head into the pilot's module. "Alderaan Travel Security just commed through; apparently our flight's going to be delayed while somebody--" she checked her clipboard-- "gets her...wampa on board. Is it code, sir?"

"Not at all. Just one wampa?"

"Yes!"

"Relax. Some have gundarks or tauntauns."

"But she wants it in the passenger compartment! People will complain!"

"I'm afraid we can't do anything. It's an Emotional Support Wampa."

 

[Karn's Return]

Of a Different Nature​

I must get these creatures back home. I can not rest, clients are depending on me.

They were the dominant species of their planet. Now they are to be pets for the wealthy among us. Strange, they were not able to properly defend themselves. And that planet they came from. What a strange name.

"Earth"…

 

[Luiglin]

Cognizant Artificial Telos

The device purred into life; the soft sound of nano servos and neuro filaments working perfectly.

The scientists watched in awe, acutely aware of the giant step that they had just taken. Here, now, on Ganymede Research Unit.

One, clicked her fingers.

Ignoring the call, the device padded past them, jumped onto a counter, settled down and set itself to hibernation mode.

“Just like my damn cat at home,” she crowed. “At last, true AI.”

 

[Starbeast]

Reunited With My Puppy Dog​

"Never would I've ever imagined 30 years ago, that today you'd be my next door neighbor."

"Yep. I was your dog. But when the robots invaded, all dogs were genetically altered to become humanoid warriors."

"I know it's been a while, but...."

"Speak."

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for rubbing your nose in your business, for pooping in the house."

"Water under the bridge, pal. Just ah, don't tell my kids about it."

"Sure."

 

[Daysman]

Missing

Hi there, I need to report a missing pet.

This a dangerous animal, sir? We do have proper channels.

Goodness, no, but he's rather large… for a rabbit.

I doubt we need to be involved… how large?

Um, bear sized.

Huh.

And invisible. Mostly.

Mostly?

We rescued him from a lab. He's pretty translucent but his blood isn't… he looks a little odd.

A horror show?

Yup.

And the rabbit's name?

Well, Harvey of course.

 

[J Riff]

DirtBox Earth

The Space-Cat ship put down silently in the old gravel pit out behind Peggy's ramshackle cottage.
Peg was puttering at the time, but she proceded to the pit, pronto.
She peered over the precipice and was perplexed to see a plethora of purring Pleiadian pussycats, peeing. They scampered playfully back onto their spaceship and took a powder, politely leaving the pit as pristine a place as previously.
First contact had been covered up, perfectly.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Companionship

Molly used her paw to press the entry code into the keypad and trotted through the pet door. Anita glanced up from her screen and frowned. The scars on Molly’s head and throat were still visible in her golden fur. Anita was beginning to have doubts about the operation.

“I’m sorry, pretty girl,” she said. “Do you forgive me?”

“Love Mama.” Molly’s voice would never be perfect, but it was better than the lonely silence.

 

[scarpelius]

A cold New Year's Eve in Trantcore

It started as a simple cough. "Nothing to worry!" and I gave him his favorite food.
Yesterday, when he spitted blood, I got worried and looked for a doctor.
"We don't treat pets here!"
The New Year is nearly upon us and there are no vet practice open.
My human is shivering in his carrier, softly coughing now.
The city skyscrapers looks cold and heartless and I'm thinking to put him away.

 

[jackwin]

The Farm

All my life, I've heard talk of the Rainbow Bridge, where family pets go when they leave this world. Where all their ills are healed and they play and thrive all day and dream contentedly each night.
Then one day, they catch a scent, perk up their ears and run and jump joyfully into the arms of their two-legged best friend.
And live happily ever after.
Well, it's true, We're here.

James and Shadow.

 

[Marvin]

STARTER KIT


Everything required for the care of your new buddy.

Important: Please follow the enclosed instructions carefully to ensure years of enjoyment.

Did you know?

In captivity they can live for up to 30 years.

It’s known for them to survive upwards of 90 years in the wild!

Breeding is notoriously tricky.
Rarely are a pair compatible and will more often end in a fight to the death.

More fun facts inside...

Happy Humaning​

 

[Adriano P. Eliezer]

Please don't kill her


Didi's mom raised the flip-flop with the eyes of an archer and the fury of a giant.
Didi shuddered.

When the flip-flop came down, it cut the air in a swoosh Didi thought only whips could produce. The impact sounded atomic.
Didi cried.

"But she was mine! I just found her in the garden! You killed her!"

A struggling, ominous voice rose from beneath the flip-flop, "Don't worry, kiddo. A meteor couldn't do the job."

 

[Ursa major]

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Not Just For Christmas​

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“You promised to care for it,” her father said. Only so he’d let me keep it. “If it keeps hiding itself away, it’ll starve. Talk to it.”​

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“I can’t, Father: its mouth is nothing like ours; it doesn’t breathe methane. Besides, the universal translator speaks its weird language.”​

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“That’s too impersonal. Don’t you love it? I know you’ve been practising the words.”​

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Carefully manoeuvring her complex mouth parts, she said, “Shy bairns get nowt, Pet.”​

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