FEBRUARY 2021 75-Word Story -- VICTORY TO PARANOID MARVIN!

[TheEndIsNigh]

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 2021 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, 23 February, 2021
Voting ends at 11:59 pm GMT, 28 February, 2021

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:

REGRETS


Genre:

FANTASY



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! **​

 

[JS Wiig]

Say No More

The wizard regarded the solemn plain. A pale sun poked through low gray clouds and laid dim shadows across the brown, lifeless expanse.

His master had warned him, but heed? He did not. Into the onyx depths of the orb he cast the spell—words he long came to regret.

Woe, the power of a misspoken phrase. Time moved on and left him behind. Alone, he abided an end that would never come.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

A regretful killing.

The warrior was a lonely figure sat on an outcrop of rocks watching the waves crash against the lower rocks.

He had made a serious mistake recently, and was feeling low and alone.

It was a perfect kill, all the right moves, his sword decapitating the head cleanly.

How was he to know it was the emperor's son.

 

[Laura R Hepworth]

Her Happy Ending

“He truly is a marvel with that sword,” Ryvena thought, watching her soon-to-be husband practicing in the castle courtyard.

It was rather like a dance, the way he thrusted and parried. Crowds always gathered to watch him and all the kingdom's women were jealous that Ryvena had caught the prince's eye.

It would almost be a shame to kill him.

Still, revenge had little time for regrets and she had a curse to make.

 

[Guttersnipe]

A Gift to Kolthamir, Lord of Redemption

The fire crackled hungrily about the corpse upon the altar. The corpse had, in life, been
an old partner. His life-thread had been cut short by an arrow through his heart. He had
killed my family. Dying had not been his plan. I was filled with anger and regret: anger
that he had not killed my assassin family unscathed, and regret that I must wait till my
next life to thank him properly. Praise Kolthamir.

 

[BT Jones]

Heavy the Crown

“Regrets?”, asks Truthscribe Idris, epitaph in hand.

Regrets? Manifold.

Peace-bringer; uniter of realms… On my deathbed, I, Reachhold’s ‘greatest’ monarch, recall only the destruction; and not the dragons, mages, and razed kingdoms they’ll toast.

I feel still the bisected hearts; The Queen I could not love; the knight I… could not love; the wailing mothers beneath the gallows, clutching their sons' feet...

“Regrets? The ‘blessing’ God gave my father seventy years ago.”

 

[nixie]

The Guardian.
​

The town makes me offerings. In return I protect them from danger.

Now I “wonder if it's worth it?”

I have riches beyond imagination, people respect and fear me but I have no one to share it with, no one to love.

It’s that time again, slowly I make my way outside. A young girl stands alone, others watch from a distance. My mouth opens, flames spurt out, now the girl is ash.

 

[Edoc'sil]

Father's Regret

Manacles clinked, I raised them at the chaplain, chained to bench.

“Memoirs aren’t for people in my position, but last words, definitely. I’ll tell you the moment I knew my kingdom was doomed.” I drooped; hair hung lank.

“Throne room, havestend feast. Looking across the tables, seeing my sh*t of a son dancing naked upon them. And the nobles still fawning for his favour, each ruddy face upturned in devotion towards such a baser creature.”

 

[G.T.]

A rock and a hard place

The rock stared into the valley below. He had been here too long, waiting.

Time had passed, people came: a town, a city, a war. The magic used up by warring mages. The city destroyed, the people slain.

The Child climbed the hill to sit atop his shoulder as he stared. Nothing else moved below.

"It's always the same, Mr Rock," she said. Tears falling again.

He sighed and turned away. There were other valleys.

 

[Iwroteathing]

Sinful of Ashes

Archmage Pieter's vault was full of dragons. Few would dare challenge this fascination, his costly and morbid endeavour... but as a wizard, it's his nature to obsess.

Yet Pieter never visited the vaults; he had no reason to witness his wealth first hand. So it came as a shock when I claimed the vault contained no such beasts.

With fire in his eyes, the Archmage stomped down into the vault.

I never saw Pieter again.

 

[Luiglin]

The End

The blows to the doors settled into a rhythmic beat as the Dark Lord ascended his throne.

“Minion, if you please.”

Pulling a rope, the Minion bowed as melodic chords filled the hall.

The Dark Lord sang, his deep baritone reaching a crescendo just as the doors crashed open…

“Regrets, I've had a few,
But then again, too few to mention.
Oh, and more, much more than this,
I did it my way.”

 

[Lenny]

Hole in the Ground

The landscape of coins shifted like shale as she fled half sinking, half falling.

Instinct flung her sideways when her back prickled with heat, and fear kept her from looking at the bubbling, golden river where she had been. Above, the vaulted ceiling creaked and cracked and reached towards the rubble ruins of its columns.

The damn beast was blocking the exit; she wasn't going to get out. Bilbo had made it sound so easy...

 

[Wayne Mack]

The King of Gold​

The King looked upon the golden statue – his wife. Next to her shone his infant son lying still in his crib. The King sighed and reached for a tankard of ale, but the golden brew would not fall to his lips.

“What have you given me, oh genie?” he asked.

“I granted your wish, sire.”

King Midas looked at the wealth around him, then reached to lay his hand upon his own chest.

 

[paranoid marvin]

King In The North

King Arthur came back home from work
A knight errant supreme
But as he entered Camelot
Got collared by his queen

"Where dost thee think thou'st been my lad?
Thou shouldst been 'ome by two!
Don't give me quests and 'oly grails
Thou'st chores 'round keep to do!"

At that our Arthur got the hump
He stormed up stairs t'throne
And sat and rued the day he'd prised
That bloomin' sword from t'stone

 

[Marvin]

Deadly Sin: No.5

‘Run! Run for your lives!’ Went the cry.
George rather enjoyed the chase.
‘It’s the ogre. Oh God show us mercy!”
George wondered why they always asked God and not him?
Not that mercy would be shown, he was far too peckish.

That night back at the swamp...
‘Oh my goodness George will you lie still!’ Mrs Ogre exclaimed, awoken again and feeling murderous.
‘Sorry Dear, terrible tum! Really shouldn’t have had that fourth villager.’

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I’ve Rummaged Through Your Pack

“Regret or welcome?” She dangled a lock of black elven hair over their campfire.
“It’s all I possess of my mother. I’d regret knowing it lost.”
It dropped into the flames.
“Regret or welcome?” She held a gold ring above the fire.
“You answered me ‘no’ – then and evermore, regret.”
The ring fell.
“Regret or welcome?” She pressed a dagger against her throat.
“Oh Maricelle, unbearable sorrow – though I’d welcome an end to these questions.”

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

The Gambler

I looked at my hand, three Kings, Ace and a ten.

“You callin’ Tein or what?” said the Troll opposite.

“I think you’re bluffin’, Gnomestuffer.”

On stage, a fairy was strangling a tune from a cat.

Palming the Ace, I swapped it for my holdout King.

“Call,” I said, showing my hand.

Smiling: Gnomestuffer showed his busted King flush.

Damn. Should’ve changed the Ace to a ten.

The fairy started to sing.

Nooo… No regrets.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

An Apology

I'm sorry I stole the moon, and changed it into an amber orb. I wanted to remember your skin.

I'm sorry I stole the stars, and changed them into shards of obsidian. I wanted to remember your eyes.

I'm sorry I stole the sea, and changed it into waves of quicksilver. I wanted to remember your hair.

I'm sorry I stole your heart, and locked it in an iron tower. I wanted to love you.

 

[Daysman]

Recycling

The angel searched through wadded clipboard notes. "Mister… Smith?"

"Steven," the creature hissed, adjusting his hulking carapace.

The angel examined his charge with hawkish eyes. "You're not human?"

"What of it?" Mr Smith burbled. "I traversed the gates! That's not enough?"

"Whatever dimension spawned you, friend, we can't assess you… unless you've lived a human life."

Mr Smith shrugged. "Okay."

The angel called to his gate supervisors. "Escort Mr Smith earthside… he arrived without baggage!"

 

[msstice]

The Latte

As I dangled from the burning rope, knees-to-chest, as diamond fangs snapped at
my bunny slippers, I thought, "Perhaps, I should not have said that about the
double latte."

I had padded through the door behind the bar, beguiled by the touchy barista's
gilded smile. Too late I saw the glimmering of the door-frame and heard the rasp
of expanding scales.

Wer-draca den in hotel cafe? Not on my 2020 bingo card.