MAY 2022 -- 75 Word Writing Challenge -- VICTORY TO THERAPIST!

[BT Jones]

The Infinite Folly​

Humanity ordained its infinity,
as long-term survival and prosperity.

Expansion was king, high growth rates the boon,
but Humans expended their planet too soon.

All eyes moved aloft, to new worlds remote,
but red tape and caution made space budgets bloat.

Some billionaires offered to pick up the slack,
but quit when their profits came under attack.

Infinity, thus, Man would never see;
Beyond its horizon of orthodoxy.

 

[chrispenycate]

The Long way round
​

No matter where I gesture it's at myself I'm pointing
Although billions of lightyears separate me.
Big Bang radiance arrives, the two of us anointing
The distance, though great, is not infinity
Indeed, it's infinitely smaller, the universe constricted
All the limited creation will allow us

It's conveniently distant the rearward of my head
And the bald spot isn't suffering proximity
Lit by fossil light from galaxies billiabially dead,
Infinitesimal fraction of transfinity.

 

[Bowler1]

Infinity Loop

I died young, in a sad and terrible accident.

I was loved in life, so they placed me in the digital afterlife, where those who missed me could come and visit, which they did.

Or at least for a while.

But life moves on, while I stay here.

Forever the same, as the day I died.

There is no change for me, or anything new.

I’m trapped here, in a sad parody of my life.

 

[Daysman]

Airborne

The updraft is fierce, but warm.

Spread-eagled, they fly up to the crop wall. Landing's always hazardous. The pathfinders rope in the less surefooted.

They gather plants that sprout from the unbounded cliff, empty traps stocked with birds and small mammals, fill pitchers at the endless waterfall, and cook over suspended fires.

They gather to sleep, netted and tethered to the rock.

Rested, the clans cast off, to tumble and soar.

They live to fly.

 

[JS Wiig]

Know Your Enemy

“It’s ready, General.”

I enter the experimental machine and it works flawlessly. I know instantly the infinite outcomes of every possible scenario—how to end the war, to end all wars. I know what happens if I don’t. It’s too much.

I emerge from the machine omniscient, distraught, resolved.

“Did it work? Can we win?”

“Yes, Mr. President,” I say, then shoot him. I turn our vast weapons arrays upon ourselves and open fire.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Top of the Barrel


"Let's see what we have here. 'All the world's a stage..." Nice. 'Cowards die many times
before their deaths...' Very good, very good. Ah, what have we here? 'Dreams do come
true...' Yes! Very fine indeed. Barrie, is it? You are a monkey who is going places, Mr.
Phipps! Carry on, everyone.

"A raise for that monkey, and perhaps a trip to Earth on me. Good for the morale. Death
to humans."

"Death to humans_"

 

[paranoid marvin]

Ever After


Insatiable curiosity and a morbid fear of death made him volunteer. The experimental procedure phased his body out of sequence with the physical universe; a living spectre with no need to eat, sleep or breath - but unable to taste, touch or dream.

He witnessed loved ones die, empires rise and fall, the Sun go supernova and consume the Earth. He now lingers in the emptiness of space, forever awaiting an end that will never come.

 

[Aknot]

With A Little Help No Task Is Futile

The dung beetle laughed as the boulder tumbled down the hill again. The man who had been pushing it sighed wearily.
“Roll with your legs”, the beetle shouted.
Feeling silly the man got down on his hands and put his feet against the rock. Shortly thereafter he was done.
Unexpectedly finished he turned to thank his helper when lightning struck the poor bug.
“You blighter!”, Zeus roared. “It was supposed to last for all eternity.”

 

[Wayne Mack]

Beyond the End

Dr. Scoptel adjusted the image to filter out nearer objects and reveal more distant ones. The concept is straight-forward, the doctor thought. The universe is expanding from nothing, but is constrained by the speed of light. Therefore, light from the edge of the universe must be reaching us now.

The image resolved, the end of infinity was revealed. A flaming sword, a cherubim – a lion bodied creature – which guarded Eden. The doctor saw its back.

 

[Bramandin]

Outside of Time

He was drifting in the endless nothing outside of time. In every direction, he could see the paths stretching out, but it was unlikely that he would ever be part of them again. He’d known that this was a possibility, but he had made his choice. The saddest part was that he might never be sure that he had made the right one. In this case, time would not tell.

 

[OuttaInc]

Upon Reflection...

Doreen stumbled through the maze. She’d been following a woman up ahead but lost sight of her when she turned a corner. Now she waffled with indecision, immobilized by the endless options.

A girl appeared.

“Do you know the way out?” Doreen asked.

The girl remained silent.

“Are you lost, too?”

“No, I know where I am,” the girl replied. “But there’s no way out for us. Reflections can’t leave a house of mirrors.”

 

[Starbeast]

The Cat-Man Who Wanted Infinite Life​

”DON’T touch that! That’s the Infinity Button.”

“What would happen?”

“Professor Yarngood, isn’t sure. It could create dimensional portals, universal time loops. Or a person might live forever.”

“How?”

“By continuous cellular replacement.”

“Amazing.”

“Remember, guard it. No touchy. I need coffee. You want something?”

“An Anchovy Soda.”

“Okay.”

#

“Oh no. He pressed it. Sorry, Professor.”

“It’s alright. Your friend is stuck in a time loop. Fascinating.”

“Darn, Darn, Darn, Darn, Darn, Darn….”

 

[Hugh]

​

Right Here….​

Charlie Johns suddenly and unexpectedly “Got It”: you don’t find infinity by looking for it – it’s always right here, right now, just out of your awareness. Very occasionally you get the briefest glimpse.

And right now, Time was standing still.

“Humans!” muttered the Norn Goddess. “They can barely cope with ordinary life – how could they cope with infinity?!” and she cut that thread then and there.

Charlie rubbed his eyes. He’d been daydreaming about something….

 

[mosaix]

The Grass Is Always the Same Colour…


Martin hated life at Temporal Research. Dreadful conditions, poor pay, no prospects, no friends. If only he’d tried harder at college…

---

Martin hated life at Temporal Research. The responsibilities weighed heavily, constant pressure, no family life. All the studying and hard work. For what? Money isn’t everything. If only he had his time again…

---

Martin hated life at Temporal Research. Dreadful conditions, poor pay, no prospects, no friends. If only he’d tried harder at college…

 

[Parson]

A Memory of Memories​

Living for an infinite number of years sucks. -- Well, maybe not as much as the alternative, but it still sucks.

I know, they warned me. “Your memory is only good for about 250-300 years.” But who worries about that? What I didn’t comprehend was how frustrating it would be to remember: “I used to know that.” But still having a complete blank about any details.

I’m not old, and yet, I am. This sucks!

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Going Loopy

Doctor Chawman burst into Professor Murgatroyd's office waving a printout.
"Eureka!" he exclaimed.

Murgatroyd frowned. "Sorry, it's these beans."

"No, not 'You reeker', E U... Never mind. I've discovered the secret to eternal life. Beautiful in its simplicity, frightening in its potential.
It's all here." Chawman placed the printout on Murgatroyd's desk, who studied it carefully.

10 BIRTH
20 LIFE
30 DEATH
40 GOTO 10

"Hmmm," mused Murgatroyd, "don't you think it's a bit... basic?

 

[DF17]

A hateful glare has bored into the back of my skull ever since I entered this dingy hovel. Well, I can’t really blame the Xrelthean. It’s my uniform that made this half-ruin an orphanage, but there’s no time for remorse now, not when someone needs me. There he is. His little purple smile and twelve outstretched fingers stir the maternal instinct I didn’t think I had. Here’s an infinity of love worth fighting for.

 

[Lex E. Darion]

He’s Been Here Before!​

It was supposed to save lives – and it did – of sorts. A revolutionary vaccine designed to cure a pandemic. Millions saved. Everyone rejoiced.

Decades passed before its side effect became clear. After all, nothing had changed. People still died. Babies were born.

The first ones were laughed at – reincarnation? With full memories? Ridiculous! But ten-year-olds spouted complicated physics theorems; advanced algebra at five.

When death is temporary, everybody is doomed to repeat themselves - forever.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Consult, 5 mins.

“Doctor, I have such an headache.”
“Any other complaints?”
“No. Well, perhaps. I just feel... lost, insignificant beyond hope.”
“Ah! Are you, by any chance, participating in the SFF-Chronicles Challenge? 75 words about infinity?”
“Yes! I keep trying to imagine that. Anything that’s endless or boundless. Like eternity? Words we use without fully appreciating its true meaning.”
“It’s a mind-boggling subject. I would advise you to skip this one.”
“Skip the challenge? Never!”

 

[therapist]

The Infinite Room Hotel

‘Sir! The Prince wants a room, but we're fully booked!’
‘Impossible. We have infinite rooms.’
‘But sir, we had exactly infinite bookings today.’
‘OK... Tell the Prince, Room 1 is available in fifteen minutes.’
‘Sir, the Hilberts are in there!’
‘Move them to Room 2.’
‘Dr. Yang—’
‘Move Dr. Yang to Room 3. Shift everyone down one room, we've infinite rooms to relocate every guest.'
'Will this work?'
'Theoretically. Now hurry. You have fifteen minutes.'