Discussion Thread---December 2024---75 Word Writing Challenge.

[Provincial]

This month it was a toss-up between three stories, those by @nixie, @mosaix and @THX1138; a really tough choice. In the end I voted for the Voyagers chatting to each other as they move out into interstellar space.

Such a great theme this month, so many great stories!

 

[Paul Meccano]

I just wrote a 75 word challenge entry but missed the completion date. As I haven’t posted here for a while, due to cancer, moving house (into the wilderness, and loving every minute) among other things, I’ve decided to post it here.
It the travellers competition; as follows:
74 words

Being light

Light being; being of light I remember nothing of pain, of darkness, until other came. Sharp, needling, grief, I later understood, a part of me never to leave as rushing to escape that coronal mass, escaping the dark that once kept me bagged – cat in a sack – it comes upon me
Together we might spin.
Together now, surely we can dance.
You that light and me this mass heading out: being; being of light.

 

[Daysman]

Bit late to the party, but better late than never…

Five faves inc. vote:
@Astro Pen
@Victoria Silverwolf
@M. Robert Gibson
@Hugh
@paranoid marvin (vote)

Thanks to @johnnyjet for your listing, and to @Victoria Silverwolf and @Parson for your comments.

Happy holidays everyone!

D

 

[The Judge]

In a rush, so very quickly, my shortlist:

Bren G -- As Dusk Falls​

Cat's Cradle -- Overtime (Over Time)​

Elckerlyc -- Hotel The World​

Hugh -- Exodus​

LittleStar -- Dying of the Light​

M. Robert Gibson -- Account of a Visit...​

Phyrebrat -- To the White Cliffs​

THX1138 -- Northern Lights​

This wasn't an easy one, as I kept changing my mind as I was reading and re-reading the stories, and couldn't even decide whether to go for pathos or humour, but in the end I plumped for Hugh's tale of the loss of fantasy.

Many Time-Travelling Wandering Star thanks for the mentions/shortlistings Ian, johnnyjet, nixie, Parson and CC!

 

[nixie]

I just wrote a 75 word challenge entry but missed the completion date. As I haven’t posted here for a while, due to cancer, moving house (into the wilderness, and loving every minute) among other things, I’ve decided to post it here.
It the travellers competition; as follows:
74 words

Being light

Light being; being of light I remember nothing of pain, of darkness, until other came. Sharp, needling, grief, I later understood, a part of me never to leave as rushing to escape that coronal mass, escaping the dark that once kept me bagged – cat in a sack – it comes upon me
Together we might spin.
Together now, surely we can dance.
You that light and me this mass heading out: being; being of light.

Good luck with the cancer, try and remember no matter how ill you feel with chemo, the more it's attacking the cancer.
Hope the house move goes smoothly.

 

[Hugh]

Yay! A vote! Made my day! Much appreciated @The Judge !
Many thanks also @Starbeast , @paranoid marvin , @Cat's Cradle , and @Daysman for the listings.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Shortlisted:

@Peter V - An Unexpected Win - Win for Time Dilation
@M. Robert Gibson - Account of a visit on 34th street
@AnRoinnUltra - The vigilant astronomy of Hallontio Spoon

But the vote went to...
@mosaix - Camaraderie

 

[Paul Meccano]

Good luck with the cancer, try and remember no matter how ill you feel with chemo, the more it's attacking the cancer.
Hope the house move goes smoothly.

Thanks
Thankfully I’m well past that bit, brachytherapy and radiotherapy too. A few years of hormone therapy and what d’ya know, hey presto, I’m done.
Personally I felt ready to accept it as part of my journey, not as a burden, so didn’t suffer much. It continues to teach me, although, as yet, not how to write beyond my current prescription.
X

 

[Ursa major]

​

The poll has closed and we have a winner:

Congratulations, paranoid marvin!​

​

 

[Daysman]

Congrats @paranoid marvin !!!

 

[Astro Pen]

Congrats on a pretty resounding victory there @paranoid marvin

 

[Peter V]

Congratulations PM. Clear winner and well deserved.

No votes for me and only a few mentions... wondering if peeps didn't get the gist...

Our would be colonists, in cryosleep are oblivious to the fact that their vessel did not perform its mid-journey flip, so instead of decelerating, continued to accelerate. The faster a Bussard Ramjet goes, the more interstellar hydrogen it scoops up, so the rate of acceleration increases. The on-board AI could not simply turn the engine off, as the magnetic field harvesting the hydrogen acts as a shield against any errant particles the vessel may encounter - the smallest of which could prove deadly at relativistic speeds.

Anyway to cut a long story about a short story short, four hundred years subjective time at around 99.99% of the speed of light, I believe would be approx 56,000 years (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong) for anyone outside.

During this time, humanity developed FTL and spread out into the galaxy, overtaking our unfortunate colonists. However, the ship is fortunate to be passing close to an inhabited star system with sufficiently advanced technology to rescue them...

Condensed to 75 words, it may be a bit of a stretch but I was hoping the title might lend some insight.

I like the idea, so I think I may flesh it out and add it to my short story collection

TTFN

Peter

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

Well done @paranoid marvin -great stuff.

Didn't get time to explain my vote this round but Overtime (Over Time) by @Cat's Cradle did the job for me -I could see the relentless toil of the poor railbot as a strange eerie relic.

Almost voted for:
Roots by @Astro Pen -wish I was handy enough with Blender to turn this into an animated short. Top class.
Exodus by @Hugh -just because it sometimes seems that way. I've heard people say electricity killed the imagination as it revealed what was in the shadows ...dogmatic deluded certainty.

Anyways, there were more that could have easily made the vote and we got a worthy winner I reckon -A Mind Forever Wandering could be the standard for time well spent

 

[Parson]

Congratulations @paranoid marvin I loved your poem from the beginning. Just as I think any book lover would.

 

[THX1138]

Congratulations @paranoid marvin!

And many thanks for the short listings! :
@Hugh
@paranoid marvin
@Cat's Cradle
@Provincial
@The Judge

 

[mosaix]

Congratulations @paranoid marvin!

 

[Elckerlyc]

Congratulations @paranoid marvin!

 

[nixie]

Congratulations @paranoid marvin.

Mine was based on an urban legend, that a quick search will let you know its false.
The train supposedly entered the Lombard tunnel but never exited it.
The passengers apparently ended up in a Mexican psychiatric ward in 1840.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Congratulations @paranoid marvin

 

[Elckerlyc]

For those who are still wondering about the identity of Mr. Ahasver, 't was the Wandering Jew.

Many thanks @Hugh and @Astro Pen for your vote and @THX1138, @johnnyjet, @Starbeast and @The Judge for noticing my story.