Kick up a Storm
by bobonacus

Comment:
It had been such a nice walk that day. Although the weather could have been nicer, Karen barely cared. The air was still, the noises of the woods had been calming, and the chance to get away from all the stresses and troubles and worries of home had been worth getting her shoes soaked and her ears frosty.

So it was with a bit of surprise, lifting her from her inner sanctity and reflection, when the leaves around her began to stir. At first she thought it was just a strange little bit of wind, like a dust devil of desert fame, kicking them up around her. She grinned at first, enjoying the dance of the dried and fallen bric-a-brac, but the grin soon ended.

In no time, the leaves had gone from just a small spattering flying in the breeze, to a virtual cyclone of the things, and they were all centered around HER. Suddenly growing a little frightened and desperate, she tried to move on from the little clearing. She was no longer amused, and as the wind increased in intensity, she let out a little cry and began to walk faster for the path home. The leaves picked up, now blowing about her waist, and she sped up to a trot, then a run, but the path never seemed to get any closer. Crying now, the leaves moving up her body, surrounding her, at chest level. Panicked, she broke into an all out run, and finally, finally she began to make some headway towards the path leading into the woods, away from these infernal leaves. Finally she could see she was almost there.

Then a wall of wind hit her head on, and stopped her dead in her tracks. With a final surge, the leaves all lifted from the ground, whirling in a maelstrom that obliterated her from view. For what seemed a lifetime, they whirled there in that spot, as screams as faint as a baby's sleeping breath came from within. Then, as quickly as it had began, the mass dropped back to the forest floor, and settled once more into pacification.

Of Karen, there was no trace.

Engage
by BigK

Comment:
When he was brought before her, the confusion was clear on his face. He had been arrested by these people, accused of being a spy, a charge punishable by death. So when he was led here, to be faced only by this woman, shamelessly disrobed, it was all he could do not to let out a surprised laugh. This was to be his judge?

So when she suddenly grinned ominously, and raised her fingers to her temples, he did begin to laugh, but that laugh was choked off suddenly as his eyes met hers, and became utterly and completely lost within them.

He felt dizzy, sick, and in some deep part of his mind suddenly realized what was happening. She was probing his mind. Digging into his thoughts and secrets. Before he could even begin to resist she mined everything he had ever known, everything he ever was, and tore it from him unceremoniously.

As blood suddenly began to run from his ears, his nose, his eyes, and he convulsed a few final times in the arms of his captives before finally becoming forever still, the woman suddenly blinked and cut her contact.

"Innocent." They were her only words. She cast a disgusted glance at the men that had brought him in and then faded back through a curtain that lay behind her.

Look Into My Magic Christmas Ornament...
by Chippie19

Comment:
What did she see there, in that glittering ball, a symbol of joy and happiness? What did she see as she gazed in to the hazy opaqueness that only barely reflected the light? Surely she saw something, as her smile showed a certain recognition, as her eyes reflected a definite knowing gleam.

What did she see there?

We may never know, those of us with minds that have moved on from that magical place that is almost the sole providence of a child. We may never know, but whatever it is, let it shape her desires and imagination and wonder, so that her future can be filled with them all, and her growth may be shaped by everything that we may never know.

Loneliness
by bmartuch

Comment:
It had barely begun to grow, but already it was the hope of the forest. When it had begun from seed, showing such promise, green and strong, the rest of the wood had held a hope that they almost dared not hold.

For centuries now there had been a slow but steady decline. A decay if you will. The old ones were no longer producing, and the saplings would grow stunted, withered, and died long before they reached maturity. There was a darkness here that they could not explain. A disease and sickness in the water, the air, the soil.

Then he had come, that little seed that started green. That little seed that grew faster, stronger, and healthier than any had for hundreds of seasons. Then, when the first living leaves began to sprout, they did begin to hope. They began to believe. He was to be the beginning of the renewal.

Then one chill morning, a fresh layer of snow on the ground, they woke to a sight that destroyed all hope for good. For there, in the clearing of the Prince of Hope stood a blackened and devastated husk. Leaves strewn, as black as the plant that had spawned them.

As a stiff breeze blew, the wailing of the wood sounded as they understood that all was lost, the symbol of their rebirth had succumbed to the blackness.

Sword of Orion
by jlanoue

Comment:
From time immemorial it had prowled the universe. It had spawned countless legends and horrors and tales in countless cultures and peoples and civilizations. For a few unlucky worlds, they didn't even have time to create a tale, as it devoured them before they knew it was there.

In our own cultures, it was known in many forms. Cthulu, Satan and the Kraken were borne from the feelings of dread and evil, but it also spawned myths and gods of good as well. The Nephalim, Jehova, and angels of many names and origins.

However, unlike those mentioned above, it was very real, and it was very hungry, and one day it would devour everything. For that was it's purpose. To cleanse the universe for a time when it would begin anew.

So it roamed, and so it consumed, and so legends would continue to be formed.

Little Imp (5 months old)
by hazelmay

Comment:
The news came to him as he got ready for his 3 O'Clock bottle. His troops were on the move, his assassins ready, all the pieces of the chessboard were set. Victory was certain to be his.

His eyes narrowed in an evil little grin.

Excellent, he thought, the world will be mi...

"Here my widdle bumpykins, Mommy made you a yum-yum baba! Want your baba widdle baby? Do ya?"

He sighed as his thoughts of world domination were interrupted, but couldn't help suddenly giggling and reaching for his precious "baba". He supposed the world could wait another half an hour.

Wilderness Rendezvous
by hahn23

Comment:
*comment removed at photographer's request*


Message edited by author 2009-01-23 14:07:11.

Ignition
by jwaddison

Comment:
In the year 3503, on a dying planet in a galaxy not unlike our own, came the tale of a people that defied all odds. Facing sure extinction, as the core of their planet threatened to destroy them all, they raced to finish the most ambitious project they had ever faced. A massive space vehicle capable of evacuating the entire population in the hopes that a new home could be found, somewhere, out there, one day.

In the end, that race was won, and the ship launched with mere seconds left, outracing the resulting outpouring of death and destruction by mere kilometers, leaving the only home they'd ever known behind as it blasted apart.

What was to become of them, however, is a tale for another day.

Trophy Hunter
by Ristyz

Comment:
He lay there, on his throne (cats don't sit, it is beneath them), and proudly displayed his latest kill. For him, it was a conquest, a trophy that cemented his name and legacy among all the Kings of old. For him, it was a testament to his cunning and strength and prowess. To him, it proved the status of his rulership and set him up for a regency unmatched.

To his subjects, however, secretly snickering behind his back, it was just the latest practical joke that their poor clueless "king" had succumed to. The bumbling fool! They spoke in whispers, Can't even tell a toy mouse from the real thing.

Thus the kingdom went on, with the puppet on the throne lost in self-congratulations while the real masters ran things from the shadows, as ever it had been.

Fly Away Home
by Lydia

Comment:
He thought he'd heard something. Walking out onto the patio, he looked around. Nothing was there. He stood for a moment and listened closely. Still nothing. Odd, he was certain he'd heard someone, or something, out here. Had been fairly positive. Frowning a little, he took one last look over the edge, at the traffic below and shook his head before walking back inside and taking his position by the glass door, while his boss finished the deal.

Outside, silently, Spider-Bug crawled back out from under the overhang. That had been a close one, but it was time to finish this...