First Come...
by dkershey

Comment:
Petrie was always a bit of a show-off, so when he came in for his snack that day, and dived just a little too deep, and caught his bill on the waves, and went tumbling off in a display of spectacular failure, the pelicans cheered mightily.

"Good on ya Petrie!" they shouted in catcalls and jeers, and laughed. For one such as Petrie, a little Schadenfreude can go a long, long way.

The Pinnacle
by MAK

Comment:
He stood there, above all else, at the end of a long and eventful journey. Not a journey of miles or physical paths, but one of life and years. He surveyed all about him and knew it to be good and strong.

As the wind caught his tattered coat, he remembered all that had passed in his grand and glorious time, and while he knew that soon it would end, for now he could stand here, king of this land, and rejoice.

He was proud, and strong still, and his experience and majesty would continue far beyond himself, and he was glad.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 03:39:26.

Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge.
by andrewreiner

Comment:
The breeze tossed the grasses back and forth, like all days that had come before it. The sound of birds filled the air, but otherwise there was a silence that filled the soul.

A silence that was broken, in this far out-of-the-way place, by a roaring sound that was utterly not of this earth, for it was here, among the marsh and the plains, that they came. It was here, in this idyllic vastness that it began.

In a place of peace and reflection, came an army from the sky that brought death and destruction to us all.

Caution
by juniper

Comment:
'twas just a word, put there by people that had the best of intentions, but sometimes, what do they know? Was it a hard and fast rule? Was it just a suggestion?

To Keith, it was neither. Nay, to Keith it was a challenge. A Dare. To Keith it was an offer to ignore this silly word and do what his heart told him to do.

So he jumped that yellow line, and ignored that ominous word, and ran for the scaffolding behind it, to scale it like the king of climbing that he believed himself to be.

'twas just a word, but a powerful word, and sometimes, just sometimes, it payed to heed it, as Keith, in his lack of wisdom, would learn.

Roots
by androidt

Comment:
It crawled up onto the rocks and lay there, the tentacled creature from the lake. It had taken a grievous injury and had come here to die. For centuries it had been feared and reviled, through no fault of its own. All it wished to do was live, and let live. To hunt for the tasty fish that lived and swam closer to the surface, but the humans that frequented this place that would chance to see it would call it a monster. They would hunt it and avoid it and fear it, and it saddened him.

For he knew it was not he that they should have feared, for there was something terrible and evil in that lake, but it was not him. The thing lived in the deep waters and caverns and was almost never seen, but occasionally it would come hunting, and until now he had known to avoid it. Until now he had hidden from it when it came from its den to terrorize the waters.

This time, however, there had been a boat upon the lake when it came, and in that boat a father with his little girl, a girl that had seen him many times before, and hadn't been afraid. She had thrown fish into the lake for him, and had even talked to him, and he had come to like, nay, love, that little girl. On this day, however, she was now threatened, for that evil thing that was his nemesis had gone straight for the boat and the lives of those within would have been forfeit. So he had acted. He had attacked that evil thing and had fought with it, and the violence of that fight churned the waters and the father, seeing the activity, had taken himself and his daughter to safety, and had called all that would listen to come and witness such a thing.

And so he fought, and through a sheer force of will and love he had triumphed and destroyed that evil thing, and it had drifted to the far bottom of the lake. Yet he had not gained victory without cost, for he was mortally wounded himself, and it was only with struggle that he managed to crawl out of the waters where he did, and lay down to die.

So the people gathered and saw him there, and rejoiced that the monster of the lake was revealed and that it was finally dead, and they need not fear anymore. They, in their ignorance, cheered his demise and set a celebration to mark the day. All of them, that is, but one little girl, who stood back with a tear in her eye and silently thanked an alien creature that had given his life for her safety, though none, but her, would ever know.

7 PM
by caba

Comment:
She sat outside on the cold, wet ground and stared at the market sitting just across from her. She was sick from the wet and chilly air, and hungry, oh so hungry. Inside, there was food. Enough to feed a population of people and more, but none of it was for her. No, she had no means with which to purchase it.

A terrible cough escaped her, cutting her throat and strangling a cry of pain from her. She leaned back against the crumbling wall behind her and closed her eyes and dreamed of strolling into that market just there, dreamed of being a lady of some standing and buying everything her heart desired. She dreamed of sitting down and consuming the dainties and a smile touched her lips as she drifted off into an uneasy and feverish sleep, huddled in her rags and shivering now and then in a violent and frightening way.

When she awoke, not too long after, having been disturbed by something, her hand dropped to her side and touched something there that hadn't been there before. It was a paper bag, and it was warm to the touch. She gasped as a smell rose from it that shocked her and caused a pang of hunger in her stomach as she barely recognized that smell. A scent that she thought it impossible she'd ever know again. She tore open the bag, and there it was, a carton filled with good, hot food. She looked up suddenly, staring at the market, and there in the window was a man, looking back at her. He smiled, and waved, and then turned and walked away, disappearing down the halls inside.

She stared after him until he was gone, and then looked down at the gift of food. He must have brought it while she slept. That was what had woken her. A tear escaped her eye and she began to eat, gratefully, and learned that day that kindness had not completely disappeared from the world.

Portals
by lwkimages

Comment:
As he came home that day, a bag of groceries under his arm, he happened to glance up before reaching his door, and stopped in his tracks. Odd, he thought, as he looked at the front of his domain. He didn't remember leaving the window open.

He was gripped with a sudden worry and fear. No, he definitely didn't leave the window open, for now he remembered that he had closed it last night, as the breeze had become a little too cool and it was uncomfortable to wash the dishes in the sink. The little ball of fear in his stomach began to turn to terror, and then another memory hit him at the same time. The memory of the sun shining in this morning, and his happy and joyous reaction to it and the flinging open of that very same window to let in the rays and the warmth of the morning breeze that would freshen the air. He then sighed and laughed a great laugh of relief and shook his head and then strolled without worry into his home.

Then, he was accosted by the burglar that was indeed inside, and it was a grave misfortune that he was so preoccupied with the window that he didn't realize that he certainly hadn't left his front door completely off its hinges.

Mojanda
by quinde

Comment:
It was but a splash of color in a sad and grey filled expanse of landscape, and it was the first of its kind here.

It stood there, and was remarked upon, and brought some joy and hope to those that saw it, but it was only a mere suggestion of the beauty and wonder that would be. For when it bloomed, it would bring to this land a breath of life that it had never seen before. When it bloomed it would bring renewed hope to all! When it bloomed it...

... and a child ran by and plucked it from the ground, thinking it rather pretty, and all hope was lost.

Escape from the jungle
by phandes

Comment:
They were hot on their heels, the natives of this accursed jungle. Through the thick flora they ran, slapping aside giant fronds and leaping dead and decaying logs, all while their pursues deftly dodged and came at them faster than they thought possible, knowing this forest like the Professor knew the halls of his hallowed university back home.

Just when it seemed all was lost, and the first spears and darts began to rain down behind them, they saw it. Their ticket to freedom. The gorgeous brand new Grand Vitara that Douglas had purchased. Oh, they had all laughed when he had paid a fortune to ship it here by boat, yes, they laughed pretty hard, but no laughter was to be heard now. It would save them now, and they would owe Doug their very lives.

A dart, dripping with a viscous liquid from its tip that smoked his shirt and reeked of death, just narrowly missed pricking his skin, just as he reached the door of the SUV crossover. Panicking, he pressed the lock button on his key fob a few times before realizing his mistake, now hearing the murderous cries of the amazonian natives coming ever so closer. He finally punched the unlock button and they all piled in, the others screaming at him to GO! GO!

Thankfully, the truck started on the first turn of the key, and roared to life. He punched it into drive (Thank Pete for automatics now! He thought), and stepped on the gas, peeling out and spraying mud and leaves every which way before finally gaining some traction and shooting away, just as a spear bounded off his door. Doug broke into a sob at the thought of the dent that the spear must have left.

Knowing that they were finally away, the driver was gripped with an exaltation and shouted a final parting shout, "AAAAAIIIIIIYYYYYEEEEEEE!!!!"

"Professor," Doug said then, bringing him out of his reverie, "That's a Kia. This is a Suzuki."

He had brought them to safety, through all odds, but then realized he had made one final, fatal mistake. Chastised, he pulled over, and Doug then became the Professor and the game began anew.

Rules were Rules, after all.

Stare
by shanksware

Comment:
It was a sad moment the day she opened her closet and found that she only had one choice left. Thankfully, it was one of her better selections, and perhaps this one would last longer than the others. Perhaps she had learned from her mistakes and could use this one for the rest of her time here.

Perhaps.

So it was she grabbed the last head attachment and began another day in her observation of the human race, under new guise, and fervently hoped that they would not catch on that she was an android sent from a distant planet once again, because shipping for new head attachments was off the charts!