L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

Supershort

June 25, 2008 on 3:35 pm | In General Musing |

Stories any length, but there’s a special appeal to stories that come in very small packages. It’s almost voyeuristic - an ear at a window, an eye at a keyhole - and the very imcompleteness of it urges the imagination to fill in the blanks. A few of my favorite ultrashort fiction sites: Six Word Memoirs, Vestal Review, One Sentence and 100 Word Stories. The last one offers a new 100 word podcast story every day and a weekly challenge to listeners. The winner (by popular vote) of the previous week’s challenge picks the theme for the next week. I’ve entered a half dozen times so far. Here are my stories, with audio:

Week 114 Theme: What would you do if you found yourself face to face with a dragon and all you had was a boyscout handbook and a pinata costume?

Dragon - mp3

She stared at the screen. Who were they kidding? A boyscout handbook? A pinata costume? How on earth would those things help you with a dragon?

“I swear, hon, they’ve really lost it this time.”

“Let it go, Alma.”

“I hate this! It’s impossible and it pisses me off that I won’t get a story in this week.”

She felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. “Want me to blast ‘em for you?”

“No, no.” She reached up and stroked the familiar, scaly claw that curled gently around her shoulder.

“I give up. Take me flying, baby.”

Week 112 Theme: Whiskey

Whiskey - mp3

Thunder cracked and we retreated a little farther into the the meager protection of a rocky overhang. Four days into the Yosemite back country at a high lake and it was cold. A sudden storm crowded the sun out of an autumn afternoon and now lightning stabbed granite peaks surrounding the lake continuously.

At the height of the tempest, two more hikers crawled into our sliver of shelter. We huddled; four little bugs tucked into a crevice, waiting to warm our wings. Then one of our new friends pulled a fifth of whiskey out of his pack.

Let it rain.

Week 111 Theme: One

One - mp3

“That’s one.”

Peering over her boss’s shoulder, Alma saw the blue screen of his new laptop. Crashed. Bummer. She returned to her desk. Like the laptop, it was her first day on the job.

A moment later:

“That’s two.”

She could hear the jab of angry fingers. She winced in sympathy and continued working.

“That’s three.”

She jumped at the sound of breaking glass. When she looked through the door she was aghast. Her new boss stood by a shattered window.

“My God!” She exclaimed, “That’s insane! It’s 35 stories down! You might have killed someone!”

He turned, glaring.

“That’s one.”

Week 108 Theme: Gold

No audio for this one. I was on vacation.

At last a small cove yielded up a crescent moon of smooth sand.

The crossing had been harrowing and the coast, after months at sea, taunted them for days with impenetrable cliff walls. But the promise of a new land of gold and riches kept them at the ship’s rail.

Ernesto leapt from the boat into the foaming surf, ignoring the water streaming into his leather boots. He scrambled up the rocks and gazed at the expanse of small yellow flowers that carpeted the land to the line of distant trees.

“Capitan!” he shouted, grinning, “We have found the gold!”

Week 107 Theme: The Chair

Chair - mp3

Alma walked by that door a hundred times a day and even if she didn’t break her stride, some part of her always lingered there for a thudding heartbeat or more. Sometimes she’d pause for a moment to reach toward the knob and feel its warm burnished surface, or run a finger down the dark, grooved wood of the doorframe. She didn’t have the key. But it wasn’t like she didn’t know what was in there: The room was completely empty save a single heavy wooden chair. She shuddered slightly and glanced at the clock on the wall.

Week 105 Theme: Forbidden

Forbidden - mp3

“I thought they’d be round, like apples!”

“Better than apples,” came a languid reply from the branches.

She peered into the dense foliage of the tree, trying to make out the sinuous form hidden in the shadows. The branches were heavy with ripe fruit. Her hand barely reached around the long, fleshy cylinder as she plucked it. Its bulbous end released an unfamiliar aroma that filled her head.

“Would you like to know how to properly enjoy the fruit of this tree?”

She hesitated for a moment, but her appetite was stirred.

“I really shouldn’t.”

The long body uncoiled and rose. “It will be our little secret.”

Week 103 Theme: Steamer Trunk

Steamer Trunk - mp3

Alma shut the lid and punched in her code. Again. When she opened the box, it was still empty. Damn infomercials! It was supposed to be the best new thing to solve household storage problems. Using the new transdimensional gateway technology, you could fit all your stuff in a box about the size of a steamer trunk. All coded for instant retrieval. Except now it wasn’t giving anything back. Anything that went in was just gone. And the tech support lines were disconnected.

Alma stood, dusted her hands, and called to discontinue her garbage collection service.

Week 100 Theme: Cake

Cake - mp3

Alma bent her legs first one way and then another, trying to find the right fit. In the end, she discovered if she curled up on her side and tucked her right foot tightly behind her left ankle there was just room to snug her hips inside the rim of the round pan. She leaned forward, pressing her breasts against her thighs; left arm beneath her cheek and right snaked into the small space above her feet. It wasn¹t easy, but wasn¹t her family worth a little sacrifice?

After dinner the kids all begged for an extra slice.

There’s a new challenge every week if you feel inspired.

See more like that one:

• Flasher
• Go Commando for Literacy
• Romancing the Groan