MicroSpec | Short Bursts of Speculative Fiction

Show, Don't Tell

by Lyn Perry

    “Read to me what you’ve channeled so far,” she says.
    I clear my throat. Death and destruction await the one…
    “Cliché.” My muse frowns. “What else?”
    I fumble at my manuscript and turn a page. Blindly, the Mummy exits the tomb…
    “Derivative,” she says.
    “But these are your ideas!” I protest.
    “My ideas. Your anemic attempts.”
    “This is my first stab at horror,” I rationalize.
    “Ah, then,” she nods. “First rule of fiction—write what you know.”
    “Could you tell me how?” I ask.
    My muse produces a stiletto. “Here, let me show you instead.”

© 2007 Lyn Perry
(horror, 95 words)

Originally published August 21, 2007 at MicroHorror.

The Golden Rule

by Michael A. Kechula

    Billy thought he found a water pistol.
    “It’s mine,” a girl said.
    “Not anymore,” Billy hollered, pulling the trigger.
    Yellow rays blasted the girl. She disappeared.
    Shocked, Billy cried, “God, please bring her back.”
    The girl reappeared. Grabbing the pistol, she removed a gray disk, inserted an orange one, then shot Billy.
    Billy disappeared forever.

    Later, the girl boarded a spacecraft.
    “Did you enjoy playing with Earth children?” her mom asked.
    “Yes, Mother.”
    “Did you follow our Golden Rule for visiting foreign planets?”
    “Yes. I did to him exactly what he did to me. Only, I used a new battery.”

© 2006 Michael A. Kechula
(alien humor, 100 words)

Originally published at Flashshot.

Reprinted with permission from the author.

The Audition

by Lyn Perry

    "How were auditions?" my wife asked when I finally dropped beside her in bed.
    "Horrendous," I replied. "Dozens of genre stereotypes - I laughed most of them off the set."
    "I vant to suck your blooood," my wife teased.
    "Exactly!" I chuckled without humor.
    "No, really. I vant to suck your blooood," she persisted.
    "What the hell are you talking about?" I turned to my wife - who wasn't exactly my wife. There was something... "Ahhh," I cried as she attacked my neck.
    "You weren't the only one holding auditions today, my sweet," she murmured, right before I entered eternity.

© 2007 Lyn Perry
(horror, 100 words)

Originally published August 25, 2007 at MicroHorror.

How Earth Was Created

by Michael A. Kechula

    “Let’s begin the regression,” said the psychiatrist. “You’re getting very sleepy.”
    Minutes later Susan was in a deep trance.
    “Go back in time. Back. Back. Where are you?”
    “I see Egyptians building pyramids.”
    “Back. Back. Where are you now?”
    “I see huge dinosaurs.”
    “Go back further. What’s there?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Perfect,” the psychiatrist said. “This must be the moments preceding the creation of Earth. Is there anything in the sky?”
    “Three moons. They’re colliding! They’re exploding!”
    “Eureka!” the doc yelled. “I’ve discovered the creators of Earth!”
    “Susan, do the three moons have names?”
    “Yes.”
    “What are they?”
     “Larry, Moe, and Curly.”

© 2006 Michael A. Kechula
(humor, 100 words)

Originally published at Flashshot.

Reprinted with permission from the author.

The Email

by Lyn Perry

    "Got another email from Rigel 9 asking me to claim €24 million zorks," Zpppt said. "When will they get a clue?"
    "Did you win the InterGalactic lottery this time," Zffft asked, "or are you a trusted friend of a friend who’s relative died?"
    "Yeah, that one. They need €5 thousand zots to transfer the inheritance to my bank account for safekeeping."
    "How much do you get to keep for your kindness?"
    "€2 million zorks," Zpppt said.
    "Email them back and ask for five," Zffft said.
    "Already did. They accepted."
    "Ha! Dumb Rigelian scammers."
    "Yeah, when will they get a clue?"

© 2007 Lyn Perry
(sci fi humor, 100 words)

A Pint of Blood

by Michael A. Kechula

Curious, Frank answered a newspaper ad: “Beautiful Vampire seeks donors.”

A week later, they met in a restaurant.

“You’re cute,” she said. “What’s your blood type?”

“A-Positive.”

“My favorite! Mind loosing a pint tonight? Makes me incredibly aroused.”

Frank couldn’t wait.

“Dessert?” asked the waiter.

“We’ll pass.” Squeezing Frank’s thigh, she whispered, “You’re my dessert.”

And he was. But he was also appetizer and main course.

Her ad was a lie. She was a man-eating zombie, not a vampire. Newspapers accept classified ads from vampires, werewolves, ghouls, but not zombies. That’s nasty discrimination. What’s a hungry, man-eating zombie to do?

(monster humor, 100 words)

Originally published at Flashshot.

Reprinted with permission from the author.

The Daily Brew

by Lyn Perry

    He loved his morning espresso. Couldn’t jumpstart the day without it.
    His bride knew it. She’d wake up early and brew some dark roasted Arabica and send him off with a jolt and a smile.
    He liked that little jolt. Couldn’t live without it. His bride knew it. She’d wake up early and crank the generator to the operating table on which he slept. He’d jump into action, down a demitasse, and greet the day full of verve.
    He smiled at his bride as he waved goodbye. She sparked something deep inside. But he always assumed it was the coffee.

© 2007 Lyn Perry
(humor, 100 words)

Originally published as 152 word story at Bewildering Stories November 12, 2007. Reprinted with permission from the author.