75 WORD CHALLENGE -- October 2011 -- CULHWCH VICTORIOUS!!

[TheDustyZebra]

RULES:

Write a story inspired by the chosen theme in no more than 75 words, not including the title.

One entry per person.

All stories Copyright 2011 by their respective authors, who grant the Chronicles Network the non-exclusive right to publish them here.

The complete rules can be found at Rules for the Writing Challenges.

Contest ends at 11:59 pm GMT, October 23 2011

Voting Ends at 11:59 pm GMT, October 28 2011

You do not have to submit a story in order to vote -- in fact, we encourage all Chrons members to take part in choosing a winner.

The Magnificent Prize:

The Dignified Congratulations/Grovelling Admiration of Your Peers

and the privilege of choosing the next month's theme or genre.

The Theme for October:

Nightmare

The Genre:

Science Fiction or Fantasy

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

“You’re Late For Tea, Alice”

“Good night, Alice,” the nurse said.

Alice turned and closed her eyes.

She started falling, landing hard. She stood, staring into a dark, twisted land. A hare jumped towards her, his eyes missing and his teeth sharp, dripping blood.

“You’re late for tea, Alice,” the creature hissed.

Alice shot up in bed, climbed out, and opened the door.

The March Hare was standing in front of her, grinning.

“You’re late for tea, Alice.”

[Hex]

The End of Dreams


The nightmares came all Lucy's life. She saw the world empty, everything she knew desolate, destroyed. At last, frantic for the dreams to end, she climbed onto her windowsill, and jumped.

She didn't fall, felt instead a warm, equine neck beneath her cheek; around her, soft wings.

Weeping, the President pressed The Button; the world ended in fire.

Only Lucy was saved, as the nightmare carried her out into the friendly dark between the stars.

[Abernovo]

Instinctual Response


They would attack the goblin king's camp just before the first fingers of dawn. Dismounting, they approached silently. Dugald smiled, seeing the camp asleep, with few guards posted.


There was a disturbance. The goblins' horses were stamping at the ground, restless.

“What...?”

“My lord, I noticed it just now. Your horse is in heat.”

Goblins were now streaming out into the night, swords in hand.

Dugald cursed. “This is turning into a bad dream.”

[Aun Doorback]

I am Bill Gibson

Awake from dormancy.
I never remember how?
Never have time, before it begins.
Jack up.
Heroin-
-Strychnine-
-God Food.
In a few tenths of a millisecond, five hundred trillion, dead synapses are chemically altered in my cerebral cortex.
Surges-
-Purges-
-I would vomit if I could.
I ride it through.
The snakes come next – This is evolution – I think I’m screaming.
Haven’t seen anyone for centuries in my universe.
Immortal-
-Invisible-
-Brain in a jar.

[AnyaKimlin]

Spice Child's Sweet Life


Spice Child's life is very vile.
He's another unloved, lonely chile
who works hard in the spice mines.
His parents slave on the lines
but had no wish to love and treat.
Instead chose to hurt and beat
Spice Chile incredibly fair.
T'was a miserable nightmare.


He fled ...


In Chocolate Land life was very sweet
with parents who couldn't be beat.
No more working the hot spice seam,
'cos his nightmare became a dream.

[Mith]

Dragons Dream True

Fields on fire, fields of pain. The dying make their voices heard.

This is a dream…

High in the darkling sky he deals death to all under his gaze.

Not a dream, a nightmare…

In the hell below nothing now moves, his kin are dead.

I must wake…
Up!

Under a darkling sky he awakes, eyes open upon a scene of carnage.

I didn’t do this, I didn’t kill them…
It was just a dream!

[Culhwch]

The Nightmare Merchant

The thimble-sized jars with neat labels held monsters, endless falls and other fears. One, though, was unlabelled; it wasn’t for sale.

Each night he would open the jar and let the contents chase the waking day away. She never visited his dreams, and instead he’d bottled this, his nightmare.

So, each night, though she died in his arms anew, first he saw her face, then they kissed their last kiss, and it was enough.

[Grizzgreen711]

And we all fall Down

Spellbound by slumber, she pulled her bed sheets ever closer; the silk was soft and protective against her body.

She wrestled as the dreams took her to distant, faraway lands. Suddenly, the nightmares took hold.

She rolled over, away from one edge and over the other; she opened her eyes.

She was falling into an abyss; jagged cliff edges soared past her, ghosts howling her name. Taking one last look down, the darkness took her.

[Encinalien]

One Hallow's Eve a Nightmare..

Fell beneath the winds of change, below the sands of time, beyond the grasp of reason, neigh, the worried call stiff and silent in the night rang loudly in my racing heart alone. Snored the breathless weight heaved upon my chest galloping, pounding. Stopped. Snorted. Rode off into the sunrise. Ran along the beach. Ran into the foamy surf, along the waters edge. No longer in darkness but still deep in fear. I woke up.

[southron sword]

Dreams Do Come True

I woke violently. My chest was heaving. All I could remember was blackness, two red eyes and a smile of shiny metal teeth.
The thing had savaged me, tearing off chunks of my body with those lethal razors. Blood had flowed as my guts slipped out. Painful.
I slowly regained my breath. “It was just a nightmare”, I sighed, relieved.
A shadow detached itself from the wall, red eyes glowing, teeth glistening. “Heh, you wish”.

[Phoenixthewriter]

Nightmare

That's what the locals called it. I'd seen the creature for the first time my fourth night in town. My colleague left for the forest, and I went searching for him after an hour.

The specter found him first. Hooves. Fire. The equine specter had ripped my companion to ribbons, charring skin as it tore him apart.

The Nightmare. At night you can still hear the howls. The howls of the mare. The Night Mare.

[Mouse]

Living and Loathing

I have done things.

So, I sit in the frozen wasteland and I watch as my skin burns. I stand on top of the highest mountain and let the winds lash my face until my flesh tears. I walk through the desert, naked, and my skin bleeds. I bury my head in the sand and I suffocate.

They say it’s not enough – when morning comes, I wake up. But then, I feel it all again.

[paranoid marvin]

Back to Reality


Along the country lane we strolled, my mother and brother beside me, with my father trailing some way behind. However slowly we walked he never seemed to catch up, and whenever I looked back he always seemed to be partially obscured by the hazy heat rising from the road.

I awoke, smiling as I recalled my dream; and with sudden dismay returned to the reality in which my father had passed away several years ago.

[Starbeast]

What Awaited Me

My sorcerer uncle knew that I'd ignore his warnings not to investigate the forbidden cellar. The summoned bestial abomination was as a demon centipede, gripping and thrusting it's claws into me I quickly surrendered the will to fight back as I struggled ineffectively against it's numbing poison. Hideous images flooded my mind, overwhelming my sanity as it slowly devours flesh and crunches bone. I was only food for the multieyed thing which served a necromancer.