I fell to my knees, drained, ravenous, and blistered. I kissed the car door’s flat surface and nuzzled the chrome handles.
A mere two hours driving time took more than two weeks to hike. The Appalachian Trail had not made a man out of me; it whipped my metrosexual hiney.
When I visited my blind brother, he was sharpening his shooting skills. He was so embarrassed; he couldn’t hit a thing.
I pulled my pen out and placed it in his sweaty palm. I said, “Take this pen, brother, so that you may draw targets around the holes you make.”
George S. Karagiannis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece and is currently a PhD student at the University of Toronto in Canada. He enjoys writing science-fiction (in an non-professional level, so far) in the subgenres of hard science fiction, bizzarro and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic settings.
Unknown really hated it. Of all the places she could imagine being imagined into, inside the mind of a writer who only specialised in 50-word stories was probably the most restricting existence possible.
“Quick,” she thought to herself, “I must do something memorable!”
But there were only ten words left.
Oliver is 24, and lives in England. He dislikes the cold, that is, unless he is too warm.
Through the hole in the baseboard Mac Mouse could see the cheese rind lying tantalizingly near, a mere scamper away.
“No!” cried Ma, grasping his tail. “It ain’t worth it!”
Mac fumed. “You can’t hold me forever, Ma.”
Caractacus Cat grinned silently. Mac’s patience was what he was counting on.
The butterfly hit the windscreen, but rather than splatter on the glass it seemed to filter through into the car in a burst of colour, then just vanished and everything for a second was still.
He looked across at her, took her hand and smiled.
They were no longer afraid.
N.F. Barlow is an English writer living in Friuli, Italy.
The black cat strolled through the prison, being avoided by everyone in her path. She breezed into the first cell.
The prisoner dropped his head. “They didn’t believe me. That a wizard did it.”
“They will,” the cat said, transforming into his wife. She waved her wand, and they disappeared.
Jamie Mathews is an award-winning journalist and writer. He earned his BA from The University of Alabama, where he was a proud member of Honors English Program, and his MAT from the University of South Carolina. Find out more about Jamie on his site.
He wants to choose a woman – not the other way around. But not being chosen infuriates him. One woman wants him, platonically. “She’s stringing me on,” says Paul.
He likes her but can’t stand her.
She can’t decide to leave the church. “She’s a nun,” adds Paul, “a great gal.”
Yveta Shanfeldová, born in Prague in 1957, is the author of two published poetry books: Night Jugular Shaft (Host, Brno, Czech Republic, 2006) and In Place of Sundays (MaPa, Brno, Czech Republic, 2008).
“Captain Jon was the meanest captain on the sea. He forced the sailors who disobeyed him to walk the…”
“Are you telling the girls about scary pirates again?” interrupted mother. “I don’t want you to give them bad dreams.”
“…To walk the time out deck until they cooperated,” continued father.
Abby W. is a member of Todd Battaglia’s Grade 7 Language Arts class.
This story is a finalist for the Audience Choice Award and the Grand Prize.
When the drunken, raging pirate burst into the peaceful bed-and-breakfast, the patrons fled their meals for safety.
The inkeeper, however, knew that customer service comes first. Even pirates need a place to stay, and money is money.
He managed to say, “Greetings! How may—” before the cutlass took his head.
Brandon King is a volunteer for Leading Edge Magazine, an awesome sci-fi/fantasy publication that will publish and/or edit your short stories, poems, or artwork.
This story is a finalist for the Audience Choice Award and the Grand Prize.
Captain Whiskers the ruthless kitty pirate had slit many throats to get this treasure. The first mate hammered the lock open and pushed the lid off the chest. He poured out the gold and jewels within, but Captain Whiskers didn’t seem interested, instead playing with the box it came in.
King Kool has previously contributed many stories to 50WS.
This story is a finalist for the Audience Choice Award and the Grand Prize.