“…So, between emigration and attrition, our population has been in steady decline, damaging our international image. That’s why today we’re announcing a moratorium on death.”
The press clamoured. “Ma’am! Ma’am! How can you possibly enforce this new policy?”
The president waved her hand dismissively. “Pharmaceutical bailouts and creative book-keeping, mostly.”
This story was based on the prompt “moratorium” at TypeTrigger.
“Shall we?” pondered Lord Flufferkins.
“Indeed,” said Sir Oakfeller.
“Tally ho!” cried Lord Flufferkins.
“Quite,” agreed Sir Oakfeller.
“En garde.”
“Touché!”
“Harry, what’re you doing?”
Harry started. “Er, nothin’!”
“Are you playing make believe with a stick and a bit of fuzz!?”
Harry blushed. “I’m just… Just practicin’ my ‘magination!”
This story was based on a title suggested by Master Gunner.
He left the run-down building, a smile on his face and full knowledge of what he had to do next.
As a bonus, his back and shoulders felt great. Who knew that Morse code could be so therapeutic?
For Markov Luhanovich, the great Russian spy, the medium was the massage.
Adam Michaud lives in Toronto, making bad puns and being kind to
strangers. Occasionally, he writes things.
He toddles up to me, hands cupped. “I made this, Daddy!”
I drop my briefcase. “What is it?”
His hands open and there goes the frog. We scramble after it, laughing.
I didn’t realize then that his statement had been literal. I still don’t know what he uses as materials.
This story was based on the prompt “for you” at TypeTrigger.
“During this voyage of a lifetime, always remember…” The priest’s nasally voice trailed off.
“Remember what?” said Captain Harkner.
“Just… remember,” said the priest. “In general. You’ll never complete your voyage if you can’t remember things! That’s why I’m staying safely here at home: mind like a sieve, that’s me!”
This story was based on the prompt “the voyage” at TypeTrigger.
Before we knew what was happening, I was hanging by my fingertips over about a billion miles of empty sky, my buddy and his parachute were dwindling into an invisible speck somewhere below me, and the chicks were whooping like banshees.
What’s wrong with being boring? I LIKE being boring!
This story was based on the prompt “before we knew” at TypeTrigger.
Like before every job interview, he could feel the sweat staining the armpits of his blue shirt. He buttoned the top two buttons of his suit, then decided to unbutton the first. “Don’t stutter, don’t mumble. Be confident,” he whispered to himself quaveringly. “Okay, Shirley, send in the next candidate.”
Grey Joyner is a Brown University student who often has contests with his father on who can come up with the best 50-word story.
“What are your plans for the future?” Grandma asked me during dinner one evening.
“Er,” I said. “Um. Uh. I guess…”
“You should become a lawyer,” she declared, “and find yourself a wife.”
So I went straight home, fired up PhotoShop, and started putting together some grad and wedding photos.
“Mr. Chang, your program has come a long way. What gave your team such motivation to work with folded paper?”
“Origami has been our lifelong passion. We’re just thrilled to push it to its limits.”
“So what’s next?”
“Now that we’ve achieved a paper-based, human-bearing aircraft, we’re looking towards space!”
This story was based on the prompt “folded paper” at TypeTrigger.
Joey was super great at bouncing on his trampoline. He bounced so high that he flew all the way to Mars, but they didn’t have trampolines there, because Martians are boring, so he had to build a giant slingshot to fling himself back home.
That’s what he told me, anyways.