Instant Story

Challenge #04812-M062: Strength Against Weakness

Remember my students. A bully only has power over you for as long as you let them have it. That includes family members who bully you as well. But remember, the only power over you that anyone has, is the power you give them. Believe in yourself, and you'll be able to believe in those who truly care. -- Lessons

It sounded so nice. Believe in yourself and the horrid people would leave you alone. Cordelia's problem was that some of the horrid people were her teachers. They definitely had power over her, and could order her to obey and suffer any torment they devised.

She'd already spent three years in Lithonesse's dungeons for laying on the ground and talking to a dandelion.

The speech from the visitor was meant to be inspiring, to encourage the wallflowers to step out and be a little daring. Cordelia knew it for a falsity. To step out was to become visible. To stand out was to be a target. To complain was to catch the blame.

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Challenge #04810-M061: Old, Yes. Helpless? HA!

She was older, heavy, with hair that was greying and she walked slowly with a cane. But when a young ruffian came up and tried to be an ass toward her, the individual found that cane could still be quite an effective, painful, deterrent. No one mocked her ever again. -- Anon Guest

Birron was old enough to know better. Many grownups told him that. But he also wanted to fit in with the awesome, older kids. He was willing to do

Challenge #04809-M060: The Pygmalion Project

They felt the warm hand upon their stone form, their eyes opening, their flesh restoring, how long had they been asleep. The being before them had kind eyes.... "are...ze...an.. orc?"

The being looked upon them and shook a heavy head. "We're not called that." / "Iz been zleeping for a long time. Wvat...are....ze called dzen?"

"Once I set camp to rest, we can talk, is that alright?" / "Of courze."

It was a long talk late into the night, and

Challenge #04808-M059: Subject Zero

Dragon's blood is powerful, but, is said to carry a terrible curse. When the need is great, a warrior drinks the blood of a dragon for strength. -- Deathshead419

Dragons are powerful. They're a fact as large as mountains, as devastating as tidal waves, and as hazardous as living itself[1]. Thus it was no shock that lesser species required a large amount of dragon parts to make their magic.

They were warned. Take only that which was discarded, or given freely.

Challenge #04807-M058: Closed Temporal Loop

In the early morning of April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank beneath the waves, carrying 1,500 souls to a cold, watery grave. The story told to history is that she sank after hitting an ice berg. The truth could never be allowed to get out… -- Deathshead419

1912...

Nobody would believe the truth, not all of it. They barely believed that the Titanic sank until they saw the survivors and the remaining lifeboats. So many were lost. So much was

Challenge #04806-M057: Talking to Faeries

Ragvald was once a great warrior, known for his berserker trances brought on by imbibing the sacred mushroom. But now he struggles to discern what is real and what are visions the mushrooms bring. -- Deathshead419

In the frozen Northlands, the Berserkr gained heavy respect in battle. Mostly due to their ability to literally tear apart the enemy. Or anyone who got in their way, for that matter. When they're foaming at the mouth and have run out of enemies, they have

Challenge #04805-M056: (Thunder) Roll Intimidation

A crazed warlord demands at a temple that God produce rain for a drought wracked region in three days or they’ll be consequences. When the time comes and goes, the warlord sets up an artillery battery around the temple and fires on the heavens above. The next day it begins to rain. If it’s stupid and it works… -- Deathshead419

While it is well known that the gods are in charge of things that mortals can't control, it is supremely

Challenge #04804-M055: Seeds of Hope

They were wandering adventurers, lost, hungry, most of their equipment wrecked. A poor family that had little took them in and shared what meager rations they had. None got 'quite enough', but no one went to bed completely hungry. The adventurers arrived as an escort to their leader, a king. He helped the poor family get back on their feet again, not through lavish wealth, but humbler gifts of food, aid to fix their home, and seed that would actually grow in

Challenge #04803-M054: Gone Without a Trace

The intrepid, some would say mad, explorer Arthur Christianson ventured alone into the Antarctic wastes, convinced that he had found Atlantis and the secret of all human civilization. His badly damaged campsite was discovered two years later, though his body was never recovered. Below is the contents of his final journal entry, retrieved from the site: -- Deathshead419

[AN: I try not to have real people in these stories, and there is a person by that name in Linkedin, so the name

Challenge #04802-M053: Define Normal

Amy haven’t made a milkshake in a while, so she started gathering fresh ingredients her favourite strawberry-banana milkshake. Her mouth waters as she fill the blender, But something lingers in the back of her mind something she’s forgetting… suddenly her neighbour knock on her door. “Amy! The boys are back in town!” But it was too late the blender just started whirling -- Anon Guest

The return to normal had been irrevocably altered. They pretended everything was normal after the

Challenge #04801-M052: Good Kitty

The human's cat was normally very gentle with the avian crew. Never attacking, sometimes batting at feathers, but only the ones that were already shed and dropped to the floor. So the hissing and growling, keeping them away from the cargo hold's door was shocking. Fortunately, because the cargo hold's main door was tightly closed, that also meant NO ONE was in there when the faulty hatch blew, and the hold suddenly depressurized. Keeping the human, the crew, AND the cat quite

Challenge #04800-M051: Paradise is Imperfect

Dragons, Elves, Teufel, Halloblood, Humans, Kobolds, etc, all were welcome at this beautiful spa. Massages, haircuts, scrubbings to help the scales, manicures pedicures, the works. A plaque by the door, both in images and multiple languages read "Long hair trimmings will be made into wigs for those in need, short hair to bundles for bird to make nests. Scales, claws, and nails shed or trimmed shall be ground into fine powder, and mixed into the soil helping the free garden to grow

Challenge #04799-M050: It's a Start

I've killed so many. Teufel, Kobolds, Vampires, ... so many. Even a dragon. Yet, you... you let me live. But more important, you saved my family. I was taught to hate you, fear you.... never even tried to understand. Ye gods... what have I done? Even if I lived a thousand years.... I don't think I could ever atone for it all. -- Anon Guest

There's only so many careers that are obviously predestined when given the name Guy Stronginthearm. One was becoming

Challenge #04798-M049: Using All Avenues

Another died of the 'plague' that leaves the body rake thin. Always recorded as an illness. The red king, the tax-collectors told them, demanded this tribute. She fled to stop the plague, stop the red king, if the lord wouldn't do it, she would.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04754-m005-the-better-decision -- Anon Guest

Famines were generally the product of administrative mismanagement. It was very rare for a famine to be the direct result of consecutive disasters. The lands of the Red King

Challenge #04797-M048: How to Wrangle a Toddler

"Hi, I'm Pib! As a kid, hell, as a TODDLER, I gained a... bit of a reputation. Sadly, it's not unusual for human toddlers to sometimes have a kill count it seems. Anyhow, I'm here to teach you how to handle human toddlers aboard your vessels. So if your human friends have kids, you know how to be safe, and make sure things are safe for the kids, too!" -- Anon Guest

Parenting, according to Humans, is the act of preventing the

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Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #04812-M062: Strength Against Weakness

Challenge #04810-M061: Old, Yes. Helpless? HA!

Challenge #04809-M060: The Pygmalion Project

Challenge #04808-M059: Subject Zero

Challenge #04807-M058: Closed Temporal Loop

Challenge #04806-M057: Talking to Faeries

Challenge #04805-M056: (Thunder) Roll Intimidation

Challenge #04804-M055: Seeds of Hope

Challenge #04803-M054: Gone Without a Trace

Challenge #04802-M053: Define Normal

Challenge #04801-M052: Good Kitty

Challenge #04800-M051: Paradise is Imperfect

Challenge #04799-M050: It's a Start

Challenge #04798-M049: Using All Avenues

Challenge #04797-M048: How to Wrangle a Toddler