FLASH CHALLENGE: May '09

[kailhofer]

The "Almost Forever" Challenge:



Love found, love lost.

Everyone knows that love isn't something you find every day. Love is a union, a bond that storybooks told us that was supposed to last forever. Except it doesn't always last. Everyone knows that, too. Love lost is something that could have been, might have been, or isn't anymore.

If everyone knows something, then we as writers have a ready-made situation that our audience will universally identify with. We have an "in" we can use, a shortcut to endearing our characters to the audience if we can learn how to tap into that emotional memory. Plus, it grounds your story in a 'human' event, even if the story is about a couple of personified rocks sliding away from each other in heavy surf, and readers like human stories best.

So, conjure up your best stories of the forevers that weren't and get in touch with your emotional side. You could become a better writer for the effort.


I challenge you to write your best tale of love lost. See the story at the end of this post for an example.



REQUIREMENTS: (1) You must have a speculative fiction lost love in your story; (2) 1,000 words or less; (3) The characters, setting, and story must be fictional and original; (4) Give your story a title and a byline; and (5) Keep it mostly clean. PG-13.

If, in my judgment, any requirement is missed, I won't post the story for voting. Sorry, but rules are for everyone.

HOW TO ENTER: Stories must be sent by PRIVATE MESSAGE, and NOT posted into a thread. Just click the 'PM' button at the bottom of this post and paste your story in the message. You are responsible for doing your own formatting, and leave an extra line between paragraphs, just like when you see them in the 'zine. I will allow different colors, but not changed fonts or sizes, artwork, or any other embedded or external links.

DO NOT send a regular email to me.

Stories will be posted "blind"--without the author's name on them. All the story titles are literally tossed into a hat and chosen at in random order. When the poll closes after the voting week, I'll post a list of the stories and who wrote them. All entries will then be reposted in the Flash Archive with the author's byline.

NOTE: ONLY REGISTERED MEMBERS who have posted at least one message may submit a story. Without that one post, the system will not let you send a PM.

DEADLINE: Stories should be in by 9 p.m. Central Standard Time (GMT-5), Thursday, May 21, 2009. The stories will then be posted for voting at 10 p.m. Voting will close automatically on May 27 at approximately 10 p.m., GMT-5.

VOTING: You must register to vote. One vote per user. If more than two stories are tied at the end of voting, there will be a series of one-day runoff votes until a single winner is chosen or the number of winners is reduced to two.

WHAT YOU WIN: Pride, better short fiction skills, and bragging rights.



Example story, not eligible for entry:



If Only...

By:
N.J. Kailhofer



The silver chain was half buried in the autumn leaves piled against the juniper in the decorative stone next to her house. She pulled her sweater closed and stepped off the open porch toward it. The neighborhood was quiet tonight.

He saw to that, damn him.

In spite of herself, she picked it up. As much as she hated him, it wasn't the necklace's fault, even though she threw it there herself, out the door, that very day. How could a simple silver heart with an extra thin chain cause so much pain? It was such a little thing. At least, until she figured out what it meant.

"Two years." Claire blinked back tears. "Damn you, Bill."

In an instant, his face was in her memory. Green eyes that twinkled, laugh lines, and strong chin. Brown hair just starting to gray. God, how could I have been so stupid?

She shuddered. The room reeked of antiseptic and horror. A jagged scar ran across his face. Metal plates were bolted onto his skin, covering most of his head. One eye was gone, replaced with a huge, expressionless sensor. His face contorted into a scream when he saw her, but no sound came out. She ran from the hospital room, and never went back.

Why did he have to love me?

[align=center]***[/align]

"Because it will make you look even more beautiful when you wear it around your neck."

Her mouth flopped. "B-Beautiful? Me? You think I'm beautiful."

Bill's eyes were pleading. "I think the whole room lights up when you smile."

Her eyes darted around the apartment, trying to catch her breath. "I'm not beautiful."

"You are when you smile."

Dear God, what am I going to say? He has a good face, but his gut is huge. How do I tell him I'm out of his league?

She frowned. "You know I'm seeing someone, right?"

Bill shook his head. "You only go for the same type of guy you did way back in high school: lookers with tight abs and bad boy attitudes. Except they all treat you badly, and dump you. Every time. Me, I'm a different kind of guy."

She sighed. "I just don't feel that way about you. I'm sorry."

The silence was uncomfortable. Claire tried to give him the necklace back.

"No," he replied. "That's for you. If I didn't want you to have it, I wouldn't have given it to you."

He walked toward the exit, but stopped in the doorway. "I love you, and I did since the first day we met."

She sounded annoyed. "You love me? Oh, please. What do you know about love?"

She expected him to get angry, but Bill's eyes were serene, confident.

"I know love," he said. "I will never leave you."

"What?! Get out of here!" [l]Loves me! Why do all men always think they're sexy, when they are clearly not? I mean, look at him! All I wanted was a good friend. Maybe if I'm mean to him, he'll get the message.[/I]

He walked into the night, and she threw the necklace out the door after him. "There, you just left me! Stay in loser town and don't come back!"


The next day, her boyfriend dumped her for someone younger.


Three weeks later, she got the hand-written note that brought her to the Conversion Hospital: I found a way I can always be there for you, one where you can't ignore my dedication. --Bill

[align=center]***[/align]

She didn't hear the 'thumps' as it approached, absorbed in her own world. It startled her.

"Citizen, you are displaying distress. Do you require medical assistance?" It stood alongside her, a massive shiny frame that vaguely resembled a man, nearly ten feet tall. Only one side of the face still looked human. The rest was a networked machine, systemized into a grid of officers covering the city. Inside that titanium shell, he had hidden weapons, communications gear, and CPUs more powerful than a supercomputer from just a few years ago. He could fight with the power of a small army if needed.

And somewhere, deep inside, he still had a beating heart.

"Did it hurt?"

"Your question does not compute."

"Why are you everywhere I go?"

His head cocked, ever so slightly. "Unit deployment is determined by central processing."

"I know better than that."

"Citizen, do you require assistance?"

"At the mall, you're there. At the movies. When I come home at night, you're on the corner." She held up the silver chain. "Bill, it's me. You gave me this necklace. Remember? You're following me."

He was silent, studying her face and the necklace.

"Clairrrrrre," he said thickly. "Your name is Claire." His face twitched, rebooting some subroutine. "I must return to my duties. Good evening, Citizen."

Why couldn't I have figured out that I loved him too, before it was too late? Why did I have to be so selfish, so vain?

The cyborg marched back to his post on her street corner, protecting the neighborhood, watching over her with an unresting eye, day and night, whether she liked it or not.

Under her breath she asked, "Did he mean it when he said he'd never leave me?"

She bit her lip, afraid of the answer.


[align=center]The End[/align]

[kailhofer]

Five entries in so far. You're doing great on this one, gang!

[kailhofer]

Watts, check your PMs if you haven't yet. I want to make sure you saw my comment before it might be too late.