Writing 55 Fiction - Round 3

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]While the chronological gap for this latest instalment of the 55 Fiction series isn't quite as large as the previous one, only eleven months as against several years I thought it might be a bit of fun to give this a go again.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE][SIZE="1"][B]The Challenge: [/B]Write a story in 55 words or less. Well, "or fewer," to be grammatically correct, but you knew what I meant. And ideally, it would be 55 words exactly, and we wouldn't have to worry about any of this indefinite plural stuff.

[B]The Rules: [/B]The name of the game is "55 Fiction." That means

1.) You're writing a story. It should include:
[LIST=1]
[*]Setting
[*]Characters
[*]Conflict
[*]Resolution
[/LIST]

2.) You are not writing poetry, idle thoughts, or anything else that does not fit the above requirements.

Your story should be 55 words long. Hyphenated words do not count as one word ("red-orange" would be two words, not one.) Contractions do count as one. ("it is" would be two words; "it's" would be one.)

The title of your story does not count towards your word limit; however, it should be no more than seven words.

You can write horror, drama, mystery, spoof, romance, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, kids' stuff, whatever you'd like.

If you've got questions, ask.

And all I will add is this:

Keep it tasteful, guys.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

---

[SIZE="1"][INDENT][B][CENTER]Bedside Waxings[/CENTER][/B]
The halls are spotless; the passive scent of disinfectant lurks in every breath. I cradle a frail hand and dutifully study the struggle for breath in its simple grace. We are complex creatures fathoming science, philosophy, art and architecture, and yet like this we seem woefully simplistic: a whimsy of creation, perhaps just an intermission.
[/INDENT][/SIZE]

[2010DigitalBoy]

Jesus, this place must be really dead if no one's playing 55 Fiction :O

[COLOR="DarkRed"][CENTER][B]No One Lives Forever[/B][/CENTER]

He yanked his head right off his shoulders, like the pumpkin king himself, and the head in his hands grinned wildly, bemused, no doubt, at the shock that must have been written all over my face, and it spoke:

"Danny boy, you worry too much! Just accept it, and enjoy yourself! No one lives forever!"[/COLOR]

[The Final Cut]

[CENTER][B]Feeding the Fighting Inferno[/B][/CENTER]

His limp body lay there; his eyes stared back at me as the explosive clanked down the shaft, and all the way to the core. I closed my eyes, and in the mist of the end, waited for the world to take its final curtain call.

For them to survive, I'll pay the ultimate price.

[silpheedpilot]

[CENTER][SIZE="1"][COLOR="SlateGray"][B]Ragnar The Merciful[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/CENTER]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="SlateGray"]Long ago, across the country side, Ragnar The Merciless sowed destruction and havoc in his wake. Today is a different time and Ragnar is a different man. He tells his grand daughter a bedtime story before retiring to his own rocking chair, and with a gentle sigh Ragnar closes his eyes and begins falling asleep.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Dmitri_Dragoon]

[CENTER][COLOR="navy"][SIZE="2"][FONT="Georgia"]Merely a Glitch[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[SIZE="2"][FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="Navy"]The alarm sounded and the engineer quickly made his way down into the steam-filled engine room. It never failed that when he was eating that something would go wrong. Finding nothing wrong in the gauges and print-outs he reported to the captain that the alarm set off by a mere a glitch.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Would be nice to get this moving along again. Will never hurt to try.


[center][B]The New King[/B]

Someone has to stop him. His eyes show no fear, but my heart harbors no quit.
We engage once more, there's a quick sting to my left. My teeth clench.
It's time, a rocket fueled swing from above.
His sweat emblazons my fist as his battered crimson body decorates the mat.
Now I reign supreme. [/center][/FONT]