Summer 2015 Short Story Contest

[Respubliko de Libereco]

Not that length'll be a huge part of my judging process, of course.

I wouldn't expect you to judge on the basis of length other than whether it's appropriate for the amount of content.

That's what I meant.

[The Grey Wolf]

Count me in.

Now I just have to write up something and hope it's not shit...

[Helbardia]

Your choice, I guess.



That could be fun

Everything is better when the Monitor shows up.

Except the south

[Helbardia]

It was tempting cos I do like the story, but it feels dishonest to exploit my role as host like that. Besides which, I already had a back-up plan if I can't get it down to 6000 words, and the back-up story is fun in its own way. They both involve the U.S.S. Monitor, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Personally, I think that even 6000 words is a bit high. Combined, my three past entries have a total word count of 4178, and while I recognize that my stories are unusually short, I still think that 3000 words should be more than enough for this sort of contest.

*boo hiss* Beware the coming of the dark prince is at hand as was foretold in the prophecy!

You will know him by his preference for shorter fiction instead of longer fiction; truly he is the most hated and feared enemy of all mankind.

to me short story should mean a duology.

[Nazi Flower Power]

Everything is better when the Monitor shows up.

Except the south

No, I am pretty sure the South is better with monitors in it.

[Nerotysia]

Oh, finally! F*ck you, Spring of 2015! You're such a failure we didn't even bother with you.

Just write up a short story about anything and everything your heart desires, it doesn't have to be limited to anything, and post it here (in spoilers).

So, anything my heart desires? Even a hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece featuring a hot knouting scene?

[The High Lords]

Oh, finally! F*ck you, Spring of 2015! You're such a failure we didn't even bother with you.

Just write up a short story about anything and everything your heart desires, it doesn't have to be limited to anything, and post it here (in spoilers).

So, anything my heart desires? Even a hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece featuring a hot knouting scene?

Well sure! It's certainly within your power to do so, and there's nothing stopping you from posting anything you want.

You had just better be prepared for any... consequences... that might be incurred. But I would assume you'd take those kinds of things into account when coming up with a plot.

(Short answer: no, not that!)

[Respubliko de Libereco]

Oh, finally! F*ck you, Spring of 2015! You're such a failure we didn't even bother with you.

Just write up a short story about anything and everything your heart desires, it doesn't have to be limited to anything, and post it here (in spoilers).

So, anything my heart desires? Even a hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece featuring a hot knouting scene?

Sure, if it's a PG-13 hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece.

[New Kvenland]

Oh, finally! F*ck you, Spring of 2015! You're such a failure we didn't even bother with you.


So, anything my heart desires? Even a hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece featuring a hot knouting scene?

Sure, if it's a PG-13 hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece.

That'd be tough to manage, methinks

[Kannap]

Sure, if it's a PG-13 hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece.

That'd be tough to manage, methinks

Anything is possible if you just believe

[The New World Oceania]

Oh, finally! F*ck you, Spring of 2015! You're such a failure we didn't even bother with you.


So, anything my heart desires? Even a hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece featuring a hot knouting scene?

Sure, if it's a PG-13 hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece.

Look, I judged once and I just don't think any of the judges want to have to read hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpieces.

[Respubliko de Libereco]

That'd be tough to manage, methinks

Anything is possible if you just believe

Case in point.
I will never pass up an opportunity to link to that.

[Nazi Flower Power]

Anything is possible if you just believe

Case in point.
I will never pass up an opportunity to link to that.

That is disturbingly similar to some of the imagery I am planning to use in my story.

[Respubliko de Libereco]

Case in point.
I will never pass up an opportunity to link to that.

That is disturbingly similar to some of the imagery I am planning to use in my story.

CSS Virginia/USS Monitor?

Two navies, both alike in dignity,
In fair Atlantic, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil war makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal ranks of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers choose to sink;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their wrecks begin to mend the link.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their makers' rage,
Which, but their flagships' end, nought could remove,
Is now the "shipping" traffic of my page;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, my toil shall strive to mend.

[Nazi Flower Power]

That is disturbingly similar to some of the imagery I am planning to use in my story.

CSS Virginia/USS Monitor?

Yes...

Two navies, both alike in dignity,
In fair Atlantic, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil war makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal ranks of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers choose to sink;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their wrecks begin to mend the link.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their makers' rage,
Which, but their flagships' end, nought could remove,
Is now the "shipping" traffic of my page;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, my toil shall strive to mend.

But not really like that. You will see soon enough.

[Nerotysia]

Oh, finally! F*ck you, Spring of 2015! You're such a failure we didn't even bother with you.


So, anything my heart desires? Even a hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece featuring a hot knouting scene?

Sure, if it's a PG-13 hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece.

Ah, okay. So how many curse words am I allowed to have before I begin scarring children forever?

Sure, if it's a PG-13 hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpiece.

Look, I judged once and I just don't think any of the judges want to have to read hardcore BDSM pornographic masterpieces.

Well fine then, Mr. Victorian prude, oppress my sadistic genius. Next you're going to be telling me the Marquis de Sade wasn't the best writer in the history of the world.

[Bezombia]

Ah, okay. So how many curse words am I allowed to have before I begin scarring children forever?

3

[Laerod]

Offering up myself as a back up judge.

[Nazi Flower Power]

Offering up myself as a back up judge.

Cool.

[The New Greek Republic]

Can I go ahead and post story?

[The High Lords]

Can I go ahead and post story?

I don't see why not. Will it be your final version, ready for judging?

[The New Greek Republic]

I don't see why not. Will it be your final version, ready for judging?

Yes it would.

[Nazi Flower Power]

I don't see why not. Will it be your final version, ready for judging?

Yes it would.

Go for it.

[The New Greek Republic]

In my time of mortality, I was a devout holy man. I lived a life of a true Christian, giving he who made me sincere praise on each and every single Day of Sabbath. However, in that same mortal life I did once sin. On a trek that carried me far from my beloved, I came across a fair-skinned harlot who did offer me the dirty pleasures of a common sinner. My resistance was little and feign as her persistence strengthened, I did soon succumb to her devilish enticement and laid with her against my rational thinking. I asked for forgiveness from he who created me, and kept in between me and God, withholding it from my beloved. But upon my day of judgement, it was clear that my prayer for forgiveness was not answered. And at the time that I came in front of God himself after my mortal life had reached it's end, he said simply "You shall find that sin is not relieved, even in death." and and he did cast me to my eternal damnation.
My arrival to the eternal pit of fire, otherwise known as Hell, was met by scolding from Satan himself. For when I fell from Heaven, I fell into his hand and he clenched me so tightly that I couldn't budge so much an inch. He took a deep inhale through his nose and with a evil grin spoke, "For you, he who betrays the one who loves you's trust, I do loathe to punish." As he threw me into a pool of fire with other damned souls. The pain was instantaneously unbearable, being burned to death without death ever coming, it is an almost inconceivable idea for any mortal, and impossible to simulate by any being. I stayed in this inferno for a time of such length, that I can not recall the exact amount I was inside. Unlike the other souls who constantly screamed in pain and angst while drowning in the fire, I swam in this lake of heat. I swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out of my punishment. I stood on the molten ground that adorns hell, and heard Satan call out "WHO DARES TO EMANCIPATE THEIR SOUL FROM THE PIT OF ETERNAL FIRE?", the ground rumbled and the fire from the pool I had just clawed my way out of had risen higher than any structure in the living world. As quickly as I could blink, the Incarnation of All Evil appeared before me.
"Your soul is unlike the others of this prison, it believes that it belongs in the Land of Salvation." He said wickedly.
"Unlike the others who have come to terms with their sin and consequent damnation, you proceed to pretend that you are still holy." He slowly walked towards me, the ground shaking violently, as if it was being torn apart with his every step.
"How can a holy man be cast into damnation by the holiest of them all? For you are not what you perceive you are, you are damned and thou shall be treated as such!" He screamed in a most deafening shriek, grabbing me by the throat and slamming my through the ground, and deeper into Hell.
Thus, no longer was this Hell illuminated by fire. No longer was this Hell accompanied by the smell of brimstone. No, not at all. This new Hell was dark. A dark unknown to the living. This Hell was accompanied with the smell of rotten flesh and the screams of the eternally tortured with wicked laughter by it's side. Whispering surrounded me, suddenly that whispering became fully audible and right in my ear. The constant reminder of my sin on that fateful night with that damn harlot. Her voice beckoned inside my head. Her pleading and temptation was consistent, with overlapping voices that repeated in my head until I was ready to rip my own ears from my skull, I screamed louder than I have ever screamed before in my life. As quickly as the voices began, they stopped and I felt a cold breath on my neck. I reached behind me but felt nothing, however the cold breath was now on my face.
"Damned Soul," It beckoned. "why is it that you insist you are holy and you deserve Salvation?"
"Who's there? Is you Devil?" I asked frantically.
"I am not Lucifer. I am one that you can trust, for I am you."
"You are me?"
"Yes. I am you, I am everyone. Now please, answer my question, Damned One."
"My whole life was dedicated to God, and my life was pristine and pure." I said. "If one night of failure constitutes my eternal damnation, where is the harlot who swindled me? For she had many a night of Holy failure."
"This I can not tell, Damned One, but for you did not sin but one night. You sinned that night and every night from thereon, Damned One."
"DO NOT CALL ME DAMNED, I AM HOLY, I AM OF GOD NOT THE DEVIL." I yelled towards the entity.
"But where has your soul been destined? Are you not in Hell? Are you not in the Land of the Damned?" It calmly replied.
"Wrongfully."
"God has betrayed you then, for no soul shall be wrongfully damned."
"It is not God who betrayed me, it is I who betrayed God, Lost Soul." I admittedly said.
"And now you are damned."
"NO. There must be some sort of salvation left here."
"For there is not, poor soul. The only salvation in Hell is the lowest level of Hell, being a servant to Satan himself."
"I will not stand for that!" I shouted. "I will fight Satan with my bare hands if I must!"
"For you have a strong will, I can help."
"What can you do for me, a truly damned soul?" I asked.
After a moment of silence, a faint light appeared, resentful of gravity. It grew to the brightness of a lantern in the mortal world.
"Take this, for it will be the only light you have in this darkness." The voice spoke to me. "Be brisk and avoid other souls for they are not as friendly as I have been."
"Thank you kind one, I will eternally be grateful."
"One last thing. For when you come into the presence of the Lord of Evil, do not pray for God, as it is not God who will help you. God is not in existence in Hell."
"May I ask where I'm at right now?"
"You, Damned One, are in Hell of course." The voice said as the cold breath left, and I was left to assume my journey. My journey for salvation.

I walked deeper into the perilous darkness that enveloped me. My lantern giving visibility of only a few feet ahead of me was only minimally useful. This was truly a place of loneliness, I determined Lucifer designed it to drive one to lonesome madness. I could only speak to myself, despite hearing voices of others, I knew I would not encounter another soul in this, the Sea of Black that I've been thrust into. I called out to Satan, for I knew my only hope of escaping the dark prison is to speak to it's creator.
"DEVIL!" I shouted. "IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL PUNISHMENT. YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWING ME FREEDOM FROM THE FIRES. THIS IS NOT A HELL, THIS IS A SANCTUARY. YOU ARE A FAILED DEVIL, YOU ARE A COMMON DEMON. WHERE IS THE REAL SATAN FOR HE CAN SURELY DESIGN MORE TORTUOUS HELLS THAN THIS."
The air around me heated, the ground turned read, rumbling and groaning kept me off balance as the ground fell beneath me. I fell for what seemed to be a life time, falling right into a third level of Hell. I landed horizontally on a trail of spikes, impaling me on every part of my body, this was an immense pain, I can not explain this pain to you, as I could not explain it to myself. I wanted to die a second death but I knew I must go on.
"For your will is unmatched, so will be your misery" I heard Satan's voice in my head tell me as I walked the trail of spikes. Each step would impale my feet but my will remained unfazed as I neared my only hope for salvation.
"Your path to me will not be this easy for you, you must prove to be a worthy entrant to face me in my kingdom." Lucifer said to me as the spikes retracted into the ground and a beast of Hellish creation stood in my way.
This beast had eyes of scarlet red, and looked like a dog in the mortal world. But this was not a worldly beast. No, this creature's growl and bark shook the ground I stood on, it's breath was fire and the saliva of this monstrosity was pure blood. Unlike anything I've ever seen, this hound of hell barked, it's bark so loud it would cause deafness in any living soul, it then began to charge at me. My faith stood strong and I did not budge even an inch, for I was not afraid of dying a second death at this moment. The beast leaped towards me, with obvious intent of harm. I fell to the ground and the hellhound soared over me. I stood back up and the beast ran to me once more, I lifted my arms to catch it and I grabbed it by the throat, I slammed it to the ground, digging my nails into it's throat, I pulled and ripped out whatever was the inside of this creature's neck. Maggots and other ghastly pests crawled out of it's wound. As soon as I stood up once more, the spikes returned, impaling my feet and the hellhound, which had now completely disappeared to my dismay. I continued my painful journey until, finally, the spikes retracted once more and I neared a gate. There was an emblem on this gate, one of Satan's face and a voice asked for the reason for my presence.
"I am a wrongfully damned soul, come here to talk to the Lord of the Underworld." I told the voice.
"Turn back, there is no wrongfully damned in Satan's Kingdom."
"I will not do anything of the sort, for I am here for Satan's head."
"Which one." The voice said and the gate slowly opened.
This gate, the Gate to Hell, the true hell, opened to reveal a monster beyond what any of you could ever imagine. A three headed beast, one of a lion and one of bull adorning the center head of a dragon. Long necks accenting the heads, with the the body structure of a dragon, muscular like a bull, and the paws and tail of a lion. Each head breathing out fire from it's mouth. Without asking I knew this was Satan. This is what I've been waiting for.
"DEVIL." I said. "I'VE COME FOR YOU."
"You've found me, what is it you want?"
"I WANT SALVATION, I WANT YOU TO SEND ME TO HEAVEN, FOR MY DAMNATION WAS WRONGFULLY CAST."
With a wicked laugh, the beast spoke "If you can defeat me, Damned One, I will send you back to Heaven for you to be judged once more." it said to me, "But if you can't, you will be sent to a personal limbo, doomed to live your days in loneliness with no hope of Heaven nor Hell."
"You must give me something to fight you with then Beast."
"If I recall, I heard you say you'd fight me with your bare hands. So that is what I give you."
With that, the dragon head breathed out a barrage of fire, which I dived out the way. I scanned across the landscape for something to help me in the battle but, alas, Satan had made sure I was at obvious disadvantage. With another breath of fire, and more avoidance on my part, I ran out of the way of the fire, but the beast's paw had stepped right of me. With an unexpected obstacle in the way, I had run into it's paw. In my moment of trying to get around, the head of the Lion came down and enveloped me. Before I knew what was happening, I had already been eaten by the lion. Using my hand, however, I dug my nails into the tongue of the Lion and caught myself. Darkness surrounded me, unaware if I was in limbo yet or not I called upon the light given to me by the Poor Soul I met in the Sea of Black. Slowly illuminating, it revealed to me I was still inside the Lion's mouth. At the back of it's throat actually. I held my position for quite some time but it came apparent to me that I was overmatched. I had no hope for success.
"Devil. I surrender. For you have proven to be stronger than my will. I beg of you to end this battle."
With a evil laugh, Satan replied, "For I bid you a sincere farewell, you proved your will to be strong. As I said before, I loathe that I must punish you."

My next memory comes in darkness. Away from Satan, away from screams, away from all the punishments of Hell. But also away from the paradise of Heaven. I walked for what I'm sure was ages. This is what I was destined for by Satan, not God. God had given me a place. But I was too stubborn to accept my sin and consequent damnation, now I only seek either Heaven or Hell. I seek the classification of having an afterlife. I seek God, I seek Satan. I seek Salvation, and I seek Damnation. Now, after all this dreadful travel, I am tired. This was the price of sin. But I think I can see a light not too far from here, and so I tell you my friend, my journey is not yet over. Now, I have to go. I can hear it calling me. As for when you retell my tale, know I am the one they call "Jericho."

[Helbardia]

Man I should have just posted mine immediately like I talked about, now I'm looking at it and having my inevitable "Baaaaw, everything sucks, I'm a horrible writer; why even live? *slash wrists*" reaction.

Does writing make anyone else bipolar? I typically either look at what I've written and depending on when I look at it think "I am a shining golden god!" or "I'm so embarrassed and ashamed I could die."