A Delayed Decision

Dalton Blakesley looked out over the English Coast. He turned to a tall fellow he knew as Jordan. 

“You can really fix this time loop I’m stuck in?”

“We can,” said Jordan. “Our technology is that advanced.”

Dalton had relived the same three days for a month already, and now the repeats could end. But that meant no more flying a Spitfire in a peacetime world, flying for the sheer joy of it. No longer would he meet Sharon, the sparks of love, flashing between them. No more waking up in bliss beside her. 

“Can you come back in another month?”

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2022/01/12/14-january-2022/

Author’s Notes:

I don’t know if anyone out there is unfamiliar with the Supermarine Spitfire. Here’s one just in case. This is a Mark XVI, a late model Spitfire still with a Merlin engine and its distinctive sound.

Fat and Juicy

In an old Chinatown lab, Arleigh said, “This Universal Translator is incredible.”

A turkey wandering the lab said, “Gobble-gobble.”

The translator beeped and intoned, “More food!”

Preston held up a device. “That’s nothing. This Genifier will switch on the ancient genes of any organism. Soon we’ll have a bigger, fat and juicy turkey for Thanksgiving. Now the setting.”

“Not for 65-million,” warned Arleigh. “We don’t want a T-Rex.”

“Do I look stupid? 20-million, of course.”

“Wait, there’s still…”

*poof*

In the turkey’s place stood an eight-foot tall Terror Bird. It gazed at them and squawked.

 The translator intoned, “Mmm. Fat and juicy!”

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/11/24/26-november-2021/

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it. 

Author’s Notes:

Terror Birds: “Phorusrhacids, colloquially known as terror birds, are an extinct clade of large carnivorous flightless birds that were one of the largest species of apex predators in South America during the Cenozoic era; their conventionally accepted temporal range covers from 62 to 1.8 million years (Ma) ago…They ranged in height from 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft).”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacidae

The Battle Plan

Photo by: Jennifer Pendergast

General Hawkins spoke on the phone as he walked through the creche of Earth’s last-living humans. “We’re out of time. We’ll never survive the alien assault.”

Just then, a little girl pulled his sleeve and pointed to toys she’d arranged upon a geometric pattern.

“Joan, don’t bother the General.” Her father smiled shyly at Hawkins. “She plays ‘General’ with her toys.”

Hawkins squinted at the familiar topography, his heart beating faster. “Those aren’t toys.”

“Huh?”

“They represent our only completed stealth tank, finding a gap in the alien defenses.”

“What?”

Hawkins grinned. “Your daughter’s battle plan may have just saved all humanity.”

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/11/03/5-november-2021/

An Overabundance Of Courage

Unmanned probes “maybe” found life in Jupiter. Nothing was certain, and this brought fearless entrepreneur and adventurer, Jeb Newcastle into the orbit of Jupiter.

The press took pictures as Newcastle stood before his probe.

“The first mission should be unmanned,” muttered Genelle.

“It’s too dangerous,” warned Chang.

Newcastle grinned for the cameras. “Because of what? Microbial life? Don’t be daft!”

Hours later, Genelle and Chang watched the camera feeds as Newcastle’s probe dove.

“There’s one now,” crowed Newcastle. “Lovely! Oh my, it’s quite lar…”

When the feed cut, Genelle sighed, “Well, Jupiter has life.”

Chang nodded, “And its got huge teeth.” 

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/10/27/29-october-2021/

Culture Shock

Evan had come a long way from his remote Appalachian home. Heck, as early as 2137, he was first in town to own a cell phone. And now he visited the big city of Harper’s Ferry to board a starship bound for Earth’s newest space colony. 

He stared up at the glass tubing and the lights in wonder. What incredible technology! Since the aliens shared their technology, humans traveled the stars. This spaceship demonstrated the aliens’ high tech. “Them aliens shoor make a mighty perty ship,” he said.

“Not yet,” said his guide, sighing. “This is just the shopping mall.”

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/09/22/24-september-2021/

The Bane Of Communication

I haven’t been posting much lately. Sorry about that. I had been writing so intensely for so long, I guess I suffered from a certain amount of burnout. I needed a change for a little while. I didn’t have writer’s block, mind you, the creative juices still flow. I just needed to give them another outlet for bit. Add to it, I hate this new wordpress writing interface. It’s desperately inefficient, and it doesn’t make writing any more fun. I’ll try to get used to it.

Enough of that. On with the story!

Jace and Palmer stood at a place where heated water had broken through Europa’s icy crust. Earth’s colony to Jupiter’s moon was making a tremendous discovery.

“I’ve found intelligent life!” cheered Jace.

“No way,” said Palmer.

“It’s true, and we can communicate. Watch!” 

Jace held out his cell phone. A silvery tentacle reached out of the water and began typing. It wrote. “You back.”

“Incredible!” said Palmer. 

The tentacle typed more and wrote, “I hated you back.”

“But it hates us already,” groaned Palmer.

“But why?” Jace asked the creature.

The tentacle typed again, frantically. “Hoped, I mean. Damned spellcheck!”

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/08/04/6-august-2021/

The Welcoming Present

Photo by: Anne Higa

Aliens Ixtlan and Yltec stood beneath the micro-brewery’s broken pipe, fish-like mouths agape to catch the torrent of fluid. Up until now, the highly touted human beer hadn’t impressed, but this was different.

“Amazing!” said Ixtlan. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.” 

“Their best beer to date,” cheered Ytlec.

“And they’re just giving it away for free!”

“This is the best welcoming present humans have ever given us.”

Meanwhile, one floor above, Bill examined their work carefully. “I think we’ve almost got it now.”

“About perfect,” said Bob. 

Bill nodded. “Yep. Another flush and this toilet clog will be gone.”

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/04/14/15-april-2021/

What Really Happened

Photo by: Jennifer Pendergast

Huntsman Jurgen found the missing children in the witch’s gingerbread house. Safe and comfortable, Hansel and Gretel were cutting vegetables at the table.

“She wanted to fatten us up on candy, then eat us,” said Hansel.

“Not for us,” said Gretel. “We prefer meat.”

“We took care of her,” said Hansel. “She’s gone now.” 

“Let’s go home, then,” said Jurgen.

“We’ll stay here for now,” said Hansel. “There’s plenty to eat.”

The children seemed safe and in control, so Jurgen turned to leave.

“One question,” said Gretel. “Hypothetically speaking, is it better to boil ‘leg of witch,’ or roast it?

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/03/31/2-april-2021/

The New Guy

Photo by: Dale Rogerson

“The portal!” shouted Valeleaf, flying his moth straight into the streetlamp.

It’s just a streetlamp,” called Thistlehorn.

He sighed. Secret missions into the human world were tough enough, but their portal back home had moved. Add to it, Fae knew in their bones lights were signs of powerful magic. And they couldn’t resist charging any light. In the human world, lights meant little.

“There!”

“Porch light.”

“That one!”

“Tattoo Parlor.”

Thistlethorn sighed. He knew where the portal moved to. He could only imagine the frenzy when the new guy saw millions of lights in Times Square for the first time.

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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/03/24/26-march-2021/

The Strongest Defense

Photo by: Roger Bultot

Brzilit’Ang walked with his bags up the stairs to his apartment. He stripped out of his human shell and unfurled ten tentacles. At the hyperspace signalling computer, he sent a message to the invasion fleet:

Earth defenses still too powerful. Delay imperative.

That done, Brzilit’Ang opened the bag full of various human alcohols. In truth, the invasion fleet could overrun Earth in a New York minute, but Earth did have a strong defense: a dizzying array of wonderful drinks to sample.

He picked up a bottle of Jagermeister. Oh yes, Earth would be too hardy to attack for many decades to come.
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Written for the Friday Fictioneers: https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/03/03/3-march-2021/

Author’s Notes:

Just in case, you’re unfamiliar: Jagermeister is a crazy-tasting booze, not unlike cough-syrup, popular with those unfamiliar with alcohol and common at college suarees. When I was far younger, you were cool if you had drank Jagermeister.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A4germeister