Written for The Friday Fictioneers. A story about paranoia, or not, begins after the photo.
Genre: Science Fiction/Humor
Photo by: Dawn Q. Landau
Prelude To Invasion
“That wasn’t here, yesterday,” scowled Colonel Horton.
“You must be mistaken,” said General Mays. “That shack is obviously old.”
“But it could’ve moved somehow,” said Horton. “A clever disguise for a spy.”
Mays rolled his eyes at the Colonel’s legendary paranoia. “Aren’t you over thinking this?”
“Ever hear of a decorator crab?”
“Sure. They build a disguise.”
“Exactly!”
Mays smirked. “It would have to be a giant alien decorator crab.”
“We must prepare for all possibilities.”
Mays chuckled. “Yes of course.” and he guided the wayward Colonel away.
Behind them, a 9-foot eyestalk emerged from the sand to observe.
___________________________
Decorator Crab
Each week, The Friday Fictioneers gather from all parts of the world to imagine and create 100 words from a photo prompt. Won’t you participate in this punchy pictorial perusal? Here’s this week’s prompt page: http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/10-january-2013/
The works of this week’s intrepid writers may be found below:
EagleAye
Momus News 
Giant, alien crabs with awesome disguises… methinks we might be in trouble.
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We definitely could be, or maybe the cost of canned crab will go down, waaay down. 😉 Thanks so much for stopping in, Adam!
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=]
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Hehe. Thanks, Jules.
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Great take on this one. I thought myself that it is perfect for a sci-fi story — only I haven’t had any time to think of one. I like yours though.
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Oh, and I love the decorator crab photo. I’ve never seen one before.
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Decorator crabs are amazing creatures. They all look different of course because they stick whatever they can find to themselves. They even use man-made items if a lot are around. Looking a photo is sometimes difficult because they blend into the background so well.
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Thank you kindly. I’ll be looking for your story whether it is scifi or not. Thanks for visiting!
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They’re out there!!
janet
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Take cover! The crabs are coming. 😀
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Ha! Giant crabs! Fun story.
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Cool. Glad you liked it. Thanks for writing in. 🙂
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YOW! LOL! This makes Creature From the Black Lagoon look like Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm!
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Hehe. Yeah, it ate the Creature the day before. Good to see you again, Linda. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
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Yikes! Alien giant crabs! Run for the hills! Nice bit of writing!
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Quick! Arm yourselves with crab mallets and packets of crab boil! Hehe. Thanks for stopping in and commenting. 🙂
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Funny and horrifying… nicely balanced
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Thank you Sandra!
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The last line is a killer! And I love the decorator crab–never knew of it before. Thanks for educating me 🙂
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My pleasure. I’m an avid fan of Animal Planet and other such things. I pick up this stuff all the time. Glad you enjoyed the story, and thanks for stopping in. 🙂
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Mmmm, I love crab claws. Such delicious meat, and one of those crab claws would feed a family of four. Your imagination knows no bounds 🙂
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Me too. Crab meat dipped in melted garlic butter is just heaven to me. These invading crabs may be scary, but the hapless aliens don’t know just how much we “love” crab! 😉
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paranoia can save lives! funny story. and thanks for the decorator crab photo.what a gorgeous creature 🙂
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Hehe. It’s not paranoia if they “are” out to get you! Decorator crabs are really interesting. I’m glad I could share my fascination of nature with others. Thanks so much for your visit! 🙂
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NICE! Very original work, darling! You went where no one else did, for sure.
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After all the star trek I’ve watched I should know how to “go where no one has gone before.” I’m happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for your thoughts!
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Maybe they can be trained to do salvage and restoration work after hurricanes! It is a big business.
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You are right! They could be really handy for that. Clean up after Tsunamis too. These guys could be a real benefit. Thanks for writing in, Joe!
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Oh That big crab scared me ! Imagining aliens from other planets in the form of crabs don’t seems like a good idea 😉
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They can be scary, but then imagine them shelled and dipped in melted garlic butter, and they don’t seem scary anymore. C’mon crabs, we gotta lot of hungry folks over here. 😉 Thanks so much for reading!
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Oo-er! The Attack of the Giant Crabs. I won’t sleep tonight.
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Scary stuff, eh? They’ll not succeed if the Colonel has his way. Thanks for stopping in and commenting!
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Decorator crabs are real or your your imagination. That image is gorgeous. Story is superb. Always enjoy your stories.
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Decorator crabs are real. Hard to find because they stick pieces of the environment to themselves. However, giant alien decorator crabs…yeah, that’s me. 😉 Thanks much, Indira. I’m always happy to hear your thoughts.
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How amazing. Thanks for always giving us some new news.
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It’s my pleasure to share the natural world with all its wonders. 🙂
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Dear Eric,
I’m certain that you’re certifiable. Please don’t change. 😉 The nine-foot eyestalk got me. A little reminiscent of the giant Sta-Puff Marshmallow man. Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha! Don’t worry, I don’t intend too. I can see the connection, both are good to eat. Glad you had fun, and thanks so much for writing in!
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Listen to Horton, General!
The colonel has a nice “told you so” coming up as the giant alien crabs devour the world 🙂
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A quite large I told you so, I think. But don’t worry, the crabs won’t succeed because of the good Colonel and the high market price for crab meat. Those crabs don’t know what they’re walking into! Thanks for stopping in!
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I liked your story, but I have to say that the photo of the crab really made me chuckle!
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Hehe. It’s a cool crab isn’t it? Thanks for stopping in!
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Now that would be one big crab! Crab boil! Wait, not a pot big enough. Darn it. 🙂
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Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The LA football stadium isn’t being used is it? 😉 Thanks for swinging by!
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Eric, the mere idea of a giant crab like this, terrifies me. I wish the Colonel were simply paranoid. I’d feel lot better! “-/
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Yikes. Then there’s certain old Ray Harryhausen films you should never watch. I think I’m a product of the age I grew up in with giant crabs running around and bronze statues that come to life. Don’t worry, the colonel’s got it under control. Thanks for stopping to write in!
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I grew up with those movies too! I think every time I see a tarantula, I envision them coming over a hill and attacking! 😉 Well done.
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Oh yeah, great old movies.
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Those old black and white thrillers (giant grasshoppers, crabs, spiders, space people…) were the thrill of my young weekends… and now, give me the creeps. :-p
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Is there a nuclear plant nearby? Or, what about alien sightings? Good story and Thanks! Nan
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Thanks Nan! The Airforce wasn’t sharing info on the vehicle it tracked that crashed into the Pacific. Inter-service rivalry, you know. Luckily, Army Colonel Horton has a sharp eye. He’ll be sponsoring a base-wide crab boil before long. 😉 Thanks for stopping in, Nan!
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9-ft eyestalk? LOL Glad I didn’t run into one of those! I’ve never heard of a Decorator Crab–truth IS stranger than fiction!
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hehe. Yeah, this is a VERY big crab. Decorator crabs are amazing animals. A scientist put one in a tank with only man-made objects and sure enough, the crab used whatever was handy. Nature is a fascinating thing. The more we explore it the more amazed we become.
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Yes, we are!
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Decorator crabs, huh? Lol
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Hehe. Strange creatures aren’t they?
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