Bloodlines Gone Sprinting
My name is Chanuka. I bake under the sun 6 days a week, with the exception of Sunday. My job doesn’t reap me too many benefits. I hate my boss too, and I put…
A Touch of Madness
I think it's safe to say that usually the creative and intelligent walk a fine line between genius and insanity, if not occasionally crossing that line. Sometimes I get the feeling that society doesn't like the peculiar nature of the creative and intelligent, that we need to be "dealt with" somehow. _*Your challenge:*_ write a segment or two detailing a measure taken by society to restrain the creative and intelligent. Make it outlandish, make it subtle; tell it from a general perspective, or tell it from a personal point of view. Do whatever works. Keepin mind, y'gotta month. Plenty of time, I'd say. Have at it! And remember: good luck, Godspeed, "Force be with you," _feliz navidad,_ etc., etc., etc.
Challengers
50 entriesMorning Treat
Ryan paces into the living room, Jessica sits in the breakfast nook, silent like only a woman can be moments before an argument. Living together for only two…
Last Pattern in the Sand
The sun slips toward the distant waterline as the tide starts to rise. I calmly mix more water and sand and let it dribble between my fingers to form another…
Little girl Sammy
Sammy was just a little girl with eyes as bright as spring. She could laugh for hours at a time, and she had always loved to sing. Her mother was a little odd…
The Inquisition
Darkness is what I see. Not the men in suits, or the torrent of ice cold water headed for my face. All I see is the dark inside of the black sac they have…
Name Allocation Service
The more-than-attractive woman twinkled at him from behind the glass screen. Her seat had been adjusted so that she was the exact same height as all of her…
Smart Mouth
It wasn’t so much the fist that hurt, balled up fingers with with just a trace of fine black hair on the knuckles, to be honest, I barely felt it. It was the…
Called to the Principal's Office
Ah, Clint come in please. You can shut the door. Now you may or may not know why I called you in here. I must inform you that your actions today will influence…
What I got for Chrismiss
December 23rd It is nearly here. The orderlies tell us that we are for life, not just for Christmas, but that is the day they will dress us in our finest and…
Dear Jic, Grant, and Ron,
I wanted a tattoo. And it would describe: I am pissed off! The rest of my friends are getting jobs and acting as busy as I could possibly notice, and they got…
That Creative Spark
Today, Janice was released from the beige. The Cognisceitti Mental Facility looked like nothing quite so much as the computers of her youth: a monotone…
To Reach, To Touch I
“You need me,” she said, looking down at him. He was tired, more than that, exhausted, drained almost past his limits. “Cassy...” he said, the beginning of the…
Speeding
Jim raced down the expressway, as he often did after a draining day at the grind. He mentally gave the finger to his workplace, his daily prison, as he glared…
There are No Words
He lay back against the pristine white bed sheets, closed his eyes and tried to remember. It wasn’t always like this, he was sure of it. People used to see the…
yes
They turned up the music. Not so someone would notice. Enough so that she couldn’t put the next word in place. She could see the words struggling to remain…
The Living Word
James removed the sterling silver Cross pen from the mahogany box with reverence. He sat for a moment and relished the feel of the cold metal in the cleft…
Advances in Science (A Touch of Madness challenge entry)
The young scientist was walking slowly around the nameless patient while explaining the helmet’s abilities to the old politician. “As you can see,” the young…
Forbidden Passage
We weren’t allowed to study it in class. A classic. One of the best. But it had that word in it--so it wasn’t taught. It remained in the school library…
Paint to Live
I’ve never been able to fight the creative impulse. It’s an urge that hits me as fiercely as hunger or thirst. If I can’t paint, I starve. Of course, if I do…
I Know Now
I am from the future. I know this may sound specious, but let me explain. In the future, time travel to the past is possible, but seldom employed. In the…