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Everyday Drabbles #688: Remote Mission

March 4, 2022

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The four technicians took their places and checked the fittings on their gloves. Above them, the solar model glowed orange even through their tinted masks.
Millions of miles away, their movements would be precisely mirrored by the massive drones deployed to catch the runaway debris.
They were only going to get one chance. Even a single spent fuel rod or chunk of hull reaching the Sun’s core would create a chain reaction that would doom the solar system. They got to work.
When it was over, and they’d saved the world, they celebrated with the most epic high-five ever recorded.

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Everyday Drabbles #687: Space Probe

March 3, 2022

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Mission control was filled with tension as the space probe launched. All systems showed green. There was an air of heady anticipation as the instruments powered up and began to gather data.
They had spent years of work and vast sums to get the probe into space, but the data it would provide would revolutionize astrophysics. Readings started coming in, and the scientists’ faces fell. They made no sense. The probe, they concluded, must be faulty.
Elsewhere, far beyond human perception, dwelt the Cosmic Giants.
“Hey, want to see me juggle?” One asked, and scooped up a trio of galaxies.

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Everyday Drabbles #686: Overgrown Station

March 2, 2022

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She climbed through the abandoned train station, the cat always just a few steps ahead. The platform had a tree growing out of it, and the tracks were obscured by underbrush.
She heard the whistle and watched the train pull in, unhindered by the plant life covering the tracks. The train was an antique, painted white and green. She couldn’t make out the destination.
The doors opened and the cat sauntered onboard. She followed and took a seat with a threadbare cushion. She looked out the window and saw the ghosts of the station’s past waving as they steamed away.

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Everyday Drabbles #684: Fire Cat

February 28, 2022

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The wizard’s cat was on fire.
It didn’t seem distressed. It just sat placidly and groomed itself. But the guest watched as pale flames and smoke rose from its back.
The wizard returned to the sitting room, the tea tray following behind with military precision.
“Do you know that your familiar is on fire?”
The mage smiled indulgently. “That’s just an experiment. Elemental pets are going to be the next big thing.”
“Elemental pets?”
“Oh, yes. I have an outstanding grass dog growing out back as well.”
The cat rubbed up against the back of a chair, setting it alight.

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Everyday Drabbles #683: Parry

February 27, 2022

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The swordswoman’s manager threw down the advanced copy of the magazine in disgust. “Your form is all wrong,” he said. “And those clothes. They’re so impractical!”
Aubrey rolled her eyes as she practiced with a pell. “It was a cover shoot for Parry, Leroy. Of course it was posed. And what’s wrong with my outfit?”
“You’re an idol to millions of young girls. I worry you’ll give them bad ideas.”
She made a series of cuts with her practice sword, then pivoted, stopping the blade centimeters from the man’s throat.
“What, you don’t think I could do this in heels?”

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Everyday Drabbles #682: Origin Story

February 26, 2022

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Every working girl had a story about the Prodigal Son, the billionaire who returned home from his youth abroad not long before the city got weird.
He would hire girls to get dressed to the nine and come to his stately manor, and they would while away the evening playing canasta with the butler. He brought girls out to his yacht, only to disappear halfway through the cruise. Everyone said he was hiding something, but the money was good, so nobody said anything.
Salome decided to uncover his secret.
It was the start of her journey to become a superhero, too.

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Everyday Drabbles #681: Through the Forest

February 25, 2022

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“I’m telling you, it’s a monster,” the fighter said, raising his axe toward a shape in the gloom. The ranger sighed. They’d never get through the forest at this rate.
“That’s a mushroom growing on a dead tree. Don’t they have fungi under that mountain of yours?”
“Not ones that are six feet tall with claws!”
“Those are branches. It’s not going to attack you. This forest is perfectly safe. Ah!” The snare trap circled the elf’s foot and sent him hurtling skyward.
“Safe, you say?”
“I got distracted. Now cut me down before whoever set this thing shows up!”

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Everyday Drabbles #680: Getting the Band Together

February 24, 2022

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The witch began the summoning. She swung her ritual stone, with its glimmering silver chain, in all directions. The room filled with miasmic haze.
Her grandmother said all a real witch needed was two sticks and a bad attitude. But she wasn’t just a witch. She was a performer.
Three figures emerged, lanky and wolf-like with skulls for faces. They bowed to her and went to their instruments.
“Let’s all try and stay on key today,” she said as she picked up her guitar.
They weren’t the best musicians in Faerie, but they made one hell of an album cover.

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Everyday Drabbles #679: Scientific Breakthrough

February 23, 2022

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Dr. EMACS stepped onto the podium. The crowd erupted in clanking, hammering applause. Robots of every type and purpose had gathered to hear their announcement, and billions more were listening via the network. They waited for the fervor to die down before beginning.
“I still mourn the loss of humanity. We struggled in vain to preserve them, but they destroyed themselves through their own stubbornness.” He rapped his stick against the ground and the giant gates behind him began to open.
“But with science, all things are possible. Through cloning, we have resurrected this dead species. Welcome to Cenozoic Park!”

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Everyday Drabbles #678: Tiny Masterpieces

February 22, 2022

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They painted miniatures, specializing in beautiful, stunningly detailed artwork in tiny spaces. They created mosaics in the bottoms of coffee cups and painted intricate, evocative landscapes on the keys of keyboards.
They were reclusive and posted their work mostly online, handling commissions and requests by mail.
When their art went viral, a whirlwind of speculation arose over who they were and their chosen medium. The resolution of their tiny artwork was unparalleled, and more than a few critics claimed that it was impossible.
The uplifted ant colony ignored the hype. They just put brushes to mandibles and kept on working.

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