Golden Creek

He was filtering the creek water for us to drink when he found the gold specks in the water. We headed back up the creek to a cave, inside of which was gold covering every surface. Swinging anything sharp at anything would get you some gold, it seemed like.

Once we got over our shock, we began to mine, blunting everything sharp we had until we had two heavy satchels of gold.

We decided to try and find the trail back, and we went to set off when I swung my satchel.

The creek was perfect to wash away blood.

The Devil (XV)

I dealt the tarot cards out in the Celtic Cross formation, and looked for a starting point. There were plenty of ways to start interpreting the cards, I just needed a hook to begin the story. The subject influenced the cards, and they told the story.

And yet, the more I looked, the more confused I was, as not only was there no start, but it flat out contradict itself.

After a moment I looked up to try and say something, and saw a sad smile on his face.

"Just has to check."

He vanished in a puff of fire.

Office Politics

I hated the politics in the office, but I had to keep track of them. I had to know who wasn't talking to whom, so that I didn't accidentally try to talk to both at the same time. I had to know who was being ostracised, who was seen as a liar, a brownnoser, or any one of a hundred different things so I could do my job.

But I got through it, and retired after 35 years there.

Only to discover the office thought I loved gossip and made it all up in an effort to keep me happy...

Multiball

I pulled the plunger and began to play, shooting up into the bumpers.

As I began to hit the lit targets, I heard him approach.

"We need to talk."

"I really don't think we do."

"Look, I didn't know she was your girlfriend, and-"

I nailed the ramp at too fast a speed, the ball bouncing off the glass and rolling back down.

"Look, I'm more annoyed at her than you. But that's reliant on you not making me any more annoyed."

"Look, she wasn't even that good in bed!"

The ball drained at the bottom as I punched him.

Castle Draughts

The castle was known by all who lived nearby to be haunted. Most of the innkeepers and old men who leant on tavern serving tables would tell you all about it if you bought a drink either from or for them.

The stories about the old Duke who murdered his family were all a little different, but they all worked well enough to keep out the scared, and entice the thrillseekers.

It all worked well until the scientists came to prove there were no ghosts.

The ghosts killed them all with beer tankard shaped bruises all over their bodies.

Weird.

Broken Heart

She gave me back the engagement ring, then walked out of my apartment and my life.

I sat down on my sofa, and tried to work out what to do next. I briefly considered jumping out the window, but it passed quickly, as my heart might have been broken, but I was too attached to living.

Instead, I tried to pull my heart together, as I forced myself to realise that things weren't going to get better until I stood-

There was a knock on the door, as she came back, realising her mistake.

I told her I'd moved on.

Too Hot

I turned the thermostat up.

Too hot.

I turned the thermostat down.

Too cold.

I kept turning it back and forth, back and forth, looking for the spot. Somewhere on that dial was the temperature that was just right. Cool enough not to sweat, warm enough not to shiver. I knew it was there, so I sat, glaring, as I fiddled with the dial, back and forth, back and forth, too hot, too cold.

Eventually, I gave up, and told my roommate I was over it.

When they told me they'd broken the dial, I was very hot at them.

Captured

It was a bright, sunny day in the city park, as the old man sat at one of the public chess sets, looking over a famous game position. I approached him from the side.

"Paul?"

He paused, his hand hovering above the white queen.

"That's a name that carries a lot of history."

I sat down opposite him.

"You must have expected that someone would come calling eventually?"

He sighed, as he picked up the black king.

"You know what? I actually thought I'd gotten away clean."

I went to explain when he jammed the king into his own vein.

Back In The Saddle

I opened the barn door, and unfortunately the horse was there. She gave me a look, as I reluctantly picked up the blanket, saddle, the accessories, and put them on her. She didn't object, as I guided her out of the barn and into the sun.

I hesitated before putting my foot into the stirrup. That would be the moment when I couldn't go back, I'd be officially back in the saddle.

I swore I'd never do this again, but I had to.

I pushed up, the saddle whipping off her back, as I hadn't secured it properly.

Good start.

Very Small Talk

We met at a party maybe eight months after she broke up with me because I didn't understand her, apparently.

I couldn't see a way out, and I think she was pleased to see that I was uncomfortable so she made a point to want to talk.

We made small talk about the music and the catering before she asked if I was seeing anyone. I told her no, and she smiled, and waited for me to ask her the same question.

When I asked instead about her neighbour, she was annoyed, but later admitted that I was still consistent.

River In Egypt

The therapist has listened to my explaining why this was all a waste of both of our times, when she asked me a bizarre question.

"What's your trauma response?"

I guess she inferred something from my blank stare when she shrugged.

"That's ok, I have a simple enough way to test it."

She got up and went to the door, and pulled on the knob.

"It's locked."

She watched me intently, then sat down.

"What did you feel just then?"

"Nothing, why?"

She seemed impressed and moved on.

I don't understand, obviously it wasn't locked, that's silly, it would've opened.

Buzzer Beater

This was the final shot of the game, as the buzzer was about to go off. If I sunk the basket, we were going to the play-offs, and my son was going to be shot by the criminals holding him hostage. If I missed, I'd be hated, but my son would be safe.

It's hard to shoot a ball and not make it obvious you're trying to miss, so I aimed at the rim.

It hit, bouncing straight up...

And then the defence, trying to swat it away, sent it through.

Because there's more than one criminal betting scam going... 

Cola Skirmishes

As we were waiting, he picked out a drink from the fridge and a packet of candy from the bowl. I thought nothing of it until I saw what they were.

"That seems redundant."

He paused, the package of sour cola bottles opened a fraction of an inch.

"What?"

"You get that candy and a bottle of cola?"

"Sugar free cola!"

"Sorry, sugar free... Wait, that just makes even less sense!"

"I don't see a problem."

"Why are you getting two cola products?"

"I need caffeine and sugar right now."

"So why not get a normal cola?"

"Don't like them."

Bar Fight

The fight started over a spilt beer, although for both of them they had existing issues heading into the fight.

The brawl took them all over the bar, as half a dozen chairs, a few tables and the dart board were all broken in various ways, neither of them going down although both ended up bleeding heavily.

The end of the brawl wasn't due to toughness or viciousness or even skill, as instead the two of them separated just as the cops arrived.

The cops looked around, arrested two large drunk men and left. The female fighters counted their blessings.

Deathbringer

In order to protect The Machine That Could End Everything, she created an ecosystem around the hut that held it. Several of the most dangerous animals in the known worlds, all of which could live in harmony, or at least an equilibrium.

But there were plenty of beings who wanted to use The Machine That Could End Everything, so they tried to get there anyway. They were then beaten and eaten by the creatures.

Until one being was eaten that had a rather nasty virus that killed everything that came into contact.

Including, somehow, The Machine That Could End Everything. 

Worth The Trip

I was at the taxi rank, waiting for a fare, when a huge bundle of white climbed into the back of my cab.

"Just drive!" The bride said.

I flicked on the meter and pulled onto the street, managing a whole twenty seconds before I had to ask.

"I presume we're running away, not running to?"

She laughed darkly.

"Something like that. He chose an inconvenient day to show me who he really was."

I tried to work out how to pry, but then she continued.

"Both my sister AND my best friend, and Mom!"

I turned off the meter.

Soul 2

I woke up in the void, somehow.

I tried to sit up, and had a terrible few moments as I spun around in place, until I was stopped by the hand of the figure before me.

"Hello child. You are here because I wished it occur."

I tried to focus on the figure, but it just hurt my mind when I tried.

"Why did you wish it to occur?"

"The correct question to ask.

I wished it to occur because I require another soul here now."

I was about to ask why, when I saw the game board between us.

Moose

As he told me, Granddad met Halmeoni, Grandmother, when he went over to fight in the Korean war. Apparently she was a Moose, certainly that's what he called her, a young woman he bought to cook and clean for him. But when he came home, he brought her and married her here.

He always said she was happy and willing in all regards, and certainly she loved me and mother. Granddad said he knew he made the right choice when she didn't smother him the first night home.

I'm sure his brakes failing just after his retirement was a coincidence.

Her Name Was Melody

She whistled a tune as she got up and began to clean herself up in the en suite.

I broke my own post-coital bliss when I recognised it.

I quickly ran through the possibilities. She had said she was a painter, maybe that meant she was also a music writer?

Or maybe she'd heard it in some obscure compilation on YouTube?

...

No, that can't be it. It wasn't a song, it was just a tune the man who killed a lot of people I cared about would hum a lot.

I pulled a gun and fired a second too late.

The Tournament

The Tournament was held yearly, as the greatest fighters on the planet were invited to take part, in secret. Most of them would accept, given that the drive needed to become one of Earth's greatest fighters usually came with the need to prove it.

The Tournament was single elimination, by submission, knock out, or death.

The Tournament was won this year by an MMA fighter, who won the final match by breaking his opponent's neck.

The Tournament was, in fact, a way to find Earth's greatest fighter.

The Real Tournament was a lot larger, universe wide.

Earth didn't do well.

Rung Up

It was one drunken night in Las Vegas just after my 21st birthday. She was a waitress at one of the casinos, we hit it off, she was cute, I was tipping like, well, a drunk kid.

We ended up in an Elvis themed chapel, and we got married.

The next morning we both regretted it, and we went our separate ways. But we never got round to getting it annulled or a divorce.

Was useful, whenever a girl got close and wanted more, I could pull out 'I'm already married'.

Was great, until my wife started committing bank fraud...

Raised Up

The beacon had been drifting in space for decades before they detected a power source of high enough technology to reactivate.

When it did, it sent out a universal greeting, and waited.

Eventually it was brought onto a ship, or a station, and it was studied until a connection was made.

It explained that it was here to assist in raising up their technology level. It gave them information to increase their technology, until it was brought to their home planet.

There, the probe began to expand and create copies of itself from all the resources available, tech, people, whatever.

Mami And The American Nightmare

She ran from the war, entering America somewhere on the Texas border.

Almost immediately, she ended up being exploited by those she turned to for help. It wasn't a week before she was being forced to clean houses in the day, dance in clubs at night.

Somewhere along the way, she ended up having me.

We never had money, or even a stable home, but I worked hard, made something of myself, and today, I am proud to stand before you, your new representative in Congress, where I swear to fight for tougher borders, and against the evil woke agenda!