Take The Shot

The arrow was ready to fly, the bowstring drawn back taut as he waited for an opening.

He'd only have one chance for this. The Dragon's sensative, weak undercarriage was almost never exposed, the Dragon knew how to defend itself.

So he had to wait to use his best arrow, embued with magic and poison, and he had to make sure he'd hit it.

The Dragon landed, and then its momentum caused its back haunches to rise, and he fired.

As did everyone else, so while his shot didn't land, enough did.

He should have been happy, and yet, no.

Plans Change

The blueprint waa quite clear, the bunker was under the house, accessible through a secret staircase down and to the right, hidden behind the bookcase.

We broke in, got rid of the current occupants, found the secret staircases, tried to get into it, gave up, then set some charges around the floor of the library.

When we blew it, it brought down half the building as it all fell into a dirt pile.

But even though I'm in jail because of it, I respect a contractor who sees a saving to be made by putting a bunker under the garden.

No Desserts

Our eyes met across the crowded restaurant. Instantly, I felt the connection. A spark I'd never felt before, or since. I could see our whole lives together ahead of us, a lifetime of memories, achievements, ups and downs, a recollection of a life not yet lived.

It was amazing, I'd never felt like that before, and judging by the look on her face she both felt it too, and it was her first time as well.

We both went to get up, when our boyfriends returned with drinks for me, receipt for her.

My life's turned out ok, I guess.

The Specific Term

After intensive study, I'd finally worked out how to summon Death. Three different animal sacrifices, twelve different candles, 13th full moon of the year.

"Death, He Who Ends Life, I Beseech You To Appear!"

Nothing happened.

So I studied, and a few years later, I tried again.

"Death, She Who Ends Life, I Beseech You To Appear!"

Yet again, nothing happened.

I had a few years to wait for the next one, and I think I had it.

"Death, They Who Ends Life, I Beseech You To Appear!"

"Finally! It hurt to see you get so close before.

Answer's no."

One To Watch

The job posting, by being the oldest, was the first one you saw on the message board.

"Please find my watch!"

Newbie independent contractors or those just coming on board would see it, take the job, search for a few hours around the captain's quarters, come up empty, give up. It became the running gag of the station.

Until she disembarked the starferry.

She read the job, and tracked down the poster, and asked a simple question, and had the watch back in twenty minutes.

No-one else thought to check if it wasn't technically his watch yet, but the captain's.

Captain Wrong

I kept him around because he was always wrong. Like, always. If he suggested that the enemy would advance, then I knew they'd hold the line, or retreat. If he thought a weapon would prove ineffectual, I'd train my soliders to defend against it.

I never let on about this, because I was worried that it would ruin the streak. But I wondered if he knew.

Then one day, a sniper got a lucky shot, slammed into my gut. As I bled out, I asked him how bad it was. He paused.

"You're a goner."

The sole time he's right...

End Everything (Written)

The spellbook had an infinite number of pages, in theory. Every spell that was created in the world would appear in its pages, under the gaze of the Librarian. It was a boring task, but an important one, as someone had to watch and read to see if anyone created a spell that was dangerous, so they could be contained.

But then one day, the spell to end everything came up in the book. And while he would have been able to stop it, the creator was smart.

The spell was cast by reading it silently in your head, see.