Judgement Calls

Being a palace guard is all about making judgement calls.

There's all the usual ones any solider has to deal with, judging the wind when aiming a bow, judging the heft of a sword as you swing it.

But you have to judge what you see younger members of the court doing, if what they indulge in is something to note or if it doesn't happen.

How far do you push the kitchenhand, how many sips can you steal, how many angry peasants are enough to switch sides and join the rebellion?

Important one for us civilians, that last one.

Dying On Your Birthday

The old man lived in the hills, away from everyone else. The postman assumed he didn't like people.

As he walked up the winding path, parcel in his hands, he tried to remember a year previously, as the parcel covered in 'Happy Birthday' stickers. He hadn't known it was the old man's birthday.

But it was also his death day, as he was lying dead when the postman arrived.

The postman decided he'd try and help out. He'd open the gift, write a letter back, report the death later on. Dying on your birthday...

The parcel was a bomb though.

Trick Card Monty

"Follow the queen, get the green!"

The call would go out every few minutes, over the noise of the marketplace. Another sucker would wander over and lose their money. I would shake my head, but never try to stop them. People gotta make their own choices.

But then one day, the sucker didn't leave after losing, instead they stayed and won, again and again. They just seemed to know where the right card was, again and again.

Once they managed to clear out the dealer I asked them the secret to working out the trick.

"What trick?" they asked me.

Cliff Edge Explanation

A slightly different set of chemicals in the primordial soup that started us off.

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs hitting slightly harder and wiping out a lot more life.

One of the successful empires being a bit more successful and then taking everyone down with them.

A virus being slightly more resistant to the level of medical knowledge we had relative to the time.

Certain scientists cracking certain weapons earlier.

Any number of judgement calls involving nukes.

Humanity has been so close to death so many times over the years.

You honestly think everyone else is equally lucky?

The Queen And The Chosen One

The Chosen One returned to the palace after he'd  defeated the Dragon, a crowd of the citizens following behind him cheering his name.

When he walked into the throne room, he was already licking his lips, awaiting his reward. The Queen gave a short speech to him, thanking him for his service, and then rewarded him a pile of gold.

He pointed out that she'd implied a much more personal and valuable prize before he left.

She pointed out she'd never actually promised anything, and that she had a hundred men outside.

He managed to take down fifty-six of them.

Sally And Suzi

Sally and Suzi were born within an hour of each other, on separate floors of the same hospital. They didn't know this until years later, of course.

Sally and Suzi spent three years worth of teenage Saturday mornings in the same building, on separate floors in different sports. They didn't know this until years later, of course.

Sally and Suzi spent four years at the same university, in different degrees. They didn't know this until years later, of course.

Sally and Suzi met at a party and fell instantly in love. They didn't know this until years later, of course.

Negotiations With It

The call went out for a volunteer. For someone in the camp to go out and try to reason with it. The few remaining wisewomen had worked out how to communicate with it.

He'd lost his wives, his children, to it. But he had no desire for vengeance or revenge. He just wanted to end the suffering.

So he volunteered. He took the magical horn, and walked into into the swirling mists of it.

Hours passed.

The mists dissipated, leaving remains of him behind.

He was to be given an honorable funeral, but then the remains moved on their own.