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Month: December 2024

Christmas at the Skywalker’s

Published by Janet Johnson on December 3, 2024

A long time ago,

in a galaxy

far, far away ….

The unmistakable sound of Slade’s “Merry Xmas Everybody” reverberates around the walls of the Skywalker’s Tatooine home.

“Don’t you just love classical music at this time of year?” Luke says, embarrassingly dad-dancing along to the music.

“I prefer the more melodic harmonies of Mariah Carey myself,” Han Solo replies, sprawled in one of the two comfy armchairs in front of the open fire, occasionally lifting his legs for a couple of playful Ewoks in Santa hats to crawl underneath.

“Very high brow,” Luke mocks, raising his eyebrows, “my sister’s airy-fairy ways are well and truly rubbing off on you, my friend. Eggnog?”

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Otelia’s Party – Zin

Published by Zin Shandi on December 3, 2024

Five years after her divorce, Otelia finally decided to heed her friends’ encouragement and celebrate her birthday at the spring festival. Known for her empathetic nature, she often poured her energy into caring for others, yet when it came to her own well-being, she would make a contract with the devil to trap herself in another level of anxiety, and then she would find herself trapped in a cycle of anxiety that would dim her happiness.

Fast forward to the scene of her friends bursting into her home, accompanied by a nanny to look after her son while she enjoyed the night out. They swiftly helped her get ready for the festival, and thankfully, she didn’t require much preparation—her natural beauty radiated vibrantly, needing no artifice. Just an hour later, they arrived at the festival, ready to embrace the evening’s festivities.

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The Empty Advent Calendars

Published by Sandra Lloyd Lewis on December 3, 2024

Tiny Tim opened the door and scratched his crotch. ‘Yeah?’ he asked, his mouth hanging open, eyes uninterested in the small vision standing on his doorstep; pink from her cerise hair to her cherry froufrou skirt.

‘Oh, hello,’ the voice was as soft as candyfloss and just as sweet. ‘Are you ummm…’ the speaker’s eyes travelled the 6ft 5 inches of height and the gargantuan belly that was at eye-level, ‘…Tiny Tim?’ she finished, looking hopeful.

Tiny Tim chewed a bit of his bacon sandwich that had been lurking, scared, behind one of his teeth and he masticated it thoroughly as punishment before swallowing. ‘Nope,’ he said and slammed the door. Homes under the Hammer was starting in a minute and he didn’t want to miss any detail of peeling wallpaper, knackered kitchens and revolting bathrooms, especially as he lived in a house very like them. It cheered him up to think there were others in the same boat.

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A Post Turkey World – Jason

Published by Jason Davies-Redgrave on December 3, 2024

The turkeys had all died.

I mean all of them, across the entire world, they ALL died. Taken by a particularly virulent variant of bird flu, which also took chaffinches and parakeets and a host of other species with it1. This was made sadder and even more depressing by the fact that the very last turkey in the world, Sven, died on Christmas Eve that year. A fact that devastated much of western culture and dominated the Christmas news feeds, but failed to really register in other parts of the world, especially during the brutal monsoon season of that year which had barrelled in after the worst droughts in living memory.

            Vegans didn’t really give a fuck.

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Sci-Fi Course Wk8 Writing Exercise. Martyn

Published by Martyn Winters on December 3, 2024

Part II – Futuristic version – SciFi.

Special Marine Hua Jin rides through the lanes, the ancient Harley she stole from the Autarch Voss, straining against the tug of Voss’s traction beam, and the noise of the gathering ion storm, her left arm trailing behind her like a rag in her slipstream, a pattern of needle points in her rapidly deadening shoulder, where the darts from the Dzarb caught as she cut through their line. Her black uniform flaps noisily in the wind, as fronds from the roadside vegetation slap against her thighs. Tucked in her breast pocket below the gold and red dragon insignia of her unit, nestles the thumb drive containing the data Voss needs to set the planet-breaker device in motion.

A Dzarb soldier drone rushes from a hedge, its grasping tentacles and slavering bi-fold maw full of intent. Jin drives straight over it with her engine thundering.

With a crooked grin on her face, she yells, “Hell yeah, no-one messes with the corps.”  

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