October, 2012 Archives

31
Oct

The Black Dots, Part Three

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

No one could remember what the pharmaceuticals factory was built for, other than to pollute the entire city with noxious fumes and wastewater. It was owned by Rufus T. Dowling, the reclusive textiles baron who at one time controlled more than a third of the city’s real estate.

Ever since his wife’s death, he had rarely been seen in public and his empire was in decline.

Once I had learned the truth about the black dot killings, the first question I wanted answered was whether Dowling knew about the plot. That’s why I drove to his mansion on Pine Hill.

30
Oct

The Black Dots, Part Two

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

The pharmaceuticals factory was something of a dinosaur, antiquated and larger-than-life at the same time. It loomed so ominously over the lake district that only the most desperate dared to visit. If there was a serial killer operating in its shadow, some of the more authoritarian city elders might have deemed it good for social welfare.

My sinking ship of a career cried out for me to catch the black dot killer, so I conducted the investigation alone.

Turns out I was right about the pharmaceuticals factory but wrong about the killer. The reality was even worse than I’d imagined.

29
Oct

The Black Dots, Part One

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

Every victim of the past month had been found with the same black dot tattooed to his or her forehead. We reported it to all the usual departments, thinking we must have a serial killer or cult on our hands. But each of the deaths appeared random, with a variety of causes and nothing linking them together.

The captain was mad at me so I was assigned the desk, going through all the case files. I was the one who discovered the connection, that all the victims had visited a certain pharmaceuticals factory on the east side before their deaths.

26
Oct

100 Words

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

They’ve given me 100 words to either make my confession or damn my soul for eternity. It makes me want to stop all together, not give them the satisfaction. I’d like to take Hell over their smug superiority.

But that’s the kind of attitude that got me in here to begin with. You’d think all the time alone would have given me a chance to mature, but it’s always the same. I can never yield, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

So it’s time to make a decision, but it seems that 100 words wasn’t enough and now I’ve run out.

25
Oct

Jane And Pedro

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

Jane and Pedro met at the local dance hall. He was too shy to ask her to dance, so they chatted by the bar. Pedro was handsome and impeccably dressed, with his silk shirt and leather dance shoes and his hair slicked back in the latest fashion. Jane wore a long skirt and talked incessantly about her work with learning disabled orphans. They found they shared a passion for artistic endeavors and smoking cigarettes.

They were both married to other people, which was a shame because they fell in love with each other about five minutes into that first conversation.

24
Oct

Peter And The Whale

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

Everywhere Peter went, the whale was lurking. It wasn’t just the ocean he must avoid, but lakes and rivers as well, any body of water large enough for the whale.

Some days, Peter would stare out his window at the pond across the street. Inevitably, the whale would be staring back at him. Peter never understood what he had done to make the whale so angry, but by now he understood that nothing but his own death would quench the leviathan’s thirst for vengeance.

For the rest of Peter’s life, even drinking a glass of water was fraught with dread.

23
Oct

Invisible Ether

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

Sentience is defined as a state of awareness of one’s own existence. For most of history, humanity believed we were the lone species to enjoy true consciousness. We were wrong.

It wasn’t surprising when we learned apes, dolphins, elephants, and other higher mammals were definitely sentient. We’d always understood they were capable of a full range of emotions. But when scientists concluded that the dust mites were also conscious beings, people began to freak out.

It’s weird to think about the billions of tiny souls floating in the invisible ether.

In a total non-surprise, the fundamentalists are calling them angels.

22
Oct

In Posterity

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

Humans have always known it’s unwise to offend the Gods. They are ventose braggarts and given to empty talk, especially when their anger is piqued. Fail to make proper obeisance and a natural disaster is likely to follow.

xxxx wanted to end the cycle of sacrifice and retribution that had lasted for centuries. He thought the Gods were bullies and believed they would back down if someone challenged them.

After what happened to xxxx, I don’t dare to write his name. Suffice it to say his theory about the Gods was poorly thought out and won’t be named after him.

19
Oct

Orts And Ends

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

The Orts law went into affect after the famine of ’26, criminalizing the failure to consume even the tiniest morsel of leftover food after a meal. The first offense was punishable by up to ten years in prison.

Lawmakers had failed to anticipate certain side affects of the statute. Pet owners were forced to finish their pets’ meals. No one enjoyed having to eat orange rinds or rice paper wrappers, but they were considered edible and therefore included in the ordinance.

Yes, these first world problems still existed despite the 70% reduction in the world’s population during the decades-long food crisis.

17
Oct

Fantasy Realm

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

From a young age, Donald preferred the life of his imagination to the doldrums of the real world. He concocted fantasies that transcended the bounds of his normal life, dreams that promised the fulfillment of wishes he barely dared to comprehend.

In his fantasy world, Donald was no longer trapped in the circumstances of his birth. He had the freedom to literally fly to distant lands and make choices for himself instead of being dictated to.

It was always with bitter regret that Donald abandoned those visions and was forced to return to his life as the King of Scotland.