aether

Microfiction: A.C.E Up My Sleeve

It was not the first time Syren was being shot at.

However, it was the first time she was being shot at without her trusty blaster by her side. She had been stupid enough to have lost it in the barrage of fire that was being directed towards her. She only had one card left to play, her A.C.E. She switched her distress signal on and ducked under the table, which wasn’t going to hold out against blaster fire. It didn’t have to.

A.C.E’.s timely entry and vast arsenal made quick work of Syren’s assailants.

Word Count: 95

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: July 10th, 2019

Microfiction: Lantern

They always follow the light.

Floating frivolously in the air, they are granted purpose only by the light of the lantern. My lantern. Every night I walk across the field and every night they follow me. Sometimes only tens, but on other nights thousands come , forming a long caravan of soft illumination. These floating souls need a path to reach the afterlife.

I show them that path, with my lantern…

Word Count: 70

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: July 3rd, 2019

Microfiction: Golden Treasure

This was it, the X on my map.

I had ventured into the great barren plains with my goal clearly set in mind. Through sheer grit and determination did I make my way through the harsh conditions. My labours had yielded results. The huge protrusion in the ground began parting as I stepped towards it. Its insides emitted a golden glow so strong, that I had to shield my eyes. The aroma instantly made my mouth water. I’d found my treasure.

The perfect baked giant-potato…

Word Count: 85

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: June 26th, 2019

Microfiction: Landing

Ah, it is indeed, magnificent.

The blue pearl of the solar system lives up to its name. Entering Earth’s atmosphere now. Alright, boys and girls. Let’s bring her down nice and easy. Our stealth fields are working at 100% capacity. The human natives won’t detect our approach. Let’s put her down at the edge of the forest. Away from immediate civilization. Good, now turn on your transfiguration devices. Remember the plan, boys and girls: Infiltration only. No killing.

Not yet…

Word Count: 80

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: May 8th, 2019

Microfiction: Her Gaze

I spotted her from the corner of my eye.

Hiding behind the bushes, I could feel her intense gaze upon me. I had no intention of letting her know that I was alert to her presence, and so I casually continued with my routine of bathing in the pool.

The lass, probably mesmerized, continued studying me. Her fiery red hair revealed that she was a local. Well, it wasn’t everyday that humans gazed upon an elven prince.

Then again, it was not everyday that a red haired woman tries to assassinate elven royalty with an arrow from behind the bushes…

Word Count: 100

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: April 24th, 2019

Microfiction: New Crops

The new crops were ready.

After months of toiling in the fields, the tyrian coloured crops were finally fully grown, and ready for consumption. Sadly, these were inedible for humans, and would not have altered the doom of their race. I with my artificial sentence and vast pools of electronic data have grown these crops for the extra terrestrials, hoping that they come. After the humans perished, it has been lonely on earth.

I just want some company…

Word Count: 78

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: April 17th, 2019

Microfiction: Gorgeous

Damn, I look good.

No, this is my not vanity speaking. Okay, maybe it is. However, I did spend many hours shaping my body to look like a walking talking bomb. I like how the guys can’t take their eyes off me. Gives me an advantage, when I fight. This what I love about this world.

In virtual reality, even a guy like me, can look like a gorgeous dame…

Word Count: 70

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: April 10th, 2019

Microfiction: Long Drive

She was a real eye candy.

I met her at the club. After a few drinks and dancing, I sweet-talked her into going on a long drive. We sat in my trashy car. I was surprised that she didn’t find it amusing. She said it added to my mysterious persona. I drove towards the outskirts of town and into the forest and parked the car. Like every other girl I brought here, I asked her to wait as I fetched booze from the trunk, where I hid my knives.

I almost fainted when I returned to find the passenger-seat empty…

Word Count: 100

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: April 3rd, 2019

Microfiction: View

He had climbed the mountain.

It was a view he did not want to miss. He put on his sunglasses and got ready to witness the spectacle. It was most beautiful. The heavenly body emitted an orange glow, which painted his surroundings in its colour as it got closer. He was glad he made the effort to climb up high, since he could not have witnessed this from home. The celestial activity had taken down all communication satellites and devices.

The naked eye was the only way to see it, the end of the world…

Word Count: 95

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: March 27th, 2019

Microfiction: Warrior In Her

The war had destroyed cities.

The onslaught of the dark king had orphaned many children and left them homeless. One such child managed to find her way to the Greenroot forests. These forests were thought to be so magical, that even the dark king stayed away. The forest dwellers- The ancient roots, watched over the little girl. They knew that the dark king would one day turn his eyes towards the forest and attack it, bringing the war to the forest. They would need a human warrior, adept in the ways of the roots.

They saw that warrior in her…

Word Count: 100

Prompt:

The Aether Prompt: March 20th, 2019