Tuesday Tales 25!
Challenge #25
By entering, every contestant agrees to shamelessly promote and praise the winner on twitter.
For all discussions about this challenge use hash tag #TuesdayTales
Please give a shout out to this week’s Tuesdaytales judge:
@surlymuse
Daniel Swensen
Fantasy writer, blogger, RPG / sci-fi enthusiast, prolific pantser, sesquipedalian smartass.
Obsessed with genre movies and narrative. Not actually that surly.
Our judge is challenging us this week with a awesome sauce word!
Secret Word:
Legion
Picture:
In honor of Seattle’s Snow-magedon
ON WITH THE TALES!
Go ahead and check out the archive of all the tuesdaytales or escort you to your tuesdaytales needs HERE
FYI: I was out of power last week! So sorry for the absence, will take a lot at the #nightgale challengers and twitterishing later!
Like this:
Posted in: Tuesday Tales
rastrohman
January 24, 2012
“Ok, gentleman, our legion is about to rain down upon this foreign planet. Considering that there are over 100 trillion of us, this should be a piece of cake. Earth will be ours!”
The invaders began leaping from their ships, plummeting to the ground below.
“General, we’ve made grave miscalculations!”
“What’s that, Colonel?”
“The objects on Earth are a thousand times bigger than we imagined! And, it’s entirely too warm. Half of our soldiers are literally melting on impact. The other half are immobilized, getting shoveled to the side in droves.”
“Then our only hope is to snarl their transportation!”
100 words
@rastrohman
Bob Mahone
January 24, 2012
First out of the box, very cool.
eliserae
January 25, 2012
I should have read yours before I posted.
Nice dialogue!
Charles W Jones (@ChuckWesJ)
January 24, 2012
The roads are closed because of the ice and freezing temperatures. The cold from the outside is seeping around the windows and doors. The heat is turned to high but I still see my breath in the frigid air. The Legion warned that if their demands were not met, something bad would happen. They sent freezing blasts to isolated areas around the world and I am lucky enough to be in one of those areas. The sustained temperature outside is negative ninety-nine Fahrenheit degrees; it is a wonder that the natural gas flow to my furnace has not frozen yet.
@ChuckWesJ
100 words
Nellie
January 24, 2012
Hell has frozen over and there is the threat of legions of the damned coming back onto the plane of the Earth, bringing the eternal cold with them. Down the street where a lone ‘Road Closed’ sign sat, there was a large fence that ran across the street. It wasn’t much defense against creatures that stank of brimstone and had claws or wings.
The end of the world wasn’t supposed to end until December. No one told the demons that.
80 words
@solimond
eliserae
January 25, 2012
Well now there’s a new job opening in Hell. Looks like the secretary needs firing.
J. Whitworth Hazzard
January 24, 2012
Used Car Salesmen
“Folks, this is IT! Hell has frozen over! Legion Auto sales SNOWPOCALYPSE extravaganza is going on NOW.”
“Legion, Baby. It needs a little more punch at the end.” The radio producer’s disembodied voice chimed.
The leather-faced man in the corner of the studio took a long drag off his cigarette, “This isn’t going to work.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo, Slick. No one reads the fine print. I get them in the door, you do what you do best. SELL. Get those damned signatures.” Legion’s blackened hand covered the mic.
“100 souls by midnight tomorrow. That was the deal.”
100 words
@zombiemechanics
eliserae
January 25, 2012
Thanks for reminding me why I buy on craigslist. *shudder*
Wakefield Mahon
January 24, 2012
“Are you sure this is the way?”
“Yes, Margot, I’ve been to the American Legion before.”
“Oh Luke you lush.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “They held a Thanksgiving Dinner for the homeless, remember?”
“Oh yeah!” Margot giggled.
“You may have been here before, but the sign indicates a road closure. Why would they hold a Christmas party in a blizzard anyway?”
Luke and Margot blinked in unison.
“What? I’m just saying it would be safer to wait until the storm blew over.”
“And cancel Christmas?” Margot asked. “Turn left Luke.”
“No go straight.”
“Two backseat drivers? Merry Christmas to me!”
100 words
@WakefieldMahon
Jeffrey Hollar
January 24, 2012
Theory Meets Practice
Doctor Marvin Meadows snickered as his SUV plowed over
the seventh “Road Closed” sign in as many miles. The
signs were ludicrous and insulting at best.
It was absurd that a brilliant theoretical physicist, such
as himself, should have his movements constrained by a
bunch of salt-slinging neanderthals.
There was a vast fleet of alien vessels, with probable
hostile intentions, proceeding on a direct course
towards Earth. Was he expected to hope they would
delay their arrival until such time as the minions of the
Highway Department deemed it prudent for him to be
out and about? Ridiculous!!
Without the equations he had spent the night resolving,
Humanity’s long-term prospects for survival were
rather dismal. He would see them delivered to the
engineering monkeys without any bureaucratic delays.
Turning left, he surged onto the bridge with a spray of
slush and gravel. It was a textbook demonstration of
Newtonian physics when his vehicle failed to negotiate
the turn and, instead, sailed right off into thin air.
Plunging downward, he contemplated the tragedy of it
all. While it was, vaguely, conceivable that a legion of
lesser minds might duplicate his work, eventually, he
seriously doubted they would have the time required.
200 words @klingorengi
Bob Mahone
January 24, 2012
interminable smugness, love it.
glitterlady
January 24, 2012
over the 100 word limit but I refuse… rEFUse to delete this awesome sauce!
Wakefield Mahon
January 24, 2012
Like
Cara Michaels
January 24, 2012
The normally bustling cityscape lay quietly, cowed by a snowfall.
Gray slush covered the asphalt, grooved by the passage of vehicles disregarding the ‘road closed’ sign at the corner. Cars lined up in lots, drab sentinels in grays and whites that neatly blended into the overcast landscape.
Icy crystals shattered beneath my boots, easily subjugated. Fitting, as this docile speck of a planet would soon follow suit.
“Begin transmission,” I said. A tiny chime sounded in my ear. “This is Legion 1759421. Have you reviewed my reconnaissance?”
“Affirmative, Legion. Invasion will commence.”
Pitiful humans. They would never see us coming.
@caramichaels
100 words
eliserae
January 25, 2012
tsk, tsk, pride comes before a fall. What is it about snow that is so gloomy?
Sheilagh Lee
January 24, 2012
Of course I couldn’t get through the road a massive snowstorm had shut it. I was alone, trapped with legions of other foolish people, who hadn’t heeded the weather warnings. The reason I was on the road was making itself even clearer as I crawled into the backseat and my baby boy dropped out onto the seat. I took of my coat wrapping him in it along with the blanket I had in the trunk.
“Ma’am the road is closed Are you okay? Oh” the policeman said. ”We’ll have you at the hospital in no time.”
We were safe.
99 words
@SweetSheil
Siobhan Muir
January 24, 2012
Cassie stared across the humped white backs of abandoned cars in mute frustration. Scuffed footprints marred the pristine snow covered spaces between them. Only the “road closed” sign hung in stiff silence, frozen solid, undisturbed.
She flicked the safety off her Sig and advanced slowly, holding her breath to hear anything in the winter silence. Snow dragged at her feet, thick enough it would take a legion of snowplows days to clear.
Cassie paused beside a silver Lexus and dropped her shoulders, sighing in defeat. No more footprints, not even tire tracks.
The kidnapper and the little girl had disappeared.
100 words
@SiobhanMuir
Bob Mahone
January 24, 2012
;-(
eliserae
January 25, 2012
:’(
Toni Wyatt
January 24, 2012
She sat and watched the snow pile up outside her house with no end in sight. The clock on the wall ticked the hours away. As the sun started to set, she saw a legion of people trudging down the sidewalk. There was a knock on her door.
She opened it, but left the chain on.
“Hello, can I help you?” she asked, looking out at the hulking figure of a man. Snow encrusted his eyebrows and hair.
“Time’s up,” he bellowed.
She slammed the door and twisted the deadbolt. She peeked out the curtain. Hundreds were waiting for her.
@Toni1777
100 Words
Call_Me_Bookish
January 24, 2012
To everyone else it was a “road closed” sign, but, to her, it was Hell.
It meant taking a detour that passed by the house that had made her feel alive for the very first time. That house now made her feel as dead as the oak stump in the backyard. The one that once held the tire swing that they took turns swinging each other on during perfect, suburban summers.
That deep ache rose, huge like a legion, and, God, did she miss her best friend.
As she drove by, she put her hand to the glass. “RIP, Love.”
Call_Me_Bookish
@100 Words
Bob Mahone
January 24, 2012
helish ache, felt it, never before, but by this read.
eliserae
January 25, 2012
my heartaches for this.
Bob Mahone
January 24, 2012
We had done this so effectively, on so many prior occasions, in so many other cities. A myriad of phone calls had been placed to marshal a legion of protestors. Traffic would be rerouted by road signs, strategically placed the night in advance of our assault. Capitulation to our terms would be the only rational response, once confronted by a vibrant throng of bikini dissenters. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to wear swim suits, and sell hot dogs? But, no one checked the weather forecast. No one anticipated this. The place was a ghost town. Tallahassee weather is so fickle!
@Computilizer
100 words
JonathonVolkmer
January 24, 2012
The protesters made no concessions to the weather. They crowded down the street and onto the grand staircase in all manner of costumes, and where they passed ice turned to water.
Atop the steps, a lone man wearing a hemp suit wielded a megaphone like an extension of his face.
“What do we want?”
“End the Ban!”
“When do we want it?”
“Now!”
“They built the fence!”
“Tear it down!”
“We are Legion!”
“For we are many!” The crowd triumphantly crowed.
There was only one question on anyone’s mind: what other unforeseen consequences would the restrictions on demonic immigration bring?
100 Words
@JonathonVolkmer
David A Ludwig
January 24, 2012
Michael trudged up the snow slicked street, hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his cashmere overcoat. Conditions left him stranded on Earth, but he retained an intuitive sense that The Gates hadn’t been breached. The Almighty was still in control of the weather, so odds were He had decided Michael wouldn’t get to drive his red camaro on this trip to Earth.
Michael glanced up at the building number with a misty sigh. The second Earth Angel should be here, and once she awakened to her true nature they could start making real progress against the surging hell legion.
100 Words
@DavidALudwig
Lenore Diane
January 24, 2012
“Dana, we’re stuck.” Ken said.
She knew they waited too long to leave for the cabin. The snow storm hit hard and fast. They were too late. The road through town was closed.
“But, the only thing around is that place, and I can’t go into that place. What if –“
“It’s just the American Legion Hall. We’ll be OK. I promise.”
She was haunted by the nightmares and terrorized by the screaming and yelling.
She grabbed Ken’s jacket and screamed.
“What is it?”
She couldn’t speak. Fear gripped her. Shaking and crying, she pointed to the sign:
‘Bingo night’.
100 words
@lenore_diane
redshirt6 aka Robby Hilliard
January 24, 2012
When the buzz to deploy finally came vibrating through the air causing the tiny scillia of his limbs to vibrate, Pilot Chrmcg*kd Fmr!]g was more than ready. His homeworld of Xm^)#tggg had been preparing for this invasion since before he was hatched. Finally, the chance to carry on his hive’s legacy of wartime service was at hand!
Pilotzzz, zzztay together. No herozzz today, the squad leader added at a lower vibration.
Seeing legion upon legion of Xm^)#tgggian fighters swarming was too much for Chrmcg*kd sp! He dove at the nearest enemy, weapons blazing—
Slap
“Damn,” Johnny said. “Mosquitoes in winter?”
100 Words
@redshirt6 aka Robby Hilliard
redshirt6 aka Robby Hilliard
January 24, 2012
Actually, 99 words. There shouldn’t be a space in “Chrmcg*kdsp”. (Didn’t want you to think I couldn’t spell!
)
glitterlady
January 24, 2012
And here I thought you were inventing a new language
Kelly
January 24, 2012
Tortured screams, louder than a legion of demons, erupted from behind me. I stomped the gas, praying for clearer roads. The storm had done its worst. Any miscalculation and I’d be in a ditch—helpless… with *that*.
Why had we taken that cruise in May and not October?
I slid down the street, forced to obey the sign at the bottom. Another scream melted my ears.
“Hold on!” I pleaded, sweat beading on my brow despite the freezing temperature.
“You hold on,” she growled, overcome by an insanely fast labor. “Oh! Pull over, Jason! She’s coming!”
Panicking, I floored it.
100 words
@ohthatmomagain
Lisa McCourt Hollar
January 24, 2012
Legion
by Lisa McCourt Hollar
Darius Shaw struggled to breathe, every pull of the cold air slashing his lungs. He was burning with fever, but Darius didn’t have time to worry. If was going to die, he wanted to make sure it wasn’t a wasted death.
The groan of the un-dead legion sounded behind him. They had followed him, as planned, every misguided step taking them further from Meghan. Her safety is what drove him. The sign read, ROAD CLOSED. The bridge was out and below him, the river rushed. Darius waited until they were on him, before jumping, taking the mindless fucks with him.
Word Count: 100
@jezri1
Jeffrey Hollar
January 25, 2012
To Absent Friends
Every January 24th since 1943, George and Leroy
toasted the hellish night they’d first met in a foxhole on
Guadalcanal. It was conducted with little ceremony and
much beer at the American Legion Hall.
Leroy’s Cadillac skidded down the road. Street after
street featured a battered “Road Closed” sign.
“Leroy, maybe we best forget this year and git on home
‘fore somebody gits hurt.”
As if fulfilling a prophecy, Leroy struck an unseen
hydrant. George crashed through the windshield and lay
broken and dying in the slushy gutter.
Driving slowly away, Leroy mumbled, “Damn! Now I REALLY
need a beer!”
100 words @klingorengi
eliserae
January 25, 2012
Wrath, by Elise Schapira
They planed half the year, training, preparing, screaming, swearing to reclaim their land. In the fall, they attacked in legions. A few exploratory parties at first but then they stormed in, howling furiously. Cites never expected it, even after all these years. It was a ritual now, attack and retreat. Every year they promised themselves that they’d stay for good. But warmth, shovels, and crushing footsteps were the death of them, forcing a return to the clouds.
This year was a small victory; they’d taken an entire street. The humans admitted defeat, and a sign was erected: Road closed.
Word count: 100
@hammer_and_nail