P: Catalaide's Purple Miracle- Flash Fiction

The running lights of Catalaide Station glittered off of the shimmering rings of dust that encircled Saturn. A shining diamond in a sea of glitter. Ignoring the view, Inspector Cade poured over his reports while his ship docked with the station. The ‘blessed station’ is what the locals called it. Its reputation was reaching so far that shuttle tickets to get here had reached astronomical prices. His job was to find out why.

 Ignoring his pilot’s protests on social courtesies, Inspector Cade picked up his briefcase and left the shuttle as soon as the airlock seal hissed. He learned long ago that he would find out more about a place than he would if he had announced his arrival. He turned down a short hallway and headed toward the center of the station. As he neared the elevator doors he brushed the wrinkles out of his jacket, straightened his tie, and looked at his watch.

 Great! I’m late! 

 The elevator took him down to level 7. Deep organ music trickled in through the doors and Cade took a deep preparing breath before the doors swished open. Light, music, singing and prayers filled the room that Inspector Cade walked into. Hundreds of people and no chairs, or aisles. Cade politely made his way to the front of the room to see what all the commotion was about.

 He couldn't believe what he saw as he neared the front of the throng. A purple shawl, surrounded by fog, hung in midair swaying ever so slightly. No one was holding it, no one touched it.

 “This is what people are paying their entire life’s wages to come see?” Inspector Cade asked a woman to his left. 

“Oh yes Sir! Isn't it amazing? It’s a miracle!” The spry young woman responded.

 “Is it always there or does someone take it down?” Inspector Cade prodded.

 “Oh no sir! No one touches it,” The woman answered, her blonde curls swaying as she shook her head in objection to his question. “It disappears before lunch and doesn't come back till next Sunday.”

 Inspector Cade looked around the room and noticed a large mirror hanging above the elevator doors.

 What an odd place to put a mirror.

 He stayed there till almost noon watching the purple shawl floating in the fog. Inspector Cade walked around the room, talking to different people, asking questions about the shawl. A few mentioned some rumors of miracles that had happened in the room, but most said the same thing. The fog collects, the shawl appears and stays for a few hours and then disappears again right before the fog dissipates.

 Convenient. Inspector Cade considered the location of the mirror again.

 Later after the fog had dissipated and the people all left the Inspector turned off his gravity boots and floated up to inspect the ceiling. It wasn't long before he found the small projector unit aimed down at the mirror.

 Just as I suspected... it’s all an illusion!

Today's post was inspired by the letter P. P is for: Purple  as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



This post is ALSO part of the 52 week flash fiction challenge on facebook
Week 4 word prompt: Shawl
Word Limit: 20- 500
This one tops out right at 496 words.

Thanks for reading!

For Readers:  Would you expose the illusion or would you let the people continue in their delusion?


-> photo credit: Shawl via photopin (license) <-

O: Transporting Octopi- Flash Fiction

Teddy dropped the gushing hose over the top edge of a tank so large it almost filled the entire room. 

"I TOLD the boss that it would be a hassle trying to transport this 8 tentacled beast on board a star ship," Joe grumbled.

"They are transplanting him on that planet they are terraforming right?"

"Yeah, his mate is traveling on the Ordova."

"Oh gee, he better like his mate then, not much choice!"

->photo credit: P4181541 via photopin (license) <-



This is 5 Sentence Fiction. Originally started by Lillie McFerrin, today I chose to find a picture and use a word of my own.

Today's post was also inspired by the letter O. O is for: Octopus  as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



For Readers:  What's your view on moving animals to help repopulate areas- or even other planets?

N: Nine Pizzas - Flash Fiction

"My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas, they are waiting upstairs in the dinning room."

Fred paused the game on the xbox before looking up at Andrew in confusion.

"There's only two of us, how come she bought nine?"

Andrew shrugged before plopping down on the couch beside Fred and taking over the second controller.

"Don't let her hear you complain but apparently mom is in rebellion over the whole, Pluto no longer being a planet thing."


->photo credit: Village Pizzeria Pizza via photopin (license) <-



This is 5 Sentence Fiction. Originally started by Lillie McFerrin, today I chose to find a picture and use a word of my own.

Today's post was also inspired by the letter N. N is for: Nine  as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



For Readers:  Were you upset over Pluto not being a planet? What sorts of Pizza do you like?

M: Spaced Out Mushrooms -Flash Fiction

 
Jack popped some chunks of fresh vegetables into the dicer and in moments a freshly chopped salad was ready to be poured into his ziplock bag of dressing.

Mark shut the airlock behind him as he floated into the station's living quarters module.

 "Man, either someone down there is trying to play a joke or we got a really trippy shipment of stuff on that shuttle today." 

Jack scooped a fresh chunk of salad all stuck together with dressing out of the bag and savored the bite.

"Um, Jack those mushrooms weren't THAT kind of mushroom!"


This is 5 Sentence Fiction. Originally started by Lillie McFerrin, today I chose to find a picture and use a word of my own.

Today's post was also inspired by the letter M. M is for: Mushroom  as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



For Readers:  If you could send an astronaut on the international space station any one item, what would you send them?

L: Litter In Space- flash fiction

Matt fired the thrusters on his ship just for the briefest of moments. His locating equipment was warning him of an object just to his right.

 Why can’t I see it!

 As his ship slowly floated into position the magnification raised on his screen revealing the tiny shiny metal object. Matt used the mechanical arm attached to his ship to pluck the tiny metal object out of space. Turning the object back and forth in front of his window he realized that the darn thing was a screw! Matt groaned in irritation before using the arm to tuck the bolt safely into a compartment in the side of the ship.

 Space litter was a problem for all ships. One tiny bolt colliding with a moving ship was the equivalent of a bullet being fired at the ship at point blank range. Many crews and many ships had been lost to these disasters, spilling more debris out into space.

A few months ago, Matt had suggested to his father that someone should go out there and pick up all that litter. 

Matt rolled his eyes. How did this become my job?


->photo credit: 3rd UFO Sighting around Shuttle Endeavor since May 16th launch date, Video. via photopin (license) <-

Today's post was also inspired by the letter L. L is for: Litter   as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



For Readers: Though this is fictional there really is over 19,000 pieces of space debris floating in Earth orbit being tracked by NASA. They have to prepare flight plans to keep any vehicles from being hit by it or it could severely damage the ship.

So... what say you? Should we go up there and collect it all- or wait decades till it all falls/burns back to Earth (as it will eventually)?

K: Kids In Boxes- Flash Fiction

Every few months Sandra would sadly look through her daughter’s report cards. Failing grades, always failing grades.

 “Whats going on, honey?” Sandra asks her barely responsive daughter. “Do you not understand what the teacher is saying?”

 The little girl shrugs, “I listen,” is all she says.

 Teacher meetings come and go, new goals are placed. They are never reached. Farther and farther her daughter falls behind and still they push her to the next grade.

 “She can sit in class and participate in the work; she gets some of them right.” The teachers say proudly.

 “But she’s not passing the tests and her grades are horrid.” Her mom points out.

 “Oh, but she’s come so far.”

 Picture a world that you can not understand. Picture a world in which everyone who tries explaining things sounds a lot like Einstein. It is in this world that Tiffany is trapped.

 A new textbook, more words she can not understand. She floats by because she can at least read the words. She dare not ask questions because she can’t figure out how to explain what she isn't understanding. Everyone else understands it, why can’t she.

 Tiffany starts to wonder if it’s her.

 “The kids ask how I got here, if I’m so dumb.” Tiffany tells her mom.

 “You are not dumb, honey, your brain just learns at a different pace then theirs do.” Sandra explains while trying not to cry.

 Years have gone by. One step forward and two steps back. They have no explanation, they have no reasons why she should be struggling.

 More tests paint a dismal picture and new suggestions that don’t help.

 A kid in a teen’s body, desperate to learn, but bottled up inside. Trapped by her mind’s deficiencies; she’s left with just muddling through.

 The potential is there, if only she could... remember... if only she could... understand.

• -> photo credit: Arvind Grover  via photopin (license) <-
  
  
• Today's post was inspired by the research I have been doing all day.

Today's post was also inspired by the letter K. K is for: Kids  as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



For Readers: Sorry... I don't really have a question for you today. Tomorrow shall be a cheerier post though ;)

J: The Jade Fox Mission- Flash Fiction

 Her ship set down on the warm black paved road in front of her great grandmother's house and a group of deer leapt from the nearby field to hide in the woods. The engines shut down and Tonya climbed out of her ship. Humans had left the planet long ago to give it a much needed break. A time to rest and rejuvenate itself. There were way more song birds in the area now than Tonya had seen on the vids and the vegetation had certainly taken over.

She waded through the chest high grass that had grown up through what was once a gravel driveway. The posts holding the porch roof had long since deteriorated and the back porch roof hung precariously out over the steps without any support.

The things I do for my mother, Tonya thought, gritting her teeth as she tiptoed up the steps afraid to disturb the hanging roof.

Tonya tried the handle on the back door and was relieved when the handle turned easily. Pushing the door open gave Tonya her first glimpse of the home her dying mother would give anything to see again.

The view would probably crush her, Tonya realized sadly, now appreciating why her father suggested she go instead.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaping hole in the roof above that had long since collapsed. Years of rain and rot inspired trees and weeds to grow up through the collapsed floor boards. Green leafy branches reached up to the sky through the living room roof where a ceiling fan had once hung.

I hope the back bedroom isn't this bad or else this trip will have been for nothing.

Carefully making her way around the debris and rotting floor boards Tonya reached the hallway and found it a little dryer. Her mother had visited here a great many times when she was a kid. She had spent summers with with her grandmother, Tonya's great grandma.

The first room off to the right was her grandmother's piano room. She recounted for Tonya how she had sat for hours at the old heavy upright piano while her grandmother patiently tried to teach her how to play. Warm sunlight on the music sheets and the smell of fresh snickerdoodles, the reward for a lesson well studied.

Tonya poked her head into the room today to find the upright piano poking our from a large gaping hole in the floor. Sunlight from the window now inspiring weeds to grow up around it from under the house. No doubt the floor joists had collapsed under the piano's weight years ago.

I wonder if it could still make the sweet music I heard on mom's vid. Tonya decided that it probably wouldn't and continued onto the next room.

Tonya pushed the door open to the guest bedroom and gasped in relief. There hanging from a chain on the ceiling fan, still intact, hung the jade fox her mother still so lovingly remembered.

###

->photo credit: JadeCrouchingOx via photopin (license) <- And yes I am very well aware that the picture is not of a fox... sorry, I'll keep looking. If anyone finds a public domain one or one that I can share with a link back let me know!

Today's post was inspired by the letter J. J is for: Jade as part of the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 challenge! Click on the letter to join on in the fun!

Every day (excluding sundays) I will be writing a post about something that begins with the letter for that day. Most of the time you will find a sci-fi flash fiction piece here.



This post is ALSO part of the 52 week flash fiction challenge on facebook
Week 3 word prompt: Fox
Word Limit: 20- 500
This one tops out right at  497 words.

For Readers: What is one thing from your grandmother's house that you would love to have as a keep sake?