GAME: Hook my first line and sink her in to a paragraph!

[J Riff]

Hidden in the chaos of antiques was a peculiar photograph. Something clicked in Jimbo's brain as he focused on the blurry image of Snapper, the famous talking dog, a dog presumed missing all these years, the very dog who had snapped at Jimbo in his baby carriage, the dog to blame for his unnatural fear of all things furry. Jimbo stared at the grizzled visage of the goofy mutt Snapper and he snapped.

The worst music in the history of the world blared from radios all over the neighborhood as Quagmar stepped into the street with his rifle and a satchel of poison-gas grenades.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

The worst music in the history of the world blared from radios all over the neighborhood as Quagmar stepped into the street with his rifle and a satchel of poison-gas grenades. Preteen bubble gum dance gangster rap with a country twang. Quagmar tossed one of the grenades through the door of the malt shop. It exploded with a soft poof and filled the place with shocking pink clouds of love gas. The youngsters inside stopped hopping and sank to the floor with blissful grins. Quagmar ran down the street to an alley. From behind a garbage can he aimed his rifle at the local music shop. The super-smart bullets scanned the CD's displayed in the window, hovered in front of them, and used their microlasers to erase the noxious tracks from their shiny surfaces. Quagmar reached into his satchel and pulled out his most important weapon. With a flip of his wrist he sent the precious vinyl LP Are You Experienced? into the shop. If just one child found it, it would make it all worthwhile.

________________________________________________________

The small boat drifted lazily under the blazing sun.

 

[J Riff]

The small boat drifted lazily under the blazing sun. Blaise stretched lazily as she waited
for a bite on one of her fishing lines. Everything was still and calm, and Blaise shifted nervously - it was too calm, too quiet. Then she saw the bubbles, and leapt to her 200 horsepower Evinrude outboard motor and yanked the starter cord, but it was far, far too late.

Back on Earth they would be celebrating, but Hackston was going to change all that.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Back on Earth they would be celebrating, but Hackston was going to change all that. He grinned as he sped across the lunar surface in great kangaroo hops. When he reached the small crater where he had hidden the controls, Hackston paused briefly to stare up at Earth, a blue and white jewel hanging in the black velvet night. Almost all of the more than ten billion people on that fragile planet were expecting to enjoy the worldwide festivities that would mark the centennial of Armstrong's small step. Most of them would be looking up at the Moon, with naked eyes, through telescopes, on 3-V screens, or via optic implants. Hackston chuckled to himself. After years of planning, and months of placing thousands of powerful lights across Earthside, his plan was coming together. He wondered how many of the amazed witnesses would understand his simple message: KILROY WAS HERE.

____________________________________________________________

Serpents of flame and smoke rose from the hillside.

 

[J Riff]

Serpents of flame and smoke rose from the hillside. Jedmar jumped to his bare feet and yelled out to Bessy-Lou, "The still's on fire agin!"
"Holy Hannah," yelped Bessy-Lou, "Whut in tarnation do you-all reckon is a-causin' that there danged contraption ta keep on burstin' into flames like that, Jed?"
"I reckons saba-toodgey, girl... it cain't be none other than thet McGoober clan, up to their old tricks.
"Hand me thet shotgun."

Herbert had flushed Albert, his childhood pet alligator, down the loo over ten years ago.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Herbert had flushed Albert, his childhood pet alligator, down the loo over ten years ago.
Now he stood above the manhole cover just before midnight, his head torch a feeble glimmer lost in the street lights and neon signs. With a sigh, he lifted the cover, setting it aside before slipping down below. The only sign of his passing was the faint reflection of light, growing smaller as he descended into the darkness.
Below him, in the dark, oily waters, something stirred...

"If only I had the Golden Rivet," thought Jack as he climbed the sheer metallic sides of the craft.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"If only I had the Golden Rivet," thought Jack as he climbed the sheer metallic sides of the craft. The ship was taller than any building on Earth, and paying the greatest rockclimber on the planet to scale its gleaming surface was the perfect publicity stunt. Too bad he had dropped the ceremonial Golden Rivet during his ascent. He wondered if had landed on somebody in the crowd. That would be unpleasant. Maybe it might be a good idea to get inside the ship when he reached the hatch at the very top. There was no extradition treaty with Alpha Centauri for involuntary manslaughter, as far as he knew.

___________________________________________________________

Marian dropped her pencil on the tiled floor.

 

[Ashleyne]

Marian dropped her pencil on the tiled floor. She felt the eyes of her classmates staring at her as she used her foot to grind the pencil into splinters.

From behind his metal desk, the bald headed Mr Fell widened his eyes in fear and said “Marian, calm down.”

Marian's rage pulsed through her skull. She lifted, one-handed, a nearby desk along with its male occupant, who then roared, his voice scratching with horror, “Please, Marian… no.”

She gritted her teeth, then swung her arm, tossing the desk and its male occupant towards Mr Fell's head.
_________________________________________________________________

Benjamin cupped the green slime in his hands, its metallic stench filling his lungs as its glow danced on his face.

 

[BetaWolf]

Benjamin cupped the green slime in his hands, its metallic stench filling his lungs as its glow danced on his face.

"What are you waiting for?" Eris demanded. "This is what we came all this way for."

He gazed up at her and opened his mouth. No words came to him, so he did as she bid him. In one gulp, without bothering to chew, he swallowed the slime. It felt cold on the way down, and he suppressed the choking gag that rose up his throat. Benjamin curled up on his side and waited for the transformation to begin.

-------------------------------

Daniel followed the sound of fighting to a spot halfway down the alley.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Daniel followed the sound of fighting to a spot halfway down the alley. The grunting curses sounded different to the usual noises he heard in this downtown dump. He loosened the gun in his holster, swallowing before turning his flashlight on.
When the intense beam lit up the fight, Daniel almost dropped the torch. Mouth dry, heart thumping, his limited human mind struggled to comprehend the forms he saw before him. Twin pairs of yellow eyes swivelled towards him and twin sets of vertical pupils narrowed as they focused on this new threat.

................................

Sara turned back to the tree, not sure if she had imagined the voice.

 

[J Riff]

Sara turned back to the tree, not sure if she had imagined the voice. But then it came again, a tiny squeeking sound from somewhere in the leafy canopy above her;
"Hello," it said, "I hate to bother you, but perhaps you could give me a hand... my spacecraft is stuck up here, and I am not familiar with this planet. If you could-"
"No." said Sara firmly. "The last time I helped out an alien, it ate my shoes."
"Well..." said the voice. "They do look delicious, but I promise you that-"

A rain of frogs was one thing, but millions of hamburgers pitching down was another, and even Bert was impressed.

 

[alchemist]

A rain of frogs was one thing, but millions of hamburgers pitching down was another, and even Bert was impressed. "Nice work," he said, his smile wide.

Terry shrugged, but the self-satisfied grin spoke volumes.

"Better try one," Bert said as he picked up the nearest burger. It felt warm and fresh, a blob of ketchup peeking out. Suppressing what he'd learned in biology class, he bit in, and immediately spat it out. "You idiot!" he shouted. "Gherkins?!"

________________

I never knew what a crying badger sounded like, not until that Tuesday.

 

[Mark R]

I never knew what a crying badger sounded like, not until that Tuesday. Whimpering dogs? Not a problem. Trumpeting antelope? An oddity, but not without precedent. But for the noble badger, as stoic a beast as could be found in these parts, to be reduced to tears? It shook me to my core.

It had started much as any weekday had since anyone could remember. A brief robot rebellion, some boffin at the Oxbridge Physics Institute had temporarily unravelled the fabric of the universe, and no one had bothered to replenish the milk at the surgery.

____________________________

What marked the day out more than anything was the arrival and subsequent death of Stanley.

 

[A. Fare Wells]

What marked the day out more than anything was the arrival and subsequent death of Stanley. It's well-known that the man was beloved by most of Wellshire for his jovial nature. He was the life of the party, so to speak, but we did not expect his presence at Constance's birthday celebration. The two had ceased to speak since the incident at Barley's Tavern. Thus, there was more than a raised eyebrow or two when he walked through the door carrying a bouquet of tulips and pronounced his love for Constance. It ground the celebration to a halt and the awkwardness of the situation was made even more so when she slapped Stanley and spat in his face. He disappeared for a time afterward until Oscar Timsley found his body in the lavatory upstairs. The detectives are still investigating his death.

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Brad struck a match and shielded the flame from the wind as he lit his cigarette.

 

[sahlmi]

Brad struck a match and shielded the flame from the wind as he lit his cigarette. He knew it would be his last. The grey things resembling small monkeys with no tail surrounded him. The only way out was either up into the void night or down into the stony ground, neither possible. The first of the creatures jumped on the side of his head...and disintegrated, with a hushed poof, into a yellow powder. Another leaped on his shoulder. Same result. Brad jerked in a half turn as more leaped to their annihilation like alien lemmings. Was he killing them somehow? Were they knowingly killing themselves?

*******************

The biomancer lifted three colored stones from the chest.

 

[jastius]

The Biomancer lifted three stones from the chest. "Riches beyond our dreams, Captain! The Fates have provided us with the way to restore the Grove of Healing! They will pardon us for bringing in such a prize!" Finally the long years of exhile, mining the galactic rim for the scrapings to keep ship and crew whole were at an end, the Biomancer rejoiced, turning to his captain with the precious re-genesis stones. And stopped short at the Captian's charged blaster rifle turned upon him. The Captain smiled as he pressed the fire key. Kicking the smoking corpse away from the chest, the captain scooped up the gems. "There will be only one pardon...and its going to be mine."


The Flame Flowers danced in the night sky, eclipsing the stars for brightness.

 

[Zoe Mackay]

The Flame Flowers danced in the night sky, eclipsing the stars for brightness. As the pilot, whose name Sten hadn't asked for fear that he would soon be required to remember him with honour, threw the plane into a series of evasive manoeuvres, Sten readied his wings. Even folded against his back they were beautiful. Soon, he would extend them to the full, and the world would marvel at their intricate silver interlacing, at the gossamer mesh between the struts. The plane bucked violently again, groaning with the stress, as one of the Flowers bloomed close to the port wing. The world would get to wonder if, firstly, they were watching and, more importantly, the plane wasn't destroyed before he deployed. The seconds ticked away, each one longer than the next, as he waited to fly.

*******

Nora asked if he had heard the story of Abelard and Heloise, her lips twisted in the kind of smile that filled him with worry.

 

[A. Fare Wells]

Nora asked if he had heard the story of Abelard and Heloise, her lips twisted in the kind of smile that filled him with worry. He had no idea who Abelard and Heloise were, or what their tale might be. How could he? He was not from this world, but Nora did not know that and he could not let her find out. Based upon her diabolical smile, he had to assume the story she referred to had no good end. It was best to be elsewhere.

--------------------------------------

Lightning cracked, and the sky split open.

 

[WordSpinner]

Lightning cracked, and the sky split open. “Ease the sails!” Captain Khan cried as the storm’s fury tore across the deck. The remaining crew members held tightly to the railing, mast, or anything bolted down and promptly ignored the captain’s orders. It had been a decade since the captain had seen a storm like this one, and the airship was splintering and cracking in protest. The ship had held together through the night, but the storm was proving to be its match. With half his crew blown from their posts and into the abyss that enveloped them, the ship lurched and whipped unpredictably -- like a skewered dragon. With his crew battered and his airship broken, Khan decided he had nothing more to lose and reached into his coat…
"Forgive me for what I'm about to do, forgive me..."

Toro screamed as something grabbed his leg and pulled him off the skiff and into the murky water.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Toro screamed as something grabbed his leg and pulled him off the skiff and into the murky water, hauling him down so fast that soon the underside of the boat was nothing but a distant shadow. Darkness closed around him as he held his breath, regretting wasting so much of it on the scream. He looked away from the light of the surface far above, wrenching his gaze down into the abyss. A pale, hideous face leered up at him.

A mermaid.

The black at the edge of his vision told him he would lose consciousness soon, but he couldn't tear his gaze from the face. Just as he passed out he witnessed a transformation. No longer hideous, her beautiful face gazed back at him, golden hair swirling around a fine oval face with a high forehead and sapphire blue eyes. He opened his mouth to speak reassurance to her but it was too late for him now. It had always been too late.

The Griffin circled high above the plain, his sharp eyes watching the bandits as they approached his treasure.