We have a two-way tie.
The stories:
The Coal Miners (by Cat's Cradle)
The priest paced around the mining office awaiting news--days had passed since the last faint tapping beyond the cave-in.
"Mankind First!"..."Dwarves Unite!"...ugly words, ugly placards, he reflected; human miners loathed dwarves for 'stealing' jobs--dwarves loathed humans for many reasons. Steam, and Edison's wondrous clockwork sensor boards, had seemed to promise unlimited opportunities for all, but little changed.
They reached the dead miners that evening--dwarves, humans, all embracing for warmth and comfort, united finally, hatreds forgotten.
...but if you try sometimes, you just might find... (by TheDustyZebra)
“Will you serve God and sovereign, obeying always?” asked the king.
His armor shone. Second Law. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Will you defend the kingdom, land and people?”
Wheels turned in his head. Third Law. “Yes, Sire.”
The princess stepped up and whispered her question. “Will you give knightly succor to a lady, with all your heart?”
His eyes glowed, and steam poured out of his ears. “I am a machine, Your Highness.”
She turned to her father. “I'll take him!”
The stories:
The Coal Miners (by Cat's Cradle)
The priest paced around the mining office awaiting news--days had passed since the last faint tapping beyond the cave-in.
"Mankind First!"..."Dwarves Unite!"...ugly words, ugly placards, he reflected; human miners loathed dwarves for 'stealing' jobs--dwarves loathed humans for many reasons. Steam, and Edison's wondrous clockwork sensor boards, had seemed to promise unlimited opportunities for all, but little changed.
They reached the dead miners that evening--dwarves, humans, all embracing for warmth and comfort, united finally, hatreds forgotten.
...but if you try sometimes, you just might find... (by TheDustyZebra)
“Will you serve God and sovereign, obeying always?” asked the king.
His armor shone. Second Law. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Will you defend the kingdom, land and people?”
Wheels turned in his head. Third Law. “Yes, Sire.”
The princess stepped up and whispered her question. “Will you give knightly succor to a lady, with all your heart?”
His eyes glowed, and steam poured out of his ears. “I am a machine, Your Highness.”
She turned to her father. “I'll take him!”
The usual rules apply:
Any member of the Chrons can cast a vote
Each member may cast one vote only
You may not vote for yourself
The winner of the poll will choose the theme and genre for May
The poll will close at 11:59pm GMT on April 30 2014
Please note -- this is an open poll. Everyone will be able to see which story you voted for.
This thread is to be used for voting only. Please keep comments on the stories for the Discussion thread. Any comments posted here will be removed.