December 2015 75-word Writing Challenge -- VICTORY TO HAREBRAIN!

[Mad Alice]

Fortune's Fool

T'was the night before Christmas. Sinjin heard clattering hooven feet on the roof into the chimneypot. Blackened soot stinking of brimstone, clambered out.

Old Nick's glowing red eyes were met by Holywater cannonade.
"Out cheating *******!"
"Deals done Sinclaire!"
"Nondelivered!"
"Million in ice..."
"Bloody... Iceburgs!"
"Marry your sweetheart..."
"Died same day!"
"Country Estate"
"In arrears!"
"Machineworks"
"Junk! Except ..."
Chagrined, Old Nick found Sinjin's holywater steampower Demoncage actually worked quite well.
"Renegotiation?"

 

[StilLearning]

Expect the Spanish inquisition

Gluing Teddy’s new ear on, Damien (aged 8), whispered: "Daddy says we're monkeys”.

Figures burst through the door: "No heresy undetected by our microphones! No-one expects the.... Spanish... ... inquisition". Faithful eyes took in Teddy: Twitching iron limbs, steel claws, steam jets leaking from its boiler. It was crowned with a living ursine head, maintained by life support tubes.

Teddy snarled.

"I expected you," Damien told them. "So I built Teddy. Now, where's my Daddy?"

 

[The Judge]

Risk of Lost Profits = Certainty of Lost Prophet



Cedric greased pistons, checked steam gauges, and started up the Advanced Babbage Calculating Engine.

They’d scoffed at first, but reading the future was the future. Now Assurance Societies grumbled, Archbishops fulminated; they worried him not.

Steam hissed, pistons... did things...

Lights blinked their Morse code message. There is no future.

Damnation. Another error.

The doorbell. Doubtless the Archbishops’ and Assurance Societies’ delegation.

He left to greet them. So missed the final Morse-blinks.

... for you.

 

[Ursa major]

This Challenge is now closed to new entries, and voting is open at the link below:

POLL -- DECEMBER 2015 75 Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​

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