eperales

#wss366 - side A tenderloin and a side order of mashed potatoes. That's what life tastes like. I crossed half of our vast Empire and a good portion of hostile ones to get back to Earth. And don't get me started on synthetic food. I know it tastes the same or even better than the real thing. But it is not the same. Here, on Earth, a cow is still born, fed and slaughtered. The soil is tilled and cared for until a potato grows. It takes time. It takes work. It takes blood. That is why I'm here. To enjoy a proper meal before the Empire comes to an end. I'm not political, I don't take sides. I'm a mercenary after all. Tomorrow, missiles are going to rain down on this little planet, the headquarters of a decadent royal court. And with them most of the cows and potatoes left in the universe. A leader will fall and another, maybe worse than the current one, will take his place. Right now, the only important thing is to choose the right bottle for it. A rare Pinot Noir from the King's library perhaps? When I'm done, I'll visit the King and kiss his Ring one last time. Tomorrow will be another day. The day I'll send fire from the sky upon him and all my enemies here and everywhere. #MicroFiction

#wss366 - back Dr. Mario M. Giles tried to get a closer look at the girl's tattoo. He was not good with kids and it is hard to make a five-year-old stay put. "Stop moving for God's sake!" He was able to take a good picture of it. It was a masterpiece, no doubt. The detail and colors were exquisite. "She was born with it." That was Faye, Norah's mother, getting ahead of Giles' next question. Giles didn't hold back "Do you think I was born yesterday?" Faye had to answer similar questions before, she no longer had the need to feel angry. "No. But I know you weren't born with a tattoo on your back." "Did you?" Giles was relentless. "No. It is a miracle. A signal." "A signal for what?" He looked at the picture, it vaguely reminded him of the crop circles that made the news from time to time. "I'm a urologist Ms Preciado. Not a shaman." "You are the only person in town who ever set foot in a university, you must know something I don't." She was the most assured person Giles ever knew. "Where is your husband?" "He is a sailor, somewhere in the Pacific." "Is he the father of the creature?" "Of course he is! Do you want a good slap?" Her flaming eyes told clearly she was telling the truth. Guiles got the message. "I apologize. I'll tell you what. I'll send the picture and the x-ray to a friend in the capital and I'll get back to you with her response. Sounds fair?" She nodded. "I'll be back next Monday then. Norah! Stop playing with those things! Let's get you an ice popsicle." Norah cheered and ran leaping towards the door. She was just a regular kid that happened to be born with a tattoo. She turned to the doctor and waved with a smile. "Bye Mario Mohammed Giles!" He waved back as Faye closed the door. It was only a couple of hours after they left that he realized that he never told anyone in this town what his middle name was. #MicroFiction

#wss366 - buck (This is kind of a sequel to yesterday's prompt: align. Read them together!) Oza was a buck whose skin resembled old gold, shiny in places. It liked to seek food in lonely places, where it could think peacefully. This one was not one of those days. Its ears picked up the Thunder-From-Below and with a swift jump, it dodged for cover. Oza knew from its mother that thunder from below, and no rain meant untimely death. Its ancestors whispered in its ear "Run! Run!" desperately but curiosity got the better of it. With great care Oza followed the God-With-Many-Skins to a clearing. "Run you fool!" the voices said. But Oza had to see what the God was up to. The God was talking with someone else, but Oza could not see who it was. Trembling but silent, it stopped behind a tree. A Shiny-Wrecker stood in the middle of the clearing. The God shed a skin and wrestled the Shiny‑Wrecker’s fat leg until it tore away and was swapped for another. "What a spectacle! Mother won't believe this." Oza thought. But the best was to come: The God was eaten by the beast, leaving his skin behind in the middle of the clearing. The Wrecker burped and slowly walked backwards to the old path. Oza was, again, alone in the clearing. It approached the skin with care, smelling it to know what was the scent of a God. Unfortunately, its smell was of a dead bear. Nothing else. Oza took a mental note of that and went back to the delicious roots it had found before the God disrupted its day, thinking about the great story it had to tell. "Fool. Don't go into a God's path" the voices said. but honestly, Oza didn't care. #MicroFiction

#wss366 - align Lee heard the voice of his father whispering in his ear: "Steady." He tightened his grip and held his breath. "Pull, don't squeeze." The moment the bullet left the muzzle with a thump he knew it was going to miss its target. The deer leaped into the air and was lost in the woods. "Align the sight." "I know Dad, don't you have someone to bother in Heaven?" Lee said with a smirk. Dad didn't answer that one. Lee took the rifle, and headed to the truck, crushing leaves on his way back. "What a humid day," he thought. As soon as he reached the clearing where it was parked he noticed a flat tire. "I told you to check the tires..." "Dad!" #MicroFiction A different perspective of the same vignette: https://universeodon.com/@eperales/116052703576378520

#wss366 - mace

That's quite an experience if you ask me. Getting maced. The burn, the smell.

Was it worth it? Every second of it. And the burning face too.

Of course, I feel it was a bit rash on your part. I kissed you for two seconds and this happens? It's not as we barely know each other.

Consent? Well, I've always been a "do it now, apologize later" person. Especially when I'm drunk.

Listen officer, I didn't mean to kiss you. Well, just a little. But since the first time you gave me that speeding ticket you have been my crush. I got a DUI just for you.

C'mon... put those handcuffs away... Give me just a little smooch... No, not the Mace again... No no no... Wait!

#MicroFiction