Stranded, Part 12
Launch Director Haroldson pushed his secretary’s slim body off his, wrapped a towel around himself, while turning up the sound on the TV. He heard the announcer speak of substandard workmanship and materials as being the main causes to the Phoenix’s demise. All of which, where traced back to the Chinese manufacturing plants that had won the rights to building the spacecraft’s landing module.

Well, that was nothing new, he thought, but as everyone knew, the current administration had made it taboo to criticize the Chinese in order to gain their support and their money for the mission to Mars.

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Hidy Ho Good Neighbors,

Here’s my submission for this week’s 100 Word Stories Podcast challenge: Zombies

Bizroc and his wife walked along the tunnel with the satisfaction of full stomachs for the first time in many months. Like every worship day, they had joined their neighbors, marching like zombies, silently down the tunnel toward the worship hall.

They continued to march, getting closer to the meeting hall, becoming increasingly aware that something was different today.

Maybe different wasn’t the correct word, they were in for something special, special and profound, from the sounds of the choir.

Bizroc wondered if it pertained to the earthling, as he and his wife had found so sweet and delicious.

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Here’s my entry for the 100 Word Stories Podcast’s weekly challenge #102, Steamer Trunk.

Stranded, Part 10
Bizroc happily scurried into the kitchen, amazed at the good luck of his hunting mere minutes ago.

The earthling had been so easily confused; Bizroc had hardly appeared when the earthling froze in his tracks, unable to move.

Then, it had been so easy, no thick armored skin like any of the local animals, one swipe of his fangs and he had enough meat for both him and his wife.

While he thought of his good luck, Bizroc put the large chuck of meat into the Steamer Trunk to let it hydrate and cook, they would be eating good tonight.

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Here’s this week’s entry for the 100 Word Stories Podcast’s Weekly Challenge. The theme was Nightingale

Stranded, Part 9

Josh ran into the ship’s med section, using the last of his strength, he pressed his hand against the biometric scanner, the hatch opened.

He quickly climbed into the Nightingale, Mk IV., careful not to shift the cloth that kept the blood from gushing out of his leg.

It was foresight that Space Command included the automated med machine, without it he would be dead.

It would take the Nightingale at least two weeks to regenerate the large chuck of flesh that was missing. Then he would take care of that little red beast that had tried to eat him.

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Greetings Earthlings, Here is Part 8 of Stranded, as submitted to the 100 Word Stories Podcast’s Weekly Challenge #101, The Theme this week was “Life in the Sewer”

Bizrocca strolled slowly along the walkway deep in thought.

Here she was working her ass off to keep them living the life style that they were accustomed to, and what does he do.

He gives her that tasteless birthday cake with little meat in it, and she was sure he had used the neighbors pet as the main ingredient. Why she had found the toenails from seven of the beast’s feet in the cake for god’s sake.

And just what does he say….

“But my lumpy dumpy, I wanted to catch that 4 legged beast the earthling brought with him, but it was just too fast for me.”

Too fast for him, shit, he was just too fucken lazy to get off his ass and leave their comfortable house.

Well, that was life in the sewer, it just doesn’t get any better than this on Mars.

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Here is my entry for the 100 Word Stories Podcast, Weekly Challenge #100 with the theme, Cake.

Stranded, Part 7

Bizroc looked at the recipe once again as he prepared the ingredients,

1 cup of ground malni root
1 teaspoon of fugg powder
1 torful egg, divided
1 tablespoon of groggy grease
2 cups of briz flour

Yup, he had all of them set aside.
Now all he had to do is find the main ingredient.
He had seen the two legged earthling a couple of times,
that would be more than enough meat,
maybe too much, he hated to be wasteful.
Ah, but that four legged earthling he saw running round the last few days would be just right size for the recipe.
How to catch it, that was a problem, it was so quick.

Well, Bizrocca better appreciate her special birthday cake this year,
With all the trouble he was going through to make it for her.

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Here’s my entry for the 100 Word Stories Podcast’s Weekly Challenge #99. The topic was Hemorrhage.

Stranded, Part 6

Fuel, glorious Fuel!
I started early in the morning searching the cargo wreckage.
I had just about given up finding anything worthwhile.
Then I found it,
Fuel, glorious Fuel.
With it, came Hemorrhage.
Now I can Hemorrhage in the morning,
Hemorrhage at noon,
and Hemorrhage at night
I had forgotten how I enjoyed Fuel and their Hemorrhage
No, not fuel as in gas,
Fuel, the band, and the Best of Fuel CD I brought.
There’s nothing like a little Hemorrhage in the morning to get you going.
This is Josh Jones, survivor, Signing off

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Greetings Earthlings, This is my entry for the 100 Word Stories Podcast Weekly Challenge #98, At My Own Funeral

Stranded, Part 5

Day what, I don’t know, I’ve lost track of how long it has been since the crash.

I have just spent the last several days working with the communications equipment and have partially repaired the Vid-Comm. I now can at least receive transmissions from Earth but still unable to let Space Command know I am alive.

The first transmission I have received was ICN anchor Dan Quayle discussing the explosion of the landing module on descent and how the Phoenix, the main ship, is still in orbit around the planet. He said that Space Command will be remotely using the Phoenix to survey the planet for wreckage but there was no hope for survivors.

This evening, Dan narrated during the memorial service as President Clinton and the First Husband placed wreaths for each of the crew members next to a stone replica of the Phoenix. I never thought that there would be a day where I could watch and be at my own funeral.

This is Josh Jones, survivor, signing off.

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Here’s my entry into the 100 Word Stories Podcast’s Weekly Challenge #97 with the theme of Navel Lint and Mufalleta.

Day 4 – May 16, 2012

After putting it aside for a couple of days, I find myself trudging back to the wreckage of the living module of my once proud ship. I think the shock of losing my fellow crew members has abated enough so that I can give them a proper burial.

Reflecting back on to each of them, our time together in training and the 2 month trip here has given me a new prospective on life and friendships.

Sergeant David Mirowski, the security NCO of the crew was a huge man, but now so very small after the flames of the crash has claimed him. It may be crazy, but the one thing that I remember best about him was his 30 year collection of navel lint that he kept neatly rolled up in a ball. I’m going to bury it with him since it meant so.

Lieutenant Regina Rodriguez, my co-pilot, so beautiful in life along with being so talented in many areas. During our trip to Mars, she would prepare dishes from her home country at least once a week to give up a change from our bland rations that we were provided. I think my favorite was the Mufalleta she made last week.

I couldn’t find the body of our final crew member, Sprocket, the Labrador Retriever that Space Command sent along. I wonder if he made it out before the fire or was in some other part of the ship, I guess only time will tell.

This is Capt. Josh Jones, Earth Space Command signing off.

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Here’s my entry for the Weekly Challenge #96 – Steampunk at the 100 Word Stories Podcast

Stranded, Part 3

Day 3, May 15, 2012

I have just woken up from the strangest dream I have ever encountered.

In the dream, I was living the life of someone called Oswald Bastable in the early 19^th century on earth. We were in the process of chasing some Chinese guy across the Pacific, when our difference engines quit and we had to switch over to the steam powered motors. This slowed our descent enough that we were able to land on an island without any damage or personal injuries of the crew. My very able assistant, Penelope Tugbottom and I frolicked along the island beach while the crew made repairs to the engines so we could continue our chase.

This was so unlike my real life crash landing on Mars that I encountered several days ago. The loneliness and stress of the past few days had taken a toll on me, I guess I better not be reading Moorcock’s The Warlord of the Air or any steampunk material for that matter, so late at night.

This is Captain Josh Jones, Earth Space Command signing off.

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