Sunday, February 19, 2006

Another dose of 55

It’s been quite a while since I wrote some 55-word micro-fiction stories. So I thought I’d subject you to some more 55-word torture.

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Victory?

Hasradbal’s Carthagian troops surrounded Rome itself. Elephants, phalanxes, and ballistas stood ready. The Roman cities of the Scipii, Julii and Brutii had fallen. One final thrust would end it all. Ah! The scent of victory!

And then the mouse froze, and the hard-drive stopped humming. Damn you, Windows, for denying me a Rome: total war victory.

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Outbreak

These were indeed grim times. Their working conditions had become worse. The cramped conditions and squalor were affecting their productivity. They sat still, in their cramped conditions, and had no idea what their fate would be.

“They have to be killed”, said the inspector to the farmer, pointing at his fifty bird-flu infected squawking hens.

6 comments:

Michael Higgins said...

Hi Sunil
Wonderful stories once again. You are the master of the art.

Minal said...

Sunil your little stories are back!
Btw the second one was apt! Perfect timing!

Anonymous said...

Brevity is an art indeed.

I was blue till in the end I read bird flu.

With the other kinds of birds, the word bird-flew takes a different connotation though that could be equally traumatic.

Sunil said...

Thanks Michael, Minal, Hiren.
I like to occationally write these little stories......it's a break from serious writing, don't take time, and are good fun. Feedback's really nice, because only then will i know if the message or the point of the story got across :-)

gawker said...

Ah are you a video game nerd like me? Never would have guessed. Or is Hasradbal someone else?

Sunil said...

indeed Gawker....though i pretend i'm not a nerd. I only play strategy games though (warcraft, AOE/AOM, Warcraft, Civ), and not too many role-playing games (i did play God of War on a playstation, and thought it was pretty good though. Don't do much of Quake or Max Payne or what ever else). Rome Total War is probably the best of the total war series...