Sudden Short Story 97

"Are you sure about this?" asked the leader, shouting over the din of the wind on the planetoid that they'd managed to hold together. 
"Absolutely not," replied the scientist, "but it's this or nothing.  Worst case scenario, our brains get sprayed across a few universes.  If we don't, then we get crushed into the singularity with the rest of the universe.  Everyone!" he said to everyone that was left, "If you're up for the gamble, put on your helmets.  Either way, we're in for a bumpy ride.  I hope to see you all on the other side." 
They were already putting on their helmets when the scientist put on his. 
"CALIBRATION: COMPLETE" intoned the central computer.  He hadn't bothered with any fancy voice programs, what with the universe's ending at hand.  With the Planck time units counting down faster than his eyes could see, and even faster than the screen's refresh rate, he confirmed that, the specified duration before the end of the universe, the conversion should happen to anyone linked in.  They were mere moments away, their magnetosphere's being held together by another device at the core, which would, itself, succumb soon enough. 
Theirs was the last civilization to ever develop in the universe, barely old enough to know what was happening in time to do anything about it. 
A few seconds before the end of the universe, the brains of a billion citizens on a planet that does not yet exist were penetrated by a hundred needles each.  Two Planck time units before the end of the universe, their fate was decided. 

Sudden Short Story 96

He put the crystal into an empty jar.  "That's enough for this month.  Better get started on the next," he said to himself.  He had to take advantage of the abundance of ghosts tonight.  With the veil between worlds as thin as it was, he could capture enough souls to satisfy his next two contracts.  Then, surely, he would have enough to retire, right? 
Then again, it would be nice to have a safety net.  He could keep at this for a while longer.  After all, he was the best at what he did.  He could find ghosts better than anyone, and he could capture the easy ones without breaking a sweat.  There were always more soulless clients, who needed souls, and they'd easily hire him, so he'd have enough money soon, right? 
He looked again at his jars, and he suddenly wondered why he felt that he needed them, too. 

Sudden Short Story 95

The army of the frozen kingdom stood aside, as the man in the bronze armor approached the king, who sat upon his icy throne. 
"You have destroyed much of the beauty of my kingdom," said the king.  "What is it that you seek?" 
"I seek to restore warmth to the world," replied the man. 
"But why?" asked the king.  "What do you want from us?  I can grant many things in exchange for your departure." 
"The warmth that I bring is not meant as a weapon.  Your kingdom is merely a casualty in my process of restoring warmth to the world.  For the sake of the world as it was before your eternal kingdom rose, I channel heat itself.  I am sorry." 
"Do not think my army a trifle," said the king, and his knights began to lead an approach on the bronze one, but it was too late.  He had already begun to glow his yellow light, and their swords melted away, and then the throne, and then their shields, and then their armor.  The castle itself began to liquefy and recede, and the army fell. 
"You were willing to negotiate," said the man with the untold heat in him.  "I will remember that, and plant a leafy tree in your honor." 
And with that, the king melted. 

Sudden Short Story 94

"Professor," began the student, after class, as he was putting his materials away. 
"Yes?" he said, hardly looking up at this point. 
"Do you know much about botany?" 
This question was somewhat unusual, as he was a professor of ancient history specializing in migration period Europe.  "I know a little," he said, not letting on just how much he knew.  "Why do you ask?" 
"It's just that I've noticed this odd trend.  Whenever we have class here, the vines on this side of the building are longer after class than they were before." 
He hadn't realized that there were visible effects this far into town.  "Well, maybe those vines just grow quickly," he said, playing dumb. 
"But I have classes in this building Monday and Wednesday, too, but it only seems to happen Tuesday and Thursday.  Since you're here those days, too, I thought that you might know why." 
"Well, that's really outside my field," he said, "It's not like I've measured them or anything, either."  He sought to cast doubt on her observations.  "Maybe you could ask someone in the botany department, though," he continued, maximizing his cover. 
"OK," the student replied, "It was just a thought.  Well, see you next week," she added, departing. 
The professor was relieved, but nevertheless worried:  Was the Wellspring of Life continuing to affect him?  Had they closed the ritual improperly?  He would have to convene with the other Ur-Dren immediately.  

Sudden Short Story 93

In the center of the room, on a raised dais, knelt an angel, its wings spread and raised, its face covered in its hands, weeping. 
"How did you get in here," asked the stranger of the interloper. 
"I honestly don't know," he replied.  "Tell me, do you know what this place is?  There are so many strange rooms...." 
"This is the afterlife, and I am the Keeper.  The rooms are all occupied, so you haven't wandered off.  Part of my job is to keep you out," spake the Keeper, indicating a door.  "Come, this way." 
On their way out, the interloper asked:  "Tell me:  That angel back there, how did it die?" 
"It died of grief - the first one in a long time.  And that was no angel." 

Sudden Short Story 92

The mottled brown undulated along the forest floor, crawling toward the new host that had been offered to it.  It wasn't fast, but the human was paralyzed, just standing there, facing away.  They had been very lucky with this planet:  What were the odds that they'd find a habitable world with a dominant clade with dorsal nervous systems?  The humans were especially advantageous:  Aside from grasping appendages, they had already built an infrastructure that was useful to them - and thus to anyone that they hosted. 
The extraterrestrial alien buried itself under its new host's skin.  This one would do just fine. 

Sudden Short Story 91

She ran down the city neighborhood streets, but she forgot why she was running, so she stopped. 
Nobody was around.  The air was warm, though the sun was behind some building or other.  She heard a sound, faintly, off in the distance, and began to wonder what it was.... 
"Hey," came the voice of Jason, the boy that she liked.  Or did she?  Didn't she? 
"Hey," she said, somewhat hesitantly, as he ran to her. 
"Did you get lost or something?" 
"No," she said, looking around.  "This is 15th Street, isn't it?  I know where we are.  Do you hear that noise?" 
Jason listened for a moment.  "No.  What's it like?"
She thought for a moment.  "It's sort of... a cry?  Or a long note, like in a song." 
Jason listened again.  "I don't hear anything....  Oh!" he cried out, "The others are waiting for us."  He reached out and grabbed her hand.  Or did he? 
She didn't move.  "Hey," she said, hesitantly again, not budging, "Do you... How long has it been summer?" 
He stopped.  "I don't remember, exactly.  It's been summer all summer, anyway.  C'mon," and he tried once again to pull her along. 
"What did we do this morning?" 
"We can talk about it on the way," he said, but tears were welling in his eyes. 
"And that sound..." she said, her eyes staring off into the distance. 
He put all of his weight into pulling her, but he may as well have been a breeze.  Tears were streaming down his cheeks now.  "Please," he begged, "Just come on." 
She closed her eyes, and it was over.