Budgie Does it Again

As some may know, I've recently started a short story challenge of sorts where someone gives me a title and a random word, and I'm to create a 200 word story. Unfortunately, because of hectic running around and lack of schedule, I've only been able to complete 2, with 3 more only half done.

If you're interested:
Challenge 1 "Plague of Hate"      
Challenge 2 "Savannah on the Moon"



Now, I was inspired to take part in this creative writing challenge by the talented Mr. Lee Barnett

Lee Barnett gave other writers, and readers of his blog, a simple challenge... to challenge HIM. He requested: "reply with a title (no longer than four words) about which you'd like me to write a fast fiction of exactly 200 words, along with a word you want me to include in the tale."

He then took the best 180 short stories and published them in a book called The Fast Fiction Challenge

He's now doing it again, and I stumbled across this and found his stories absolutely genius!
Some of my favorites include "Why is Orange" and "Once Within Memory"


I had to get in and offer him a challenge myself. And of course, he wowed me. I was HOPING he would do something with a science fiction feel and he did <3 Here was my challenge

Title: Autumn Gate Estimate
Word: scandalous
Challenger: @jazminlee23
Length: 200 words exactly

"The starship had taken sixteen months longer than expected to return to its home. The reasons for this were debated for further long months among the crew and other interested parties such as investors, regulators, the news media and the insurers.

Fourteen separate mutiny attempts over a three year period according to the ship’s log had, it was generally agreed, played some part in it, though this was more often put down to the experiment of having members of a single family comprising the majority of the thirty-seven crew complement.

There was also the question of faults in the construction, the later official inquiry revealed; voice activated internal doors that only opened when the word “scombroid” was whispered were found to be less than ideal.

The navigation computer had its third nervous breakdown as it approached the wormhole gate nearest the Autumn Nebula, and made repeated requests of a sexual nature to the crew, most of which were not granted.

The scandalous behaviour of the chief engineer, when it was discovered that he was neither Scottish, nor a drunk, also led to inaccurate conspiracy theories.

Accurate conspiracy theories were so much less fun, the actual conspirators knew, and relied upon."


Awesome right?? For more of Lee's work check out his Live Journal and follow him on Twitter. And bask in the glory that can be found in fast fiction ;)