Index of Microfiction (#1-25)
A collection of microfiction stories that I've posted all around Substack. This one contained story number 1 through 25.
UPDATE (June 21, 2023): I decided to retire this index because it’s getting kind of long. I decided that each index will have 25 stories, starting with this one.
UPDATE (August 15, 2024): Here’s the Second Index.
Author’s note: Given that I’ve posted microfiction all around Substack (Notes, etc.), I might as well put them all in one place. Each story here will be at 100 words or less. Since I’m planning to keep writing microfiction, this collection is ever growing.
The Index:
Anger
[Originally posted on Notes, April 14, 2023] [99 words]
John was angry.
To remove his anger, he started using his smartphone.
John continued to scroll down the screen of his phone. Now he was very angry.
John had been using his phone to feel happy. He hoped to eliminate his anger with his phone.
But the more he looked at his phone, the angrier he felt.
John did not know why he felt so angry. Then he looked at the dark screen in front of him.
John knew what he had to do.
He punted the phone away like it was a football.
John was angry no more.
Pizza Delivery
[Originally posted on Notes, April 15, 2023] [96 words]
9:45 PM, it was dark outside. One final delivery before I can go home.
I took a medium-sized pepperoni pizza and went on my way.
I realized something was off when my GPS led me to a creepy forest, yet I drove on.
Soon, I reached a house in the middle of the woods.
Putting my fears aside, I rang the doorbell.
To my surprise, a tiny grey creature answered the door. I dumbly gave him the pizza.
In return, he handed me my tip: $15 in cash.
“We good?” he asked me.
“Yea, we good.”
1666 Nightwalker Circle
[Originally posted on 100 Word Stories, May 1, 2023] [100 words]
The Darkes of 1666 Nightwalker Circle had been causing quite the ruckus. I didn’t know what it could be, but I had enough.
I was surprised that I was the only one who heard it. Then again, my house was the closest to theirs. Perhaps it was a mistake to move into an address just a few digits removed from ‘666’, but I never put much stock in superstition.
Angry, I loudly knocked on the door of 1666.
To my surprise, the door opened by itself. Curiosity got the best of me, and I went in.
I never got out.
The Volunteer
[Originally posted on 100 Word Stories, May 3, 2023] [100 words]
Going to America was a mistake.
When the American Civil War broke out in 2041, I volunteered for the Militia. I thought we’d be kicking fascism out of the world once and for all.
Instead, fascism kicked our butts.
Holed up in Washington, I knew our chance of victory was nonexistent. They posted me in the Lincoln Memorial, but I was looking for a way out.
My opportunity came when fascist missiles struck the National Mall. I crawled out of the rubble and jumped into the Potomac.
I fought in the war, and all I got were these lousy boots.
Sal
[Originally posted on 100 Word Stories, May 5, 2023] [100 words]
For most of his life, Sal had lived far from the mountains he was born in. But it was now time for him to return home. He wouldn’t be alone.
Sal had to face bears, cliffs, and deadly rapids. The journey was perilous, but he was used to danger.
Sal lost many friends; he was lucky to reach home.
But Sal was not done yet. He then fought his friends for the right to win a female.
The strong Sal succeeded and enjoyed a brief life with his mate.
After passing the torch to the next generation, the salmon died.
Carla’s Carnival Car
[Originally posted on 100 Word Stories, May 8, 2023] [100 words]
Princess Carla of Agnelli had always loved racecars. Unusual for a woman but fitting for the racecar-crazed kingdom. Thankfully, the King approved of her hobby.
Unfortunately, Carla was of the imperious temperament.
The annual race, the Agnelli Carnival, rolled around. Carla wanted to enter her sleek pink car to race for the Royal Family. But her father intended to enter their black car, old but reliable in the sand.
As usual, Princess Carla got her way.
At the race, the Royal Family’s pink car broke down halfway and never finished.
Princess Carla’s reaction was as follows:
“I don’t like sand.”
The White Ogre of Aurelia
[Originally posted on 100 Word Stories, May 10, 2023] [100 words]
The Three Musketeers of Aurelia had received word of a white ogre spotted just outside of the city. They ventured out, it was their duty to protect Aurelia from the ogre threat.
Outside, the three men saw said ogre at a valley below. It was a curious ogre, smaller than most but with an abnormally large back.
Suddenly, green ogres appeared and attacked the white ogre.
Without hesitation, the Three Musketeers charged forth and drove off the greens.
The strange white ogre opened its head to thank the Three Musketeers.
The three knights gasped. The white ogre was a woman!
Prince Nemo’s Mother
[Originally posted on 100 Word Stories, May 12, 2023] [100 words]
Prince Nemo of Carrasco had a problem. His friends kept calling him ‘fish boy’. There had been a cruel rumor running about that the Queen, Nemo’s mother, was a mermaid.
But that couldn’t be true. This rumor existed only because Queen Melia came from the mysterious far-off kingdom of Atlantis.
Nemo knew quickly that the rumors were ridiculous. And yet, he had never seen his mother anywhere near water.
Nemo was wracked with doubt. It was said that one way to determine if someone was a mermaid was to dip her under water.
It would be so easy.
No, never!
Flight 671
[Originally posted on Erica Explains it All, May 15, 2023] [100 words]
The mysterious disappearance of Flight 671 of Florida Airlines remain to be one of the strangest episodes in the history of air travel.
The plane left Miami on December 10, 2056 for Panama City carrying about 150 passengers.
Everything went well as it traveled through the Caribbean Sea. But then it went dark about some few hundred miles south from Jamaica.
There were reports of strange patterns in the sky, no mere cloud nor squall. Communications cut out when the plane crossed over those clouds.
Even stranger was the plane’s fuselage found in Venezuela. But nothing else, not even bodies.
The Briefcase
[Originally posted on Erica Explains in All, May 17, 2023] [100 words]
Agent Colin Smith thought of the Battle of Los Angeles as he looked at an old briefcase. This bag contained a camera and the pictures pertaining to that strange battle.
Colin did not know how the CIA even got a hold of them; this battle took place five years before the agency was founded.
The event in question was the strangest episode of World War II. Lights went out all over LA; shots fired over the night sky; riots followed. To this day, the authorities insisted that they saw something.
Nervously, Colin opened the briefcase. He looked inside and…
[redacted]
The Tragedy of Sir Lorenzo the Rich
[Originally posted on Erica Explains it All, May 19, 2023] [100 words]
Have you ever heard the tragedy of Sir Lorenzo the Rich? It’s not a story the merchants like to tell.
You see, Sir Lorenzo was the mightiest merchant in the Empire. His money kept the Imperial economy afloat, bailing out bankrupt merchants and guilds.
This went on until Barbarians from the West overthrew the Empire.
All of a sudden, Sir Lorenzo had no money and accrued his own unpayable debts; his collectors settled on the merchant’s hands instead. Thus, Sir Lorenzo died a handless beggar.
Ironic.
He could bail others out from debt, but he could not bail himself out.
Minutes to Midnight
[Originally posted on Erica Explains it All, May 22, 2023] [100 words]
It was 5:45 PM according to my watch.
Remembering what the Oracle of Delphi, Indiana had told me all those years ago, I shuddered. I was supposed to die on this very day at 6 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Despite the literal time, it was minutes to midnight for me.
I was by no means an old man, but the words of the oracle had weighed heavily on me. I ensured my family’s prosperity; paid all my debts.
I looked at the watch intently as I crossed the street; I had no idea a speeding truck was heading my way.
The Blood Moon
[Originally posted on Erica Drayton Writes, May 24, 2023] [100 words]
The blood moon is a reminder of the Nephilim War fought over five hundred years ago.
For a thousand years, the children of the fallen angels ruled over all humanity; their tyranny and barbarity was infamous. It was only thanks to the Faith that we were able to overthrow these giants.
Afterwards, the Church sealed away these ‘demigods’ inside the deepest part of the Moon.
To this day, the Nephilim still try to break free. This is why the Moon occasionally turned red; the redder the moon, the closer they are to freedom.
And tonight, the Moon is unnaturally red.
The Vostokian Empire
[Originally posted on Erica Drayton Writes, May 26, 2023] [100 words]
Beneath the Antarctic ice sheet was the Vostokian Empire. The Vostoki were a race of penguin-like men whose bodies could withstand extreme cold that would kill other men. Most of humanity was blissfully unaware of their existence. But traces of them could be found from time to time, most recently the 1940s.
Explorer Ivan Rostov of the Russian Federation made it his mission to unearth these mysterious penguin-men.
However, Rostov was found dead. Draped over his body was a flag bearing the swastika; next to the body: a photo of penguins with their right hands raised in a 45-degree angle.
Old Man’s Thoughts
[Originally posted on Notes, May 29, 2023] [100 words]
Our Father, who art in heaven…
I looked at my old man. A veteran of war, but now he could barely acknowledge us. He was alive based on his vitals. Still, I wondered what he was thinking now.
Hail Mary, full of grace…
I still remembered when mother passed away. Not too different.
Glory be to the Father…
Seeing him like this, I struggled to hold back tears.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.
And his vitals flatlined.
Injury Time
[Originally posted on Notes, May 31, 2023] [100 words]
Six minutes into injury time…
Cristiano looked at the goalkeeper. The blue Arcturian growled to intimidate. But the earthling remained calm.
He had to. This penalty kick would determine the fate of the Earth. Defeat meant the conquest of Earth by Arcturus.
Right now, the enemy was up 2-0; this was the second leg. Team Earth won the first leg 3-1. With the game tied 3-3, the accursed away goals rule was to be Earth’s undoing.
Until Cristiano was tripped in the penalty box.
Now, the man took a deep breath.
He stutter-stepped towards the ball. He kicked, and…
GOOOOOLLL!!!!
Jacquell
[Originally posted on Erica Drayton Writes, June 2, 2023] [100 words]
Jacquell lived to party. He had partied all night long, and the next night he would do so again.
Why not? He was rich, he was handsome, and he got all the girls. His sister, that prude, always tried to get him to stop. But he won’t stop; only death would stop him!
Though recently, his sister ran off with her boyfriend. Jacquell forgot his name. It was Sam or Shem or something stupid like that.
Jacquell didn’t even remember why they did it. Not that he cared.
More annoying was the rain. Jacquell hoped that it would stop soon.
The Moon is Occupied
[Originally posted on Notes, June 5, 2023] [100 words]
“The Moon is occupied by demons.”
“What?”
“The Moon is occupied by demons!” he screamed this time.
Though dumbfounded, I was still able to squeak out some words: “I… don’t understand.”
When a NASA astronaut had agreed to be interviewed, I was ecstatic. This was not what I had in mind.
“Bah!” the astronaut spat out. “Why else have we not returned in over fifty years?”
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I played along. “Now what, then? We’ll never go back?”
“I never said that. We need to contact the Church in Rome. We must exorcise the Moon!”
The IED
[Originally posted on Notes, June 7, 2023] [100 words]
Ramirez was sweating bullets as the IED in front of him was ticking ever closer towards explosion.
The police had dispatched the bomb-setters, but the bomb itself still needed to be defused.
Unfortunately, the hastily put together explosive turned out to be more confusing than anticipated.
Which wire to take out? The bright red was the obvious choice, but Ramirez couldn’t ignore the unassuming grey. The wrong choice would lead to death and destruction.
Time was running out. Putting aside his fears, Ramirez took out the red wire.
The cop breathe a sigh of relief – he made the right choice.
The Klutuan Horde
[Originally posted on Notes, June 9, 2023] [100 words]
For eons, the always ravenous Klutuan Horde had been traveling through space in search of food. Having consumed all lifeforms in the Andromeda Galaxy, they moved on to the Milky Way.
The horde consumed planets, one-by-one, until they reached Earth. And that was the end of the Klutuans.
Yes, reader. You read that right.
Why? What tipped the scales in Earth’s favor against the ever-consuming Klutuan Horde?
Is it the terrain? No.
Its atmosphere? Nope.
Is it the inhabitants, humanity? Bwa ha ha ha ha!!!
None of that.
Earth had the one thing that stopped the Klutuan Horde: Divine Providence.
The Secrets of Nan Madol
[Originally posted on Notes, June 12, 2023] [100 words]
I was there when we foolishly unleashed the secrets of Nan Madol.
For millennia, the Micronesian ruin city had laid there. Dormant.
Of course, the “official scientists” have their own story regarding those ruins. Don’t believe their BS!
Instead, we learned that the city of Nan Madol was the former capital of the Great Mu. During an age long lost to us, Mu was at war with Atlantis. Their ultimate weapon, the golems, went amuck and had to be sealed away – at the cost of Mu itself, which sunk to the Pacific.
The locals warned us, but we ignored them.
Bork of Betasta
[Originally posted on Notes, June 14, 2023] [100 words]
Bork the Big had been tasked by his chief to escort the tribal priest to an allied village.
They departed from their home village of Betasta. The warrior scrupulously avoided the wastelands to their south. Dragons and other vicious beasts roamed that area.
Going east, Bork and the priest braved the dangers. With Bork’s brawn and the priest’s brain, they survived centaurs, wolf packs, and savage cannibal tribes.
Their last challenge was the mighty river Patamak. Bork was able to swim across with the priest on his back.
Upon reaching the shore, a sign greeted the two:
Welcome to Virginia.
Rhik and Fizzart
[Originally posted on Notes & Erica Drayton Writes, June 16, 2023] [100 words]
“Dangit, Fizzart! You killed him. Why did you do that?”
“He just trolled me, Rhik!”
“That’s no reason to gun somebody down and teabag his body!” Rhik groaned heavily, clearly distressed. “We’re so dead! What’re we gonna tell the cops?”
In contrast, Fizzart was unperturbed. He shrugged. “What’s the big deal, Rhik? He’s just going to respawn anyways.”
“Fizzart, you idiot! We’re not in the Great Domain anymore. We’re in real life now!”
“So?”
“So he’s not going to respawn!”
Fizzart blinked, mouth gaped open. For a few seconds, his mind struggled to process what his friend just said.
“Oh.”
Dead Man’s Testimony
[Originally posted on Notes, June 19, 2023] [100 words]
The doctors declare me dead.
I am flabbergasted. No, I’m alive! And yet, I can do nothing to prove my case. After all, my brain had been turned into mush after I was thrown off my motorcycle.
Tania, my wife, is crying profusely. Comforting her is my father, though he’s no less dismayed. My brother Matt is bidding me farewell.
If I can scream, I would tell them that I’m still alive. Alas, I have no control over my faculties. But my heart’s still beating. Surely, that’s proof enough of my life!
But then again, I am an organ donor.
Battle at the Creek
[Originally posted on Notes, June 21, 2023] [100 words]
Jek hid in the bushes, near to him was a creek, and a sparrow drinking. The boy shouldn’t be here, but he had to see the battle between his own tribe and the rivalling snake-eaters.
After all, his own father was to take part in it.
Jek saw the belligerents. Both cohorts had about twenty men, each armed with spears. The tension was such that the drinking sparrow flew away.
Jek’s father was the first to attack, throwing his spear. He struck his target.
Before long, the snake-eaters were routed. But Jek’s tribe lost ten men, including the boy’s father.