The Hugoverse

[WP]One of your relatives just died. You help cleaning and emptying their house. While in the attic, you find something unusual. [ Link to post .] It was time for a break. I'd been working most of the morning trying to clear out my grandma's attic while my mom, uncle, and aunts worked on the rest of the house. I sat on an old bar stool to admire the sunshine through the open window, while drinking from a water bottle. Despite my grandfather putting in the work to turn the attic into a bedroom, he passed away first. Then grandma defaulted to using it for storage. The bed was just as dusty as the boxes piled around it. Though I felt good about my progress, there were considerably less boxes than when I started. I looked to the three plastic bins beside me. Going through the boxes I sorted things into, "trash, sentimental, and garage sale" piles. No one would be surprised that the "trash" pile, full of TV guides and expired coupon sheets, was the biggest; ...

[WP] Sunday Free Write [ Link to post .] "You're sure it won't hurt my son?" Liv Hansen, a pale woman with short blond hair, asked the doctor. She and her husband, Arik Hansen, sat in the OB-GYN's small office exploring their options. Her right hand rested on the bulge that took her nine months to grow, her left hand entangled itself with Arik's. The Hansen's finances were tight, but Dr. Olsen offered them an opportunity. "No more than getting an ear pierced. It does sting, but it's something the child will quickly forget," Dr. Oslen said. He reached into one of his desk drawers, pulled out something that resembled a hot glue gun, then handed it to Arik. He examined the device. He touched the sharp point, then flipped it around to fiddle with the two number wheels on the back. The wheels reminded him of a lock, he turned them to create different two digit numbers. When he felt he looked at it enough he handed the gun back to the doctor....

[WP] A spider dangles down from the ceiling in front of you, but just out of reach. You hear a quiet voice say, "So what are you going to do now?" [ Link to post .] Abby  walked out of the shimmering blue portal and stared at her large pink and white house. She saw no sign of her parent's car in the driveway. The dark haired girl smiled at the tall woman with horns exiting the portal behind her.  "See? No one's home, I'll bet they're out looking for me," Abby smiled, then ran to her front door. She tried her house key, but it did not want to fit the lock. The tall woman caught up, and spoke up from behind her. "I'm sure it's very common to change the locks before searching for a beloved  missing child," Ballisea  said. She drenched the word "beloved" in sarcasm. "You've only been missing for a few hours, they must have been in a hurry to keep you out." "SHUT UP!" Abby yelled. She vented her...

[WP] Sunday Free Write: Copybara Crisis Edition [ Link to post .] "I GOT IT!!!" Edgar ran through school's courtyard towards his best friend, Buddy. Edgar reached Buddy, grabbed the short boy's shoulders with a vice-like grip, then shook him like a rag doll. "I GOT IT!" Buddy wriggled his body, pushing his friend's arms away. "That's great, but take it easy," Buddy said. Once he freed himself from Edgar's grasp he resumed walking to his last period class.  "*Take it easy*. Easy for you to say, you've been playing for months already," Edgar matched Buddy's pace, they shared the same last period. Buddy shrugged.  "Just luck that they released it so close to my birthday. Anyway, if you go in knowing what race and class you want the setup process is quicker and you can go right to the tutorial. Altogether it'll take you about an hour to log in the first time," Buddy said. Edgar nodded as they reached...

[WP] you were left for dead in the middle of an unknown forest, you pass out thinking this is it. All of the sudden you wake up and all your wounds are stitched with what looks like spider webs. [ Link to post .] Abby woke up in darkness. Despite opening and re-opening her eyes several times, her vision remained pitch black. She attempted to wipe her eyes clean, but discovered she could not move her arms. She felt a tightness around them, as if something kept her tied down. She tried to move her legs, but found them bound as well. Abby pulled at the soft bindings, then discovered she lacked the strength to free herself. "Hello??" She questioned the darkness, unsure whether she wanted to hear a response or not. She received one. "Hello," a small voice said to her right. She turned her head toward the sound, but no light met her eyes. She did not know who spoke.  "Hello? Who are you? Where am I?" Abby asked, facing the direction of the first respon...

[WP] The forgotten tail of the Knight and the Snail. [ Link to post .] Cedric strolled through the King's garden, his daily constitutional was a chance to bask in the sunlight. He stopped every so often to admire and greet a rose bush here and there. The royal landscapers took great pride in their work; as far as Cedric knew every plant was happy, and every leaf in the garden was perfect. He smiled at the giant red dragon shaped from several intricately pruned rose bushes in the center of the garden.  "CEDRIC! HELP!" Rose's familiar voice came from one end of the garden. Cedric bolted toward the plea. As he ran more and more voices joined in. "Help her Cedric!"   "Rose is in danger!" The urgency in their voices made him wonder if he should expect a fight. The royal garden was off limits to anyone not staying in the King's castle, but some unsavory types arrived the previous night for an upcoming festival. As a habit he left his armor and ...

Write a story about anything, using every single character on your keyboard. [ Link to post .] A dark purple hole appeared in the air above an overgrown wheat field. The portal floated vertically a couple of feet off the ground. A pale young child wearing all black clothes stepped out of it and fell on his face. When he looked up he revealed a widow's peak on his forehead. "OW!" The boy yelped and sat up on his knees to rub his face. He turned around and yelled into the purple abyss. "You're still  doing it super wrong, Eva ." His voice dripped with annoyance.  A blue jean clad leg stepped out of the portal followed by another. They belonged to a slender man wearing a black t-shirt and a rugged brown beard. His forearm showed a tattoo of a scythe with a golden number 14  on it. He reached a hand down to help the boy stand. "Settle down, Oren , she's still learning." The man turned around to face the portal, and reached his hand out. ...

Flash Fiction Challenge - Location: An Arcade | Object: A ladybug [ Link to post .] “Ladies, gentlemen,” the woman looked over the small crowd. She hand picked each of them for the presentation. She smiled convincingly, “Investors. I’ve worked close enough with each of you that you know how fast I move.” She winked towards the deepest pockets. “So I’ll get to the point.” The woman turned her back toward the crowd. Her long dark hair bounced while she walked toward an arcade machine illuminated by spotlight. The machine was one of dozens in the old abandoned arcade. “This is the past.” She pushed the machine over. She reached behind her back, then her hand came forward holding a small leather wristband with a golden button on it. “This is the future. This harnesses soul energy for any powers we program, and the safety features are all hardwired. This is the ultimate game.” The woman waved to someone in the crowd. A young girl wearing a ladybug shirt and black tights w...

Sunday Free Write [ Link to post .] "Hey, number four. You there, guy?" The ranger asked. He wore red leather armor with a red and white quiver slung over his back. The ranger poked at the black mannequin with the number 4 hovering above its head. The number 1 hovered over above the ranger's head. He looked around at the at the rest of the group and shrugged. "Let's give them another minute," the priest said. She looked at a scroll to indicate she was in the menu. "I need one more full clear to get the achievement." The number 5 hovered over her head. "Sorry, I'm here," the mannequin said. Clothes appeared on it, then it came to life. In took the appearance of a monk. He wore green robes embellished with golden threads. The number 04 sparkled over his heart. "Hey your numbers match." The thief said. He used a dagger to point up to the number 3 above his head then pointed to the 04 on the newcomer's ch...

Souls have been proven to exist and to be what makes us sentient, we just don't know what they are or how they work. Scientists begin to study them, poke them a bit, move them around, take them apart... [ Link to post .] "So, it's not going to kill me, right?" The disheveled, bearded man asked while looking around at the white room he sat in. White light seemed to be coming out of every wall, including the ceiling and floor. He sat upright in a metal chair in front of a large glass desk. A beautiful woman with long dark hair sat behind the desk, but he did not know her name. It wasn't important. He was here for the money. "Mr. Spinne, unfortunately I cannot guarantee that an accident won't happen. However, I can be completely transparent with you. We have had some patients react badly and die during the testing. However any financial compensation due to them was paid out to their families, with a bonus. If you like I can give you some references to ...