literature

No Trial, No Appeal

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Literature Text

There were three trials set out by the computer program "TH3 FAT3S" at the end of the world, and each one of them was presided over by one of the fates of Greek mythology: Clotho, the spinner, whose test involved the fiery strings of fate; Lachesis, the allotter, whose test held the furious, three headed steel monster Cerberus; and Atropos, the unturnable, whose test had never been passed.

The front of the great stone building that held the trials was flat and featureless, and I shook anxiously a moment before dashing through them with practiced ease: jumping over lines of racing red fire in the hall of the spinner and bowing through the low door past the hungry heads of Lachesis' Cerberus, three-headed and hungry for the taste of would-be-clever human’s skin.

It was the last test, however, that always claimed fools like me trying to be heroes; it is said that the fires of fate look backward, so I steeled myself for the strength to face my own past and to secure a future for humanity, but it wasn't my past that Atropos wanted to discuss, and as I stumbled out of the building, stunned, burned, and failed, all I could think was that sometimes we get what we deserve.
Flash Fiction Month, day 15. 211 words

Challenge!

Write a story with only three sentences, and include things that usually come in threes.


I chose trials, which pretty arguably come in threes, and the three fates of Greek Mythology, which you know, there's three of them, so.

But OH GOD DID I MAKE SO MANY BAD DECISIONS

These sentences average at 85 words a sentence (CHRIST), it relies on an apocalypse I don't have time to describe (CRAP), and I throw us through what could be a novel in record space without the ability to properly describe or explain all the stupid thoughts that were in my head about this piece (*cries*). 

I do *think* that the grammar holds out for all of these sentences. I think so. I really do. Tell me if you disagree, although I think this piece is too much of a mess to be saved. (:P) I tried! Lord knows I tried. Please spare me too many words about how this totally doesn't work.

More (and better, I promise!) Flash Fiction from awesome people here!

edit

some brief edits cut it back to 70 words a sentence. Small victories...
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LadyBitterblue's avatar
Am I the only one who thinks this is great as it is? Sure, you could expand on it (and I would love to read that), but I still understood the important things in this compact form. And sure, those sentences are quite long, but they work very well. I almost didn't notice it was only three long sentences.
I love that you mention the three fates of Greek Mythology, as well as the ending. "sometimes we get what we deserve."
 
(I guess the last test is to see a record of every horrible thing humanity has done throughout history and still keep the will to save it/convince Atropos to save it? That's how I understand it)