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Challenge Accepted by Douglas Goff
Lost - Flash Fiction writing prompt entry

The whirlydurdle stared at Carson with its four eyes, saliva dripping from its three-inch fangs. The beast was an eight-footer and looked angry. Carson studied his enemy, seeing the light blue sapphire hanging around the monster’s neck.

“Challenge accepted,” the slender man chuckled.

Whirlydurdles had dark green hide-like skin, that was twice as strong as a man’s. Carson had fought a smaller one before, seven altered realities back. Once he arrived in this reality, he had sensed the sapphire stone calling to him. After running for hours across the sand, he had found the whirlydurdle.

The creature swiped at him with his massive, clawed hand, but missed. Carson grabbed for his laser blade. Even though he had lost it, along with his arm back in the last reality while fighting the Minotaurs, he knew that it would be there. With each new reality, he was made whole again, like some giant cosmic video game.

The whirlydurdle hesitated when the flashing laser blade was freed. Carson took the opportunity to wink at the slow-minded beast, causing it to charge, flailing with its clawed arms. Maybe in his first reality jump, that might have worked, but thirteen jumps later there was no chance.

With two quick swipes of the laser blade, the whirlydurdle’s arms were now lying in the sand. Carson charged the stunned beast, and with a flash, removed its head. After it toppled to the sand, the body followed. Carson leaned over and grabbed the bloodied light blue sapphire necklace and held it to the sky. With a glimmer, it disappeared.

Carson sat against a boulder, closing his eyes. He knew once he fell asleep, he would wake up in another reality. He hoped and prayed that this time it would be back to his reality and family. If not, then he would feel the insatiable drive to pursue the next sapphire. He sensed that he would be lost until he had retrieved them all.

The man awoke with a start. He was sitting against a wall in a dimly lit room. After his eyes adjusted to the half-light, he took in his surroundings. He was facing an iron door, in a padded room, and couldn’t move his arms because they were restrained by a straitjacket.

“Time for your meds, Carson.” A man in a white shirt and pants came through the door. “Then you can go back to sleep, lost in crazy land.”

The man grabbed Carson’s cheeks, and applying pressure that forced open his mouth, shoved two capsules in. “Unless you finally want to see the doctor?”

“Yes,” Carson answered.

“Hmmm . . . three years all alone in this room, without a single word, and today you want to see the doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” the man said.

Once the door closed, a lock could be heard clicking. Carson didn’t pay that any attention. He had been too focused on the man’s hand that wore a light blue sapphire ring.   

“Challenge accepted,” he chuckled.



Writing Prompt
Write a flash fiction story under 500 words about being lost

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