
Word Count:
233
Systemic Risk
In the early eighties, around the time the internet was being developed, the military funded a massive experiment to see if similar technology could be used to design an artificial neural network. This was intended to ...

Word Count:
232
The Lilies Are Bleeding
My lilies are my most prized possession. Hand picked. I will only take the most supremely beautiful specimens. They must be white as an angel’s wings, and so soft and delicate to the touch that you ...

Word Count:
231
Eat Your Greens
My mother always told me to eat my greens. Like most I was a fussy and picky child and didn’t want anything to do with the disgusting looking mass of otherworldly slime that she slopped onto ...

Word Count:
230
Intuitive Advertising
Message Body: Intuitive ads. You see them everywhere now, and don’t really give it a second thought. Ads that use tracking cookies to track your browsing history or personal profile and provide suggestions that might appeal ...

Word Count:
230
A Child’s Eyes
Every child fears under their bed. If they don't, they fear the closet, or maybe that little crack in the almost closed door. Scientists know that children are more perceptive, they see things adults don't. They ...

Word Count:
229
A Different Television Channel
In some television markets, people get two different versions of the same channel. This is usually caused by affiliates being nearby--for example, while living in New Jersey receiving the ABC affiliate from both New York City ...

Word Count:
228
The Homeless Man
Somewhere in New York City there is an old homeless man missing both his legs from the knees down, whose spot along the streets is the corner of Lexington and East 21st, near Granmercy Park. Approach ...

Word Count:
227
You Will Pay
I am your worst nightmare. I know others claim to be, but they're wrong. When you realize I'm out there, your knees go weak. You see my name, your mouth goes dry. You see a shadow, ...

Word Count:
227
The Absence of Conflict
The teacher strode across the front of the room, looking out at her class. "And so with the invention of Concordance 5 true peace finally enveloped the world," she said with a serene smile. "For one ...

Word Count:
226
Don’t Worry About It
You're slowly stirred awake by the distant ringing as the phone beside your bed pulls you out of your dreams. Your thoughts gather themselves and you groan, reaching over to answer. As soon as you place ...

Word Count:
221
The Prophetic Monolith
Somewhere in the Pacific ocean is an island, surrounded by a swamp filled with the carcasses of fish and other, less recognizable things poking out of the mud. The mire extends as far as you can ...

Word Count:
220
The Statue
A few years ago, a mother and father decided they needed a break, so they wanted to head out for a night on the town. They called their most trusted babysitter. When the babysitter arrived, the ...

Word Count:
220
The Wrong Room
You get back to your apartment after a long day's work and you want to get inside and rest. You were about to pull out your keys and unlock the door, but you notice it's open ...

Word Count:
220
The Bad Idea
Yesterday, a friend of mine called me. It was a John, an old buddy from high school. I hadn't spoken with him for years, and we started to reminisce about all the crap we pulled in ...

Word Count:
219
The Meteor
In 1990, a small meteorite was sighted in the night sky by the Hubble telescope. It appeared to be on a collision course with earth, but calculations showed that it was far too small and moving ...

Word Count:
217
The Orchard Cemetary
Outside of my city, there is an apple orchard, with a small cemetery at the end of it with only about 5 or 10 graves in it. If you visit the cemetery, it is customary to ...

Word Count:
217
Please Come
A 15-year old boy in a small town in Maryland sat down at his computer after getting home from school one day. He turned it on and logged into an instant messaging program, and was then ...