The Shimmering of the Blue and Grey
Author: Alzo David-West
The astronomers of Tui had built a Colossal Telescope, and peering into it, they were astonished to find in their home galaxy a planet much like their own—a world of olive shades and deep blues dancing around a sunny-colored gem.
They zoomed in deeper, and the photonic signatures confirmed that the world was indeed abundant in life.
Closer, through the atmosphere, the astronomers detected a hazy scene: strange, deep harmonies of blue and grey shimmering. The men, women, and them marveled at the moving palette that played and leaped so far away, so long ago. What blessings, the astronomers thought, breathed on that beautiful world.
The image of the Colossal Telescope slowly receded. The distant stars shone faintly like white flowers until their soft glimmer faded into black, where there was neither form nor sound or time.
***
On a green grassy field where a strong warm wind blew, two young men in blue and grey were staring at each other, armed, ready to die, trembling.
“I’m gonna kill you, Billy Yank,” said the one in grey.
“I’m gonna kill you, Johnny Reb,” said the other in blue.
The Past
365tomorrows launched August 1st, 2005 with the lofty goal of providing a new story every day for a year. We’ve been on the wire ever since. Our stories are a mix of those lovingly hand crafted by a talented pool of staff writers, and select stories received by submission.
The archives are deep, feel free to dive in.
Flash Fiction
"Flash fiction is fiction with its teeth bared and its claws extended, lithe and muscular with no extra fat. It pounces in the first paragraph, and if those claws aren’t embedded in the reader by the start of the second, the story began a paragraph too soon. There is no margin for error. Every word must be essential, and if it isn’t essential, it must be eliminated."
Kathy Kachelries
Founding Member
Submissions
We're open to submissions of original Science or Speculative Fiction of 600 words or less. We are only accepting work which you previously haven't sold or given away the rights to. That means your work must not have been published elsewhere, either in print or on the web. When your story is accepted, you're giving us first electronic publication rights and non-exclusive subsequent publication rights. You retain ownership over your story. We are not a paying market.
Voices of Tomorrow
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