Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.
This is the Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.
We’ve got stories by:
JEFFREY
Magic Trick
by Jeffrey Fischer
Think of a number between 1 and 100. Got it? No, don’t tell me, just keep it to yourself. Okay, now double it. Double it again. Subtract 10. Take the cube root. Yes, I’ll wait while you look up what a cube root is. Multiply by Pi. All right, multiply by three instead. Now round to the nearest integer. Integer – that’s a whole number, no decimal points. Sheesh, what do they teach you kids these days?
Your number is four. Are you calling me a liar, you little so-and-so? You should be ashamed of yourself.
The Elephant in the Room
by Jeffrey Fischer
Agent 006.5 was trapped. Wires extended from a device on his head to equipment on the wall. His nemesis, Doctor Chuckles, twiddled several knobs.
“Are you planning to kill me? If so, just get it over with.”
“Kill you? Nev… well, not just yet. No. This device will amplify your emotions and feed them back on you. Remain calm if you want to live.
The spy knew he was in a hopeless situation. He thought of a number, the number seven – specifically double-0 seven – and how that slick bastard slept with every woman 006.5 ever dated. He hated that smug, martini-sipping fop with a passion. The anger rippled out from the spy and destroyed the room, killing himself and a very surprised Doctor Chuckles.
RICHARD
#1 – Riddle
The voice again urged Boggins to reveal what was in his pockets – but there was no way he was going to mention the gold ring.
“I’ll tell you, if you can answer my riddle”, he replied.
“Oh… We likes riddles, so we do”, came the disturbing response.
“Ummm, something about three, and two legs… No, that’s wrong… What goes down when it’s up a chimney… No, forget that…”
Desperately, he blurted out the first promising thing he could think of:”Think of a number. Any number!”
“Seven!” Came the triumphant reply.
“Wrong!” Shouted Boggins. Immediately regretting his stupidity!
#2 – Sid
Sid is one of those annoying, know it all friends. As a kid, always the first with his hand up in class, the highest scores in tests and an annoying habit of explaining how magic tricks worked.
The sort who can’t spend an evening in the pub without demonstrating a beer mat or matchsticks trick.
Most irritating.
So when Sid, asked me to think of a number, I was determined to get the upper hand.
He did all the usual calculations, then proudly revealed my number.
It was wrong.
He looked annoyed, “So, what was it?”
“Pi”, I replied, smugly!
MUNSI
A Brain-Teaser
By Christopher Munroe
Think of a number. Any number you like.
Got it?
Good.
Now: Take your number, add three, multiply by five, then subtract four. Take the digits of the new number, add them together, then divide the total by two.
Don’t tell me what the answer is, that’s the trick after all.
Ready?
The answer is a different number!
Or possibly the same number!
Oh, yeah, I forgot to say, I am NOT good at math. Or brain-teasers. What I AM good at is wasting time that you’ll never get back, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!
Mwaa-hahahaha!!!!
PLANET XRAY
Catching Up
Think of a number, any number between one and five,
Got it? I’m sorry, you picked the wrong number.
Try again, Think of a number between one and five.
Oops, you picked the wrong number again.
One more time, Think of a number between one and five.
I must say you are consistent; you picked the wrong number a total of three times in a row.
Good thing I didn’t say, pick two, you’d come with something like.
My dumb hammer hacked at the wolf while he was drunk from the fermented cherries, pacing a line in a round cage.
SERENDIPITY
I can think of a number of reasons that I never have any luck finding that ‘someone special’.
For a start, I’m rather socially awkward, so speed dating, or even regular dating aren’t options, so I’ve turned to the Internet to find love.
I read somewhere that an honest and interesting profile is key, and I’ve worked hard on mine…
Thirty something, Intelligent, fun loving, good sense of humour, seeking lonely, soulmate. Affinity for razor sharp objects, and a strong stomach are essential qualities. Prefer a loner with no immediate family. Must like kittens.’
Still not having any luck though
LIZZIE
“He slept for a thousand years,” read Mrs. Thomson. “And when he woke up,” she continued, hoping to keep the class quiet. “He…”
That’s when Peter stood up.
“Why did he sleep that long?”
The kids looked at him.
“I don’t understand.”
The quiet class quickly turned into a mob of loud kids.
“Children, the story isn’t over yet,” protested Mrs. Thomson. It was hopeless.
Twenty years went by and Mrs. Thomson received a letter.
“I think I understand why he slept for a thousand years. I wish I could do the same.
Signed,
Peter, in for a life sentence.”
CHARLIE
Tony La Mesmer was a professional hypnotist. Last night he had two men in their underpants, in a deep trance, acting like puppies; barking, jumping on his lap, and sniffing his behind.
Tony had a following of acolytes and hangers-on under his control. This cadre of talent-less worshipers were not wise to La Mesmer’s tricks. He would have them think of a number, then write a love poem based on the number. About three-quarters of them went insane in the first month, as the challenge was too much for them, taxing their intellect, creativity, skill and willingness to “follow orders”.
#2
I thought of a number of between one and ten. Seven is the number chosen by most people. Seven is the number of perfection and completeness. God rested on the seventh day.
If you were born on the seventh day of the month, you have a tendency to be self-centered and stubborn. On the other hand, if you investigate the various signs of the zodiac, you will come to learn that the seventh sign (Libra) indicates that birth under this sign suggests you are the artistic type and if you are male, you are probably a homo, a woman…a whore.
TOM
Q is the Loneliest Number
When I think of a number I think of Q. It’s sort of like ‘E’, but different. It’s an irrational number which is useful when you need to find the area of a circle in a square or its Perimeter or the volume of sphere in a cube. Let me give you the first 13 decimals places, so you can plug them into your spreadsheet. I’ll also include the formulas for using Q. You won’t find Q in any math text, nor the result of a quoted Google search. The number self generates out of PHI during an inverted transformation.
————-
Q is equivalent to .7853981633974
Area equals length of the side by the length of the side times Q
Volume is equivalent to twice the cube of the side times Q divide by 3
Perimeter is equivalent to four times the length of the side time Q
That’s accuracy to the width of an electron orbit
NORVAL JOE
Mickey slid Cherry Cola onto the floor and checked her pulse. It was strong and her breathing, regular. She probably wasn’t in any real danger.
Though it was early in the day, the library seemed all but empty. He crept silently past shelves of books.
A shuffling sound echoed from the Sociology section. Turning down an aisle, Polecat pushed a book back into place and ran for the exit.
A book on this shelf could explain Polecat’s presence in the library. But which one?
Pick a number between 327.035 – International Relations and 345.667 – Criminal Law, and start reading.
TURA
Think of a number
———
Throughout my mathematical career, my goal of proving Riemann’s hypothesis seemed always just beyond my grasp.
One night, an angel appeared to me in a dream, and said, “Think of a number bigger than God.”
A billion, a googleplex: kindergarten stuff. Even the enormity of Graham’s number is a simple thing to a mathematician. In a frenzy of thought I constructed new ways of defining ever more gigantic numbers. Finally, I answered the angel. “Four,” I said, “for God is but three in one.” “All is granted to you,” said the angel.
And when I awoke, I had my proof.
PLANET Z
Ever since I started using a cell phone instead of a landline, I’ve had the same number. I just transfer the number between new phones and new carriers.
At work, I don’t have a phone number. Tell me what you need through an email, a chat, or a text.
Not in person, though. Then I have to write that shit down.
Heck, it’s the same way with my personal number, really. Unless it’s to call the bank or credit card company, everybody else has an app for that now.
Well, except my mom. No wonder why she’s pissed at me.
Lots of good ones this week. I particularly liked Tura’s take on the subject.