She learned on the balcony railing, waiting for the end of the world. -- Otherland Volume Three: Mountain of Black Glass by Tad Williams
1: As she wandered down the hallway, she clutched the only weapon that she could find and prayed that none of the blaster bolts dancing from around the corner would find their mark in her. 2: As he held her chin in his hands and looked into those beautiful tear filled eyes, he felt a tremor run through his entire body and knew what he had to do. 3: He awoke drenched in sweat with his heart racing and his eyes refusing to focus and the only thing he could think was "Tell me this is not happening." 4: The stench of garbage filled her nose as she scraped and crawled her way along the path and for a brief moment, she wondered if this was where she would die. 5: As he rolled over and reached out for something to defend himself, his hand found her soft form and made him aware that it had all been a dream and this time, she was the reality. 6: The energy from their weapons sizzled between them and as their eyes met from across the room, they both knew that this was most certainly the end to what might have been a beautiful friendship. 7: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way -- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." Charles Dickens, a Tale of Two Cities 8: The tears rolled down her face as she gripped him tightly, knowing that she might never see him again but needing to tell him how much she loved him. 9. For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. - Carl Sagan End sentence 10. Nobody was really surprised when it happened, not really, not on the subconscious level where savage things grow. by Stephen King 11. As the headache began to subside, the random images of strangers offering congratulations, orchestral music paired with lovely flowers and that familiar voice that echoed my own 'I do's' flitted through my mind and I was unable to stop their assault. 12. "You can't open the book (holo) of my life and jump in the middle. Like woman, I'm a mystery." 13. I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story. By Edith Wharton 14. 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 15. "From the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent." HP. Lovecraft, The Shunned House And your final sentence? The last words of a very very famous man. "Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!" Karl Marx, d.1883 16. Antifighter flak flashed on all sides. 17. "The man is sleeping", first sentence from Stephen Lawhead's 'Dream Thief'. 18. I'll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination. From: Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin 19. There are some events of which each circumstance and surrounding detail seem to be graven on the memory in such a fashion that we cannot forget them. from She - H. Rider Haggard 20. I watched with glee from the refuge of my hiding place as the object of my affection came across the mystery present, tore off the wrapping and gasped in surprise that I had finally managed to give her the perfect gift. 21. Looking back it was obvious that there were things that needed to be done which hadn't been and things that had been done that shouldn't have, and that forced him to take a long hard look at the direction his life was heading and those things together led him, for the first time in his life, to making one of those resolutions for the new year.
1. He was delighted to find his body suddenly entangled with the woman he secretly desired and as his hands closed the gap, his lips acquired a target lock and soared in her general direction only to veer off at the last second when the lights flicked on and a chorus of voices yelled "Surprise!" 2. It’s been said that the moment you are born you also begin to die, as the tick tock of death’s chrono is activated, counting down to the moment one will return to wherever their beliefs teach, the how, when, where and why to be determined somewhere along life’s path. 3. It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement -- that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and they underestimate what is of true value in life. Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud 4. "After all, tomorrow is another day." Gone with the Wind Final sentence 5. Though the cost of the assignment could be their very lives, the members of the strike team trudged on, knowing that their task, seeming inconsequential alone, when combined with the work of thousands, would be the downfall of the evil that plagued the galaxy. 6. Twich Special: from Moulin Rouge (This story is about Love, the woman I Loved is dead. ) There was a boy A very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far Over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye But very wise was he And then one day A magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things Fools and kings This he said to me "The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to Love and be Loved in return" 7. Leaving only memories of the innocents who dwelled in its path, the darkened mist left the village square, to continue its mission of seeking out the one who will elude death no longer. 8. "Then he died." Final sentence 9. In the split second before he hit it, he knew he wasn't going to be able to stop and instead found himself sliding and rolling through the slippery warm green and red remains of a creature that had quite recently met its end at the hands of a unit of storm troopers. 10. Though not one usually interested in the beauty of a simple sunset, she could not help but be mesmerized by the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows that were mixing with the fading blue of daylight and coming black of night. 11. Holiday Bonus Sentence: Inspired by the magnanimous feeling suffusing the cantina, he stood atop his table and after the quiet rippled through the customers, he told the tale of his journey into the Unknown Regions where he had happened upon a celestial rainbow and followed it to a world of magical little people and mountains filled with wealth beyond imagination. 12. He held her head tenderly in his hands and everything within him was prepared to kiss her but then as he watched, she turned a sickly shade of green and promptly lost her lunch in his lap. 13. The idiot lived in a black and gray world, punctuated by the white lightning of hunger and the flickering of fear. More Than Human - Theodore Sturgeon 14. As the unofficial holiday neared, the likeliest suspect for tomfoolery and games made assurances that everything would be fine and then prepared to check off each victim’s name as they heard those famous words, “Happy Fools Day.” 15. In the end it didn't matter because even after everything they'd been through, he was still sure that he would have to kill her. 16. There was only one man who could drive her to hours of ritual female transformation but when he gave her that smile that made her knees weak, she knew that every moment had been worth it. 17. Holiday Bonus Sentence: As the stranger made their travel arrangements, the boy watched the other children partake in the holiday festivities, giggling and searching for the decorated mynock eggs, most of which he'd already found using his special gift. 18. A wicked smile formed when her jailors were forced again to stop their progression in order to get their prisoner under control, but she would do anything to give the rescue party every opportunity possible to make their move before she reached the gallows. 19. This is a First and Last sentence entry: Distrustful of the Senator's aide forced upon their group, the other members watched him like a hawkbat, oblivious to his true identity. with an ending sentence of... Looking back he admitted, “Well, that was fun.” 20. With a wink and a nod the signal passed between the lovers, letting each of them know that when the eyes of the planet were not upon them, they would meet at their special place. 21. Alarms blared throughout the vessel and as the ship was unexpectedly yanked from hyperspace they were placed in a position where the only choice was to pick a side and fight. 22. Bonus Holiday Sentence for Mother’s Day: Once the bundle was placed into her arms, all the fears and doubts about motherhood faded and in their places settled an overwhelming love that she realized had been there since the discovery of the precious life inside her. 23. Returning from a well rested vacation, the squadron commander walked into his office, only to see that all hell had broken loose. 24. Bonus Holiday Sentence for Memorial Day: In the course of his preparation for the Academy’s Memorial, the youngling had sliced into his Master’s private records only to discover that the Jedi he had chosen to honor not only had not died an honorable death, but in fact had not died at all. 25. When they arrived at the site, primitive weapons ready, the hunters realized that what they had thought was a falling star was actually not and they tensed, wondering who or what to expect next. 26. "You are a member of the Jedi Order now and there are strict rules about attachment," the words from the Master thumped about in his brain as he watched his belongings disappear behind a very large door. 27. Since their original scan had reported no life signs, the landing party was shocked to discover that there wasn't just life, but entire decks of races that were unknown in the galaxy.
1. Suggested by JediAeliwen: "Very well, I promise: Next time, I will allow the villain to escape while we stage a debate on who is to do what." ~Sherlock Holmes 2. Though the medics did their best to prepare her, the screams of agony and despair were overwhelming, driving her group of friends back to the waiting area, unable to face her terrified cries and what they would ultimately mean for all of them. 3. After receiving no reply to his numerous messages, the young man set out to find her and searched all the usual spots only to discover her in the last place he had expected, the arms of another man. 4. At what should have been a festive celebration of a most beloved leader, a small group of citizens commemorated His naming day with an act of war against the planet thought responsible for his death.
1: It was so quiet, one of the killers would later say, you could almost hear the sound of ice rattling in cocktail shakers in the homes way down the canyon. -- Helter Skelter 2: Standing on the railing of the skybridge, teetering on the edge of oblivion, he remembered it all; the event, the consequences, and, most of all, the disappointment. Suggested by brodiew 3: Standing at the open hatch of the air lock, he looked through the tinted visor at the bare expanse of emptiness stretching in every direction. - Moonrise, Ben Bova 4: It is a curious thing that at my age, fifty-five last birthday, I should find myself taking up a pen to try and write a history. King Solomon's Mines by H. R. Haggard 5: Secret rendezvous, she suddenly realized, were only fun when they stayed secret. 6: “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea pairing those two up.” 7: The purple moonbeams on the sleepy garden walls were beautiful, completely at odds with the monster that slept within. 8: It was her, he just knew it, but it couldn’t be—she was dead. 9: The best time for luck to show up is when all hope is lost. 10: The explanation, like all good propaganda, is stirring and stilted, and not particularly accurate, and gummy as the hook from a top-40 song, sticky in your mind in the sleep-deprived noontime when the world takes on a hallucinatory hypperreal clarity. - Eastern Standard Tribe, Cory Doctorow 11: “Is that a lightsaber in you pocket—or are you just happy to see me?” 12: Little fuzzy animals bother me. 13: Our children aren’t sleeping, they’re recharging. 14: There wasn’t a bacta tank in the galaxy that could heal her mind from the terror that haunted her dreams. 15: Have you ever seen a Wookiee with the Shistavanen flu? 16: Being in the wrong place at the wrong time has always been my specialty. 17: Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. 18: A man I knew once told me that he was a drunk because you can be anything when you are a drunk, including a poet. 19: The letter she gripped in trembling hands was the culmination of years of apathy, indecision, misunderstanding, and squandered opportunities. (donated by brodiew) 20: It was getting cold now, out here in the depths of the void, she wondered how much longer she had until the life-support gave out. 21: To die will be a great adventure. 22: We plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice. (Christmas bonus sentence) 23: Someday, a man was going to love the tight spirals in her hair as much as the tight formations she flew.
1: The decision to leave behind the only life they had ever known in exchange for one of running and fighting began as most decisions do; over selecting the best kind of appetizers. - Suggested by Starwolf76 2: It was always messy cleaning up after a murder. Suggested by Kit' 3: Once in a great while lips meet and two spirits merge for a time and the universe is right and complete and the planets wheel in their proper places -- For Us, The Living, Robert A. Heinlein 4: "Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while." -- The Princess Bride (Valentine's Day) 5: Though this be madness, yet there is a method in it. 6: Ignoring the mounting chaos around him, he continued his work to override the controls. 7: Rarely is it given man to know the day or the hour when fate intervenes in his destiny, but, because he had checked his watch just before he saw the girl with the hips, he knew the day, the hour, and the minute. The Last Starship From Earth by John Boyd 8: Sometimes the lies you tell are less frightening than the loneliness you might feel if you stopped telling them. 9: Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand, just decides to go to the store for a quart of milk. 10: "You call it madness, but I call it love." 11: As the guests began to arrive, one member of the household was conspicuously absent. 12: A kiss could change the world. -- The Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfield, FINAL SENTENCE 13: I was twenty-three. I was invincible, because you are when you’re twenty-three, the fact is, life sometimes traps you; sometimes there is no way out and there is no chance to escape; sometimes there is; sometimes you can get away... sometimes you die. -- Memory Sticks by Wood Ingham 14: “I don’t think you quite understand the importance of the next words the come out of your mouth.” (donated by brodiew) 15: Then he was down the elevator and back on the sunny plaza, and hovering all around him were the worlds of art and science that all these beings were busy building, and he thought, What if I can have it all? -- Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge 16: She learned on the balcony railing, waiting for the end of the world. -- Otherland Volume Three: Mountain of Black Glass by Tad Williams
mavjade posted:Quick question... If we are going to attempt the extra challenge of writing a multi-chapter story with the first sentences, can we post it in our own story thread instead of the designated thread? I think it would make it easier for people to follow the plot line that way.
Lola64 posted:mavjade posted:Quick question... If we are going to attempt the extra challenge of writing a multi-chapter story with the first sentences, can we post it in our own story thread instead of the designated thread? I think it would make it easier for people to follow the plot line that way. Yes, you would use your own thread and just pop back here to supply the link.
Meredith_Kenobi posted:I wrote something for the challenge. Tiny Little Horrors: when Jawas go bad
Meredith_Kenobi posted:Thanks, I'm sure you will. I do have one question. Is this challenge monthly, or weekly, or what?
Standing on the railing of the skybridge, teetering on the edge of oblivion, he remembered it all; the event, the consequences, and, most of all, the disappointment. Suggested by brodiew