The Broken Rose

Scott retraces the events of that evening to understand what went wrong. Candles were lit. Dinner reservations at Jen's favorite restaurant. A dozen red roses.

The evening now over, all his plans in ruins, trying to lay blame seems besides the point. Telling himself that he was innocent of any wrongdoing doesn't change the fact that not only has his girlfriend of exactly five years walked out on him forever, but has also resulted in his house being destroyed and his car being driven over a cliff.

A single broken rose is all he has left to remember her by.

Don’t Do It

I tried to warn him. Several times. Maybe that was the problem.

“Listen to your buddy. She’s not the one for you.”

Instead, he hauled butt down the aisle. All I saw was the dimpled boy from our youth slipping away, oblivious of the cliff ahead.

It gets worse. Under the chuppah, our hero someway somehow managed to screw up his only freaking duty: stomping the bejesus out of a glass goblet — missed it by that much.

‘Twas a harbinger of things that came.

He hasn’t spoken to me in years.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have said I told you so.

From Guest Contributor David Thow

Last Ditch Effort

The slave driver’s eagles squawk and shift violently in the wind to dodge the endless barrage of waves crashing against the rocky cliff’s edge. By our scent, they know we are close, but they can’t see us.

“It must’ve been an illusion, pa,” says my son. His tunic is soaked by sea and sweat as he rips oar against cruel wave. “The heat makes one see things while fishing. Perhaps there’s no cave.”

I struggle to speak and strain through the invisibility incantation I have surrounding us and our boat, “Row boy! It was no illusion. It’s our only salvation.”

From Guest Contributor John Martinez

How High The Moon

Many years have passed since both horrific creatures, Count Dracula and the Wolf Man, fell over the cliff's edge, plummeting into the sea below. Never seen or heard from again.

But as it was said, time and wars proceeded to pass throughout the globe. While this cursed man's battle never ends.

Witness the horrors of a desperate man that defines new meanings such as, love and happiness, for his restful end.

If only that where true. To finally have my soul released from this misery, this burden... This curse.

I then chuckle, before frantically saying...

But, I can never die.

From Guest Contributor Jason Jenkover

A Deadly Metaphor

Chester tosses rocks over the cliff, ruminating over whether to respond. Angelica expects tacit agreement with all her decisions, only consulting him on the timing and execution, never the overall direction. This makes sense as a way to run a boardroom, but not a marriage.

Even this vacation, celebrating their anniversary, was her concoction. Sure, the views are spectacular, but she knows he's no fan of hiking. That's most likely her secret reason for this destination. He tosses another pebble, watching it careen out of sight.

At the bottom of the gorge, three fresh bodies lay buried beneath Chester's avalanche.

Taking The Leap

"I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Andrea says.

I look over at my best friend, then down at the water below us. I swallow nervously before replying.

“It can’t be that bad. After all, Alex has done this at least twenty times.” I wince at how shaky my voice sounds.

“Yes, well, Alex is Alex. Remember the time he stayed underwater for two minutes because Tim offered him a frappe?”

We laugh, breaking the tension.

I take a deep breath. It’s time. “Alright, together. Breath, crouch, and jump.”

We clasp hands. I see the doubt and jump off the cliff.

From Guest Contributor Neroli Ladner

Balloon Pop

At the top of the cliff, Kurt ran back forth with a bag full of rocks, trying to pop any of the various-colored balloons that were floating past him. His sole task was to make sure that none of the balloons reached so high as to pass the tree line.

After a while, Kurt realized that the variegated balloon colors signified different values. For example, if he popped a green balloon, he was given a piece of pie. Each color offered something unique.

If his life weren't in such danger, he'd have thought this would make an outstanding video game.

A Very Similar Spot

Steve and Hannah stepped off the cliff together.

"Do you remember the time--" Steve interrupted her before she could finish.

"Of course I do."

They had met at a similar spot. It had been the threat of death that had first brought them together, the romance of knowing their lives literally hung in the balance that had caused them to fall in love, the thought that overcoming danger together was the perfect way to start a relationship.

Hannah looked at her husband as the ground fast approached and sighed at the memory.

"I never realized irony could be so deadly."

The Daily Theme from Figment for Jan. 11, 2012(Because today's theme was completely inappropriate for a 100 word story.)

Frame story: Two people are in the midst of an intense moment—a break-in, a breakup, a breakdown. At the height of the dramatic action, one person illustrates a point by offering an anecdote about a similar situation. Delve briefly but deeply into that example, giving it as much richness as the framing narrative. Then return to your original story about the two characters. Don’t worry about neatly resolving their tale, but explore if the anecdote has changed the pair…

Cliffhanger

Ben strained with all his might. It had been an errant throw, despite Rodney's insistence it was on purpose. Now here they were, poised on the edge of a cliff, literally hanging on with their fingertips, trying to reach Ben's coin. A stiff breeze would blow it over the abyss.

It wasn't that there was anything particularly special about the coin--no magical powers, it wasn't even that lucky--but he must retrieve it. The way it was poised there like an unanswered question made it impossible for Ben to give up.

Finally he had it.

“Tails. I go first.”