The Contradictite

[Author's Note: This was written in December for the Litmas 2005 competition on deviantArt. It did not win. It plays with the idea of X-mas, treating the X like the Roman numeral for 10. That's what the dec- in December is for, after all.] Cell Sixteen in The Laboratory shined with red and green lights, blinking on and off, causing a yellow light to pour into the hallway. Clenoin peeked his head into the door as he walked past. “Someone else decorating for X-ember?” he asked Kakaisha, who was partially obscured by a cabinet. Kakaisha leaned to the side as she stared into a beaker. It glowed faintly with a reddish tint. “What’s that, Clen?” Surrounding her were several shelves of the red, glowing bottles. The computer’s monochrome screen contributed the green. Together they flickered, illuminating the room in a festive manner. Clenoin looked away shyly. “Nothing, Kakaisha.” He shuffled his feet as he tried not to make eye contact with the woman. She resumed her note taking

Once upon a time, there was an author named Günter Godric. He specialized in writing speculative fiction, but took special enjoyment in reinterpreting fairy tales through a science fiction lense. His most recent tale took the concept of Diamonds and Toads, and added a space element to it. Diamonds and Toads in one of its many forms, tells the story of three young sisters, two of them vain and wicked, the third pure and noble, and their evil stepmother. The older sisters took advantage of all opportunities that would come their way, while the youngest sister was long-suffering, humble, and took her lot in life with grace and humility, taking no more than her share. Günter, on the particular evening in which we join him, sat on a stool in a bar. In his hand was an imported beer, and at his side was a ragged old man who was much less partial about his drink. Günter’s face was flush, and his speech slurred. Though the bar was mostly empty, he still spoke to the old man beside him as if

[Author's Note: This story has been released to the Public Domain under the CC0  license. The full version may be read here .] "The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax-- Of cabbages--and kings-- And why the sea is boiling hot-- And whether pigs have wings." Lewis Carroll, "The Walrus and the Carpenter" Gladwell once wrote:             Cabbages and Kings                       To G.G.             Thanks for helping me write this. But:             Things were not right with the universe. Chapters Chapter 1 Chapter 2