Free short stories

"Zach, if you don't get out of bed this instant, you'll be late for your own wedding!" shouted Claire from the kitchen, her voice tinged with both love and exasperation. Zach tumbled out of bed, his hair resembling a nest built by a bird with questionable architectural skills. "Relax, Claire! The wedding isn't until 3 PM. That's like... hours away," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Claire appeared at the doorway, arms crossed. "It's 2:45 PM." Zach's eyes widened. "What? But my alarm—" "—has been going off for the past hour," she finished. He scrambled to his feet, tripped over a pile of laundry, and landed face-first into a stack of toast on the floor. "Why is there toast on the floor?" he asked, his voice muffled. Claire sighed. "I was multitasking." He jumped up. "No time for questions! To the bathroom!" As Zach sprinted towards the bathroom, a bright flash emanated from the mirror. He halted. "Uh, Claire? Did you install new lights?" "No, why?" she called back. Before he could respond, the mirror began to swirl like a liquid vortex. A hand shot out, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him in. --- Zach found himself in a futuristic room filled with gadgets that would make any sci-fi fan weep with joy. Standing before him was a man in a silver suit with neon accents. "Welcome, Zachary Thompson," the man said. "Who are you? And why does your suit look like a disco ball?" Zach blurted. "I am Xorblat, from the year 3021. We've been monitoring you." "Monitoring me? Listen, I don't even monitor my own cholesterol. What's going on?" Xorblat looked serious. "You are the key to saving breakfast." Zach blinked. "Come again?" "Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. In the future, it's gone." He chuckled. "Is this some kind of prank? Did Claire put you up to this?" Xorblat shook his head. "There is no time. Behold!" He pressed a button, and a hologram appeared showing people in the future miserably eating pills labeled 'Nutrient #456.' "That's... horrible," Zach admitted. "But what does this have to do with me?" "You are the inventor of the last known pancake recipe." Zach laughed. "I can't even make cereal without burning it!" "Precisely. That's why we need you to come to the future and rediscover breakfast foods." Zach took a deep breath. "Okay, let's say I believe you. Can't you just look up recipes online?" Xorblat looked puzzled. "Online?" "You know, the internet?" "Ah, you mean the Intergalactic Neural Network? It was wiped out during the Great Server Crash of 2999." Zach scratched his head. "Alright, but I have a wedding to get to." "There's no time in the future," Xorblat insisted. "Well, there's plenty of time here, and I'm already late!" Xorblat sighed. "Very well, we can bring your fiancée along." He pressed another button, and Claire materialized beside them. She looked around. "Zach, what did you do this time?" "Why do you assume it's my fault?" he protested. She raised an eyebrow. "Experience." Xorblat interrupted, "Apologies for the abrupt transition, Ms. Claire. We need your help to save breakfast." She took a deep breath. "You kidnapped us... to cook?" "Precisely!" She shook her head. "You couldn't have just sent an email?" --- Moments later, they stood in a futuristic kitchen. Robots bustled about, but none seemed to know what they were doing. Claire rolled up her sleeves. "Alright, if we're going to do this, we'll need ingredients." Xorblat clapped his hands. "Bring forth the ingredients!" A robot approached, holding a single egg, a wilted leaf, and something that looked suspiciously like a shoe. "Is this a joke?" Zach asked. "It's all we have left," Xorblat said solemnly. Claire sighed. "We need flour, sugar, milk, baking powder—basic stuff." Xorblat looked defeated. "Those things haven't existed for centuries." "Well, we can't make pancakes out of thin air!" Zach exclaimed. "Actually," Claire mused, "maybe we can." Zach and Xorblat stared at her. She grinned. "Do you have a molecular synthesizer?" Xorblat's face lit up. "Yes! Right this way!" They rushed to a machine that hummed with energy. Claire started tapping the screen. "If I can recalibrate this to synthesize organic compounds based on molecular structure..." Zach nodded as if he understood. "Totally. Do that." After a flurry of button-pressing, the machine whirred and produced a bag of flour. "Yes!" Claire cheered. "Outstanding!" Xorblat exclaimed. Zach clapped. "Great, now let's make some pancakes!" --- An hour later, the sweet aroma of pancakes filled the air. Future people gathered, eyes wide with wonder. Xorblat took a bite and tears welled up in his eyes. "It's... it's glorious." Zach patted him on the back. "Told you Claire was the best." Suddenly, alarms blared. "What's happening?" Claire shouted. A robot rushed in. "The Anti-Breakfast Coalition is here!" "The what?" Zach exclaimed. Xorblat's face turned grim. "They are a group determined to keep breakfast extinct." Claire threw her hands up. "This is ridiculous!" Zach grabbed a spatula. "Not on my watch. Nobody ruins breakfast!" They ran to the main hall, where figures in dark cloaks were advancing. A cloaked figure stepped forward. "Surrender the pancakes." "Never!" Zach shouted, wielding his spatula like a sword. The figure laughed. "Then you leave us no choice." He snapped his fingers, and the robots turned red, eyes glowing menacingly. Xorblat gasped. "They've hacked the system!" The robots advanced. Claire whispered, "We need a distraction." Zach thought for a moment. "I have an idea." He ran back to the kitchen, grabbed the remaining pancake batter, and hurried to the central control panel. "What are you doing?" Claire called after him. "Trust me!" He dumped the batter onto the control panel. Sparks flew, and the lights flickered. The robots froze. The cloaked leader growled. "What have you done?" Zach smirked. "Looks like your robots are... batter-ed." Claire groaned. "Really, Zach?" Suddenly, the ground shook. The ceiling cracked open, revealing a massive spaceship descending. Xorblat yelled over the noise, "That's the Breakfast Banisher! They're going to eliminate us all!" Zach grabbed Claire's hand. "Time to go!" They sprinted towards the time portal. "Wait!" Xorblat shouted. "You can't leave!" Claire paused. "We can't stay!" He looked desperate. "At least take the pancake recipe with you!" She hesitated, then handed him a flash drive. "It's all in here." He took it gratefully. "Thank you. You've saved breakfast." They nodded and jumped through the portal just as the spaceship fired a beam of light. --- Zach and Claire tumbled back into their bathroom, landing in a heap. "That was insane," Zach panted. Claire looked at her watch. "It's 2:50 PM. We still have time." He grinned. "See? Told you we had plenty of time." She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Come on, let's get you ready." As they prepared, Zach asked, "Do you think they'll be okay in the future?" Claire adjusted his tie. "I'm sure they will be. We gave them the recipe." He nodded. "Good. Can't imagine a world without breakfast." She laughed. "You can barely imagine a world with responsibilities." They headed out the door, and as they got into the car, a thought struck Zach. "Wait, did we just time travel and save the future of breakfast in under five minutes?" Claire started the car. "Yes, and if we don't hurry, we're going to be late because of time travel." He chuckled. "Our life is weird." As they drove off, neither of them noticed the small device blinking under the car seat. --- Later, at the wedding, as they stood at the altar, the officiant began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." Zach felt a vibration in his pocket. He discreetly pulled out a futuristic-looking pager. He whispered to Claire, "Did you put this in my pocket?" She glanced down. "What is that?" A tiny hologram of Xorblat appeared. "Zach! Claire! Urgent news!" The officiant paused. "Is everything alright?" Zach laughed nervously. "Yes, just... technology these days!" He whispered to the hologram, "Not a good time, Xorblat!" Xorblat continued, "The Anti-Breakfast Coalition has traveled back to your time! They're after you!" Claire's eyes widened. "You're kidding!" The officiant raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you'd like to share?" Before they could respond, the doors of the venue burst open. Cloaked figures flooded the aisle. Guests gasped and murmured in confusion. The leader pointed at Zach and Claire. "There they are! Seize them!" Zach turned to the officiant. "Quick question, do you do running ceremonies?" The officiant stammered, "I—I suppose?" "Great!" Zach grabbed Claire's hand. "Continue!" They bolted down the aisle, dodging guests and cloaked figures. "Do you, Zachary Thompson, take Claire Williams to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the officiant called out, jogging to keep up. "Yes!" Zach shouted, ducking under a table. "And do you, Claire Williams, take Zachary Thompson to be your lawfully wedded husband?" "Absolutely!" Claire replied, knocking over a decorative vase to slow their pursuers. "By the power vested in me—" They reached the exit, burst through the doors, and sprinted into the parking lot. "—I now pronounce you husband and wife!" Zach whooped. "We're married!" Claire laughed. "Best wedding ever!" They jumped into their car, but as they tried to start it, the engine sputtered. "Not now!" Zach groaned. The cloaked figures surrounded the car. The leader tapped on the window. "It's over. Hand over the recipe." Claire looked at Zach. "They think we still have it." He nodded. "But we gave it to Xorblat." She smirked. "Exactly." She rolled down the window slightly. "We don't have it anymore!" The leader hissed. "Lies!" Suddenly, a bright light shone from above. A futuristic spaceship hovered, and beams of light enveloped the cloaked figures, lifting them off the ground. Xorblat's voice echoed. "We've got them! Thank you, Zach and Claire!" They waved as the spaceship disappeared. Zach leaned back. "Well, that's taken care of." Claire smiled. "Ready to get to the reception?" He chuckled. "After that, we deserve some cake." --- At the reception, guests were buzzing with excitement. Zach's best man approached. "Dude, that was the most epic ceremony ever! Were those actors?" Zach winked. "Something like that." As they enjoyed their first dance, Claire rested her head on Zach's shoulder. "You know, life with you is anything but boring." He grinned. "Would you have it any other way?" She looked thoughtful. "Maybe with a little less world-saving during important events." He laughed. "Deal." Just then, the DJ's music warped, and a familiar voice came over the speakers. "Testing, one, two..." Zach and Claire exchanged glances. Xorblat's voice boomed. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" The crowd fell silent. "We'd like to present a special gift to the newlyweds!" A holographic display lit up, showing people in futuristic attire raising pancakes in a toast. "To Zach and Claire, the saviors of breakfast!" The guests erupted in applause, though clearly confused. Zach raised his glass. "To the future!" Claire laughed. "And to never skipping breakfast!" The night continued with joy and laughter, the bizarre events blending into the celebration. As they left the venue, Zach looked up at the stars. "Do you think that's the last we'll hear from Xorblat?" Claire shrugged. "Who knows? But whatever happens, we'll face it together." He took her hand. "Agreed." They walked off into the night, unaware that their honeymoon would involve a misadventure on Mars. But that's a story for another time.

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