This is a selection of short stories based on the writing prompt "1000", courtesy of the writing contest held by SciKick. Do you like short (like, literally) stories instead of a full-scale novel? You're at the right place! All the short stories in here are limited to 1000 words, so they'll definitely keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire journey. Featured stories include contest winners from SciKick's 1000 contest, as well as entries written by the SciKick members themselves. Cover by @StevenSteel

Imagine the second you're born, a consultant removes you from your mother's grasp and runs a battery of genetic and physiological tests on you. Thirty minutes later they give you a score out of one hundred which denotes your level of perfection. If your score is above eighty and you work hard to maintain that score you will have a charmed life; well fed, well-rewarded, spoiled. But fall below eighty and you're labelled Flawed, and life will not be so kind. Hannah is adopted by a Flawed family when her birth parents choose their social standing over their daughter and endures a life of struggle, hunger and service. One day Hannah is escorted to the regional government office and told that the Consultant who delivered her, who labelled her Flawed got it wrong! Now, she is being relocated back to her birth parents, to live as one of the Ninety-Five- all medically and legally judged as perfect. Entering this new life Hannah has an impossible decision to make which puts not only hers, but the lives of everyone she cares about at great risk. "The Numbered- where no one wants to be number one". Authors notes: -This is a first draft of my story and will be edited soon. -2013 Began writing Flawed -2015 Watty Winner/ Named changed to The Numbered -2016 Completed The Numbered -2019 Optioned by eOne for development into a TV show.

"Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not." - Isaac Asimov This piece is intended as a bit of a Help guide, a point of reference and hopefully something people will enjoy, as ultimately all of you will have different experiences reading and writing science fiction, and writing in general. If nothing else, I hope it inspires you to try your hand at writing Science Fiction if you haven't already.

A young boy, Adam, discovers a gold medallion in a lump of coal. He keeps it as a curious good luck piece for the next twenty years, until as a scientist, he discovers it contains a message and is clearly alien. Join Adam and his colleague, Linda, as they embark upon an adventure of revelation, ultimately giving up all they hold dear to discover who we are and who put us here.

It was supposed to be just another cargo run, but for Ken Mallory and the three-person crew of the Raven, an anomaly in deep space changes everything. An unexplained turbulence shakes the small ship like never before, allowing a deadly virus aboard. One by one the infected crew is thrown back in time to relive a near-death experience, only this time death may be closer than they remember. *** Add CHRONO VIRUS on GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16135280-chrono-virus FINISHED THIS STORY AND WANT **MORE**? Read CHRONO VIRUS: FALL OF THE HORIZON for **FREE** at my website www.AaronCrocco.com. Want to own a copy of Chrono Virus? Pick it up here: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chrono-Virus-Aaron-Crocco-ebook/dp/B00A67U070/ Is AUDIO more your speed? Get CHRONO VIRUS on audio now from: Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Chrono-Virus-Audiobook/B00P6SM2NE InEar Entertainment: https://www.inearentertainment.com/shop/chrono-virus