Flash Fiction Challenge: The Random Title Jamboree

YES, JEEZ, I KNOW, last week, no flash fiction challenge showed up.

This one below was supposed to, but I was traveling and the post failed to fire for reasons unknown — and I was unable to properly troubleshoot whilst in the sun-humped cactusland of Phoenix, Arizona. And I would’ve posted late, but this is a good enough challenge I wanted to grant it the full week that it properly deserves.

That said, we’re back!

And we’re back with a title mixup challenge.

Here’s how this works:

You pick one item from each table. You can use a random number generator to do so, or grab your nearest d20 and get rolling. You mash Column X with Column Y and you get yourself a title to use.

You can modify that title a tiny bit — permutations allowed are adding “the” and making a word plural or non-plural as you see fit. But that’s it. Don’t fidget too much, goddamnit.

Examples might be:

The Dismal Warbler!

God’s Own Testmaker!

The Radioactive Mummy!

And so forth.

You’ve got 1500 words this go around. Write it up at your blog post or other online space, and make sure we have a link in the comments so we can read it. Due by Friday the 12th, noon EST.

Get to randomizing, folks.

Column X

1. Red
2. Executioner’s
3. Madness of
4. Fist Full of
5. Termagant’s
6. Distant
7. Undying
8. Forgotten
9. Unholy
10. Stolen
11. Five Days of the
12. Bloody
13. Doc Gurley’s
14. Whispering
15. Back Country
16. Dismal
17. God’s Own
18. Cleansing
19. Radioactive
20. Neon

Column Y

1. Warbler
2. Cobblers
3. Expanse
4. Mummy
5. Lockbox
6. Testmaker
7. Bridesmaid
8. Jeweler
9. Monster
10. Bullets
11. Dreamscape
12. Sands
13. Villanelle
14. Dingo
15. Junction
16. Straitjacket
17. Trenches
18. Hearts
19. Brains
20. Cartographer