Welcome to the 2025 Kerth Quiz: Micro Story
SPIFFY DISCLAIMER THINGY!: All the stories featured in this quiz qualify for the Best Micro Story, but this quiz is not a stamp of recommendation for nomination. There are more fantastic stories which qualify for this category, but this quiz only covers 7 randomly chosen ones.
(Instructions are blatantly copied/linked from previous Kerth Quizzes.)RECOMMENDATIONS: Don't forget that recommendations for other favorite eligible stories are *very* welcome and encouraged! So don't forget to add these in a section after your guesses!
QUIZ RULES: One point each for getting the story and author from the quote. Plus, shiny gold stars for those who recognize their own stories. Please don't forget to mention which number you're answering. Rule recap: Open hard drive and open boards (+AO3!), *don't* forget to snip out the excerpts in your replies, and don't forget the spoiler tag when you post in the replies thread.
CATEGORY: These are stories that are up to approximately 900 words (1-5kb)
The DEADLINE for entries for this quiz is SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2025, by 11:59 p.m (Eastern Time Zone).
Here’s the full list of
Eligible Stories.
Here are the full quiz instructions:
Countdown to Kerth Quizzes Extended Instructions and Disclaimers.
Please post your answers
HERE.Good luck!
Evie
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EXCERPT #1:Clark couldn’t cover up his grin. This undercover assignment had been surreal. While the story had been good, the company had been amazing. Despite Lois’ prickly exterior, he knew she was becoming more and more comfortable with him. Their assignment, which had necessitated them both being together constantly and in the same suite for several days, hadn’t shown him anything new about her, but had only deepened his understanding and desire. She was witty, extremely competitive, and the more time he spent with her, the more he knew she was the-
“CK!”
Clark’s pleasant train of thought was interrupted as Jimmy bounded enthusiastically towards them.
“You finally took your ring off! You were wearing that thing everywhere!”
Clark squirmed at Jimmy’s comment. He had worn it everywhere as it was part of the undercover persona. Lois had worn her ring, too, though no one was pointing that out.
“He even slept with it on!” Lois mocked.
“You didn’t?” Jimmy asked Clark incredulously, missing the glint of teasing in Lois’ eyes.
Clark didn’t answer. He had slept with it on. Had Lois just said that in jest, or had she seen him?
“Do you leave your glasses on too?” Jimmy teased.
“No,” Clark answered, his mind running in many different directions. He had taken his glasses off when he slept, but had left the ring on. Had Lois seen him sleeping, but he hadn’t heard her?
“Lois! Clark!” Perry’s booming voice interrupted the conversation. “Good to have you two back in the newsroom.”
As Perry talked, Clark listened, allowing the conversation to distract him from anxious thoughts.
EXCERPT #2:I’m here for a different reason tonight. And I hope they don’t know that I’m here—my parents. I hope they can’t sense me out here, not too far from the farmhouse. Because tonight, I came here needing to think.
My whole life, I’ve been different. And because of that, I’ve kept everyone at arms’ length. I’ve spent years heeding my dad’s warnings to keep my abilities hidden, years actively hiding who I am and what I can do, years struggling to be…careful. All. The. Time.
But today…today I met someone, and in the moment we met, I knew…something was different about her. She was like sunshine. Warm, life-giving sunshine. And something about her made my heart stutter and race. Even now, I can barely keep myself grounded. I feel light, as though gravity doesn’t exist.
Of course, in the next moment after meeting her, I was rejected for the job I’d applied to. So I’m…not sure what’s going to happen now.
EXCERPT #3:"Clark, no! Don't let —" Lois called, but it was too late. The dog was already in bed with him.
"I'm sorry, honey," Clark said, unconvincingly, as the dog licked his entire face. "But I —" He stopped as the dog shifted to reach the other side of his head and, in the process, covered his nose and mouth with a furry chest. Clark's hand ruffled the side of the dog's belly.
"Clark, you can't keep letting him do this."
"I know, honey," he said, still unconvincingly. The dog was now lying on the pillow, curled against the top of his head. "But I just can't resist this."
Lois sighed and got into bed. Her face was promptly and repeatedly smacked with a tail. She tried futilely to defend herself.
Clark reached up and gently repositioned the dog.
The thumping tail was replaced by a wet snout nuzzling her face.
Clark looked at her with his soft brown eyes. "It's my weakness." The dog rolled over, now somehow draped across both their laps, head hanging sideways off the edge of the bed, tongue hanging out contentedly. "It's..."
Lois looked at him and idly rubbed the dog's belly. She wasn't going to win this one tonight. "I know, Clark. It's your Krypto night."
EXCERPT #4:A firm knock on her apartment door made her jump.
“Coming!” she yelled.
Moving from her bedroom to the living area, she grabbed her towel and dabbed at her forehead again before looking through her peephole.
“Clark?” His giant, grinning head filled the peephole, and she rolled her eyes. Even though she was miffed at him, she couldn’t help but smile as she unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“Hi,” he greeted her, his grin fading into a soft smile. His eyes swept over her body briefly before meeting hers again. “Been working out?”
“Yeah, no big deal…” Lois held the door open for him to enter.
“I bought you something.” He thrust a brown paper bag toward her.
Lois raised her eyebrows. “What?” She took the bag from him, opened it cautiously, and looked inside.
Clark closed the apartment door behind him and cleared his throat. “I felt bad that my joke backfired earlier…and I just wanted to assure you that I do not think you’re… fat.” He cringed at his words, his eyes avoiding hers. “And that even if you were larger…um…bigger…” he trailed off, looking flustered, adjusting his glasses nervously. “…what I mean to say is….”
“Is…?” Lois prompted, one eyebrow raised as she pulled a small carton from the paper bag.
He exhaled. “Is that you’re beautiful and brilliant, and I wouldn’t care if—“
“You bought me frozen yogurt?”
EXCERPT #5:"I only need to update a prescription for eyeglasses."
Klein sighed with relief. "Oh, is that all! Well that's not very wait a minute..." He frowned. "Sorry, eyeglasses? Did you say eyeglasses?"
The hero nodded and then glanced around the room as though expecting to be overheard.
Klein's eyebrows shot up. "Eyeglasses?"
Superman shushed him while definitely not wearing eyeglasses. "Yes."
Klein studied his face, trying to see the indications of contact lenses.
"I'm not wearing them now," he pointed out, looking amused.
Klein shook his head. "So, what, they're just for reading, then?"
"No." Superman looked over his shoulder again, sighed, and turned back to Dr. Klein. "I first got them when I was a kid, but stopped needing them after I first got my powers. I think the microscopic vision automatically corrects for me, but when I lose my powers, I go back to needing them again. It used to be fine, since I never got rid of them; but after this latest brush with Kryptonite, I started getting the headaches again and--well, I got through the day all right, but I should definitely update before something like that happens again."
Dr. Klein stared at him, stunned. Superman wore glasses? Picturing it was...actually, shockingly easy now that he let his mind imagine it. Something began to niggle at his brain.
"Please don't tell anyone about this."
He waved a hand. "Of course not! Doctor/patient confidentiality and all that stuff."
Superman sighed with relief.
"I'll have to bring in the equipment," Klein mused. "Might take about a week. Also, we'll probably need to dose you with Kryptonite..."
He grimaced but nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Klein." He started for the window.
Klein turned back to his experiments. "Tell Lois I said hello."
EXCERPT #6:He winced as the door closed in his face.
It was over, and it was his fault.
On the other side, Lois began to sob, falling apart.
He knew, sometimes super-hearing was a curse.
The silent tears were nothing, compared to the heart-wrenching sobs she cried now.
It was his fault. He had to let go.
She needed to protect her broken heart.
But how could he leave, would she shut him out of her life?
Could their friendship survive his mistake? He could only hope.
Tomorrow he'd see her again.
Lane and Kent. The hottest news team in town.
EXCERPT #7:“Come on, he's just a pup. There will be time for training later.”
Clark knelt beside Krypto, who eagerly licked his hand and turned his head against Clark's legs to obtain his share of fondling. It was rather difficult to remove the leash and hard to tell who enjoyed the cuddling session more, Krypto or Clark.
But as soon as the dog was free, he started for the park.
“He's going to be a grown up dog pretty soon,” Lois warned. “And one that might have superpowers.”
Clark scrambled back to his feet and dusted off his pants. “Powers? You think?”
“He's pretty strong for a pup.”
Clark shrugged. “I didn't notice anything.”
Lois snorted. “Of course you didn't. It’s not like you'd ever have trouble holding him, if he pulls on his leash. Besides, the dog loves you so much, he's walking at your side just to humor you.”
“Still, I don't think we're going to -” Clark broke himself off as Krypto started for a group of pigeons picking crumbs from the ground.
He ran, almost tumbling over his too large paws, tail wagging, ears fluttering in the wind, and barking enthusiastically as the pigeons flapped their wings in panic and flew off.
Clark jogged after his dog. “Down, boy. Stop. We don't chase pig-”
He stopped dead in his tracks, jaw hanging open when the dog's paws left the ground and he kept just chasing after the flying birds.
Lois caught up to Clark. “Yep, taking this dog for a walk is so going to be your duty.”
Clark started fumbling with his tie. “Forget what I said earlier. Training this dog can't start soon enough.”
Good luck, everyone!
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🏆TOC for Kerth Awards 2025 Posts🏆.
The Kerth Committee
(KSaraSara, Michael, lovetvfan, and Evie)
