Struggling with a too-long drabble?

Just two days remain to submit your 100-word stories for this open period! If you’re stuck with a story slightly over the word limit, check out this blog post for tips on how to cut it down.

The Trojan Aliens

By: Larry Hodges

“But why do you think aliens left a huge horse-shaped satellite in orbit?” the U.S. President asked. “Do they think we’re idiots?”

“Maybe they left behind scientific treasures,” said the starry-eyed Secretary of Education.

“Or gold, platinum, and other riches,” said the greedy Treasury Secretary.

“Or advanced weaponry,” said the warmongering Secretary of Defense.

“You idiots, haven’t you read The Odyssey?” roared the president. “The alien ambassador even lent me a copy.” He opened the book to the page bookmarked by the alien. Clouds of artificially-created viruses floated out, the president inhaled, and the aliens had complete control of him.

© 2026. Larry Hodges

Larry Hodges has over 250 short story sales and four SF novels. He’s an Odyssey Writers Workshop graduate and a ping-pong aficionado, with 27 books and over 2,300 published articles in over 200 different publications. Visit him at larryhodges.com.

P.S. If you enjoyed this, share it with an awesome friend. If a friend shared it with you, subscribe here!