Category Archives: Fiction

General fiction – short stories, Friday Fictioneers, 500 words, etc

Take Seven: 16th October 2020

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Our words were:
annoy, busker, button, car, crop, cry, elevate, Friday, hunt, hysterics, irritate, movement, pack, pattern, pest, poetry, song, street, swipe, thump, vamp.

Happy Friday! Sang the lipsticked Vamp.

Every week, we suffer her unmusical song.

Swipe right if you’re elevated by this pattern.

Scream in hysterics if the pest annoys you no end.

She presses my buttons.

No street busker could irritate more.

Thump my back, as I cry at the pack.

Drive a car through her obsequiousness.

Take a crop to her poetry movement

Hunt and eradicate her persistence.

Three Things Challenge #386

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Three things are: Street, Busker and Vamp

I plunge into the street, ploughing through the crowd surrounding our local busker.

Adrenaline courses through me as I run for my life, leaving the sanctuary of my apartment, where I’ve spent days hiding.

I wobble, nearly falling on the cobbles, as I desperately look behind for my pursuer.

Screaming agony as my ankle twists, sweat pouring down my back, hair in my face, I continue my desperate struggle through the cruising shoppers.

Suddenly, the Vamp appears before me. I stop dead and stare. He smiles widely, teeth exposed, canines glistening.

He pulls me close, leans into my neck and breathes me in.

Friday Fictioneers – the nightmare

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sandra-crook-seaweed

Photo prompt @ Sandra Cook

I’d slept like an innocent.
Awoken fresh and clear minded.
Even after all that had happened.
My feet hit the floor.
I thought, cold.
Felt, fresh.
Smiled.

A visit to the toilet.
Brush of teeth and hair.
The feeling of rebirth, renewal, soared.
My hair shone; skin glowed.
All was good again.
I walked to the balcony.
Opened the French doors.

The smell hit hard and fast.
As I breathed in, deep.
I gagged.
Mind buckled, followed by knees.
And I collapsed to the deck.
The nightmare wasn’t over.
It had followed me.
Into the light. (96 words)

Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a story in response to a photo prompt – in 100 words or less. You can find other stories here.

Three things challenge #373

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https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2020/09/29/three-things-challenge-373/

Your three things today are:
RECORD
HANG
THREAD

Want a challenge? Well, here’s one.

Try and ignore the talking heads that litter our news feeds and fill us with dread.

Pandemic 2020, explosive Lebanon, recession looming, debate debacle.

Record unemployment, hanging by a thread.

One million coronavirus victims officially dead.

Overtly privileged white men vie to lead a country.

They represent an attitude that’s ugly.

How can we ignore the doom and the gloom?

Read a book.

Take a walk.

Call a friend and talk.

Watch a movie – not TV. Don’t want to be distracted from your joie de vivre!

Simply 6 Minutes – Waspish

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6 minute challenge WASP 29Sept

I’ve never seen a wasp so black
Or poking around in holes like that
The kind that I expect to see
Hang out on my verandah

I think they’re called paper wasps
In general, they’re a friendly lot
I’ve always thought if I ignore them
They won’t attack, and we’ll be friends

But then …
One day, I was relaxed, just standing at the door
And felt a stab, the pain expanding
I bounced around, screeching; crying

The plumber who was doing a job
Came running as he heard me sob
And as he tried to calm me down
His buddy yelled ‘I’ve been stung!’

He swore, I moaned, we jumped around
We tried to grab at spots that hurt
The plumber’s mate, just stood and grinned
I yelled at him “Check under my shirt!”
(I was half undressed, by this point)

In my urgent need to be rescued
I’d lost all modesty, middle of the garden; near to naked!
Those wasps are not my friends.
And I’ll never ignore them again. (172 words, 6 minutes)

 

  • Set up a timer or sit near a clock so you can keep track of the six minutes you will be writing.
  • You can either use one of the prompts (photo or written) or you can free-write.
  • Get ready and write for 6 minutes, that is it! Can you write a complete story? Can you think of a new Sonnet? Can you write 400 words? 400? 500? There are no restrictions on what kind of writing you do, but you should try to be actively writing for six minutes.
  • After you are done writing, include your word count and then post back to this page https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/100129212/posts/2939433981 #Simply6Minutes
  • Or include your link in the comments section. Pingbacks are enabled.

#Wordle 474

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#thesundaywhirl #wordle #wordle474

The Sunday Whirl – Wordle 474

How sad is it that a President of the United States of America named Trump embodies a word that means ‘to outrank or defeat’ ‘in a highly public way’ whose desires are paramount and may end any hope that you have to justice.

The sorrow that one feels; that the dream of a democratic process is dead, due to the hypocrite in power.

When you can’t deny the ruthless power the POTUS and his sycophants in waiting employ, you might as well react as the turtle; retreat into your shell and let the world pass you by. It will anyway.

To read other Wordle contributions visit https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/2020/09/20/wordle-474/

Friday Fictioneers – the Mother in Law

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Photo Prompt @ Dale Rogerson

She knew when I arrived today it would be dark; the light broken.
I always knock; I never buzz.
Is it a lark, or deadly intent? The doorknocker from hell.
An allergic reaction could be the end of me.
I don’t know why she hates me. Perhaps I’ve joked too often when partaking at her table.
My comments could be softened.
Blasted woman. I’ve tolerated much. Too many words, embittered. Too much emotion, littered upon the plate she offers.
Her daughter treasures me. Grandchildren dote on her every word. BUT, mother-in-law today, I see, has finally had enough of me! (100 words)

Weekend Word Prompt – Alone

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#weekendwritingprompt

Weekend Writing Prompt #175 Megalith

The Megalith hums; vibrates

Preternatural; outside nature

It stands, immobile but reaching skywards

Unearthed, yet anchored.

Moss covered; blending

Of sandstone, bluestone, granite

Of limestone, basalt, marble

Solid, unyielding, impervious

Ritual and superstition

Hold communities in awe

Engages curiosity

Pulses elevate

Living history is here

Standing stones

Alone; breathing

Friday Fictioneers – Breaking Point

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#rogerbultot #rochelle-wisoff-fields #fridayfictionners

Photo prompt @ Roger Bultot

“Oh no, Mike. Check it out,” Shauna cried.

“What am I looking for?

“The high chair. That’s Martha’s house.”

“And … “

“She’s let go! Gave it up. Caved.”

“What to?”

“Reality. Acceptance. Joey has gone. No more babies.”

“Or, Pete dumped it. He thinks ‘it’s time’,” replied Mike, shrugging.

“What? No! He can’t make that decision for Martha.”

Shauna’s expression. Sheer disbelief.

“I know for a fact he’s had enough. Thinks they need to move on. He told me he would dump it at the next council collection.”

“It’ll push her over the edge, Mike. It’ll break her!” (99 words)

Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a story in response to a photo prompt – in 100 words or less. You can find other stories here.