RSS

Category Archives: Fiction

Cocktails

10 May

icon-grill-ted-strutzPhoto copyright Ted Strutz

“What flavor’s your despair tonight, Lace?” Hal asked, slipping a newly-dried glass into the overhead rack. “Cosmo? Heineken? Merlot?”

“Shirley Temple.”

Laughter exploded behind the bar. “Shirley Temple?! You yankin’ my chain? Really, what’ll ya have?”

“I told you. Shirley Temple. Lots of ice.“

“You on the wagon, or somethin’? What gives?”

“It’s for the kid.”

“What kid?” Hal peered suspiciously over the bar and warned, “You know I don’t let no kids in here.”

Suddenly his eyes shot to Lacey’s lap. Stunned, he could barely croak, “You shittin’ me?”

“I told you you shouldn’ta drove me home that night.”

Once again I’ve joined the Friday Fictioneers in a humble attempt to tell a whole story in just 100 words. The action and emotion of these stories are always clear in my mind (should be, since I know everything that wasn’t said), but I’d welcome feedback on anything that I’ve missed which makes the story unclear.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Posts I commented on today:
West Seattle Murals (Where’s my backpack?)
Quiet in the Corner (Two Shoes in Texas)  new blog of the day
Besting your Best (The Better Man Project)

 
13 Comments

Posted by on May 10, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

Tags:

Quarry

03 May

house of bonesPhoto copyright Kent Bonham

She had trailed her quarry carefully through the raucous throngs, but in a moment of distraction he had slipped from sight. Estrella was terrified—her safety depended on shadowing his every move. Anxiously, she scanned the crowd from the cover of a building that also seemed masked for Carnival. Her costume camouflaged her among the revelers; could he still find her?

Familiar cologne penetrated her fear just as a strong arm snaked around her waist. Estrella struggled mightily in the vise-like grip, loosing herself just enough to twist and throw her arms around her captor’s neck.

“Papá, there you are!”

After a couple weeks off, it feels good to be back in the swing of Friday Fictioneers, trying to capture a story inspired by the week’s photo prompt in only 100 words!

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Posts I commented on today:
A Roof with a View (anelephantcant)  new blog of the day
3 May 2013 (Rochelle Wisoff-Fields–Addicted to Purple)
Handling Rejection (castelsarrasin)

 
13 Comments

Posted by on May 3, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

Tags:

Quatrain

19 Apr

wasp-nestPhoto Copyright Janet Webb

I stroke her fragile hand in the pale light of the moon, her skin now as dry and papery as a wasp’s nest.

“Remember that poem you wrote to your puppy? I thought it was for me; you stole my heart way back in third grade.”

Softly I recite the four lines memorized nearly 78 years ago.

All can see our friendship is strong;
No doubt, by my side you belong.
Brown-eyed scamp, your kiss I adore.
I’ll love you forever…or more.

This is the final verse of our love story; I draw my last breath and reach for forever.

I missed last week’s Friday Fictioneers since I was out of town, but I’m back on board this week, submitting my 100 words inspired by the photograph selected by the Fictioneers’ fearless leader Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, and guided by the letter Q of April’s A to Z Challenge!

 
21 Comments

Posted by on April 19, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

Tags: ,

Ella

05 Apr

gnarled-tree
From Scott Vanatter with permission; Photo Copyright Indira

Today, Ella left me.

Me and Ella met when we were six months old, and it was love at first sight. We were inseparable, running wild on the farm, poking our curious noses in rabbit holes, wading in the creek, and devouring treats stolen from Mama’s kitchen in the shade of the gnarliest tree in the back forty. For eighteen years, Ella’s been my staunchest ally, fiercest protector, and most trusted confidante.

“I’ll always love you, Ella,” I weep as my father and I pile rocks on top of a dog-sized grave under the gnarliest tree in the back forty.

 
12 Comments

Posted by on April 5, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

Tags: ,

Buddha

02 Apr

Great Buddha in Kamakura
Length of face = 7.7ft
Circumference of thumb = 2.8ft

 

Every Wednesday, Yumiko came with her stool and her sketchbook and perched delicately in my shadow, applying pencil to paper to capture the scenes around her, sometimes worrying the small details for weeks on end. Shinji, with cameras dangling from his neck and bags of lenses criss-crossing his lithe frame, circled me week in and week out, intent on capturing the subtle differences in the sunlight on my face as the spring days lengthened into summer, but never unaware of those who shared this sacred ground with him. Today, the clicking of Shinji’s shutter grew louder as he maneuvered into Yumiko’s space, framing candid shots of the uniformed high school students boisterously posing around my base for a classmate’s iPhone snaps. Yumiko put her pencil aside and opened her bento bag, peeking from beneath the brim of her sunhat to offer Shinji an onigiri with a shy “Dōzo.” Bowing his thanks, he sank to the ground next to her, and small talk over the shared meal of rice balls eventually turned into tentative requests to view each other’s work. As Yumiko scrolled through his camera’s digital archive, Shinji flipped the pages of her sketchbook, expecting to see my profile but finding his own likeness filling several pages instead; that discovery sent a thrill through him and simultaneously made him a little less nervous about her reaction to his memory card’s imminent revelation of the portraits he had furtively stolen earlier today with his zoom lens.

 

I’ve combined today’s letter, B, from the A to Z April Challenge with the Weekly Writing Challenge: Iconic from The Daily Post…and threw in a six sentence limit just for fun. I realize Buddhism is not an exclusively Japanese religion, but Daibutsu, the giant Buddha of Kamakura, is THE iconic image of my time in Japan. Every time I see a photo of this Buddha’s placid face, I am reminded of the gentle people, beautiful scenery, and all-encompassing peace I found in Japan.

 
5 Comments

Posted by on April 2, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction, The Daily Post Prompt, Tuesday Tales

 

Tags: ,

Svetlana

29 Mar

lampsPhoto copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Svetlana had high hopes when she signed up with the agency in St. Petersburg. A rugged American farmer was intrigued by her profile, and after only a few brief meetings, her vision of a new life materialized in the form of a one-way airline ticket. However, not even eighteen years in the orphanage had prepared the new bride for the loneliness she’d found in this isolated Iowa farmhouse with the dodgy electricity. The dreams she’d thought she’d captured in the thin gold band on her left finger now dissipated as elusively as smoke from the glass chimney of the oil lamp.

As long as St. Petersburg counts as one word, this is exactly 100 words for this week’s Friday Fictioneers challenge! 🙂

 
10 Comments

Posted by on March 29, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

Tags:

Altruism

26 Mar

102_1352

Frog sat by the road, playing his guitar. Turtle walked slowly up the road.

“Hello, Frog,” said Turtle.

“Hello, Turtle,” said Frog.

“Why are you playing such a sad song?” asked Turtle.

“It is November,” said Frog, “and my friend Toad has gone to bed for the winter.”

“That’s not so sad,” said Turtle.

“Last winter, Toad was too cold,” said Frog. “He did not sleep well. When he woke up in April, he was very grumpy.”

“Hmm, I guess that is a little sad,” said Turtle.

Frog said, “I wanted to buy Toad a big warm blanket. I saved money all year. When I went to the store, I did not have enough money to buy even a small blanket.”

“Oh,” said Turtle, “that is very sad.”

Turtle thought for a moment.

“The circus is in town today,” he said. “You should go.”

“Do they have cheaper blankets at the circus?” asked Frog.

“No, Frog,” Turtle laughed. “You can play your guitar at the circus. People will pay to watch a frog playing the guitar. In one day you will have more than enough money to buy a blanket for Toad.”

“That is a great idea!” said Frog. “Do you really think it will work?”

“Yes,” said Turtle. “Come on, I will take you. You can ride on my back and practice your songs.”

“Oh, thank you, Turtle!” cried Frog. He hopped on the turtle’s back.

Frog and Turtle set off down the road. Frog played a happy song and dreamed of a new blanket for Toad. “Toad will be warm,” he thought to himself. “He will sleep well, and he will wake up happy in April.”

I came across this lovely specimen of taxidermy at an antiques fair, and the creepy duo got me thinking about one of my favorite, not so creepy, childhood books, Frog and Toad Together. Arnold Lobel’s style is hard to replicate, but I hope the spirit of my story is in keeping with the incredible friendship he chronicles in his Frog and Toad books. 

 
1 Comment

Posted by on March 26, 2013 in Children's Fiction, Fiction, Tuesday Tales

 
← Older posts
Newer posts →