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Highly Strung

February 14, 2014 52 comments

It’s Friday Fictioneers time! And I’m actually posting on a Friday for a change.

For those of you new to Friday Fictioneers, our wonderful host Rochelle posts a picture and the rest of us write a (roughly) 100 word story, poem or whatever about it. This week’s photo was donated by fellow Fictioneerer Janet Webb. Thanks, Janet!

To read all the other stories, click here.

I have to admit my story is 107 words. I already cut a load out and I honestly can’t see how to cut out another 7 words without compromising the story. Sorry 😦 .

janet-webbs-sangria

Copyright Janet Webb

Detective Turnbull looked around the gallery. He couldn’t decide if the sprays of blood adorning the art were an improvement. He shook his head.

“Not your thing, detective?” asked a uniform.

“Art? Huh. So, what happened?”

“The artist went nuts. Sliced some kid to bits with a palette knife, if you can believe that.”

“Do we know why?” asked Turnbull.

“Kid grabbed a sangria from over there. Apparently it was part of the ‘piece’. Bit high strung, this artist.”

“Okay.” Turnbull turned to the gallery owner. “We’ll get this blood cleaned up.”

“Are you mad? This is live art! I can sell this room for a fortune!”

CWG Week 7 Episode 20

February 12, 2014 9 comments

It’s week 7 of Kerrie’s Chain Writing Game, and this week we see Hugh escaping from an “inescapable” prison (and the noose)! Where will he go? What’s the deal with Sarah and her insanely fast car?

Catch up with the story by clicking on the little blue froggy. My third contribution is below.

We’re seriously running out of time so I’m going to reluctantly speed things up a bit.

prison-cell-cellphone

Hugh threw a grenade at the front door of the Senator’s house as Sarah took the rifle and found a vantage point nearby. The door exploded into fragments and Hugh ran inside. Halfway to the Senator’s study a guard appeared, weapon drawn.

Silhouetted against a window, the guard’s head was no match for Sarah’s bullet as she shot him from across the road.

Hugh burst into the Senator’s study  to find him throwing papers into the open fire.

“Hold it, you wife-killing bastard!” snarled Hugh.

The Senator froze.

Outside, with a screech of tyres, Evan and Jeffrey pulled up, murder in their eyes.

Categories: Fiction Tags: ,

The Last Sunrise

February 11, 2014 23 comments

Here is my contribution to Sunday Photo Fiction. You can view all the 100-200 word stories by clicking on the blue froggy, and why not have a go yourself?


46-02-february-9th-2014

Simon and Shelley sat hand in hand on the hill top, looking out at the rapidly brightening sky.

“Is it true, do you think?” asked Shelley quietly, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face.

“All contact with Australia was lost hours ago. Russia. Eastern Europe. All going quiet, one by one.”

“Maybe there’s some other explanation?”

Simon squeezed her hand. “It’s still half an hour to sunrise,” he said sombrely. “See how light the sky is already.”

Shelley nestled her head against him. He put his arm around her shoulders.

“Of all the scenarios we’ve seen in the movies – floods, global warming, alien invasion, even zombies – why did nobody mention this?” asked Shelley, sobbing.

“Maybe someone did,” replied Simon, eyes glistening with his own tears. “Maybe we didn’t see that film.” He hugged her closer.

“It’ll be one hell of a sunrise, though,” said Shelley.

Simon nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

They were still sitting, holding each other tight when the sun rose. Once the bringer of life, it had turned on its children. The most titanic solar firestorm in Earth’s history accompanied the sunrise this morning, burning the planet clean.

CWG Week 7 Episode 14

February 11, 2014 14 comments

It’s week 7 of Kerrie’s Chain Writing Game, and this week we see Hugh escaping from an “inescapable” prison (and the noose)! Where will he go? What’s the deal with Sarah and her insanely fast car?

Catch up with the story by clicking on the little blue froggy. My second contribution is below.

prison-cell-cellphone

Back on the road, Hugh and Sarah hurtled past a junction.

“Shit!” swore Sarah. “Cops.”

Hugh glanced behind and saw the ominous flashing lights, distant yet but coming closer.

“What the hell kind of souped-up car are they driving?” exclaimed Sarah. “We’re doing well over a hundred!”

In the car behind, Jeffrey grinned at Evan.

“Keep goin’, we’ve nearly got ‘em!”

Their radio hissed. “All cars, fall back, the FBI has this one.”

Jeffrey flipped off the radio and grabbed a shotgun from the back seat. Up ahead, Hugh pulled the gun from under the seat and rolled down the window.

Categories: Fiction Tags: ,

Evil Squirrel’s Competition – Where’s My Nuts?

February 9, 2014 39 comments

Evil Squirrel over at the Nest is holding a competition! We get the chance to win UD$20 worth of squirrel-themed thongs, or some such, from his squirrel shop.

Squirrel-themed thongs, I hear you ask? No, I didn’t believe it either – click here for the proof.

According to the rules of the competition, the entry can be anything we like as long as it contains a squirrel, a possum and a unicorn. Sounds like the ideal opportunity to make a childish play on the word “nuts” to me (desperately hoping as I do so that it has the same slang meaning in the rest of the English-speaking world as it does in the UK).

So here is my cute little children’s story – “Where’s My Nuts?” (Warning – not suitable for children, unless they don’t know that “nuts” is slang for “testicles” in which case it’s fine.)

Read more…

CWG Week 7 Episode 5

February 9, 2014 14 comments

It’s week 7 of Kerrie’s Chain Writing Game, and this week we see Hugh escaping from an “inescapable” prison (and the noose)! Will he get out? Where will he go?

Catch up with the story by clicking on the little blue froggy. My first contribution is below.

 

prison-cell-cellphone

Hugh knew how lucky he’d been, getting assigned to this cell. According to the plans he’d found, there were only three cells in the prison which backed onto the old sewerage system, this being one.

It had taken him months to work the mortar from between the concrete blocks, using careful modifications to his prison-issue toothbrush. Though his teeth were now rotting, he was out of his cell!

He lingered a moment, hearing Kurt and Jack panicking in his cell and smiled. Maybe they’d get fired. Scum.

Hugh crawled down the cramped tunnel, taking the turnings he’d memorised from the plans.

Categories: Fiction Tags: ,

Sharing My World Week 5

February 7, 2014 19 comments

It’s Sharing My World time again, part of the weekly “Share Your World” challenge hosted by Cee over at Cee’s Photography blog. Pop over and see her, and join in if you like. Share your world too!

share-your-world2

If you had a choice to live anywhere would your preference be salt water beaches, forest, fresh water lakes, hot tub, ski resort or desert?
In common with several people this week I’d like to cheat a little and go for a combo. A cabin in a forest on the shore of a fresh water lake. Lovely!

I’m thinking we combine Colliford Lake in Cornwall (up the road from me) on the left, and Coed y Brenin Forest Park in North Wales on the right.

Lake and Forest

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CWG Week 6 Episode 27

February 5, 2014 5 comments

Here we are at week 6 of Kerrie’s Chain Writing Game! This week, Jadir has left the safety of his village and ventured over The Wall. What will he find?

Catch up with the story by clicking on the little blue froggy. My third contribution is below.

Stone_wall_by_jrrhack

 

Jadir watched as the ships disintegrated. One of them, spewing black smoke, spun overhead, skipped off the top of the remains of the Wall and hurtled towards the fleeing figures of Camilla and Hamis. Jadir turned his back on the scene.

“What now?” he asked Eliya.

Eliya was staring at his eyes, the bright blue glow slowly fading.

“You truly are the chosen one!”

“Did you ever doubt it? What’s next? Let’s finish this.”

“This way,” replied Eliya, still awed. “Over that hill,” she pointed south, “is the fortress of the Ezreet. We finish this now.”

Categories: Fiction Tags: ,

My Heart’s Desire

February 5, 2014 72 comments

It’s Friday Fictioneers time, folks. Hosted as ever by Rochelle, a hundred or so bloggers write their 100-ish word take on a photo prompt which this week has been supplied by fictioneerer Dawn M. Miller.

To see all the other contributions, click here.

Well folks, I have nothing! Therefore I have composed a “poem”, using a slightly spurious link with the photo – lamps-light-fire. It has no twists, no comedy or dark humour and is, I suppose, vaguely romantic-ish. Not something I do, but since I don’t want to miss out on a week I’m going to publish it anyway. Then we can all just move on.

And weirdly after I finished it I found it was 101 words. What a fluke.

lvbydawne_2

Copyright Dawn M. Miller

Candle burning in the dark
It calls to me, it calls to me
Sulphur bright, the Devil’s spark
She calls to me, she calls to me.

Eyes like fire, she beckons me
Towards the light, towards the light
My heart’s ensnared, no longer free
Within her light, within her light.

Closer now, I see her face
A face divine, a face divine
Desperate now I quicken pace
To make her mine, to make her mine.

At last she holds me in her arms
Consumed by fire, consumed by fire
No more sorrow, safe from harm
My heart’s desire, my heart’s desire.

Categories: Poems Tags:

The Field of Flowers Award

February 4, 2014 28 comments

Guess what? The wonderful Servant Z and Yelloz over at fourcatpaw have nominated me for a fantastic award – the Field of Flowers award – thank you! Take a look at this.

field-of-flowers-award

Isn’t that the most wonderful picture? I’m thinking summer picnics with my imaginary girlfriend, I’m thinking skipping barefoot through the grass, I’m thinking breathing in the heady aroma of beautiful flowers – suffice to say I’d quite like to be in that picture.

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