Category: short story

Friday Fictioneers: Hollow Debt

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short storyTagged , , , 19 Comments

I couldn’t get anywhere when I looked at Madison’s photo prompt for the fictioneers and was going to give it a miss. One more look tonight and suddenly I’d done in in ten minutes. What do you make of the photo? there’s still time to enter, http://madisonwoods.com/index-of-stories/081712-2/ photo by Lura Helmstree

Twenty years since I last saw it and I still clean jumped out of my skin. It had decayed and sunk into the hollow, looking for all the world like some strange mystic fungus. I could still picture how it was back then, each week the flesh got blacker and the rancid stench warned me I was close. He was supposed to be a devil worshipper, so I always wore a cross, and carried garlic when I went to pay the debt for mom. Then one time mom, Aunt May and Aunt Wilma went together and he was never seen again.

100 Word Challenge For Grown Ups Week# 53

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, Gardens, short story, WritingTagged , , , , , , , , , 15 Comments

Julia has given us ‘would seven prove to be too much’ and another hundred words to play with for her challenge this week. Will you join in this time? It’s fun and a good way to see how briefly you can tell a story. Try here, http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week-53/  and now for my entry.

Fiacre’s Seven Seeds

‘Will I be able to look after them all?’ Fiacre counted the seeds in his hand.

‘Ah, would seven prove to be too much? That’s the question I asked myself when I was your size’

‘What if they grow too big for my vegetable plot grandfather?

‘Let’s leave your little garden for a moment child, come, look to the east.’ A vast cultivated valley spread a green carpet as far as the boy could see. ‘The great creator gave my grandfathers grandfather seven seeds. Tell me, are these crops too much, too much too feed our people?

‘Grandfather, will seven seeds be enough?’

Friday Fictioneers: Twin Shells

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , , , , 14 Comments

Madison’s 100 word flash fiction challenge this week is this lovely shell photo, which she credits to Susan Wenzel. This is my entry.

shells

Shells Divided 

Ibiza 2002, they met at a club of course, it had a huge scene back then. They chatted, danced, and then strolled to Matthew’s hotel. A few hours later they caught the sunrise on Es Cavellet, hand in hand.

Gatwick 2012, he headed for departures, tummy fluttering. Ten years ago they’d vowed to bring their shells back to the island. How he had longed for tonight, 10pm outside El Chiringuito.

Mumbai 2012, Rahul pulled a small white shell from a drawer, turned it over in his hands, and dropped it into the bin.

Whatever happened to that funny English guy?

 Check out http://madison-woods.com/photo-prompt-for-the-fridayfictioneers-6/ to join the challenge and read the other entries.

100 Word Challenge For Grown Ups Week# 52

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, Uncategorized, WritingTagged , , , , 19 Comments

Julia seems to think that the challenge she has set this week is easy, maybe you would like to try it out, it certainly wasn’t easy for me. I couldn’t find words to go before together the flames and I think i have cheated because altogether can only be one word? Anyway here goes.

Flames

On the day before I became a widow, I caught the London train for a weekend with the girls. Oh how we laughed that evening, fuelled with cocktails, sharing the events of the last year. New jobs, new grandchildren, and Stella’s new romance with Paul from Woodleigh comprehensive, he wouldn’t get away this time. Paul’s ex-wife had moved to my village, she could be the one I see walking the schnauzer.

Over breakfast we saw the BBC Devon news.

‘The bodies of a man and woman were found in the bedroom of the middle cottage; all together the flames destroyed three homes.’

Link back to Julia’s Place.to see the other entries.

Friday Fictioneers

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , , , , , 18 Comments

Madison has posted a challenging photo prompt this week and this is my contribution. If you would like to visit her to read the other entries go to http://madison-woods.com/photo-prompt-for-the-fridayfictioneers-5/

Running Water

‘There you go my dear, now all you have to do is turn on the tap and you can have running water whenever you want.’

‘Turn it on whenever I want? That’s lovely.’

‘Now how do you manage about baths? You’d qualify for a council grant at your age.’

‘Oh I just fill the copper up in July, that’s my birthday I’ll be ninety two you know, and it doesn’t take long to fill my hip bath. Now lad I’m going down the garden to get some water from the well, so I’ll show you out at the same time.’

Friday Fictioneers, Beautiful and Grey

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , , 25 Comments

http://madisonwoods.wordpress.com/ has a weekly challenge with a photo this time,

This is my 100 words, maybe you would like to pop across and join in?

‘Look, there’s a lovely green butterfly and an ugly grey moth’ Beth tugged on her grandmother’s sleeve and led her along the path.

‘I can’t see no ugly moth honey, only a pretty butterfly and a beautiful moth.’

‘It’s dull Grandma’

‘Look real close; see the lovely patterns and different shades of grey?’

‘Uh huh,’ Beth screwed up her eyes.

‘See honey, God made lots of creatures that are beautiful in different ways, green, red,  grey, in all shapes and sizes.’

‘Grandma, your hair is all sorts of pretty grey,’ she reached to feel a curl, ‘did God make it?’

 

 

100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups Week# 43

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , 37 Comments

Pop over to Julia’s if you would like to try the weekly 100 word challenge http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week43/

The prompt this week is ‘The flame flickered before . . .’ and here are my 100 words,

A Cautionary Tale

‘The Flame Flickered Before Her Eyes and Other Stories’ by Randy Walton, ‘What? That’s weird Sal, look. I’m going in.’

‘It’s just a coincidence honey.’

‘But it looks like my photo as well.’

The bell above the door made the shopkeeper briefly raise his head from his own reading, then he tutted when Margi stood over him.

‘This book, it’s self published right?’

‘Yeah and it’s very successful, been at the top of the short fiction charts for weeks. Everyone’s reading short stuff these days.’

Margi turned to the contents page. Twelve short stories. Her short stories, all of them.

#Friday Fictioneers

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , 23 Comments

I know it isn’t Friday now, I’ve been away so I’m late.

But, Madison’s  http://madisonwoods.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/photo-prompt-for-100-word-flash-fridayfictioneers-30/  photo kept popping into my head so I wrote this.

Going home is copacetic but the journey from my daughter lacks the joy of the one towards. In the bus someone plays a line from the carnival is over on a tinny echoing phone.

I recline and check the double deck view, a twin chakra of rainbows, moments from the M27 with its pylons and industrial units, on a bench that feels like bone on bone to my spine. Hawthorn next and cemetery birds in a corridor called Wellow.

Disgorge at Salisbury, grateful for a wait uninterrupted by a questioning Mancunian, grasping for minutiae from a trapped, hungover, hen party goer.

# Friday Fictioneers – Lunacy

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , 52 Comments

This is my first Friday Fictioneers 100 word post. The photo below is the prompt for this week.

moon

Here is the link if you would like to join in. http://madisonwoods.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/photo-prompt-for-100-word-flash-fridayfictioneers-29/ and my story.

Lunacy

‘Daughter, at last it is favourable. Yesterday’s rains have made the earth soft, and moist. Now, the moon is shining her benevolence.’

‘This is a good time mummy? What makes it so?’

‘She is waning and her energy draws into the soil, she makes roots grow strong, it is time to sow our yam seed.’ They bent to dig and plant the seed together.

‘Wife what is this crazy woman talk you put in the child’s head? Plants need sun and water, not this lunacy. Tell me when you’ve finished and I will slaughter the goat and sprinkle its blood.’

A Sequel to Short Listing

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , , , , , 28 Comments

This is the logo for Flash Fiction South West and I am proud and excited to be part of the very first published anthology, Kissing Frankenstein and Other Stories. Not only is it a first for FFSW, it’s a first for me! My very first time  in print.

I know that lots of you are published writers, do you remember the feeling you had when you first held a book with your name inside? I’ve been bouncing for twenty four hours now!

May 16th is National flash Fiction Day, perhaps you will be inspired to write something on that day. If not, check out the talent that the West Country has to offer,

http://flashfictionsw.co.uk/ and it’s even better to run your hands over the sleek cover and inhale the fresh, gorgeousness of new book.