Author: Tien Skye

dream of a storyteller

/ Tien Skye
Tien, Singapore (2020)

I dream a little dream — a secret dream of being a storyteller — to spread open a blank paper of possibilities and bring fantasy into reality. I wish to wander with ideas in the day and chase the words down at night; to give vibrant voices to silent thoughts; to create pleasure in mundane. I wish to poet the painful wisdom of maturity; to fiction fake worlds of memories; to weave the fabric of life with tapestries of experiences.

Let me live a life of a storyteller — translating thousands of lives with my pen and paper. No more weariness of a workhorse trudging through long murky road. Let me live a life of a storyteller — transcribing tragedies into comedies with happy endings. No more slavery of a worker ant circling the debris of what could not be whole again. Let me live a life of a storyteller — scripting merciful deaths to despair and despondency.

No more scavenging of a worker bee in the wild reporting to the beehive at the command of a whimsical queen bee. No more shod ox ploughing fields or shackled elephant performing in a circus. No. I shall be pleased with the precious lifeline of writing my time away.

So let me live a life of a storyteller.

Originally published on 12 July 2021 in Weeds and Wildflowers (Medium).

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Three Line Tales 285

/ Tien Skye

Welcome to Week 285 of Three Line Tales. photo by Grace Wang via Unsplash You’ll find full guidelines on the TLT page – here’s the tl;dr: Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible). Link back to this post (& check the link shows up under the weekly post). Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find […]

Three Line Tales 285

When he told her he was in trouble and told her to bring a shovel, she thought it was a joke.

Then she drove up to the address and saw what he did.

Now, she became his alibi, pretending they were here for a romantic weekend getaway.

Photo Challenge #374

/ Tien Skye

– Marta Bevacqua Use above image as inspiration for a poem or short story. Alternatively, If you are an artist or photographer, use this as an …

Photo Challenge #374

Where did it all get so wrong? How did it all start? Why did she end up like this?

Oh, right, with her “friends”.

“It will help you relax!”

“A little bit won’t hurt!”

“You’re only doing it occasionally!”

“You can stop any time you want!”

And the things she saw! Extraordinary things she saw which she was unable to describe! They were so exquisite they were beyond description! She wanted more – no, she needed more! She craved for it and she was willing to do anything for it.

But as she continued down the path, somewhere she realised – she could not stop whenever she wanted, occasionally turned frequently, a little hurt more than a lot and it became a source of stress on her finances. Simply put, she was willingly throwing her dignity and esteem away. She caged herself into a glass prison of destructive lifestyle, transforming into a shell of her former self.

Everyone could see it except her.

Until now.

As she looked into the mirror.

She took the first step and reached for the phone.

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #126

/ Tien Skye / 2 Comments

Welcome to Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge. Each week I will be posting a photo I grab off the internet and challenging bloggers to write a flash …

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #126

Once they were cast out of the kingdom, the crowned prince led his exiled people through the winter wasteland. His people had suffered enough – the Great Rebellion at the Gates of Emridge claimed countless lives and the prince could not bear to let his people experience the tragedy again. So he gave up the throne and left.

They brought almost nothing except the necessary items – gold, silver and jewellery meant nothing more than useless metals and stones in the wild. Water, they would get creative with the snow and food, they would hunt and gather whatever they could. Right now, the most important the prince had to do was to find a safe location to settle his people. In this vast world, there had to be a place for them.

He turned back, not to look at the kingdom that was once his but at his people and he was comforted to see they had the same determined look on their faces. They had no time to mourn for the dead, he especially so. He would be strong, not just for his deceased father but his people as well.

They continued trudging through the snow.

Kreative Kue 320

/ Tien Skye / 5 Comments

Kreative Kue 319 asked for submissions based on this photograph: John W Howell is a multiple nominated and award-winning author who blogs at Fiction Favorites. Details of John’s books can be found on his Amazon author page Are You Sure? by John W. Howell © 2021 “Control. Wolfman.” “Go ahead, Wolfman.” “We are circling the […]

Kreative Kue 320

“I hope you learn the valuable lesson of ‘Speech is silver, silence is golden’,” I lectured. “A promise is a promise, son!”

“But -” he protested.

“No buts, you peach-skin whelp!” I cut him off before he could continue. “You made a promise. The season is changing and I told you to till the land so we can prepare for farming. What did you say?” I glared at him, daring him to lie.

He only hung his head.

“Well? What did you say?” I asked again impatiently.

“Till the land? Sure, until the cows come home,” he muttered.

“Good, you remembered. Well, the cows came home. Now, go till the land. I want it done before the week is out,” I said before turning to return to the house.

Sweet revenge!

What do you see # 89 – July 5, 2021

/ Tien Skye / 4 Comments

Today is Monday. Welcome back to another prompt. Rules; You can write a post on your blog and create a pingback to link to the original post. Write …

What do you see # 89 – July 5, 2021
Image credit; Oziel Goméz

For the visually challenged reader, this image shows an old car parked in snow. The luggage rack on the top of the car has a rubber raft on it.

The two friends were in the car for days, trapped out here in the mountains when the blizzard struck.

They had not informed anyone and naturally, when they were trapped, no one came searching for them. And the communication towers must be down because they could not get any signal on their mobile phones and the radio was out.

What was supposed to be dream holiday turned into a nightmarish fight against nature for survival.

It felt like an eternity, not knowing when he would die – was that how the criminals charged for death sentence felt as they awaited their trial? He turned to look at his friend. His friend’s eyes were closed, not asleep, not dead, simply closed. Probably imagining themselves somewhere.

His stomach rumbled. How long had he last eaten or drunk anything? He licked his dried lips. It hurt because his lips were cracked, from thirst and from the cold.

He turned to look at his friend again.

He was really hungry and thirsty.

. . . . .

“So you mean, there is food and water at the back of the car?” the detective asked again.

His partner nodded. “Enough to last easily for a week for two people.”

The detective turned to look at the car again. It looked like some special effects right out of some Hollywood horror movie – the open chest cavity, the dried blood, the look of horror on the boy’s face as his glassy eyes stared ahead and the mouth opened in silent scream.

Then he turned to look at the other bloodied boy, hugging his knees and rocking himself as he muttered.

“I’m so hungry and thirsty. I didn’t want to, but I’m so hungry and thirsty…”

Three Line Tales 283 — Only 100 Words

/ Tien Skye

Welcome to Week 283 of Three Line Tales. photo by Christina Hernández via Unsplash You’ll find full guidelines on the TLT page – here’s the tl;dr: Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible). Link back to this post (& check the link shows up under the weekly post). Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find […]

Three Line Tales 283 — Only 100 Words

He tiredly cracked open his eyes – he had a full night of excitement and he was not ready for the shower of exuberance.

“Happy birthday, darling!”

Yep, he was definitely not ready – she was way too loud and cheerful for him.