Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #47

Unsplash.com

Clear blue skies greeted our family of four, as they piled into the family car and began their journey to their holiday spot. The drive was long and when they reached the bridge connecting their town on one side to another town on the other side, the traffic was horrid. Everyone was honking but nothing was moving.

There it was, our family was stuck on the bridge. The mother was shouting over the radio and their two-year-old boy’s crying, while their ten-year-old daughter was complaining about everything, from how hot the car was to how she wanted to be with her friends instead of going on a holiday trip. The father stared moodily out the window, wishing for something – anything – to end this nightmare.

The sky became darker without warning and everyone, out of curiosity, looked out the window. What looked like a dark cloud was fast approaching the bridge. Against the wind.

Everyone started screaming.

A giant foot had appeared of nowhere toward the bridge!

The father knew he should run but out of morbid fascination, stayed where he was and stared while the mother was screaming and shaking him. The giant foot landed precisely where their car was, flattening countless other cars and destroying the bridge at the same time. Then the giant foot lifted and came down on the same spot. Again, and again.

And again…

“No,” the mother narrowed her eyes at her son. He showed her his toy cars and pieces of his Lego. “I’m not going to buy you new toy cars and Lego. I don’t know what you were thinking but I saw you stomping on them!”

The little boy scrunched up his face, about to cry. Perhaps he should have thought through his story more thoroughly…

Thus, the tragedy ends!

(300 words)

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to “Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.” Each week I will be posting a photo I grab off the internet and challenge bloggers to write a relatively short flash fiction piece inspired by the photo. While there are no definitive style or word limits, I suggest trying to keep your posts to under 300 words.

For the visually challenged writer, the image shows a two lane bridge spanning two mountains along a coastal road high above a deep gorge or inlet.

I hope this week’s image will generate some great posts. If it inspires you and you wish to participate, please write your post, use the tag #FFFC, and link back to this post.

Thanks to all of you who have participated in these challenges so far. Your posts have been very creative. Please take a few minutes to read the other responses to this photo challenge.

Prompt: Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #47

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Crimson’s Creative Challenge #60

CCC#60

It was the perfect hiding place.

After all, that part of the park was the quietest and no one has ever thought to explore the drainage. The imposing gate also discouraged curiosity, together with the slime and rubbish pooling at the entrance as dirty guardians. And because the water rushed intermittently, any explorer would not be keen to get caught in the flush.

But when night fell, nocturnal creatures of all sorts would creep in through the drainage gate. And that would be a huge mistake, for an ancient beast lay in wait.

By the wee hours, the ancient creature would have breakfasted – the chewing was the most horrible sound, followed by the belch. Such was the hunger of the creature that it would drool constantly.

Guard the drains well, for none that ventured in would venture out.

(139 words)

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to my weekly challenge—open to all—just for FUN, FUN, FUN

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

• An answering photo
• A cartoon
• A joke
• A caption
• An anecdote
• A short story (flash fiction)
• A poem
• A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
• An essay
• A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

• Your creative offering is indeed yours
• Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN.

Prompt: Crimson’s Creative Challenge #60

Three Line Tales, Week 205

photo by Jan Baborák via Unsplash

Everyone who sees the container thought the paint is peeling off.

No one would believe that it is the shape of an ancient sea monster which possessed the container, ready to wreck havoc once the container reaches its destination.

After all, there are no such things as monsters in this modern world…are there?

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

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 you in the Reader).
• Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
• Have fun.

Prompt: Three Line Tales, Week 205

Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!

Photo by Deena on Pexels.com

The crystal was supposed to absorb negativity, or so said the lady from whom she bought the crystal.

Instead of absorbing negativity, the crystal was steadily losing its original dark purple and turning white, then colourless.

She herself had not experienced any changes in her life.

So she chucked it one side, dismissing its potency as hokum.

However, the lady who sold her the crystal forgot to tell her to return the crystal for a re-charge before it turned completely clear.

It was too late when the lady remembered, for the owner was crushed to death from a falling statue when she was jogging in a park.

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to GirlieOnTheEdge and the last Six Sentence Story Sunday prompt word reveal for the year 2019. As we approach the cusp of a new year, a new decade, may we all enjoy discovering exciting new characters, developing mysterious and marvelous new story lines; penning poetic musings and observations. May the writer in all of us share in the wonder that is imagination. Happy New Year everyone! I look forward to reading you at the next installment of Six Sentence Stories in the year 2020 🙂

Rules of the hop:
Write 6 Sentences. No more. No less.
Use the current week’s prompt word.
Come back here on Thursday, link your post…
Spread the word and put in a good one to your fellow writers 🙂

PROMPT WORD:  CRYSTAL

Prompt: Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #59

#CCC59

Legend has it the candles on the chandelier only light up when the unholy step into Ashaba. The local populace could not remember who said or when it was said, only that they must be prepared if the candles ever light up.

But the candles never lit up once for well over fifteen hundred years and the local populace shrugged off the ancient warning as a bedtime story, told by parents to scare their children to bed.

Errant youngsters even amused themselves by trying to light the candles but the candles resisted all efforts. It even became a local saying, when parents would scold their good-for-nothing sons “You’re the candle of Ashaba, aren’t you?”

All was well, until one day, a travelling circus came to Ashaba. That very night, the candles lit up for the very first time in centuries and burnt down the sacred temple of Ashaba…

(147 words)

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

• An answering photo
• A cartoon
• A joke
• A caption
• An anecdote
• A short story (flash fiction)
• A poem
• A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
• An essay
• A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

• Your creative offering is indeed yours
• Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN.

Prompt: Crimson’s Creative Challenge #59

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #58

#CCC58

The archaeologists should have left them alone.

It was unwise to disturb the remains of savage warriors and their resting place. These warriors could only remember cruel rage and bloodthirsty melee despite passage of eons – whether it was out of survival or conquest was inconsequential. And these memories remained intact in their weapons.

When the police arrived, their first reaction was not to throw up at the scene of obscene carnage; their second reaction was to warn the sole survivor to drop the bone knife which he was using to mindlessly carve a corpse or they would shoot.

They shot the frenzied survivor fifteen times.

But the nightmare continued; violence followed the weapons, from the archeological site, to the police station, to criminal hideouts, to finally the black market.

And a bidder has just placed a winning bet on the weapons.

But how long will he possess the weapons?

(150 words)

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

• An answering photo
• A cartoon
• A joke
• A caption
• An anecdote
• A short story (flash fiction)
• A poem
• A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
• An essay
• A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

• Your creative offering is indeed yours
• Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Prompt: Crimson’s Creative Challenge #58

Three Line Tales, Week 203

photo by Cameron Armstrong via Unsplash

For as long as he could remember, the boy has been living in the water with the fishes, frolicking with all of them like one.

He never understood why his mother told him never to go near the water surface; was the deep waters not dangerous with sharks and other unnamed creatures?

Curious, he popped his head out of the water; before the shark could get to him, he was plucked out of the water.

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

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 you in the Reader).
• Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
• Have fun.

Happy three-lining!

Prompt: Three Line Tales, Week 203

Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Everyone was surprised by the old man’s proclamation – that werewolves existed and they would come hunting that night.

At first, the villagers laughed at his ludicrous speech; after all, werewolves belonged to fragments of fairy tales and even if they did exist, werewolves would only show themselves during full moon.

Then they laughed no more.

That night, a pack of them lopped into the village, killing half the livestock and abducted a few young maidens.

They started to take him seriously and deferred to his every word and acted according to his wishes and paid him for his services and used his inventions.

If only they knew all the werewolves were created by the old man’s design.

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Rules of the hop:
Write 6 Sentences. No more. No less.
Use the current week’s prompt word.
Come back here on Thursday, link your post…
Spread the word and put in a good one to your fellow writers 🙂

PROMPT WORD:  DESIGN

Prompt: Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt!

Twittering Tales #158 – 15 October 2019

Photo by Mikechie Esparagoza at Pexels.com

“Why are you adding all these new inspirational signs in our house?”

I blinked at her. “What? I thought you were the one putting up the signs!”

We stared at each other to see if one of us would start laughing, revealing the joke.

We shrieked when a new sign materialised.

“It’s me!”

(278 characters)

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Home, the safest place. Now imagine there is something you can see living there together with you…

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.

Prompt: Twittering Tales #158 – 15 October 2019

I Write Her Weekly Haiku/Senryu Challenge #41

entangled

Charlotte’s silent stares
keep dreams of Eden at bay –
her webbed dream-catcher

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While I would not have screamed bloody murder at Charlotte, that is really a huge spider!

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

PLEASE follow them! I’d hate to not see your piece(s) represented in the recap the following week! Confused? Any questions – email me at sushibocks@gmail.com   

For more detailed information, read about this challenge here.

• Create a standard three line 5/7/5 syllable count haiku/senryu
• Deadline to submit for this week’s challenge will be 11:59pm 10/19/19
• Up to 3 pieces permitted
• Link your piece to this “IWH Haiku/Senryu Challenge” on your post
• Always give photo credit if there is one
• Complete entry form below

Prompt: I Write Her Weekly Haiku/Senryu Challenge #41