by Mayumi-H | Sep 17, 2012 | Fearless, Short Stories
It’s a double-whammy this week, as I’m incorporating both Julia’s 100-Word Challenge for Grown Ups (week 57) prompt of “…returning to the routine…” and Lillie McFerrin’s Five Sentence Fiction prompt “AWKWARD” into the same post. Actually, it’s a triple whammy, since I’m also using Monday’s Fearless post to coincide.
To catch you up, Julia’s 100-Word Challenge for Grown-Ups gives writers a phrase or picture prompt, and we have 100 words (give or take; see the link for details) to write a story around it. Lillie’s Five-Sentence Fiction gives a one-word prompt, and we’re to write a flash fiction piece, consisting of only five sentences, that corresponds to said prompt.
I didn’t think I’d be able to participate at all this time around, as my schedule has been so hectic…but the pieces just fell together right, for me. (Maybe you disagree.)
“Hope In You”
![By Zelda F. Scott (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://mayumi.amorphous.press/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2012/09/256px-ballet_flat_in_the_westpark_in_bochum.jpg "Ballet_flat_in_the_Westpark_in_Bochum")
The bar turned slick beneath her hands, and her arms quivered all the way to her shoulders as her foot slid over the mat. It wasn’t from any thought or impulse, though, but mere weight, and that more than any pain or effort made the tears well.
Graceful, darling dancer: she’d never be that again, not if simply returning to the routine of standing on her dumb, labouring legs was this hard.
Spitting a plea for rest (and hating herself for it), she transferred to the chair, feeling weak, broken, hopeless.
Until she thought of him, and his smile, and pushed herself up again.
Julia’s prompt is a bit easier to recognize, here, than Lillie’s is, but hopefully you can see how I related this to both.
What awkwardness – or return to routine – did you describe, this time around?
by Mayumi-H | Aug 29, 2012 | Short Stories
I’m back in the world of the Stowaways, for this week’s 100 Word Challenge for Grown-Ups (week 56).
Julia is offering the following for our prompt:
“…as my penance [for last week’s confusion,] I am posting what I hope is an easier prompt for you but with a link to my apology. The prompt is: … being clear is essential to …”
There was no direction that we needed to include those specific words (Julia is often very clear about that), so I didn’t. But, hopefully, you’ll see why it’s often so necessary to follow instructions.
“Turnabout”
“You’re not taking us back!” Stoll shouted, just as the hunter vaulted over the table, smashing his boot into Stoll’s face; blood arced from his nose as Stoll crashed to the floor, his rifle clattering beside.
Lelia’s pistol flashed up, but the hunter spun on her, slapping his hand to the base of her head to send her to the floor, too.
Tych squeezed his gloves around his spanner, but that was all. The next second, he was staring down the hunter’s gun barrel.
“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear,” the big man growled. “I said, you’re coming with me.”
Action is not my strong suit, but I do enjoy dabbling with it, every now and again. I figured it was warranted for this moment, seeing as it’s a follow-up to Aral’s scene, from an earlier prompt.
I’m thinking more and more I’d like to examine these characters in greater detail. Perhaps for this year’s NaNoWriMo?
How clear did your scene or story come out this week?
by Mayumi-H | Aug 22, 2012 | Fearless, Short Stories
Week 55 of the 100-Word Challenge for Grown-Ups (over at Julia’s Place) was a picture prompt of a ridiculous cat wearing a wig and glasses. Julia asked that we write a piece to go along with this picture (it doesn’t have to be 100 words). For me, I couldn’t get out of my head the ridiculousness of a greeting card like that…and how inappropriate it can sometimes be for a situation.
I’ve decided not to submit to this week’s 100 WCGU link list, because I’m not following the rules posted (my flash fiction doesn’t really go along with this picture at all). But I couldn’t let this sit on my hard drive unpublished, either. Hopefully, you don’t fault me for that.
“What a Way”
She twisted her ring, slowly. It stopped hurting, but the imprint remained, where he’d squeezed too hard with unloosed passion.
Such passion…! More than she’d bargained when she’d singled him out, on those quiet, twilit dunes. She’d thought him just a beautiful blond boy, a simple pleasure to pass the time. Who’d have guessed he’d be so…emotional? But those words, breathed longingly beside her ear:
“I love you.”
It had to end. He was too young. She was too…married.
Beside her, an advert caught her eye.
“Say it with a card.”
She sniffed. What a way to break his heart.
Ouch, Susanna. Just…ouch.
But, don’t let me depress you! Do go over to this week’s 100 WCGU site and check out some of the delightfully funny stories there!
by Mayumi-H | Aug 15, 2012 | Short Stories
So, it’s week 54 for Julia’s 100-Word Challenge for Grown-Ups, and we’ve got a relatively simple prompt:
LEGACY. Julia says, You don’t have to … include the word but I would like 100 words on what it says to you.
Legacy always conjures up the idea and ramifications of family, for me. I’m sure others can sympathize…and you’ll likely see more of this sort of legacy, this week. As for me, I’m venturing among the Nightingales, again:
“Pretty Princess”
Katie’s Princess
“Miss Trish asked what we’re to be when we grow up,” Billie said, smearing blue across her colouring book Clydesdale.
Sally smiled. “What did you say?”
“Starship captain,” Billie answered. She grabbed a green; the horse became a pegasus. “Or, dinosaur zookeeper.”
“That’s my girl,” Larry quipped.
Sally chuckled, turning to her quieter daughter. “And you?”
Katie dabbed red over her picture princess’s hair, murmuring, “Pretty.”
Sally and Larry stopped, frowning.
Billie gave her pegasus purple horns, declaring, “You’ll be pretty, just like Mummy! But, I have to do more. Because I look like Daddy.”
Larry sneered. “Thanks very much!”
Billie’s Horse
There are brutal truths of society that children understand even at an early age; the importance of beauty is one of them (I know I learned it very young). But I didn’t want to dwell too much on such a ponderous topic, so I figured outspoken little Billie could offer a slightly pragmatic turnaround. Hope you enjoy!
What legacy did you examine for this week?
by Mayumi-H | Aug 8, 2012 | Short Stories
For week 53 of the 100-Word Challenge for Grown-ups, Julia has given us a specific text prompt:
… would seven prove to be too much? …..
As usual, you have 100 words to add to these 7 making 107 in total to produce your piece.
I tamed things down a bit from my initial idea for this prompt, though I still stayed close to some characters with whom I’ve spent some time in the past….
“One More Night”
One, two, three were honest. Even four was believable. Five was unlikely, though, making six worthy of suspicion. Would seven prove to be too much?
“You’re not coming home?”
“I’m sorry,” he said into the phone, again. He nearly meant it, too; he could almost hear the obliging, unwitting smile in her voice.
“That’s all right,” she said. “I know your work is important.” More mundane pleasantries then, followed by vanilla farewells.
He closed his phone with a click, echoed by the snap of buttons.
“You think she suspects?”
He turned, took her in his arms, and smiled. “Don’t know. Does yours?”
She smiled, too. “Don’t care.”
![Arabian_nights_004 By Virginia Frances Sterret [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://mayumi.amorphous.press/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2012/08/arabian_nights_004.jpg?w=228 "Arabian_nights_004")
By Virginia Frances Sterret [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
There’s always a complication with these two…! Like most of my characters, though, the more I write them, the more engrossed I become in their deeper stories.
Did seven prove to be too much for someone in your story, this week? I’d love to know!
![By Zelda F. Scott (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://mayumi.amorphous.press/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2012/09/256px-ballet_flat_in_the_westpark_in_bochum.jpg "Ballet_flat_in_the_Westpark_in_Bochum")
![Arabian_nights_004 By Virginia Frances Sterret [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://mayumi.amorphous.press/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2012/08/arabian_nights_004.jpg "Arabian_nights_004")
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