Sirens and a shiny lighthouse, flashing blue

Is what I hear and see from the windows of my daughter’s apartment. Invigorating in comparison to my usual hedge-bound golf course. Prediction entries this week were varied and interesting, incorporating  the prompt words amidst imaginative phrases. I had a short-list of four:  and it was as much a stabbed-pin struggle to select a winner as it is becoming every week. In the end, it was the matter-of-fact tone with which Jenkins and the professor discussed their dreadful predicament that won David’s ‘The Purse Anomaly' this week’s vote for the number one slot

Words for next week: barge elegant wing

Entries by midnight Thursday 31st August, words and winners posted Friday 1st September

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Silver fish scales on a dirty plate

With a word like ‘maggots’ as one of the prompts it was hardly surprising a high proportion of the posts gave rise to feelings of nausea and squeamishness, and there was certainly some mental cowering if not actual, at least on my part.

Six of you passed the ‘squirm’ test: - Patricia (for ‘Lure’), Jeffrey (for Midnight Service), Scott, John, David and Antonia . The one that made my gorge rise highest was Scott’s 'After death, we went to the museum' which I declare the winner.

Words for next week: purse theatre travesty

Entries by midnight Thursday 24th August, words and winners  posted on Friday 25th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Threading truth with fiction

My stand-alone tale last week began with ‘spearmint’ jogging my memory of a lolly and the silver three-penny bit I used to buy it. From this sprang a boring story which I refused to allow the light of day. Then I remembered Elsie. Was it she who assured me that in the woods across the road dwelt a man who ate children? That was back in the day  when, as five -year-old a two mile walk to school, unsupervised, was normal.

I thank you for all the nice things you said about it, and in many ways it would have been easiest to nominate myself, with such a very strong week of entries. I am, however, going to break a different rule, by nominating jk’s ‘Ellis; for somewhat selfish reasons. One, it is exactly the sort of story which appeals to me and two because she’s currently in a Dundee hospital awaiting an operation to fix a fractured ankle. (I’m hoping that will give her time to write the next episode)

Words for next week:  cower feature maggot

Entries by midnight Thursday 17th August, words and winners  posted on Friday 18th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

And this morning the geese practising to leave

I don’t know how they know it’s time, and thanks to the height of the hedge I can no longer see the river from my window, but in the quiet of the early morning they are suddenly raucous. There’ll be weeks more before they go.

This is another week when I’m torn between the entertaining characters offered by several candidates for top place and cannot separate them: John’s cheeky itinerant, Zaiure’s Favour Man and David’s ugly Monday and because time is marching on and I know you all understand – and appreciate – my dilemma, it’s going to be a triple crown this week. Thank you all for offerings and comments.

Words for next week:  earring park spearmint

Entries by midnight Thursday 10th August, words and winners  posted on Friday 11th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and use of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.