Another tricky choice! Many thanks
for such a varied and imaginative response to last week’s words, and for your
care in commenting on others’ posts. This week’s winner, after the usual see-sawing
between possibilities, is Patricia’s
‘False Sense Of Security’, which sounds as if it had been inspired by her
dizziness from the previous week (although there was no lack of pain in other
entries!).
Words for next
week: commission pelvis yesterday
Entries by
midnight Thursday 22nd March winners
and words posted Friday 23rd
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.
Late but lovely wss Rosie's latest offering - do pop back and check it out.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the top recognition in a week that was simply overflowing with brilliance. And thank you Sandra for referring me back to Rosie's latest tale. That girl has an absolutely stunning imagination. What a world she has created!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Patricia. Well deserved
DeleteCongrats Patricia!
Deletewell deserved accolade, Patricia!
DeleteDirty Johnny
ReplyDeleteDirty Johnny did a little dance on the sidewalk, throwing in some soft shoe and a few pelvic thrusts. Rizzo said he was just a crazy but what did he know? But that killer dude in the papers put him out of commission. Yesterday he saw Dude watching him. Probably thinking he was going to get old Johnny but no, sir. Not gonna happen.
Johnny had a suprise waiting for Dude. A machete he had found behind a dumpster. Dude wasn't gonna off Johnny. So he kept on grooving cause when you hear the music, you just gotta dance.
Magnificent atmospheric piece. I have a feeling Dude may have singled out a victim that may just get the better of him this time around. Lovely visual of Johnny "grooving" to the music. Put my in mind (a little) of that old geezer in "Deliverance" doing his jig to "Dueling Banjos."
DeleteLoved it. Dirty Johnny ain't worried. Dance, Johnny. Dance!
DeleteExcellent imagery conjured by this piece. I immediately could see Johnny dancing down the sidewalk.
DeleteSo visual I could hear it too!
Deletevisual writing isn't easy, this is brilliantly done.
DeleteThe Pelvis of Elvis
ReplyDelete“The pelvis of Elvis? You can’t be serious.”
“Came in yesterday.”
“Genuine artifact?”
“Authenticated.”
“Who did you have to commission to get your hands on that?”
“I have my contacts. But I also respect confidentiality.”
“What would I do with it.”
“Clone him from the DNA? Start a new religion?”
“How much?”
“£5,000.”
“Think I’ll pass.”
“How about this then?”
“What the Sam Hill is that?”
“The soul of James Brown.”
“Genuine?”
“Authenticated.”
“What would I do with something like that?”
“Use it to power up a sex machine? Maybe turn it into a brand-new bag?”
Oh I love this. Hilarious!
DeleteAbsolutely brilliant. I have nothing more to say!!!
DeleteThat was so original. Great work.,love the title.
DeleteA clever and humorous piece. Love the back and forth.
DeleteTruly surreal, and very clever. Thanks David.
DeleteCouldn't help but chuckle while reading this. Ingenious!
Deletevery very clever, thanks for a smile this night!
DeleteChange of focus [274]
ReplyDeleteIt was his local Indian but they must've commissioned a makeover because the rich chilli-red of the wall had become a muddy yellowy-green, only a shade or two lighter than the contents of the bowl now before him. Dubiously – it didn’t look that appetising – John Pettinger dipped in his spoon. What he’d taken for rice better resembled miniature finger bones. He tipped it back, stirred and brought up another. Finger bones had become skulls – and that – bollocking Nora! – was a pale, tiny pelvis.
Then he woke. It had been a dream. A nightmare emanating from the skeleton in yesterday’s slurry.
I loved the use of color to create the scene - the rich 'chili-red' wall immediately jumped out at me, and my emotions followed along with Pettinger, as it changed.
DeleteNice. This one led me along interesting paths before coalescing into a chilling piece. Love it!
Deletethis came at an appropriate time, I'm trying to choose colours for two very different rooms. Like the way this one moved forward, clever use of the colour and the prompts.
DeleteGreat use of description. I really liked this.
DeleteWhat a nightmare indeed. And how horrifically visual is the idea of a skeleton found in the depths of a slurry. I trust Pettinger will manage to keep a hold on reality, but I believe he may have an uphill road ahead.
DeleteMore than Flesh
ReplyDeleteHe leans into my pelvis, and I imagine I’m lying beneath a mountain. I think about the weight of stone, and the intimate tangle of root and dirt. I think about the heat from sunlight melting down the cragged peak, and the bone-deep chill of snow, when the light is gone.
He shifts again, rolling back to his side. “Sorry love, not in commission,” he says absently, misreading the look in my eyes, as he returns to his phone.
I think of yesterday, of heat and ice and weight, of wildness. I close my eyes, and leave the room behind.
This... this is poetry, this is raw... this one gets me...
DeleteI've been having a discussion today about stories appealing to either heart or gut. This definitely the latter. Only more widely spread. Phew.
DeleteReally amazing work. I keep reading it over, liking it more each time. Great stuff
DeleteAlways intriguing and always essentially readable. I know I'm in for a true treat when I see your name appear in the forum. And, I might add, am never disappointed.
DeleteThank you everyone!
DeleteBodily betrayal [Threshold 202]
ReplyDeleteTo my surprise – and considerable chagrin – Raven laughed.
‘Ye Gods! D’you think if I sincerely wished to commission you to kill for me I’d fail? You, who have seen me vanquish the likes of Helvinsson –‘
‘And seen you flog a hand-tied woman to her death–’
Immediately, as if to prove the breadth of his commanding, he loosed his grip on my arm, allowed his hand to slide down my body. It took the merest caress, thumb in the hollow tween the juttings of my pelvis to return me to the compliant would-be bedmate of the day before yesterday.
such a casual discussion of deadly things has to end in the inevitable mating sequence, somehow blood guts and suffering tend to do that, in your serial anyway, Sandra!
DeleteSensual, restrained violence, perfectly written. Great flow. This has it all.
DeleteThat Raven knows how to mold our protagonist in order to conform to his will, that's for sure. Both are fascinating characters and together, continue to create quite the story.
DeleteI loved the description of touch at the end of this piece, and that line 'as if to prove the breadth of his commanding'. The interaction between the characters is always strong and filled with emotion.
DeleteKeeping It Real
ReplyDeleteI pay top dollar in commissions for the right merchandise but I wasn't born yesterday. I'm nobody's fool. It's easy to tell when an item isn't authentic. I take great pride in my acquisitions.
I'm eventually aiming for a tableware set, of sorts. Soup bowls, dinner plates, hors d'oevre dishes and the like. I'm especially fond of centerpieces with little openings for decorative tea lights and posies.
In other words, I'm seeking (among other things) crania, scapulae, vertebrae and pelvises.
People do so admire my collection of genuine bone china.
another of your killer last lines, Patricia, and one that made me smile!
DeleteOnce again, it's the chain of thought your words kickstart that provide the horror - well done.
DeleteGreat description, fantastic last line. Very well done.
DeleteA delightfully macabre surprise with that brilliant line 'crania, scapulae...'
DeleteNegotiations 101
ReplyDelete“You charge commission on your pelvis?”
“It’s easier to itemize my expenses that way,” she said, sashaying her hips as she spoke.
“So, you’re above board, so to speak.”
“It’s my profession. I take deductions when available.”
“Very admirable.”
“Everyone must do ones part.” She raised her eyebrows and smiled.
I cleared my throat. “I know I indicated yesterday I may be interested, but I’m afraid I can’t go through with it.”
“Pity… I don’t get many cute ones. Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you about my discounted esophagus rental program.”
I took her arm and we walked.
the world of surreal conversations with all sorts of nasty undertones, very well done, John!
DeleteAnd my imagination gone into tumbling overload while, despite my wishes, brain works to understand.
DeleteMore than one way to skin a cat, as they say. I wonder what other delights might be available from this lady's menu.
DeleteGreat story. Esophagus rental program! Never heard it described that way before. Nicely done.
DeleteA clever bit of wordplay, and a very intriguing character.
DeleteFor God and Country
ReplyDeleteSergeant Tobias grasped his walker, grimacing as he stood. The pain always red, his crushed pelvis hot, throbbing and a reminder his virile youth is gone forever, yesterday’s memory. The commission had terminated his contract, awarding him a pat on the head for work well done and a pension large enough to ensure an existence of poverty and embarrassment. Their killer was flawed, no longer a viable option. Expendable, a throw away toy soldier. He eased the walker forward towards their conference room, the glock cool and heavy against his side. One more mission. His.
And who can blame the Sergeant? Nicely crafted, Joe.
Deleteoh nice one, ready to get his own back, clever story, Joe.
DeleteThat "pension large enough to ensure an existence of poverty and embarrassment" resonates so strongly. The whole has an epic quality.
DeleteVery nicely put together. Great use of colour to describe pain and I love that the whole thing ended with one word...."His." Says it all really.
DeleteI also really loved your use of color to describe his pain. It made it more present somehow. And there is a weight to this piece that I really enjoyed.
DeleteSweet Revenge
ReplyDeleteJohn lay on the basement floor, a victim of the wire stretched across the top of the stairs. His shattered pelvis burned with pain; his twisted limbs splayed out like broken branches.
Sandra, whom John had chopped to pieces yesterday and stuffed into trash bags, had somehow raggedly pieced herself together. She stood over him, the axe she held gleaming like Satan’s tooth.
“I’ve returned via a commission from Hell, John,” Sandra’s eyes gleamed with wicked anticipation. She raised the axe.
The feeble bridge linking John’s senses to sanity then collapsed, immuring him within the protective cage of utter lunacy.
Ye gods! This nightmarish, and more neatly put together than Sandra managed - horrifically visual.
DeleteYe gods, this was worthy of a Steven King novel. The vision of a "raggedly pieced together" Sandra is a nightmare in and of itself. I'm going to have to make a note of "protective cage of utter lunacy." I might want to steal it myself some time.
DeleteGreat description. Guess it was time to give the devil his due. Wonderful.
DeleteI see that Sandra also used "Ye gods." Great minds and all that...!!!
DeleteA lot of excellent phrases in this, like 'twisted limbs splayed out like broken branches', 'Satan's tooth' (clever!), and 'protective cage of utter lunacy'. Enjoyable and chilling!
Deletethis I like, an unexpected resurrection of a victim, always good!
ReplyDeleteThe Mad Italian 47.
ReplyDeleteSliding your way into your seat in the Chamber can take strange pelvic actions, which in turn produce muffled laughter, putting the member out of commission temporarily. Sometimes this is done deliberately to cause an effect during Question Time. Did this happen yesterday? Will we ever know? What is clear is the alternate clown had much to say on the Russian leader, mostly foolish talk for a man that powerful, voted in with just 4% of the population actually voting but taking 74% of the vote need not heed clowns, no matter which country they are in.
Although I'm hardly up to snuff and probably totally ignorant regarding political goings-on...anywhere in the world...this cannot fail to resonate.
DeleteA dose of chilling truth and a reminder to pay attention.
DeleteKursaal (Episode One Hundred Eleven) - "Bad To The Bone"
ReplyDeleteDespite the promised "GRAND OPENING SOON," the pirate attraction remained inaccessible to the general public. New additions continued to be showcased however with commission of skeletal buccaneers among the most recent.
On the main deck, archetypes were presented in a variety of poses. Patches covered empty eye sockets, stuffed parrots perched upon angular shoulders and colourful bandanas swathed bony skulls. All freebooters carried a cutlass suspended from the pelvis.
Kursaal performers were intrigued. Crow in particular
One effigy sported a red clown nose over the nasal aperture.
It had not been there yesterday.
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To read the earlier installments (a suggestion only) which led to this point in the tale, please visit:
http://www.novareinna.com/kursaal.html
A link to return to "The Prediction" can be found on the site. Thank you.
---------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Crow and the pirate attraction ("Picaroon Lagoon") have featured in previous episodes.
Residency here must bring more pain than gain I fear.
Deletean instalment full of intrigue.
DeleteA delightfully curious new addition to the Kursaal, and the last two lines have spiked my interest. I love the unexpected arrival of the clown nose.
DeleteFashion parade
ReplyDeletePelvises like hangers help dangle exotic gowns before the eyes of the knowledgeable as mannequins masquerading as models parade before them. Their task is to sell the design to the trade, their likes and dislikes ignored in the rush to present the latest atrocity to the fashion world. Yesterday’s clothes are out-dated, are they not?
The knowledgeable are commissioned to write glowingly about the clothes, their likes are taken into account by the readers.
What makes the fashion world one so cut throat it is almost possible to see the blood drip as they move along the catwalk?
This delivered a message that led me to re-define 'catwalk'. Good stuff.
DeleteWonderful undercurrent going on here. This was so innovative in its use of the prompt words. How nicely done, Antonia.
DeleteAn intriguing look behind the glamour. I loved the phrase 'pelvises like hangers'.
DeleteTrouble In Paradise
ReplyDeleteHe'd been decommissioned. Disengaged. Retired.
His pelvic thrust had been losing its oomph for some time now but he hadn't expected to be ousted.
Eve was over the moon with the new replacement and a petulant Adam was forced to accept he had become yesterday's man.
Neat and sweet. So skillful.
DeleteThe replacement must have brought an apple. Very interesting, Patricia.
DeleteBrilliant and pointed. My brain is positively buzzing with new scenarios from this new glimpse into an old tale. :)
Deletethat's just incredible, Patricia, so much in so few words! (not for the first time, either...)
ReplyDeleteCripplegate Junction/Part 137 - Ticket To Ride
ReplyDeletePoppy experienced tingles from her toes through her pelvic girdle up to the nape of her neck. Probably vibrations from the engine, but anticipatory excitement could not be entirely ruled out.
The commissioned tin of Kit-E-Kat had worked its magic. Marmalade emerged from a darkened passageway and sauntered toward her. The Station Master followed.
Poppy was apprehensive, the Station Master being an unpredictable soul.
He extended a gloved hand.
"Travel voucher?"
Poppy didn't recall any such prerequisite.
Marmalade indulged in tasty tidbits while the Station Master awaited Poppy's response.
He became impatient.
"I needed it yesterday!"
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To read the earlier installments (a suggestion only) which led to this point in the tale please visit:
http://www.novareinna.com/cripplegate.html
A link to return to "The Prediction" can be found on the site. Thank you.
---------------------------------------------------------
I'm hoping the Station Master doesn't demand a cat-size ransom.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see what the Station Master will require! I loved the line 'the Station Master being an unpredictable soul'.
DeleteActually on time for once!
ReplyDeleteThe Adventures of Rosebud, Pirate Princess #121
A Vacation?
Yesterday just before I fell asleep, Henry flew in. He accidentally landed on Roxie’s pelvis, which surprised her a bit. She jumped up, waking everyone else again. Henry came with a commission from the Council to find a missing bookkeeper. I expect she’s just taking a vacation from the Council’s nonsense, but it sounded like a fun jaunt, so here we are, flying past Cecily’s Castle. It’s nice to have so many friends on board. We’re planning a reading of Indy’s newest play tomorrow night, unless the Council gets in our way. I remember the bookkeeper being fond of plays.
Well done Rosie - giving more folk the chance to read. Such a wonderful and individual use of the prompts, as ever.
DeleteI find myself getting overly repetitive when attempting to comment on these amazing little glimpses into Rosebud's world. Here once again is an absolute gem.
DeleteAnother fun installment in Rosebud's world, and an excellent, fitting title. I can always slide so easily into her world, due to your writing. :)
Delete