Friday 2 November 2018

The Envelope Please



The clocks go back this weekend...here in the United States anyway. I believe the rest of the world still has another week or so to go. It is a little known fact that the world's first Daylight Saving Time period occurred on July 1, 1908, when a few hundred Canadians (residents of Port Arthur, Ontario) turned their clocks forward by one hour. I'm full of such useless information.

And now, I imagine we all realize just how difficult it is for Sandra to choose a winner every week. The talent and range of imagination to be found here is a virtual treasure trove. We certainly have a fine crop of creativity and no mistake. However, what we've all been waiting for...INSERT DRUM ROLL.... taking this week's top of the podium by popular vote is David's "To See A Fine Lady" (one of my personal favourites). Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote.

Words for next week (selected via a random word generator):
Prisoner  Foreign  Scrap
 
Entries by Midnight (GMT) Thursday 8th November
Words and Winners posted by Noon (GMT) Friday 9th November
  
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.

70 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yes David, very much deserved. The rich tapestry woven of words, to become pictures and smells, beyond the words themselves. Bravo!

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    2. jdeegan536@yahoo.com2 November 2018 at 16:57

      A well deserved top finish, David. Congratulations!

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    3. many congratulations, David!

      Patricia, we put our clocks back (UK) last weekend, always the last Sunday in October. I like the lighter mornings but don't like driving from work in a sort of twilight light.

      Isn't Blogger the strangest platform? Last week it flipped, cancelled everything, my carefully worded profile and all, and decided I was going to respond to everything as The Old Curiosity Shop. I persuaded it to accept Antonia Woodville (for my medieval hero) but all follow up comments are sent to the shop address... technology, can't live without it but it's hell living with it!

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    4. I agree, Antonia. I still haven't figured out the exact intricacies of coding the announcement her on this blog each week (I don't have a blog personally, so it's all Greek to me). I tried to duplicate Sandra's entries to the dot, but something didn't work and I didn't know how to fix it. Hopefully, nobody minds my "limping along" efforts until our leader returns.

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    5. back in the dark old days, if whoever was heading the Prediction decided to take a holiday (how dare they!!!) we all had to wait 2-3 weeks before we resumed, so all thanks to you, Patricia, for taking it on when Sandra's not here. It's very difficult to pick up the habit of writing every week when there's been a break.

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  2. Cold
    1.7

    "I'm not becoming one of them, Rowan. I simply am not."

    He didn't argue. There was no point. He had seen this before.

    "Imagine. To be a prisoner in your own body. While some foreign thing takes over, controlling you. Being you."

    Rowan let her tirade against the dead continue. She needed to come to terms with this. Time was running out as she fought for scraps of her dignity.

    "Rowan! They have to bite you. Was I bit?" She touched her neck.

    "Rowan..." She tugged on his arm...

    ...and finally noticed the dried blood...

    The bite...


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    Replies
    1. Here we go. Now that she knows for sure, I look forward to what's next.

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    2. Oh - but it had to come to this, didn't it?

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    3. C O L D


      To his credit, Rowan didn’t flinch from her touch.


      She knew then.


      “Rowan, the medicine…?”


      He said nothing, but hid his sobbing face from her.


      “They wanted me to fight, to save their miserable asses. I left instead, and gave you the powder.”


      “I had no intention of becoming their prisoner, or letting them have you.”


      “Their shitty scraps weren’t worth it.”


      “We’re in this mess together, Lilly.”


      Lilly said nothing. The man she loved, her protector, read her mind, and smiled.


      The land was foreign now, snow covered everything. He stopped the horses with a gentle tug.


      “We’re here.”

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    4. Two very good writers combing for two very good stories. Almost isn't fair, though it's excellent writing and reading. A Romeo and Juliet feel to this.

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    5. Thank you Jeffrey. I was hoping you all would find in entertaining!

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    6. I do like this double dose of 'cold' that we are now getting each week. Very well written both of you.

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    7. This collaboration gets more intriguing with every entry. Love how you managed to mesh everything and make it cohesive. Nicely done.

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  3. Jailhouse Rock

    He stared out the window, a prisoner in the penthouse suite. The opulence meant nothing. The cute maid with the foreign accent meant nothing, though Priscilla would likely disagree. His entourage would arrive soon, usher him down, fend off adoring fans, whisk him to Carnegie Hall.

    Tomorrow, he’d be back at Graceland, a prison by another name.

    A pigeon landed on the window sill, a scrap of cloth in its beak. It flew away and envy set in, so thick one could fold it in half. He checked the windows though he knew they didn’t open.

    Someday Momma… someday.

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    Replies
    1. A nice nod (and perhaps a bit knowing) to the King. Fame does imprison as you cease to belong to yourself good job thought provoking, John

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    2. very insightful, if I can say that. He was a prisoner really from the moment the Colonel got his claws into him.

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    3. Graceland, the ultimate gilded cage. Lie your use of the prompts.

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    4. This is so cleverly written, I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you John.

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    5. Clever indeed and, as Terrie said, so immensely enjoyable. We tend to envy those who rise to fame, envy their fortune and lifestyle, but there's a price to be paid for everything. You captured this so very well.

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    6. jdeegan536@yahoo.com9 November 2018 at 01:33

      I have no doubt that you perfectly captured EP's demeanor - especially during his last days. Very well crafted, John

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  4. Heart's Desire

    The words are foreign to me.
    The movements frighten me.

    Through the bars, I glimpse scraps of a sky.
    But is it my sky?

    I am a prisoner here.
    Don't know why.
    Only know I want to go home.

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    Replies
    1. that's just dripping in sadness.

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    2. Sadness and frustration. Very good use of the prompts in such a short piece.

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    3. Oh how tragic to be imprisoned and not know why. Beautiful job capturing the anguish.

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    4. As always clever use of the prompts Patricia. Just 39 words expressing a sense of loss, confusion, fear and longing so well.

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  5. Seeing Things in the Light

    Prisoner’s cage; Creation’s rage
    For nobles who pass the baton
    Of slavery’s collar,
    rescued from history’s scrap heap.

    Hard work and failure’s blood
    grows few crops
    Success is food on the table
    Dawn’s light breaks upon my minds prism.

    Seven colors shining bright
    The deaf tell the blind about beauty
    Who tell the rest what we don’t see.
    My laughter sounds like a werewolf's howl

    Carni music make painted horses ride
    Like serfs tilling the nobles fields.
    Life’s wheel and Death’s scythe
    Do the same thing to different tunes.

    Lords and Baronesses fear
    The peasants revolting
    stealing the spot light.

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    Replies
    1. Mystery and wonder abound. Beautiful wording.

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    2. So many brilliant images here Jeffrey. 'Dawn's light breaks upon my minds prism'... laughter 'like a werewolf's how.' You have a great sense of rhythm too.

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    3. Nicely worded and composed. You are improving immensely and your dogged persistence is definitely beginning to pay off.

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    4. jdeegan536@yahoo.com9 November 2018 at 01:36

      Splendid pictures created with words, Jeffrey. Nicely done!

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  6. Cripplegate Junction/Part 163 - Controllers

    Passengers regularly entered the train but crowds didn't dissipate and carriages remained remarkably empty. Clive Bailey's mother, complete with gurney, had vanished. Perhaps it wasn't her after all.

    "Board any time," said the Station Master, accent foreign and guttural. Clive hadn't noticed that before. "Always free to leave," the Station Master added. "Never were a prisoner, dear boy."

    Further down the platform, debris was being loaded into a hopper. Broken bricks, fractured concrete slabs, twisted scrap metal and such. Looked like wreckage from a bomb site.

    "Will the train depart soon?" asked Clive.

    "That depends on you, old chap."

    ----------------------------------------------------------
    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.
    ----------------------------------------------------------

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    Replies
    1. oh, mysteries! What's the rubble and rubbish, why is Clive's help needed... oh oh oh... need some more!

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    2. The movie Inception comes to mind with this installment. Solid writing, good setting and description. Pretty good last line.

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    3. This kind of reminds me of the Groundhog Day concept. Clive keeps leaving, or tries to leave, but he doesn't get anywhere. Mysterious.

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    4. I love this, I never guess what's coming next. Keep it up Patricia

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  7. The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 28 - Guardian, Or Prisoner?

    The platoon became visibly alert again.
    ‘How long you bin in there, mate?’ someoneone asked.
    Not sure soldier, but snow fell a couple a weeks’ afore I started the mission.’
    ‘Bludy ‘ell, there’s not bin a scrap of snow for more ‘n 6 risin’s o’ the full moon, an’ now we’re slap-bang in the middle of a grass-curlin’ dry spell. Sounds like yu’ were more prisoner than guardian, mate.’
    Tosca pushed loose debris from his face, revealing a wizened and oddly foreign countenance. His scrawny tail flicked back and forth.
    Nigel recognised the seasoned, ready for action, stance.

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    Replies
    1. Enjoyed the accent laced dialog. You have a knack of bring the reader into the scene. An enjoyable installment.

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    2. The Brits hit the jackpot when they created 'bloody hell,' but when pronounced 'bludy 'ell,' it gets all the more effective. Another interesting installment, Terrie.

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    3. I'll go with the 'grass-curlin' dry spell' - that's magic!

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    4. You really make these characters come alive. I look forward to each installment with much anticipation and you have yet to fail my expectations.

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  8. A Home spun Tale: A Short Fictional Autobiography-4

    Patty Caked was examining her cadaver.
    “Subject is a foreign male prisoner who died during a riot. Gunshot wounds to the arms, legs and abdomen. The probable cause of death. I’ll start with an exploration of the chest cavity.”
    She opened the chest and spread the ribs.
    “What’s this black fragment scrap in the heart?”
    She removed it, examining it.
    “It’s tarnished metal...”
    **
    “Is this your doing Mr. Skellington?”
    “Nope, but it drips with genius, Ms. Tosca. “
    “My prize student killed.”
    “By a werewolf, she put the silver fragment back in the heart as it crushed her neck.”

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    Replies
    1. Dang, she shouldn't have removed the silver bullet. But then, without that, your story wouldn't have been as dramatic.

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    2. So clever, and suspenseful. A thumbs up from me Jeffrey.

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    3. Another clever dialogue-driven installment. Terrie summed it up perfectly with "suspenseful."

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  9. Kursaal (Episode One Hundred Thirty Seven) - "Unfortunate Fortune"

    Sibyl Wainwright, manageress of the Archaic Arcade, oversaw everything from a glass booth prison with no visible means of entry or exit, She exchanged legal tender for game pieces and never complained about confinement. Sometimes, foreign coins were used surreptitiously to purchase tokens. Sibyl (not fooled for a minute) allowed such transactions.

    Pride of the Arcade was "The Prophetess," an attraction which, upon the required deposit, dispensed fortunes upon scraps of coloured paper. Those who received snippets of fate courtesy of ill-gotten doings with Sibyl received most unfortunate auguries.

    "The Prophetess" was well-named.

    It had an amazing track record.

    ---------------------------------------------
    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: Sibyl Wainwright and her Archaic Arcade (including "The Prophetess") have featured in previous episodes.

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    Replies
    1. rhere's such a strong air of mystery around this instalment it feels a million miles removed from Clive's predicament, such is the magic of this serial.

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    2. Thank you for those most kind words, Antonia....but Clive is part of "Cripplegate Junction" and Sibyl Wainwright is part of "Kursaal." LOL. I understand your confusion though. I sometimes have trouble creating the two worlds in different fashions.

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    3. whoops, sorry! I do like your very different 'installments' which are actually tiny stories week in week out - don't quite know how you do that.
      Your two worlds are also full of the strangest people you could wish to meet... where do they come from... what murky depths do you have... (LOL)

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    4. I love the mystery you created here. A most intriguing take on you get what you pay for.

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    5. I can see this as a Netflix series. Who wouldn't want to see this strange place with all the characters making appearances at just the right times, or maybe at the worst of times. I do believe the world is ready for it, Patricia.

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    6. Another of my weekly favourites. Hints of horror, trickles of intrigue, I agree with John this would make an excellent series.

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  10. jdeegan536@yahoo.com6 November 2018 at 18:22

    CONSCRIPTION

    There are many secrets in the scrap heap of history. Secrets the world was never to know. I am one of them.

    Though I could not be killed, they believed I had been defeated, and that I would forever remain a prisoner in this deep hole drilled into the earth. But an environ like this isn’t foreign to me; I rather enjoy the dark solitude. My company is all I need.

    But Hell requires wretched sin-laden souls, and it’s time to increase the population.

    I easily made my way to the surface.

    Perhaps you will be the first I conscript.

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    Replies
    1. oh, hints of much nastiness to come...

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    2. I liked the contempt the prisoner evidenced and a much different take than Milton. Good use of the prompts.

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    3. Silly humans for thinking they could defeat evil. There should be no shortage of sin-laden souls. Very cryptic story. I enjoyed it.

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    4. Great use of the prompts, John, and what an exceptionally moreish story.

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    5. Lovely use of the prompt words and what an innovative story with entire layers of undercurrent. This would work so well as a serial. I do hope you consider that.

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  11. Stop the Week; I want to get off (21)
    We are, in many ways, prisoners of the ebb and flow of business life. It continues to be slow, but – we should take possession of the lock up next week, then we can start clearing the shop floor, scrap what isn’t really needed, take the toolbox cabinets etc to the new location, start looking professional again. Strange flows, strange energies, sometimes they feel foreign to me but somehow it sorts itself out. New stock in today resulted in a broom head being sold; it had been there for over a year. The golden lights seem brighter these chill November days.

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    Replies
    1. I do love your weekly instalments about the shop.

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    2. I believe I have found a new word for your "Stop the Weeks" series and that word is "lovely." What lovely little scenarios each installment brings us and it's totally unnecessary to know what went before in order to enjoy what is happening now...but what a tragedy it would be not to have read and savoured all of them.

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    3. Great opening sentence and for some reason, the strange flows, strange energies stuck with me.

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  12. It's hard to believe that the great Leonardo has been stopping off here once a week to talk to me (and you) for the past 80 weeks!! but it's true, he has and here is this week's musings.
    The Mad Italian 80
    In many ways every politician is a prisoner of their beliefs. Should they decide to become foreigners, to cross the floor of the House and take on a new role, it will haunt them for the rest of their parliamentary life. It is impossible to scrap all you believe and become wholeheartedly one of the other side. And yet… were this to happen more often, you would see a hybrid of thoughts which would benefit the people of your country more than you could appreciate. Unfortunately, until Brexit becomes reality, no one would or could think of doing that.

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    Replies
    1. Politics is usually beyond my comprehension, but it's not necessary to be an expert in the subject to appreciate Leonardo's comments. There were something called (I believe) midterm elections here this week. Have no idea who won what. Not being a citizen, I'm not eligible to vote and don't really take any interest. Seems it doesn't matter who runs the country, I'm never better off either way.

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    2. What Leonardo has touched on, at least to me, is walk a mile in anothers shoes to appreciate them.

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  13. The Adventures of Rosebud, Pirate Princess #154
    Time to Move


    While searching through scraps of coffee mug and paper I found a note, which told of an ultra-secure single car train carrying a prisoner. Scrawled on a corner was a little red poison head, just like how I draw them. There oughtn’t be anyone left! I’ve been to everywhere not foreign to us. Hopefully I’ll have a train tomorrow, Rosebud must be warned.

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    Replies
    1. oooh….great use of the prompts, I'm intrigued and hooked. I definitely want to know what happens next.

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    2. This is becoming very interesting in an entirely different way than has gone before. Still as whimsical...that's part of this serial's charm...but there is something of a hint of chicanery now. Love it!

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    3. I concur with Patricia, this is a well done series.

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