Even though my Christmas plans went pear-shaped and I now have the leisure and lack of distraction, I admit I'm relieved not to have been obliged to pick a winner from last week's offerings as it would have been impossible (and how frequently that now applies, as each of us continually raises our game; hones skills of concise, precise wordery!) Thank you all, yet again, for wonderful entertainment.
For those in need of mental exercise other than Monopoly and mince pies:
new
words for the coming week are: abdicate love pith
Entries by midnight Thursday 31st December, new words posted Friday 1st January (winners likely later)
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 uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.
FITTEST
ReplyDeleteMary fought off the shiver catalyzed by the high-pitched barks of command followed by their advance. She hadn’t heard a sound like that since the love of her life had drawn his last ischemic breath.
Every inch of her wanted to abdicate her duty as a leader and run screaming from the terror, but her wiser self held tight the reins and calmly, pragmatically and horrifyingly pointed out that there was nowhere to run.
Declan put his hand on her forearm. “Orders?”
Finbar’s scream heralded the revival of the spots.
“Survive.”
Declan nodded and rose. “That’s the pith, isn’t it?”
Things look bleak for Mary and her comrades, Perry. You captured Mary's dilemma perfectly.
DeleteNowhere to run says a lot. Good writing here, Perry.
DeleteThat second sentence masterly in its summation of Mary's status. And now we have to wait for resolution.
DeleteNicely put together. That one "Survive" says it all really.
Deletesometimes 1 word is all that's needed and the essence of class writing is knowing which word that should be. This 'survive' sentence - brilliant!
DeleteThank you for your kind comments. Always a buzz from writers of notable caliber.
DeleteThank you for your kind comments. Always a buzz from writers of notable caliber.
DeleteHeartless
ReplyDeleteWe lack the capacity to love.
We watch them depart after the abdication. Great Ones that we served faithfully, loyally, for eons, and feel no emotion at their withdrawal.
They leave us behind as pith that remains once the flesh of fruit is eaten. Valueless. Worthless. Usefulness outlived.
They twinkle and wink into eternity.
The wheel spins once more. We observe with remote indifference and feel no emotion.
We lack the capacity to love.
Wow, Patricia! This lowers us to a plane of sadness then masterfully pulls us along. So well done.
DeleteGood riddance, it seems. Or is it? A wonderfully written piece, Patricia.
DeleteVast in scope, superb in the telling.
Deletecarries a wealth of emotions all so succinctly set out. Loved it.
DeleteTHE HORRORS OF LOVE
ReplyDeleteAt one time or another most people have loved someone. I did… once, and still do. And this love I feel is so profoundly deep… so all-consuming… so enchantingly enrapturing… that it pierces the very pith of my soul and enters a zone of perception no other human being has ever entered.
I sincerely believe that.
Sadly, the woman, the object of my immeasurable love, vehemently hates me.
I believe this too: could I abdicate life and take this breathlessly beautiful object of my fathomless love with me, I without hesitation would do so.
Wait a minute! What’s stopping me?
If you're going to lovingly abdicate a life, why shouldn't both parties be involved. Clever thinking once again, Jim.
DeleteThe horror of this is in the dearth of comprehension, of empathy.
DeleteNow this is taking the idea of thinking things through just a little too far. I would simply love to know what happens next.
Deleteoh yes, clever reasoning and then the question - which way will this one go?
DeleteHoliday Sentiment
ReplyDeleteThe lemonade vender abdicated the pithy remains of his livelihood in a dumpster behind the bank. When the door burst open and a robber ran out shooting, the vender acted quickly.
“In here, I’ll hide you.” When the police showed up, the vender pointed south.
“Don’t come out,” the vender whispered. “I’ll get you when it’s safe.”
That night, the two split up the money and went their separate ways. The vender walked to the corner of Fifth and Main to buy some love. When he caught crabs he realized money wasn’t everything. But it did buy a lot of penicillin.
From the first to the last this thoroughly entertained, something you do so very well - bravo, John.
DeleteAs always, entertaining and humorous to the hilt. You are a breath of fresh air. How do you come up with these scenarios?
DeleteI would say catching crabs is very serious. But if you want to see humor in this, that's your prerogative. :)
Deleteoh nice one!
DeleteMy wife’s started a writing group to follow-on from NaNoWriMo, and as usual I’m looking for prompt words to start from - what better than the Prediction? Firing up my Christmas present typewriter (for the first draft at least) resulted in this...
ReplyDeleteFriends in High Places
“You think a bunch of flat-nosed geezers in pith helmets and khaki will convince him to abdicate?”
Doubtful murmurs. “Look, Major, we don’t know anything for certain, we’ve got to try something.”
Nods around the table, then a slow rumble from the smoke-shrouded corner.
“Help isss coming, men not needed. We will sssolve problemsss. You get country, we get what we love.”
The group argued another moment, but it was settled. They could easily give up a mine in order to win a nation. And it seemed the old saw wasn’t quite right. Truly, diamonds are a dragon’s best friend.
Now we know why the corner was smoke-shrouded. I would think a diamond loving dragon would make a great character, Bill. Go for it.
DeleteNice to see you here again, Bill, and I can vouch for the efficacy of prompt-writing leading to bigger things. And so glad to be reminded of pith-helmet, which I'd completely forgotten.
DeleteLoved the dragon language interpretation. Also had to chuckle at "flat-nosed geezers." Great use of the prompts.
DeleteGreat to have you here, Bill, with a sharply observed piece, too.
DeleteEuthanising the Deviants.
ReplyDeleteI loved my Dad. He taught me the art of pithing. He had a bolt gun purloined from an abattoir. At night he’d take me out in his Bedford van. “None of us should ever abdicate responsibility,” he’d tell me, showing how to press the barrel to the cerebral cortex of a crack dealer and depress the trigger.
I still recall the echo of the fatal click.
When he died I inherited his gun and his vigilante attitude. Tonight my son is coming for his first ride in granddad’s old van. A lesson in civic duty and advanced execution technique.
Oh ... so coldly told, brings shivers to the nape of my neck.
DeleteGives a whole new meaning to "chip off the old block." Marvellous use of "pithing." I was trying to see how to use that myself. Glad I didn't waste too much time on it now. I could never have come up with something this good.
DeleteChilling and entertaining. A good combo.
Deletedefinitely a crime horror vignette so coldly done, as others have said. David, delivering the goods as always. How do you do it?
DeleteThe reason Raven stared [Threshold 330]
ReplyDeleteThe foremost quad-bike had been decked out as a throne. Red velvet seat and ermine trim (could I claim a little second sight?), sand-splashed but less attention-grabbing than the wizened face of its carefully-shepherded driver.
Beside me Raven breathed, disbelieving, 'Christ, I thought he was dead! Or, at least abdicated –'
I stared. 'He could be. Mummified and stuffed, with pith and wormwood –'
'But he's moving –'
'Hands glued to handlebars? Been done before. And no love lost between him and his escort. Do they need him as a figurehead? Lack authority of their own?'
'He had no sons…'
This was kind of eerie and filled with atmosphere. Loved the "Mummified and stuffed, with pith and wormwood--" How great a description was that?
DeleteLove the quad decked out in fur and velvet. In 1977, I almost won a van called the Coca Cola Denim Machine from a radio station. I was in the top ten of contestants and had to wait at a mall for the final drawing with TV cameras perched everywhere. The van exterior was clad in denim with pockets, snaps and zippers. Man, I really wanted it. I ended up with a case of Coke and a gift certificate to Levi Straus. No van.
Deletea quad to imagine and wish it were in our garage... great one. Wormwood always adds a bit of atmosphere and yet I consistently forget it!
DeleteChange of focus [406]
ReplyDeleteThe mobility of Philly Stepcart's face enabled John Pettinger to track changes in her temper, from pain to amusement at Aleks' joke, through pith-tinged guilt at having read his diary before arriving at empathetic understanding, having observed Pettinger's mental somersaults as he rued his unintentional abdication of parental responsibility. He wondered how it looked when she made love.
Aleks, looking from one to the other, his ability to read adult emotions exceeding most boys his age, allowed accusation to fade.
For a moment they were held in a bubble of mutual understanding, then Sally Vicksen's voice was heard, calling 'John?'
Well, that "John?" certainly broke the tension for me. Aleks is yet another fascinating character within this equally fascinating serialization.
DeleteThat was some first sentence. I don't think I could manage a sentence like that. It appears fireworks are about to be ignited. Can't wait for more.
DeleteThe Joys of Mediumship no 37
ReplyDeleteIt’s been confusing and if I didn’t know the constant attention and caring was done with love, I would be a little worried…so many people around and the presence of my spirit cat Midnight is really a distraction. If it gets too much I’ll abdicate and they can get someone else… although whether they could burrow deep enough to cut through the pith and bring me reality is another question entirely… there is constant attention and love and at some point I’ll have an empty enough mind to share. I just need a better prospect for the New Year…
I'm sure confusion is often part of what you experience Antonia. Yet, you seem to handle it all with grace and confidence. I wasn't aware you had a spirit cat. What a very appropriate name.
DeleteHere's to a better New Year. If it gets too confusing, or worrisome, can you block it out?
Deleteyes I can, John, just lose myself in a book or a CD of wonderful music and not think, quite deliberately not think. Patricia, there are six spirit cats around, Emmilene is a stately Siamese, Benji's a dark tabby, Shadow's a lighter tabby, Simon's ginger and Dinky's a black and white prima dnna. I see them flash by me, race me to a door, constantly aware of their movement and often their miaows, when I go looking for the living cats to see if they're calling. I am sure the spirit cats are responsible for the increasing vocalisation of the two real cats...
DeleteStop The Week; I Want To Get Off (130)
ReplyDeleteI think the whole world abdicated from responsibility this Christmas season, no sense, no love or they would consider others, beach parties, illegal raves… while we sit in the damp cold shop with streaming wet windows and nothing happening, because it’s that dead time of year, between Christmas and New Year, when we cut through the pith and find nothing more than dried kernels. Everything says 2021 will be better, even with lockdown 3 – we can get on without being bothered… clearance any time after New Year and hope for all. There has to be some…
Is there hope for your little store yet, or is clearance the end of the road? I sincerely hope not. However, I do hope you're right with your comment of 2021 being a better year. Still, could it be any worse than 2020? (Maybe I'd be wise not to ask that!)
DeleteHope indeed, we have to. Hoping your clear-out sparks a new direction.
DeleteI think the second half of 2021 will be a good year. Likely we'll have a little trouble starting it off properly.
Deletewe need the clearance guy who isn't answering his phone, which means he's probably having a holiday... we need to get into ne4xt week, next year and get moving!! Meantime I'm putting small items fit for dumping into rubbish bags, to see if that helps cut down the mould and the small that goes with it. We have to carry on for a while, then see what the market is like. It isn't going to be easy - we are now in tier 4 - but I sold 2 mono water skis on Monday that had been in the shop for at least 7 years...
DeleteThe Mad Italian (188)
ReplyDeleteThe world is waiting for the ex President to abdicate but it goes against his ethos – I never lose – to walk out. He has some who love him but more who are turning against him – that ‘almost’ taking away benefits was a heartless gesture. He carries no love for his people or his country. If you were to cut him to the pith you would find outdated casino chips and empty bank statements.
Is Brexit done? I fear not, there is still argument to go back and forth. Tis a sadness leaving is not completed, it needs to be.
What an apt description for the innards of the US soon-to-be-done leader. And yes, there are still some over here who would apparently follow him into the mouth of hell itself....oh wait....we've already been there!
DeleteIf nothing else, the Trump presidency has provided some compelling viewing and reading, in a train wreck sort of way.
Delete