Because if I had, I'd've realised more time would equal more posts thus making it all the harder for me to choose a winner. Plus, it seemed to me, each post had been extra-polished too, whether from more time or other Christmas or New Year cheer. So, I thank you, for a week of high-quality reading, which put music and wonderfully surprising images into my head. And once again am forced to erect a platform, on which I place Jim, for 'Something in the air', Terrie, for both SAS Diaries 178 and 'Obscura Mythica', Julia, for 'Old year night', Holly, for 'Surge', and Patricia, for 'Autumn Equinox'.
Words for the coming week: newspaper, salt, substitute
Entries by midnight Thursday 13th January, new words posted Friday 24th
Usual
rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all
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.
Thank you so much! And congrats to Jim, Terrie, Julia and Patricia. :)
ReplyDeleteAdding my congratulations to those of Holly. What a magnificent crop of creative scribblers we do have in this forum.
Deletemany congrats to you all! I'm building an image of each 'winner' standing on the stage clutching their medal...and wondering if they can do it again this week...of course you can!
ReplyDeleteMisplaced optimism
ReplyDeleteShe’d worked her way up to substitute palletizer at the Tunisian salt mine. Significant risk with very little pay, but she liked it that way.
“If it was easy, everyone would be doing it,” was what the newspaper reporter said she had said at least twice. Maybe more.
“I wouldn’t,” said her brother after reading the article. Hours upon hours, underground, breathing who knows what. But secretly, he envied his sister, even after the mine accident. Buried under tons of salt. A terrible way to go. But at least she’d be well preserved.
Bravo, John - once again you've taken an innocent little word and made it monstrous!
DeleteI have to wonder about this brother. Perhaps he and his buried sister had issues. Great final line, John.
Deletemakes you wonder what the brother has going on to envy that...
DeleteSo many questions about the brother and why he envies his sister's horrible accident, and why she liked 'significant risk for little pay.'
DeleteWe're all very transparent most of the time, but here's some people who have a stack of questions to answer and I'm betting they;d find a way not to answer them. This type of devious mind is best avoided....
Delete[Threshold 378]
ReplyDeleteMale optimism – that innate sense of rightness too many males possess from birth – is rarely a workable substitute for common sense and a weighting up of available options. I'd no idea how popular, influential or otherwise the much-tattooed Cocktail had been among his peers; whether Raven's defenestration for his peeping through our keyhole – a crime unlikely to reach the lower half of even the fourth page of their local newspaper – would merit a bold head-lined front page feature inciting revenge, but felt certain our insouciant departure on stolen quads would only rub salt into whatever wounds they'd admit to suffering.
Act first, think later! Let's hope Cock-Tail wasn't universally loved & respected by his peers!
Deletenow there's some nasty thoughts...
Delete
ReplyDeleteChange of focus [455]
A necessary skill for both police and newspaper journalists is the interpretation of the language of faces, of bodies. Spotting those 'tells' when lies are being substituted for truth or, more optimistically, aiming to conceal.
Philly Stepcart's anxiety too long-simmered to be diverted by amusement, but the aggressive nearness of her face enabled Pettinger to read salt-tracks of tears she was unaware of crying and know the time to joke was past. He pulled her head against his shoulder, 'Of course. It's not a mistake I'll make a second time,' confident she could not read his shifty-eyed intent to lie.
eww... you can go off a bloke, Pettinger!
Deleteoh my, such a lot of trouble brewing here whichever way you look at it.
DeleteFight Them On The Beaches
ReplyDeleteBeneath the moonlight the hares hung back in the grassy dunes.
“What’s the news?” asked Hector.
“The crustaceans have brought on the red claws as substitutes,” said the stoat runner. “Hedgehogs didn’t fare well. Blood and gore drenches the salt flats.”
“We should go in now,” said Hector. “Are we to go in yet?”
“Not yet,” said the stoat. “Orders are to hold back. They’re calling an aerial strike by the gull squadron first.”
The sound of the waves crashing to shore were punctuated by squeals in the darkness as limbs were severed by pincers.
Just realised I used news instead of newspaper. I will have to rethink.
DeleteSuch a potent last line, David. Really sums up the horror of this scene.
DeleteVersion with 'Newspaper'
ReplyDeleteFight Them On The Beaches
Beneath the moonlight the hares, armoured in layers of human newspaper, hung back in the grassy dunes.
“What’s the latest?” asked Hector.
“The crustaceans have brought on the red claws as substitutes,” said the stoat runner. “Hedgehogs didn’t fare well. Blood and gore drenches the salt flats.”
“We should go in now,” said Hector. “Are we to go in yet?”
“Not yet,” said the stoat. “Orders are to hold back. They’re calling an aerial strike by the gull squadron.”
The sound of the waves crashing to shore were punctuated by squeals in the darkness as limbs were severed by pincers.
It appears the crustaceans have the upper hand. 'limbs were severed by pincers' is a powerful finish that sticks in the mind.
DeleteHares versus crabs sounds doomed to lose. A nightmare scene reminding me of a childhood beach.
Deletesuch vivid writing and such a vivid storyline, too!
DeleteGuests
ReplyDeleteAldrieth's breath puffs hot against the back of my neck as Anisa bustles around the kitchen, laying newspaper on the floor. "This will do, right? For your uh..." Anisa gestures vaguely. She's looking at me, avoiding Aldrieth's red-eyed stare.
Claws click irritably against the tiles. Does she think I’m one of those hairy beasts you keep as pets?
"Dragons are quite clean, actually," I say, trying to hide my amusement, "but if you’re worried about your cats, salt is an excellent deterrent."
Salt?!
"Pepper also makes a good substitute."
Anisa's eyes are wide. "H-how long will you be staying?"
I'm not sure whether my money would be on the cats or the dragons!
DeleteThis situation, I believe, cannot work out well.Quite the interesting plot, Holly.
DeleteVivid set-up in the conversation.
Deleteinteresting... not sure where my money would go on who is coming out tops here!!
DeleteI'll not be posting anything this week. First, nothing I cut and paste wants to stick and second, I'm done with trying to solve the problem for the moment. However, it seems I can respond to stories posted by others so I will return to do that later. Whether I try to "publish" in the near future will very much depend on whether I feel up to the aggravation. :)
ReplyDeleteEllis 026
ReplyDeleteJasper browsed the newspaper headlines on his phone as we chugged coffee in the stairwell back at the station.
“Any leads?” I asked
“Nothing. No connections between the victims so far. Petersson thinks there’s an escort connection because both the girls were single, good looking, and went to nightclubs; but we’re taking that with a pinch of salt as there’s no evidence yet.
“What did Petersson say about you being drugged?”
“Nothing.” I shrugged. “Don’t give me that I-told-you-so look! And don’t substitute having a go at me because you have a problem with him” I said hotly.
Another piece come to life through conversation.
DeleteMay be some trouble with a capital T brewing here!
Deletemoving a story along by dialogue alone is a tough call, this is good.
ReplyDelete