Apologies, but mind-space as much as time ran out last week; I did make progress with ‘Mercy for a Friday Child’, having had good advice and encouragement from writing friends and didn’t want to waste the inspiration. So thank you to those who did contribute, and to Holly in particular for her intriguing ‘Salacity [23] which left a lot of space for imagination to roam.
Words for the coming week: burn quicksand result
Entries by midnight Thursday 7th July, new words posted Friday 8th July
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.
SURPRISE APPEARANCE
ReplyDeleteI felt in a fog as I looked around and found myself standing outside my church. Equally perturbing, I had no idea how I had gotten here.
For some reason, my eyes burned and my limbs felt trapped in quicksand. Resultantly, moving proved difficult. But move I did – laboriously up the steps and into the vestibule.
Mass was in session, and Father Anderson was delivering his sermon as I stumbled toward the altar. Father Anderson’s face turned ghost-white; the parishioners bolted to their feet and screamed.
“What!” I shouted, confused.
“Mr. Davis,” the priest stutteringly exclaimed, “we buried you yesterday.”
Surprise! I'm very curious what led to their raising and how Father Anderson is going to deal with this their unexpected guest. :)
DeleteSo vividly depicted - and frightening for all.
DeleteBravo, Jim. My k8nd of story.
DeleteAntonia here -
Deletefor every zombie lover and those who only think they're turned off by them. This is good!
Thank you! I hope everyone is having a nice summer. :)
ReplyDeleteFast as a God-lit Candle [24]
ReplyDeleteWe all move at once, knives, lightning, and magic projectiles exploding outward, seeking targets. I’m laser-focused on Erd’s furious face when everything slows mid-lunge. It’s as if we’re all caught in invisible quicksand, our reactions comically slow.
Akheron is laughing.
The nun growls, flaring white like a god-lit candle.
Light burns across my eyelids, then time restores. I roll instead of stumble, coming up on Erd’s right side as my knife hits his shoulder. The battle is fast with a satisfying result; all three goblins are on their bellies, faces pressed to the floor.
Akheron and the nun are gone.
Another action-full fight, and I love the God-lit cand;e!
DeleteNuns scare me a little. Tjis one for sure.
DeleteAntonia here
DeleteBlood and guts, magical reading!
This is one battle I'd rather not participate in. Such a nice, quick - and perfect - pace to this, Holly.
ReplyDeleteRun Through the Jungle – David Turnbull
ReplyDeleteFlames roared like some great beast, spewing smoke, spitting sparks. The intended result was to burn them alive. The sergeant grabbed her skinny wrist with his big hand and dragged her into the swamp.
The water had a sulphurous stench. ‘Cover yourself in mud to protect you from the heat,’ he said. ‘Glide slowly through the quicksand on your belly. You won’t sink.’
The smoke was making her wheeze, her hair began to smoulder from the intensity of the heat.
She did as he told her. Above them buzz saws whirred as the steel monkeys cut branches for kindling
And this another epic action-filled episode, the steel monkeys something of a final straw!
DeleteSomething, i see a scum filled pond, thick with algae, and i ask myself if I'd swim through it for a thousand dollars. No.
DeleteSounds like a dangerous crawl through the jungle! I agree with John, I'd be hard-pressed to swim in an icky swamp. :)
DeleteAntonia here
Deleterich descriptions make this horror scenario come alive. Good one, David!
The sergeant seems to know his way around. I hope he knows enough to save them. Very entertaining, David!
ReplyDeleteCan't catch a break
ReplyDeleteThe burn victim stood outside divorce court as his wife walked off with the pool guy and never looked back. He wondered if there were any quicksand pits nearby. If he sank far enough, no one would have to look at his disfigured face anymore. The notoriety would be phenomenal. Who ever would think of such a method?
Later, he raised his eyes to the heavens, flipped both birds, and stood solidly, waste deep in the mud.
Some problems have no good solutions, John, as evidenced here. Very nice.
Delete
DeleteSeems like he's in for a bit of a wait. It'd be a hard way to go, I think.
'Stoical' the word here ... and more than a bit sad.
DeleteAntonia here
Deletedefinitely stoical bit a lovely new look at quicksand and mud lovers...
[Threshold 399]
ReplyDeleteI aimed for brave insouciance. ‘So, using our noses to guide us we sniff out the putrefaction? Though –‘ frowning, ‘–Surely they’ll’ve had to find a way to efficiently dispose? Even after burning – roasting or however they like their meat – there’ll be a surplus; a rotting residue? Resulting in a ever-present cloud of carrion seekers?’
‘They bury the bodies in quicksand –‘
‘And the problem then becomes that of scavengers, digging the cadavers up?’
‘Which is when vultures come into their own. And, over the years, have come to own them. Hence their urgent need for new recruits.’
This contains such an array of beautifully morbid words, Sandra - putrefaction, rotting residue, carrion seekers to name a few. Very well done!
DeleteI agree with Jim on the richness of her vocabulary. What is her name again? It's on the tip of my tongue.
Delete@ Jim, thank you - that mental rummage for the perfect word is one of the good things about writing , isn't it?
Delete@ John, glad to hear you almost remember her name - I had to look it up in the book I found it in. Luckily I'd left a fluorescent marker.
Antonia here -
Deletefor a horror writer that's a gorgeous set of words to spark ideas from. From someone who says horror is a sideline for her... these are magic words which will enrich many a story!
Hold on a sec, you never told us her name if I recall. What is it?
DeleteSounds like an unpleasant job ahead! I find my sense of smell only strengthens the older I get, so I don't think I'd do very well in this scene. :)
DeleteChange of focus [475]
ReplyDeleteSuch was the open innocence of Henry Moth’s cherubic face, further enhanced by Goldilocks’ ringlets, Philly could not help but read his determination to keep the reputation of John Pettinger’s future wife unsullied. As a result, knowing her mind apt to run naughtily amok, her face burned with a tell-tale flush of guilt, thus justifying Henry’s suspicion. A glance at Ben told her he had no such qualms; already mired in the quicksands of his wife’s infidelity, he was more than ready to misbehave.
Which Henry read, and set himself to thwart.
I could use a Henry Moth in mt confer. Very enjoyed story, Sandra.
DeleteAntonia here:
Deleteinstallment 475 and the story remains as strong as at the start.
Very clever use of 'quicksands' in this piece and I have to say I really love the name 'Henry Moth.'
DeleteAntonia;s here:
ReplyDeletefirst thoughts on closing down
Deciding to close the shop was easy but the actual work… trying to clear rubbish as different from saleable stock (in a second hand shop, it’s hard to work out sometimes) and the customers, who act as if the items will open a pathway to a quicksand, which would result in a lot of them blindly walking on…
Some customers have become friends, some share heartache and desperation – the years since we opened to now have seen many hearts burned by lifestyle, families, friends and we are the comforters just by listening. That’s where the true service begins and ends.
Sad times, indeed. I agree it would be a lot of work to close such a place. Good luck.
DeleteYes, small shops such as yours a vital part of the community for some I imagine. Wish you strength with the clearing.
DeleteLots to navigate when you've been somewhere for so long. I hope the sorting goes smoothly.
Delete