Friday, 30 September 2022

Words in action

 So many excellent pieces describing interactions, fights, intended escapes – lessons to be had from them all – but my ‘winner’ this week is David’s ‘The Ghost Hunter’s Ghost’ which deposited goosepimples to run down my spine.

Holly mentioned the ‘trickiness’ of recent prompt words , and I have  wondered whether that the cause of a reduction of entries, but at the same time I am conscious that too bland a selection can fail to inspire at all. I hope my choice of  words for the first week of October –  ignorant  script  wreak – spark creativity (though there’s no accounting for Blogger functionality) : 

 Entries by midnight Thursday October 6th  new words hopefully posted Friday 7th

 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

18 comments:

  1. A BAD IDEA
    The moon dodged among clouds strewn like shaved ice upon the cold November night. Randy Dobson studied them before looking to the long-abandoned insane asylum. Time and the elements had wreaked havoc on the once-impressive façade.
    He chuckled, thinking how this scene replicated scripts of ignorant horror writers.
    He entered, determined to prove false the fanciful local legend that the asylum was haunted.
    He stopped, listened, then whispered, “Footsteps?”
    The door creaked shut behind him. A dull waxy glow spread all around, exposing scores of fiendish faces and limbs emerging from the walls.
    “A bad idea,” crawled from his mouth.

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    1. I also loved the description of the clouds 'strewn like shaved ice.' Excellent imagery! Yeah, I'm going to stay paranoid about creepy insane asylums. :)

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  2. "clouds strewn like shaved ice" is wonderful, Jim. I'm enjoying this series

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  3. Congrats to David!

    @Sandra Oh in regards to my mention of tricky words, I was speaking of the challenge in general, how sometimes it can be tricky to either continue a story in the serial or come up with something new. No issues with the picks! :)

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  4. Thanks for the reassurance Holly, I do know what you mean; I sometimes find myself completely mired as to where to take things next with the suggested prompts words.

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  5. [Threshold 407]
    The banality of our script matched that of the direst of comedy duos. Nor could I envisage what last-minute intervention might pluck us from what seemed destined to be the cliff-hanger ending this flash flood was about to wreak upon us – our imminent death by drowning. Fair punishment, I’d say, for our over-optimistic ignorance in attempting to traverse a desert without map or compass (to say nothing of the certainty of our welcome.) To which end I addressed Raven, ‘Reassure me. I presume we come in peace?’
    His snort indecipherable, unlike his conviction of my ridiculous naïvety.

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    1. I can't wait to see what IS coming for them as surviving so far has been proof of their continuing luck! I also loved that final line.

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  6. Some bad decisions seemingly have doomed this pair, Sandra. The last sentence is quite revealing. Well done!

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  7. Change of focus [485]

    Despite his genuine ignorance of the current whereabouts of his son he was not about to allow Philly’s starling-eyed brother to wreak damage to his confidence in Philly.
    ‘If I know Aleks, he’s pleading starvation; she’ll likely have taken him for a meal somewhere.’
    ‘You’ve no food in?’
    Beneath the eyes, cheekbones were sharp; behind the words Pettinger heard tightly-concealed desperation. Whatever life the lad was living wreaked havoc with his health. He’d not necessarily used the same script to navigate his life with as Philly, but there was no doubt life had dealt him just as many blows.

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    1. Loved the imagery of 'starling-eyed brother.' I'm very curious to learn more about Philly's brother and what exactly his intentions are.

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    2. One thing's for sure, whatever comes next will not be having fun.,.. Philly's brother isn't likely to be the affectionate kind!!

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  8. Forewarned [31]

    The play ends with no help from my “friends,” Merigold folding me so neatly into the evening’s script that she must have been forewarned of our attendance. She pulls me into the lobby, basking in the praise from departing guests. I glower at them all.

    “Don’t wreak the theater just yet,” Rach’s ex murmurs. “Dancing free of inhibitions had to be fun, right?”

    “Was it fun being a puppet?”

    Here comes Rach, Felicia, and Vera, acting as though they’re ignorant of the daggers in my eyes.

    “You broke our agreement, Mer,” Rach says. “And I can’t stop what happens next.”

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    1. sometimes the waiting for the next indtalment is mind blowing!

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    2. Hmm... what mischief lies ahead, Holly? Very interesting.

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  9. More Rats and more rats

    If I had someone able to write a script of how the rats took over laboratory , I would say ‘can I share the copyright fortune’ I have to say they had better get going on it sharpish- whatever he (whoever they are) decide to do. is certain to lift the ignorance level to a high, even for a laboratory. Dead bodies all down the corridors and – and in the carpet of blood swimming around the corpses or the corpses swimming in the blood bath – that word is so right for this lot. What I want to know is, why has no one come? Lights flash one end of the corridor to the other and still no one comes. So… I wait.
    Which Rat am I? Wait and see, people, wait and see… this king rat is about to wreak havoc…

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    1. As you say above, Antonia, the waiting for what next might blow one's mind.

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    2. A gruesome picture. I can imagine the rat waiting and plotting.

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