Today I’m anticipating several hours sat on the sofa, watching the final three matches of Rugby Union’s Six Nations. Not, after last week, expecting to be delighted by the results, but the interaction of team members, when I’ve never been a team player, I find fascinating. As usual, too, I’ll be in competition with my husband with the General Knowledge crossword.
Just as fascinating, as ever, is the use to which the prompt words were put. All impressive and enjoyable, but because the music reminded me of a visit to that crossroads in Clarksville, I award David top place for his ‘The Devil Went Down To Suburbia’
Words for the coming week: maul prop, try
Entries by midnight Thursday March 23rd; new words Friday
24th (but maybe a bit late as I’ll be away from home.)
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.
Antonia- sending congrats to David for his intriguing offering and clever twist for the title. And another comment for Sandra, many thanks for keeping us with busy brains every week!
ReplyDeleteThank YOU, Antonia. It's good for me to do some relatively 'untethered' writing.
DeleteCongrats, David, on another excellent entry.
DeleteThe Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 220
DeleteMoloch’s lips twisted cruelly as several rats positioned themselves beside his lizards. He viewed the ‘Dillo ranks, ‘Shouda guessed you’d have hidden infantry. No matter, you’re still outnumbered,’ he lifted his thorny tail, ‘and that mangy-furred prophet of yours knows diddly-squat cos the tail’s still in one piece, you blind piece of worm-bait.’
The trapped rats mauled and scratched at the pit-walls. One managed to haul itself out next to a waiting ‘Dillo who seized it, broke its neck and tossed it back among its rootling cronies who stopped their scrabbling to tremble in the bottom of the hole.
A powerfully vivid second paragraph, Terrie!
DeleteAntonia says: the poorly trapped rats, I've become quite fond of some of them, they're getting bad press in this serial!!
DeleteThe Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 221
ReplyDelete‘That’s one rat won’t be reporting back about us anytime soon,’ sniffed Aubrey, who’d come to hear what the questioning revealed.
Atlas shook his head, ‘try an’ use yer noggin, Aubrey. The fact he aint reportin' back means they’ll know we’re not far away.’
Aubrey shuffled his paws, awkwardly, ‘so what do you propose we do now then?’
Atlas look sideways at Nigel who said, ‘Unless you fancy getting mauled by rats or, worse, tortured by feckin’ weasels, we gotta get our tails moving, smartish.
Atlas, pass the word we’re heading east, let’s see how far we get before sunrise.’
Impressively vivid and effective scenes of battle, Terrie
DeleteAntonia's coments: this has a sense of serious urgency aiut it - methnks the world is going to go to war any time now, dillos and all
DeleteChange of focus [508
ReplyDeleteThe slow reluctance with which Ben straightened from propping up the reception counter to do Pettinger’s bidding, was mis-read by Vanessa who, assuming Ben desired to further their acquaintance; offered a coy smile. Pettinger reading insubordination, was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, until Vanessa redirected a somewhat higher voltage version towards him, whereupon Philly hissed a warning, hands raised, fingers clawed, ready-primed to maul.
Well created tension between the characters here ,Sandra . I've been looking forward to Vanessa and Phillys interactions.
Delete[Threshold 430]
ReplyDeleteSuch was the internal force of Raven’s personality he’d never needed such props as crown or sceptre to confirm authority. Only rarely, and in specific circumstances, did I sense he used me as such. Indigo Eye’s trying to imply I’d changed allegiance had no chance of success; Raven never so much as checked for willingness on my part, nor my permission to deliver the mauling my half-naked, bloody state implied was merited.
Thus, uncertain whether my reading of the minute flicker of his eyes as request for permission was the correct one, I shook my head, Denied him.
The denial, I fear, will produce nothing good. Such woe and despair in this. Well done, Sandra!
DeleteAntonia says@:shoiuld have chosen a pen name with less vowels in it... but here we go, The coldness of the line I shook my head, denied him. Bound to start more problems than are already there...
DeleteA WALK IN THE WOODS
ReplyDeleteTry as he may, Woody Jennings couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being followed, which was disconcerting because he was trudging through an unfamiliar wooded area.
Darkness arrived, bringing fear and an assortment of eerie sights and sounds: fleeting glints of moonlight hiding among the trees; scraping sounds, like something dragging itself across rough terrain. Sights and sounds that could have been props for a horror movie. Sights and sounds that may or may not have been real.
The sounds closer… Woody spun toward them.
Woody Jennings was looked for and found three days later, mauled into something unrecognizable.
Antonia says: poor Woody, and poor people who had to identify it!
DeleteI especially enjoyed the 'fleeting glints of moonlight' in this fear-filled stroll.
ReplyDeleteThe Curse of the Unfinished Horror
ReplyDeleteMy brother warned me from his deathbed. If I used his script, there would be dire consequences. I didn’t listen. Raised enough money from investors.
It turned out to be a disaster from start to finish. Unexplained fires, extras injured by malfunctioning props, the lead actor mauled by a wolf in the climactic scene. Despite the setbacks I knew I had to try and complete the film. This morning when I looked at the rushes he was there. A hunched shadow in every frame. Keeping his promise. Spoiling my efforts. Cursing my masterpiece from beyond his grave.
A well written and standout offering, David. I really enjoyed the short, stark, final five sentences .
DeleteLovely use of the prompt words, David.
ReplyDeleteUse of the prompt words... that impressed me, too, David!
ReplyDeleteAntonia comment:- I love this intriguing film story, sometimes the films seem as if they have thrown everything together in the hope of spooky 'reward' for the work. One customer at the shop took 1 1/2 years to film 25 seconds and wondered why it kept on going wrong... Was this one to come straight out of this scenario?
ReplyDeleteAntonia gets busy::// he needed propping up after a night of screaming child ... no one dared go wave the test result under the supposed father's nose ... the small but determined newborn made its way to the woodlands. There the land owner waited, carried the creature and offered it - and its reason to try again - one more chance before the woodlands were silenced. forever..
ReplyDelete***
with total disregard for prompts etc and despite rewriting this 4-5 times, what came was as what they wanted me to say ... I
1
I have to say, "Very interesting."
ReplyDelete