I'm struggling with a long-retired and overstuffed laptop. so this will be short and sweet(-ish). with me once again declining to name a winner - except for all of us.
Words for the coming week: precious remote shift
Entries by midnight Thursday August 10th, new words and winners Friday 11th (I expect to collect repaired or new laptop on the 10th so might ne a bit late with that.too.)
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.
Well done everyone for keeping The Prediction weekly 100 words alive and kicking. I find it really helps keep my writing skill challenged and definitely makes me check and recheck sentence structuring .
ReplyDelete234 entries... wow!!!! Keep it going, I want the printed version of this unusual book when it comes out. if only so our AI can bring back the stunning eautiful stones designed to enchant and enrapture. Not all like the fancy earth hidden stones but we try we try...
DeleteThe Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 234
ReplyDeleteWater ran down walls, and loose dirt fell in a continuous trickle as Sarg sidestepped and tumbled, clawing and twisting, into the pit. As she fell, earth shuddered, shifting more soil and stones. Water avalanched out with the landslide and billowed in a deluge over her.
As the trench rapidly filling with swirling muddy water she bobbed and sank, gasping for precious breath each time she did so.
With every going under it took longer for her to surface.
Almost hypnotised, Moloch and the rats watched with remote satisfaction.
Finally only a bleak trail of bubbles broke the surface.
Oh no! step by step dragged down! oh scary stuff! and how much satisfaction can one person/creature get from watchinganther person/creature get from watching the enemy die? Cold hearted bunch!!!
DeleteYou have a very impressive array of verbs in this episode, Terrie... avalanched and billowed among them.
DeleteChecking to see if Prediction might be accepting my messages again. If so, I may try putting together a little tale soon for publication. In the meantime, great job you're all doing at keeping it together here, guys. Miss you all...!!!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed you are successful, Patricia
Deletego for it,.Patricia! You have a lot of stocked stories!!
ReplyDeleteTHE VICTIM
ReplyDelete“Arson, arson!” cries the priest,
“Damn this vile, filthy beast,
Who burned this precious work of art.
To please his hate-filled heart!”
Is he hidden somewhere in the night,
Shifting and twitching at this sight?
Are his hands clean without a mark,
Though they had struck the lethal spark?
Folks searched the woods and countryside,
Remote places where he might hide.
But betrayed by neither sight nor sound,
No trace of him was ever found.
Perhaps his scheme had gone awry,
Perhaps he came too close to spy.
Perhaps this callous, wicked man,
Lies charred, the victim of his plan.
The rhythm is so pleasant and upbeat that it makes the horror of it hit harder. Nicely done.
DeleteBrilliant Jim, the prompt words melded perfectly into the rhyme and rhythm .
DeleteNightmare nastiness agai, this time with rhythm, which makes it all the more impactful
Deletetinkering with the prompt words produced this -
ReplyDeleteTime -Shifters
Precious months had been wasted by those trying to cover up its existence but they were in no way prepared for a civilization that moved in the blink of an eye and who could shift time to jolt that remote emerald light in the heavens so close it could easily be seen all over the world.
Now it was too late: The vast green ship sparkling in the sky like a small moon was flanked by countless smaller ones.
The overlords had arrived and the world was doomed to servitude.
So much wonderfully stuffed into the opening paragraph!
DeleteThere's practically a whole novel implied by this passage, which is both wonderful and impressive.
DeleteThis a perfect demonstration of the kickstart benefit of prompt writing
Deleteand this too -
ReplyDeletePayback
Her uncovered eye glittered as she stroked my leg, ‘Hello my precious.’
Her words reminded me of that creepy, little, Tolkien character and I flinched against her touch.
I knew what was coming as I heard the remote control on the machine whirr into action, shifting it in my direction.
Tightly bound and unable to move, I screamed as the sharp blade burrowed into my flesh.
‘Well, my dear,’ she purred, ‘you did agree an eye for an eye didn’t you?’
Well, there's my nightmare sorted for this evening.
DeleteYikes ... mine too. Glad I read it early morning.
DeleteVery pleased I read this before daybreak and clarity, the memories are lingering enough as it is!
DeleteDocument66
ReplyDeleteDeafening roar. Screaming voices.
Shift
Blurred light fades to gray, precious blackness ahead.
Shift
Memory waves crash, recede. Once all was so fresh and new and wondrous.
Shift
The planned route turns, but I know my path. Crashing through the guardrail, weightless joy fills me. Another follows, doomed miss the connection. How appropriate.
Shift
Bright light. Remote beeps.
“So, how was Earth?”
“Dirty, violent, beautiful, surprising. Interesting creatures. Might self-destruct before they’re ready. It’s all in the report.”
I don’t mention gifts I left to speed them on whichever way they choose.
Rules are for suckers. Humans taught me that.
SO good to see you here, and this an impactful entry.
DeleteSo pleas4ed to see you here! This is a sharply defined attractive piece, wanting to lead on to greater storylines. Get started!
DeleteClever used of those short sentences create wonderfully sharp images as well as the feeling of the shifting motion between them. I am curious as to the 'gifts ' left behind . Hopefully we will get to read about what they they were.
ReplyDelete