Category Archives: Flash fiction

Thursday photo prompt – Distant #writephoto

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Nobody had seen anything like this before. For two days the thermometer had been steadily falling. The temperature in our valley was more the kind found in the frozen wastes of Siberia. The hills, which would normally be green and purple with heather in the Autumn sunshine were now covered with a thick coating of snow. So deep was it that there had been reports  that a steady stream of our local deer had been seen streaming down the lower slopes in long brown lines in their search for food. We drove up to the shores of the loch and instead of a flat sea of ice we were astonished to find that it had almost completely either evaporated or simply vanished into the earth. Only a few marshy pools surrounded the mass of weed that would normally act as food for the fish, visiting Northern geese and our own dabbling ducks. Surveying the area with my binoculars I started to laugh almost uncontrollably. I pointed out the reason for my moment of madness. A long line of what must have been ancient standing stones strectched out in a line across the dry bed. After all these years and sadly for our tourist industry I now had the secret of The Loch Ness Monster.

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Sue Vincent’s weekly prompt #Writephoto – The secret of success

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As I was cycling out of the village I couldn’t help but notice a little thatched cottage. Around the doorway and windows there bloomed a delightful rambling rose of deepest crimson. A woman was standing in the garden, a pair of secateurs gripped tightly in her right hand and she was doing battle with a large buddleia that filled one corner of her narrow strip of land.

I was astounded at the beautiful colours of the flowers that seemed to fill and cover every inch of space on both sides of the gravel path that led to the small lopsided front door. I plucked up courage and announced my presence to the lady. I complimented her on her lovely floral display and out of curiosity asked her if she had a secret to her success.

Smiling, she answered that she could only surmise that her home made fertiliser was the key. Continuing her explanation she mentioned that her husband had always tried to get a nice garden but since he had gone she had been very successful. He would never see it, though he had been a great influence. I persuaded her to tell me the secret ingredient and tapping the side of her nose, she said as if in confidence.

“Blood and bone my dear, plain old blood and bone.”

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December 28 – Flash Fiction – Wishing Star

She stepped out of the long white limousine onto the spotless red carpet. wearing her famous smile but little else she elegantly turned and striking a pose, first to the left and then to the right allowing her long elegant legs to peep out from the thigh-slit silk dress. Flashbulbs popped as they clamoured to take her photo, to be the first to get a risque shot of a slight wardrobe malfunction. Taking the arm of her tuxedo-clad companion the young star of many films entered the hall wishing for the ultimate accolade. To be given her first Oscar.

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Sue Vincent’s Thursday photo prompt

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It was the third moonrise since the elation of the first arrival. The seas had remained calm, the large shoals of fish had moved back out of the bay to continue their journeys along the Eastern coast. The return of the first three boats had brought joy but this was replaced by sadness at the realisation there may not be a fourth. There was now only sadness mixed with hope for the watchers on the shore. Women, their heads covered with woollen scarves, shawls wrapped over their shoulders, their once gaily decorated smocks replaced by the black clothes of mourning. Sadly they turned away from the falling tide, retiring to their tiny whitewashed cottages to sit in front of of the open fire in sadness and contemplation. Two with babies slung at their sides felt a worse pain for the children who would never know their fathers. Already the families had known hunger, the times when the shoals of pilchards had bypassed their small cove and other boats had been able to reap the harvest leaving little for the inhabitants of this one remote village, where crops in the field were scarce and prices in the markets high.

One young woman, childless, stayed on the beach in hope, her eyes, though salty with tears, scanning the blue, darkening horizon for any sign of the boats’ return. With no husband or parents to care for she could only wait for her fiancée, the crewman on the smack Louisa. They were betrothed but had decided that marriage could wait until he was able to be master of his own vessel. Then they could hope to move from his parents home into their own property without the expense of paying rent to the Lord of the Manor who owned all of the houses which doubled as the fish-processing works. Gathering all the driftwood and rapidly drying seaweed at the top of the beach she started to make up the fire in preparation for her lonely vigil.

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Filed under Alternative history, Flash fiction, Inspired emotion

MindloveMisery’sMenagerie #Photo Challenge #194

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Gertrude looked down upon the plain below. Her mentor and familiar perched upon her shoulder as was befitting a Prince of Utgard in earthly form. His advice had previously been freely given but the time was approaching when he would require the service he had waited for since their first meeting. Had he not given her great beauty and power beyond her youthful dreams for the past decades. By his power and guidance and his alone, armies had been vanquished, alliances formed and the wealth of nations heaped upon his charge threefold. Now time was progressing and the old ones were stirring in their slumbers. Portents of future catastrophe had invaded his dreams. Long forgotten memories had commenced their slow return. When Krandeus whispered in Gertrude’s ear all but she could only hear a loud, rasping Kerrayk. To Gertrude it was the wisdom of the ages for she heard only the friendly advice that had served her so well in all aspects of her long, successful reign. Her furrowed brow and sidewise glances were uncharacteristic and alien to her proud measure, for he had sounded cautious to a high degree. For once Krandeus had advised her against impetuosity. Doubts of the soundness of his latest counsel immediately entered her mind. She did not argue but acquiesced to his suggestion of a meeting with the mysterious band of warriors the scouts had reported encamped in the Whispering woods on the Eastern shore of the White river. She rose and stamped back to the seven horsemen who stood guard, ensuring that no man could approach her in her lone meditation. “My horse,” she demanded and as they handed her the bridle, she announced, “I will go down tomorrow, there will be no feast for you tonight, you will all accompany me.” “We depart with the dawn.”

Being a brief extract from, “Tales of Emeralds and Queens.”

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Colleen’s weekly poetry challenge #62 #haiku

The countryside chimes

are now only memories

for peace in our time Continue reading

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Photo Challenge #192 → Twittering Tale #62 – 12 December 2017

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“Look mummy the note says to make a wish, it’s signed Jeanie.” “Make a wish then dear.” “Ok mummy done.”

High above their heads the cliff started to crumble and a rock fell, knocking the woman, head bleeding, to the ground.

The girl smiled.   137 ch.

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Friday fictioneers flash fiction challenge

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I look out of the window to the old apple tree at the bottom of the garden. My inheritance you may call it for though valueless it has repaid me many times. Now it is a naturally decorated tree, the light shining and glinting on the frozen streamers. In Spring blossoms appear, pink snowdrifts in short-lived glory. Leaves slowly unfurl, changing hue as the sun passes overhead, food for marching caterpillars. Bright red apples form then wither and fall for hungry animals and birds to scavenge before in readiness for Winter, the leaves form falling, orange-brown carpets. My living calendar.

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WRITESPIRATION #144 52 WEEKS IN 52 WORDS WEEK 49

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Again I assured her it was safe but I could see she still had doubts. I had passed behind the roaring curtain many times. That gave me the idea it would look great to pose,  head back, arms outstretched behind, through the translucent milky screen. A persuasive setting  for a glamour photoshoot.

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WRITESPIRATION #143 52 WEEKS IN 52 WORDS WEEK 48

 

We sat in silence in the yurt in expectation not knowing why we had been summoned. A boy entered with three jugs with bamboo tubes for straws.  I looked inside mine, the cold hit my nostrils for it contained frozen yak milk which is only offered to visitors as a great honour.

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