Tag Archives: flash fiction

Flash Fiction Friday

Well, my friends, it’s Friday, so we’re going to take a moment, a break from the tedium of editing, to do a little blurb of Flash Fiction. It’s going to be a relatively short and sweet post today, as my brain is all a flurry with formatting and what have you, as well as my other projects, which is a great feeling, to just be sort of swept up by my inspiration and my excitement about getting this bloody damn book done already. So, please to enjoy, and please join in on your own interpretations inspired by the photograph! My brain is definitely In the Zone this morning, so I shall not distract it any longer!

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(Image courtesy of PhotoBotos: “Rochester Panorama” by Neil Kremer)

Though the sky was burning and a heavy black cloud hung overhead, it didn’t matter. It was cracking, that sky, and the air was crisp with scorched ozone and the wailing of useless sirens in the distance, but it didn’t matter. The water still roiled underneath the bridge, churning as it drifted away from the waterfall, and he sat there with her, their feet kicking idly over the turbulent river. The whole world was going to split into two at any moment, but the fact that she was there was all that mattered.

“So this is it,” she said. “The end of the world.”

“I expected it to be a little different.”

She was looking down into the water; he was looking up at the sky. “Different how?” she asked, lifting her eyes from her kicking feet to his face, cast in the strange orange glow that had illuminated the city.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I thought there would be more…drama. More explosions or screaming or earthquakes or something.”

Biting her lip, she looked up at those clouds, which became darker, more menacing, slowly but surely. It was as though, in the blink of an eye, it will have reached its pinnacle and then, poof, just like that, it would all be gone. No drama, no explosions or screaming or earthquakes. Just here one minute and the next…

“I kind of like it,” she said, moving her hand closer to his, and he took it.

“Me, too,” he said, squeezing lightly, and, together, they watched.

*****

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I like it, but it seems like something I’ve done before, and it might be a little too sparse. This was a challenging photograph for me, for the most part. Perhaps you might have some better luck with it. If you do tackle it, feel free to share it here or in your own blog, because I’d love to see what everyone else comes up with.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank Coco J. Ginger for being my latest follower! Hi, Coco! Welcome aboard! Good to have you here.

Flash Fiction Friday: May 25th.

Today, I find myself vaguely astounded. One of the things that gets me is that it’s already nearly the end of May, and so soon! This year has been flying by in a whirlwind. I’m not sure if that’s just me, and I’m not sure if it’s necessarily a good thing or a bad thing, but summer is already here, practically. I slightly blame the strange weather we’ve been having. It never really felt like we had much of a spring, and part of me wonders if that’s just Illinois. It felt like this last year, as well, and I’ve been suffering through a little bit of an ‘I miss Michigan!’ phase lately. Traverse City is especially lovely this time of year…

The second thing that astonishes me is that I’m actually posting my Flash Fiction Friday on Friday. What strange event is this? I guess even I can manage to be on top of things every once in a while. Go me! I think it had a lot to do with the fact that this one is pretty short and sweet. Check it out:

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(Photo courtesy of PhotoBotos, by Steve Shuey)

All it took was one look at the crowd for Stanley to realize that he had overdressed for the event. Damn, he thought to himself. What a waste of a perfectly good tux.

******

And that’s it! Now that’s what I call a flash fiction, but this is what popped into my head when I saw the picture, and that’s what I’m sticking with. Short and sweet. How will the picture inspire you? Please feel free to swipe it for your own flash fiction to share! Until next time, happy writing, space cowboys.

Flash Fiction Friday…on Saturday! May 12th.

First off, I want to start out with a few unrelated topics. Number one: Naps are awesome. I woke up yesterday morning feeling like butt and, even though I wanted to get some work done, I decided I’d sleep in a little bit, something I very rarely did. I napped for about half an hour and woke up feeling awesome. This could also be a great testament for just listening to your body, because that half hour made a huge difference, yet I still had time to do stuff. All is well! And, two, the plan to cut out coffee is a failure, too, as I’m sipping on a nice big cup of it right now. It’s the damn withdrawal headache. I have to work today, and I don’t want to go through work in the blur that I did yesterday from caffeine deprivation, with a caffeine headache on top of it. ‘m thinking of calling the experiment failed. The fact of the matter is that I love coffee, and life is too short not to enjoy the things you love, even if they’re expensive habits and you put way too much sugar in it.

I fully intended to get this post done yesterday, but time caught up with me, so we’re having another Flash Fiction Friday on Saturday. Below is a photograph from the marvelous PhotoBotos, meant to inspire a brief little flash of fiction, as well as my own contribution. Feel free to take the picture and run with it and share your work! I always love seeing what other people come up with if I get the time (which I don’t, not always, which makes me sad). But it’s always good to work our writerly muscles, and here’s my work-out for this particular prompt.

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(Image from by Scott Wood)

“There it is!” Her voice lifted as best it could over the thumping sound of the helicopter’s blade, pointing out to her companions as though they might miss the spectacle opening up below them. Though the sun was about to set on the horizon of the cloud-scattered sky, it was enough light to catch on the rushing waters, spilling over the great cliffs that towered over the sprawling jungles. She didn’t bother to register her companion’s reactions; she smiled to herself and leaned toward the window eagerly, wanting to soak it all in. “We finally made it.”

Across from her, David smiled, shaking his head faintly. “Like a kid on Christmas morning,” he said, admiration dancing in his tone, but he knew that this was big for her. This was the moment she had been dreaming of ever since they heard about the caves beyond the waterfalls, and the vast amount of knowledge held within. She had been buzzing about this project ever since it broke, and she had been deliriously happy ever since she got the news that she would be a part of it. He could only hope to push back the niggling little feeling of disappointment that he had never been able to make her feel like this himself.

No one was surprised when she was the first one out of the helicopter, bounding to the ground and hurrying forward with her pack slung over her shoulders. “Okay,” she announced, as the other followed her at a more cautious pace, “let’s set up base and be quick about it. We only have a little bit of light left, and then we’ll head into the caves. Once the sun goes down, doing anything out here would be pointless, so it’ll be forward and onward. Let’s go. Pascal, you’ve got the equipment, right?”

Ushered by her eager urging, the camp was set up at what David was sure had to have been a record speed, and she spent no time hesitating to rest afterwards. She was strapping on her gear before the last task was even completely finished. “Good job, guys,” she burbled. “Who’s going with me on the initial entry? Margot? Sean?” Her eyes danced to him, and a smile lit up her face. “David?”

She knew she didn’t have to ask; David dutifully stood up with the rest of those who hadn’t groaned at the prospect of anything other than relaxing after the long flight. He strapped on his gear, and they followed her into the caves beyond the curtain of waterfall, the pouring torrent echoing loudly in the long tunnels that disappeared into the darkness of the mountainside. Their gear lit up the black passageway as it became more narrow, steeper, more treacherous the more they descended. David put his hand to a wall to steady himself, and he could swear he felt the rocks vibrating. It unsettled him immediately.

“Maybe we should come back later,” he suggested.

“I’m going on ahead,” she said.

“Wait–” David said, but he was too late. Swift as always, she had slid through a very thin gap between two rocks, scouting ahead. This time, David was certain he felt the vibrating beneath his feet, and several heads turned toward the sound of rumbling deep and distant in the caves. He called out to her. “Come back! I don’t think it’s safe!”

David stepped forward, but a hand held him back. The whole cavern seemed to shutter before the rocks came tumbling down, filling in the gap through which she had slipped. He shouted her name, but more hands held him back. “We have to get out of here!” someone shouted, and the shaking grew, it threatened to throw them all off their feet, but David still struggled against those dragging him back toward the entrance. She was lost, they said, it was too late. They would go back when the earthquake had settled, but he had to go in there now and get her. The others overwhelmed him and the next thing he knew, there was the roar of the waterfall and more rocks were tumbling down, closing off the entrance, sealing her into the place she’d always dreamed about, and he half wondered if she had slipped away from them intentionally, with full knowledge that she might never leave again.

*****
There you have it! Much longer than my usual flash fictions and definitely something that could develop easily into more. How will this picture inspire you? I hope it does. Happy writing!

Flash Fiction Friday! April 27th.

Fridays here on my blog are always an opportunity not only to share pretty pictures with my readers, but also gives me the chance to hone my writing skills a little and hopefully inspire others to hone theirs in a similar fashion. Sometimes, the pieces flop. Sometimes, I’m pulling for teeth. But other times, the stories are striking, leaving an impression on those who read it despite being just a little whim of a blurb. Other times, they develop into larger, better stories, and those stories would not have existed if it weren’t for the prompt in the first place. Sometimes (and I’ll admit that today is shaping to be one of those days), I feel a little out of it, a little weary, and not quite up to the task of wordsmithing, but I’m ensuring that I’m still sitting here, butt in my chair, fingers over my keyboard, and I’m going to do this thing anyway.

It’s definitely this sort of dedication that has gotten me to where I am right now, with a book on the brink of being published and a lot more to look forward to for the rest of the year. I’m still hoping to snag one or two more beta readers, if you’re interested, but, right now, let’s get to the picture prompt, from the excellent and eclectic PhotoBotos!

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(Image courtesy of PhotoBotos, by Bread and Shutter)

He had watched her drifting, like a scarlet ghost, across the courtyard, the red of her cloak seeming impossibly bright against the darkness of the evening. Still, though her every step was marked from the moment she arrived at the gates to the second she stepped into the door of the tower, nothing could prepare him for the moment she stood in front of him. She became so much more than a graceful, gliding figure; the open cowl of her cloak revealed her face, dark and smooth, and those piercing black eyes.

“Alessandra,” he breathed her name, reaching out to take her hand in his, bending down to brush his lips against the cold skin. “Why, your hand! It is as if made of ice! Are you well?”

Her eyes fluttered in answer; before she could speak, he realized that the long line of her neck plunged down into the cloak, but the hint of chest revealed itself to be bare, and the suggestion of a shoulder seemed to be uncovered as well. His breath left him; he had to fight to keep down a gasp. “My lady,” he said, eyes wide with shock and titillation, “do not tell me that you wear nothing under your cloak.”

Her eyes were dancing now, her lower lip caught coquettishly under her teeth. “I shall not tell you,” she vowed, though the promise continued on in a way that made him shudder with excitement, “what I can just as easily show you.”

There was the gentle rustling whisper of the cloth as it slid away from her shoulders; the cloak slide away from the dark form of Alessandra’s body, gathering at her feet like a cloud, and she stepped forward, stepping out of it as if she had just shed her skin for a new one, and her hand pressed against his chest, over his quickening heart. He opened his mouth to speak to her, to fumble an objection or remind her of the danger in her actions, but she silenced him with her long, delicate finger, and then a long, sensuous kiss.

He saw clouds of red as they tumbled backwards, and he knew everything would be a beautiful, exhilarating blur from there, until she would slip out against, gliding like a ghost, across the courtyard, when the red of her cloak would seem to bleed into the sky of another new morning.

******

Alright! Your turn! What great words can you create to go along with this gorgeous photograph? I look forward to seeing what you might have to offer!

Flash Fiction Friday: April 20th!

And, lo and behold, I force myself to take a break from all the fun of prepping my manuscript for beta readers to bring to you another Flash Fiction Friday! I’m hoping that today, in general, is a good day for work. I have the day off from the paying job, and a brief peek at next week shows a really odd schedule. Instead of my usual days off, I’m working a different set of days. I’m not sure if this is going to be my new “regular hours” for a few weeks (as is often the case with these schedule changes), but I do know it’s going to throw me off my game a little. Here’s to hoping for a great, productive day today so that when I’m all out of sync next week, I’m still on my own two feet.

Ahhh, to be a creature of habit in an unpredictable world.

No matter. Let’s get to the flash fiction! The idea of this prompt is simple and like most flash fiction prompts out there. I’m going to post a picture and, if you feel so inclined or inspired, write up a little blurb inspired by the picture. Who knows where it might go? My current Featured Story came from a prompt like this. Feel free to share it on your own blog or on this blog. I never get around to reading half the prompts that get posts, but I know I’ll certainly try to. Below, you’ll find my own contribution. Let’s go!

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(Image courtesy of PhotoBotos by Aaron Nance)

They had tied the boy down, but it was no use. Despite the tightness of his bonds, he writhed and pitched against them in the throes of his fever, crying out into the night. That such a sound could come from such a small body! It caused the other passengers on the ship to huddle together, lifting their shoulders as if to protect them against the wails as they rattled their spines and disturbed their sensibilities. They grew wary of anyone showing even the slightest sign of sickness, wanting it to be just the boy, no one else, infected and possessed with this strange demon. They avoided the room in the corner cabin, where, shirtless and sweating, the boy would pitch and jerk, straining against the ropes while his voice lifted in such haunting shouts that the others whispered that they should do him a kindness and put him down like a poor dog.

“It’s because of the women, mum.” The young girl, whose name was Caroline, clutched her mother’s hand and looked up at her with wide, frightened blue eyes. They were on the deck far away from the corner cabin with the sick boy inside, though the wind seemed to carry his howls as easily as if they were feathers or leaves. “That’s why he’s screaming; the women are coming for his voice.”

“Women?” The young girl’s mother, whose name was Elizabeth, frowned at her daughter and had to force down a shudder, from fear, from distress, from the cold ocean spray pushing up against the railing and seeping into their clothes. “What women?”

“The wailing women,” Caroline stated, shrinking back against her mother’s skirts. “We’ve all seen them, all of us. Four of them; they’re so beautiful, mum, but the noise that they make! They wail and scream and clutch at their clothes, and they look like they’ve lost something. I saw them go into his room, too, mum, I think they found what they were looking for.”

She had fastened herself to her mother’s hand, turning her face against her skirt. “I’m just glad it wasn’t me,” Caroline murmured into the stiff, colorful cloth.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to chastise young Caroline, to tell her that she was making up stories and that no such women existed, but, just as she did, the wind around them seemed to stop, and the faint screams in the distance ceased, replaced with a startling, uncomfortable silence. The wind eventually picked up, but not before everyone aboard realized that the young boy had died, and, all around the ship, the children clung to their mothers, knowing that the wailing women would not yet be satisfied.

*****
Once again, I feel my flash fictions never do justice to the larger story lurking underneath. But there you have my submission, a little creepy, and that’s a little good. What have you got in store for this gorgeous and curious picture? I’d love to see it!

Flash Fiction Friday! April 6th.

It’s Friday morning, the sun is pouring through the windows into my little kitchen workspace, and it’s definitely time for another Flash Fiction Friday. Just a little bit of a photo prompt to get the brain working and the inspiration pumping to see what you might come up with. Or what I may come up with. Flash fiction is great because sometimes, you have the opportunity to create something really profound in the space of a few words. Or (as is more often the case with the novelist me) what might start out as a little blurb to meet the prompt ends up building into something else, bigger and better. I never have any lack of ideas for what to write about, but I definitely get a lot of new ideas from prompts and that’s what I love about them.

Sometimes, some prompts are harder than others, but that only makes it more interesting when you really have to challenge yourself to come up with something even though you’re not feeling entirely inspired. My brain’s not really in a flash fiction mindset, but that’s all the more reason to push through and see what comes out.

So, here was are, a picture from PhotoBotos to jog the inspiration! Go ahead and use the prompt for yourself if you’d like, share it here or on your own blog or however, and see what you can come up with! Below is my own contribution. Enjoy! And happy writing!

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(“Rainbows and Dust” by Marc Hermann courtesy of PhotoBotos)

Kanoa let out a shrill shriek, a scream of surprise as her sister let up on the pedals and allowed the bicycle to coast down the slope of the path. The shout soon shifted into a giggle, bubbling out of her at the pure joy of the free-falling feeling, the wind in her hair, but the comforting strength of her sister behind her. She closed her eyes and held onto the moment. Before she knew it, it would be over, the world around her would resume, but in these fleeting seconds, it was just her, the wind, and her sister, wrapping around her like a protective blanket. They were flying, the sun dappled on their skin and the rustle of the trees above them, and they were free.

Eventually, though, the bike started to lose its momentum, and Manaka had to put her feet down again to start pedaling, the work and effort radiating off of her in her shifting body to jostle Kanoa, making her slightly uncomfortable where she sat. She sighed, opening her eyes and seeing the ramshackle buildings of the village waiting for them at the bottom of the gentle slope, heard the sounds of spitting automobiles and clanging tools, started to feel the sweat and the heat of so many bodies in so much sun. Manaka turned the corner sharply, calling out to people who shouted greetings at them, and Kanoa closed her eyes again. She wished she could keep them closed until tomorrow, when she and her sister would ride up the hill again to gather the herbs and the branches and, for a brief moment in time, they would ride back down the hill and she could fly again.

****

I had a feeling this might tie into a story I wrote for Morgan Dragonwillow’s contest a little while back! Kanoa and her sister Manaka showed up in a story that I felt would be surfacing a lot more; it’ll be interesting to see if these girls show up elsewhere and build themselves into something more!

So, what have you got for the prompt? Let’s see it!

*****

Flash Fiction Friday! March 23rd.

Have you ever had the feeling that, when you actually have it in you to want to write, it’s like those are the times when you can’t write? I’ve got a lot of that going on right now. I’m pleased to say that I was bitten by a writing bug hard on Wednesday; it was the first day since I’ve been trying to do so that I felt that I was honestly treating writing as a job, not a hobby, and it was such an incredible feeling. I managed to get two new stories done (okay, well, finished) and one of them sent out to a contest, not to mention some great work on my big WIP. Now that I want to do it again, of course, I have a boatload of work and social engagements (though I don’t so much mind the latter), so I don’t have the time to do that amongst everything else that’s needing done. It seems like that’s how things always work out, but I’m hoping that this drive to create and treat my writing more professionally stick around into next week when I have days off from the jobs that actually pay me right now.

That said, it’s Friday, which means another Flash Fiction prompt! Below is a photo, taken from the wonderful PhotoBotos, and the task is to let it inspire you to write a quick little drabble about it. Below follows my attempt:

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(Photo Courtesy of , by Charles Glatzer)

Mike thought maybe the river would give him an advantage, but he couldn’t believe how wrong he was. Though he pushed forward with all his strength and speed, the bear barreled forward, sending great waves out of his way, while Michael himself was bogged down by the water sopping into his clothes and making him heavier. He still pushed forward; what else was he to do? But he let out a desperate sob, certain that it was all hopeless.

Rebecca had warned him. Be careful if you go into those woods, she said. There’s bears in those woods, she said. Of course he knew there was a chance that any sort of wildlife would be ripe in the lush, untouched wilderness, but he should have paid more heed to their dangers. And now here he was, running for his life, getting even more lost by the minute, and he was starting to run out of energy. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on.

His feet met the pebbly shore of the other side of the river; his knees almost went weak with relief and he had to push himself to keep running. Even with that push, though, it was no use. There was the bear, lurching out of the water like a great, damp monster, and his paw caught Mike’s leg. Mike cried out as he tumbled down and the bear hulked over him, turning him over, pinning him down and releasing a powerful roar to announce his finally victory. He lowered his head and growled at the terrified man under his paw.

“I-I’m sorry!” Mike stammered, helplessly, desperately. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to eat your porridge, or break your chair! I’m sorry I slept in your bed! I’m sorry, but please, let me go!”

*****
I’m leaving it there! It’s well over the five minutes I like to keep these under, but as I finished it up, I got a great idea for a way to build this into a longer story. It wasn’t in my head when I wrote it, but what if Goldilocks was still with the bears? I might take a stab at this as a longer piece later when I have more time, because now I’m intrigued! I was a little reluctant about the prompt and even doing my flash fiction today, not feeling much in the mood, but now I’m charged.

See, this is what I’m talking about! Once you open those gates, the creativity just seems to burst right through!

Please feel free to use the prompt to inspire your own flash fiction and share it here or in your own blog!

Flash Fiction Friday on Saturday*!

*This post was intended for yesterday, to go up when I got out of work, but a friend decided to have a shin-dig and so, alas, it is being posted today instead. You’ve got to love WordPress’s ability to save drafts for later!

I have continued to “take it easy” a little bit lately by skipping yet another post yesterday, but I’m starting to think a good portion of it is simply getting into the habit of not writing my posts, so I’m hoping to break that a little. Today is definitely an easy one to do it with…it’s Friday! I didn’t get a chance to post a flash fiction prompt last Friday, which is all the more reason I wanted to make sure I managed one this week. I actually look forward to Fridays for the flash prompts everyone posts; it’s just that March has been a very odd month for me so far.

I feel I’m getting a great charge back, though, which is exciting. I even had a pretty great dream last night that might make a good story today. It was a blend of a medieval and Victorian England world, the result, no doubt, of too much Game of Throne, finishing a Discworld book, and reading through a book about Charles Dickens, but it was a lovely and exciting world that got me through last night’s slumber. In the dream, the story focused around a man trying to barter with some group, details still undefined, but they would not take gold or any other form of currency. So the man ends up giving them his daughter, and the story branches out from there into the impenetrable mists that remain several hours after waking. It could be an interesting project to tackle in the upcoming days, and it’s just really exciting to have inspiring dreams again.

And now, on to the flash fiction! As much as I love Five Minute Getaway as a source for prompt pictures, I think I’m going to switch my resource over to PhotoBotos instead. They offer a wide range of breath-taking photos from a variety of photographers and, even better, I’ve seen them go around a support a great many other WordPress bloggers. I’ve even found a few new awesome people to follow from their website, so I’d like to take the chance to honor them and thank them for their great posts by turning to them for my fiction prompts.

Here we go. The concept is simple: take the photo below and see what you can come up with as a little flash fiction story! I did an “about five minutes or so” rule of thumb to go with the Five Minutes of the Getaway, but I never really stuck to that much. If you’d like to use the prompt yourself, go for it! Share it here or in your own journal or whatever you’d like to do with it. Below is my own contribution, as well.

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(Photo courtesy of PhotoBotos, by Charlie Stinchcomb)

As they cautiously drifted down the long walkway, she drew herself closer to him, clinging tighter to his arm. She tried not to think about where they were. She tried not to think about the setting sun and the encroaching darkness, the fact that the golden colors of the sky would soon turn to red the color of blood, saturating into the gentle sloshing waters below them. She tried not to think of the watchful eyes above them in the towers, though she couldn’t keep her eyes from drifting upwards, worriedly, as they passed underneath the occasional structure that jutted out over the long and narrow road over the sea.

“Just keep your eyes forward,” he said quietly, whispering in her ear and giving her another reassuring squeeze. “We’re almost there.”

“What if we don’t make it?” she whispered back and, though her voice was low, it was wrought with distress. “What if they stop us?”

“Then they will find all of our papers in order, apologize for the necessarily inconvenience of a check, and let us be on our way,” he said, so plaintively that it made her feel a little bit upset, but they continued walking. Though she knew the other side was getting closer, it felt as though it was still a million miles away, and her eyes still drifted worriedly up toward the towers, catching the glint of sun on their metal guns and weapons as they passed under.

So she took his advice and she turned her eyes forward, concentrating on the line where the land gently began to slope up from the ocean. There, she would find her new beginning. There, they would be able to seek out their happiness and a new life in the mysterious land that was calling to them, leaving their old lives behind them, beyond the long, narrow bridge they crossed now. But as they get closer and closer, a sudden thought of dread struck her. What if, instead of trying to keep people from getting in, the guards were actually there to ensure that people didn’t get out? It was a ridiculous thought, a random thought, but as it entered her head, she felt her heart quicken and her breath catch. She shook her head slightly, and focused on the end of the bridge and the start of their new lives.

****

Feels like it could be the start of something more!

Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to give a quick shout-out to Robin Coyle, my most recent subscriber! Thanks for following along, Robin! Good to have you aboard.

Flash Fiction Friday: March 2nd!

Welcome to March, everyone! Yesterday’s post had me talking a lot about being in a funk, suffering an overall lack of inspiration, but I have the whole day (and some Friday afternoon Zoup! to help me feel better. Plus? Only a five hour shift on a Saturday tomorrow. That’s virtually unheard of, and will revel in the time I have tomorrow morning to read some good books and maybe even (gasp!) write!

I’m not quite sure what I think of this new format for WordPress and making posts. Like all things new, it’s a little burdensome and I miss the old style, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I notice the edit is still in the style….does anyone know how to make that new Quick Post function HTML script? Because I have to write HTML. It’s too weird for me to use fancy gadgets to do my coding for me. Anyway….now is not the time for WordPress talk, however. It is the time for Flash Fiction Friday! Below, you will find a picture-prompt from the fabulous Five Minute Getaway, and you’ll find my attempt to spit out a five-minute-or-so flash fiction to accompany it! Feel free to write up your own and share it as you please, too! One of these days, I might even get around to reading it like I always plan to but, somehow, never seem to have enough time. But it’s good to challenge ourselves and who knows what might come out of it? Let’s get to the fiction!

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Every so often, you had to stop for a moment a realize how beautiful the whole world was. Below us, as we drifted in our bright red balloon, the land had pulled over a white blanket of snow, the occasional pirckle of a tree sticking out of it. The winds, however, prevented you from looking for too long, because they’d blow so fiercely and your whole vision would be obscured with just bright, freezing white. That in itself was beautiful, and I just couldn’t help being fascinated by it, pausing to appreciate the beauty.

The others didn’t appreciate me pausing, though. “Violet!” Heinrich shouted. “Wake up! Grab the rope! We’re going to blow straight into this cliff if everyone keeps drifting off like this!”

“Sorry,” I muttered, reaching for the rope and pulling it down to help balance the balloon, while Heinrich, sweating despite the cold, worked hard to keep the fire going. The wind kept trying to blow it out, and I leaned heavily on the rope, watching him sullenly now, wondering if we were going to get out of this.

“If we get out of this alive,” said Scott, practically reading my mind, as he seemed so capable of doing at time, “remind us never to let you navigate for us again, Heinrich.”

****

A little Around the World in 80 Days-ish. I might feel tempted to pull this into a full length story. Lost by balloon! Crazy adventures! Always fun.

Thanks for reading and, as always, happy writing!

Oh, and I nearly forgot! I’d like to thank Balance Through the Lens for subscribing to the blog! She has a wonderful photography sight with some pretty inspiring posts to go along with her pictures, so check her out if you get the chance!

Flash Fiction Friday: February 24th!

Hello, dear readers! Let me tell you, I am half-tempted to just take a picture of the scene outside my window right now and use that as a fiction prompt because it is just beautiful! We got a few inches of heavy white snow overnight, and one of my favorite parts of having moving up to the second floor apartment is that I see all the bare tree branches dressed in now, the rooftops of my neighbors blanketed in a similar fashion, and it’s just lovely. It’s still snowing a little bit, too, making me incredibly grateful to have the day off today as well. Everyone always gives me crap because I was griping about this winter not having enough snow, so it always makes me happy to see some, even if it’s only probably going to be around for a few days or so.

Let’s move onto the prompt, shall we? If you’ve been following the blog, you know the deal. If not, it’s pretty simple. I’m going to post a picture from the fabulous Five-Minute Getaway (today’s is probably the complete opposite of snow, of course!), and, if you’d like, go ahead and try to spin a yarn in about five minutes or so to go along with it. Post it here, post it in your own blog, keep it to yourself, it doesn’t matter, just have fun, and who knows what will come out of it? I love flash fiction because, sometimes, they’re perfect little nuggets by themselves, and, other times, they build themselves into bigger, better thing. Let’s go!

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(Image courtesy of Five-Minute Getaway)

I was surprised to see that the veranda was empty, with only the few chairs and no one in them. There were the trappings of their presence scattered around, Marlena’s towel, Scotty’s bag, Jenn’s sunglasses, and, for a moment, I wondered if they had been snatched right up from where they stood and sucked up into the endless blue sky. But then a bark of laughter rang from below, and I realized that my imagination was getting the best of me and they had merely failed to wait and had gone ahead without me down to the beach. I drifted over to the railing, peering over at the sea and the white sand, and the three bodies down there, moving and running and splashing in the sun.

I could probably stand there and watch them all day, until they tired themselves out and fell, exhausted, into the warm embrace of the sand and let their already tanned bodies bask in this tropical warmth. It had been Scotty’s idea to take the trip, and the girls were more than happy to go along with the idea, managing to procure new swimsuits and luggage sets mere seconds after the holiday was announced. They were all so overworked and tired that a get-away was just the thing they needed.

I must admit, it was just the thing I needed, too. Briefly, I realized how perfect this opportunity was. The veranda was up high on the cliff, and I looked down on their frolicking selves at a good height. I would have to go back inside to get the gun, but this was a sniper’s dream. They probably wouldn’t even realize that the bullets were raining from above until it was far too late. I could make quick work of them, and everyone would assume they were here, having a good time, giving me an entire week to enjoy myself before having to deal with the messy business of the real world.

Jenn must have spotted me, since she stopped, turning toward the veranda, and she shouted something. The wind carried away so I could hear what the words were, but she bounced, waving, and even from this distance, I could appreciate the way her pert breasts jumped in her halter. She was smiling, too, I could feel that. I lifted my hand in a little wave back, thinking to myself that, easy as it would be, I wouldn’t do the job now. Let them have this last week of paradise, and no one could accuse me of being a cold-hearted killer, at the very least.

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Happy writing, everyone! Also, have you ever chilled out in one of those huge round basket bench/chair/bed things before? They’re awesome.