Tuesday 31 January 2017

TROUBLE - Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers


If you want to join in the fun please read

Guide for Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
by clicking this link


This week's photo prompt is provided by Jessica Haines.
Thank you Jessica for our photo prompt!




TROUBLE

Andrew’s new trainers were muddy along with his trousers.  He was going to get into trouble with his mum but he really couldn’t help it.  That puddle just begged to be jumped in.  He had homework to do after he got tea ready for his brothers when mum went to her second job.  That job was worse than the cleaning one she did early in the morning but at least she saw them to school in the morning. 

When she got back from the pub she would kiss him and his brothers.  Andrew could smell the stale beer, her hair smelt metallic from the hairspray she used.  She would murmur words of love to him, thanking him for his help, most nights he felt a wetness on her cheeks as he pretended to stay asleep.

When he was 13 he would get a part-time job and bring in some money to help. 

Word count: 152

Sunday 29 January 2017

THE DREAM - Sunday Photo Fiction


https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2017/01/29/sunday-photo-fiction-january-29th-2017/

This week’s picture prompt is courtesy of C.E. Ary


We have 200 words to pen a story using the photo.

© C.E.Ayr


THE DREAM

The tide was out, a lone boat bobbed in the shallow water.  Emma couldn’t see any sign of life aboard.   It must be a lonely life out there on the river trying to make a living.  Emma was so grateful she worked in a nice warm office although some of the people could take a lesson or two in good manners.  Office humour was quite nasty at times.  There was a lot of back stabbing and rumours abounded started by goodness knows who or why.

Toby tugged on her hand.  Her five year old was so full of energy, some days she didn’t know how she kept it altogether, working full time and running round after him was wearing her out.  It was hard being a single mum. 

She looked back longingly at the lone boat and wondered, not for the first time, if she could just disappear from the hectic rat race, her time her own being blown wherever the tide and trade winds took her.

Toby was her main priority now, he slipped his hand from hers and ran with glee towards the swings.  She left her long abandoned dream behind as she chased towards her little boy.

Word count: 200


Wednesday 18 January 2017

WEDNESDAY WRITERS - THE MISTAKE

This week's prompt is a photo and eight random words crafting a story 500 words max.

If you want to join in the fun please go to Inner Sunshine

http://www.innersunshine.net/2017/01/14/rushy-writing-prompt-for-january-18-2017/



pottery     lunatic     hour     arms     tar     barrel     bread     crown

THE MISTAKE

It should have been such a great day but now here I was striding along this road, the heat of the day making the tar on the road stick to my shoes.  These high heels would be the death of me yet, they were pulling on my feet but there was no way I could take them off and walk on this rough road with more miles of countryside to go.  It will take me at least another hour to get home.

It all started last week when my lunatic best friend, Angela, decided to throw me a party in honour of me opening my first exhibition in a few weeks’ time.  I’d been so busy getting everything ready, making sure all my pottery pieces were exactly right, the firing had gone well, the glazing wasn’t crazed and all the hand-painted artwork was going really well.
 
Then Angela turned up on my doorstep Friday night and gaily informed me she was taking me to her house where a few friends would gather to honour my success as an artist. 

I tried all the tricks in the book not to go but she had me over a barrel.  I’d arranged a similar surprise event for her a few years ago and she’d waited this long to get her revenge on me, well that’s what it felt like.

‘Come on, Natalie, you know you’ll enjoy it when you get there.’  Angela’s pleading face was enough, so despite all my protestations and foreboding about the event I agreed to go. 

Angela picked me up and we drove to her house in the country, the next thing I knew she’d invited all of our friends and it seems their friends as well.  The house was bursting at the seams and then he walked in.  I hadn’t seen Nigel for a year so I was so surprised when my heart started to thump with excitement and my tummy had butterflies in it. 

Nigel wrapped me in his arms, ‘God I’ve missed you Natalie!’

I just snapped.  I picked up the first thing that I could grab, luckily I was standing by the buffet table and a loaf of bread, as yet uncut, smashed it across the crown of his head.

His swearing and cussing could be heard across the whole of the house.  I picked up a bouquet of balloons and, with my head held high, made a hasty exit out of the front door.

He had a nerve.  What a cheek!  My indignation took me striding a mile up the road before I ran out of steam.  Then my tears started to flow.  What on earth was Angela thinking invited my ex to my party?  It should have been a celebration and she should have known better.

My mobile had been pinging with text messages and phone calls as I strode along but I ignored it.  I certainly don’t need friends like these, not now and never again would I be hurt like this.


 Word count: 500

Sunday 15 January 2017

THE GOBLET - SUNDAY PHOTO FICTION


https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/sunday-photo-fiction-january-15th-2017/

The above link will take you to the rules/guidelines - basically we have 200 words to create a story around a photo prompt.


This is our photo prompt for this week

THE GOBLET
The piece of pottery gave her nightmares. It was grotesque, the skull face, empty eye sockets, grinning teeth, all encased in ivory and pewter and silver and gold design could not be worth as much as he had intimated over the phone.

‘Well now, Ms. Saunders, I understand you want to sell this item.’  His voice made the hairs on my arms stand up.

‘Yes, that is the general idea or I wouldn’t have made the appointment with you and brought it here for appraisal.’  I smiled back charmingly, I might as well use my womanly wiles as long as they lasted.

His dark brown eyes under heavy, bushy eyebrows actually looked directly at me.  I held his stare, daring him to take advantage of me.  I wasn’t a blond bimbo, in fact I wasn’t a true blond at all.

We agreed a price, cash exchanged hands and I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I drove away from the sleazy pub where we had made the deal.   

Aunt Jane is probably turning in her grave but I am several hundreds of pounds richer and I know exactly how I will spend it. 

Ibiza Club 30 here I come.  
Word count:  200

Wednesday 11 January 2017

WEDNESDAY WRITERS - GOLDIE AND THE GANG

 Wednesday Writers is hosted by the lovely Debb at

Inner Sunshine

this week our prompt  consisted of several photographs with dogs in the pictures.  I chose these two pictures for my story. 
To join in the fun click on Inner Sunshine



Here is my story: 

Goldie And The Gang


I know Goldie was more or less happy with me here but sometimes she seemed so sad and suckled her cuddly toy.  I had so many emotions when I went to pick her up from the rescue centre.  I wanted a dog for companionship, I’d never had one before and needed a more mature dog that was already house trained. 

The centre explained to me that Goldie was classed as a ‘rescue dog’ not because she had been abused in the physical sense but in the sense that the family who had her as a young puppy weren’t really suitable for her.  They had young children who were too loud and lively and always hyper, as is the phrase these days.  Goldie wasn’t settling, the parents worked full time, the kids had so many social activities that most of the time Goldie was left alone for hours and hours during the day and early evening.  The centre told me that when you took on the responsibility of having a dog in your family that dog should become part of the family and part of your life, not an ego trip or something to show off.

A few weeks in and I feel as though she is my life.  It is only these moments when I know she is sad and I wonder why and what I can do about it. 

Saturday was a beautiful day, sun streamed in the windows and the park beckoned to us.  I packed a thermos of hot tea, a couple of sandwiches and some doggy treats in my backpack, called to Goldie, fastened her lead and off we went.

Dog people are so friendly, nods and smiles and endearments to each other’s dogs, although nobody knows each other’s names we are all quite content to let the dogs interact with each other.

Goldie and I found a nice bench to have our lunch.  Goldie’s ears perked up and she started straining at her leash.  I looked in the direction that had taken her interest, three dogs were staring at us.   They didn’t seem to be with anybody. 


As I packed up our lunch things and got ready to leave the park the motley crew decided to follow us.  I took a detour and ended up at the rescue centre.  Samantha was just locking the door and leaving for the day when she spotted us.  

‘What have we got here?’ Samantha bent down to stroke all three dogs.   

I explained what had happened.  Samantha decided to open the centre and check them over.  She said she would contact me if she found out more about them.  Every week Goldie and I visited ‘our gang’ as we now referred to them.

To cut a long story short we are now a family of one lucky girl and four beautiful dogs.  Goldie is happy, no more sad eyes, and ‘our gang’ keep me on my toes and have brought joy and happiness to my life.

Word count: 497


Thursday 5 January 2017

WEDNESDAY WRITERS - THE CAT AND THE BIRD

This week we were given two photos as the prompt for Wednesday Writers.





THE CAT AND THE BIRD

It was so tempting, Jerry kept watch from his vantage point.  It was cool on these marble steps, he was ready for anything, poised and alert, ready for action.  The noise of a pop-pop scooter had alerted him, the smell of the 2-stroke, the fumes from the noisy machine got right up his nose.  Why humans had to use those contraptions to travel he really didn’t know. 

It was worse when the people who gave him food and shelter decided to lock him up in a travelling cage and take him to an antiseptic smelling building where a rather obnoxious male stuck a needle in him and poked something up by his tail, talk about undignified. 

Didn’t they know that cats once ruled the world and were revered as gods, as they should be, by golly gosh!  Then he was subjected to that awful travelling cage again but thankfully the journey was taken in a more comfortable, roomier machine than that two-wheeled thing speeding down the street.

The cages hanging from the tree branches swayed gently in the breeze, the birds enclosed in them tweeted and chirped, sometimes in alarm and sometimes they just couldn’t help themselves as they sang out in wondrous joy.  What they had to be happy about, for the life of him, Jerry couldn’t work out. 

If they weren’t so high up they would be fair game and he could have a bit of sport stalking them but hey-ho that was his life, so he settled back, stretching along the cool marble.  He’d have a cat nap until it was time to wander indoors for a snack.


Feathers ruffled by the breeze
Billy sang out with ease
His wing tips were clipped
Left foot ringed and chipped
His last day of freedom
Taking the nectar from the blossom
The delicious sweet amber liquid
His attention was clouded
As he concentrated on feeding
Sated he flew in to the netting
Hanging from a tree
Limited to what he could see
Now he sang
All day long
From sunrise to sunset
He would never forget
Those days of liberty
His days were dreary
His wings weary
With useless flapping
All he could do was sing
His heart out all day through
High up with a clear view
Of dangers down below
He spotted an age-old foe
The cat was aware
Gave him ‘the stare’
Billy relaxed as the feline
Stretched his spine
Along the length cold stone
Marbled step he used as a throne.
Word count: 416