Ten Days to Go

BWC Village

Ten days to go till the end of today. I'm counting the days, one finger at a time. The neighbors don't know yet. Life will change. I sold the house and told no one. In a way, it's sad. I have been living here for over thirty years. I know everyone. I have seen them get married, have children. I have met the boyfriends and girlfriends of their kids. I have been to the christening of so many babies I lost count. And when they walk by, they wave and stay on, leaning against my fence, chatting a few minutes away before heading off back to their lives.

Now, I have ten days, only ten days to go till the end of today, my today that will never come back.

Tell me

Pixel Dreams

Tell me, is it morning yet? Tell me.

When will we look at the sun and smile?

When will we tread the narrow path of tomorrow and, at least, pretend we have a future?

When will we look at the seagulls and watch them circle the dark sky?

When will we believe? I wonder.

And my soul wanders away in my thoughts, my arms stretched, embracing the world, at least in my mind.

Anyone looking at me would only see me, sitting by the window and staring outside while the rain falls, the wind whispers secrets of the past, and the present is a cat sleeping on my lap.

Gas

Wintersweet

The painting on the wall flickered, alive with the dancing flames of the gas fireplace. The man sat on a chair. His attention was on the geometric face. He had never intended it to come out like that but he thought it was beautiful. He cleaned his hands with a colorful cloth. She hated that. She hated the smell too. She hated when he sat in the living-room in his “rags”, as she called his painting overalls. When she saw the painting, she wanted to burn it. His nails had red underneath, and the painting was still on the wall.

100 Word Stories

Deal

The Tower by Rebecca Bashly

The deal was that you'd never scream at me. The deal was that a smile would be a smile and not a sarcastic sneer thrown at my soul. The deal was that I would live today, dream of tomorrow, regret nothing of the past. And now, I live today, dreading tomorrow and desperately trying to forget what happened. The more they told me to walk away, the more I pretended not to listen. I covered my ears, shut my eyes, sheltered my soul, and one day, in darkness, I decided to leave. May my tombstone read “The deal was broken.”

100 Word Stories

Lost Hope

Salt Water

Letter to Nobody

My eyes roam the land, the short golden grass dancing in the wind as the purple clouds fly away softly, caressing a bright blue sky. A lonely seagull makes its way out to sea while the waves lap gently on the shoreline. I stand against an ancient tree and try not to blink fearful this picture-perfect moment would fade away too soon. I thought the busy, fast-paced life would suddenly gain some sort of meaning. I thought, one day, things would change. They never did. And a picture-perfect lie ends now at a picture-perfect place.

Signed,

Hope

100 Word Stories

(Prompt: PICK TWO: Washing, Hope, Downward, Nix, Lie, Thrive, Joy, Rhapsody)

Drive

Il Nido Cafe and Wine Bar "The Nest"

She couldn't walk but she had a very nice bike. It was parked outside the house and it was covered by flowers, violet, red, blue, and white. And she smiled. The bright colors made her smile. And the bicycle rusted away parked outside the house. Every now and then, she’d look at that bike. She’d close her eyes, and ride it, her legs completely paralyzed, but moving freely in her imagination. Whenever she got home and parked the bicycle outside the house, the flowers would sway back and take hold of her bike, becoming the sole guardians of her dreams.

100 Word Stories

Paprika

Octoberville

A comedian added paprika to everything, to the food, the stove, the counter, the walls, even to his co-presenter who tried very hard not to burst out laughing before the cameras.

The day they ran out of paprika, he started using ketchup. It was a commercial nightmare. Shocked viewers complained and advertisers pulled the plug.

When they went back to paprika, everything got back to normal, except for the cameraman whose ketchup company was hoping to make a lot of money.

Why does a cameraman own a ketchup company and work as a cameraman? Rich people are odd… well, sometimes.

100 Word Stories

Loot

Octoberville

The dark entrance to the tunnel was dimly lit. It was tempting to rush in, grab whatever he could and rush out. On the other hand, the dragon had parked himself in there. He took a deep breath and walked in.

The next greedy bastard found him bored out of his wits in a small cage. Apparently, the dragon had a terrible sense of humor and didn’t believe he was just visiting.

The real problem was that the cage got considerably cramped with the new arrival.

He didn't even want to think what would happen if anyone else showed up.

100 Word Stories

Loner Value

Somewhere

“The value of being a loner is difficult to explain, they tell me.”

The conversation went from bra sizes to philosophical states of mind in a heartbeat.

“In this job, we can’t be loners.”

The girls nodded. One sat in the back.

“Teamwork.”

More nodding.

“We have to stick together.”

Emphatic nodding.

Later that day, all dressed up for the graduation gala, each went about their lives, enjoying the moment.

They didn't notice she was outside, watching the fiery sunset. That would be the first of many fiery sunsets she’d go through alone.

The Squad made her an undercover agent.

100 Word Stories

(PICK TWO: Squad, Value, Callous, Iron, Bunk, Loner, Wispy, Divert)

Monster

Octoberville

The slightly cross-eyed doll sat on the floor, her head rotating while a toy train inexplicably hovered nearby. No child was in sight and no one could tell who the doll belonged to.

They had paid a big chunk of money and everyone was fine with a bit of mystery.

When the monster jumped from behind a door, the guide screamed “Run!” and they all laughed nervously instead.

The guide later told the media that he did try to warn them.

The slightly cross-eyed doll still sits on the floor, her head rotating while a toy train inexplicably hovers nearby.

100 Word Stories

Camp NaNoWriMo July

The goal was to write 10k. That goal was reached well ahead of time. I knew life would take over eventually, as it ended up happening. Writing as much as possibe in the first two weeks proved to be a smart strategy. I did manage to add 3k+ to the 10k mark.

For the first time in several editions of Camp NaNoWriMo, I ended up being added to a group called Oakwood Palace that had nothing to do with my usual writing community. It was a quiet group, as these tend to be, with a handful of enthusiastic members.

I suppose the lesson learned here is, create your own cabin.

And onwards to November. I just might be a rebel this year.

Thank You

Home

Warning: A bit of a rant follows. If you're not into rants, feel free to skip it.

I don't hate anyone.

I was taught that hating someone is not a very Christian thing to do. I don't know much about all that Christian stuff, but I was a kid. I took their word for it.

However, some people made it to a special list.

It's called “I'll never forget”.

The co-worker who, at a staff meeting, said “it's not our fault you have that thing” while deciding I would teach the largest and most difficult groups of kids the following school year. That thing is a chronic illness called Myasthenia Gravis, something that limits my life every single minute of the day. I was well-considered by my peers and I worked the hardest. My reply was “I wish no one, of those you love the most, ever has this thing”. She started crying. To this day, I don't know why. If anyone should've cried, it should've been me. I was forced to retire that year.

The friend who called me selfish because I wouldn't pick up the phone while I was in hospital undergoing a treatment for that thing. I lost a friend.

The woman who came between me and someone I cared for very much. Looking back, she only did what she was allowed to do. And I didn't do any allowing... She is one of the most insecure people I have ever seen. Her profile updates are textbook examples of a terribly lonely heart. It's actually sad to see. She was an eye-opener.

Finally, someone who said the most unthinkable, harmful things about me. It was a terrible, painful blow.

And every now and then these people come to mind.

I haven't seen them in a long time.

I wonder if they are better off now.

I wonder how their lives have moved on.

I still don't hate them.

Because of what they did and said, better things happened.

I stopped working, and my health improved exponentially.

I left behind a friendship that was destroying me.

I got to see a few things I had been blind to.

I met someone who makes my life sunnier.

Years will go by, but I shall never forget what you did to me and, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for that.

Note: "Myasthenia gravis (..) is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disorder that is characterized by fluctuating weakness of the voluntary muscle groups." Source: Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America

Creepy

IV The Death by Ux Hax and Romy Nayar

She just waited there, wearing this huge hat while sitting between the oversized figures of Death and a Bride.

The display was a performance, they said. All she had to do was sit down and be quiet. And that’s what she did. Well, at least until Death started coughing.

She stood up and peeked in through the eyes of Death, wondering if anyone was inside.

“Are you ok?”

To which Death replied, amidst intense coughing, “Help me.”

Everyone fled. Too creepy, the critics wrote.

Apparently, Death had planned to rob the jewelry-clad celebrities attending the opening, and Death almost died.

100 Word Stories

Ticket

Il Nido Cafe and Wine Bar "The Nest"

He flattened the map on the table.

“This is where we are going.” And he thumped his index finger on the right spot a few times for emphasis.

The gang seemed bored.

“Get in the cars and… try to look inconspicuous so the police don’t stop you, ok?!”

They all nodded.

When he arrived, he saw no one.

“Damn retards… They got caught. When you want something done, do it yourself.”

He walked inside the bank. Empty.

He got caught too.

“One-way ticket to hell,” one of them had the gall to tell him when they met again in jail.

100 Word Stories

Void

Bou's Land

A young rabbit looks at an old tree. The tree whispers.

The rabbit hops back and forth near the tree. The tree whispers.

The rabbit perks up two long ears. The tree whispers.

And the rabbit rests.

The tree sways in the wind, its leaves rustling softly.

The tree is wise and the rabbit ponders.

“Big ears don’t make you hear better, do they?” The tree whispers on.

The rabbit ponders, intrigued.

Maybe, just maybe, the rabbit will hop away with a tiny bit of the tree’s wisdom.

Maybe, just maybe, the tree will smile, watching the rabbit hop away.

100 Word Stories

Camp NaNoWriMo July

Milk Wood

Packing time!

Camp NaNoWriMo is approaching quickly.

*Dust latest chapters written,

*Sharpen a few ideas,

*Grab the notebook where you wrote down all those neat expressions you plan on using,

*Brush up on your grammar and style.

We have 5 days left to decide what to write, how much to write and who to share it with (our cabin). 

My plan is to keep working on the Carnal Masquerade, a story I started at Camp in April, and my goal is to write 10,000 words.

Below you can find the synopsis and an excerpt.

Let the writing begin… in 5 days, in 5 days!! I still have a lot of packing to do till then. ;)

***

Carnal Masquerade

Synopsis:

Carnal lust, secret luxuries, and dangerous games of betrayal and revenge.

Excerpt:

Alexandra looked around the living-room, holding her mask between her fingers, while the middle-aged director blabbered on and on about his most recent escapades.

At the back, sinking in a corner sofa, trying to look upbeat but sulking like a pre-teen was a judge of the Supreme Court. At the buffet, the rising star of a new generation of politicians chatted with a half-naked woman, who was wearing what seemed to be a toga type of vest. In the veranda, with a stunning view over the whole city, was a very married Senator who vowed before an inquiry committee he had never had sex with a certain female assistant while in office, and he wasn't lying; he had sex with a male assistant. The room was packed with the country’s crème de la crème.

Present were also several multimillionaires of Arab countries, some of notable royal families, and a few obscure entrepreneurs from Eastern Europe.

A Couple's Life

Wanderstill Ode

When the young couple decided to take a tour of Toon Tooth Park to see the new volcano exhibit, they had no idea that this would change their lives significantly.

They walked side by side, sure of themselves, feeling positive that they’d have an entertaining day.

But a crazy man dressed in a foamy toucan outfit decided to act like an annoying clown and leaped about around them. He was so irritating that the young couple pulled out two shotguns each and put an end to the nonsense.

They are now living near a real volcano in Iceland, the Eyjafjallajökull.

100 Word Stories

I Can't Believe That

Il Nido Cafe and Wine Bar "The Nest"

“What are cobalt, fluorine and iron together?”

Everyone looked puzzled by the question.

The café owner grinned.

“Think about it for a bit.”

She walked away, basking in how the tricky question had caught the cheeky young men off-guard. Each day, they would ask her questions she couldn't answer and laughed at her ignorance.

After a few minutes, she went back to their table.

“Well? I can’t believe you couldn't come up with one little answer.”

They shook their heads, baffled.

She poured a cup of coffee slowly.

They still looked puzzled.

“Coffee! Co, plus F, plus Fe. Hah! Gotcha!”

100 Word Stories

Shell

Six

Marcy was infuriatingly opinionated and wasn't shy about it either.

When the office organized a field trip to an old castle, she blabbered on and on during the whole trip, driving everyone crazy.

The visit to the castle went well. The group went left while Marcy was checking the rooms to the right.

Then, someone found the lighthouse and there was an evil twinkle in their eyes.

“Marcy!”

She trotted unwarily into the abandoned lighthouse at the edge of the garden.

When they blocked the door, leaving her inside, they knew the days at the office would be far quieter.

100 Word Stories

Cupcake

Octoberville

“My cupcake’s gone,” wailed the man when he was arrested. “My sweet wife, you’ll be on that wall, eternal and beautiful.”

The policemen scanned the room. The only thing they could see was an old portrait.

“Is this your wife?”

The man nodded.

A policeman got closer to the portrait.

“Are you sure this is a woman?”

The man was offended, cursed on and on till they removed him from the house.

“Where did you put her body?”

He shrugged.

And no one noticed the disdainful eyes on that painting, moving towards the door as they escorted the man out.

100 Word Stories
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