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France Portnawak

 

The phone call was short. The woman spoke fast. The construction or something... The hall is too small...

She spoke too fast. The construction was fine. He checked. The hall was fine too.

The phone call was short. She blabbered a few words. And she hung up. The construction she said, the hall...?

What does she know? She heard stories about this and that and she had the gall to think she could replace him, yes, the gall.

The other phone call was also short. "How much?" The man also replied fast.

No one would ever take his place. Ever.

100 Word Stories

Behind a Bush

Beltane

Just pretend that fog is wonderful.

Just pretend the trees are magnificent.

Pretend, just pretend the rays of sun are not burning the grass dry.

Pretend.

Part from your heart.

Part from your soul.

Someone will look for you.

Someone will shout for you.

Just pretend you're not sinking, pretend your whole life is not running through your head, a host of bizarre what ifs.

Just pretend you can still move your legs, pretend the thick mud is not pulling you down, dragging your dreams into the darkness.

Dreams?

There are no dreams. Only tragic nightmares. And the suffocating fog.

100 Word Stories

Tilting

Time Remains

Imagine being in hospital. You can't move. You can barely breathe.

No one believes you.

Imagine peering through the window and seeing the elegant bridge crossing the river all lit up, beautiful at night.

Imagine the little dots of light coming from the fishing boats, like fireflies.

Yes, imagine smiling and thinking I will die in a few minutes, but I'll die having the most gorgeous view.

Imagine they still don't believe you. And you still can't breathe.

But you're smiling. You're smiling because that tilted postcard window is your hope, your only hope, the hope that keeps you breathing.

100 Word Stories

A toast!

Inaka

“A toast! My kingdom for a toast!” The crowd at the café chuckled. They all knew him. They all loved his silly jokes. The room was always dark. That gave them a sense of protection and the silly, often crude, jokes made them feel like they belonged. One day he didn't show up. They looked for him everywhere. Weeks went by. Then they received a letter at the café. "I'm fine. I got a job digging up some ruins. The archaeologists are OK. But they lack one thing. They don't have toast!" The crowd at the café chuckled once again.

100 Word Stories

Wine

Collins Land

Everyone sat at the table and toasted. Everyone smiled. Yes, that fake smile that goes well with wine and the possibility of a new job. He thought about the cool car he'd buy, the shinny new apartment, even the weekend lodge by the lake. And then he blurted out that stupid thing. He had to say it, didn't he? Why? Because he was a moron. "This wine is not one of the best I have had." No more job for you, you simpleton. Why had he decided to apply for a job at a winery? He didn't even like wine.

100 Word Stories

Pizza

Collins Land

It's the best food on earth, he said. What did you put in this? It tastes funny. Oh, it's the seasoning. I can't remember, but I tossed everything I had on it. And he laughed, amused by his friends' hesitation. Eat it, eat it. I made plenty of them for the picnic. And they did eat. When they started dropping like flies, he scratched the name of each one of them out from a list. He had that list since he was 13, when they made him eat pizza with rat meat in it. Revenge is such a sweet thing.

100 Word Stories

Small Talk

Annwn Willows

Small talk is such an effective way of getting to know people, he thought. The event was promoted as an informal get-together to meet your soulmate. He needed a soulmate, desperately. After the usual introductions and polite smiles, the whole conversation took an unexpected turn when one of the ladies said she enjoyed being tossed in the river. At first, he didn't understand what she meant. He laughed nervously and he noticed she did have a strange color. "It's the river," she said. "Too much pollution." He nodded. Let's just say he didn't find his soulmate. He wasn't that desperate.

100 Word Stories

To and Too

Binemist

This train was too cramped. But she had no other option than to take this one.

A man was playing with a rope.

Too cramped, too awkward.

She wanted to get there quickly. The boat was ready and she was ready. Sailing around the world was her dream, and that dream was so close. She only needed to survive this bloody crowded train.

Suddenly, the train hiccuped, startling everyone.

When she woke up, a rope tied her to a pipe on the wall and the police were knocking at the door.

She wanted to scream. Horrified, she realized she couldn't...

100 Word Stories

How Does That Grab You?

ChangHigh Trinity Sisters

"How does that grab you?"

Silence. Her friend shrugged, a hint of contempt dripping from his lips.

"Any other ideas?"

Her friend shrugged again.

She was on the verge of screaming and tossing all the brochures in the garbage.

"No cruise, too many germs. No camping, too many bugs. No flying, too many.. what was it again?"

Her friend sneered. She could see he was amused and that only made things worse.

"What about the show?"

He shrugged.

"Bloody hell. Just tell me what you want."

He turned and walked away.

She nodded.

"Yep, not worth it. Glad it's over."

100 Word Stories

Get a Life

Trip, fall, get up, stand straight.

Trip, fall, get up, stand straight.

Trip, fall, get up, stand straight.

Drip, crawl, fed up, stand straight.

Drip, maul, fed up, stand.

Blip, tall, fed up, stand.

Trip, trip, drip, blip.

Sip.

Stand.

Straight.

Hate, hate, hate!

Hate...

Well, trip, stand, wait.

The tap sang this song. Drip, trip, blip. On and on.

Stand, wait, stand, wait.

The tap sang this song. On and on.

Skip, blip.

Skip, stand.

Skip, wait.

Skip, the tap sang this song, skip.

No.

Skip.

No.

Slip.

No.

Stand.

Life? What? Life?

What life?

Get a life.

Trip.

100 Word Stories

Why is Mother Crying?

Collins Land

Why is mother crying? 

Why does she not listen? 

Why is she stubborn? 

Why? 

Why does she live in the past? 

Why does she have those photos up on the wall? 

The architect. The painter. The President. 

Why? 

They tried, she said once, but she was too good for them. 

Why? 

She sneered in contempt. She was too good for them. 

Why is mother crying? 

Why? 

They never acknowledged her talent, never. 

Why? 

She shrugged away their stupidity. 

Why? 

She doesn't care. She doesn't listen. She is stubborn and will never change. 

Why is mother crying? 

That's why, that's why.

100 Word Stories

Fire

Collins Land

The fire crackled, sputtering snapping sounds. 

The evening began with a quiet conversation about something, she couldn't remember what. 

Then, slowly but surely, everything started collapsing. He snapped, venomous words, venomous sentences and venomous hatred. He sputtered spite and a storm of grudges, loading and malevolence. His skin sizzled, tiny drops of sweat popping here and there on his forehead. 

She sat in silence. The fire used to look so beautiful, so warm and welcoming. But, for some reason, it didn't today. 

Silence, the whole evening. And the fire spoke and crackled and snapped. 

The next morning, she was gone.

100 Word Stories

Target No More

Time Remains

"This is the hand that feeds you!"

The boys' silence screamed horrors of pain and misery.

There was only one way out of this. They knew it.

That evening, while the police scoped the house, all three boys, aged 5, 8 and 14, sat outside. None of them spoke, not even the 5 year old. They knew nothing. The father had walked into the woods and had never returned.

An aunt came over. The police left.

The dresser had to go. The hidden compartment, they had found long ago, came in handy after all. The body would never be found.

100 Word Stories

Fruitcake

Time Remains

The teenagers sat side by side. "What is it like to live with a dead person?" he asked. She looked down. Then she looked up again and stared at the horizon. He knew what she meant. He was living with a dead person too but had never admitted it to anyone else. He sat closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not crazy," she said. "I know..." he whispered. "She's just dead inside and she doesn't know it." He nodded. That's when he knew he would be the one to take her away from it all.

100 Word Stories

Pick One

 

Time Remains

Pick one, they said. Yeah. Easier said than done. There were so many wonderful pieces available and he just couldn't choose one. So, he decided to do what anyone else would. Flip a coin, right? He smiled. OK, that one will do fine. Everyone said he was always distracted and this time he would prove them wrong. This was just perfect. A March! There! When he was kicked out, the groom's father was foaming at the mouth and roaring "This is the bloody Funeral March, the Funeral March". He just whispered "Well, the poor bride didn't look that happy anyway".

100 Word Stories

Still

 

Milk Wood

He looked outside. Nothing... He squinted and felt trapped. The river was still there, flowing freely. But where were they? No boats, no whales, no dragons. They weren't coming after all, were they? He squinted again and thought he saw a... No, nothing. The people here mustn't know he was expecting them. Then the horn sounded. Alarm, alarm. He rushed back to the window, but... "Ronnie, what's going on?" He shook his head. "Come on. It's time. Let's get you bathed." He knew one day they'd come and rescue him. "And don't forget to take your pills," said the nurse.

100 Word Stories

Puppet No More

Gehena Vampire Clan

She hated being a puppet in his hands. What gave her some peace was walking down the pathway with the old trees. One day, she noticed something shiny to the right. A marble perhaps? The next day, she brought some beads and left them there. And that's when the gifts appeared on the pathway. First a bit of glass. Then, a button, an old key. It made her smile. It gave her strength. And she said "no more". She walked away from him, for good. Today, she still walks that pathway, exchanging gifts with her new friend, a very generous crow.

100 Word Stories

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk

Milk Wood

NaNoWriMo 2020 Pep Talk for the Virtual Writers blog. Posted here for my future reference.

Milk Wood, Virtual Writers

Lizzie Gudkov

November 7, 2020

Time usually flies pretty quickly when we're immersed in a writing project. Yet, it seems to fly even quicker in November! After the fast-paced, highly motivated writing happening at the beginning of the month, your writing pace seems to be slowing down. And you're panicking, right? I know I am... What can we do?

I'm sure you've heard it all before. Write this way, don't write that way, take notes, don't take notes, keep going, take a break. What?! Get me out of here!! 

No! Don't go! You cannot give up. Writing is tough. Yes, it is. Life happens. Yes, it does. However, giving up is not an option. 

So, here are five ideas to get you unstuck during NaNoWriMo®! 

And Then What? – if you go beyond the end of your story, what happens then? What can you bring into your plot from what happens outside its framework? 

You Are a Character in Your Own Book Now! - What if YOU waltzed into your own story? Would you admonish one of your characters? Would you encourage anyone? Would you rearrange the furniture? *grin* Would you get annoyed and go wash those dirty dishes in the sink yourself? Get your characters moving around you, and *evil grin* eavesdrop on what they are saying about you behind your back! 

Upside Down – what if the good became bad and the bad became angels? How would your terribly evil character act as an angel? What would he do if you told him he has to behave? You can even sneak inside your story again and tell him yourself. How would he react? Would he throw a tantrum? Ha! 

A Wombat? A Shoebill? A Glass Frog? - transform all your characters into animals and see how they would relate to one another. Try to think of unusual animals. Make one hate the color of the other! Or love it, and be extremely annoying because he wants to take a photo for his social media! 

Who Are You?! – what if a character from your favorite author decides to waltz into your story? How would your main character react? What kind of impact would it have on the other characters? Would all your characters, friends and foes, unite to expel him from your story? And how about the story itself? How would it change? Could there be any secret alliances in the making after this unexpected intruder was kicked out? 

These are only a few fun activities that will trick your brain out of being stuck. Will they help increase the word-count? I don't know. Will they trigger fresh ideas for your plot? I really don't know. But one thing will happen for sure. You will not give up! 

Keep writing. You can do this! 

See you at Milk Wood. :) 

Lizzie 

--------------

Lizzie Gudkov is a fiction writer born in Portugal. After a career as a teacher of English, she rediscovered writing. In her blog http://lizziegudkov.blogspot.com, she features fiction mostly (micro, flash and short fiction), but also poetry and a few opinion articles. She is also a six time winner of the NaNoWriMo and a five time winner of the Camp NaNoWriMo. As part of her writing path, Lizzie hosts and takes part in multiple writing events, largely in the virtual world of Second Life®. 

Social Links: Blog | Facebook

NaNoWriMo 2020

 

Cluster

 

Candia Urban Lounge

Throw it in the bin and forget about it.

But this area is a cluster of infected cases.

Throw it in the bin and forget it.

Walking away is not an easy task when your conscience nags you.

He had to go back. He grabbed the bin, dragged it away to the dump area and chuck it into the fire.

The bin was closed the whole time. He made sure of it.

When he got ill, he was tossed in that same neighborhood, forgotten.

The others, they kept throwing infected stuff in the bin, carelessly, just like they did before.

100 Word Stories