About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. Wait….WHAT?! YES! You read that correctly. Recently, the sages at Twitter announced that they were doubling the character limit. So, of course I am passing this gift on to you! When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale.
A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.
I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing a new prompt. And if for some reason I missed your entry in the Roundup, as I have occasionally done, please let me know. I want to be sure to include your tale.
Finally, have fun!
And REMEMBER…you now have 280 characters (spaces and punctuation included), to tell your tales. I can’t wait to see what you do this week.
Twittering Tales #58 – The Roundup
SkittersPhotos at Pixabay.com
Starting us off on this new format…the expanded Tweet!:
The Lady of Emerald Inlet
He was a young salt when the beautiful lady, with long flowing golden tresses and eyes deep as the sea stole his heart.
For 40 years he fished the brackish waters of the inlet hoping to see her again.
They say ‘twas old age that stopped his heart that night. Some say she returned.
(280 Characters)
From Reena at ReInventions:
It is the darkest night of the month, and my golden light shines brighter than the stars. I will see her tonight, in all her resplendent glory. The Moon fears competition, from her beauty and …………
CUT … learn your lines again. You missed ‘devotion in a lover’s heart’.
(275 characters)
From Di at Pensitivity101:
In the twilight of dusk he lit his lantern.
The townsfolk would soon be out to greet him and help him offload his cargo.
It had been a perilous journey, but worth it.
He’d saved fifteen lives, and once they were safely ashore, he was going back for more.
251 characters
From Michael at Morpethroad:
Three blinks.
Wait and see if she is home.
A blink back and I’m home and hosed.
It’s a tough way to run an affair,
But its magic when it happens.
Who’d a thought this old collection of skin and bones
still had life in it.
So hurry dear lady
I’d hate to start without you.
(264 characters)
From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
The old man signaled to his friend on shore that he was safely aboard the ferry.
His wife had passed two months earlier and he knew it was time to leave behind the many memories of her that haunted his dreams.
Other than away, though, he didn’t know where he was going.
(268 characters)
From Leena at Soul Connection:
Feelings Of A Lonely Heart….
40Yrs Bck 1St Tym V Lit Lantern 2gtr.Nvr Tgt Dat Was Our Last Mtng.I Shldnt Hv Mstkn Ur Tears Ws Of Joy.
Dnt Knw Y U Lft Me,Bt I Knw Ur Lv Ws True,Dats Y U Gftd Me Lantrn N Tk Prmse 2Lit Evry Evng As Symbol Of Love
I B’lv 1Day U’l Cm Bck,Til Den I’l Kp Lightin Flame Of Love,ALONE.
From Jannat007 at Be Happy:
An old helmsman with winter-white hair and hunched back has a gloomy life. His wife passed away 6 years ago by falling from the ferry. Everynight in his dreams he heard his wife calling him for help. So he wake up in the middle of the night with a lantern to see if she’s there.
( 278 characters )
They wander lost and forgetful in the great Void.
A sea of memories murmurs in their ears bringing regret.
The dead have lost hope of any salvation,
“Save us mighty Anubis” they cry brokenly.
Will He hear? The darkness and silence overwhelm.
Then Eternity is pierced by light,
He comes.
(280 characters)
From Willow at WillowDot21:
It was his life it always had been. His lamp in his hand he saw them off in the morning and he counted them back in the evening. He was the harbour light. Once they saw his lamp they felt home safe. Five generations he had taught. He was afraid to die, who would take his place.
280 characters
From Francine at Woman Walks Dog:
The Island
Love my visits to this island a sneak peek at my Experiment
20 years now secret commune with no rules
I watch it unravelling No one knows its here.
My voyeur fix for this year
Now that the nights were drawing in, Peter was unsure whether there would be enough light to see to complete a full 280 characters.
280, for goodness sake. He’d had trouble trying to write 140 each week. Never mind, he thought, I’ll just get the lamp lit to complete…….…….damn!
(280 characters)
From Kirst at Kirst Writes:
A Homecoming
Lights gleamed across the bay, just like all those years ago. I moored and hurried home. Light spilled out of the door, and there was my little girl, tall and frowning.
“Daddy!”
I went to hug her. She called again, turning back into the house:
“DAD! There’s a man at the door!”
(274 characters)
Wow! Everyone! I hope you had as much fun as I did spinning tales with the new character count limit! I agree with some of you. It was actually harder than the former 140 character tweets. The extra count actually allows you to spin more of a tale…but then there is that blasted limit! Some of you weren’t sure you could use a full 280 characters, but it is surprising how quickly one’s budget is depleted. I still found myself tweaking and retweaking to make it work. If you all had trouble, I certainly couldn’t tell by your final results. BRILLIANT!
As an aside, if you like the old format, that’s cool. It is perfectly fine to stay within the 140 character limit. But, if you have a bit more story to tell, it is definitely nice to have a few spaces left to fill. I am so happy you are hanging in there with me and continuing to give the challenge a go. Thank you for making my week! 🙂
I love the photo for this week’s challenge. The hands, the piano, the fact that is it black and white. I had toyed with the idea of doing a Thankgiving theme this week. We celebrate the holiday here in the U.S. But I happen to know that a few of you hail from across the pond so…if you are from my neck of the woods, i think it’s certainly possible to squeeze a “Thanksgiving-style” story out of this. And if not, I can imagine a number of lovely scenarios to go along with this beautiful photograph. The photographer goes by Pexels @ Pixabay.com. Have a lovely week wherever you are. And indulge me this…I am so thankful for all of you. Peace and Love!
Hands by Pexels at Pixabay.com
Millie’s eyes sparkled as she gently lifted the fallboard of the baby grand, revealing its beautiful keys.
“Hello old friend,” she smiled as she sat down.
“Sarah, I need you to play your part,” Millie called to her granddaughter.
Sarah sat down, two fingers plunking.
‘Chopsticks’.
(278 Characters)
~kat
I’ve noticed a trend in my poetry of late. I am generally easy-going and have even been accused of being too optimistic. That girl is still in there behind my baby-blues somewhere, but extreme times call for extreme measures, and in my case, poetry and prose. I am grateful to have a voice in the midst of the madness. It’s gets the scary thoughts out of my head. Sometimes I can even manage a bit of wit to soften the angst. But if I didn’t have words…I am sure I’d be a mess. I do find moments to take in the scenery. The good stuff. To snuggle my fur kids. To settle my spirit with a warm cup of tea. Though I take the state of our world very seriously, I don’t extend that intensity when it comes to myself. It’s always good to laugh at that face in the mirror when her brow becomes too furrowed.
‘We who still labour by the cromlech on the shore,
like mercury colliding... 