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. 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 have 280 characters (spaces and punctuation included), to tell your tale…and a week to do it. I can’t wait to see what you create this week.

Twittering Tales #87 – The Roundup

Photo by jplenio at Pixabay.com

Starting us off…

The Whistleblower
Charlie regretted joining the agency. At first the climate experiments were exciting, but they had taken it too far. He locked his office, drove past the security gate, pulling off the road to call the authorities. A super storm was brewing. He hoped it was not too late.
273 Characters

From Martin at Martin Cororan:
I Hades when he does that…
‘Found you!’
‘God this game’s rubbish…and rigged! I’m the perpetually anger Lord of the Underworld, surrounded at all times by a fiery cloud, and you can change form at will.’
‘Nevertheless, it’s my turn to hide.’

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Eruption
“I know it’s beautiful and breathtaking,” the ranger said, “but your family needs to evacuate this area. It’s just too dangerous. These things are unpredictable and if this eruption continues, the molten lava could reach this area quickly. Volcanoes are not to be trifled with.”
(278 characters)

From Reena at ReInventions:
Priority
“I’ve often wondered what the core of a volcano looks like. How does it feel to be carrying flames of angst for centuries?”
I guess it is too late, as the tongues are out to swallow us.”
“What could have instigated it?”
Writers and philosophers cannot save their own life….” Sigh

From Piyali at The ‘Write’ Stuff:
Rage
Staring calmly at the still waters, she took a deep agonizing breath. A storm was slowly brewing inside her. “It’s time to unleash what you’ve been suppressing for so long!” whispered her heart. Somewhere on the horizon, a cluster of clouds roared in a fiery rage.
265 characters

From Teresa at The Haunted Wordsmith:
They Came
We heard tales of their arrival from Northern survivors. We didn’t believe. Who would? As survivors began coming from closer cities, we became scared. We fled. I turned to take the last image of our great city as they destroyed it. Furious, there was no food left for them.
273 characters

From Team Wellness at World of Wellness:
Heaven!!
He further inquired, God – Can you show me heaven??
He felt himself floating, detached from his physical body, and this is where he stood, mesmerized by what he saw and felt.
He heard some voices too, whispering softly…Honey…Honey…Wake up!!
Charactcter Count – 250

From Francine at Woman Walks Dog:
Vision
Mr Lucifer here for your annual eye test  look at the letters on the screen read them to me
T  H  E     E  N  D    O  F
Goodness Mr Lucifer ! Now look at the circle on the screen   do you see more green or red ? That’s unusual,  no circle  just a flaming red  turbulent sky ? Lets look at the letters again
T  H  E       W   O  R  L  D     I  S      N  I  G  H

From Michael at Morpethroad:
The universe was displeased.
It burped, spitting out some time.
A year to prove the earth was worth something.
There was conflict, rubbish said some, hurry said others before its too late.
The universe watched and rumbled once more.
Sucked in a breath, said you’ve 364 days left.
(274 characters)

From Jane at Jane Dougherty Writes:
Narcissus
The god of the apocalypse bent down, intrigued by the fiery reflection in the still lake water. His beard brushed the mirror with a hiss, and the lake water dolphin-leapt joyfully, quenching the fire in the sky. Nature smiled.
“It’s not your time yet.”
250 Characters

From Hayley at The Story Files:
Storm Sea
The sky looked angry as the storm rolled in. I watched the clouds from my fishing boat and decided to return to the harbour. The choppy sea and pouring rain slowed me down but I made it back as the first rumble of thunder echoed.
I hurried from my boat on to the wooden dock and tied her up. Looking back, I saw a fork of lighting striking the top of a large wave. Flickers of electric current rode the water, zinging their way to shore. I got out of there, dashing for the shelter of home.

From Clara at Fragments of Fiction:
An Ending
In the end, there was only a flooded planet and dying star.
“It was good,” the sun sank towards the sea, her former inferno reduced to a flame in the clouds.
“Perfect,” the sea rose to meet her. She was doused and the sea froze.
Across the universe: a spark, a droplet, a beginning.
(280 characters)

From Willow at WillowDot21:
More Trouble in Hell
The devil was angry! Who had opened the skylight and let junior loose with a storm. How many times did he have to repeat himself before it finally sank in. You could not let a demon under a millennium loose with a storm.
Now Nasargiel would have to be told. Oh! no thought Satan.
(279 Characters)

From Lorraine and Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
Dr. Crescendo’s Mind Camera
Dr. Crescendo’s mind camera captured Celesta’s final thoughts.
Brain zaps of lightening, roiling clouds and calm expanse of silent water.
“Always a cypher, that one. Wonder what she meant,” he wondered.
Her ascending spirit whispered, “Thoughts of you, my dear doctor, of you.”
(276)

From Jan at Strange Goings on in the Shed:
Dyspeptic Rumblings
The Omniscient, Omnipresent and Occasionally Tetchy Cosmos was having digestive problems. The dinner party wasn’t going well due to terrible food. Star systems had vanished in the wake of dyspeptic ructions. Now, a fireball was nicely brewing, precipitating an apocalypse. Damn!
(279 characters)

From Debbie at Twenty Four:
He was silent as he stood on the rocks watching the storm which brewed on the horizon.
He really would have to tell her to watch her temper … at this rate it would rain for forty days and forty nights.
With a sigh he went to find his daughter.
(243 characters)

From Kirst at Kirst Writes:
Haunted Coast Part VI
I’d ordered a supermarket delivery, to be left at the kitchen door. No sign of it. My stomach growled at the sight of empty cupboards. The village pub, I thought, served food. I locked the door, set off on the coast path under a flood of stormy sunset. Should be there by dark.
(277  characters)
(Read previous Parts beginning here: Haunted Coast: Twittering Tales #81 and work forward)

From The Dark Netizen:
TWILIGHT
She stood with her back against the red clouds, pure elegance.
He stared in amazement, ready to proclaim his feelings to her at the romantic waterfront. It was perfect. A little too perfect.
The meteors hidden in the clouds would end their moment, turning their kind extinct.
Character Count : 273

From Indhu at Always:
Sweet Dreams
He stood on the stage beaming with pride to have received the “Best Photographer Award” for his perfect click. He began his well-prepared succinct speech and there was a loud noise. BANG!
He woke up from his sleep.
“Best capture of the end of the world”, he laughed at the irony!
<277 characters>

From Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
The Winner – with apologies to those of a nervous disposition
I warned him, I really did!
He should have foreseen the consequences.
He insisted it was all just innocent fun, and the competition was the talk of the town. He was sure to win.
I thought so too, because he sure passed a lot of gas.
He really shouldn’t have tried to light it though!
(279 characters)

From Patty at Namaste…a late entry for Twittering Tale #86 (open window shade):
Inside Out
You used to be inside of that shabby sheik white curtain, in bed, with me, dreaming our wake dreams, eyes shut tight opening ourselves to each other. Yet, there you go, walking by, as I turn from the window, toward the wall, where I can pretend you’re not a familiar stranger.

Thank you everyone for your thought-provoking and timely tales this week. There were several hellish references, volcanic eruptions, rage…the stuff of nightmares and apocalyptic forboding…and really bad weather and really bad, well…you know! haha!  I was away this past week. Thank you for your patience. I may not have responded to you as quickly, but I read each one, as I always do. I am always blown away by everyone’s creativity.

This week, I’m inviting you to dream. You may want to write the story of this  particular dreamcatcher by Free-Photos at Pixabay…how it came to be…or its own story of the dreams and nightmares that it has caught over the years…or just use it as inspiration to launch you into a creating your own dreamscape. Where do our dreams come from? Do they really tell us what our subconscious is thinking? Dream a little dream with me…;) And remember, you have only 280 characters to tell your tale. It’s a challenge, I know, but to help, see the link above for Character Count Online. You can type and tweak your tale right in the text box on this site. I’ll see you next week at the roundup. Sweet Dreams! 🙂

Twittering Tales #88 – 12 June 2018 – Dreamcatcher

Photo by Free-Photos at Pixabay

“Put it near your bed,” she told me. After months of nightmares I was willing to try anything.

For the first time I slept peacefully. Was it the dreamcatcher? I wondered. As I watched it sway in the breeze, I saw something drifting from its feathers. My nightmares fading to dust.

(279 Characters)

~kat