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. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.

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!

Twittering Tales #130 -The Roundup

Photo by Marc Schäfer at Unsplash.com

Starting us off…

You Had Me At…
I could never bring myself to say it. There were so many opportunities. Times we passed in the hall. That rainy day I held the door as you rushed by, damp hair smelling of cologne. Rememember? Why would you. Now I’m left to wonder what might have been if only I’d said ‘hello’.
~kat
277 Characters

By The Dark Netizen:
Voiceless
I had so much to say, but I never got the opportunity.
With all the torture and acid, those filthy bastards took my voice away. However, they could not take my will to say. I share my thoughts.
I carve them on the skins of the guilty, or write them on the walls with their blood…
Character Count: 280

By Amritha at Igniting Hope:
A Dedication
I have so much to tell you. I can understand your urge to share with me too. You planned your journey (to heaven) too early while my life events unfolded a bit late.
So here’s a dedication for us, Dad- “Things I wanted to say but never did!”- in your perspective as well as mine.
(280 characters)

By Kate at Everywhere and Nowhere:
Confessions
Sometimes I imagined that we had got together, it wouldn’t have been a stretch, we’re close friends and we did act on the chemistry between us that one time. But now you’re getting married, and I’m so happy for you, but I’ll always wonder if it could have been us.
Characters: 264

By Reena at ReInventions:
Too Late
It is too late to say what cannot be done, and undone. I tried my best to love you. I could not cross barriers of your insanity to find the real you. And saying that you have mental health issues would’ve led to some more madness.
(230 characters)

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Regrets
I’ve lived a long life, a good life, a happy life, and as I look back on the life I lived, I have few regrets.
No regrets about the deeds that I’ve done or the things that I’ve said.
But I do have regrets about the things I never got around to saying to you.
And now it’s too late.
(278 characters)

By Kristian at Tales from the Mind of Kristian:
Least Said, Soonest Mended
Looking at the leather-bound book labelled “Things I wanted to say” what came to my mind was, this person must have been very forthright.
The list of things I never said would stretch to three volumes.
So many things left unsaid. On the upside, least said soonest mended.
[271 Characters]

By Radhika at Radhika’s Reflection:
Muted Voice
When Adi introduced his best friend Jai to his bride Uma, they froze.
Recalling their chance meeting on a train journey where their eyes and heart embraced but  their words remained shy and muted. If only they gave their emotions a voice then, today would be a different story.
Letter count : 280

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It:
Looking down at the coffin I wished for the hundredth time that I had told him I loved him. I know he had a wife, but there was something between us. We remained friends as his wish, but now I will regret that the rest of my life.
231 characters

By John at The Magic Shop:
Regrets – Diary
All that really mattered to Lt. Pitt was that Holk was now dead. Regrettably, he was two victims too late. The third girl was alive but, traumatized.  Holk had talked to her for days about all the violence he wanted to inflict on the world. All that was left now, was Holk’s body and a diary of his sick plans.
(300 characters)

By Leara at Leara Writes:
Passed
“Of all the things I said and all the things I thought to say, I know now the one thing I should’ve.” He read the words scrawled on a single page by a shaky hand. “I am proud of you.” This was the only message in the journal that arrived a week after his estranged father passed.

By Di at Pensitivity101:
She’d pressed the book into his hand just moments before she died saying
‘I never told you I loved you, but you knew, right?’
125 characters

By Larry at EastElmhurst.A.Go.Go:
Sins of Omitssion
“My parents have died,” Herbert thought.  “I’ve been through so many lost friendships and opportunities.” He lay motionless in his hospice bed, knowing that his bills were paid with money to spare, but something was still missing.  His imagination ran rampant.

By Melanie at Sparks From a Combustible Mind:
Judge the Book
Cindy hummed “regrets… I have a few..”    Her grandfather turned and said “Where’d you hear that song?  I wouldn’t think you’d ever hear of it!”  He remembered a day, remembered it well because he’d seen the girl that might have changed his life, but he never dared speak to her.
281 Characters

By Teresa at The Haunted Wordsmith:
The Hermit
The life of a hermit suited him. He had been dead six months before anyone found out. There was no funeral for the man who had no time for others and no one thought much about it–until the journal arrived. Only through death could he find the words he wanted to say in life.
This 275-character

By MSJadeli at Tao Talk:
Volumes could have been spoken between us, page by page, if listening would have been in our repertoires. Instead,we each carried a pack of color-coded post-it notes with assumptions, expectations, and hidden agendas that we exchanged. We stuck them on the fridge for later.
[279 characters]

By Graham at Graham is Just My Name:
You’ve always been forthright.
As a child it was charming, but now people avoid you.
Today is your 21st birthday.
You hand us a crude notebook, full of everything you’ve left unsaid.
As we flick through every blank page, you express a wry smile.
We look back with affection.
(270 characters)

By Ennle at Abandoned Amenities:
Not Interested
Why weren’t you interested
To know ME?
Don’t say I’m selfish; you all
Looked at me, saw what you
Wanted-needed-expected of me.
Servant-scapegoat, 2nd-paycheck
Possession to serve ego-centered
Pleasures often perverse.
I don’t miss you, finally have
A life in my world.  Fantasy?
Oh BETTER.
280 characters

By Regina at Hope from Heaven:
Don’t Procrastinate
Ginny had postponed going to visit Joanna in the hospital on Tuesday. She planned to go and talk with her on Wednesday. But, Joanna died Tuesday night. All that Ginny needed to say will go unspoken for eternity. She only hopes that her sister knew that she loved her.
(268 Characters)

By Ron at Read 4 Fun:
I Wish I Said That
You should have been willing to count and admit he wasn’t yours. But you lived behind shields for your ego. That shield prevented your expressions of love for him that he deserved. Now, in the end, you should know, he donated the kidney that allowed you to live this much longer.
279 characters

By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
Job Satsifaction
Keep a journal, Teacher said.
Express yourself on the pages, Therapist said.
Forgive yourself, Psychiatrist said.
Seek atonement, Reverend said.
You are cured, Panel said.
Kill again, Voices said.
Love my vocation, I said.
(216 characters)

By Anurag at Jagahdilmein:
A Part of Me
There was a lot that I wished I could’ve said to her.
But somehow, the time was never right, till I discovered that it was too late.
She’s gone now, never to return. And all that is left is this diary, to remind me of her.
280 characters.

By Willow at WillowDot21:
Home Truths
Tom picked up the book and read. “You don’t get to tell me what, when or where anymore. You don’t shout out my short comings. You’re a bully, you are controlling. My friends and family are not bad. I will wear what I want, drink and eat what I want. You will not ever own me now.”
(280 Characters)

By John at Broadsides:
I told the judge what we earned, all that we owned, all we had saved, all we are worth, to the last penny, but I could not tell him, nor you, I could only write, about the softness of your lips, or the joy of your body or how I hate it that we are to be divorced.

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
Regret
We think in life we have lots of time
There are things to do,goals to achieve
To live the life we want where
Family and job all have their place
We sometimes get lost on the way
Lose sight of where we are heading
Relationships suffer because of neglect
The day of departure comes unexpectedly
And we go with regrets of leaving so much unsaid
Character count; 274

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
A sad room, full of empty bottles, was the only thing left by the father I’d not seen for the past 25 years.
The police had contacted me after finding an old newspaper cutting that identified me.
After settling his debts, I left the room, the memories, and the empty words, behind.
(279 characters)

By JP at The Wide-Eyed Wanderer:
The Ghost in the Book
The attic was filthy and covered in cobwebs. Anna spied an old leather diary. She opened it and blew the dust off the pages. The dust swirled into a tiny tornador and suddenly a ephemeral image appeared. Anna watched a moment as it coalesced when a sound shook the rafters “BOO!”
Character count 280

By Pat at Barbiturate Estuaries on Blogspot, jumping right into the challenge with THREE tales:
tongue in cheek
1-
I wish you could understand why I suck on mother-of-pearl buttons
instead of chewing gum.
(88 characters)

2-
Doc, help me.
She’s recording all of this.
But it’s her fault for the sinuousness;
it’s all kinds of weird
heinous
like cutting out tongues
or burning feet
not because I want to
but it’s like she’s begging for it;
that Kat sister, her psyche?
she’s an agent provocateur alright.
(272 characters)

For this week, a rainy airport (Photo by Adhitya Andanu at Pexels.com) sets the stage for your tale. Can’t wait to see your thoughts, in 280 characters or less of course. See you in a week at the round up!

Twittering Tales #131 – 9 April 2019

Photo by Adhitya Andanu at Pexels.com

Grounded

The flights were grounded. Sadie scrolled through texts until one caught her eye.

“She’s gone Sadie. I’m so sorry.”

Sadie looked up, tears welling up in her eyes when she saw a familiar face staring back at her in the rain dappled window.

“Bye mom. We sure are gonna miss you.”

~kat
277 Characters

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. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.

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.

Before we get to this week’s roundup there is a missed (sorry JP, your link got lost in my approval folder…wierd) and a late entry (welcome to the challenge Frank!) for week 125 – The Unmade Bed…

By JP at Wide-Eyed Wanderer
Just Another Night
“Passion isn’t love, there are no knights in shining armor, and no happily ever afters,” she whispered to the mirror. A single tear slid down her cheek as she clasped the diamond necklace. She wiped it away, put a smile on her face and walked out to the waiting Mercedes.
character count 273

By Frank at Frank Prem Poetry:
Wrinkles
rumpling
from your body
a shape
you
laid and left
unmade
am I
I bunch
my fists
in doona
close my eyes
against
a weeping
see you dancing there
as little wights
all darting
staying away
beyond my reach
I touch a pillow
follow
with my hand
all your tracks
mapped out
and familiar
as wrinkles

Twittering Tale #126 – The Roundup

Starting us off…
The Sign
“There’s your sign Donna.” 
“No it’s not, Jon. I meant stars aligning. You know, magic.”
“Looks like a sign to me. Go on, have a look.”
Donna stepped inside. The scent of roses filled the candlelit room. She turned to find Jon on one knee. 
“Well? Whadya think?”
“Best sign ever.”
~kat
275 Characters

By MSJadeli at Tao Talk:
Donna’s phone dinged.
Text: “bring pkg to south end of burlingame street at 9”
She texted, “where exactly?”
Return text: “you’ll see”
At 8:50, Donna saw the red neon sign. She parked the car in the shadows and started walking.
Someone grabbed her from behind. Everything went black.
[280 characters]

By Reena at ReInventions:
It Happens
“I like the superimposition of neon signs on the original lettering.”
“It looks disoriented to me.”
“You are right, but that is how expectations and dreams change. It could be a different color pointing in a different direction tomorrow.”
(236 characters)

By The Dark Netizen:
The Sign
The sign reads that. I had asked for a sign from the heavens. I could not see where I was going in life. I needed some divine intervention to help me think. The man on top listened to me, and pointed me in the correct direction. The liquor store….
Character Count: 260

By Amritha at Igniting Hope:
This is It!
Having waited for the right moment, wondering about the if’s and but’s, the realization finally dawned. The reharsing mind took a stand. 
“My life – My way. This is it”. 
People who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter!
When she smiled this time, her soul smiled along. 
(280 characters)

By Kristian at Tales From the Mind of Kristian:
Sign Merchant
The neon sign glowed brightly despite being the middle of the day.
“This is it!” said the sign.
Looking at the dilapidated building he felt a victim of some hoax. The sign clearly had an H missing between the S and the I.
Surely this couldn’t be the merchant’s guild?
[264 Characters]

By Lady Lee at Lady Lee Manila:
This is It!
Springtime splendour
This is it at last
Days are getting warmer
Winter cold has passed
This is it at last
When everything is bright
No more overcast
Perfect day to fly kite
Days are getting warmer
And birds are singing
Watch them bloom the flowers
Time to go biking
(255 characters)

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
My New Bar
“So what are you going to call your new bar?” David asked.
“This Is It,” Ben said.
“This is what?” David asked.
“My new bar.”
“You’re calling your new bar ‘My New Bar’?”
“No. This Is It!”
“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, don’t. I can never get a straight answer out of you, anyway.”
(280 characters)

By Willow at WillowDot21:
This is It
A Sign From Above
Gab returned the tools he had borrowed from Joseph. Mary smiled and offered him a cuppa. Gab enjoyed tea and a chat with the big man’s mum.
Meanwhile Satan was stunned who had dared to put up that dodgy sign at the entrance to his domain. Gab smiled at Mary, was the tide turning?
(280 Characters)

By Jo at A Creative PTSD Gal:
Desert Proof
Deep in the desolate desert, a rumored oasis sits. 
Shawn’s dad swore it was there but warned that it’s a wasteland for society’s failures to quell their thirst.
Ten long days he traveled and at the end of the tenth night, ‘THIS IS IT’ glowed in the darkness.
Now he sits and drinks.
Characters: 280

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
The Sign
The kids were so excited to be in the treasure hunt. They were given a map each with a set of clues. They reach the derelict barn one after the other but nobody knew where to go from there. Suddenly Maisie looked up and saw the sign, she pointed to it and said, look here is it!
Character count: 279

By CSNelson at Don’t Forget the Half:
This is It!
Anna quickly realized she’d fallen victim to another bad date. There she stood near an excited Sam as he announced choices of eateries, each sounding more absurd than the last.
“This Is It!”
“Might-As-Well”
“Crooks Corner”
Anna thought, could these be signs of the night ahead?
(278 char)

By Di at Pensitivity101:
‘Property Bargain!’ the ad read, so we made a phone call.
‘You can’t miss it’, the agent had said. ‘It’s clearly signed’.
Well, he got that right.
144 characters.

By Melanie at Sparks From a Combustible Mind:
Neon No
John stared at the old building. He remembered the night he took Suzanne dancing at the “IT” Club.  The place was responsible for his situation, tied to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and the death of Suzanne. They were so young. He should never have taken that last drink.
(Character Count 281).

By Regina from Help from Heaven:
A Safe Place
Hurt badly, she drove. “Lord, I need a safe place. Please, give me a sign!” She nearly missed it. “This is It” flickered on as she came up to the exit! It led her to a hidden women’s shelter. She entered and the sign went dark, awaiting the next desperate soul. God had answered. 
(279 characters)

By Maranda at Maranda Russell:
This is It
“It was meant to be my swan song. I pulled out all the stops…the moonwalk,
the sequins, the white glove, the gangster getup for Smooth Criminal.
It was the only chance my children would ever have to see me live on tour. When I said This Is It, I meant it, but it came too soon…”
(280 characters)

By Teresa at The Haunted Wordsmith:
This Way, Cheryl
Cheryl was not the brightest bulb in the box. She wasn’t even the dullest star in the night sky. Everything in her life had to be spelled out for her in clear, unmistakable terms. Even the Grim Reaper had to spell things out for her.
233-character tale

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It! Positivity is Catching!:
Donna searched for a sign for the scavenger hunt. She was in an industrial park.
She found a sign that said, “THIS IS IT!” and pointed down to a box.
She heard a yip!
Opening the box, she found a puppy. What can you expect from a scavenger hunt put on by the SPCA?
263 characters

By Deb at Twenty Four:
The sign had said it all, ‘This Is It’ but that had been years ago and now it was all just a decrepit old ruin. Some would have shaken their heads and walked away but not her.
She’d seen opportunity and she’d been right.
Tours of the old nightclub had proven a runaway success.
(276 characters)

By Ennle at Abandoned Amenities:
This Is Our Place

Bored with burgers, pizzaHungry for something newExciting…we drove aroundExploring, found old part of Town, a little scary but weWere young-in-love-adventurersAnd there it was, crazy signLured us into best un-celebratedRestaurant for international cuisineThis is our place now!

By Hayley at The Story Files:
A Sign
Following the directions, Ben arrived outside the building. Taking a deep breath, he hoped this job interview was a success. He knocked on the door and whilst he waited, noticed a sign above. He smiled and agreed with the words.
Yes. This is it, he thought.

By Beatrix at The Pink Seam:
Rock-Bottom
The drugs, the partying, the random men fellated before depraved onlookers—her goal was to find her ‘rock-bottom’ so that she might start over from there.
Standing under that alley sign to take her last hit, had she realized? The police did..when they removed her body.
 (270 characters)

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Detective Mike (Dense) Pence, received the tip from Donald, his C.I.
It’s going to be big, really big, Donald said! A whole lot of bad people will be there, and you’ll catch the lot. They are meeting at the corner of 5th and Main. You can’t miss it!
Mike couldn’t find the place!
(280 characters)

By Kate at Everywhere and Nowhere:
Killer
‘I wonder what it is?”
‘What are you talking about?’
‘That sign we just past on the abandoned building’
‘What did it say’
‘This is it, in a big arrow’
‘Maybe it’s for those annoying characters in horror movies that always go to the creepiest place when there is a killer on the loose.’
Characters: 280

By Deepa at Sync with Deep:
this is it!
aren’t we
lollygagging
within ourselves?
us 
fooling our minds
and 
our minds
fooling us… 

By JP at the Wide-Eyed Wanderer:
Old McDonald
A grim reminder of the days when the McDonalds had run the little side show still glowed neon. The sign’s tip fell. It now pointed at a red stain where Old McDonald had been eaten by the tigers he once held captive. It was a gruesome sight, still it did bring in the tourists.
Character count 278

By John at Broadsides:
The signature dish, at Harold’s café in Hastings is rib eye steak, served rare, with a rich Normandy sauce and small eyeball potatoes pierced on an arrow-shaped kebab stick.. If you ask any local for directions to Harold’s café they will tell you, just follow the arrow.

Well, it’s a wrap! Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge last week. As always, your tales are wonderful! For this week a bit of “noir”. The dictionary states that noir, while being French for the color black, is also the description for crime fiction featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings. I love this photo by Pixel2013 at Pixabay.com. It has that noir quality to it, don’t you think? This week, let’s have a little mystery and intrigue, or whatever strikes your fancy, in 280 chararacters or less, and “just the facts, ma’am” (how many of you are old enough to know that quote? ;)). Have fun and I’ll see you next week at the roundup.

Twittering Tales #127 – 12 March 2019

Red

Murdoch took a drag off his Lucky Strike. Smoke mingled with the steam bellowing from her pistons.

Red was a real beauty, with sleek lines, a classic, but she was stuck; a pile of cold iron and steel, she had all but given up.

Then she whispered, “I think I can…”

And she did.

~kat