Category Archives: Random Thoughts and Musings

…on a Mission

Photo Credit: Etol Bagam

“Are you sure you have the right address? This is an odd place…”

“Yes…I’m sure.”

“How about the date and time. Maybe…”

“Look! Here’s the letter! This is the place. Today’s the day…and we’re right on time! I knew this would be a waste of time!”

“Well, they might just be running late. Let’s give it a few more minutes.”

A door slammed. Minutes later a frail white-haired man shuffled toward them mumbling gibberish to himself. He cocked his head to the side, eying them both.

“Which one o’ you is her? I don’t have all day here.”

“I’m Sarah Morgan. The one who conta…”

“Yeah yeah, well here’s what ya’ came for. Don’t you be blabbin’ about where you got it. I told ya, I don’t want no trouble…ya hear?”

Sarah took the envelope and pressed it to her heart. Inside was the name and address of the couple that adopted her daughter…against her will.

She typed the address into the gps. “Let’s go.”

kat ~ 13 January 2016
(169 Words)

This story is a flash fiction challenge prompted by the photo above by Etol Bagam and provided by my friend PJ at FFfAW (Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers). Read other stories or enter your own by clicking HERE.


Hide and Seek

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Photo Credit: A Mixed Bag – 2016

“…18 Mississippi…19 Mississippi…20 Mississippi. I hate this game.”

Pete slid the barn door open just enough to slip through.

“Ugh! It stinks in here. Buddy, come on…just come out!” Silence.

“Buddy! I’m not kidding. It’s creepy in here! I’m going to count to ten and if you aren’t out by then, I’m leaving.”

“…8…9…10…okay…bye!”

Pete plopped in front of the tv. After several hours, his mom called from the kitchen. “Hey Pete, didn’t you say you were with Buddy today?”

“Yeah…I played with him. That lame game of hide and seek!”

“Well, I just got a call from Buddy’s mom. He hasn’t been home all afternoon. They’re starting to worry. Where did you say you last saw him?”

Pete slumped under a feeling of dread. “We were in the woods by that old barn. He wouldn’t come out, so I came home.”

Hours turned into days, days to weeks. They never found Buddy. It was years before the authorities were finally able to connect Buddy’s disappearance to a pattern of abductions in the area.

…And years before Pete could come to terms with the guilt. He never played hide and seek again.

kat ~ 9 January 2016
(200 words)

Al Forbes has provided the creepy photo above for this weeks Sunday Photo Fiction Challenge.  You can read some of the other stories, or try writing your own by click HERE to visit Al’s page.


Sunday’s Week in Verse – 10 January 2016

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Happy Sunday! Time to look back at the previous week in verse to see where I’ve been as I get ready for the coming week. I love the theme of this week. Looking back at the week that was, I must admit I was exhausted by the time Friday rolled around. Work was a stressful task-master. And my nights, as a result, were fitful bouts of restlessness. But to look at the verses below, one would think life is my oyster…no worries…it’s all good. WHAT?! How did I manage to write so many lovely positive things when my mind felt like it was spinning out of control?

And then it hit me. I am a generally positive, optimistic person. Circumstances and the appearance of things can’t change that. The words that flew out of my heart and mind represent the real me. And perhaps the me that kept me from completely losing it in the midst of such a crazy week. When people ask me why I write, this is IT in a nutshell. Writing gives me balance, keeps me sane and provides an occasional intervention by reminding me who I am. Writing is soul-speak. With that, I give you this week in verse. It makes me smile. Hope it makes you smile too. Have a great week!

Sunday’s Week in Verse – 10 January 2016

Pursuit of bliss is all the rage
Anything MAGIC has to be good, right?
So the wheels started turning…
Banana Bread 🙂
Seeing is too much pressure!
Is not a destination a continuum?
We hang our hope on this one thing
So go out there and find it
Looking forward to a great 2016!
Her heart skipped a beat.
They deserved to be happy.
Echoes of my Neighborhood
Punctuated by sweet giggles
He was a pretty good listener
Cheesecake, just a taste!
I can tell you it’s the dinky-di.

~kat

If you’re new to this blog, a bit of background to explain the verse above. It is a line from each poem or prose from the previous week. Lifted and placed in the order written. A snapshot review of the week. It helps me to prepare for the upcoming week with a clean slate. 


Sybaritic – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

  
Ah…Sybaritic, today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day. I can so relate! Especially this time of year, when despite my best intentions not to make resolutions, I subliminally do resolve to eat a healthier diet and exercise more. It’s like my psyche is programmed to click into diet mode when the clock clicks one. But…there is one thing I am weak for. What is the thing that I won’t deny myself if the opportunity presents…that sweet sybaritic indulgence that I can’t resist? Cheesecake! So, of course I am featuring it in today’s haiku! Enjoy!

My diet is quashed
By sybaritic pleasures…
Cheesecake, just a taste!

kat ~ 8 January 2016


The Election

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Photo Credit: A Mixed Bag 2016

No one suspected that something so conspicuously displayed had the potential to raze an entire city. Malcolm placed it right on the mantle. To his guests it looked like a decorative light, with flashing arcs of green and blue and purple.

It was a night to celebrate the landslide election that promised freedom from the oppressive cruelty once wielded by the now deposed regime. Their hero, a visionary, would soon take the reigns and move the city into a bright and hopeful future. Malcolm smiled as he watched his guests enjoying themselves. They deserved to be happy.

He almost forgot about the capsule. It had been his Plan B. Malcolm, you see, despite his charm and fortune, was also slightly mad. If they had lost the election, there was no reason for anyone to live. He would ensure it.

As he glanced at the mantle, the color drained from his face. The capsule was gone! A quick scan of the room revealed his worse nightmare. There on the floor a child sat shaking the cylinder, giggling as it changed colors…green, blue, purple…RED! NOT RED!

Malcolm raced toward the child shouting, “Please! put it …”

kat ~ 6 January 2016
(195 Words)

This story was prompted by the unusual photo you see above. It is definitely not a doomsday device, but according to our host, at Sunday Photo Fiction, it is a fancy speaker for his computer. If you would like to read other stories inspired by this photo or enter your own story, click HERE.