Tag Archives: Flash Fiction

October 1, 2019

Twittering Tales #156 – 1 October 2019

By Kat Myrman

Twittering Tales

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. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. 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 #156 – The Photo Prompt

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Photo by David Cardinez@pixabay.com

Don’t Feed The Bears…

Where are the keys?!

I thought you had them.

Why would I have them? It’s your car!

Because you said you were driving when the bear showed up. Oh god! They’re in my purse…out there! Now what?!

I guess we wait.

Do you think he knows we’re here?

Don’t look behind you! He knows!

~kat

275 Characters

Now it’s your turn! Tell your own twittering tale in 280 characters or less, using the photo above by David Cardinez@pixabay.com as inspiration, and be included in next week’s roundup! And speaking of roundups, be sure to check out last week’s fantastic tales! Thank you to everyone who participated! Have a great week! 😊

Twittering Tales #155 – The Roundup

img_5501

Photo by MarkusmitK@pixabay.com

Starting us off…

A Beginning
“Who’d ever wanna come here?” he thought. But this would be the last day he watched the trains come and go. Tomorrow he’d be on the morning express, seat 34a, a window view. He ran his fingers over the ticket in his hand and smiled. Life begins tomorrow. No looking back.
~kat
271 Characters

By Reena at ReInventions:
Audience
“This shot is an absolute masterpiece. Shall we use it as the opening or closing shot in the movie? Let the actor slowly turn around to face the audience or turn away.”
“I guess both…”
“Why?”
“The story in between will happen below. The audience will identify more with that.”
(273 characters)

By Graham at Graham is Just My Name:
The Age of Steam
As a kid he’d stand on the bridge as the express trains approached.
Then run to the other side as wagons thundered by.
Acrid smoke would billow around his trembling body and invade his nostrils.
Pure excitement.
Now only boring trains chug past here.
More rails than locomotives.
(277 chars)

By Mike at The Bookish Recovering Know-It-All:
It Goes On
Looking out over tomorrow, Seeing himself with her just last week, Daniel didn’t know if he could do it anymore without seeing her again. The memories would always be stronger than reality alone. She was gone but he knew every day would be another choice for him to stay. “Live”.
(270 characters)

By Di at Pensitivity101:
How ironic, he mused as he sat atop the girders looking down on the tracks.
The proud boast had been that it was built to last….. and it had.
Nothing would come or go now,  it was the only thing left intact after the Millennium War.
232 characters

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Hither and Yon
Hither and yon, he thought to himself as he looked down at the myriad tracks from his perch on the bridge.
Where is hither and where is yon, he wondered.
What might he find if he goes? Will hither and yon be different than here and now? Or will it be the same thing somewhere else?
(280 characters)

By Tien at From the Window Seat:
Suicide Wish
Too early, the train stops.
Too late, he misses the train.
The timing must be right.
After ages of planning, he knows exactly when the train passes under the bridge.
“Train’s delayed, problem with tracks up ahead,” a policeman calls out. “A sign, I’d say. You’re not destined to die.”
(280 characters)

By Suzette at Suzette B’s Blog:
Iron retreat
The tracks meet below my metal perch. The city will come alive soon. But for a brief moment, this is my place of quiet retreat. A reminder of the movement of life. For whether sitting, walking, driving or being transported, we are all carried in the womb of life.
Word count: 274

By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
Right Said Fred
Fred’s parents have taken him shopping. His mother has gotten engrossed in the ladies’ unmentionables department. Boring! Soon he’ll pig out at the food court, but for now he fantasizes about things yet to come, knowing that all goes well in his world.
(254 Characters)

By Joe at Does Writing Excuse Watching?:
so long. trainyard. so long my friends, you diesel engines. loud and strong. as of tomorrow i’ll work only on electric locomotives. not diesel electrics, either. pure electric, clean and quiet. i love you but this railyard should become a boneyard.

By Bear at Jellico’s Writing Nook:
The Era
It was the era of annihilation.
Gone are the rails,
the buildings,
the bridges.
It was the era of annihilation.
Gone are the trees,
the plants,
the animals,
It was the era of annihilation.
Gone are the people,
the politicians,
the activists,
the human race.
It was the era of annihilation.
CC: 279 (281 with title) – Note from Kat…Title’s don’t count;)

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!:
Trusting a Bum Out of Desperation
“Grab costumes for you and Joey. I will take my clothes out and find a bum to wear them and walk down as far as the train tracks. That should draw anyone following away if there is someone and I will signal you guys to come and we will go quickly as far as we can,” Ron said.
275 characters

By Lisa at Tao Talk:
Before After/After Before
In 1999, when he was an infant, Zil and his family migrated backwards in time, to 1963. Now 20, he was ready to visit the time he was really from. As he surveyed what, only moments before, had been open fields and woodlands, in 2019 not a blade of grass was visible. Zil wept.
[279 characters]

By Pratibha at Prat’s Corner:
The Shot
“You are being crazy.”
“Maybe. And you are starting to irritate me”
“How dare you, I have been posing here and there and everywhere ..”
“Because you like your pictures”
“My face deserves your camera. Why should I scale this bridge for a back shot?”
“Because that’s the prompt, Love”

By Hayley at The Story Files:
The View
He liked coming up to the roof of the abandoned hotel. It was the tallest building in the little city and he could see for miles around. He liked the space being up there give him. He keep breath, think and wait for his people to come back.

By Melanie at Sparks from a Combustible Mind:
Jason sat on the rail of the bridge overlooking the train tracks.  He’d gotten the latest rejection letter from the publisher and it was, for him, the final straw.  Nobody understood nor cared.   He thought perhaps this time he’d really jump.  That would show them all!
(character count: 270)

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Lucky
He’d been a loser all his life.
At school they gave him the nickname “lucky” because anything that could go wrong, always did.
He decided he’d had enough.  He would end it all by jumping under a train.
His phoned pinged with the latest news headline.
“Rail strike halts all trains!”
(278 characters)

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
Before starting training, he sat there surveying the tracks. Tomorrow! He would train hard and train well. It was going to be the best race he would ever run. If he won this marathon, he had a chance to get into the university of his choice and realize his dreams.
Character count: 265

By Deb at Twenty Four:
His stillness was concerning. To sit above the train lines and stare wasn’t the normal behaviour of anyone, least of all a young kid.
She thought to call out, she thought to find someone, anyone.
Instead she did nothing.
Five minutes later he jumped.
She never told anyone.
(270 characters)

By Kristian at Tales from the Mind of Kristian:
The Serenity That Comes Before
He sat on the railway bridge and felt a moment of serenity.
And smiled as he considered that Life was so full of vapid worthlessness; an entity of nothingness; a rotting fungus living parasitically on time.
He took a deep breath, nothing drastic, then fell under the 8:29 train.
[277 Characters]

By Chaotically Yours at Dreaming Through the Haze:
The First Step
Tonight, he’s hidden. In his pocket, the amulet hums against his fingers. On the horizon, the southbound 7:15 hums back, chugging closer.
Slipping from the rail, he lights on the carapace of the train.
His back to warm metal, he watches the sky, tracks his movement by the stars.
Characters: 278

By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
Bam
There again!They dared me to get atop the railing and now they are nowhere to be seen.
These friends of mine call me a fibber. Let me take a selfie to prove it to them.
Bam!
Time to consult Dr. Google for dream analysis, been dreaming about this for a while now.
259 characters.

By John at Broadsides:
All you need to be a trainspotter is an anorak and a good spot to watch the trains go by. And dreams. The 9.10 to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. The 10 am to Potters Bar. The Gatwick Express and the Brighton Belle, Virgins and Stage coaches, the Great Western Rail, Electric and Diesel and occasionally steam, all from here, on my bridge of dreams

 

48 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Twitter Tales

September 24, 2019

Twittering Tales #155 – 24 September 2019

By Kat Myrman

Twittering Tales
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. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. 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!

This Week’s Twittering Tales #155 – 24 September 2019 – Photo Prompt

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Photo by MarkusmitK@pixabay.com

Starting us off…

A Beginning

“Who’d ever wanna come here?” he thought. But this would be the last day he watched the trains come and go. Tomorrow he’d be on the morning express, seat 34a, a window view. He ran his fingers over the ticket in his hand and smiled. Life begins tomorrow. No looking back.

~kat

271 Characters

Twittering Tales #154– The Roundup

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Photo by Tama66 at Pixabay.com

Starting us off…

The Time Capsule
The Year is 3020. A time capsule from 2020 has been unearthed. Hologram screens materialized around the world as the Western Hemisphere President unlatched the trunk revealing an iPhone, shape-wear, A camera drone, an Instapot, air fryer, CBD oil and Donald Trump’s tax returns.
~kat
280 Characters

By Reena at ReInventions:
Hidden Treasure
Grandma always said her wealth of a lifetime lay in the trunk, but it can be opened only after she dies.
The family found a piece of paper in it after her funeral – “Ignite hope in people. It keeps you going.”
Was it the mystery that ensured she was well-cared for? Hidden treasure?
(280 characters)

By The Dark Netizen:
Grandma’s Chest
The chest lay untouched.
All us cousins knew we weren’t to go near it. Grandma had made that clear. However, on a boozy night, our curiousity got the better of us. I accepted the dare to open it. There lay grandpa’s corpse, one eye staring at us.
A knife plunged through the other.
Character Count: 280

By Amritha at Igniting Hope:
The Key
We gathered around a trunk found in the storeroom, now displayed in our living room. What could have been a moment of history became an ordinary event – it was an empty trunk.
As everyone left the place in disappointment, I noticed a tiny key inside the ’empty’ trunk!
(269 characters)

By Tien at From the Window Seat:
Ashes to ashes
His great grandfather bought the luggage as a sale item.
His grandfather treated it as a tool of escape.
His father, a memento and him, history.
Sadly, with his son, it was a piece of junk. And when he is gone, his grandson will treat it as a sale item in a garage sale.
Dust to dust.
(280 characters)

By Willow at WillowDot21:
The Find.
“It looks great in the hall.”
“Where’d you find it?”
“The attic.”
“I’m not sure it looks a tad worn.”
“Nothing a good polish won’t fix.”
“Umm, really?”
“Look a rub here, a rub there and it will shine like new!”
“Let’s get some coffee.”
As Will and Ed walked off the knocking started.
(275 Characters)

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Scaredy-Cat
“Aren’t you excited to see what’s in the trunk?”
“Not really. He was a very private man and I’m afraid of what he might have kept locked inside this trunk all those years.”
“Don’t be such a scaredy-cat. Open it.”
Reluctantly, she slowly opened the lid and looked inside.
“Oh my God!”
(279 characters)

By Mike at the Bookish Recovering Know-It-All:
Vaudeville Returns
$500 on this storage space at the auction, an old beat up trunk? Ive bewn at this awhile and I ususally get at least some furtinture, maybe a victorian lamp, even some old coins. Something more than ancient carriage. But today I guess its Vaudeville. But here goes. (Opens) Whoa!!
(280 characters)

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
They said these trunks belonged to Houdini, the famous magician. How grandpa got them in his attic was beyond Mick. He was forbidden to even touch them, let alone open. But how can you expect a fourteen year old be so obedient. Now the family is looking all over for him.
Character count: 273

By Graham at Graham is Just My Name:
A multilingual misunderstanding
“Il est temps de se faire la malle Frank.”
Marie-Claire followed him as he went upstairs and opened the big trunk.
“What are you doing cheri?”, she smiled.
“Packing – la malle!”
“Mais ‘se faire la malle’ means to make a quick getaway, not to pack it!
Frank grinned.
“Zut, wrong again!”
(279 chars)

By Suzette at Suzette B’s Blog:
The sea chest
They endured the long voyage amid tumultuous waves.
An entirefamily’s treasurecarefully packed and kept dry inside.
Now, re-purposed, a fitting footstool at the bottom of the stairs, for the now four generations that call this house home in
the land of the free.

By Di at Pensitivity101:
I don’t want it in the house!
But it was your uncle’s.
I know, and inside are the blood stains when his cut the lady in three trick went horribly wrong.
150 characters

By Jim at Mindscapes.net:
What if We’re All Just Inside a Trunk
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you lot #42. Said to contain the deceased owner, Yahweh‘s most prized possession, his ‘universe’.
Do I have an opening bid?
154 characters

By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
Quite an Atypical Solution
“Why do you have that suitcase, packed, from last year’s Buffalo trip?” Fred asked Jane. “I’m sloppy,” he replied. “Each year, I plan a trip, don’t go, and leave the suitcase to avoid a mess. Everything’s neatly organized that way. It’s my only hope, and it works.”
(268 characters)

By Lisa at Tao Talk:
Reverie
A loyal shipping trunk’s reverie:
How many ports have Tess and I met?
How many sailors’ songs?
How many dreams sailed with the wind?
How many drowned in a storm?
How many dresses packed away?
How many lovers gone?
Now tired & battered,
How many more before we can rest
‘Til the final dawn?

By Joe at Does Writing Excuse Watching:
My Inheritance
my eccentric rich uncle passed away and left me a huge trunk. i knew that he had collected numerous treasures. i opened the trunk with trembling hands. slow work with all the locks.
inside, i found nested trunks all the way down to a pillbox that held four aspirins. child dose.

By John at The Magic Shop:
Plenty of Space
“Are you happy now?” Ted snapped, opening the empty trunk. He was the newest resident on the block and neighbor Phil confronted him about the trunk’s contents. “You thought there’d be a corpse in there, right?” Phil smiled and took out a gun. “Actually, I wanted to see if you would fit in there”.
(299 characters)

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!:
Who Can We Trust?
“Ron I am scared.
“I am too, but we have no choice. Nator is after us for the chip and we have to think of the safety of our son.”
“I found several pieces of luggage.”
They contained a mound of costumes. “We can sneak out.”
“How do we know we aren’t watched here?
” We don’t.”
272 characters

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
The Legacy
Sad! Now that Granddad has gone there are none of his generation left.
Oh look, there’s that old trunk. I thought he’d got rid of that years ago.
I haven’t seen that for years, not since Grandma left him.
Better see what’s inside. You never know, he may have left us a nice surprise!
(280 characters)

By Regina at Help From Heaven:
Leaving Home to Find Myself
Janna looked at the chest holding her few worldly goods. Tomorrow, she begins her journey to find herself. She is scared, but she can stay here and die slowly, or courageously go forth. Her friends say that it is insanity to go where she knows no one. But, she chooses life.
(275 characters)

By John at Broadsides:
This trunk used to belong to Cliff Richard. He would, from time to time, put various girlfriends in it and lock them up, in order to prevent big handsome Hunks stealing them away. Back in the day that was cool and OK. But now, well, it wouldn’t be allowed.

By Deb at Twenty Four:
When she’d been advised she’d been left something in their will she’d been nervous, they’d always been eccentric and it appeared that hadn’t changed.
Pick a piece of furniture, she was directed.
What choice?
It was all the same.
She sighed in resignation.
(255 characters)

By Ramya at And Miles to Go Before I Sleep:
Jammed Trunk
The trunk was being auctioned for free as it was considered a jammed piece of junk.
Obviously, I got it.
After all, it was my spell that jammed the trunk.
“Stupid Muggles, now all the belongings of Harry Potter are finally mine!!!“, I thought as I walked away with the trunk.
Character count :272

By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip: (THREE TALES!)
with the fishes
Bumping the dead-weight trunk down the stairs, he thinks.
“Doh, was I ever stoopid! After the next assignment, I’ll use a burner phone to call 1-800-got-junk!”*
140*1-800-got-junk is real company. Motto: “All you have to do is point.”

travel just ain’t what it used to be
Super-sized cruise ships provided a wonderful nightly buffet of necks. With no coffins allowed in staterooms, Dracula suffered the indignity of spending his days inside a trunk. (179)

being neighbourly
His back strains moving her trunk.
“Heavy crafting materials,” he thinks.
Not origami paper; but his body neatly folded inside.
In death, as in life, he remains very helpful.
(179)

By Hayley at The Story Files:
Trunk
The train station was busy and steam filled the air. The tall man glanced back as the porter struggled with the large trunk.
‘What have you got in here!’ the porter cried.
‘My sister,’ the tall man replied simply.

By Jan at Strange Goings On in the Shed:
The Relic
The suitcase felt soft under her fingertips, urging her to undo the straps and open the locks.
She resisted, knowing how dangerous that would be. The relic reached out to her in dreams, relentless in its objective. She was terrified of what was coming.
Then the lights went out.
(278 characters)

By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
The kindness Akshaya Patra
Curious Aku was surprised to see a trunk in the storeroom.
Unfastening the lock she was dejected to find an old vessel inside.
“I expected a genie to appear in front of me, & grant my wishes, I find this.
Unfair.
What if I become the genie and I start an Akshaya Patra* of kindness?”
278 characters
Akshaya patra* :- Inexhaustible Vessel

By Rugby at The Bag Lady:
Come Closer. . .
I see you staring, wondering what’s inside. Admire burnished beauty? I’m used to it, no worries. What’s with the locks? Well I am ancient after all, different locks have been removed or added over the years. Feeling woozy? That’s perfectly normal. Come close, look inside.
280 characters

By Kristian at Tales From the Mind of Kristian:u
The Legacy
When Grandad died, he left a note and a key.
It said, “In my trunk in the attic is the world greatest hui.”
They wondered, Is it a load of cash or some arcane knowledge?
When they opened it, inside was only a clock, a subtle message to enjoy life while they can as time flies.
[279 Characters]

What treasures your tales were this week! And who knew so many things, ideas and bodies!!! So creative! This week’s prompt is a photo by MarkusmitK@pixabay.com. Tell me this guys story in 280 characters or less, of course. And I’ll see you next week at the Roundup!

50 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Twitter Tales

September 3, 2019

Twittering Tales #152 – 3 September 2019

By Kat Myrman

Twittering Tales

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. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. 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!

A look back to Twitting Tales #150  and a few of the tales that didn’t ping back.

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
The Jackpot
They approached the Sun to use the slingshot effect to set course for Alpha 7, and a new life.
Alarms sounded!
They were being dragged into the fiery hell, and nothing they did had any effect.
Back on Earth, everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief as the meteor passed safely by.
(279 characters)

Neel at Neel Writes Blog also mentioned that his tale last week never made it to the roundup, but I couldn’t find it. Please do send me a link Neel. I hate that we missed it!

Twittering Tales #151 – The Roundup

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Mashup of photos by pendleburyannette (dragon) & MichaelGaida (forest) at Pixabay.com

Starting us off…

The Paper Tiger
Ned, a copy editor, longed for a spot on the news desk. He had a plan.
“Dragons!” he scoffed as he shuffled through the brush on the grounds of the secret test site. “I’m going to debunk those crazy rumors once and for all.”
“Um. That’s Draco, kid. D-R-A…hey where ya’ going?!”
~kat

By Reena at ReInventions:
I wish I Knew
“I’ve never seen a dragon resting at dawn.”
“You’ve never seen a dragon either. Click a pic, but stay away….”
“Something tells me, its tail is embedded deep inside and it will take time to move.”
“John, there’s something entwining your foot, and it’s blue.”
“AAARGH…… I wish I knew.”
(279 characters)

By The Dark Netizen:
Hidden
He is coming for me.
I can sense his approach and his thirst to find me. I am the last one left, and all that stands between him and victory. None have beaten him till now. But I will be the first one to defeat him.
All I have to do is stay hidden, in this game of hide and seek…
Character Count: 280

By Graham at Graham is Just My Name:
DEEP IN THE FOREST
You hadn’t thought this through.
You cooked the DNA, grew me in nourishing gel, wrapped me round this tree, and waited.
What about my escape route, you moron of a crazy geneticist?
How am I supposed to get out of this damn forest?
Then I expelled my mythical powers.
Burn baby! Burn!
(278 chars)

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Did Someone Say Dragon?
Jack and Ed hiked deep into the woods until they found a small clearing. They sat down on a log and Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out a joint, and lit it up. “Do you want a drag on this?” he asked Ed.
They both heard a voice coming from their left. “Did someone say dragon?”
(280 characters)

By Di at Pensitivity101:
The dragon sulked. He hated Hide and Seek.
42 characters.

By Ron at Read4Fun:
Blowhard Stories
DEAR AMAZON.
For my cough, Doc recommended you. There is no one in the store to answer my questions. All I want is some pills. Every time I cough, I spit fire. If I don’t get an answer soon, this Amazon thing is doomed. Lousy customer service burns me up. My turn next. DRAGON.
277 characters

By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
“(In) the Forest Primeval”*
Patience. ‘Tis the mantra I needs adopt.
Keeping the beast enchantedly happy whilst I wait.
We sit in the forest clearing; thank Arthur, it is easily entertained.
A flutter of brown wings; my Camelot Prime order appears.
A non-fantasy classic: How to Train Your Human by Toothless 1.
(280)
* opening line of Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1847)
1 Toothless is a Night Fury dragon in the animated trilogy: How to Train Your Dragon.

By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
An Unlikely Visitor
Tra-a-la-la! Tra-a-la-la!
Dancing through the woods,
Wearing my hoods,
Here I come at the precise time of dawn,
Stifling that persistent yawn,
To collect herbs for the concoction,
To help with the medicine man’s decoction.
Rubbing my eyes, what do I see ?
UFO or a hallucinating me?
275 characters

By Kia at The Bookish Recovering Know-It-All:
Ready or Not
Lucius thought to himself, “I’m glad for the last two years. I’ve grown so much both in size but also inside”. At last, the end of training. From a distance he could hear his master and teacher counting. “Seventeen, Eighteen, nineteen… twenty. Here I come, ready or not”. Ready.
(280 characters)

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
He was the last of its kind. So tired from hiding in the deep forest away from those prying humans. His strength was slowly ebbing away and now he could just lie there waiting for the end. Suddenly the whole of the forest lit up in an eerie light. He looked up. Mother?
Character count:269

By Bear at Jellico’s Writing Nook:
The Hard Way
‘Have you no sense? Don’t you know to let sleeping dragons lie?’
‘I – uh… I wasn’t thinking…’
‘Obviously. Now, look at you… bald and scarred…’
‘Don’t laugh. It’s bad enough as it is.’
‘At least now, every time you look in the mirror, you’ll remember your lesson.’
cc: 263

By Willow at WillowDot21:
Approach in clear line of view. No sudden or aggressive movements. Speak gently. A dragon always reacts better to calm, gentle handling. You must master this first meeting, you never get a second chance. Remember you are a dragon keeper, you need a dragon more than they need you.
(280 Characters)

By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
The Teenagers
“Relax,” the Don’s guidance counselor told him. “We save the real dragons for juniors and seniors. You freshmen only have to practice on windmills.” On the big day, he and his best friend Sancho got the shock of their lives. There must have been a mistake in their schedules.
(277 characters)

By John at The Magic Shop:
Break Time
This was his chance. A beast that may have terrorized his village was asleep. Silent steps inched him closer to using his sword. Was this the creature? It didn’t matter, He needed to be a hero. Brimstone smell enticed him. His heart stopped as a branch cracked under his foot awakening the dragon.
(300 characters)

By Lisa at Tao Talk:
Let Sleeping Dragons Lie
Brave Pitter and Patter wandered deep in the forest, looking for dragons, and came upon a sign:
There’s a place in this woods where she sleeps
Pleasant dreams of the gold that she keeps
She wakes late, so be smart
Or be burnt to a fart
Sip your tea, munch your toast, and no peeps!

By Joe at Does Writing Excuse Watching?:
Park Ride
“A sleeping dragon? What kind of a Park ride is a sleeping dragon?”
“Awake it was too scary for the kids.”
“But what does it do?”
“Smoke comes out of its nose.”
“That’s it?”
“It makes snoring sounds.”
“Anything else?”
“It farts.”
“Well that’s all right then.”
251 characters.

By Melanie at Sparks from a Combustible Mind:
Eagon lived in the forest with his family.   Their cottage was small, their garden large.   Locals came in crowds to buy fresh vegetables and herbs. Although beleaguered often for his secret, Eagon would only smile enigmatically. Dragon dung was the best fertilizer known.
(Characters = 276)

By Chris at I.Mused:
An Old Friend
The snap of a twig.
The scales along his neck instinctively shimmered, he’d been followed.
“Please don’t go,’ she panted, “we need you.”
“Child,’ he hissed, “your elders disagree.”
“I need you,” she sobbed.
“You don’t need me,” his tail whipped, “You can imagine so much more!”
(272 chars)

By Regina at Help From Heaven:
Thank Goodness for a Vegetarian Dragon!
Walking through the forest, Kane saw a beautiful blue dragon. As Kane started to take flight on nimble feet, the dragon told him that he no longer found humans delicious. Their intransigence caused him indigestion. His blue color came from the blueberries he ate, instead.

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!:
The Exchange?
“Nator wants us to go to the dragon area at the local amusement park and hide out in the maintenance shed until this afternoon when we will meet the director and he will take possession of the product.”
“Are you sure about handing the product over to this man,” Linda asks.
272 characters

By Neel at Neel Writes Blog:
APOCALYPSE
“It’s a faun.”
“No, fauns have a goat’s legs. This one doesn’t have one,” Vikram said , his fingers pointing towards the monstrous creature that curled up behind trunk of the gulmohar.
“Faun or no faun, our goose is cooked,” said Inder before he lost consciousness.
(280 CHARACTERS)

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Lost In Space
Close call with that meteor last week!
Yes, but have you seen this weird craft under the tree?  There’s a canister just by the open door. Let’s look inside!
What’s this? A short story by the looks of it. Written by Peter’s pondering.
So, that’s why it wasn’t included in the roundup!
(278 characters)

By Hayley at The Story Files:
The Sleeping Dragon
‘We have to be quiet in the woods,’ Mama said.
‘Why?’ her young daughter asked.
‘Because, last night a blue dragon arrived here!’
The girl’s eyes grew wide and she clutched to her mama’s skirts.
‘He’s sleeping, so if we don’t disturb him, everything will be fine.’

By Shweta at My Random Ramblings:
Hide and Seek!
He struggled to drag himself behind the thick bush.
He had to remain hidden at any cost.
The flaming arrow didn’t kill him.
Yet, it ensured that he won’t fly for a while.
He couldn’t die at the hands of a human, like the others.
He was the last of his kind – the sole surviving dragon.
(280 characters)

By Deb at Twenty Four:
When Heidi had suggested taking the children out she’d leapt at the chance, but as a yell broke the silence she almost groaned in despair.
Hurrying into the clearing she came to an abrupt halt, then smiled.
“Ok kids, can anyone tell me what that is lying under the tree?”
(267 characters)

By Kristian at Tales From the Mind of Kristian:
Conquering the Dragon
It was a crazy initiation,
Fight the dragon, impress the nation,
but something sporadic, unplanned,
Happened that shocked the land.
They sent a novice, a raw beginner
But oddly, he returned the winner
He didn’t fight, attack or defend,
He talked to the Dragon and made him a friend.
[280 Characters]

By Rob at Art by Robert Goldstein:
The Televangelist
The raging Televangelist stalked the stage like
a angry dragon and roared:
“You will atone for your sins or the god of vengeance shall surely pierce your heart with the sword of eternal anguish!”
I rocked the cradle so hard the baby fell into supper.
226 Characters

And…it’s a wrap! I loved your Dragon Tales. There were several hide and seek takes. I found that interesting. You may have noticed I have not been around much this week. I’m afraid the creeping crud got the best of me, calling for a trip to the urgent care for antibiotics and other fun stuff. I’m just starting to feel human again so I dragged myself out from under my rock…I couldn’t possibly miss this weeks round up!

The pingbacks have been a bit fickle these days. Sorry if I have missed your tale last week or this. It has been suggested that I use an outside resource such as InLinkz. What do you think? Would you still want me to do a roundup each week? I’ve received some complaints that the challenge photo is too hard to scroll down to. Please give me your feedback. I aim to please. 😉 I enjoy hosting this challenge each week. It’s probably a good idea to post a link to your tale in the comments just in case pingbacks are acting up.

For this week an intriguing photo by Geralt at Pixabay.com.  What is the secret message hiding in the binary code on the screen? Is the young lady in the photo the key saving us all? Who sent the message…an enemy…aliens? You could always write a story about computers in general and how FRUSTRATING they are…pings dropped, crashes, lost data…Have fun with it. And I hope to see you next week at the Roundup. And remember, let me know if you’d like me to try InLinkz…or if you are ok with the current format. Have a great week!

 

Twittering Tales #152 – 3 September 2019

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Photo by Geralt at Pixabay.com

Wish You Were Here…

When Agent Smith mysteriously disappeared, he left a coded message. Authorities knew his daughter had learned to read code. Agents brought her in.

After a few moments, Hanna burst into laughter.

“What does it say?”

“Dad’s on vacation. He’ll see you in a month…’bout time dad!”

~kat
278 Characters

67 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Twitter Tales

August 27, 2019

Twittering Tales #151 – 27 August 2019

By Kat Myrman

Twittering Tales

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. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. 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 #150 -The Roundup

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Photo by Felipe Ribeiro at Pexels.com

 

67 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Twitter Tales

August 20, 2019

Twittering Tales #150 – 20 August 2019

By Kat Myrman

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. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. 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 #149 -The Roundup

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Photo by Wal_172619 @ picabay.com

Starting us off:

After years behind a desk, Ellie decided to make a change. Sure, she could’ve gone Uber or Lyft, but her old clunker was a wreck. At “Checkered” they provided the wheels and a paycheck.
She had some wild stories. Like that time she delivered twins. Too bad I’m out of characters…
~kat
280 characters…darn!

By Reena at ReInventions:
End of Hope
Fifty thousand vehicles are in queue to enter the flooded town. Some carry relief material. Some carry mothers wanting to reach their children.
Sounds from the radio are ominous “Two gates of the overflowing dam to be opened”.
The motorists see water gushing their way. End of hope.
(280 characters)

By Tien at From the Window Seat:
Traffic Problems
John decided the worst thing about driving was not getting stuck in traffic, neither was it getting stuck in traffic with a garrulous taxi driver.
It was getting stuck in traffic with a garrulous driver live streaming your wife, complete with commentary, after her water broke.
(276 characters)

By Graham at Graham Is Just My Name:
Bangkok 11.25 pm
Pandemonium at the airport.
All flights are cancelled.
Bundled to a nearby cheap hotel.
Awoken at 3.23 am.
No coffee.
No breakfast.
No buses.
Crammed into 55 taxis and driven in cavalcade back to the chaos.
Too tired to think.
Was it just a bad dream?
I’m afraid not.
(269 characters)

By Di at Pensitivity101:
‘Honey? Our taxi might be a bit late.’
38 characters

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Bad Timing
In 2009, Ramesh paid nearly a million dollars to purchase a taxi medallion. He thought he was set for life and he could pass the medallion on to his children, giving them a valuable inheritance.
Then Uber and Lyft came along and now that damn taxi medallion is close to worthless.
(279 characters)

By Naonato at Honing Skills and Loving the Ride:
Podcast
Breath in
Exhale
Good
Bre- I can’t do this! Screw it all!
What if I abandon my taxi right here? I mean, I’m already at the airport. I could just leave.
Damn it.
Wife’s got the passport in the safe. What good’s it there? I’ll ask her for it when I get home.
And then I’ll leave.
character count: 279

By Bear at Jellico’s Writing Nook:
Taxi
“Uh, dear, I know you sent a taxi for me, but…”
cc: 49

By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
Rest In Peace, Fred
All roads leading to St. Gabriel’s were packed with traffic. Fred’s funeral was the biggest event the townsfolk had ever seen. Accolades were incessantly pouring in, even from Washington. Living presidents. were there. “He was one hell of a cab driver,” Bush 43 told Carter.
(280 characters.)

By Shweta at My Random Ramblings:
Bumper to Bumper!
Google Maps casually alerted her that the usual 15 min ride to work would now be much longer, all thanks to the damn traffic. She took a look at the gridlock that showed no sign of resolving any time soon. Good thing she rode a bicycle to work. The cycle lane wasn’t so congested!
(280 characters)

By Willow at WillowDot21:
The taxi drivers were dropping like flies, suffering from stress! The queue was from purgatory to the gates.
St. Peter was hot and bothered, Michael and Gabriel had a good idea who had who had called every taxi in the city to
Battery Park. Adriel looked confused, Satan chuckled.
(278 Characters)

By John at The Magic Shop:
Holt finally found the cab he had been looking for. It had no no way out, being stuck in traffic. “Pop the trunk” Wills ordered one driver. “On who’s authority?” the driver said as Holt flashed his badge. The trunk opened. Wills found it filled with skulls and shackles. Holt got his man at last.
(299 characters)

By Enzo at Travel, Good Food, Arts and More:
Return Home
Exiting the station David got welcomed by huge queues of people trying to get a taxi to their destination. A Bank Holiday and the Notting Hill Carnival meant there was only controlled road traffic in the area. It seemed his return home was more adventurous than his holiday.
(275 characters)

By Jan at Strange Goings on in the Shed:
Conga Line
The line of taxis stretched beyond the horizon. If they were to win this dance marathon they had to keep in rhythm. The cup was taken from them last year, they had to reclaim it.
Zorba shouted encouragement over the radio, his heart almost bursting with pride. Go you Spartans!

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
The long line of taxis outside the airport was a familiar sight for John. It meant he was home at last. Ah! Home after ten long years away. Now to get into one of those taxis to get to his hotel.
Character count: 196

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!:
Caught?
“Linda, grab the boy and follow me quickly.”
“Ron where are we going?”
“Get in the cab’s back seat and lay down! Both of you! The cab’s been here for days so they won’t expect it to be our getaway car.”
Ron grabs the cap and puts it on and he drives off with Linda and their son.
277 characters

By Lisa at Tao Talk:
Why, Jimmy?
Jimmy and I had been friends forever; someone I could trust – or so I thought. When I showed him my replicating machine he promised he wouldn’t say anything – and he didn’t; but that morning as I drove up to the lab, I couldn’t believe what was driving out out of it. Why, Jimmy?
The End.  [281 characters]

By Anurag at Jagahdilmein:
Just Jammin’
The jam stretched on for miles, but there was no honking of horns, no loud grumblings of frustrated drivers or impatient passengers.
Everyone was just staring out of their windows, mouths wide open.
You would think that they’d never seen giant sloths crossing the road before.
279 characters

By Neel at Neel Writes Blog:
TAKE ME AWAY
“Sir, welcome aboard. Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere”.
“Sir, the apps demands a destination. I’m sorry Sir, without you telling me where you want to go I won’t be able to drive.”
“Anywhere, man, just go any goddam  place as long as it takes me away from my wife.”
273 characters

By Ron at Read 4 Fun:
Medallion fees and Uber meant bankruptcy. Culik purchased taxis and permits cheap; they allowed access to airports. Instant communication app WA made sure he met assigned drugged passengers. Culik’s contract was for comatose bodies returned home to prove family honor restored.
277

By Kristian at Tales from the Mind of Kristian:
A Dangerous Lady
The lady stepped out of her spacious hotel and hailed a cab. Instantly they lined up for her custom.  People called her Aphrodite. She always appeared kind but she was on the prowl for someone to manipulate. Who shall it be this time, a Chief Exec or maybe a President?
[263 Characters]

By Hayley at The Story Files:
Everyone thought the job was easy; drive people from A to B but Dec knew there was more to it. With twelve years under his belt, he found the waiting boring, nervous still collecting customers and traffic stressful.
That’s why he’d decided to give up and move to the coast to work on a boat.

By Diane at Ladies Who Lunch Reviews, etc.:
Inching towards O’Hare as construction funneled traffic to one lane, Liz squinted and tapped “in 149” on her cell.
The reply was immediate. “Leave it.” Complying, she jumped out and fixed her contact lens. Too late she saw it was Taxi #159 where she had left the device…
276 characters

By Deb at Twenty Four:
“Some people would think the obvious when they looked at that lot?”
“Food, drinks, bathroom stops?”
“Exactly, but as I’ve tried to explain to that mob in there, that’s not how you get rich.”
“No?”
“No, I’m not here for a loan so I can feed that lot, I want to make a car that flies.”
(279 characters)

By Namitha at The Dame Writes:
Traffic Jam!
“Tom, look at the traffic jam on other side of the road”.
“Wow! Good that we decided to take this route, now its time to make fun of these losers”.
Just then the navigation device beeps ‘Your route has been recalculated, take a U-turn to reach your destination!’
Character count: 260

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
“Be your own boss.” they said.
“Choose your own hours.” they said.
“Meet lots of interesting people.” they said.
“Your earnings will double from the word go.” they said.
What they didn’t say was that I would spend the greater part of every damned day stuck in downtown traffic!
(273 characters)

By John at Broadsides:
Soon ve vill get rid of zem. Uber alles! Ve own ze cars, ve own ze technology, ve hav ze electricity, ve hav ze streets. Ve don’t need all zees drivers. Zey can to ze welfare go, to ze foodbanks go. Driverless cars! Zay vill all be unemployed, uber alles, Ve vill be rich.

By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
See You Soon!
Sniff! Sniff! Bye, bye granny! Please don’t go.
Tears rolling down the eyes.
Turning around, dad was nowhere to be found.
Panicky grandma, granddaughter clutching each other’s hands.
A candy for you, my brave girl! Cheer up! Let’s wave to your grandmother with a smile.
See you soon!
278 characters.

Wonderful roundup everyone! Such creativity! Thanking for taking time to join the challenge! I truly do look forward to reading your tales every week! This week, I give you this intriguing photo by Felipe Ribeiro at Pexels.com. I’m not sure what it is, but it has a post-modern, other-worldly feel to it. Or maybe it’s an everyday object through the eyes of an insect! Ha! Whatever it is, if you’re up for the challenge, tell me the story here, in 280 characters or less, and I’ll see you next week! Happy writing! 😊

Twittering Tales #150 – 20 August 2019

Photo by Felipe Ribeiro at Pexels.com

The Lottery

The lottery was held a week before the meteor collision. One million souls would be selected, with the winners being notified privately.

Days passed and neighbor’s eyed each other suspiciously. But no one seemed to have made the cut. No one, but the leaders and their families.

~kat

278 Characters

57 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Twitter Tales