Tag Archives: microfiction

August 27, 2016

Seasonings – Part 8

By Kat Myrman

Seasoning – Part 8

Helen left Hannah and headed straight to the kitchen. “What a bloody mess this is!”

She cleared dust off the counters and stove top and dove into the groceries she’d had delivered. There were lovely potatoes and butter, three Cornish hens wrapped in butcher paper, apples, sacks of flour and sugar, fresh milk and a satchel of herbs.

“We shall have a lovely dinner tonight! That should settle things down around here.” Satisfied with her plan, she hummed a lively tune as she prepared each dish to perfection.

“Wha! What is that ungodly racket!” The noise from the kitchen had jolted Henry from his distressing dream. It took him a few seconds to remember that he had house guests. Unwelcome house guests! “I don’t need this! I won’t have it! I won’t!” He got himself together and grabbed his overcoat.

Helen was putting the finishing touches on dinner when Henry stomped into the kitchen. Behind her Hannah had just entered from the breezeway.

“What is that amazing aroma? I can’t wait to…”

Henry interrupted Hannah, his eyes smoldering, “I told you Helen, I take my meals out! Look at the mess you’ve made of this kitchen!”

“I made your favorites Henry. Come now, let’s have a nice dinner.”

Henry growled, threw his coat on and bolted out the front door slamming it behind him.

Helen turned to look at Hannah who stood frozen in the doorway. “Come along Hannah, help me get this to the dining room. He’ll be back. He’s a stubborn one, always has been. But he’ll come around. You’ll see!”

Dinner was a quiet affair. Henry’s absence had cast a pall over the evening.

Hannah broke the silence managing a weak smile. “That was delicious Helen. You’ve been so kind. Let me get the dishes and kitchen put back in order.”

“Thank you dear, it was my pleasure, but I’m sure you’re exhausted. I’ll take care of the dishes. You go settle in for the night. We’ll get a fresh start in the morning.”

Back in her room Hannah started to unpack. With each item placed in the dresser, she fell deeper into regret. “Oh, what have I done. This is not at all what I imagined it would be!” She wrapped herself in her mother’s quilt, dropped to the floor and sobbed herself to sleep.

————————–

Part 8 of a series prompted by Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge and the painting above. To read other installments click HERE.

21 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Short Stories (300+ Words)

August 19, 2016

Seasoning – Part 7

By Kat Myrman

“Far, far away Soria Moria Palace shimmered like Gold” by Theodor Kittelsen


Hannah followed Helen past the kitchen through a breezeway that flanked the back of the house. She paused to gaze at the garden.

“I hope your green thumbs are up to the challenge dear!” Helen walked back to Hannah. “Breaks my heart to see it like this. You know, back when I was growing up, my grandmother raised climbing rose bushes over there,” she pointed at a weather worn teak arbor. “And my mum, when she had charge of the grounds, filled the raised beds with herbs and plants suitable for teas and tinctures. Our pantry’s rafters were full of drying plant bundles!

Hannah smiled as she imagined the life that once thrived in the weed tangled, overgrown mess. “I love herb gardens. We had one at Waverly, and a vegetable garden too. Every meal my mother prepared included something from the garden. And I remember too, when my sister and I couldn’t sleep, mother would take a bunch of lavender and crush the buds between her fingertips before fluffing our pillows.”

“Ah, your mother was a wise woman. I don’t have any plans for the garden, Hannah. Consider it your special project.” Helen motioned Hannah to the end of the hall.

“Well here you are.” Helen opened the door. “Make yourself at home. Tonight, a surprise! I’m cooking! Dinner is in an hour!”

Henry had retreated to his room after his rude outburst. Exhausted, he threw himself over the bed, soon tossing into fitful, restless sleep, haunted by a recurring nightmare. In it, he was a boy gazing at an elusive city that always glowed just past the horizon despite his attempts to reach it. Happiness resided there. And somehow he sensed his Alice was there too.

————————-

This is the seventh installment of a series in response to Jane Dougherty’s Weekly Microfiction Challenge. This week’s prompt is the painting, “Far, far away Soria Moria Palace shimmered like Gold” by Theodor Kittelsen. It is based on a Norwegian fairy tale that you can read by clicking HERE.

Find  previous installments HERE. 

25 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Fiction Series, Under 300 Words

July 22, 2016

Seasoning – Part 3

By Kat Myrman

else_berg_jongen_met_speelgoeddieren

Helen was worried about her little brother. The family hadn’t heard from him in months. He stopped coming to holiday gatherings and never answered his phone. Enough was enough! Being 10 years his senior, she knew Henry’s brooding tendencies quite well. Even as a baby he barely smiled. It wasn’t until he met Alice that his countenance changed.

Helen booked a ticket on the next train ensuring that she would arrive on a Saturday when Henry was home.

As the taxi hugged the curb, she was startled to see that the house had fallen into minor disrepair. The average person wouldn’t notice of course, but Helen knew how meticulous Henry was about his boxwood hedges and lawn edging. She rang the bell three times before hearing movement behind the door.

As Henry opened the door, squinting from the sunlight, he stepped back a stride when he realized who had come to call. “Helen! You’re here!”

“Yes little brother, I am. You look like crap!” She pushed past Henry sending a cloud of dust into the stale air; more dust as she pulled the drapes open. “Get me some tea Henry, will you? I’m parched!”

kat ~ 22 July 2016
(194 Words)

A third installment in the series for Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge based on the painting above by Else Berg. Read the first two installments of this story by clicking HERE and scrolling to the story called Seasoning.

 

23 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Short Stories (300+ Words), Under 300 Words

July 16, 2016

Seasoning – Part 2

By Kat Myrman

It had been three winters, three springs, summers, and autumns. The seasons melded together without her light there to breathe life into them.

Henry spent his days working from darkest dawn to waning dusk, the minutes gnawing at his heart, tumbling into hours, days, years. Grief is an unwelcome squatter that has overstayed its visit.

He ate his meals out, avoiding the kitchen when he was home. Dust had settled like a soft wooly sheath on the furniture and floated in the streams of sunlight that slipped through the shuttered curtains.

Henry managed to keep up appearances in public with a ready smile and affirming nod. From the outside he appeared to be getting on with life. The house too held its facade intact with its gleaming white-washed siding and welcoming portico.

Those who ventured past the gate though, realized something was amiss. The garden, once vibrant with fragrant blossoms, had been overtaken by thistles and brambles.

“I must see to the garden,” Henry often mused. In truth, he had grown accustomed to the weeds.

kat – 16 July 2016
(175 Words)

Part 2 of Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge inspired this week by this painting, La Porte by Henri Duhem. You can other Parts HERE.

13 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Fiction Series, Flash Fiction, Under 300 Words

July 15, 2016

Seasoning – Part 1

By Kat Myrman

Alice imagined the hush of new fallen snow as she gazed from the warmth of the parlor. She smiled. Winter was her favorite time of year.

Since receiving the news she had hoped to spend at least one more holiday with her beloved Henry.

Hints of cinnamon and sage wafted through the air and the sounds of clanking cooking utensils echoed from the kitchen. Henry was preparing a feast of roasted turkey, sweet butter-creamed potatoes, string beans and warm bread pudding with spiced rum sauce.

Alice rarely shared her kitchen with Henry. Cooking was her passion, but this was an annual tradition, and he loved it so.

“Dinner is served my darling girl,” Henry announced entering the dining room with a perfect gold-crusted bird steaming on a silver platter.

“Henry…”

His beaming delight dissolved to dread at the sound of her fading voice. The beautiful turkey and silver tray slipped from his grasp bouncing across the floor in a wet plopping, ear-shattering crash.

He rushed to Alice, catching her as she collapsed.

kat – 15 July 2016
(170 Words)

I am afraid I a a week behind on Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge, but this week’s challenge painting intrigued me. When I read that it was to be the second installment from the previous week, of course I needed to lay the foundation for my story. And so this entry is Part 1. You can other parts HERE.

11 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Under 300 Words