Tag Archives: Photo Prompt

December 29, 2017

Thomas’ Gift

Circles, wheels, whirligigs, fans…Thomas was obsessed with spinning, rolling, twirly things. His parents humored their special boy. How could they not? It was the only thing that kept him calm.

When he was old enough to swing a hammer, he started to build elaborate contraptions. Thomas had little use for school, no friends, and rarely spoke, but wheels were something he inately understood.

As Thomas grew up and his parents older, they worried how he would manage when they were gone. But news of Thomas’ fantastical creations gained him fame and lucrative commissions. Thomas had a gift. He’d be fine.

~kat

100 words for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers Challenge based on this photo prompt by © Ted Strutz.

15 Comments | tags: Challenge, Friday Fictioneers, Photo Prompt, Poetry, wheels | posted in 100 and Under, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings

December 26, 2017

Twittering Tale #64 – 26 December 2017

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.

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 Tale #63 – The Roundup

Starting us off…

From the inside, looking
out, there is nothing but
darkness, but from the
outside looking in, there
is a golden flush of
flickering light dancing
on the walls of a place
someone calls home.
(188 Characters)

From Martin at Martin Cororan:
The other moths treated Gary like a pariah.
‘Why don’t you fly towards the light ‘Gary’? Illumination not good enough?’
He often wondered whether they’d ascended to the Promised Land, or ended their days concussed and in flames.
When asked what he believed in Gary replied:
Martin’s favourite jumper…

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
We called it “the hole” because the only opening to the outside world was the rectangular window high above us. A bright light was always shining, blinding us to whatever might be peering down upon us. Jason had gone mad after about a week and I was sure to follow suit shortly.
(279 characters)

From Di at Pensitivity101:
Follow the light they said.
Sure, she replied.
Anyone got a step ladder?
Follow the light!
I’m trying to! A stool then?
Follow the light.
I would if I could get there!
Follow the light.
Oh sod it, turn the damn thing off.
213 characters.

From Lady Lee at Lady Lee Manila Blog:
The light of a candle in darkness
Stars and moon seem to be absent
In the stillness of the night
I am waiting for you
You’ll come back, you said
When the nights are long
Still I’m here
Patiently
Waiting
Hope*
(198 characters)

From Riya at Aestheticgraphy:
She felt locked, void, empty
Pretentious were her words
Fake was her attitude
She felt caged, in her own being
But one day, a light will come.
Knocking at the door, she will meet with her fate.
And get answers for all the unsolved mysteries in life.
Characters: 244

From Michael at Morpethroad:
Its become a ritual each night to light the candle in the hope you find your way home.
I miss you but cling to the dream you’ll come back.
I know you are out there and we get lost from time to time.
Until I hear otherwise, I’ll keep your flame alight.

From Radhika at Radhika’s Reflections:
Somber feelings define the mood
as a blanket of darkness descends
on the melancholic heart.
The vision eclipsed,
until a tiny flame ignited
from within ruminates.
Solitude and reflection
illuminates the soul
dispelling the obscurity
melting away the gloom!
Lc : 254 letters

From Lane at Lane Burke-poet, traveller, person of letters:
Night so quiet I can hear moonlight. In the distance: truck on gravel. GET OUT. A scrape of feet and knees. Door slams. Stones flung like sea spray as tires press down to find their grip. A cry like foxes carries her footsteps as she tries to run. They thought they were alone.

From Deepika at Deepika’s Ramblings:
“When confessions of the mind happen, under duress, and you are surrounded by darkness, & feel totally lost – delve deep within to find that tiny spark to dispel the darkness, and enlighten your path, to show you the way to emerge from the shackles of constraints and obstacles”.
278 characters

From Reena at ReInventions:
“These are the two forces that make the world what it is.”
“I just see a lamp there,” I say in exasperation.
“I see darkness and light in combat, but both retaining their identity. They owe their existence to each other, and hence, do not destroy the other completely.”
(267 characters)

From Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Each night, as the sun began to sink below the horizon, she climbed to the half landing, placing a candle in the window. Striking a match, to light the wick, reminded her of striking the killer blow. As she descended the stairs she stroked the panel behind which he was entombed!
(279 characters)

From Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
She lives in darkness, only barest candlelight glistening against snowfall of her fears.
Her raven’s hair redolent of cloves, dried biting orange peel and cinnamon.
For ornamentation, bright ear-baubles, and circlet.
Her fey gifts of healing called witchery by some.*
(268 characters)

Another great round of tales based on the candle in the window. This week, a time piece. As we near the end of 2017, are there things left undone or unsaid in your life. Will you be marking the new year with a clean slate or is it just another day…a continuation of the ticking of time. Eventually, the clock will stop for us all. But what will you do with the moments you have left. Or maybe this is an heirloom or an artifact; a rare glimpse into the life of a person from the past. Or it could be a jump start of a new day…8 minutes and counting, no time to waste. I’ll leave the details to you my friends. I hope you had a lovely holiday if you celebrate. 2018 is coming for all of us. Let us hope it is a good year. Peace.

Twittering Tale #64 – 26 December 2017

Photo by WildOne at Pixabay’s Creative Commons

Eight minutes was an eternity. Had he misread her feelings?

“If you love me, meet me at midnight at the cafe on the corner,” she smiled coyly.

“I’m such a fool,” he lamented.

As she breathed her last breath in a mangled heap of steel, only one regret haunted her. He was waiting.

~kat

(279 Characters)

30 Comments | tags: 280 Characters, Challenge, Photo Prompt, TT, Twitter Tales, TwitteringTales | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Random Thoughts and Musings, Twitter Tales

December 20, 2017

Warming

By Kat Myrman

“Sarah, we need to talk.”

“I know,” Sarah lamented, “I know what you’re going to say.”

“We just can’t afford to keep the shop open any longer. With the winters warming, no one is buying wool hats.”

“I know. You’re right. We can’t afford this storefront any longer, but maybe we could try eCommerce. I hear that some of the Nordic regions still have a season of frosting.”

“We could try that. I’ll set up the website and settle our lease with the landlord to the end of the month.”

“Thanks Josh. I miss winter.”

“Me too, Sarah. Me too.”

~kat

100 words for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers Flash Fiction Challenge inspired by the photo above by © Björn Rudberg.

24 Comments | tags: 100 Words, Challenge, Friday Fictioneers, global warming, Photo Prompt | posted in 100 and Under, Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction

December 19, 2017

Twittering Tale #63 – 19 December 2017

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. Wait….WHAT?! YES! You read that correctly. Recently, the sages at Twitter announced that they were doubling the character limit. So, of course, I am passing this gift on to you! 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.

Finally, have fun!

And REMEMBER…you now have 280 characters (spaces and punctuation included), to tell your tales. I can’t wait to see what you do this week.

Twittering Tale #62 – The Roundup

Photo from the Commons at Pixabay

Start us off…

The Message:
milk
bread
red wine
brussel sprouts
toilet paper
soap
peanut butter
eggs
coffee
sugar
toothpaste
floss
spaghetti
tomato sauce
cheese
soup
strawberries

From Michael at Morpethroad:
Washed clean after years at sea, the bottle and message remain a mystery as it can’t be opened.
Speculation is rife. What if someone is desperate? What if its the map to secret treasure?
All we know is the bottle was made in 1735.
Its historical significance outweighs its contents.
(280 characters)

From Reena at ReInventions:
Too lazy to break the bottle and release the djinn?
No wonder jellyfish have survived without brains. They do not create Frankensteins.
(135 characters)

From Lady Lee at Lady Lee Manila:
I meander in my thought
Message I hope he finds
To my secret love
Things got to be released
Emotion I come to stir
Answering all the whys
Waiting for something to happen
Don’t make me stop
Perhaps one day we’ll be together
Seize the day or carpe diem
(242 characters)

From Martin at Martin Cororan:
…Terribly sorry to impose upon you old chap, but might I beg a brief audience to articulate the pickle in which I find myself. Time is short (as is paper) so allow me to harness the power of brevity and proceed forthwith to the kernel of my concern. I am stranded on a des…
[END OF MESSAGE]
277 Characters

From Di at Pensitivity101:
“To Whoever is reading this:
My name is Bryan Harley and I’m on holiday in Spain.
The date is June 20th 2004, so sorry, no hidden treasure.”
‘Hey! Bryan! You’re never going to believe this………………’
204 characters

From Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
Flashback to lady of delight.
Once upon a daydream, she was the shape of my heart.
Left a message in a bottle: “Be my girl”.
Why don’t you answer?
Whispering voices, voices in my head.
Made me the madman running through the fields.
Now, every breath you take, I’ll be watching you.
(280)

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
We couldn’t believe it when we saw the bottle in the sand just beyond the reach of the surf. She dared me to open it up and read the message and I quickly obliged. We both laughed when I unfolded the message and read it aloud. It read, “NICKEL BOTTLE DEPOSIT OVERDUE.”
(268 characters)

From D. Avery at ShiftnShake:
Cliché Clipper
She felt her ship had come in. She wondered at such fortune, finding a love to treasure, their fates cast together.
Their lives did not follow the course she had mapped, but she kept her disappointment corked. Her ship did not sail, but ran aground in a bottle.

From Hayley at The Story Files:
Dear Santa,
I’ve been really good this year. Please can I have the pink sparkly ponies play set, Girl’s Adventure books, Craft making box and a ton of chocolate!
Also, if you can make it snow that’d be great.
Love, Megan.

From Edwin at Edwin’s Journal:
The bottle, once thrown out
To the far edges of the ocean
Now came bound on the lone sands
All hopes to be found, totally lost

From Kathryn at Another Foodie Blogger:
Suzy was so excited when she launched her “message in a bottle” project for school. She spent days on the beach, looking out into the horizon, wondering where her bottle went and what country she’d hear back from. Imagine her dismay when she looked down at her feet 2 weeks later.
280 Characters

From Francine at Woman Walking Dog:
STRANDED
I signed up to be a sole castaway on this island. Tropical, nice.
My agent said: pick up after 7 days. It’s 2 weeks now – toe rags!
How dare they? I’m scared of spiders. Got this bottle, pen, paper
Here’s my story
Help me
Eating insects
Wheres my fee
I want to go home

From Jan at Strange Goings on in the Shed:
Dear love, feel my heartbeat
Brush your fingers across my lips
Whisper words of unbridled love
Come to me bare of all fear and insecurity
Feel my heartbeat
For I would walk across the oceans
To find you and only you
I speak your name, will you answer me?
I am your Soul, I am your Heart.
(279 characters)

From Anju at My Life..My Thoughts:
The message read,
“Hey! You, the most wonderful person on earth to find me!
Please do me 2 favours.
i)Do at least 1 good deed per day.
ii)When you are ready to do (i) throw me back to water!”
Immediately she packed it in the bottle and threw it into the ocean.
(261 Characters)

From Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
The last thing she needed, another bloody message in a bottle!
She’d come to this deserted island to finish her novel and it appeared to be on a major message in a bottle route. This was the 17th so far!
However, this one may perhaps prove useful, it was from a stranded publisher!
(280 characters)

From Jannat at Be Happy:
Totally alone and depressed, Jay walked along the beach; here she finds tranquillity and peace.
While walking she discovered a bottle with a letter which says, ‘You’re allowed to scream and cry but do not give up.’ She sticks to what it says and it completely changes her life.
(278 characters)

From Leena at Soul Connection:
Hey Look Wht I Found
Wooo Message Bottle.Open It Quickly
UNBELIEVABLE
What
I Had Thrown This Bottle Couple Of Years Back From Another Country.
And Your Msg?
Fulfill Every Wish Of D Reader
And Your Wish
To Meet True Love Of My Life
I LOVE YOU.. (He Kneels Down And Proposes Her With A Ring)

Wonderful Tales this week! For this week, a photograph I took of the candle in the window of the curved stairwell of my century-old home. It’s a favorite roost of my cats by day. There is an old tree just outside in my neighbor’s yard that is often teeming with squirrels and birds. It is a lovely tradition to have a candle in the window. Where I live, people have candles in their windows year-round. Not just during the holidays. But whatever the tradition, there is something about a candle in the darkness. There is always a story to be told. I’m looking forward to reading your tales. It is the perfect way, I think, to pass the time over a cup of tea on a long mid-winter night. Happy Yule.