Tag Archives: Photo Prompt

Speckled Monsters


“Come along now Bertie,” ‘Lisbeth lilted, hoping to mask the inconsolable grief and horror that gripped her heart, “your princess chariot awaits!”

“Smallpox,” the doctor had whispered after examining the child earlier that day. “We must transport her to the island straight away.”

“Where are we going, mama?” Bertie asked as she lay in her mother’s embrace.

“To a beautiful castle my darling girl, where you can rest and get well.”

But Bertie, as her mother feared, would succumb days later, a prisoner of the castle, its moated barrier meant to contain speckled monsters like her behind its crenelated parapets.

~kat

A 100-word historic dramatization for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Friday Fictioneers Flash Fiction Challenge. It is inspired by the above photo by Roger Bulltot.

When I researched the photo, I discovered that this place is the modern-day view of the ruined remains of the Smallpox Hospital in New York City. Located on the southernmost tip of Roosevelt Island, formerly known as Blackwell Island, and surrounded on all sides by the East River, it was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr.

Renwick is famous for designing other notable gothic structures, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Stereoscopic photograph of the original Smallpox Hospital building

From 1856 until 1875, the small 100-bed facility served as the city’s small pox asylum treating about 7,000 patients a year. After some additions to the structure, it became a nurse’s school before being abandoned altogether in the 1950’s.

In 1972 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1980 it was added to the New York State Register of Historic Places. Read more about the Smallpox Hospital HERE.

“Speckled Monster” is a nickname coined in England and attributed to the formal name of the Smallpox virus, Variola, which is derived from the Latin word varius, meaning “spotted”.


Twittering Tales #47 – 29 August 2017

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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 based on that prompt in 140 characters or less. 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. Have Fun!

Twittering Tales #46 – The Roundup

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Photo from Pexels.com

I started this round off inspired by the eclipse. But you all took the challenge to infinity and beyond! Some of your tales were other worldly, focused on faraway frontiers and others were deep, introspective…to that other final frontier, if you know what I mean! I am so amazed at the variety of impressions that flow from a single photo. Bravo, everyone! And thank you for playing this week.

My twittering tale:
“Where’s the lens filter?”
“I thought YOU packed it!”
“Great! This trip is ruined!”
“Mom, Dad, look!”
“Wow. Look at that.”
“Let’s take a selfie.”
(140 Characters)

From Reena at Reinventions:

“This really fascinates me.”
“What? People staying away from work?”
“No. It is the only time good people wait for the dark shadows to appear.”
(140 characters)

From Kalpana at Gemini in the Sky:

“All our misfortunes will be overshadowed courtesy this auspicious eclipse, Ana.”
“Face them, they disappear, John. Enjoy the eclipse”
137 characters

From Martin at Martin Corcoran:

When Women Rule the Earth:
I call this one: ‘Men argue over who has the best camera whilst woman takes epic photo.’ And this one’s: ‘Men miss Bigfoot flying UFO…and…’
140 Characters

From Di at Pensitivity101:

“CUT!
Pull the sun back up, I forgot to take the lens cap off.”
62 characters

and…Di had a busy previous week so here’s her entry for TT #45:

“This undercover stuff sucks”, thought Sid.
At least he didn’t get Bert’s assignment as Grandma.
95 characters

From Deepika at Deepika’s Ramblings:

A challenge to the participants, “Shadow and light”. Who’s in?
Open aperture, focus, and shoot ! The best picture shall be published in the next months digital express magazine.
139 characters

From Radhika at Radhika’s Reflections:

Thanks Dad for the camera. Your thoughtful birthday gift won me the first prize at a photography contest, beamed  Adi! This was my entry!
Character Count: 139

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:

They told us that we could take photographs from this ridge. It was beautiful until the intense heat and wind from the blast overtook us.
(137 characters)

From Bobby at Writing, Events, Competitions and Even Some Self-Penned Bits:

Everyone was waiting for this once in a generation experience, the rebirth of the Phoenix.
89 characters

From Francine at Woman Walks Dog:

Forget the eclipse, I can see molten lava coming out of a deep abyss in the hillside. Is this normal? Is it the Day of Judgement? Quick let’s cook the burghers!

From Leena at Soul Connection:

Every1 Exctd Here,Lets Join Dem
Every Evng Sun Cvrs Nature In Btfl Black Shadow,2day His Turn
Haha Yea,Btfl Phenomna,It Brngs Negtvty Is Myth.

From Willow at WillowDot21:

The sun came up, so did the ants.
They crawled up legs and bit us in our pants.
Who decided we should use this spot
Just to get the sunrise shot.
(142 Characters)

From Edwin at Edwin’s Journal:

“Why are we here, dad?”
“Son, I’m here to shoot the precise moment, when the sun kisses the horizon. It’s always been my lifelong dream.”

From Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:

Many light years away, here I strike a pose as though catching him or am I deluded by my power?
A loud guffaw, I’m but a minuscule.
128 characters

From Peter at Peter’s Ponderings:

They gathered round the creature in awe, having come from afar to worship. Its eight limbs were silhouetted in the light of the ship’s glow.
(140 characters)

Twittering Tales #47 – 29 August 2017

This week’s photo prompt is MARBLES! I am thinking there are a few stories here. Avid collectors, gamers, CRAZY people…haha. As always, the most important thing is to enjoy the process. You have a week to come up with 140 characters! Knuckle down my fellow mibsters…no fudging allowed. (I’m afraid I’m giving my tale away, but oh well. This is just too fun!)

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Photo by David Estebanez at Pixabay.com

I heard he lost his marbles!

Yeah. That mibster was fudging. He knuckled down, knocked his aggies out and even took his taw for keepsies. 

(137 Characters)

~kat


Rain Shivers

shivering timbres,
shrill cicada crescendos
swell like rain droplets

rain puddle tripping
giddy twirls beneath wet arches
blue goose-bump shivers

misty afterglow
shivering twisted limbs wilt
in rain-drenched hollows

~kat

For TJ’s Haiku Hub Challenge inspired by his mystical photo above and the prompt words, shiver and rain.


Glamping

PHOTO PROMPT© Jan Wayne Fields

Like two kids in a toy store, Todd and Julia filled their Camping World cart with hundreds of dollars worth luxury equipment: an elevated airbed, solar-powered shower kit, deluxe outdoor kitchen with propane grill and a French press.

Todd set up the tent and other essentials while Julia happily strung battery-operated lights around the campsite. After a gourmet dinner they settled in for the night.

“Just listen to that. Silence.” Todd whispered. “Isn’t this great?” he sighed.

“No,” Julia whined, “I miss noise. Can we go home?”

“Now?!”

“Now. Don’t hate me. I just don’t think I’m into roughing it.”

~kat

100 Words exactly for Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Friday Fictioneers Challenge inspired by the photo above by Jan Wayne Fields.


Twittering Tales #46 – 22 August 2017

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About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt, and your mission, if you choose to play along, is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less. If you accept the challenge, 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. Have Fun!

Twittering Tale #45 – The Round-Up

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Photo Prompt by 5arah at Pixabay.com

From Kalpana at Gemini in the Sky:

“I am famished”.
“look there, Aim with your bows and arrows”.
“Looks strange?”
“It will keep the wolf from the door”.
(133 Characters)

From Vivian at Smell the Coffee:

The pain of betrayal
The sting of your lies
You strung us along
With you soothing our cries
You, pretending to be us
Now, nothing more to discuss
(140 characters)

From Reena at Reinventions:

“Take that sweater off. The sky is clear. It will soon get sultry.”
“There is a fancy dress show in the evening. Need to collect my rewards.”
(140 characters)

From Jane at Jane Dougherty Writes:

Wolfie thought his friends drooled over him because of his beautiful curls. The winter of the big hunger he discovered the real reason.
135 Characters

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:

I started teleporting the sheep, Doc, but your dog ran onto the platform. When the molecules reconstructed…well, get here right away, Doc.
(140 characters)

From Martin at Martin Corcoran:

“I know we’re delicious, but if we SheepWolves keep eating ourselves we’ll go the way of the dodo, the teriyaki turtle and the chocolosolot”
140 Characters

From Lorraine at In 25 Words More or Less:

The Fly* III: Animalmorphtrophia! Dolly gets her revenge! (characters 57)
Be sure to click on the Link above to learn about “the Fly” and watch the famous clip from this classic flick.

From Leena at Soul Connection:

Can’t Believe,Really Foolish!
Wht He Did Now
Sent His Fox Covered In Sheep Skin To Follow Us
Pity Fox,He Needs To Act Lyk Real Fox,INTELLIGENT.

From Willow at WillowDot21:

WTF! These pathetic legs are not mine where are my paws.I can’t let the others see me.Must of been the lamb Dhansak just before the full moon.
(142 Characters)

From Kathryn at Another Foodie Blogger:

Ahhh yes, the transformation has begun. I can feel the pull of the moon. Come nightfall, I’ll have my fill on these brainless sheep-wits.
138 characters

From Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:

He couldn’t make much of it from the periphery.A new case,a new role to be assumed,Detective!here I come.
105 characters.

From Hayley at The Story Files a bit of Flash along the theme. You can read her story HERE.

And here’s mine:

Explore 6 landed on Kepler-438b. Capt. Dean sent live feed to Command.
“Wow!” they gasped, “a wolf-sheep!?”
Dean screamed, “No! A bird-sna…”

Well, that was fun everyone. Thanks for joining the challenge last week. In honor of the “great American Eclipse”…haha…I think it’s amusing the powers that be are calling it that. At any rate, in honor of the eclipse (ahem) I found this fun pic at pexels.com. Of course you don’t have to take it literally. Or even write about the eclipse for that matter. There are many types of opposites and more than one type of eclipse, not necessarily of the celestial kind. So, as always, tell me whatchur thinkin’. And remember…140 characters or less! I will see you at the Round Up next Tuesday. Have Fun!

Twittering Tales #46 – 22 August 2017

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Photo from Pexels.com

“Where’s the lens filter?”

“I thought YOU packed it!”

“Great! This trip is ruined!”

“Mom, Dad, look!”

“Wow. Look at that.”

“Let’s take a selfie.”

(140 Characters)

~kat