Response – JSW Prompt 6-5-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

“Well,” he hedged, “yes.”

She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. “Oh, I knew you did. Thank you.”

What had he said yesterday? That was the problem with drinking. He couldn’t remember.

“So can we go tomorrow?”

“Sure, baby, any day you want.” What the hell had he said?

“Pick me up at noon and we’ll have lunch and then go.”

“Okay.” How was he going to get out of this?

She kissed him. “I love you, you know.”

He mumbled something back.

“Bye, honey.”

“Bye.”

He rubbed his forehead, sighed. He’d need a bucket loader to get out of this mess and he didn’t have a bucket loader. Next best thing, he was on the 4:00 flight to London.

Response – JSW Prompt 5-29-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

“Are they like elephants?” Amber asked, staring out the side window of the speeding car.

“What do you mean like elephants?”

“Do they walk across the land.”

“No, not really,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road. “Windmills can’t walk.”

“But what if they could?”

“Well, then, they might walk across the land like elephants.”

Amber watched the windmills striding across the land, wondering why her Dad couldn’t see them move.

One windmill stepped over the car, dipping it’s arms in her direction, and then continued on. There were a lot of things that Dads couldn’t see.

She smiled at the lion leaping across the sky and settled back into her seat. Picking up her dolly, she began to play.

JSW Prompt 6-5-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

Friday Fictioneers 5-24-2023

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Ted Strutz

The roar of the crowd was like a hollow drone they could hear clear down to their dressing rooms. Jay picked up his shirt and pulled it on, listening to the crowd. “They are ready to go.”

Kerry, dressed and ready, nodded.

Rudy just shrugged.

“Come on, Rudy, they are yelling for you.”

“Not for me, man. For Chris.”

Which was true, but there were some “Rudys” in the mix.

Chris led them towards the stage where they separated for each to make their entrance. Let the fun begin!

Response – JSW Prompt 5-11-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

“What do you mean it does now?”

“Just what I said.”

“You can’t just change things out of nowhere.”

“Yes, I can. It didn’t work that way and now it does.”

“But that’s not fair.”

“Fair is as fair does.”

“That means nothing.”

“It means that fair is fair.”

“I don’t know what you are saying.”

“I’m saying that things work like this now and it is as fair as anything else.”

“You can’t just change things.”

“Why not?”

“Why not!”

“Yes, why not?”

“Well, because things work a certain way and that is the way it is.”

“Not anymore.”

“Ah, you make my head hurt.”

“Then stop trying to force things to be a certain way. Things change.”

“But not like this.”

“Yes, they do.”

“No, they don’t.”

“Forget it.”

“See, I told you that things worked this way now.”

Response – JSW Prompt 5-22-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

“What’s it done this time?”

“I got into Julliard. Never saw that coming.”

“We knew you’d get it if they just took the snot out for a change.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome. Now just go up there and show them what they missed when they didn’t let you in the first time.”

“I plan to.”

His mind snapped back to the present and Chris hesitated a moment before he boarded the plane. The band may support him in this, but they didn’t believe he was coming back. That was what hurt, even worse than when he’d been denied entry to the school.

But the world was werid, that was for sure, took you to places you never thought you would go. To things you never thought you would achieve. And here he was achieving them and going there to fulfill a dream he’d given up on years ago. Not given up on, but put on the list of Unlikelees.

He could stay and make the band happy, but he couldn’t. Oh, he knew they were happy for him, it was just that coming back thing that stood between them. It was only a year. He trusted them to wait. Why couldn’t they trust him to come back?

With a shrug, he boarded the plane and found his seat. Too much to worry about. He’d just have to let them find out about the Universe’s plan on their own.

The plane took off and disappeared into the blue sky.

JSW Prompt 5-29-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

Response – JSW Prompt 5-15-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.

“I try my best to be upbeat.”

“You need to try harder.”

“I’ll take that under consideration.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

Nobody spoke for a moment.

Then, “So why is it going to end in disaster?”

“Everything you plan ends in disaster.”

“That’s not fair!”

“But true.”

“Okay, well, maybe things get a little confused sometimes but…”

“Not a little confused. Disaster.”

“Oh, all right. Let’s see you do better.”

“I will, thank you.”

“Well, let’s see it.”

“All right. I’ll send Zion to pick up the package…”

“You can’t send Zion. He’ll get lost.”

“So I’ll send Sarah.”

“Sarah is the pilot. She needs to stay with the plane.”

“I”ll send John.”

“John has to stay to help Sarah.”

“All right! I’ll send Zion….”

Another longer silence.

“Disaster.”

“Right, disaster.”

Friday Fictioneers 5-24-2023

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Amanda Forestwood

“Look at the cute steps,” she said with a smile, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

“Cute,” he said and yet he felt the pull of the beyond.

“Let’s see what’s up there.”

“All right.”  He took her hand and led her to the steps, heart pounding wildly. What lay beyond?

“Be careful, they are slippery,” he cautioned as they started up the stairs towards the frame of the trees.

Neither spoke as the sky rose up to surround them and they stepped off into another pasture. Far in the distance they could hear the sounds of music.

JSW Prompt 5-22-2023

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 300 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post so everyone can read your entry.