The Lake of Gold #photochallenge

There was a legend an age and a half ago – it was about a lake of gold.

“A curse,” they said “was placed upon the lake.”

Anyone who drank from the lake of gold would turn to stone.

In the lake there lived a bird who had a long beak that could catch fish but could never drink.

A girl would watch every morning as the sun was awakening and the gold was rippling. In her hands was a single drink of water saved for the bird with the special beak.

Each morning the bird would strut to the girl. He gave her a shy little smile.

Once he brought her a fish as a gift. She washed the fish and it turned to gold.

When the villagers heard about the golden fish, they became greedy. A man watched the girl as she greeted the bird.

One day the girl did not come. A man came in her place with a hand full of water. The bird would not come near. The man slapped the water in anger. One drop got into his mouth and he turned to stone.

The next day the girl came to her bird with a small handful of water and he looked at her with a shy smile…

Written for Slack Photo Prompt photo above.

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It’s a deadly Assortment #flashfiction #challenge

I thought I was having a dream until my senses were overwhelmed with the odor of fish.

Then I heard:

“There are 15 pieces of sushi. You must eat five of them. Your best friend’s life depends on it.”

Lizzy was tied to a chair in the corner.

” I must mention that three of the items will cause instant death and two well it might be possible to make it to hospital. You have four minutes to decide and 1 minute to eat. “

This is not a dream. This is a NIGHTMARE!!!

“Your time starts Now.”

The above picture is the prompt for this week’s Xploration Challenge – moderated by the talented Reena Saxena

Did I mention I love flash fiction with all the fixins…

The Date #wordprompt #sixwords

One

drop

on

the

calendar date

The prompt at 6WSP is Date

Sky Diving Roulette #flashfiction

I thought being a wing walker would have been a cool thing. If you were lucky, you’d be colorfully costumed, strapped and cabled to a wing flying high above a  Crosby /Hope movie. We are in a new century where movies are made by amateurs and  people will do anything unusual to be momentary stars. The latest thing is novices  jumping off the wing  of a plane with something strapped to your back. What’s on your back is a surprise: Sometimes it’s a parachute other times it’s a jet pack, and occasionally its lunch. Did I mention the live streaming?

 

This Flash Fiction was written for a photo prompt of two people sky diving into a metro area off a building or a wing.

 

 

Reflections #horror #flashfiction #PEN

 

Reflections in windows tease and haunt, showing what was, and what is no longer.

Demons, creatures, faces and things of terror live in almost everything.

It reflects her suffering, an enticing apparition. … begging for release.

My father told me they did ‘things’ to bad people on The Hill and I should stay away from there.

Their faces turn up, beseeching. I watch as they enter my opening maw.

Dark shadows of night interpose, greedily they suck the last drop of day.

Nothing will deny sky from its horizon.

Fingers clutch at the crumbling windowsill.

A picture forms in the panes of glass as it does every day before dusk becomes night.

I’ve realized that the window shows the truth. It only shows pain.

It was one of the few that still had glass in the barren building.

---

The writers for Pen of the Damned:
 Jon Olson Zack Kullis Magenta Nero Craig McGray Nina D’Arcangela Leslie Moon Joseph A. Pinto Blaze McRob Thomas Brown  Tyr Kieran Hunter Shea

The above is just a compiled teaser from this week’s selection of horror in 100 words. There are some tasty morsels at Pen of the Damned.

The photograph the work of Nina D’Archangela

 

 

 

 

Ice cold memories #flashfiction #poetry

copyright-erin-leary

This grey dismal scene

flickered thoughts

embossed  my mind

long forgotten memories

path of my past

icicles dripped dark lies

“failure, fool, worthless”

mud sucked boots

clothes would never dry

and the sky, the sky

spoke the words

“there is no sun

it’s been removed”

only darkness looms

etching finality on your tomb”

no places to dream

those were taken away too

go ahead and scream, and scream

no one will hear you

here I stood

holding my hand

the one that couldn’t remember

tried so hard to forget

 we stood together

at the past’s path again

Drip – L. Moon 2013

Here’s to a New Year for Friday Fictioneers. Enjoy the work submitted by fantastic writers and poets.

Ghost Koi #Flashfiction #amwriting

*plunk” another pebble fell from my hand.

She’s gone. slipped right through my fingers like the stone.

I remember when she told me, “Honey, I’m a ghost. We have to find my killer before I  lose my potency.”

“Ghosts have potency levels?”

(The little things I didn’t know about my wife.)

“He killed you for your family’s BBQ recipe?”

” Best in the west” she grinned as she quoted the label.

I fell in love all over again, chasing down her killer.

They found him in a vat of the family recipe.

*

Now I hold her memory and aimlessly watch ghost  koi.

***

Today’s Friday Fictioneer’s photo prompt is the photograph of the Koi taken by Douglas Macilroy.

The Day the Music Died #flashfiction

To say music was “my life” was an understatement.

From dawn to dusk I sang the songs my heart wrote.

When I lost my voice, my fingers became one with  the keyboard.

My brother dismantled my keyboard; the guts were strewn like a dissonant message from my room to the instrument.

“You killed the song in my head,” I screamed in the key of C.

I was cut on a metal shard, bloodied notes fell to the floor.

I refused to let him take credit for the score written in red that day.

That score became a famous Dark Mass.

Today’s dismantled keyboard is the prompt for Friday Fictioneers. Wishing Rochelle a Happy 1 year celebration as the conductor of the Friday Fictioneers

Shopping C’ Art #flashfiction #amwriting

“It’s fine art!”

She proudly waved her hand at her creation

This once little known artist had gotten a grant to turn a two-mile long canal into a gallery.

Where there had been reeds and lily pads there were one hundred shopping carts.

“It’s brilliant!”

He smiled to the tour group he was leading.

“This artist has portrayed what life  was like for the middle class in the 21st century. Four-person families lived out of one shopping cart. We kept the shopping cart belonging to my grandparents.”

“It’s sad!”

A young boy cried out. Who will feed the ducks???

This weeks watery prompt for Friday Fictioneers is inspired by Janet Webb. Our hostess Rochelle deserves the honor of a set of waders this week.

Here is the link to the more “political” post that this photograph inspired.

Look what you can get at the thrift store! #flashfiction

“Hello, Hello in there?

My friend Eddie said he got a new head of hair here.

I can live without hair, I have a hat. The thing is well things haven’t  been working that well since Maude died.

Sure they have implants and pills, but what you offer is kinda like a second-hand version of the fountain of youth.

I can pay the price.

I know the drill: Dance with the pretty girl, light the candles, ring the bell, take a swig of this 100 year old stuff…  Uggh

Just so you know I checked the calendar – it’s not April 1st!”

****

Today the Fictioneers are going on a romp to a thrift store led by Rochelle. I’m sure we will find all sorts of goodies.