flash fiction

“Girls” Night In

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promptly penned

Welcome! If you’ve never seen read Promptly Penned before, we’re given a . . . wait for it . . . prompt and we have to use it to write a short piece. Easy peasy! The prompt this time is dialogue and it will be in bold so you know what it was. Enjoy!!

 

Maggie settled back on the couch with her feet kicked up. She hadn’t been sure she could swing hanging out with her two best friends, but, once Mrs. Hutchinson had convinced her she would take the kids Maggie had agreed. It was tough being solely responsible for her two younger siblings, but Maggie couldn’t do anything else. She loved them.

Grace pranced out of the kitchen followed by Joey. Both were carrying bottles and glasses as they sang off key at the top of their lungs. Good thing Grace’s apartment had solid walls or else the party would end before it got started.

“Have we missed anything?” Joey asked, handing Maggie a champagne flute.

“No, the Grammy’s aren’t on yet and I can’t drink this.”

“Oh yes you can, it’s sparkling grape juice. What do you take me for? I know very well pregnant ladies can’t have alcohol”

“Yeah, he’s way smart,” Grace said with a smile. “He graduated from Yale and is a lawyer.”

Maggie laughed since that was Joey’s pat line for explaining why he was always right. Grace had taken to tossing it in before he could. It always made the three of them laugh.

“That’s right,” Joey said. “Yale. Lawyer. That’s me.”

“Joseph P. DeMarco, Esquire,” Grace said, putting on what she called her haughty rich lady accent, which really consisted of her attempts at a bad British accent.

Maggie sipped at her drink and shrugged. It wasn’t bad for sparkling grape juice, of course, to her, anything was better than champagne. She couldn’t stand the stuff while her friends guzzled it like water.

“Here’s to our first official Girls Night In,” Grace declared, holding her glass up.

“I love this,” Joey said. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Dude, you’re one of the girls,” Grace replied.

“It wouldn’t be the same without you,” Maggie told him.

“Ah, thanks girls. So, let’s dish. Grace, how’s it going with Calvin?”

“He’s old news. I haven’t talked to him in ages.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “Ages? You saw him last week.”

“Whatever, it’s been so long I’m probably not interested in him anymore.”

“I’ve seen his Instagram,” Joey shot back, “you’re definitely still interested.”

Maggie nodded. “You’re liking and commenting on his feed all over the place. Not that there’s really much to like. The man isn’t the brightest bulb in the pack.”

Joey nodded. “Sharpest pencil in the case.”

“Brightest crayon in the box,” Maggie continued.

“You two are mean,” Grace declared.

“She only says that when we’re right,” Joey told Maggie.

“The Grammy’s are on,” Grace pronounced primly. “We should watch it.”

“Avoidance,” Maggie said, “that means we’re really, really right. And she knows we’re right, but he’s called her and she’s going to go out with him.”

Grace ignored them by turning the TV up and Joey sighed dramatically.

“Yep, she’s going out with old dim bulb. He must have a big peen since he really can’t carry on a conversation.”

Maggie burst out laughing and finally Grace broke and began to laugh too. Yep, Maggie decided, Girls Night In was a success.

 

Now head over and see what my amazing friend Siobhan did with the prompt.

 

At the Door

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flash header

Hello!! And welcome to June . . . already! I have no idea what happened to May. I blinked and it was gone and I didn’t get a thing done. So there it is. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for June, shall we. Anyway, this month’s flash fiction photo is this one:

june

And, this is what I wrote for it. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Willow shouldered her pack more firmly as she and the CPS woman walked up the steps to the front door. Someone long ago must have tried to liven the place up by painting it a beachy aqua, but now it was peeling away to reveal the battered wood beneath. Tentatively, she gripped the oddly ornate knocker and rapped sharply twice.

She wondered what would happen if no one answered. Would CPS try to find her a home? Or would they dump her in a shelter somewhere? She’d never find out since the door opened to reveal an elderly woman. This woman wasn’t frail, as Willow thought she’d be, since the woman was her great aunt. Instead, she stood tall dressed in battered jeans and an old flannel shirt. Her gray hair hung in a heavy plait nearly to her waist.

“It’s about time you got here,” the woman said. “You said one and it’s nearly half past three.”

“Well, we—” CPS lady started to say, but the woman cut her off.

“Don’t need no excuses. I’m Carrie Jamison,” she said, directing her speech to Willow. “Come on in now and we’ll get you settled.”

“I’m Mrs. Tanner and I need to go over some things with you,” the social worker interjected.

“You’re over two hours late and it messed with my whole day. You can leave whatever paperwork you have and I’ll read it later. Right now, my great niece needs to come in and see where she’ll be living.”

“Mrs. Jamison—” Mrs. Tanner began.

“That would be Ms., I never married. Never saw a reason for it.”

Willow tried not to stare, as her aunt nudged the other woman out of the way.

“Come on now, I’m sure you tired and hungry.”

Willow stepped inside and looked around at where she’d be staying. The inside was so different from the outside, she almost went back out to make sure she was in the same house. The hardwood floors gleamed and the house smelled of spices and cookies. Willow’s stomach rumbled and her mouth began to water, since breakfast had been at eight.

Willow turned as the door closed and she found herself alone with her aunt. She wasn’t sure what to say, since she’d never met the woman before. Her grandmother had cut her daughter off when she’d gotten pregnant so Willow hadn’t known her mother’s family.

“I don’t know how much you know about your family, but you can call me Aunt Carrie. I know your name is Willow.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Willow said. “And I don’t know anything about my family. My mother didn’t talk about her family at all.”

Hell, her mother didn’t talk about much of anything, but Willow wouldn’t say that out loud.

Her aunt gave a small smile, almost as if she could hear Willow’s thoughts.

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to learn. I might as well tell you, before you hear in town, they say I’m a witch. Now let me show you to your room.”

She walked past Willow and started up the stairs. All Willow could do was stare after her with her mouth hanging open.

 

That’s it for me. Now go and see what my amazing friend Kris Norris did with it.

Working for the Dead

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promptly penned

Welcome to May’s Promptly Penned. If you’ve never encountered this before, two members of our blogging group give us either dialogue or a scenario and we write a short piece. This month the prompt is:

He is a hitman for the supernatural, because sometimes, ghosts need revenge so they can rest in peace.

And with that, I hope you enjoy!

 

“Hurry! It’s over here.”

Dekker glanced at the woman who accompanied him. What the fuck? He’d been doing the job for a very long time and he didn’t need a newbie along. He knew where they were going. He knew what to do once they reached the destination. He was the best. That’s why he was the one currently walking through the darkness. Where they were going wasn’t for amateurs.

“Are you listening?”

“Lady, you’ve been yammering at me non-stop for over an hour. I can do nothing but hear you. Tell me again why you’re here?”

“You’ll see. Now pick up the pace.”

A growl rumbled out of his throat and he grit his teeth to pull back. The otherness inside of him loved the hunt. This too was another reason he was the best. Though one had nothing to do with the job itself. It was actually the length of time he’d been at it. Most headsman lasted twenty or thirty years, but Dekker had only been hitting his stride at that point. When you were good at something why give it up? Now he was entering his . . . two hundred and fifteenth year? Really? It almost gave him pause, but let it go. Now was not the time.

“Hey, are you awake?” the woman shouted back at him. “You’re really slow. Come on.”

He approached the dark house as the woman practically danced in place. Or, she would have if her feet actually touched the ground. Something about the spirit plane being just slightly off of the human. Either way, ghost always floated.

Ignoring her, Dekker held out his hand and the front door unlocked. He stepped into a living room and listened. He heard nothing, but knew people were home. He could feel the life force of two humans in the house. Following, the way a blood hound did a scent, he tracked through the living room and into a kitchen. A door, tucked discretely in a corner, flared bright to his eyes. The one he sought was there.

As he approached, the door opened before him. Once a headsman caught the scent, nothing stood in the way. He moved down the steps and could scent blood, old and new flavoring the air. The basement was dark and dingy. And empty. He knew this wasn’t all there was to see, since he was never wrong.

“Over here,” the ghost called. “It’s over here.”

“Lady-” he began.

“Kim, my name is Kim. You have to hurry. He’ll kill her too.”

Dekker hated complications and this was going to become one. He wasn’t supposed to interfere. Go in, do the job and leave. The other inside of him wanted to kill both humans. Dekker knew he couldn’t. That would spell the end of him doing the job. He’d done a lot of stuff he wasn’t proud of, but he’d never killed an innocent. Ever.

He stepped forward and the door swung open. The man had obviously sound-proofed the room because a woman was screaming. Pain such pain tainted the air. And fury. So much fury. It touched the other in him, pulled at it.

She was petite and, at first, he thought she was a child. Not until he got a good look at her did, he realize she was a grown woman. A woman who was tied to a table and covered in blood. Her own blood. Cuts ran the over her body. Shallow cuts and deep ones. Still though she fought. She pulled at the bindings on her hands and feet as the man calmly stood beside her holding a bloody blade.

Dekker stepped forward and her eyes flicked to him, then held. Deep blue green, like the ocean on a crystal-clear day. She shouldn’t have seen him, not with the shadows cloaking him, but she did. And in that instant, he and the other calmed. He understood.

Pulling the shadows away, he cleared his throat. The man with the blade spun and staggered.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?”

No matter how long he did the job, Dekker was always vaguely surprised with the stupid questions that popped out of people’s mouths. Nevertheless, he did what he’d been trained to do so many years before. First, announce who he was and why he was there.

“I’m Dekker, Headsman for the Supernatural. Tom Phillips, your name was brought before the tribunal by twenty individuals. Upon studying the case, you are found guilty. I am here to carry out the sentence.”

The man blinked. “What? Nothing you say makes sense.”

He pulled a gun out and fired point blank into Dekker. Dekker, for his part, never moved. Humans had tried to kill him before. It never worked. He always carried out the sentence.

The man, Tom Phillips, fired three more times until the gun clicked. Empty.

“As I was saying,” Dekker continued, as though he was never interrupted. “The tribunal has granted the twenty individuals their due. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?”

Tom screamed and rushed forward. Dekker held up a hand freezing the human in his tracks.

“Since you don’t, I will administer justice.”

Darkness shot from his hand and encompassed the man who had been Tom Phillips. The human began to scream, then, was silent. Wiped away in a blink.

“Can you help me?”

Dekker moved to the woman’s side and released her bonds. “Tell me your name.”

The ghost who had accompanied him appeared. “Her name is Grace. She’s my best friend. Please help her.”

Shrugging out of his coat, he draped it around Grace’s body and picked her up. He’d help her, of course he would. Grace was his. His to protect. In a flash, he was gone leaving only emptiness.

Now check out what my friend Siobhan did with it.

 

To the Stars!

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flash header

 

may

Welcome to May!! The image we’re writing to this month is an awesome SciFi scene. I was a bit stumped at first, but then remembered the hint of an idea I came up with about  . . . 8 years ago. Hope you enjoy!

 

The meeting room of the Dyson City-State Directorate was huge and imposing. Lush carpeting, marble floors, and an authentic wooden table spoke of absolute wealth. However, it was a wall of floor to ceiling windows that let a visitor know he or she was in the presence of power. The windows displayed a view of the connected walkways, travel tube and buildings of the upper echelon, as well as the top of the dome that protected the city. It truly was an amazing and awe-inspiring sight. Of course, no one in the room noticed the view, they were all too busy yelling and arguing. Executrix Katrill Owen, leader of the directorate and thus Dyson itself, eased back in her chair. She had been in the job less than a handful of days and the council was beginning to realize she could not be controlled. She wondered how long it would be before they tried to murder her as they had her father.

Katrill leaned forward and rapped on the table. The room quieted immediately. “It seems to me a trade agreement with the other city-states would be in our best interest, especially Vorn. We have technology and they have room to grow. If we trade our tech for some of their dome space we can only come out the winner.”

Colin Phipps smiled at her. “Katrill you are new to the council and do not understand the nuances of the trade agreements. If you would allow me to take care of this—”

Katrill turned cold green eyes on him. “Mr. Phipps you are out of order. You do not have leave to call me by my first name. As for the trade agreements, I understand them quite well since I am the person who wrote them to begin with. If I wish your opinion or assistance I’ll ask, but I doubt that will happen.

“In any case,” she went on, “I’ve already spoken to Executrix Fallon of Vorn and we are in agreement. She and I signed the agreement this morning.”

“What?” Letham burst out. “You can’t do that.”

“Oh, yes I can. The Council is an advisory board only. I have full and absolute authority to make decisions. The agreement is good for every citizen of Dyson.”

Jathan Douglas, her uncle, cleared his throat. “Let us adjourn until next week. I’m sure we are all tired and coming back refreshed will be best for everyone.”

The assembly rose and bowed to Katrill, then filed out of the room. She relaxed back in her chair and enjoyed the silence of the room. When it was empty, the room was fairly pleasant. Of course, it never stayed empty for long when she was in residence. There were always people who wished to come and petition her for some favor or another. Too much, people wanted too much from her, took too much from her.

She stood quickly and paced to the window. The view was magnificent. Walkways lined with beautifully tended gardens created a framework for the sparkle of the dome itself. Katrill never tired of the view. But she wondered how the people, her people on the lower level survived. In her entire life, she had never been anywhere but on the top tier. She knew the building she currently occupied was hundreds of stories in the air, but she hadn’t ventured even ten down, ever. People called Grounders lived in the lower levels of the buildings. They were the caretakers of the buildings, ensuring nothing ever went wrong. The people who lived on the ground or the Stews, as it was called, eeked out a living best they could. Finally, there was the Underneath. Katrill shivered. She had heard stories of the people who lived in the underground labyrinth of Dyson. They were dangerous killers, thieves, answering only to themselves. These were her people, all of them, but how to help them.

The only people who were allowed to even gain an audience with her were the Echelon, the ruling class, and the elite rich of the city-state. And they imagined they could rule her, manipulate her. Never again, she told herself, never again would she allow herself to be taken advantage of, used as if she were nothing. Her father had done this and look where he ended up. Dead. She hadn’t had anything to do with it, contrary to the rumors. But she wasn’t sorry he was gone.

“Katrill.”

She rolled her eyes, once again, she was interrupted. “Yes, Mr. Phipps, what can I do for you?” She turned to face the man who had been her betrothed.  He was a handsome man, or that’s what people told her, with his carefully coiffed blond hair, blue eyes, and impeccable clothing choices. Colin knew exactly what to wear to show off his five-seven frame to its best. Katrill had never found him handsome. In fact, she found him fake and pretentious and a total bore. So, when her father was murdered, she had immediately broken off the marriage contract. Colin had been her father’s choice, never hers. Personally, if her father liked him so much, he should have married him. They would have been very happy together.

He smiled at her as if she were a small child needing to be placated. “I do not like how you speak to me in the meetings. Darling, people must see us as a team. Once we’re married and head the council together—”

“We are not getting married.” Katrill said, firmly. “We have already had this discussion.”  She hated that smile and the tone he used on her.

“Your father’s death has made you confused—”

“No, my father’s death made me happy. I do not wish to contract with you. I never wished it, but he insisted. He is no longer here and I am free to do what I wish. With whom I wish. You will only address me as Executrix, nothing more. You do not have my leave to use my first name, ever. Now get out and do not speak of this to me again.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’ll be sorry.”  He turned and huffed out of the room as Jathan reentered. He raised his eyebrows at Katrill and shook his head. “Your father never should have made a contract for you with that boy. He’s weak. You’d run right over him.”

She gave a slight smile. “But that’s the point. He’s weak and father wanted to control him.” She turned back to the windows. “So how are you this day?”

“Well as to be expected since my favorite niece is upset.”

She smiled at the older man and shrugged. “I’m your only niece, I believe.”

“That’s true.” He gave her a brief hug. “I worry about you. After what happened to your father, I don’t think it’s safe. You need some type of body guard, someone who can watch over you all the time.”

Katrill sighed. “Uncle, we’ve been through this before. I do not want someone living with me, getting in my way.”

He paced about and Katrill smiled. Jathan Douglas was her mother’s only brother and Katrill loved him dearly. Since her mother had died when Katrill was very young, Jathan was the only connection she had to the woman who had given life to her. From image cubes, Katrill knew her uncle had the same white blond hair and clear green eyes. The same eyes her mother passed to Katrill. Though Katrill had chestnut hair, like her father, mores the pity.

“What about a Bio-Guard?”  Her uncle asked.

Katrill shrugged. “I don’t know much about them.”

“They are human animal hybrids specifically engineered to be whatever a person wishes. Some want just a pretty pet and others, like you, need protecting. From what I understand, once an imprint happens, they are loyal to the death.”

“Yes, but I don’t want anyone—”

“Katrill,” her uncle cut her off. “They are essentially animals. You feed and water them, and give them a place to sleep. It’s not as if you’re sharing your home with a person.”

Katrill sighed, her uncle worried about her so much. She understood why, she was the only link he had with his beloved sister. Maybe she should look into a Bio-Guard. What could it hurt? If she didn’t find something that pleased her, she could leave.

“Okay, I’ll check into it.”

Jathan smiled. “Good, good, that makes me feel much better. You need to start taking your safety more seriously especially since you plan on shaking up the status quo.”

She kissed his cheek. “How could I not since you worry so? I don’t want that.”  

Now head on over and see what Siobhan came up with.

“Wake Me Up”

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once upon a time

This month’s song we’re basing our flash fiction on is Wake Me up by Avicii. I’d hear this song before, but didn’t know the name or the artist. Sadly, I also found out he died, which is a true tragedy.  If you’re interested to hear the song, here it is:

This piece is the beginning of a book I’m writing. It’s not Entangled, but one I pull out and work on when I’m stressed at work. *shhhhh* Don’t tell. As soon as I heard this song, I instantly thought of Tessa and her situation. Hope you all enjoy!

 

She stared at the two small lines in confusion. It wasn’t possible. Couldn’t be. And, yet, here was the evidence. Again. She looked around the bathroom at all the other little sticks and every one said the same thing. She was pregnant.

Feeling light-headed, Tessa put her head between her knees and concentrated on breathing. Just breathing. As she did, her mind whirled. How? When? She was fairly confident if she’d been sexually active she would have known. Sex wasn’t something a girl forgot, even shitty sex. Tessa knew, with certainty, she hadn’t had sex. Ever. In fact, she’d purchased the first pregnancy test as a joke. Sort of. She knew she couldn’t be pregnant but wanted to be able to tell the doctor’s office that she’d taken one, so they could get down to figuring out what was wrong.

Eleven tests later, she knew. Pregnant.

Tessa sat up trying to figure out when her last period had been. June? July? Shaking her head, she went out to her bedroom and dug in her purse for the organizer that went everywhere with her. Her friend teased her for writing down every single event, no matter how trivial, on the pages, but she’d never missed an appointment, birthday or celebration. Tessa was organized. Scarily so, her best friend Kenyatta had declared.

Flipping backwards, she studied each week until she found her last period. It was a little over two months ago. Two months. How had she missed it? Okay, yeah it wasn’t hard since she was no longer on the pill, per her doctor’s instructions, and her period was hit and miss at best. So, once again, the question went back to how.

Divine intervention? She almost burst out laughing at that. She couldn’t imagine any god looking down and thinking she’d be a perfect mother. Okay, maybe Loki. Hey, if it was Tom Hiddleston she might think about it. Since that wasn’t possible, at least she highly doubted it, something had to have happened. What though?

“Tessa?”

She started and looked up to find Kenyatta standing at her bedroom door. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was well after five. She’d gotten nothing done and the day was almost over. Okay, she’d taken eleven pregnancy tests and came to the realization she was pregnant, but beyond that nothing else.

“Tessa? What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m pregnant.”

The words hung in the air. Hearing them said out loud, Tessa’s palms started sweating and her heart pounding. She was having trouble swallowing and starting to sweat. A lot. Freaking out. She was freaking out. She sat on her bed and once again, put her head between her knees and concentrated on breathing. Yep, passing out would be bad. She couldn’t pass out.

“You’re what?”

Her best friend’s voice sounds as though it were coming through a tube. Since, Tess knew that couldn’t really be happening, she continued to concentrate on breathing. Can’t pass out, she kept repeating. Wouldn’t help anything if she did.

A cool cloth covered her neck and an arm hugged her tight. Yep, no matter what, she could always count on her best friend. Neither had much family, or at least family they claimed. On top of that, they were both smart. Really smart. Like genius level, though Tessa didn’t feel like such a genius right now. But, on the first day of freshman year of college, they decided to be each other’s family. And, it had stuck. Now, nearly seven years later, Tessa knew she had someone she could count on one hundred percent.

Kenyatta pulled Tessa to sit up and put her arm around her.

“Okay, now, tell me again what’s going on.”

“I’m pregnant.”

“I saw all the tests in your bathroom.”

“Yep, and they all came out positive.”

“How? And don’t be a smart ass. I know you haven’t been dating and, unless you had a booty call that I don’t know about, you aren’t seeing anyone.”

“Nope, no booty calls.” Tessa agreed. “I, truly, have no clue. Now isn’t that something? I’m twenty-three and have no idea how I’m pregnant. I just know all the tests say I am.”

“Why did you even think you were in the first place?” she asked.

Tessa shrugged. “I’m not sure. I started getting sick, my breasts are tender, of course no period, and I’m really tired. And, I just feel different. Does that make sense?” At her best friend’s nod, she went on. “Okay, so I went onto one of those doctor websites—”

Kenyatta rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Tessa, what have I told you about that? Did I not forbid you to go on any of those? You know you always think you have the plague or some weird disease that you couldn’t have in a million years.”

“Not every time,” she argued. “The one time I diagnosed myself with pneumonia with it.”

Kenyatta stared at her and Tessa huffed out a breath.

“Whatever, so I went on and it said I might be pregnant. I wanted to rule that impossibility out, but it didn’t. I failed the pregnancy test.”

“Yeah, I saw, like eight times.”

“Eleven. I took eleven of them. I would have taken twelve, but I don’t think I have any pee left in me.”

Her best friend nodded. “Okay, so we’re ruling out divine interference.”

“Yeah, I already came to that conclusion.”

The two women looked at one another and smiled. It was so awesome to have someone who understood her. No matter what.

 

Bronwyn    Siobhan

Promptly Penned March 2019

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promptly penned

I love the prompt this month and as soon as I read it I instantly thought of my two favorite people Shay and Josie. It’s short, but I had a fun time dropping in one them. As always, the prompt given to us is in bold. Hope you enjoy!

 

Shay tossed her backpack down just a tad harder than needed. Was she pissed the summoning spell didn’t work? You betcha, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot she could do about it. It didn’t work. So, get over it and move on and think of something else. She wasn’t sure what yet. There was so much they didn’t know. It was almost overwhelming.

Josie pulled a soda out of their small refrigerator and slouched in their one comfortable chair. The living room of the apartment they shared was tiny and had room for a love seat, that might grow up to be a sofa, and the chair. That’s it. No artwork. No dust catchers. Nothing else. Just the tiny sofa and the chair.

“You know why we live like this?” she asked Josie.

 

“Live like what?” Josie looked up from the mystery gadget she’d pulled from one of her million pockets.

“Like this.” Shay waved her hands around. “Every one in the agency does it, but no one talks about it. It’s because when we die, which we all will, usually way sooner than we should, we won’t leave anyone with a mess to clean up. How fucked up is that?”

“I can understand you’re frustrated by everything that’s happened.”

Shay rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I don’t give a fuck.”

Josie burst out laughing. “Who are you kidding? You give so many fucks they’re visible from space. You can pretend all you want that you don’t care. But I know you do. Hell, so do I. Don’t you think I’m freaked out about this whole situation? We have an unknown entity, or, probably, entities out there munching down on our people and there’s not one good goddamn thing we can do about it.”

Shay ran a hand wearily through her hair. “Fine. I care. I give a fuck, but what does that get me? Telling you I care doesn’t change anything.”

“Bullshit. It changes everything. We know what’s at stake. So, we need to calm down and think. Up until now, we’ve been running from one fire to the next. Throwing shit at these things willy-nilly. No thought. No planning. It’s not just us doing this. It’s everyone. The entire agency. And what is it getting us?”

“More dead agents.” Shay sat on the couch that wasn’t a couch and took a breath. “You’re right. We have no plan. So, that means, we need to stop and think.”

“Not just us,” Josie said, sitting beside her. “We need to gather what’s left of the teams and come up with a cohesive plan. And, dude, you’re like freaking magic. You need to work on what kinds of things you can do.”

“Just because I said you were right, doesn’t mean you can call me dude.”

Josie smiled. “Whatever. You know you like it.”

“Like a punch in the head. So, yeah, let’s make some calls and see what we can come up with.”

 

Jess      Bronwyn    Kris    Siobhan

 

 

An Image in the Mirror

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flash header

february

I really like our flash fiction picture for February. It took me a bit to come up with a story, but one it hit I was off and running. Hope you like it.

Sophia stared at herself in the mirror. She saw a woman with cool eyes and serene features, but that wasn’t the reality. The reality was she was scared shitless. Who wouldn’t be when her parents were going to sell her to the highest bidder? Oh, no one called it that, of course. They were too classy to call the “coming out” ball an auction, but that’s what it was. Women, girls really, were paraded around for the wealthy Coadjutors to view and, if one was to his liking, he approached her parents or guardians to work out a deal.

Sophia knew her parents would hold out for a large payment since she was a virgin. It wasn’t a secret either since it said so right in the catalog that was handed out to each Coadjutor as he entered the enormous ballroom. If she could, Sophia would run away, but there wasn’t anyplace to go. Her parents owned her until they sold her to the highest bidder.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in and out of her nose, trying to get her pounding heart under control. It really wasn’t any use though since she was scared. Okay, she was terrified and deep breathing wasn’t going to fix that.

“What are you doing?” her mother whispered angrily in her ear. “Turn around and smile.”

Sophia looked at the woman who had given birth to her and felt nothing but contempt. From the moment she could understand anything, this woman had explained that she was a commodity. They were raising her to elevate themselves. That was it. So, they’d put money into her. Giving her dance and voice lessons, teaching her comportment all so that she could be sold into wealth and power.

Pinching the underside of her arm, hard, her mother yanked Sophia across the room to where her father waited. He stood next to a man older than he was and she crossed her fingers that they were just friends.

“Ah good,” her father said, with a smile. “This is our daughter, Sophia. She is only twenty-two and a virgin, so her power is untapped and ripe.”

Sophia forced herself to stand perfectly still because, she knew, if she moved at all, she would run. Run and never stop.

The man she didn’t know looked her up and down. “I will need to check. I cannot take your word that she’s a virgin. My Daimon would not be pleased if we were to offer for her then found out she’d already been taken.”

“Of course,” her father said, “I understand. I’ve already reserved a room.”

Before Sophia could react, her mother and father had her by the arms and were dragging her into a small room that held a shelf bolted to the wall and a chair.

“Don’t give him any problem, girl,” her father said and backed out the door.

The stranger gripped her chin in his large hand and tilted her face up. Turning her head left and right he studied her.

“You’re pretty enough,” he pronounced. “Now pull your dress up and sit on the table.”

“Excuse me?” she finally forced out.

“I need to check to see if you’re a virgin. Get on the table and spread your legs.”

Sophia stared at him. “Have you lost your mind? You are not going to touch me.”

He smiled. “Oh, I like a fighter. Yes, this will be quite good.”

He grabbed her and wrapped an arm around her waist and he tried to shove a hand up her dress. Sophia fought, but could feel his hand run along her leg. He began to pant and rub himself against her so she tried to kick out at him.

“That’s right,” he said, “yeah, squirm around and fight.”

Sophia held back a sob as she fought harder, then he released her as she staggered forward. Spinning, she found a man she didn’t know holding a knife to her assailant’s throat.

“Doesn’t look like she wants your hands on her,” the new man said conversationally.

“I don’t,” Sophia said.

“So, love, what do you want me to do to him?”

Without hesitating Sophia stepped forward, raised her dress and kicked the man who attempted to assault her right between the legs. Crying out, he dropped to the floor and cradled his genitals.

The unknown man smiled and bowed. “Well, I guess that fixed him. I’m Raiden.”

“Sophia,” she said and curtseyed.

He held out a hand. “Come, let’s get out of here.”

Smiling, she took his hand figuring anywhere was better than where she was.

 

Jessica     Bronwyn   Kayleigh

God of Ocean Tides

/ gwencease / 11 Comments

 

once upon a time

Welcome to the first flash fiction based on a song for 2019! Our song this months is called God of Ocean Tides by Counting Crows. If you don’t know it, which I didn’t, here a video for you to check out.

Also, I’m not a fan of the Counting Crows, especially when that horrible song Mr. Jones was played over and over on the radio. BUT, I like the title of this song and the imagery from the video. So, here’s my flash:

Blaire raised her face to the salty ocean breeze and breathed deep. The rhythmic roar of the waves combined with the starry night sky made the evening perfect. Okay, the man walking at her side holding her hand didn’t hurt either. She and Ryujin had met at a party on New Year’s Eve, a party she hadn’t wanted to attend, a party her friend Stacy had practically had to force her to go to. Stacy had told her all about the consultant who had come from Japan to work with Stacy’s husband’s company on their idea on how to get the plastic out of the oceans.

Blaire had reluctantly agreed, wanting to meet the man that even Tom, Stacy’s husband, gushed over. Ryujin Nakashi truly was gush worthy, from his shoulder length ink black hair to his sharp cheekbones to his startling ocean green eyes, the man was all that and a bag of chips. Yes, he was good-looking, but that hadn’t held Blaire’s attention. What did was the man’s brain. He was smart and funny and the two of them could sit for hours and just talk. Politics, religion, the newest science fiction movie, there wasn’t a subject they hadn’t covered.

Now, nearly eight months later Ryujin’s job was taking him back to Japan. She knew their time was limited, but eight months had seemed like such a long time. Not anymore. Not when eight months was now down to hours. Hours until he left. Hours until she wouldn’t see him anymore.

When they’d started, they said they would keep things light, knowing it had an end date. Blaire had been totally good with that. She hadn’t been in the market for a long-term relationship. Her career as a lawyer was the most important thing in her life. She planned on making partner by the time she was thirty-five so she couldn’t afford distractions. Now, after eight months, she was in love for the first time ever and she would give up the idea of becoming a partner just to be with the man who walked beside her.

Not that she would ever tell him that. They’d said casual with an end date and she had no right to ask for more. To expect more.

“I love the ocean,” he said, his deep accented voice easing over her.

“I do too. I could live on the beach and be quite happy.”

“Really?” He stopped and turned to face her. “Would you really be happy living on a beach?”

Blaire looked out at the moon casting its silvery light over the waves and nodded. “Oh yes. When I first came to California. The very first day I was here. The first thing I did once I collected my luggage at the airport was come to the beach. I remember having beach posters hanging up in my room when I was a kid. I even asked my mom for a table top fountain for like my sixth birthday. I wanted the sound of water in my room.”

“Did you get it?”

“Oh no, water and electricity with a six-year-old. But mom did get me a sound machine that played ocean waves. I had it on all the time. I went to sleep with it and woke up with it.”

He smiled. “Now I understand all the fountains around your home and in your office.”

“I know it’s not the same, but it’s the closest I can come on a daily basis.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Damn, the man could kiss. She’d found that out on New Year’s Even too. Then she’d taken him home and found out what else he could do with sexy mouth.

He pulled back to cup her face in his hands and stare into her eyes. She mimicked him by cupping his face. They stood like this for long moments, just staring into each other’s eyes.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered. “I know what we said—”

She interrupted him. “I feel the same way. I don’t want you to leave.” Then she took a chance and said the words she’d never said to a man before. “I love you.”

“I love you and I would stay with you here, but I have responsibilities at home.”

“I know,” she said.

“If I asked you to come with me. To my home. To leave your home. Your job. Everything.” He closed his eyes. “Too much to ask of you.”

Something in Blaire rose up. The something that she always listened to, no matter how crazy. It was the same knowing she had when she decided to move to California. Took a different train where she met her friend Stacy. The knowing that had guided her, her whole life.

“Ask me.”

“Will you come with me? Be mine? And I will be yours.”

“Yes, I will.”

He took her mouth in a kiss that was all teeth and tongues and passion. A kiss that always made her crazy for him. This man that she loved and was willing to give up everything for.

“In Japan,” he spoke against her lips, “there are stories about gods of the ocean. Dragon kings who live in cities deep, deep in the ocean. These dragons protect and guard their territories. One of these dragon kings is Ryujin, who rules a kingdom city in the North Pacific Ocean. He had many responsibilities, but no one to share them with. No one to call his own. Until now. Now Ryujin has Blaire who will live with him and love with him.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, I will live with you and love with you. But I am very human.”

And why wasn’t she freaking out? Why wasn’t she calling him a liar and running away? Because she knew there was something different about him. She’s always known. Once again, her instincts had nudged her and so, she accepted.

“Not so much anymore.” He said and looked a bit embarrassed. “The last few months, when we had sex without a condom, my essence had begun to prepare you, especially since we…you…”

Blaire laughed. “When I went down on you.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes, that combined with the intercourse had begun to make changes to your body. And, before you ask, if I would have left in the morning these changes would have eventually gone away.”

“Would you have gone away?”

“No, I love you too much. Need you too much.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We leave, if you’re ready.”

“I am ready.”

He backed up from her and smiled then his figure blurred and changed. Blaire blinked her eyes to try to bring him back into focus, but where Ryujin had stood now stood a…dragon. A ginormous black dragon that slowly lowered his head until they could see eye to eye. His eyes were Ryujin’s eyes.

“Wow, you are utterly amazing.”

He nuzzled her gently with his snout and spoke. “Thank you.”

He turned his front paw over and in the midst of the talons was a pearlescent sphere.

“Step in and I will show you our home.”

Blaire stepped up and into the shape that reminded her of a soap bubble and, before she could blink, they were in the water. She knew, that no matter what life brought her, it would never be boring with her god of the ocean tides.

Now head on over and see what Jessica, Bronwyn, Kris, Siobhan and Kayleigh have written.

What a dump!

/ gwencease / 7 Comments

flash header

dump

Welcome to the first photo flash fiction of the new year!! Obviously, we’re using the pic above to write a short piece. I can’t wait to read what the other bloggers are going to do with it.  Hope you enjoy what I came up with.

 

“Okay, take off the blindfold.”

Andromeda really didn’t want to. She hated surprises, especially the surprises her younger sister Rhea presented to her. Usually, the surprise involved some kind of horrible decision that Andromeda would have to get her out of. Crossing her fingers that this time would be different, she slowly pulled the blindfold off.

The room she found herself in was all wood. From the ceiling to the cabinets that lined the wall. The floor could possibly be wood too except she couldn’t see for all the trash, broken glass, and paper that was strewn about. Bare wires dangled from the ceiling where some kind of light fixture probably hung at one time.

“Well?” Rhea said, practically bouncing on her toes.

Without thinking, Andromeda uttered Bette Davis’s oft-quoted line. “What a dump.”

Rhea gasped. “What are you talking about? I know this room looks rough, but wait until you see the rest of the house.”

Rhea grabbed Andromeda’s hand and dragged her out into an equally dismal hallway. Large holes decorated the walls as the main stairway sagged dangerously.

“This will be the perfect place for a bed and breakfast,” Rhea enthused. “All it needs is a little work. There are a lot of bedrooms upstairs and the kitchen is huge, and, as you saw, there’s a butler’s pantry.”

Andie rubbed her face. “Bed and breakfast?”

“Yeah, you know, the B&B we always talk about opening. Now that we have our inheritance it’s the perfect time.”

“I have a job with a fairly prestigious hotel. I like it. It gives me a salary and benefits. And, my portion of the inheritance is going to help me finally buy a home.” Andie looked around at the disaster surrounding them. “Besides, even if I would think about throwing away everything I have and opening my own inn this wouldn’t be the place. It needs way more than a little work. I’m sure the electrical and plumbing all need to be updated as well as the HVAC system. From the brown stains on the ceiling it needs a whole new roof. So yeah, the best thing that can happen to this place is it burns down.”

She turned to find Rhea staring at her with wide eyes. Wide guilty eyes.

“What did you do?” Andie asked.

“Well it’s the perfect place,” Rhea repeated herself. “So, I bought it.”

“You what?”

“I bought it,” Rhea said, her voice firmer this time. “I signed the papers this morning.”

“What were you thinking? You can’t afford this place. It’s a wreck, but I’m sure with the land and as big as it is, it’s not cheap.”

“No, there you’re wrong. I bought it outright so there’s no mortgage.”

“How?” she asked, though the sinking feeling in her stomach already told her how.

“I used our money. I used our money to buy the house. It’s going to be great. Once we fix it up the place is going to be incredibly popular. There’s even a ghost here. That’s going to pull people in since they love that kind of stuff.”

Andie took a breath, then another. Calm down, she told herself. Just calm down. Stay calm.

“You stole my half of the inheritance to buy this dump? And, somehow, you think that’s okay?”

“I didn’t steal it,” Rhea insisted. “I used it to give us an incredibly future. We’ll own our own haunted B&B.”

“Oh, it’ll be haunted alright, since I’m probably going to kill you dead.”

Jessica Jarman    Bronwyn Green   Kris Norris   Siobhan Muir     Kayleigh Jones

December 2018 -Promptly Penned

/ gwencease / 3 Comments

PromptlyPenned

I can’t believe this is the last PP of the year. Everything has gone by so quickly. I will say, we saved one of the best for last, since the prompt made me laugh. Oh and I instantly thought of Shay and Josie for the prompt. Hope you all enjoy. And, as always, the prompt will be in bold type.

 

Shay settled her backpack more securely and worked her way up the small rise. The forest was quiet around them as the last rays of the sun were visible through the trees. As a child, her mother had always told her to trust her instincts and that’s exactly what she was doing. Which was good, since she didn’t have a clue. They needed help so she was going to use a spell from one of her great grandmother’s grimoires. It was called The Spell of Calling and was only to be used in a dire situation and only as a last resort. Well demon things lose in the world and eating people was pretty much a huge emergency.

As she reached the highest point of the hiking path, Josie staggered up and dropped to the ground.

“This is my life now,” Josie said, trying to catch her breath. “I have climbed this hill and now, I will die upon it.”

Shay rolled her eyes. “Shut up. We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”

“You shut up, stupid face.”

Shay shook her head. “You need to shut up more. And, we’re supposed to utilize the training facilities to stay in shape. Aren’t you doing that?”

“Hey, I’m the brains of this operation not the brawn.”

“Are you done screwing around? We have to get to the spot before the full moon rises.”

Josie forced herself to her feet. “I’m not screwing around. I’m exhausted and sweaty. Oh, and scared, let’s not forget scared.”

Shay put her hand on Josie’s arm. “Me too, but if I can get this right, we’ll have help.”

“Then let’s get this done.”

They set off again, but the walk was definitely easier. The ground was flat and it hadn’t rained recently so there was no mud. Also, it looked as though they were on an established walking trail. Shay only hoped that if they strayed into the forest, she could lead them out. Of course, she didn’t say that to Josie. The girl was already flipped out, no need to add more to her plate.

She led them down a small incline then veered off to the left and over a fallen tree. She broke into a trot as the pull became stronger. She pushed her way through heavy brush and found herself in a clearing containing a small mound. Shay gently put her foot on the ground and found it solid. Then she climbed to the top and dropped her pack.

“Should I stay down here?” Josie asked.

“Yes, thanks.”

Shay knelt on the ground and began to pull items from her pack. Her great grandmother’s small cauldron, her grandmother’s wand, and herbs from her mother’s garden. Then she pulled out stones from her own collection. Pieces she’d collected over the years. None of them were particularly spectacular, but they’d spoken to her. Lastly, she pulled her great grandmother’s spell book from the bag and opened it to the spell she wanted.

Shay took a deep breath. Then another. She opened her senses to the forest. She could hear the wind rustling the trees and night birds calling. When she was ready, she picked up the wand and cast a circle. Settling on the ground she began to add the herbs and stones to the cauldron. Though she had the book she didn’t need it. She knew what she had to do.

Finally, she placed her hands, palm down, over the cauldron and pushed all her need, fear and want into it. At the last moment she said, “Send me who we need.”

The contents of the cauldron lit up and began to glow. Shay pulled her hands away in time as a beam of pure radiant light shot up from the cauldron into the sky. Then it shot into the mound she sat on. The earth vibrated under her for about thirty seconds then everything went dark. She sat for a long moment then glanced up to find Josie staring at her wide-eyed.

“Okay, that was freaky as shit,” her best friend declared.

“Yeah, but I don’t see any help appearing out of the forest. Do you?”

Josie looked around. “Maybe it will take a few minutes.”

Shay really didn’t think so, but began the process of cleaning up and closing the circle. She was exhausted though. She felt the same way she had in college after taking a huge final. Empty and fuzzy headed as if every ounce of knowledge had been drained from her.

The two of them waited around for another half an hour when Shay had to admit to herself and Josie. “Okay, that was a fucking waste of time.”

Josie rubbed her eyes. “You don’t know that. And before you say anything, true, no one appeared out of the woods and declared he or she was here to help, but maybe it’ll take time. Maybe this person will be waiting for us back at our apartment.”

Shay nodded. “You’re right. I need to stay positive.”

As they hiked out of the woods, Shay tried to keep that thought alive, but deep down she knew she had royally screwed up.

 

Bronwyn Green      Jessica Jarman