April

Nature’s Alchemy – Weekend Writing Prompt

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title: Nature’s Alchemy
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 154 – Fiber
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 131 words

photo of threads on wooden spindles and spice lot

Photo by julian mora on Unsplash

Crystal jars, tinted bottles, and woven baskets crowded the shelf-lined room. Identical labels with precise black handwriting adorned each vessel. Elena inched into the space, confused by the overwhelming volume of items. Her fingers traced unfamiliar words.

“Kamala Seed Pods, Madder Root, Mangosteen Peel,” her lips moved silently. As she continued reading, the chaos dissolved, replaced by an odd sense of order.

“What color does Pomegranate Rind render?”

Elena picked up the jar, shaking the rose-hued contents before she turned to face Mistress Moiree.

“Pink?”

“Guessing?” Mistress Moiree asked and extended her hand.

Elena felt the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks as she relinquished the container.

“They look red,” she said rolling the glass in her hands, “but when boiled, they dye mordanted fibers a golden yellow. You will learn.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Mining for Gold – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 23 Comments

Title: Mining for Gold
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © C.E.Ayr

“What are you doing?” Hannah surveyed the discarded canvas in the alley.

“I’m taking the frame,” Kurt said, brushing off the accumulated dust.

“Why?”

“It’s nice.”

“And the painting?”

“Utter crap. Unsigned.”

Kurt scorned artists who were not proud enough to sign their creations.

“But–”

Kurt ambled away, the frame swinging from the crook of his elbow.

Hannah’s lips puckered, and her eyes narrowed. Kurt’s obsession with “artistic sensibilities” blinded him to the beauty inherent in everyday life’s casual clutter.

An idea flickered, wheels turned, and new collage formed. She snatched the picture, realizing who had scored garbage gold.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

A Matter of Perspective – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments

Title: A Matter of Perspective
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story about something crazy.
Word count:  99 words

Galaxy

Photo by Clarisse Meyer on Unsplash

Insanity is measured by degrees, strictly classified by definitions, interpretations, and clever disguises. A tight white coat choked the evaluator, stripping him of his humanity. If he would only release himself from his strait-laced leash, he would see. He scribbled unintelligible notes with invisible ink and labeled my actions a Hail Mary call for help.

Nobody listened to the warnings I screamed loud and clear. Sometimes a hero must first rescue herself, so that night, with the walls closing in, I climbed Signal Mountain and sent my desperate S.O.S.

The mother ship answered, and I escaped this helter-skelter world.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Unbelievable – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 10 Comments

Title: Unbelievable
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Billionaires, rock stars, and those famous for being famous, envy my view. Unfathomable, inaccessible to mere mortals.

They never lift their eyes. Hypnotized, blinded gazes guide them. Lacking fortitude, unable to face brutal accusations, they deny responsibility. Curated lives avoid the uncomfortable, the awkward, the unbearable.

I walked with them. Until the unthinkable, the unimaginable happened.

Me, bastion of lofty ideals and a laundry list of what I wouldn’t do. Fate forced me to reevaluate and reconsider my reality. I decided I’d never die on grimy streets.

Much better to breathe rarefied air under brilliant stars of possibilities and live.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Abandoned – Weekend Writing Prompt

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 18 Comments

Title: Abandoned
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 153 – Obsolete
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 24 words

gray truck near mountain

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

I considered myself young, but my mirror and capricious consensus disagreed. Without compunction, they relegated me to the pasture with the other obsolete workhorses.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Operation: Recover Home – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 9 Comments

Title: Operation: Recover Home
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story that declares, shield your face.
Word count:  99 words

person welding gray metal equipment

Photo by boostinjay on Unsplash

Heavy metal blared, drowning the crackling and buzzing, as sparks flew. The fiery shower bounced on the cement floor.

“Jason.”

Switching off the torch, he pushed his heavily gloved hand against his forehead, lifting the face shield. Except for the music in his helmet, the garage was silent. Hot wind blasted through the open door.

He was alone.

Desperation clutched his heart. Glancing at his watch he assessed his chances of completing the needed repairs. He couldn’t stay. He had to find the passage home.

“Shield your face. Return to me.”

“I’m coming.”

Or I’ll die trying, he vowed.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Spring’s Advent – Weekend Writing Prompt

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 18 Comments

Title: Spring’s Advent
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 152 – Nomad
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 68 words

white house on green grass field near mountain during daytime

Photo by EJ Wolfson on Unsplash

Dismal clouds shrouded winter mountaintops. Cloaks of despair, they wept, their sorrow drenching the landscape. Parched souls, clinging to life, found solace in the mother’s healing tears.

Breathless, I waited.

Brown became gold as nomad tinkers arrived. Singing children frolicked. Their laughter summoned sunshine, and magical colors transformed the valley. Continually moving, they were always at home. Their work complete, they disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving hope behind.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The New Morning Ritual — Flash Fiction

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 7 Comments
teacup filled with liquid placed on saucer

Photo by Jen P. on Unsplash

I never thought I would be here, really living the dream. Released from Corporate America’s draining demands, I no longer wake before the crack of a sparrow’s fart, to fight rush hour traffic, to log long stressful hours.

My day begins with a gentle stretch, a hot cup of coffee, and a healthy dose of gratitude. Characters whisper in my ear, my desk beckons, and my muse smiles as I set to work. Ephemeral emotions coalesce, transformed into epic tales. My desire to create links me to the past and ties me to the future, as I write about today.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Glorious Aftermath – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 31 Comments

Title: The Glorious Aftermath
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Jeff Arnold

Deckhands danced in organized chaos. Our seasoned captain barked orders above the storm’s incessant din. My stomach lurched in opposition to the bow’s rise and fall. Misty Gale surmounted rough waters as we ran from the storm, seeking safe harbor.

The ship’s hull slammed against unyielding water, her mizzenmast popped and groaned as her wind engorged sail dragged us towards home. Lightning crackled, and gumball sized hail descended from the heavens.

The gods answered my prayers. Misty Gale found her slip.

The captain winked, and a devilish grin fractured his wrinkled face.

“Ah, these are the days you live for.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Feeding the Soul – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 11 Comments

Title: Feeding the Soul
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story that includes pizza.
Word count:  99 words

person standing and making dough

Photo by Theme Photos on Unsplash

Saffron sunk the measuring cup into the container. The flour poofed, and billowing white clouds dusted the counter. The scent of yeast permeated the kitchen, as she worked the tacky, gloppy mess until it formed a loose ball.

The heel of her hand pushed into the dough and rolled it to its starting point. She kneaded the dough to a silky smoothness. After a quick rise, she created a rough circle and added simple toppings. The hot oven melted the mozzarella and browned the crust on her classic Margherita Pizza.

Accolades were nice, but baking was its own reward.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer