Prompt

The End of Summer Camp – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 35 Comments

Title: The End of Summer Camp
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

In the main hall’s kitchen, Kitty bled the water faucet. Other than the expected bumps and bruises and a case of poison ivy, camp had gone smoothly. Nothing like last year. One final check, to perform. With the cabins locked tight, she could return the keys.

She didn’t hear the screen door bang, because a gloved hand guided it, closing it softly. She didn’t see the knife slash, because a stealthy attacker wielded it, striking quickly.

Afternoon sunlight danced through the skylight, and she realized she had ignored the warning signs. The faucet sputtered and hissed, leaving the line dry.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Greatest Gift – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 4 Comments

Title: The Greatest Gift
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story that includes the greatest gift.
Word count:  99 words

As the day approaches, my anticipation increases. Doubt wrings conviction from my heart while my head constructs lists designed to weigh each decision’s consequences.

My worry consumes me, and my mother sends me to visit the shrine. The Omikuji will predict my future, she says.

Thousands of paper strips tied to pine rods dominate the temple grounds. I fear the multitude of curses and bad fortunes others have tried to leave behind. Still, I make my donation and follow ancient customs. Trembling hands clutch the paper. I read my destiny and press the god’s great blessing into my soul.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

The Warrior’s Path – #MenageMonday

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Source: Dreamstime

Jeremy stopped looking for easy answers. There weren’t any. Not for him. Maybe the shaman had a point. His life would be less difficult if he didn’t fight.

“Fighting is a way,” he told him. The wise man smiled and nodded.

It is what brought him here tonight, his latest fight. The latest obstacle standing between him and success was fifty feet of bridge. Simple. Except the damn harvest moon illuminated the world brighter than a cloudless day at high noon.

Cables groaned and the planks spanning the abyss twisted, swaying in the wind. He couldn’t see them, but they were there. Eleven o’clock, at the ridge’s cleft where the tree line provided protection yet afforded a clear shot. It was the site he’d chose. Easy as shooting fish in a barrel.

“Why are we waiting?” his second asked.

“I figure we’ve got about a twenty-five percent chance of making it to the other side.”

“Better than zero.”

“I promised to keep you alive.”

“No, you said you would try. These last weeks, we’ve had more freedom than we’ve ever known. You’ve gotten us this far. Considering where we started, we have already won.” The faces behind him smiled and nodded.

Jeremy let his breath explode through his lips.

“We should wait.”

“We should let the devil dogs catch us?” An angel’s face confronted Jeremy.

“We knew the risks and made our choices. It is our only way. The question is… Are you ready?” she asked. Jeremy smiled and nodded.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Entering the Transcendental Curve – Thursday Threads

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments

“It’s not an easy story,” I shifted, uncomfortable under the weight of their eyes, I studied my shaking hands. “And you’re never going to believe me.”

I peeked at Tenzin. His serene face mirrored the silent temple where we stood, surrounded by dozens of demure monks.

“Tell me what happened.”

“He said his world suddenly made sense. Then he rose and walked to the parking lot. He changed right there in front of me,” I paused, dry-mouthed as I uttered the final words, “He became a Lotus.”

The monk bowed his head, his lips moving in personal prayer. When he finished, he lifted his gaze, smiled at me, and placed his right palm on my shoulder. It was a gesture meant to comfort me, but it didn’t help.

“Samlo do not distress yourself. I have long suspected Pema would find his way to transcend this world’s constraints. He committed himself to his journey of discovering true inner peace and enlightenment. It is not surprising he would awaken and move to another dimension.  It is fitting his chosen form was a lotus blossom.”

“You don’t understand.”

“He didn’t turn into a lotus?”

“Well, yes, he did. But it wasn’t a flower.” Tenzin’s face contorted, but I couldn’t stop myself. “He became a big bright metallic orange-colored Lotus. The next thing I knew he was laying down rubber and squealing the tires. He took a lap, did a donut, then sped to the exit, leaving me in a cloud of golden smoke.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Rejecting Lies – 3 Line Tales

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

From Sonya’s 3LineTales at Only100Words.
You can find the original prompt here. Thank you, Sonya

Photo by Prescott Horn via Unsplash

Lilith invited the serpent to coil around her legs, encouraged his undulating form to embrace her waist and hiss secrets into her ear.

Neither angels nor demons could dissuade her from the truth in her soul.

Fierce independence was the unpopular narrative, and she wore their scorn with pride

______________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Fountain of Youth – 100 Word Wednesday

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 14 Comments

Title: Fountain of Youth
Source:  100 Word Wednesday: Week 137
Word count: 100 words

Image by Cyranny

Christopher was an ordinary boy who lived in an otherwise ordinary neighborhood. Like most little boys he loved playing outdoors and discovering secret gardens, talking animals, and harrowing adventures. His mother indulged his interests and read him bedtime stories. One storybook developed the telltale signs of the favored status, but that story couldn’t contain his imagination. He created his own fantastical stories about a boy named Chris and his giant tortoise named Bulldozer.

Nestled into his otherwise unremarkable neighborhood, sat a fountain. It drew the curious who always read the plaque. To my darling Christopher, who never outgrew his dreams.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Rarefied Society – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 41 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © CEAyr

James caressed and cradled the book against his chest. It had taken months to locate. Local libraries no longer hunted and delivered your desired tomes. They were relics, dismantled by the Device and digital data proliferation. The Quest was difficult, part of the grueling initiation process qualifying worthy inductees for the Ambassadors Club.

He unfolded blue spectacles and positioned them above page forty-five. He played with the focal length until it snapped into focus. The lenses illuminated the glorious words between the words. With his heart pounding in his ears, James began the laborious task of transcribing his next clue.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Accidental Friends – 100 Word Wednesday

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 15 Comments

Title: Accidental Friends
Source:  100 Word Wednesday: Week 136
Word count: 100 words

Image by Cyranny

It materialized, and I had missed her. Again. I said ‘her’ although it could be a man. My gut confirmed it was her. Why did she torment me? Why did I obsess?

Her story grew in my mind. With the consistency of each sunrise, her bicycle arrived, parked at my door by one o’clock and by three it was gone. She was meeting her lover; she was a spy stalking her mark. She was my aberration, my ghost, my diversion.

Then her bicycle wasn’t there. Weeks passed. I feared she wouldn’t return. Months later, I cried for my lost friend.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Gritty Gray Hope – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 10 Comments

Title: Gritty Gray Hope
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story that shows true grit.
Word count:  99 words

Walking the city streets, I choke on the summer heat as it boils the simmering stench.  Gray skies descend, reflecting the hell rising all around me. Everything lays dead or dying, and the devils threaten to consume the little I have left. This is my creation.

Time killed the last honest man. There is no way to wash away the rain. My black hole life ensures I cannot move past this singularity.

A warm wind blows, prying the cold, damp dread from my heart. I grit my teeth, grasp a sliver of hope and dare to reinvent my future.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Tree Museum – Weekend Writing Prompt

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 13 Comments

Title: Tree Museum
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt #122 – Museum
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 147 words.

***Description on Caleb’s photo: The Boardman Tree farm in northern Oregon was an incredible place to visit. The 25,000 acres of poplar trees made for an almost otherworldly experience in the fall. The farm was sold in January of 2016 to be cut down and used for cow pastures and agriculture. This photo was taken during during the autumn of 2016 before the bulk of the man made forest was removed. Small sections reportedly still remain, but not at the mind blowing scale of a few years ago. ***

“They once grew like this?” Ro let his fingers touch the rough tree trunk.

“Not exactly. Forests were much denser. There were multiple layers, areas of undergrowth so thick you couldn’t walk. The ground wasn’t level. There were countless rivulets, streams, they merged, forming great rivers which ran into oceans. And animals.” I paused, letting images develop in Ro’s mind. “The books describe deer, bear, fox, squirrels, and a multitude of birds all roaming wild.”

“Wild?”

“They claim there were no fences or cages. Some beasts had a yearly migration. They travel, on their own, thousands of miles, searching for food or breeding grounds.”

“Not anymore?”

“No. They only exist in museums. Most animal and tree species are extinct.”

“What does that mean?”

“They don’t grow or live anywhere. We, your ancestors saved, nurtured these. When I am gone, it will be your responsibility to guard them.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#