Prompt

Fair Warning – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 49 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Ronda Del Boccio

I hate late night dog walks. The mutt insists I honor my responsibility. The mongrel’s insistence on sniffing every blade of grass to prolong our walk is directly proportional to my longing to be tucked in bed.

Tonight is no exception. Maybe I’m cranky, but the nightly tug of war is excessive. I glance at the cur who is trying to pull me in the opposite direction from home.  I jerk the leash, and the dog turns, tail between its legs, snarling, it backpedals.

I yank the leash again. A hand covers my mouth and I wish I had listened.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Blogging from A to Z Challenge — Letter C

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 5 Comments

atoz2019c.

Today’s Positive Adjective:
Convivial: relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company

Growing up, I anticipated one day more than any other. More than Christmas or even my birthday. When spring broke winter’s frigid grip, school recessed, and we packed the car, headed to Aunt Opal’s farm.

April was a busy time, and we “city folks” as my cousins called us were the hired help, nobody could afford to hire. Despite my cousin’s insistence, our tiny town didn’t compare to St. Louis or Chicago. Still, it was larger than the town nearest the homestead. Aunt Opal’s farmhouse hustled and bustled more our “city” house ever did.

Her kitchen whirled with activity, the convivial epicenter of farm folk for miles. While daily events varied wildly, everyone who entered her domain received a loving embrace. It didn’t matter if it had been five minutes or five weeks. The greeting never changed, nor the question which followed.

“You hungry, dear?” she would ask, and proceed with your choices. A slice of strawberry-rhubarb cobbler? A hunk of warm bread right from the oven? Well, a glass of lemonade then? Once your belly was full, she put you to work. Except it didn’t seem like work. Not when she was recounting the latest Taylor twin’s antics. Or how she found her best, laying chicken cuddled in the hayloft with the cat, three days running, despite locking the hen in the coop.

No, I couldn’t wait. The two-and-a-half-hour trip took much longer. I suspected Daddy drove slowly, to torment me. Wedged between my brothers in the back seat I willed the car to go faster. I dared to ask my question once again.

“Daddy, are we there yet?”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Initiation – #MenageMonday

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title: Initiation
Source:  #MenageMonday! Challenge Week 2×27
Word count: 250 words

Source: Dreamstime

It took me two years to convince Sammi to hire a runner for the boneyard. When she broke, she made it clear. The kid was my responsibility.

The teenager was eager, and he took his job title to heart. I chucked when I saw him sprinting towards me. He stopped a few feet away, resting his palms on his thighs as he sucked air.

“You okay, kid?” I asked.

He looked at me and raised his right index finger. I tapped my foot and waited.

“I’m fine,” he panted sliding his hands to his waist as he straightened.

“Sammi sent a message?” I prodded, eager to hear her latest edict.

“Hey, she said this was the plane that started it all,” he motioned to the shell in front of us.

“She said a bomb went off, killed everyone on board, and it crash-landed here.”

I laughed, and he looked confused.

“Sorry kid, we make it look that way. Some movie people paid to shoot footage. The rest we cannibalized for parts.”

“Oh, I see, and like a fool, I believed her,” the kid said.

“Gotta take Sammi with a grain of salt. She’s a jokester.”

The kid shook his head.

“She also said the lost keys are no excuse.  We have to get it started.”

I purposefully looked at the plane, before turning to face him again. I could hear the gears working in his head. He wasn’t stupid.

“Let me guess? Never any keys?”

“Happy April Fool’s Day, kid.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Shattering Illusions – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 10 Comments

Title: Shattering Illusions
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story that uses the word eminence.
Word count:  99 words

Jules was his father’s second son. He was deemed the spare heir to the kingdom. Always second best, he fought to win favor, to stand free from his brother’s shadow. Each passing year, the competition between them grew.

Their rivalry forced his vision higher, to the eminence of Mont Aiguille. He imagined looking down onto his brother’s domain. Determined, he focused on his goal, fought through doubts and fear until his kingdom became a reality.

He grew stronger than the mountain, hardening his heart he stood alone, freed from the shadows, he realized there had been nothing to prove.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Restoration Project – Weekend Writing Prompt

/ JoHawkTheWriter

Title: Restoration Project
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt #99 – Anathema
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 52 words.

Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

Birdie hadn’t visited the homestead in years. Her memory held visions of lush fields and untamed forests teaming with life. The intervening years were unkind, as others used the site for a dumping ground.

She deemed the land’s destruction an anathema, vowing she would not rest until she saw nature’s splendor restored.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Back In Time – 3 Line Tales

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

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

photo by Stijn te Strake via Unsplash

They said it couldn’t be done, an impossibility as time advances, forever moving forward.

The order nodded, content to allow the masses to wallow in their comfort, in their ignorance.

Those Enlighted stood, mesmerized as time’s mirror image fooled them all.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Call – 100 Word Wednesday

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title: The Call
Source:  100 Word Wednesday: Week 114
Word count: 100 words

Image by Bikurgurl

The garage was where everyone found Dad. On frigid winter days, he lit the propane heater and cranked the radio. Elbow-deep in the chassis, oil, and grease covered, he was happier than a pig in—well, you know.

He purchased the dilapidated hunk of junk online, driving three hundred miles to trailer it home. Oddly shaped and sized packages appeared, and Dad’s face beamed. He wore his Christmas day smile as they disappeared into his lair.

One bright spring day, the garage stood empty. Now nobody knows where to find him as he speeds, top down, along the open road.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Logic Bomb – Thursday Threads

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 4 Comments

Photo by Saffu on Unsplash

Tonk and I skidded to a stop, taking cover behind an overturned truck. Blaster fire flew above our heads as the drones advanced.

“Christ,” Tonk’s chest heaved as he sucked air into his lungs, and he reloaded. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me, and a worried frown spread across his face.

“Jeb?” he said my name slowly. It was a warning.

“They have a weakness, you know,” I said.

“That right? Well, I sure don’t see it. All I see is unstoppable blaster fire. Take out one drone and another appears.”

“You haven’t noticed? They do everything together.”

Tonk’s expression told me a lot.

“Control says turn left, they turn left. Control says neutralize target—“

“Yeah, I get it. They’re doing a damn good job of neutralizing us.”

“That’s just it. One target. They can’t process multiple targets.”

Tonk stared at me.

“Look at them.” I pointed through the busted window. Tonk watched the advancing drones.

“They’re only shooting. They’re not aiming at anything.”

“So?” Tonk shook his head, “How’s that help us?”

“Remember the drone I took apart?”

Tonk nodded.

“There’s a piece of code.” I stopped, realizing Tonk wouldn’t understand what I needed to do.

“If I can get to their programming, I can write a routine and force them to fire on their own command.”

“So, you need me to nab another drone for you?”

“Yep.”

“Next time just ask. Back in a second.”

Tonk smiled and disappeared around the side of the truck.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Battle Preparations – Stock Photo Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 13 Comments

Title: Battle Preparations
Source:  Stock Photo Challenge
Word count: 100 words

Rare and full view of ancient ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru from high above. Cloudless.

Tupoc stopped his family at the top of Huayna Picchu overlooking their destination. They would spend the night and visit the Temple of the Moon before descending to the sacred city.

The midwife had read the signs, consulted the stars and made her proclamation. A great invasion was coming. Tupoc’s wife, Chima, carried their salvation, and their enemy’s destruction. Chima’s battle to deliver the baby would herald the return of their empire.

Chima’s baby must be born on the old mountain, the proper prayers and rituals performed, and the grace of the gods bestowed. Their fate rested with the stars.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Preserving A Legacy – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 31 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT© Sandra Crook

Marta waited. She adjusted her hat, petted the hairnet covering her braided hair, while white nursing shoes and long white lab coat completed her ensemble. It made her feel sterile, one person in a large room of whirling machines.

The textile factory, built two hundred years ago, had employed generations of her family. Marta treasured the photos of her ancestors working here. New computerized looms automated many functions, but they still required human hands. Her hands were integral to the entire operation.

An alarm sounded, and Marta remedied the issue aware that her knowledge and skill preserved a great legacy.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer