Prompt

24/7 Girl – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 22 Comments

Title: 24/7 Girl
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

colorful hats on a rack

PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields

My schedule promised a marathon. Starting strong, my trainer pushed my outer limits. The nutritionist questioned the candy bar breakfast I inhaled while consulting the laundry service and the hack who called herself a housekeeper.

The stylist sneered at my messy ponytail, baggy tee-shirt, and leggings. “You can do better,” she said as I rushed to rouse groggy children. The crisis negotiator morphed into the childcare specialist, reminding me of the lessons with the student-teacher.

Meetings with the CFO, meal planner, and the head chef completed my morning. Exhausted, I wondered how many hats quarantine would force me to wear.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Why Not? – 3 Line Tales

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 7 Comments

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

balloon graffiti pulling a stick figure with the string labeled time flies

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

I climbed my mountain, reached the pinnacle, and discovered its peak was only a foothill.

Disillusioned, stranded by my too small dreams, time flew while I stood paralyzed, consumed with fear, and worry over “what ifs?”

At last, I realized I could wait no longer, so I gathered my courage and jumped.

______________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Adrift – 3 Line Tales

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

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

man in black shirt inside car with red letters reflected on his face

Photo by Daniel Monteiro on Unsplash

He lived life at a safe distance, careful to keep his demons at arm’s length, far from emotional contact.

Buried memories spoke in voices he refused to hear, a broken heart smoldered in ashes, and though the pain was real, he remained apathetic, haunted.

Red lights marked where accidental worlds collided, leaving shattered illusions on a city sidewalk and the scent of her perfume in the air.

______________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Grandfather’s Legacy – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

Title: Grandfather’s Legacy
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story to nourish.
Word count:  99 words

evergreen bonsai tree growing on a rock

Photo by Elissar Haidar on Unsplash

We discovered the tenacious evergreen sprig on our daily walk. Grandfather pitied the seedling clinging to bare stone. A full-grown pine needed access to the earth’s nutrients, and the minuscule reserves in the stone’s clefts and crevices would stunt the tree if it lived at all.

I was only a child, but I vowed to help the sapling. On warm days, we carried water. We sheltered it from storms and patted dirt at its roots.

Today my grandson and I took a walk. I introduced him to the tough tree and smiled when he vowed to protect Grandfather’s legacy.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Memory Lane – Weekend Writing Prompt

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 22 Comments

Title: Memory Lane
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 156 – Home
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 114 words

snow covered house on gray lake with lights on in the window

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

The night’s darkness hid his destination until he arrived. He didn’t feel nostalgia, hope, or even curiosity. He’d burned those bridges years ago. The freak spring snowstorm stirred forgotten habits, guided his car to a faraway country he could no longer call home.

Black snowfall accumulated. Cold hardened him, and he waited.

A light punched back grey edges of a lonely dawn, a harbinger of her brighter day.

A man moved through the house toward the kitchen. He pulled filters from the drawer, measured coffee, and retrieved her favorite mug nestled in the cabinet next to the sink.

Bitter regret stained his face as he started his car, resigned to being the one departed.

__________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Pulling the Plug – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 18 Comments

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

abandoned refrigerator laying in the weeds at the side of the road

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Terri’s bare knee touched cold linoleum. The distinct aroma of disinfectant, liberally applied over thirty years, was strong in this corner. She fumbled with the cord and wrinkled her nose.

“Is this no other way?” she asked.

“No, I’m afraid not.”

Terri yanked, but the plug and outlet refused to end their embrace. She wiggled and pulled until she broke the bond. The whirring compressor grew silent. The familiar vibration faded in Terri’s heart along with memories of late-night bottles, birthday cakes, spilled milk, and Sunday dinners.

“You’ll love the new fridge. It pairs with your phone. There’s an app.”

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Tongue Tied – 3 Line Tales

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 5 Comments

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

woman in black leather jacket holding white ceramic mug in frond of a laptop

Photo by Elijah O’Donnell on Unsplash

Stephanie’s mind raced, shifting into overdrive, she yearned to scream for all to hear.

Words slammed into one another, creating an abominable multi-car pile-up during rush-hour traffic.

Fear stripped her ability to enunciate, kept her from forming coherent thoughts, and left her staring at a blank page.

______________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Smallest Detail – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 14 Comments

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

set dinner table with snow outside the window

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Lacey flipped through Mama’s checklists. She chewed her lower lip, then dropped the Blush Pink wedding binder into the trash. Dread colored what Mama said would be the happiest day of her life. Her stomach lurched the way it always did when Mama discovered one of Lacey’s many faults.

She tugged at the dress’s too-tight bodice, and a fake pearl fell. Freed, the tacky embellishment ricochet off the discarded notebook and bounced toward the window. Lacey became aware of the raging storm.

Guests texted their regrets. Mama cried when the groom followed suit, and Lacey realized what she had forgotten.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Optimal Velocity – Flash Fiction Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 8 Comments

Title: Optimal Velocity
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story that features longboards.
Word count:  99 words

greyscale photography of woman using snowboard skis 1940

Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash

Miners extracted millions from Gold Mountain, but Peggy didn’t want money. She sought powder and speed. The day dawned bright and clear, as she and the longboarders climbed the 1,700-foot slope to the starting position.

Reaching the top, she strapped on her 12-foot long Norwegian skates. She had rubbed her secret dope into the hand-hewn, kiln-dried, vertical-grain Doug fir skis. The mixture of paraffin, tallow, tar, and hemlock oil guaranteed optimal velocity.

The contestants crouched, waiting. The starter hammered the giant saw blade. Peggy pushed against her pole and shot downhill.  Sixteen seconds later, she began her next ascent.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer