story

Teatime – 100 Word Writing Dare

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Title: Teatime
Source:  100-Word Writing Dare
Prompt: (5 random words): Strong, Circle, Party, Four, Lid
Word count:  100 words

group of people holding mugs

Photo by Nani Williams on Unsplash

Demir ordered four Caykur Rize teas from the gritty street vendor. Ender arrived as the man poured strong sludge the color of muddy streets into paper cups. Ender waved away the proffered plastic lids, passing two steaming cups to Demir while he grabbed the remaining two.

They didn’t wait long for Kadir and Cemil to join their party, completing their circle of trust. They shared bonds forged in a different world. None of them remembered when they met, how they became friends or any day they had failed to meet, and sip the tea that stopped the hands of time.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Step Right Up – 3 Line Tales

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

three line tales, week 209: a guy spinning a basket ball on his finger with Pokemon in the background

photo by Bannon Morrissy via Unsplash

Desi wasn’t looking for a job.

No one wanted a boy who hid behind sunglasses and an attitude to camouflage a pronounced stutter.

The arcade manager, seeing Desi’s ball-handling skills, declared speaking an overrated skill and leveraged his talents to charge a dollar per try.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Vestiges of Forgotten Purpose – Flash Fiction Challenge

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Title: Vestiges of Forgotten Purpose
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story about a postal carrier in an extreme situation.
Word count:  99 words

white propane tank near concrete stairs

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Tristao shifted the heavy pack, gnarled fingers burrowed under the frayed strap as he eased the pressure on his stooped shoulder.

Once, he bounded through town, nimbly negotiating steep steps, winding ascents, and narrow passageways like the goats that climbed the mountain protecting his birth city. The residents greeted him, eager for the letters he carried. He was their noble messenger, their link to far-flung family and friends. They shared the latest gossip and a welcome snack.

Now he met only faceless receptacles. He fed blank gaping mouths, with empty messages no one wanted. Tomorrow, Gaspar collected the garbage.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Looking-Glass Self – Weekend Writing Prompt

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Title: The Looking-Glass Self
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 142– Looking-glass
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 64 words

photo-by-alex-iby-on-unsplash

Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash

I’m looking at you through the glass, terrified to try again.

You won’t accept easy answers, repeating I’d be a fool to expect a different future.

Life’s only promise is my broken heart will never mend.

No one tells you how quickly epidemics spread, cuts you down, becomes your home.

Evaporated dreams reflected inside my tortured head makes me question: Was it ever real?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Snow Slide Survival – Friday Fictioneers

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Nails on a chalkboard. Awake, I scanned my cold, empty room. Green alarm clock lights displayed 3:03. Experience said there was no chance of falling into a restless sleep. A noise from the street below echoed scars from my dream and shook the night’s unusual stillness.  Beyond my window, streetlights illuminated snowflakes performing detached dances.

Snowplow, my mind decoded.

I considered my options and opted for the least obvious. It didn’t take long to dress and descend into ankle deep oblivion. Buffered silence swaddled my anguish as I walked deserted streets to reluctantly face the reality of being alone again.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

If She Only Knew – 100-Word Writing Dare

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Title: If She Only Knew
Source:  100-Word Writing Dare
Prompt: …if she only knew…
Word count:  100 words

scenery of ocean

Photo by Barth Bailey on Unsplash

I am repeatedly drawn to this bleak monument that commemorates my deepest regret and replays a scene I can never fix.

They say no one is to blame, tell me to live and learn.

Yet, I can still touch the whimpering monster, taste his evil spark and the heartfelt rage that extinguished my future. Hatred lived in those eyes, fueled by an all-consuming love.

Painful words thrown like brutal punches left me with smoldering embers of bittersweet anguish.

Selfishly, I demolished every bridge with my clumsy attempt to declare my desire. A single wish remains.

If she only knew.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Building on the Rock – Weekend Writing Prompt

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Title: Building on the Rock
Source:  Weekend Writing Prompt # 141– Imperious
Objective: Write a poem or piece of prose in exactly 123 words

Photo by Ronan Furuta on Unsplash

Mael confronted the Rock, hands on his hips, legs rooted to the ground, his decision made. Here he would forge his fated destiny.

“This is where I build my castle.”

His men gasped. An incredulous murmur rose.  The volume ascended, scaling the sheer obsidian cliff face until it drowned the sound of the relentless, crashing surf.

“Surely, he jests.”

“He can’t be serious?”

“No one dares to build upon Devil’s Bite Mountain.”

Mael spun, his rippling black cloak snapping in the wind, and his troops stood, quivering in the silence. Mael’s gaze impaled the solider who had dared to utter his last fateful thought.

His defiant roar shook the dark heavens, and his imperious words left no questions. His will would be obeyed.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Defying Omens – Flash Fiction Challenge – Rodeo #3

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Title: Defying Omens
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a story in three acts.
Word count:  99 words

white ship painting

Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash

Captain Graclynn Silver took the helm, barking orders for the crew to set sail. Doubt’s icy tendrils wheedled into her brain, clutching at her heart as the foghorn blew. Filmy sheets glazed the water’s surface, fusing with the sky to create a veil of uncertainty that did not bode well for their journey.

“Omens be dammed,” she shouted as she sought her bearings, and the ship crunched forward in search of open seas.

She tacked to starboard, advancing slowly, allowing history to drown in their dissipating wake. The fog lifted. Freed from fear, the sun promised smooth sailing ahead.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Pirate’s Revenge – Flash Fiction Challenge – Rodeo #2

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 11 Comments

Title: Pirate’s Revenge
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge
Prompt: Write a mashup.
Word count:  99 words

white and brown ship in ocean water under cloudy sky during daytime

Photo by Nikolay Vorobyev on Unsplash

The sloop bucked and rolled, as her new commander navigated the cumulonimbus clouds thundering along the squall line. They sailed in pursuit of the notorious Nose Bender, the pirate who had slain their beloved captain and stole their hard-won booty.

The Heartbreak Kid, trained for pirate antics, seized the helm and dared to spin the wheel of fortune. He took command, shouted orders, and tamed the Bodacious Mermaid. His actions earned the crew’s respect. They knew they played a deadly game. Facing sudden death, vowing revenge, they swore to fight in the bonus round, until the losing horns sounded.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

High Seas Adventure – Flash Fiction Challenge – Rodeo #1

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 11 Comments

Title: High Seas Adventure
Source:  Flash Fiction Challenge 2019 Rodeo
Prompt: Write a modern tall tale.
Word count:  99 words

huge wave at daytime

Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

“The ship’s bow rose as we climbed the Mount Everest size wave. We dangled atop the precipice while all around, rolling water raged.

Gray storm clouds billowed overhead, dousing the deck with bucket loads of rainwater as our vessel groaned. Sensing her fate, she threatened to crack, and we didn’t dare to breathe.

Over the edge, I glimpsed a multitude of creatures staring at me, before we tipped, sliding into the abyss. A deluge rushed into the void and collided with the rushing flood, pelting spray engulfed us.”

“Daddy, it was only a puddle.”

“A puddle to you, maybe.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer