FFfAW

Pushing Through — FFfAW Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 11 Comments

Title:  Pushing Through
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count:  150 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by wildverbs. Thank you wildverbs!

Rachel passed the bench three times today. One more time she told herself.

She wanted to sit and rest. Doctor’s orders said one mile.

“This is crap,” she thought.

“It will get easier,” they said.

“You will grow to love it,” they said.

“Your body will crave the endorphins,” they said.

Who were they kidding? It was a conspiracy, lies they told themselves. It wasn’t working, she didn’t feel an endorphin-releasing rush. She had been exercising a week and none of the garbage they spewed had happened.

Rachel stopped, staring at the bench. Sweat trickled down her back, hair clung to her face and neck. Her clothes stuck to her body in places where they shouldn’t. She fanned herself with both hands, knowing a mirror would reflect a blotchy red face.  She needed a shower.

Rachel stood and stared at the bench.

“Ok, bench. See you in a few minutes.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Fleeting Moments — FFfAW Challenge

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 6 Comments

Title:  Fleeting Moments
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count:    140 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Yinglan. Thank you Yinglan!

Seo-Yun was born in a tiny village. The little girl with big dreams soon outgrew her home. They were no match for her rising star, so she left them for the big city that “discovered” her.

Famous, her fans followed her everywhere. Bathed in limelight, she capitalized on every opportunity to increase her popularity and her bank account. She staged and televised her life, from shoe shopping to lunch with friends. Her fans dictated every moment of her life.

Her sister called, telling her of mama’s illness. Seo-Yun raced to be by her side and her entourage raced with her. Umma was a simple woman, a private woman. When Seo-Yun arrived at the hospital, Umma refused to let her daughter’s fans see her. She pleaded, but Umma remained firm. Her daughter didn’t understand her mother’s resistance, and the moment passed.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Fifteen-Minute Road Trip — FFfAW Challenge – 175

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 9 Comments

Title:  Fifteen-Minute Road Trip
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count: 170 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Yarnspinnerr. Thank you Yarnspinnerr!

It was a game, a stupid childish game that saved my life. My earliest memory is of me, my three sisters and Dad playing Red Light, Green Light. We always played games. The year I turned six, Dad introduced a new game. He called it “Fifteen-Minute Road Trip”. My sisters and I listened to the rules. Dad would set a timer and we had fifteen minutes to pack a bag with everything we needed for a weekend road trip. Our first attempts caused peals of laughter when we discovered missing clothes, or shoes or toothpaste. Gradually our packing improved, and one day Dad told us to get in the car. We left for the weekend and had to live with only what we packed.

Yesterday, the evacuation team knocked at the door saying the winds had shifted, and the wildfires were upon us. They gave us fifteen minutes to gather the lifetime of possessions from our homes, pack our cars and leave. Today I live with only what I packed.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Conspiracy — FFfAW Challenge – 174

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 12 Comments

Title:  Conspiracy
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count:   155 words

I tell no one how I became the mistress of the Marchese Di Felecia. Or rather, I never tell them the truth. The truth is a series of coincidences that when put together seem unbelievable. If I hadn’t lived it, I wouldn’t believe it either. Being the Marchese’s mistress is why I am on the street today. I am the keeper of secrets, both my own and others. They are my power base and one reason the Marchese loves me. I pull the coarse scarf closer around my face, hoping to remain invisible. I do not knock at the blue door, but enter and head upstairs where my mother waits.

“Is the Marchesa with us?” she asks.

“Yes, my half-sister received the messages.  When the Marchese’s forces attack, our father will die. With no male heir, his territory will pass to the Marchese.”

“Does she suspect?”

“No Mother, and we need her alive.”

“For now.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

For All Time — FFfAW Challenge 173

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 1 Comment

Title:  For All Time
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count:   160 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by wildverbs. Thank you wildverbs for our photo prompt!

Riina and Alex met at Riina’s cousin’s wedding. Alex was the best man and Riina’s cousin Meg made sure they spent lots of time together. Riina was embarrassed but Alex said it would be a great story to tell their kids. Riina couldn’t wait for the wedding to end.

After the wedding, Alex attended all the family events ignoring Riina. He made himself useful, running errands, picking up ice, or taking one of the old aunts home. He set up and organized the backyard volleyball games and helped clean when everyone left. Riina fell in love.

They dated, spent time together, planned their lives together. The family celebrated the wedding announcement and looked forward to the big day. It was only a cough, but the doctors deemed it terminal. The wedding went on as planned; the joy tainted with sorrow. Riina didn’t want the wedding to end.

They exited the church, the doves released, and Riina’s heart flew with them.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Remembering Roses — FFfAW # 172

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Title:  Remembering Roses
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count:  150 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Michelle De Angelis. Thank you, Michelle!

I pulled the box out of the closet and brushed the dust from the top before opening it. This box was full of photos. I had never seen some of them, others showed images of friends and family, looking much younger than they did now. As I flipped through them, one old Polaroid caught my attention and transported me back in time.

It was a hot and humid day, so we drove to the botanical gardens. She loved to walk the paths through the fragrant roses. She pointed to different flowers and called them by their Latin names. Old friends, she said laughing. We talked about many things that day and our talk helped. It was one of the many things I loved about her.

I brushed the tears flowing down my cheeks, set the box in the pile of things to keep and slipped the photo into my pocket.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Top of the World — FFfAW 171

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title:  Top of the World
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers
Word count: 300 words

*** Ok, truth. This story is over the limit, but I couldn’t help it. It wrote itself and I didn’t have the heart to cut a story the muse handed to me. I hope you agree.

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Yinglan. Thank you Yinglan!

Edmund hung his head, his shoulders slumped, and his arms dangled, flopping at his side. He scuffed his feet sending stones bouncing along the trail.

“You ok, Edmund?”

Edmund snapped to attention spinning to face his father, a huge grin plastered across his face.

“Yeah. It’s just taking so long. How soon before we get there?”

“What does your altimeter say?”

Edmund studied his wrist, “Four thousand and thirty-nine feet.”

“And where is that on your map?”

Edmund pulled the map from his pocket. With his father’s guidance, he determined they were a mile from the summit. Stuffing the map back in his pocket, they continued along the trail. Thirty minutes later Edmund saw something flapping at the crest of the trail and ran. His father’s shout of “don’t run,” didn’t change his pace, and he was at the summit before coming to a full stop.

“Woo-hoo, we made it,” Edmund shouted jumping up and down at least a dozen times. He ran to the flagpole and planted a kissed the metal pipe. People at the summit smiled at the young boy’s expression of joy.

“Dad! Isn’t this great?”

“Sure is. Remember, we still have to climb down.”

“I know, but can’t we stay for a while? Look at it,” Edmund flung his arms wide and spun in a circle. He stopped face to face with his father. On an impulse, Edmund flung his arms around his waist squeezing as hard as he could.

“Thanks, Dad,” Edmund breathed into the soft flannel of his father’s shirt, before letting go to stand next to him. He didn’t notice his father’s huge smile or his hand brushing at moist eyes.

Father and son stood in silence surveying the view.

“So, still think you want to climb Everest someday?”

Edmund grinned and nodded.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Out of Time — FFfAW Challenge – 170

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 3 Comments

Title: Out of Time
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers – Week of 06-19 through 06-25-2018
Word count: 174 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Enisa. Thank you Enisa!

Detective Walsh ran his fingers through his thick dark hair and sighed with exasperation. He had done everything short of begging the judge for the search warrant. Now his team was finding nothing.

“Boss, can we wrap this up?”

Walsh realized time and luck had run out.

“Boss? I found a box of photos in a heat return,” Probie Kennedy interrupted.

Walsh grabbed the box and riffled the contents finding an odd assortment of amateurish snaps. Why would anyone hide these?

Gazing at the photo of a candlestick, he flipped it over. Printed on the back was the date, “January 5.” A murder happened on that date. He knew the details. The medical examiner’s report described the murder weapon as a circular object with a flat base, consistent with the bottom or a vase or lamp.

“Or a candlestick,” he muttered.

The photos were all dated, and he bet the dates coincided with a murder and the objects with the medical examiner’s description of the murder weapon.

Perhaps luck was still on his side.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Big Trouble — FFfAW 169

/ JoHawkTheWriter

Title: Big Trouble
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers – Week of 06-12 through 06-18-2018
Word count: 160 words

Thank you Wildverbs for our photo prompt this week!

Big Trouble

Mia scrunched her nose and glanced over at Liam the troublemaker.

Every few weeks mother brought them here and told Mia to watch Liam. They would get ice cream when she returned.

Mia reminded Liam about the ice cream often, but sometimes it didn’t matter. One time she chased him around the bench. Another time he raced along the sidewalk turning to stick his tongue out at her. Each time she wrestled him back to the bench.

Today Liam sat still. Mia’s sigh of relief was Liam’s cue to wiggle and squirm his way toward the edge of the bench. She flung her arms around him as he struggled to escape.

Mia heard laughter and mother’s voice.

“You two are so cute.”

Mia let go and Liam jumped to his feet, raced towards the fountain and a second later he was knee deep in the water.

“Oh Liam, this baby better be like your sister.” Mother sighed waddling after him.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Indigo — FFfAW

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

Title: Indigo
Source: Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers –  Week of 06-05 to 06-11,  2018
Word count: 170 words

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Yarnspinnerr. Thank you Yarnspinnerr!

She gazed out the window at a smaller plane and gave a contemptuous snort.

“Out of business in a year,” she predicted.

Her meeting had gone well. Dr. Patel headed the team developing a cure for this year’s malady. Her marketers were busy raising awareness and money to fund his research. Clinical trials showed promise, except for the side effects. Dr. Patel was trying to eliminate or minimize them, working on countless variations without success. One variation only amplified the side effects. That formulation excited her and ended her search.

She stroked the jump drive containing all of Dr. Patel’s research. She had liked him. Her watch confirmed they would be in the air when the laboratory experienced a catastrophic explosion destroying everyone and everything.

It was all she needed to change the world and make other drugs seem like candy. Now, the bastards who betrayed her would pay, and she would be in control.  They would come to her, begging.

She would rule with a blue pill called Indigo.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer