A Losing Battle – Friday Fictioneers

July 27, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 16 Comments

watercolor pallett — *PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields*

Title: A Losing Battle

Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Word count: 100 words

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Be wary, my dear creative friend, when you say you wish to explore the seductive call of the arts. If your conviction is not solid, if your resolve is not resolute, if your ethics are not steadfast, clear, and true, then my advice to you is to run. Run, before it is too late.

Once you dip your brush, your pen, your sword, your soul is forever colored, consumed, altered.

Oblivion lurks at the bottom of a paint can, time becomes malleable, and insignificant thoughts recede.

Art has left me desperate and my car keys have been missing for weeks.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Undercover in Broad Daylight- Friday Fictioneers

July 18, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 19 Comments

Title: Attaining “High Flight” and “Slipping the Surly Bonds”
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

adobe house gate with a package sitting outside the gate

PHOTO PROMPT © Jean L. Hays

I identified the target. No one noticed the woman with a stroller. The device in my pocket would disrupt any surveillance cameras, but I still needed a diversion.

Stalling, I cooed to the baby. A panel van heading toward me promised the perfect cover for my heist. Timing was everything. I resumed my walk, activated the disruptor, and counted. The truck and my stroller converged at the package.

With payment confirmed, I dropped the package in the black sedan’s trunk. Safe from prying eyes, I removed my mask, hat, sunglasses, and wig. Since the virus, disguises were so much easier.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Attaining “High Flight” and “Slipping the Surly Bonds”- Friday Fictioneers

June 10, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 25 Comments

Title: Attaining “High Flight” and “Slipping the Surly Bonds”
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

looking up into a hot air balloon with blue sky

PHOTO PROMPT © Ronda Del Boccio

“You’re full of hot air.”

“Who do you think you are?”

“You can’t.”

“You’ll never—”

Eyes closed, I clap my hands over my ears, hum to drown the sound of their echoing fear, and search for the quiet cry.

Creativity, inner voice, muse, true self, she answers to many names.

Squashed, derided as child’s play, and nothing more than popsicle sticks, school glue, and glitter, she retreated.

I had rejected false experts, and I resolved to change. I hitched my life to Creativity with a capital “C,” vowed to prove the naysayers wrong, and I floated towards the stars.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

An Everyday Hero – Friday Fictioneers

June 7, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 13 Comments

Title: An Everyday Hero
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

Earl pushed the paper cap askew and wiped sweat from his forehead. The tiny kitchen was warmer than Hades.

As a kid, he dreamed of saving the world. He ran with his red cape streaming behind him. Flying in the sky, he shot lasers from his eyes and righted every wrong. He remembered the moment a disbeliever’s careless shoe squashed his purpose. Disillusioned, he became a hash-slinger, cooking meals for hungry customers regardless of their ability to pay.

A grimy hand returned an empty plate. “You saved my life, Earl.”

Sad eyes brimmed with unshed tears. It was payment enough.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

La Dolce Vita – Friday Fictioneers

May 27, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 28 Comments

Title: La Dolce Vita
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart

Reality’s wispy figments hung beyond her grasp. Days begun at four in the afternoon kept her translucent skin safe from the sun’s ravaging rays. Neon demons, crowded clubs, and illicit pharmaceuticals eased her into sensational poses. The paparazzi clamored for more.

Fellini scenes, gray-scale backdrops to life, encouraged Sylvia, sweet Sylvia’s whispers. Begging for peace, she scoured each avenue for escape from her manic world. Exhausted, detached, bordering on sociopathic but yearning for connection, she ended each dawn at the fountain in search of the answer. Hidden from the world for so long, she had forgotten where her soul drowned.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Rock ‘N Roll Band – Friday Fictioneers

May 20, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 39 Comments

Title: Rock ‘N Roll Band
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

makeshift stage with band at a festival with tents

PHOTO PROMPT © CEAyr

“I’m not a fan.”

My smitten boyfriend never heard a word.

“You’re gonna love ’em,” Ken insisted before launching into the reasons this band was on a collision course with destiny.

I caved, and let Ken drag me to the sold-out show. His date night extravaganza included backstage passes and an exclusive meeting with the lead singer.

That’s when it happened. Our eye locked, he rocked my world and brought me to my knees. The rest is history. I’m his muse, he’s my man.

This VIP no longer needs a backstage pass.

Still, I sometimes wonder whatever happened to Ken.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

24/7 Girl – Friday Fictioneers

May 16, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 22 Comments

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

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.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Pulling the Plug – Friday Fictioneers

May 9, 2020 / 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

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.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Smallest Detail – Friday Fictioneers

May 4, 2020 / 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

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.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Mining for Gold – Friday Fictioneers

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 / JoHawkTheWriter / 23 Comments

Title: Mining for Gold
Source: Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

“What are you doing?” Hannah surveyed the discarded canvas in the alley.

“I’m taking the frame,” Kurt said, brushing off the accumulated dust.

“Why?”

“It’s nice.”

“And the painting?”

“Utter crap. Unsigned.”

Kurt scorned artists who were not proud enough to sign their creations.

“But–”

Kurt ambled away, the frame swinging from the crook of his elbow.

Hannah’s lips puckered, and her eyes narrowed. Kurt’s obsession with “artistic sensibilities” blinded him to the beauty inherent in everyday life’s casual clutter.

An idea flickered, wheels turned, and new collage formed. She snatched the picture, realizing who had scored garbage gold.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer