Friday Fictioneers

Unbelievable – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 10 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Billionaires, rock stars, and those famous for being famous, envy my view. Unfathomable, inaccessible to mere mortals.

They never lift their eyes. Hypnotized, blinded gazes guide them. Lacking fortitude, unable to face brutal accusations, they deny responsibility. Curated lives avoid the uncomfortable, the awkward, the unbearable.

I walked with them. Until the unthinkable, the unimaginable happened.

Me, bastion of lofty ideals and a laundry list of what I wouldn’t do. Fate forced me to reevaluate and reconsider my reality. I decided I’d never die on grimy streets.

Much better to breathe rarefied air under brilliant stars of possibilities and live.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Glorious Aftermath – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 31 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Jeff Arnold

Deckhands danced in organized chaos. Our seasoned captain barked orders above the storm’s incessant din. My stomach lurched in opposition to the bow’s rise and fall. Misty Gale surmounted rough waters as we ran from the storm, seeking safe harbor.

The ship’s hull slammed against unyielding water, her mizzenmast popped and groaned as her wind engorged sail dragged us towards home. Lightning crackled, and gumball sized hail descended from the heavens.

The gods answered my prayers. Misty Gale found her slip.

The captain winked, and a devilish grin fractured his wrinkled face.

“Ah, these are the days you live for.”

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

First Draft – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 45 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Jeff Arnold

The retreat center advertised a magical, bucolic setting guaranteed to unplug the writer from an overconnected world.  For hours, Catherine stared at the typewriter, her fingers mindlessly caressing the black keys. She sighed, rising, she stepped outside to tread the marshy moor.

The door clicked shut, and the stapler clacked his jaws.

“Is it good?”

Paper wiggled from under paperweights, wedged themselves into the roller, while the typewriter’s keys pounded words into existence.

“Any plot issues?” the hole punch asked as she perused the first paragraphs.

The ends of the space bar curled into a smile.

“It’s a best seller.”

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Time Machine – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 16 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

Time travel’s first rule was validating your arrival date. I stepped through the portal and groaned.

A 1950s era diner? Was Josh joking?

Diners were ubiquitous on the timelines. I could cite countless examples over the last 200 years. This establishment offered no clues I was in the correct year before the portal slammed shut.

This place was quiet, too quiet. A shiver raced down my spine, and my stomach heaved.

We told the initiates fantastical tales, our attempt to scare first-time travelers. I had never seen one and doubted they existed. Until today.

I turned and faced The Watcher.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Love’s Enduring Bond – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 38 Comments

Title: Love’s Enduring Bond
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Ceayr

The garden was the perfect spot for their rendezvous. Quiet, secluded, and bathed in gardenia’s fragrant scent. It was their calling card, a message without words.

Songbirds flocked to the eternal bubbling of the fountain, unconcerned with her presence. She twirled the red blossom between her thumb and forefinger, and closed her eyes, overcome with memories. Heavy footfalls crunched on gravel. Her heart leaped, and her skin tingled. Lips brushed her neck, her pulse quickened, and she reveled in her lover’s ardent embrace.

The air grew cold. The songbirds took flight and scarlet petals floated on the fountain’s still water.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Creative Marketing – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 30 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Mateo checked at his watch. Running his hand through his thinning hair, he surveyed his produce stall.

Minutes crept by, but still no Luca. Without the delivery, he couldn’t make money. His customers wanted choices, baskets overflowing with the freshest items.

It was time to get creative. Repackaging crates to make them look full, he piled the contents into smaller containers. He squished his offerings together and eliminated empty racks. He worked to finish before the daily rush started. His loyal customers arrived and began bickering and fighting. Faced with scarcity, they bid against one another.

Mateo sighed with relief.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Staring in Defiance – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 35 Comments

Title: Staring in Defiance
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

It’s been forever, and I wonder if I still look like I should.

You pause in the doorway. Your face reveals it was always about you. Despite your madness, I believed I could walk through fire, and I wear the battle scars of hardship, pain, and struggle. They are etched on my heart’s shield, and they call you a liar.

I introduce the characters in my parade, the countless faces, forgotten places, and lonely nights traveling to nameless cities for another show. The demands of Orion’s sword were not in vain.

I stand where you said I would never be.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Homeward Bound – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 10 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Dawn Miller

I ran, rejecting the past, I raced headlong into my future.

Twisted years manipulated iron forged values that made me a success machine. I paid a tragic price, leaving my heart on the altar. Then one morning the prodigal child woke and realize what I had become.

I didn’t need the GPS. The red barn was the only signal I needed. She looked older, neglected, but she still stood. She greeted me without reproach, her sun-worn boards reached for me, offering me comfort I didn’t deserve.

True North revealed forgotten facts and pointed to the golden road leading me home.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

A Storm Named Waterloo – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 30 Comments

Title: A Storm Named Waterloo
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

I cracked an eyelid to face my accuser. One o’clock. I should have been up hours ago, and yet…

The tapping at the window urged me to forsake my warm cocoon. I stumbled across the room and opened the blinds. The day mocked me. Rain splatted on the pane. Foggy condensation distorted my view of the miserable world.

At least it’s not snowing, I sighed.

Minutes ebb into eons, dulling the achingly familiar pain as I tried to reach past the emptiness.

At my end, I abandoned my post and crept to my haven of dark forgetfulness as snowflakes fell.

________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Paradox of Free Will – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 24 Comments

Title: The Paradox of Free Will
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Ulrika Undén

Tabbris allowed his gaze to follow the escalator’s path upward towards the light. In the eerie stillness, tinny speakers pumped strains of show tunes that echoed in the space like tennis balls bouncing off granite canyon walls. He hesitated.

A finger snap cut through the haze, reality thundered into focus and urged him to act. Tabbris stepped aside, letting the automatic stairs continue without him. He ran his hand over his eyes and considered his options. Was everything pre-ordained, a foregone conclusion, or could he conjure freedom? Did he possess power?

Long moments passed before Tabbris turned and walked away.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer