Friday Fictioneers

Rarefied Society – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 41 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © CEAyr

James caressed and cradled the book against his chest. It had taken months to locate. Local libraries no longer hunted and delivered your desired tomes. They were relics, dismantled by the Device and digital data proliferation. The Quest was difficult, part of the grueling initiation process qualifying worthy inductees for the Ambassadors Club.

He unfolded blue spectacles and positioned them above page forty-five. He played with the focal length until it snapped into focus. The lenses illuminated the glorious words between the words. With his heart pounding in his ears, James began the laborious task of transcribing his next clue.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Green Monsters – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 41 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Penny Gadd

I screamed when Mom showed me her newest houseplant. Barely bigger than my thumb, I begged her to destroy it. She laughed.

Each time I visited; it was larger, more menacing. It developed tendrils, and under each leaf, were sharp, curved barbs. They reminded me of claws. Mom was unconcerned.

I tried to enlist my brother’s help. She would listen to him. He called me crazy.

One day Mom didn’t answer her phone. In a panic, I drove her house. A green vine opened the door, invited me inside. I ran, with the sound of laughter ringing in my ears.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

Follow Me – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 42 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Linda Kreger

Sasha’s quest for world domination was a slow process. Her extensive research in neuroscience and cult psychology formed the basis of her plan. Her studies confirmed the importance of preparing the subject’s mind, training and conditioning it to accept and execute her suggestions without question.

The first steps were simple. Couched in benign requests, few people objected, and peer pressure forced compliance as she led them through children’s games. They were rules of conduct even negligent parents taught their offspring. Sit quietly, don’t ask questions, follow the leader.

The next step was a compulsory five-minute rendition of the chicken dance.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

https://ko-fi.com/johawkthewriter#

A Matter of Survival – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 48 Comments

Title: A Matter of Survival
Source:  Friday Fictioneers sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple
Word count: 100 words

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

She hadn’t planned it, it just happened.

Self-defense drove Dolce to cook. The youngest of ten children, her boarding house reach left her scavenging scraps. Being closer to the food offered her ample opportunity to “taste” and it ensured her survival.

Resourceful, she devised methods of transforming inexpensive ingredients into haute cuisine. Her talent drew the entire neighborhood’s attention, and they insisted on paying for her home-cooked meals.

Unable to squeeze another person around the dining room table, they set tables throughout the house, and lines spilled out the front door. Dolce’s mission was making sure no one left hungry.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Aftermath – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 47 Comments

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

demolished-purple-tent on driveway with grills

PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields

Jan checked the canopy’s weights. Taylor was getting ice, and she needed to light the grills for the neighborhood barbeque

Taylor’s truck sped toward her, bouncing over the curb, he spilled from his seat before it stopped moving.

“Get inside,” he yelled. As he pointed to the sky, sirens screamed.

“Tornado.”

They raced ahead of the monstrous roar to huddled in the basement.

At the “All Clear” they emerged. The fickle funnel wrecked devastation on the opposite side of the street while their property remained unscathed.

“I’m going to help,” Taylor said.

“I’ll start the grills. They’ll need to eat.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Defying Desperation – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 33 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Randy Mazie

The building stood, defying everything society condemned. Where others saw death, destruction, and decay, Julia envisioned a second chance. The ‘No Trespassing’ signs dared her. They issued a challenge to live against the grain, to celebrate her way of life. They called her to act.

Friends and family shook their heads. They tried to illustrate the benefits of conforming, of walking with the crowd. Their desperation confirmed deviating from her truth was not worth the price.

Determined to stand her ground, she made her vow.

She planted her visions in the cracks and waited for nature to take its course.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Last Beacon – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 44 Comments

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

ted-strutz-plane

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

Thirty years ago, Blaze fled to Alaska. The country promised shelter from the rat race in its desolate, raw, and expansive wilderness. Old-timers railed against encroaching civilization and forced curious tourist home. Undeterred, Blaze was desperate and without options.

He would never forget the day he met Kaskae.  Saying nothing, their souls remembered the ancient bond, and he knew it set his fate.

Kaskae trained him to be a bush pilot and humanity’s lifeline. At first, it had been easy, but a tiny drip became a deluge. The unfortunate reeked of madness, and despair for which Blaze had no cure.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The Magic Carpet – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 32 Comments

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

Train station

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

Reginald heard it before it appeared and checked his watch. The steam engine screeched, the wheels spewed sparks as the engineer braked.  Rattling past the platform, cars thundered, slamming into one another. The boiler heaved, exhaling a plume of white-hot breath, and everything stopped.

Reginald imaged it was the reincarnated dragon his ancestor once defeated. He smiled wryly and boarded.

The car rolled, lurched forward, and tumbled him into his usual seat. Gazing out the window, he reached towards the ruins of his family’s past glory. He swore he would become the newest titan, a man worthy of his legacy.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Nowhere Left to Hide – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 34 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

Novak had seen the end. He told everyone who would listen. For his trouble, they labeled him a lunatic, certifiable. He painted pictures, but he couldn’t force them to see. They were lost.

He had been like them, paralyzed with fear, he clung to the familiar, repeating his history in a self-fulfilling destiny. Each day manifested as a poor interpretation of a yesterday which spiraled him into darkness.

Until he gasped for breath. The last flickering spark screamed from the deathbed. He was alive, this wasn’t his swan song.  Daring greatly, he released his past to create a new future.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Pulling the Plug – Friday Fictioneers

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 35 Comments

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

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

The strap dug into her shoulder. Iola tried to shift it to a more comfortable position, but only yanked her hair. As she walked, the bag banged her hip and her high heels clicked on the pavement.

She was late. Her heel caught, and she tumbled to the ground. Scratched and bleeding, hot tears streamed down her face. It confirmed what she already knew.

“You, ok?” a voice asked.

“Lies, it’s all lies,” Iola sobbed.

“Sorry?”

“They said, ‘follow the rules,’ and I’d be happy.”

“You’re not?”

Iola brushed the gravel from her hands.

“No, but I will be now.”

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer