#99Word Stories; Leaving a Leak

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 6 Comments

The March 12, 2024 story challenge from Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch is to: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about leaving a leak. What (or who) is leaking? How can you use the leak to create tension? Expand the idea of leaks. Go where the prompt leads!

Yikes! I haven’t posted a 99-word story since Cosmic Egg Soup. That collection can be read at the Ranch. Also check out the Artificial Intelligence collection and the Awkward collection.

Leave-taking by D. Avery

“Gonna leave a leak.”

“Don’t leave a mark, Bob.”

“Ha.”

Old Bob. A pleasant but quiet drinking companion. No one knew for sure when he’d moved to town. A little scruffy but mostly clean. Still drove the first truck he’d ever bought.

They worried when he stopped showing up. Went to his trailer. Called the sheriff who called the coroner.

A week later an attorney came into the bar. “A person should leave something,” the attorney read. “I, Bob, leave it to you to disperse my estate to local charities, after $500,000 goes in trust to the town library.”

In addition to what I post here for the Carrot Ranch challenges, there’s always the Ranch Yarns with Kid and Pal’s responses HERE.

d’Verse OLN; Pi Day

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 32 Comments

In the states it is Pi Day, as we show the date as 3/14. I had been in the habit of writing poems and posts about Pi, but this is the first since 2021. When the d’Verse Pub opens later today I will link it there for Open Link Night, regardless of what their OLN mini-prompt turns out to be. There have been a lot of daffodil prompts around so the following poem features daffodils. It also uses the first 16 digits of Pi to provide a syllable count. See previous Pi Day posts here (3/14/18), here (3/14/19), here (3/14/20, and here (3/14/21).

3.14159 26535 89793 by D. Avery

Daffodils
know
revelations
are
divined in darkness.
Underground in papery tunics
they muse
suspended in Dreamtime
past present future
held within
their own layered globes.

Wintry wisdoms resurrected
green shoots emerge into vernal light
mysteries revealed at last
reach for the moon but remain rooted
in the earth.

#SixSentenceStories; Nail

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 24 Comments

The Six Sentence Stories blog hop is hosted by Denise, aka GirlieontheEdge. The rules every week are to create a story in six sentences no more no less. The word this week is “nail“. I suspect Denise bought shares in semi-colons before taking on the Six Sentence Story prompt, but it’s all in fun anyway. The Six Sentence Stories blog hop link-up can be found HERE.

Time and Space by D. Avery

Inmates like Jen, who weren’t in, and didn’t want to be in, Big Barb’s small possessive circle of protection, tried their best to avoid any interactions with her.

But Barb kept tabs on them all and so, like the guards, she knew about Jen; knew of the horrific stabbing that had resulted in the remote young woman’s incarceration; Barb knew how carefully the guards monitored her plastic flatware, how they laughed as they repeatedly denied Jen’s requests for pencil and paper.

And Jen observed Barb; saw how she adroitly pushed the limits, but always succeeded in staying within them to avoid solitary, the one aspect of prison Barb couldn’t tolerate; saw how Barb deftly managed to stay out of trouble with the guards notwithstanding the great delight she took in facilitating other inmates’ fights and confrontations; saw how, because of her sycophants throughout the prison, Barb was able to procure what others couldn’t.

So when Big Barb slipped Jen a nail, quietly saying, ‘It’s not a pencil but it’ll do,’ Jen knew what was expected of her, and she nodded, as if in collusion with the scene Barb envisioned and when later Jen was escorted past Barb’s cell on her way to solitary, Barb gave a forgiving shrug, for obviously Jen had tried, and would suffer for it.

But there’s more than one way to get sent to solitary, and Jen knew which guards wouldn’t abide back talk, or stolen cigarettes, infractions too minor, one could argue, for such a severe consequence, but one couldn’t argue, and at least these crimes were minor enough to not warrant a strip search.

Once alone in the small cramped space, nail in hand, Jen smiled as she lifted the mattress and at last began her opus, scratching her story into the concrete floor, one word at a time.

#2024PicoftheMonth; February

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 12 Comments

Golden Hour by D. Avery

where a blue jay squawked the moon roosts now in blue tones

full moon offering solace for the sun that’s set

bright eyed evening sky nightwatch until dawn’s relief

one rises one sets golden hours held between them

Maria Antonia is switching things up! #PicoftheWeek is now  #2024picofthemonth, with one bingo sheet for the whole year. You don’t have to add text, nor do you have to get five in a row! Click HERE to see how you can participate in this unique prompt.

Though not a requirement, I like to use the picture as a poetry prompt and have again played with Imayo, 4 lines of 12 syllables each with a caesura between the fifth or seventh syllable. I have experimented with “soft” caesuras.

#99Word Stories; Cosmic Egg Soup

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 15 Comments

The February 20, 2024 story challenge from Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch is to: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a cosmic egg soup. Is it something new on the menu or the deep horizon? Who is making the soup and why? Who will it feed and how will it change the story? Be inventive, imaginative, or playfully serious. Go where the prompt leads! Submit by February 26, 2024.

A long time ago the prompt was “colonnades” and Hope and her mom made a snow-fort. Over five years later, they’re still in it for this prompt.

Temple Dwellers by D. Avery

Lying in the domed snow structure, Hope and her mom watched the sky darken through the vent hole. Now stars appeared overhead.

“We’re inside a cosmic egg.”

“We are, Mommy. We’ll grow and grow until we crack our way out.” Hope flapped her arms and peeped. “Didn’t I begin as an egg?”

“Yes. Inside me. You grew until you hatched.”

Hope giggled. “But how did I begin?”

They both gasped as a shooting star swept across the vent hole.

“Just like that, Hope. From stardust. Moonlight.”

“Snow sparkles?”

“Yes, snow sparkles too.”

“Stirred together like cosmic egg soup!”

“Exactly.”

Check out the Intolerable Mask collection at Carrot Ranch for some fantastic flash fiction and poems.

In addition to what I post here for the Carrot Ranch challenges, there’s always the Ranch Yarns with Kid and Pal’s responses HERE.

#SixSentenceStories; ?????

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 29 Comments

I didn’t think I had six sentences to share this week, didn’t think I’d be participating in the Six Sentence Stories blog hop hosted by Denise, aka GirlieontheEdge. Then this happened. Can you guess the word?

The Six Sentence Stories blog hop link-up can be found HERE.

Broken Hearted by D. Avery

Oh dear, the six message is a mixed message—this week’s prompt word fell apart into five separate letters and now I’ll have to try and piece it back together.

T-H-E-, THE; A-R-T-, ART; yes, the art of writing, in six sentences, no less, (and certainly no more); but those words can’t be the word.

T-R-E-A— ; reading the Sixers’ responses is a treat but that can’t be it either, it also only uses 4/5 of the letters.

E-A-R… H-E-A-R… Listen up people and you shall hear of six sentence writers, all so dear. Naw, still missing a letter.

E-A-R-T-H; Earth, it’s got to be Earth, good old Earth, home sweet home, and as we all know, home is where the heart is.

#99Word Stories; Intolerable Masks

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 13 Comments

The February 13, 2024 story challenge from Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch is to: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about an intolerable mask. Who is wearing the mask and why? What is so intolerable about the mask? Is there empathy for the one behind the mask? Go where the prompt leads! Submit by February 19.

Intolerable Policies of a Pandemic by D. Avery

“Yes, I’ll help chaperone. A Mardis Gras theme is perfect. Finally, fun masks in school! Remember how your students found the covid masking so intolerable?”

She remembered. But, glad to be finished with remote learning, they’d been willing to endure the masks to keep each other safe. And now this group of students was planning unmasked after-school events.

“Yes, we’ve come a long way since 2020,” she said. “One thing, though, Hon. Masks aren’t allowed. School policy.”

“What? It’s Mardi Gras.”

“Has to do with shootings. New school rules to protect students.”

“But no new gun rules from Congress!”

Check out the Once Lost Now Found collection at Carrot Ranch for some fantastic flash fiction and poems.

In addition to what I post here for the Carrot Ranch challenges, there’s always the Ranch Yarns with Kid and Pal’s responses HERE.

#WWP #350; Vapid

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 16 Comments

It’s been 44 prompts since I’ve participated in Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt. But here I am now, to have some fun with this week’s word. The challenge is to write a poem, story or what have you in exactly 60 words using some form of the word vapid.

Go on over to Sammi’s site to leave your 60 words and to read and comment on others’ writing. It’s a fun crowd!

Reacted by D. Avery

Her partner was peaceful and placid

so at first she kept her emotions half hid

to maintain calm she further adapted

they never conversed only chatted

emotions excised and extracted.

Not once had they ever combatted

you’d think they’d be positively impacted

but from this equation she finally subtracted

herself, yes she finally reacted

to a life so suffocatingly vapid.

#99Word Stories; Lost & Found 2

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 9 Comments

The February 06, 2024 story challenge from Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch is to: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about something lost now found. Is it an object or person who is lost? How are they lost? What happens when what was lost is found? Go where the prompt leads! Submit by February 12, 2024.

This second response is the fourth scene from a mythical shop, The What-You-Seek Boutique, which you may recall from past Six Sentence Stories and 99-word stories. First, second, third and now:

Knocking At the What-You-Seek Boutique Again by D. Avery

As she entered the boutique, the shopkeeper smiled from behind the walnut counter. “I have just what you’re looking for,” he said.

“I’m not looking for anything. Just looking.”

“And here you are, where you’re sure to find it.”

The shopkeeper’s voice followed her as she perused the dusty shelves. “Lost loves, perhaps?”

“No, thank you. I’ve let those go. Lessons learned.”

“No regrets?”

“No regrets.”

She wandered to the end of the aisle, wanting to just browse. And there, displayed at the end of the next aisle were all her lost opportunities. She gasped audibly.

“Find something interesting?”

Check out the Made of Walnut collection at Carrot Ranch for some fantastic flash fiction and poems.

In addition to what I post here for the Carrot Ranch challenges, there’s always the Ranch Yarns with Kid and Pal’s responses HERE.

#99Word Stories; Lost & Found

/ D. Avery @shiftnshake / 8 Comments

The February 06, 2024 story challenge from Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch is to: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about something lost now found. Is it an object or person who is lost? How are they lost? What happens when what was lost is found? Go where the prompt leads! Submit by February 12, 2024.

Brother’s Keeper by D. Avery

“Olly, olly, oxen free!”

She involuntarily winced at the neighborhood children’s cries.

“Olly, olly, oxen free!”

The seeker’s call of surrender, the call that it was game over, time to come out of hiding; the call to safety.

She’d taught her little brother to play hide-and-seek but then had outgrown the game he never tired of. Sometimes she’d agree to play only to abandon him to her own pursuits. She’d never forget that last time. Admonished by her parents, she’d gone back outside, calling and calling.

“Olly, olly, oxen free!”

But he was never found.

Finders keepers, losers weepers.

Check out the Made of Walnut collection at Carrot Ranch for some fantastic flash fiction and poems.

In addition to what I post here for the Carrot Ranch challenges, there’s always the Ranch Yarns with Kid and Pal’s responses HERE.