Encounters - a WWBH post

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This story is part of the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop,
a wonderful weekly hop created by Nicole and Carrie to
stretch those creative muscles. Along with their co-hosts Tena and Leanne each week they provide the writing prompts for you to create what you can.

The rules are simple:

• there is one photo and five words, all of which must be incorporated
• there is a maximum limit of 500 words
• you have until the following Tuesday to write your post and link up to one of the hosts
• have fun!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a couple of weeks but I'm back (hopefully) in the Writing Blog Hop saddle. I hope you enjoy this weeks contribution.

The picture:

  

The words:                                  carriage, gym, poster, north, bar

The story:

Encounters

'What are we watching this place for?' groaned Stuart. 'Nobody's been here for decades.'

'All posts need to be covered,' replied his partner. 'They could be running to any one of their hideouts. This was on the list.'

'We get the best jobs.' Resuming his position at the window, Stuart tried to keep alert as he stared at the building.

'Keep watch,' he heard his partner say, 'I'm going to the little boys room'.

Staring across at the boarded up windows, he became mesmerised by the single lamp and his mind began to wander. He was thinking about the girl he'd met last night in his local.

She'd been standing at the bar, all alone and somehow they'd got to chatting. Stuart didn't know what had come over him, he didn't usually go straight up to a strange and beautiful woman, but they'd spent most of the evening in conversation. She had a slight accent, he wasn't sure where but somewhere north he guessed. She'd only been in town a couple of weeks and was still getting a feel for the place, so he'd offered to show her around if she fancied it. He almost fell off his chair when she said yes. He just had to get through tonight and then he'd be free for the weekend.

He could have done without this though. He wanted to get down the gym for a workout before he saw her again, give himself a boost.

He drew his gaze from the street light and stared around the room, giving his eyes a rest from the glare. He hadn't taken much notice when they'd set up, the sparse furniture dotted about and the posters covering the walls.

Turning back to the window he suddenly sat bolt upright. The front door of the building was wide open, with a car parked on the road. He hadn't heard a single thing, but it was there nonetheless. The car was a rusting hulk, most of it's paintwork had peeled away and the exhaust hung down from the undercarriage. Stuart was baffled by it's silent arrival.

As he stared, waiting for the next movement, he realised his partner had been gone a long time. He was torn now, wanting to go and check on him but not daring to leave his post in case he missed something else.

'Dan?' he called, as loudly as he dared. 'You alright, mate?' With his eyes still on the car he heard movement through the door, coming to stand beside him.

'You've got to see this, Dan. I don't know where it came from.'

An ice cold hand laid across his neck, chilling him within as well as without. 'Dan's a little indisposed at the moment. What have you found?' He knew the female voice well now. He'd spent long enough talking to her last night. He looked out the window and saw three burly figures surrounding the car, staring right at him.

Word count: 493

                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Don't forget to download a copy of the free Flash 500 anniversary ebook!

Wednesday Blog Hop - Saying Goodbye

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This story is part of the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop,
a wonderful weekly hop created by Nicole and Carrie to
stretch those creative muscles. Along with their co-hosts Tena and Leanne each week they provide the writing prompts for you to create what you can.

The rules are simple:

• there is one photo and five words, all of which must be incorporated
• there is a maximum limit of 500 words
• you have until the following Tuesday to write your post and link up to one of the hosts
• have fun!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My contribution to last weeks hop is a day late I'm afraid. I intended to do it last night but I went to my first writers group meeting, which I think is a perfectly valid excuse ;-)

So, the picture:

The words:                                      Mole, napkin, poison, concert, neck

Saying Goodbye

The sudden rush left me as suddenly as it had taken me. I landed hard, my knees buckling and I fell against the bookshelves. Scared to open my eyes, I wasn't sure if I'd made it. My head was swirling from the journey and my neck ached from the landing, but I steadied my feet and took a glimpse at my surroundings.

I almost fell over again in relief when I realised where I was. The town library was one of Nathan's favourite places, I just hoped I was here at the same time he was.

My sight took a moment to adjust, and even when it did there was still a haze around the edges. I guess that was one of the side effects. I shuffled my feet, getting a feel for my legs. Movement was surprisingly easy, but it wasn't to last. The formula I'd taken to make the trip was working like a poison in my body now; this was a one-way trip.

I wandered up and down among the bookshelves, glancing at the books but constantly on the look out for him. Once or twice I shifted to avoid people, but found it unnecessary. They passed through me without even a shiver.

Emerging from the shelves I glanced over to the sofas by the window, and there he was. I should have known really. He sat with his back to me, gazing out at the sunshine in the gardens and a book open on his lap. It wasn't a book from this library though. It was one of my own. I recognised my own writing and the moleskin cover that he loved so much.

Coming up behind him I could see what he was reading. It was one of the stories I'd written for him when he was little. He'd always insist on reading it before bed, and he learned it by heart so that eventually we would read it together in concert with one another. It was always the time when I felt closest to him, and him to me. It pained me deeply that I was no longer there to read it with him.

He shifted in his seat and his bookmark fell to the floor, and as he retrieved it I noticed it was a picture of me, holding him the day he was born.

From behind me I heard a familiar voice call his name, and we both looked up towards his father. My heart gave a jolt as I saw him too, and I was suddenly filled with love for these two souls.

As they walked together towards the door I knew that I needn't have worried. As long as they had each other they would cope with my loss together. In this moment was the proof that my trip had been worth it. Tears welled and fell freely down my cheeks, in this body not even a napkin was of any use, and I knew I could finally say goodbye.

Word count: 500

                                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flash 500 Anthology

Just over a week ago you may remember that I gave a little hint about some stories of mine that have been chosen for publication.

Well, I can now reveal the anthology in question will be released on 10th May 2013 - this Friday! Woop woop!

This anthology has been put together by Nicole Pyles and Carrie Sorensen, who have been secretly working away on this project for the last few months.
These two gals are the main brains behind the Writers Wednesday Blog Hop, a weekly hop designed to get your creative muscles exercising on a regular basis.

Each week there is a photo prompt along with five words chosen at random. You then have up to 500 words and one week to knock something together and link to the hosts blog to be shared in the blogosphere. Nicole and Carrie have been running this hop for a little over a year now, and have gained two wonderful co-hosts along the way, Leanne and Tena.

To celebrate their first anniversary the girls have chosen a selection of stories from all the prompts and put them together into a single ebook, available from Amazon and completely free!

I was so thrilled to have some of my stories chosen, I'm sure I nearly burst with the excitement. Why is it that when you get news like this there is no-one around to celebrate with?

Here is the cover for the anthology:

 

I'm obviously not the only one to have my work chosen for this, and I am in some excellent company alongside the other authors. Here is the list, and I urge you to check them out:

Anne Organista - anne-writersspace.blogspot.com

Carrie K Sorensen - chasingrevery.blogspot.com (WWBH co-host, co-editor)

Cindy Cagle - thewoodenrollercoaster.blogspot.com

Emily Jean Roche - emilyjeanroche.blogspot.com

George Beckingham - whyhowwhatif.blogspot.ca

Heather Musk - readingwritingeverything-heather.blogspot.com

Krystal Wade - kyrstalwade.blogspot.com

Leanne Sype - leannesype.wordpress.com (WWBH co-host)

L.T. Dalin - chessnysilth.blogspot.no

Melissa Gardiner - unpublishedworksofme.blogspot.co.uk

Nicole Pyles - theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com (WWBH founder and co-host, co-editor)

Randy Lindsay - randylindsay.blogspot.com

Scott Taylor - scottywattydoodlealltheday.blogspot.com

Roman Taylor (Scott's son)

Sydney Aaliyah - sydneyaaliyah.wordpress.com

Tena Carr - jottingsandwritings.wordpress.com (WWBH co-host)

Tony Roberts - writingforfoodinindy.wordpress.com

Yolanda Tong - whereslanda.wordpress.com

 

 

I've been trying my hand at this writing game for about two years now (which I've only just realised!) and this is the first publication that my work will be featured in. It still feels a little odd, that maybe I am now a published writer. Ooh, that sounds weird, but in a good way.

 

I'd like to say a huge thank you to both Nicole and Carrie for all the extra effort they've put in to getting this anthology launched. It's a pleasure to contribute and I'm looking forward to many more prompts in the future!

 

                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Wednesday Blog Hop - Heading Home

                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This story is part of the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop,
a wonderful weekly hop created by Nicole and Carrie to
stretch those creative muscles. Along with their co-hosts Tena and Leanne each week they provide the writing prompts for you to create what you can.

The rules are simple:

• there is one photo and five words, all of which must be incorporated
• there is a maximum limit of 500 words
• you have until the following Tuesday to write your post and link up to one of the hosts
• have fun!

                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weeks picture:
                                          

This weeks words:        Threat, vitamins, summer, quarry, eating

 Heading Home

Greg kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. The threat was gone, dealt with. All that remained was the long trudge back to base.

Getting in and out of the enemy camp had been the easy part, he knew the toughest test was going to be getting back. It had taken less than a day to get there in the jeep, charging as fast as it would go. It was still where he'd left it, the charge set and ticking away now. It was the only dispensable thing big enough to carry the weapon, and he hadn't hesitated to volunteer for the mission. A three day walk to get back to base in the searing heat was a small price to pay for the victory. And if he didn't make it … Well, he'd be remembered.

The sun beat down making him sweat, but he rationed his water well, not giving in to the overwhelming temptation to drain his canteen. He thought summers at home had been bad, they were nothing compared to this. He stopped only when necessary, to catch a couple of hours of sleep before sunrise. He was careful with his food too, eating on the move, making it last as long as he could.

He'd broken through the physical pain barrier sometime the day before, and now the battle lay in his mind. Staring at the horizon for too long he began to see all kinds of things, the haze and the heat playing tricks on his sight. The only break in the barren scenery had been an abandoned quarry on the first day. He tried a more inverted approach to deal with it, trying to remember the advice given by the medics. Letting his mind wonder he popped one of his vitamins in his mouth, savouring the sensation of eating something.

He was determined to get back, in three more weeks he'd be going home, he'd be seeing his wife and little girl. He could see in his mind the welcome he and the boys would get as they walked into town, a heroes welcome. As he opened his eyes he could see them now, lining the streets, waving their flags. They were cheering and shouting their names, his chest swelled with pride. If he reached out his arm he was sure he could shake hands with some of them as he passed. Just as he held up his hand an explosion brought him out of his daydream. He turned around and saw the plumes of smoke and fire rising to meet the sky.

He smiled to himself, knowing the mission was a success. He'd done his job. Turning again, he carried on walking, one foot in front of the other.

Word count: 469

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Hope

       **********************************************

This post is part of the Wednesday Blog Hop, a weekly hop aimed at creating flash fiction inspired by a photo and five words selected by one of the lovely hosts.

To check out the other weekly entries or to link up yourself head over to Carrie, Nicole, Tena or Leanne's blogs for more information.

        *********************************************



I meant to post this entry yesterday but I've been struck down with the dreaded lurgy, so I apologise for it being a day late.

As requested by fellow hopper Chris Shawbell this weeks entry is a continuation of the story I posted in last weeks blog hop. If you missed it then you can read it here first.

This weeks picture:

This weeks words:  pocket watch, cosmic, ghost, vegetable, train

And here it is!

Hope

The man who had spoken her name came further into the barn, expanding his search while the other hung back near the door. She bowed her head, praying for them to turn around and leave. She wanted to find out a little more for before she handed herself over to anyone.

The one by the door was growing impatient, checking the time on his pocket watch. 'Sir, we really need to be going.'

The one in the barn took another step towards me before sighing in defeat. 'Let's go. Davis isn't going to be pleased though if we've lost another one.'

Wendy's body sagged with relief as he walked out and closed the doors behind him, and she waited until the sound of the engine had completely died away before emerging. It seemed she'd narrowly avoided capture, but was still in the same predicament, trying to get out of the barn.

Trying the big doors again was futile, there was nothing else she could do except scramble over the hedge.

Settin off along the road, picking off twigs and leaves from her clothes as she went. She had no idea what the time was, only that the sun was shining high in the sky now. Her stomach was rumbling, reminding her of how little she'd eaten. The road was straddled either side by fields, but there wasn't any sign of civilisation anywhere nearby. Looking over into the neighbouring field there were some plants sprouting, growing uniformly in lines leading of into the distance. A closer inspection revealed they were carrots, and Wendy dug and ate three in earnest. They tasted earthy and raw, but they were food. She pocketed a few more of the vegetables for her journey.

She walked seemingly all day, and now her feet were beginning to drag a little as she grew weary. She almost didn't notice the train track intersecting the road. The section that crossed the road was clear, but either side it had become overgrown with bushes. It certainly hadn't been used for transport for a long time. It extended in both directions for as far as she could see, but in the east she noticed something else just visible on the horizon. She was unsure at first if her eyes were deceiving her but it looked like a city, way off in the distance. It had a hazy, almost ghostly quality to it but she was sure it was real.

She started to head in its direction, the faintest glimmer of hope beginning to tingle within. She crossed my fingers, willing the vision to be real, and if not then the world was playing some giant cosmic joke on her. There was only one way to find out though, and she willed her feet to keep moving.

Word count: 472

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Abandoned

               **********************************************

This post is part of the Wednesday Blog Hop, a weekly hop aimed at creating flash fiction inspired by a photo and five words selected by one of the lovely hosts.

To check out the other weekly entries or to link up yourself head over to Carrie, Nicole or Leanne's blogs for more information.

                *********************************************

This weeks photo:

This weeks words:  carpet, definition, sponge, wardrobe, pudding

Abandoned

As the sky cleared and the sun broke through, Wendy began to wake. She stirred and her shirt clung to her where it had soaked up the moisture from the grass. Her back protested as she rolled over, refusing to let her sit up without letting her know its discomfort. The smell of the fresh grass carpet beneath her body filled her senses as she struggled to orientate herself.

Looking around she didn't recognise any of her surroundings; the line of irregular trees running around the fields edge, the run down barn tucked away in the corner. She was alone in the field, neither man nor beast was anywhere to be seen. There wasn't even a bird in the sky; it was the definition of eerie. Stumbling to her feet, she started to make her way towards the barn, hopeful that it would offer some answers, or at least some way out of this field. She didn't think she could face clambering over the surrounding hedgerow.

Her legs loosened up as she walked and as she reached the barn she felt a bit more comfortable in her body again. She needed to get home and find some food though, her stomach was rumbling in protest and her mouth felt like a dry sponge.

The door of the barn fell off in her hands as she opened it, a clear sign the place was abandoned. It was filled with a musty, damp smell and old bits of farm machinery lay next to the walls in varying states of decay. As she entered the scurry of rats could be heard as they vacated their home in fear.

On the other side were larger doors to allow vehicles to enter, but they were very much out of place here. The wood was in much better condition with strong hinges holding them to the panels. Giving them a shake Wendy could hear the rattle of a padlock on the other side.

Retreating back into the middle of the barn she heard a sound that had gradually been getting louder. She hadn't noticed it before but it was definitely getting closer. Bright lights filtered in around the edges of the door as the sound stopped outside. She whirled looking for somewhere to hide, and noticed a battered old wardrobe in the corner behind a stack of tractor tyres. Shutting herself in, the smell of it reminded her of her mothers burnt yorkshire puddings.

She stayed as still as she could as the padlock was released and the doors swung open. Two men walked in dressed in black suits, ear pieces visible through the crack of the door.

'Miss Swanson?' said one. 'We know you're in here. Please, we just want to talk.'

Wendy was close to panic. How did they know her name and what had they to do with her being in this field?

Word count: 485

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Something for Nothing

Phew! I've just about managed to get this in this week before I'm too tired to concentrate. The last two weeks have just raced by and so have the prompts for this blog hop.

But here I am this week, rushing it at the end to hand it in before the deadline ticks round. You'll have to bear with my entry this week, it's still fairly rough around the edges, but something is still better than nothing.



So, as usual the rules are:

• use the photo prompt
• use the five words given
• do not exceed 500 words
• post your entry before the following Wednesday
• link up with the wonderful hosts
• check out the other contributions
• have fun!!!

This weeks photo:

This weeks words:    bill, chisel, title, system, bicycle

Our lovely hosts:  Carrie Sorenson at Chasing Revery, Nicole Pyles at The World of My Imagination

And my contribution:

Something for Nothing

-->

The weather system had been malfunctioning for months now, and Sylvia was coming to the end of her patience with it. In the beginning, it had been wonderful being able to control the weather, but the warranty on it must have been running out or something because all it seemed to do now was break down. It wasn't so bad when they'd had the heat of summer for six months, although that too began to wane towards the end of it. It was no fun riding a bicycle to work when it made you sweat out of every pore before you'd even arrived.

Of course, nobody was allowed to make any complaints about it. She remembered the debates had raged for years before it was decided to take the technology on, it was to be the saviour of mankind in the face of the devastation brought on by the changing climate. So many bills had been passed to make way for its construction, it's a wonder it went into operation at all.

Then there was a spate of deaths surrounding the final months of construction. It had fallen behind schedule and there was one last push to get it out on time. The men who sat up in their sky high offices, wearing their expensive suits and carrying their fancy titles, sacrificed the lives of too many men in order to reach their ambitious targets. They all but forgot about the people doing the actual work, the chisels and the hammers as they called them. All that became of them were statistics.

But Joey hadn't been a statistic to Sylvia. He'd been a loving father and husband, a hard worker who'd do anything he could to help out for the greater good. At least that's what he used to call it. She thought he should concentrate on doing more good nearer to home, with his family. He'd been away for weeks at a time working on the project, and the last time he'd come home it had been the shortest of visits, just a day and a night before he had to return.

She felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest the day she'd got the news, the day he became 'just a statistic'. She didn't care what the weather did now, all it was to her was a reminder of what she'd lost. And it worked so well, or so she thought, that his efforts seemed to have been for nothing.

Word count: 419

                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - First New Steps

 

OK, so you guys know the drill now for this little weekly blog hop. One picture, five words, 500 words and one week to turn it all into a nice bit of fiction.

Many thanks as usual to Carrie, Nicole and Tena for hosting this, you do an amzing job of keeping it all going.

So this weeks picture:

This weeks words:    Engineer, muscle, spider, race, machine

And this weeks story:

First New Steps 

-->

Eleni's landing was smoother than normal, not the usual drop and bounce that made this kind of traveling so uncomfortable. She glanced down at her feet and noticed the surface she now stood on, glistening and slightly spongy. This seemed to be the reason for the landing and she made a note to mention it to engineering, they could look for this substance in the future. She took her scanner out to record its composition before moving on.

The ground beneath her became noticeably firmer as she walked onto the red and yellow carpet leading away from her landing site. As she walked she glanced around at the tunnel of green surrounding her. She'd never seen a place like it, in all her years of traveling. She came from a race of nomads, always on the move and never spending more than a few centuries in a single place.

She bounced lightly on the spot, flexing her knees and testing her muscles. The magnetic pull of the planet seemed to agree with her physiology, she certainly didn't have any discomfort like she had on the last planet. She spent days there just trying to shuffle her feet along the ground. Here she was light of foot and was sure she could've ran if she'd fancied it.

She walked a little further on, scanning the area as she did so, and her fascination was drawn to a strange noise coming out of the air above her. A series of high pitched sounds emanated from somewhere high above, regular in occurrence and with a second, lower in tone, almost sounding in response. She mused on the sounds for a while until she concluded that they could only be some form of communication. She made a note, certain that life forms were close by.

Continuing on, something caught her eye just behind one of the columns ahead. An odd thing, such that she'd never seen before. A tall creature, very pale in colour but covered mostly in an odd outer skin. Not very much in the way of fur and with only two ocular organs that she could make out. She held up her scanner for a more detailed look, curious as to what kind of machine this could be. She held its gaze for a long time before it turned and bolted.

                               ************************************************

Jane stayed hidden behind the tree as she tried to comprehend what she'd just witnessed. She'd been heading down to the river for some water samples when she'd heard the low hum and seen the beam of light. It disappeared and in its place was an odd creature, human sized but spider-like with its four legs and wiry arms.

She watched in awe as it studied its surroundings, and almost forgot her footing as it looked right at her. She held its stare for an eternity, before turning as quickly as she could and ran. There was no way the lab guys were going to believe this.

Word count: 499

                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - The Kindness in Youth

The Wednesday Blog Hop is a great hop that happens each week and it has two criteria for taking part. One is a picture prompt and the other is five random words that have to be included in a short story of no more than 500 words.
Once you have your story go to one of the hosts, Carrie Sorensen, Nicole Pyles, Tena Carr and Leanne Sype, and link up before reading the other contributions.

The picture this week is:

and the five words are:   aerial, far, rain, sale, profit.


This week was quite tricky getting the words to fit, plus I think I'm coming down with the dreaded bug that has been doing the rounds, so I'm not sure how much sense this weeks offering is going to be.

Anyway, here goes ...

The Kindness in Youth

Sam leant against the window with his nose pressed up against the glass. Even from the outside he was sure he could smell the sweet goodness from everything on display. He held his shiny coin in his hand, it was aching from where he'd been clutching it so tightly. His mother had given him her last bit of cash in her purse and told him to get himself something nice. He'd run the whole way in excitement but had been worried about dropping the money on the way. He opened his hand stiffly and looked again at the coin. There was so much variety for sale he couldn't make his mind up.

The last time he'd seen such a lovely selection had been at the school fare, his eyes had been so wide it made his mother laugh. He'd been disappointed though, a huge storm hit and there was so much rain it had to be abandoned. He'd gone home empty handed, saddened at what he'd missed.

He'd not thought much of it until today. His mother didn't bake much and she'd always insisted they all ate healthily to grow up strong. She was a kind woman but very strict with the sweets and cake.

He'd been so surprised when she sent him to the bakery he'd almost thought he was dreaming. All he'd done is repair her tv aerial for her so she could watch her favourite programme during the day. He'd done it more to get her out of his hair than to help her out. Without it she was hovering around the whole time, trying to help with his school projects. It was easier for him to fix it so he could get his time back for himself. He never realised there would be any extra profit in it.

And now he was deciding what to get with his unexpected gift. He was poised on the verge of opening the door when he noticed an elderly man slumped against the side of the shop next door. His clothes were ragged and his shoes worn through, a hat pulled dow over his greasy hair. Sam looked at the cakes again, longingly, and then back to the man. Sighin deeply he took his hand off the door handle and handed the money to the man. 'Here you go, sir,' he said, 'get yourself something to eat.' The old man looked up into Sam's eyes, filled with gratitude. He took the money and shuffled down the street to the coffee shop.

Sam resumed his position at the window and gazed in. He didn't notice the jangle of the bell as the door opener, and the owner stood next to him in his bright blue apron.

'That was a lovely thing you just did, son' he said, holding out a brown paper bag. 'Why don't you enjoy this little treat for your kindness.' Sam felt the smile spread across his face.

Word count: 495

                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop catchup 1 - Unknown World

This is the first catchup for the December Blog Hops that I missed. I hope you all enjoyed yesterdays, and that this one lives up to the same standard.

Here is the picture for this one:

and the five words:

parking meter, stomach, magazine, chart, olive

Unknown World

Stumbling in the darkness, I had no idea where I'd come out. I sat on the floor in the wet grass while I tried to recover my senses, as well as my stomach. Walking through the door in the park had been more of a rush than I'd anticipated. I hadn't expected it, all the times people had tried it during the day and they'd just walked through an empty door.

I tried to get a sense of my surroundings but it was dark here too. The feel of the place was different though. Colder. My eyes adjusted and I scouted around for some cover. Keeping low I scurried behind a bush with a good view of the door. It took longer than I expected but I watched as the door opened slowly, a uniformed officer peering in. He glanced around, trying to get a good look but decided his courage wasn't up to much and retreated. I'd got away with it this time.

I didn't want to take any chances though so I decided to stay here until morning, I didn't want to go back through to an ambush.

I woke stiffly with the morning sun blazing down, warming my skin. A stark contrast to the weather yesterday, but then I had to remember where I was. Suddenly frightened, I looked to see if the door was still there, and sighed with relief as it's frame glinted in the sunlight. I stood up slowly, glad for my olive green jacket, helping me blend into the background for a while. I stepped out of my hiding place and surveyed the area. In so many ways it was like being at home, but there were subtle differences. The street wasn't paved here, just a dirt track, and there wern't any parking meters cluttering up the view. On the corner where Ray ran his magazine stand there was nothing. In fact, there were no people to be seen at all.

It was still early so I walked a little way up the road to see what else might be different. It felt at once familiar, but at the same time I had the sense of walking into unchartered territory. The place seemed completely alien to me.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by an almighty roar coming from behind the buildings. I stopped in my tracks, glancing back to see how far I'd wandered from the door. As I contemplated the distance a huge scaly creature lumbered into view, sniffing the air. I was already running as it swung it's head around to face me.

I reached the door with distance to spare but my heart sank as I opened it. Home was not on the other side as I'd hoped. There was nothing but a brick wall now …

Word count: 473

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Drifting

My, oh my! What a December it has been! I was delighted at the beginning of the month to see the news that I'd won the Wednesday Blog Hop ad contest, and I want to say a huge thank you to Nicole Pyles for designing an excellent button for my blog. The hosts for this hop have displayed my button throughout this month, and I'm afraid to say that the postings have been pretty thin on the ground since.
Never mind that though, it's a busy month all round so a few things are bound to slip by. (Look at me, I'm growing!)

So, I was very grateful for the extension last week of the current Wednesday Blog Hop offering, which means apart from this one I'm only behind by two. Whoopee!

I have knocked something together for the previous two and I will share those with you over the next couple of days. Then I'll be all caught up ready for the first one of the new year, bring it on!

So, you should all be familiar with the concept of this blog hop by now, but for those of you that have just joined the rules are thus:

1. Look at the photo prompt on offer for inspiration, there's a different one each week. Incorporate this into the story somehow.

2. There are five words that also have to appear in the story.

3. The word limit is 500 words.

4. Link up your post with one of the wonderful hosts and then check out the others that have also contributed.

The picture for this week is:

 

And the five words: 

Lobster, remote control, luggage, ears, exam

My offering:

Drifting

Where does the time go? It only seemed a few months ago that we were bringing Mary home in her car seat, she barely filled it she was so tiny. Wrapped up in her little snow suit, just a pink face peeping out. And now she was standing in front of me, as tall as me, tapping her foot impatiently while I rooted through all of my old things. This was the most time I'd spent with her for quite a while I realised, and it was only because she wanted some of my old records to play round her friends house. She seemed amazed that I'd kept the records but not any kind of player.

I gazed at her now as she concentrated on her mobile phone. I didn't see her as the teenager before me though. My memory conjured up a different image, of a boisterous four year old waiting impatiently for me to get my boots on. Waving her little yellow umbrella in the air, laughing as the rain dripped in her ears. She couldn't wait to go off running and splashing through the puddles, holding my hand as we enjoyed even the bleakest of weather.

As she got older our time was spent in different ways. Wrestling over the remote control on a Friday evening, helping prepare for her music exams, listening to her cry over boys she thought she loved. Those days were drifting further behind us, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

In a few days she would be leaving us to go to university, her mountain of luggage already parked at the top of the stairs. So little time and she wanted to spend it with her friends. I felt a pang of jealousy at this decision, but she was leaving them behind as much as she was leaving us. I had to remember that it was no slight against her family, but it was hard to see her going off again, knowing her time was limited.

Going back into the house I sat down with the old family photo albums, smiling at the memories. So many of when she was a baby, growing fewer as she got older. The last few years have been holiday pictures, when we still used to go as a family. My favourite was of Mary looking red as a lobster. No amount of warning would make her put on cream, too much street cred for that.

Looking out the window I decided that whatever time she chose to spend with us this weekend I was going to make the most of it. Besides, there was always the holidays …

Word count: 453

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Hard to Let Go

It's Wednesday once again, and after a brief rest the blog hop is back. I hope that everyone across the Atlantic had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. I'd say you should feel rested but after hearing some stories about peoples holiday weekends I'm sure you're probably having the rest now!

So for those unfamiliar with this blog hop the rules are as follows:

• There is one photo and five words, all of which need to be included in your story
• There is a maximum limit of 500 words
• You have until the following Wednesday to complete your post
• When you have finished and posted, link up with one of the blog hosts and let them know you're joining in
• The main rule is to not take it too seriously, but as the hosts admit it's unlikely that any writers will not take it seriously. As long as you don't fret/panic/pass out/hyperventilate/lose sleep/run in fear over it, then they are happy

The hosts for this blog hop are Nicole Pyles at The World of My Imagination and Carrie Sorenson at Chasing Revery


This weeks photo is:

 

The words are:                iron, moon, university, bee, bench

And here is my contribution:

Hard to Let Go

  

-->

I let Jackson get a little way ahead of me with Chester, I didn't want him to see the tears in my eyes. This was one of our favourite places to walk, at this time of year the leaves crunched noisily beneath our boots. I'd let him get as far as the bench up ahead and then I'd have to sit down with him and explain. I wasn't sure if I could keep myself together for long enough but I was going to have to try. I had to stay strong for him, it would only make things harder otherwise.

I'd been looking after Jackson for just over a year, the longest resident that I'd had since entering into the fostering programme. They'd warned me that sometimes it could be hard to let go once a more permanent home had been found for them. The last two children I'd looked after were only babies, and I was surprised how easy it was to hand them over, knowing they were going to a loving family. But with Jackson he was quite a bit older, we could actually talk and get to know each other. He'd been very quiet when he first came to me and had terrible trouble sleeping. Quite often I'd check on him in the evening when he'd gone to bed, and he'd be sat at the window inside the curtains staring up at the moon. I tried not to think too much about what had happened to the children before they came to me, I just had to concentrate on helping them to feel safe.

He settled in nicely after a few weeks, and we established a nice routine that worked for both of us. He'd hit it straight off with Chester, the pair were inseparable now. Something else that would only make this process harder.

I hadn't even thought about how I'd approach the subject with him. I needed to be careful, I didn't want to undo all the good progress we'd made. He'd told me about his dreams, of growing up in a loving home, eventually going off to university so he could get a good job and look after his own family properly. He was already sure he didn't want his own children to grow up like him. Listening to him melted my heart, and in this business that wasn't always a good thing. You were expected to lock your emotions away in an iron vault.

As we reached the bench I called for him to sit down with me, my mind trying to calm before I started. In the trees behind me I noticed a lone bee rustling in the leaves and I thought to myself what a simple life they must lead.

Word count: 459

Why don't you have a go?

Wednesday Blog Hop - Like mother, like daughter

So here I am again, for the Wednesday Blog Hop.  I think that one week I may actually manage to post a story on the Wednesday that it's set, but I'm not doing too badly with it for now.  We do get a week after all.

As we all know now (or not if you're new, hello!) the Wednesday prompt is set with a picture and five random words, all of which need to feature in a story that is no longer than 500 words.  There is a week to write it, and have it posted before the following Wednesday.

Link it up to either of the brilliant blogs at The World of my Imagination or Chasing Revery and wait for the next prompts.

This week the prompts are:

 

creation, mime, balcony, kidnap, loaf

Like mother, like daughter 

Celeste knew that sooner or later, her daughter would be drawn to the same dark powers that had once seduced her. She had tried to put it off, but Emma was as strong minded as her mother. She'd hoped that by escaping, Emma would never be involved, never be tempted into that other world. But Emma was of her creation, and there was always this risk. It was out of her hands now though, Emma had chosen her path and all Celeste could do was wait and see if she survived.

She sat nervously in the balcony, not wanting to watch any of it but drawn nonetheless. She used all her power to send encouragement and help, but the invisible barrier surrounding them sent it all straight back at her. Emma was on her own. She couldn't even mime any instructions to her, the viewing balconies completely hidden in the arena. The poor souls didn't even know they had an audience.

There were three of them down there, strangers to one another, all competing for the single prize of freedom. Celeste knew the other parents were somewhere near, watching to see if their only daughter was going to make it. It was a rite of passage into the unknown world, and you either made it, or you perished. There was no opting out. Once you walked through the doors, marked either side with the sacred symbol, there was no going back. All who entered did so of their own free will, much to their parents distress, willing participants in their own kidnap.

The three girls headed in different directions, towards doors that only they could see, Emma's directly beneath where her mother sat watching. Celeste crossed to the other side of the balcony to see her daughter enter her own personal challenge. She couldn't see Emma's reaction as she approached a table with two chairs facing each other. She sat down as a dark figure approached and sat opposite. There was bread at the table and they each took a bite of loaf, neither taking their eyes from the other. Celeste could barely contain herself, wanting to dive in and help. She didn't hear the people come from behind to grab her.

                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma stared into the eyes of her father and could sense his fury at her being there. She had managed to deceive her mother, taking her place for this challenge. Emma knew she would never have survived, she didn't have the strength in her anymore. It was her mother that he wanted though. To take his revenge. She couldn't allow it, it was his own fault that she'd left, his own fault he'd never seen his daughter.

A door creaked open in the shadows, she saw two figures carrying a third in against their struggles. She looked into her mothers eyes and then she knew. It was over for both of them.

 

Word count:  485

Thanks for reading!