Archives October 2022

Micro Monday

Theme: Dreams
Max WC: 300

“I dreamed about you; you know? Not like before —or always, I should say. This one was different. It was about being your dream. It doesn’t have to be right now, just sometime, you know? Ugh, I’m terrible at this sort of thing.” She sighs. “Let me start over.”

“I’m torn. Part of me wants to just roll up and nestle into our remaining time together. Another part of me wants to show you how strong I am and not let you see me during the moments…when I’m not as strong as I would like to be.” She laughs nervously. “I’m messing this up again, aren’t I? It might be simpler to just share a song that makes me think about it. It’s Nonbeliever by London Grammar. In it, I imagine two mes trying to win your attention. One me wants to focus on being infatuated with you but this other wants to show my strength…she wants to be strong for you. The song keeps saying don’t believe her, but its just two mes, telling you who to listen to. Each trying to discredit one another, telling you to pay attention to this-me and not that-me. But they are both me, you know?” She sighs again.

“I can’t imagine what all of this is doing to you, and I don’t pretend to. I wish I could take it all far away and keep you from being hurt by it. But instead, all I can do is fight with myself over what version of me that I want you to remember. In the end, all I can really do is ask something of you and let you decide what you choose to remember. My only ask, my only wish…dream of me sometimes, won’t you?”

Flash Fiction Challenge

Place-Aquarium
Object-Bandana
Max Words: 300

Her dad had left her a note in his will, simply saying, “In the aquarium,” followed by a spade and a heart. She had all but forgotten the childhood game her family had played all those years ago. Each family member was a different suit. She was hearts, he was spades, and they were rivals. She hadn’t thought about the game in years but the suit symbols in the note made the game leap back to the forefront of her memory. Everyone hid the cards of their suit while the other members scavenger hunted them. They had all been found, save one…Dad’s Ace of Spades.

She looks through the tank, flipping objects and stirring the bottom. A fact that Sebastian, the resident goldfish, doesn’t seem too thrilled about. She finally moves Sebastian into temporary housing before draining the tank, then removing Sebastian’s world. The bottom has a convex shape, a hill for Sebastian’s house to rest upon. Further investigation leads to the discovery of a false bottom and an air pocket.

A 2.5” x 3.5” object rests within the space, including a final obstacle to her long sought prize, a blue bandana that he kept for blowing his nose. After defeating this final boss, the bandana is unfolded where she sees an image of Road Runner with a word bubble. “Meep, meep,” it says. It’s the deck he used for his suit of cards. She smiles as she flips the card over. Her mouth then drops open, seeing that it’s blank with another note. “So, I win right?” She slumps back, letting her cupped hands drop to her lap. She finally laughs and shakes her head. “Well played, pops. Well played.”

[WP] All your life, you heard music that fit your actions. When you were playing hide and seek, for example, you could hear a tense suspenseful background music. One day, you are bullied at school, but decide to fight back. That’s when the heavy metal music kicked in…

The biggest knuckles ever seen anywhere on the planet are being propelled through the narrow space between the bully and the freckled spectacle mount that is your face. When the motion commences, your heart begins beating so fast that each pump, kicks your t-shirt away from your chest. Your eyes grow wide as the fist levels at you, where you then take notice of the hairs across the topside of the incoming blow. Then your eyebrow arches as you wait for it to arrive. You casually lean away from the blow, while remaining fixated on it. When the bully’s expression shifts to fury for you having the audacity to dodge, your expression shift to one of confusion, then apology.

A flurry of blows ensues, and you continue to duck, lean and turn as all of them float past you.

A kick follows, and you sidestep, then place your toes on the crook of his still planted leg.
His face shifts to pain as his momentum sends him sprawling.

His friends immediately charge you and you backpedal.

They are on a collision course for you when you sit backwards onto the spinning merry-go- round, zipping away from them and stepping off and away on the other side.

Your crush is on the other side of the merry-go-round, and you translate your momentum into her by grabbing her hand, placing a hand on her hip and twirling before walking away on her other side.

One of the friends’ feet are passing through the air from colliding with merry-go-round as the others flood around all obstacles like water from a broken dam.
You wait for them.

Another punch is sailing your way and you take a ballcap from a nearby head.
You cap the punch and redirect it, sending another bully flying.

Another rusher, and you smack a stack of papers to obscure view, then grab a nearby binder.

A homerun swing precedes the rusher falling away.

You step down from a curb as you enter the parking lot.

You’re pursued between the cars when you pull a car door open, leading to a chaser’s abrupt stop.

You walk out from between the cars, colliding with a girl as she walks behind the vehicles.

You spin in your collision, kissing her before she can process what has happened.

She spins away from you, as she processes the new whirlwind of emotion.

You spit out her gum and continue across the parking lot.

The scene behind you is one of still falling papers, sprawled bullies, a kid still upside down on a spinning merry-go-round, a dented car door and other students rushing to recover their scattered schoolwork, and a girl fanning herself as she watches you walk away.

Theme Music:
Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue

Flash Fiction Challenge

Place-Aquarium
Object-Bandana
Max Words: 300

Gabby is an adventurous young tabby of orange and black. Knowing full well that Gabby loves all things jingly, her owner decides to make her a new toy. This should keep Gabby entertained, her owner thinks as she threads a bandana through a hole in a box, securing it inside with a knot and a bell. As it sits upright, it looks like a tissue box, only it jingles as the “tissue” is toyed with. In putting it together, the owner realizes she needs something weighty for the bottom so that it doesn’t tip over.

The owner leaves, then Gabby sits to eyeball her roommate, a fat gold fish named Sebastian. Gabby hops up to Sebastian’s sofa table. Gabby frequently plops down behind his aquarium and paws at the glass while Sebastian finds something interesting on the opposite side, but not today. A strange box is sitting next to Sebastian causing Gabby to investigate. Subtle probing suggests magic exists here, somewhere. Gabby pets it, claws hooking and pulling the box over. There’s a cave and a sparkle! Further investigation and spelunking leads Gabby to conclude she has discovered the source of all the jingling. On departure, the cave moves with her. She cannot seem to back out and the bell taunts her every attempt. Suddenly, there is falling and a crash. Gabby leaps as her feet touch water. Gabby goes one way and the belled box goes another.

Her owner walks in the front door, mouth agape, seeing the soaked floor and tank components. Gabby sits in a nearby, high backed chair, blinking lazily and waving her tail. She really wanted to tell her owner about all that transpired but settled on willing her the message. “Oh, while you were gone, some shit went down. Sebastian didn’t make it.”