Here's the prompt last week's winner, and this week's judge, @Alesoflyy, has chosen:
Remember to check the rules.
Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:00am Friday, May 17, US EDST.
We want anything and everything: poetry, prose, fanfic, OF.
JUST GET WRITING!
Leave your entry as a comment - include your word count, and your twitter handle if you have one.
FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.
@shellisthimbles
ReplyDelete152 ineligble words of nonsense.
......
You look at me, tipping your head that way you do when I do things like this. The way that is somehow impatient and understanding at the same time. Sometimes I jump headfirst and when I’m falling, it’s too late to think. Sometimes the pounding of my heart is too loud and it clouds my mind.
You run your finger over the unhealed skin, and though you don’t touch me, I swear I can feel it.
You look at the ink. “What does it mean? Why would you–” You shake your head.
I tell you it’s the constellation of freckles on your nose.
You slap my shoulder, laughing, demanding the truth. I grab your hand and spin you to face the mirror.
You chart the stars across your face, see the corresponding points of ink across my chest.
“You’re so strange,” you tell me.
It’s true.
But you love me anyway.
@moonlit__girl
ReplyDelete200 words
He didn’t want to take her to a familiar restaurant and have white-shirted waiters and linen napkins stifle their ability to have real conversation. She was different, to him. So he packed up a picnic: bottle of wine, wedge of cheese, crackers, two green apples.
She wore a short white dress, pearls on her neck and silver sandals on her feet. The sweater tied around her waist was pale pink and gauzy. She had dressed carefully for this first date.
When he stopped the truck she hesitated, then slid out. The noise of the door slamming shut echoed through the night. This was not the fancy restaurant she had envisioned.
He wore jeans and a faded plaid shirt. The hat had been his dad’s, and was only for special occasions. They walked silently down the path to a clearing, where he lay a blanket down.
She looked at him. “I’m not dressed for a picnic.”
He handed her wine in a paper cup. “I don’t mind.”
He strummed his guitar. It took her two minutes to sit, five to eat a cracker, ten to smile, and thirty to to understand that he wasn’t trying to impress her.
She was impressed.
Word count: 200 words, on the nose
ReplyDeleteTwitter handle: @AnnaLund2011
~~~~~~~~~
I sway with the music of the universe, the music that the Milky Way plays for our ears only. The harmony of spheres, lost in space, found again, here in our arms.
You rise from kneeling in front of me, and you love me, I can see it in your eyes, in your smile, in the strength of your soul.
You are whole, and loving, and sane, and all the things that are good in life.
I have wings. They grow out by themselves, when my spirit is light. Some say you give me wings, but I know better.
I give myself wings, nobody else has the power to do it. You are simply there to watch them grow, to see me grow. To admire the fact.
You are beautiful, and you are all that I need when I fly.
Raising my hand, swaying with the music, I come around, dancing on the dirt under our feet.
I look you in the eye, and I say, “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
“Yes!” You drop your silly hat.
I kind of love you even more for that simple gesture.
We fall to the ground.
The inky black night sky is our only witness.
~~~~~~~~~
PM me at Pinkcookie/fanfiction.net
ReplyDeleteWord count: 200
I’m sipping sinfully good wine as I sit on the couch in our sunroom. Suddenly, it’s that time of evening when the light is so very soft. The blossoms of the poppies in your garden are an intense pink in the fading sunlight. I feel guilty for not tending them better and my heart skitters.
Drowsy, I find my head resting against yours and amazingly, we dream the same dream. We are dancing with wild abandon under a dark, starry sky in a field of pink poppies. Your eyes glow with secret happiness and I beg to know the secret. But, you just continue to dance, your laughter floating on the wind. I revel in the freedom of dancing.
Without warning, our world turns upside down and the poppies are above us. An unstoppable force pulls you upward, and despite my desperate effort to hold on, you are wrenched from my arms.
Pain slams into me as I fall back into my body. I hear the word, “clear!” and then, “wait, I’ve got a pulse!” I moan, “No, stop!” as I struggle to reach your hand, but it’s too late…you have already been swallowed up into the pink, pink poppies.
@twilightmomofto
ReplyDeleteWords: 200
"It's so peaceful," you say, sitting on the rock next to me. The northern lights in the sky above us illuminate the night. I take a sip from my beer and sling my arm around your shoulders. Your hat shifts as you lean your head against me, threatening to drop, so I put it on my own.
"Yeah. It's nice to get away every once in a while."
The silence is comforting, your steady breaths matching my own. We've come a long way, you and I, since your father's death made you an orphan at nearly eighteen and your world went to hell. Living with my parents has changed you, made you stronger than ever, and it only makes me love you more. I worked hard to keep my feelings hidden, but you saw right through me anyway.
"What will your parents think?" you ask. "Of us, being together."
"They love us both, Bella."
You nod. "I know. It's just different now."
"It's good different. I was never meant to be your brother."
You giggle as I slide off the rock. "C'mon, let's go home."
I catch you as you jump, stars twinkling in your eyes.
"Love you.”
“Ditto.”
@CrackedFic
ReplyDelete192 words
***
It's a dream
this dance we dance.
It's a dance
the dream we dream.
I am atop a mountain
holding you and letting you go
and watching you twirl.
And you twirl.
"Marry me."
"But I can't."
You smile so big.
"You must."
"But I must
not."
"The stars demand it."
"The stars don't
demand.
The stars exist."
"Destiny wants it."
"Destiny wants
nothing.
Destiny demands."
You're right.
Destiny is inescapable.
And that is right.
You embrace it.
And you twirl
and I watch you twirl
and I reach for you
as you twirl
but the twirling
never stops
and I know
I don't want the twirling to stop
even though you'll twirl away.
"The stars," you say
out of breath though you are.
The sky calls you
and you answer and you look up and you gaze.
At the stars you gaze as you twirl.
"Yes," I say
and I look upon them and I see
it there.
Our destiny. Mine. Yours. And I know your answer already.
You smile
so big you smile.
And so I watch you twirl.
I will watch and I will
wait
while forever you twirl.
i love this. love is given like a gift. enchanting. thank you <3
Delete@sri_ffn
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 199
People say I’m a writer, my agent and editor affirms. I think I’m more of a reporter, one that observes people and situations and pens it down. Look at those two in front of me, she’s ecstatic about something, he’s twirling her around and laughing at her excitement.
You’d think his cheek has crinkles, let me tell you, it has craters, that’s a fake smile right there. Can she not see his pain? Can she not hear how hollow his laugh is?
I guess if you don’t actually see them in light and observe only their shadows, the scene is beautiful. You see starry night with a greenish hue, you see a girl, laughing and jumping, you see a guy, slightly hunched but grinning at the girl.
Shadows are deceptive aren’t they? I can see his grimace. I wish I knew what she said. Surely I’m missing something here in my far sight.
It looks like they’re coming closer.
She says she’s going somewhere.
Oh! She’s going to Paris! Aw, he's not going with her.
It’s a lifetime opportunity for her, no wonder he’s happy for her.
Damn, she’s going for six years, no wonder his smile is forced.
~~End~~
@Twilightladies1
ReplyDeleteWord Count 191
My hands shake as I let the words sink in.
Blood rushes through my veins, the sound pounding in my ears as I wait for you to say something.
Anything.
Shadows caused by the moonlight flicker across your face, which remains a blank canvas. I have no idea what you are thinking.
“You’re…you’re sure?” you whisper so quietly I almost don’t hear you.
I can only nod in response.
My heart swells as you lift me into your arms, squealing in delight as you spin me around.
Your lips against mine. “Thank you,” you whisper.
Dropping to your knees in front of me, arms circling my waist, you pull me close as you rest your head against my stomach. I shiver, goose bumps covering my bare skin as you raise my shirt. Scruffy stubble against my smooth skin makes me giggle.
You look up at me with wonder in your eyes.
“Really?”
My heart pounds as I smile back at you, my hands resting where a bump will soon be showing.
“Really.”
Tears fill my eyes as you kiss the barely noticeable swell of my stomach. “Hi, baby,” you murmur.
Finally.
@sparrownotes24
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 198
I hear thunder rumble in the distance.
You hold out your hand. “Dance with me?”
I cling, knuckles white, onto the concrete wall of the shelter.
“We shouldn’t be out here.”
Your smile is as bright as the sun we can no longer see.
The hope in your eyes is blinding when you take my hand.
“You'll be safe with me.”
Under the deadly sky, you pull me into your embrace.
Dark choking clouds, broiling and flashing with storms and malice, curve over us.
The red dust of the earth, barren and burning, is our dance floor.
The hum in the air and crackling rolls of thunder, our music.
In our last moments beneath the sky and above the ground, you sing to me.
Your voice, smooth and strong, lulls my fears into a quiet slumber as my feet follow your lead.
I press my ear against the calm beat of your heart, breathing your scent, fresh rain and cut grass.
You’re a living, breathing memory of a place that no longer exists.
Our world is dying, but as we dance and you lift me toward the wickedly beautiful, electric sky, I know I’ll be safe with you.
Word count 198 (GDocs)
ReplyDelete@sandyquill
= = =
He shook his head, lips half-pursed in dissatisfaction. “Nope. Not gonna work. The studio’s paid good money to get those two in the film and we can’t see their faces!”
Rolling back from her computer, she dragged tired hands through thick, layered hair. “Look. The film is about the astronomy, right? You hired me because of my work with NASA,” she reminded him.
“I’ll get the director!”
When he left, she relaxed and giggled, propelling herself forward to stare at the image she’d created for the poster. “You looked so cute, babe, in the hat,” she whispered, blowing a kiss at the screen. He had set a camera up with a timer before asking her to marry him, right after he’d signed on for this picture. The joy of the moment was perfect for the poster, infusing the top-heavy film with some romance.
He'd said, “It’s gorgeous, hon. Us in the pic and you can use that star composite image you made for background.”
“I can’t use it. I’m not your co-star,” she had protested at the time.
With a twinkle in his eye, he had caught her chin with one finger. “Hon, you’ll always be my leading lady.”
oh yes! fab. just fab.
DeleteTwitter: @shadesofpurple4
ReplyDeleteWord count: 172
Dancing in the stars. That’s how I saw you for the first time. I saw your silhouette among the cloudless sky, lit by thousands of tiny lights.
You move effortlessly to the music that surrounds us. As I slowly walk towards you, I notice you have your eyes closed. Strange, I thought, she’s going to fall. So I began moving with you the closer I got. I didn’t want to scare you.
As we moved through the night together, I heard you sigh. I lightly touched your arm, letting my hand slide down to yours. Your eyes open slowly as we continue to twirl in time.
Everything around us has stopped. It’s just you and I. I see the stars dancing in your eyes. You meld into my body as the music becomes slower and further away from us.
My hands on your hips, make you take a deep breath. Looking deeper into your eyes I see a future I dare not speak of, for if I do, it might slip away.
Whew! Just made it! Word count: 200 words
ReplyDeleteTwitter: @SerendipitousMC
She noticed him noticing her along the midway. He appeared, disappeared, then came back again, like a mirage. Every time he caught her eye, his sweet smile pressed on her heart. Every time she saw him, he drew closer.
She’d come to the fair with two friends, the three of them linking arms as they strolled past fortune tellers and games with stuffed animals for prizes. Rounding past the carousel, he was suddenly there in front of her.
He grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”
She pulled away. “I don’t know you.”
“It’s okay,” he insisted. He tugged her toward a field. “I won’t hurt you. It’ll be fun.”
She took in his pork pie hat, his baggy trousers, and the unbuttoned black vest that all looked so old. “Do you work here?”
“Nah. I just like the music.” A nearby saloon played 1920s songs. “And I like you.”
She trusted him, innocent as he seemed. Under a sky crossed with bright stars, he twirled her around. Her dress billowed like cotton wings.
“Come with me,” he whispered.
She laughed. “What? I already did.”
“No. Come with me for always.” He spun faster, until the sky blurred...until they were gone.
Word count: 195
ReplyDelete@TiramiSue84
-------
I don't want much, just you.
I want us—together. Always. And out in the open so everyone can see.
I want us at the beach, strolling barefoot along the shore or just laying down and soaking up the sun.
I want us outside, laughing and kissing. My hand in yours and your arms around me.
I want us under the night sky, free and limitless and strong, dancing or counting stars.
I want your hands under my shirt and your lips all over me. I want your sighs in my mouth and your shudders when I nip and bite right there.
I want your teasing fingers and the sweetness of your breath. I want your gentle and your crazy, your slow and your wild.
I want your eyes on me when I reach that blissful peak, and my name on your lips as you follow.
I want you to need me, crave me as much as I do you. I want your heart and your soul, for you have mine.
I want it all with you, everything—your good and bad. Forever.
I want you to love me as much and deep as I love you.
IMHO you win! I loved it. Pinkcookie
DeleteHi!
DeleteThank you so much! <3
-Sue
word count: 154
ReplyDeletetwitter handle: lawsonwrites
“What’s that?” I ask. The earth rumbles under our feet and the edges of the sky pops with electricity.
“It’s the end,” he says, lifting me away with a swing. The tree near the house explodes, fiery limbs dropping to the ground and we both duck.
Even so, I’m calm. Too calm. “Just like that?”
He covers my hair with his hands. “Like that.”
“What do we do?” I ask, as if he has any idea. This moment has come, the one we’ve all been waiting for, and now that it’s here, I’m clueless.
The next rumble knocks us to the ground, scraping the skin off my knees. His hat blows away revealing those curly locks I love to wind my fingers through. I tug one just to see him wince. To feel.
He answers me with a kiss, one I feel in my toes, or that may just be the earth giving way.
twitter: @bigblueboat
ReplyDeleteword count: 193
**************************
They did everything together. Why would I say no to an innocent dance?
They left out the part where it was under the Milky Way in isolation instead of at the high school gym, horizontal instead of vertical.
Now look at them, trying to be adults while still in the bodies of juveniles. Brochures, resumes and baby books stretched out on the coffee table.
I tried to warn them about the consequences of actions. We spoke about sex since they started asking about where they came from and the differences between their bodies. I took them both to the clinics, making sure they at least knew where to turn if the time came.
Never, even in my wildest dreams, did I imagine they would turn toward each other.
What parent would think such a thing would even need to be explicitly stated? Maybe this is where I went wrong, though. Maybe I should have pointed that out to them.
It seems I failed at teaching them two important life lessons.
Twins, or any siblings for that matter, shouldn't love each other that way.
And, there is no such thing as completely safe sex.
Jaw. Dropped. O.O Yes, it was like that.
Delete@bkhchica
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 198
My fingers caressed the picture as the film of my memory rolled. We were young and impressionable- only sixteen. His friend had asked me to dance and I accepted, even though it wasn’t him that I was interested in.
Jay had scowled in the corner until he finally stormed over, asked to cut in. I was spun into his arms and he kissed my cheek. “Why are you dancing with Em?”
“You weren’t asking at the time,” my voice had lowered to sultry whisper. His arms clasped me tighter to his chest as we whirled around the floor.
“I won’t make that mistake again,” he said right before he kissed me. It was a foot-popping, fireworks in your mind kind of kiss. And it was the moment I fell in love with him.
Shutting the album and placing it back on the table, I glanced over at him. He had that look in his eyes, “Meredith?”
“Yes, Jay?
“Can I have this dance?”
Sixty years and three children together and again, I was twirling in the arms of the man I loved. His scratchy voice sang our song sweetly in my ear and I relaxed in his embrace.
200 words
ReplyDelete@LovelyBrutal
i don't have to tell you that i've never seen this many stars in all my life. You know. That's why you brought me up here.
Gazing up at them, eyes greedy to soak in unfathomable light, i feel your fingertips up my arm, trailing goosebumps.
The night is barely cooler than the day, but i shiver.
i forgot how beautiful it is to feel so small.
My heart tightens around my blood.
How can i go on breathing when i am so tiny in this world?
How can i *not* go on, and decline the privilege of being alive in a place of so much nascent wonder?
You take my hand, and butterflies burst into bloom.
Your thumb brushes over the fresh scars on my wrist, and their wings turn to stones.
i try to remember that you love me. You just want to help.
My breath still betrays my annoyance. You brought me here to make me feel like living, but you're making me feel alone.
So slowly, you bring my hand up, and my fingertips find your scars.
We keep our eyes on the sky, but i suddenly feel like it's not just above us, but inside us.
@boomboom_jones
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 200
“But I don’t want to go back. I don’t understand why I can’t stay here, with you.”
I don’t even know his name. What I do know is that this place, whatever it is, is so much easier than real life.
He picks me up, smiling like he always does. His eyes crinkle at the corners. God, I don’t even know what color they are. Something between water and lilacs. We’re cloaked in shadows but I can see him. So strange.
“That’s not how it works,” he tells me. Again. “I’m stuck and you’re not.” The raised lines on his wrists shimmer. An unnecessary reminder. “I wish I hadn’t done what I had.” His smile falters.
He sets me down, and the green glow in the choreographed sky shifts, bends.
I sigh. “It’s hard.”
“I know.”
“I can’t do it by myself.”
“You won’t be.”
“I won’t have you.”
“No.”
“It’s not fair.”
“Some things never are,” he says, and I know he’s speaking of his Fate as much as mine. He takes a step back, shoves his hands into his pockets. “You have to go now. Just promise me you’ll give yourself a chance.”
I only kiss him goodbye.
@femme_mal
ReplyDelete102 words
_________
Perseids, he said, meteors will wash the sky tonight.
Mosquitoes, she said, you know I'll get bit up.
Lakeside, he said, the campfire's smoke will chase them away.
Fireflies, she said, won't like the smoke either.
Trust me, he said, it'll be fine, better than fine.
We'll see, she said, I've been burned before.
It was everything he claimed, she said, when her friends asked.
More beautiful than stars, he said, were her eyes last night.
A star fell on the lake, she said, we made a wish together.
Look at the star now, he said, holding out her diamond ringed hand.