Here's this week's prompt, chosen by our judge, @AnnaLund2011.
Remember to check the rules.
Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:01am Friday, August 23, 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.
Probably good practice to reference any source material, too.
FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.
Also, I've had a few questions lately regarding the submission of more than one entry. Yes, you may submit more than one flashfic. I'm going to say a maximum of two (2) entries though. Furthermore, they're not to be continuations, or related to each other in any way -- they need to be completely separate, stand alone entries.
P.S. Don't forget to follow @fanficflashfic on twitter.
....
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@QuinnSkylark
ReplyDeleteWords: 196
The pushing and the shoving
Sweat and humidity
Make me wonder why I came to this city
Why I gave up being a small town girl
With a tiny little world
And stepped into this great wide unknown
Why I step onto this train now
Only to be shoved against another woman
Who wants only to make it home
To her nice cool house
And a glass of chilled Chardonnay
And a box of Chinese takeout
This is my very mission
Which is why I am so aggravated
When a sharp elbow to my back
Sends me stumbling into a stranger
Until I see this is no ordinary
Everyday kind of man
He's beautiful and strong as he holds me
Steady in his arms
Wondering if I'm all right
This man is musky and of made of earth and dirt
But the smile lighting his eyes
Speaks of his real home among the stars
And the galaxies
Which have not ceased dancing around with joy
Since the moment I stumbled into his world
All it takes is one moment
For all of time to weave us a new fate
"Hello"
And now I am forever found
They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So why did we take the meandering path, the road less travelled?
ReplyDeleteIn the cafe where I got my coffee each morning you were always at the same table. The first thing I noticed was your eyes — the lines in the corners that I just knew were from smiling. I’d sit at a neighboring table and pretend not to watch you. One week you’d be reading Dan Brown and I’d judge you, the next week, E.M. Forster, and I’d swoon.
I loved the glasses you sometimes wore, your overcoat in winter, the way you folded your shirtsleeves up to your elbows, showing off your forearms. You took your coffee black and occasionally you’d treat yourself to a brownie. You used a green fountain pen to scribble notes on scraps of paper.
I hated weekends and the days when, for some reason, you weren’t there.
Almost a year after I first saw you, I looked up, and there you were at my table, smiling.
“Hi,” you said. “May I join you?” I nodded and I knew.
We took the road less travelled and it has made all the difference.
@adriftinmyhead
200 words
"Swoon!" you used my favorite poem! Loved it. Pinkcookie
Delete@midnightsun1901
ReplyDeleteWords: 144
Some say love cannot begin, cannot form, until the words themselves are uttered.
Whoever believes this, however, needs a reality check.
You've never said hello.
You've never whispered in my ear that I'm beautiful.
You've never murmured words of adoration for me to hear.
But despite this, I know from the crown of my dark hair to the back of my heels that you love me.
That I love you.
I don't need words to enlighten me of this fact.
I know you do by your tender kisses
I know by your breathtaking smile
I know by the feverish light in your eyes
I know by the way you hold me.
All of that, tells me you're mine.
Just because you can't hear, it doesn't make you any less special
The way that you show me you care, I'll admit, is so much better.
@shellisthimbles
ReplyDelete197 ineligible words
-----------------------------------
that day when you said, hi
i hadn’t washed my hair
and there was a rip in my shorts
so i almost pretended
not to hear you
and how i wish i had
because, yeah, we had fun
for a while
and our kisses were nice
and you were always good
at making me smile and laugh
at making me feel special
like i was the only girl
in the world
and even though we said
just for kicks
friends, who do... other things
once the sun goes down
it was too easy summer breezy
to fall in love with you
but then the leaves started to turn
and the days grew shorter
and you grew cold
you’d skip out before the sun rose
and cancel long-made plans
and i picked fights
just to get what little attention
you would spare me
i didn’t hide my tears
when you called to say goodbye
to tell me you were looking
for something more
you were unmoved
so yeah, i wish that day
last summer
that i hadn’t pulled out my headphones
and given you a smile
because maybe love always
starts with a hi
but so does heartbreak
that whole first stanza is perfection.
Deleteand love the cadence of "it was too easy summer breezy
to fall in love with you"
actually the whole poem has great rhythm. love it. nice job!
@moonlit__girl
Word count 195 per Gdocs
ReplyDelete@sandyquill
= = =
Harried, he moved in ahead of her before offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry. My other flight was late and I worried I’d miss boarding.”
With an understanding smile, she nodded. “No worries. So, you’re number fifteen?”
He blinked and dragged long, brown fingers back through his hair. “Pardon?”
“You slid in ahead of me, so I am guessing you’re number fifteen.”
The newcomer muttered something in a foreign language. Then, “No, I’m number forty-seven.”
Disappointment rebounded in her chest. “Sorry,” she murmured, wishing she hadn’t said anything.
He left to find his spot in line. “No, I’m not going to look for him,” she told herself firmly. “No, no, no.”
Choosing an aisle seat, she settled in, ready to do the up-and-down dance to make way for her row-mates.
His voice curled near her ear. “Sorry about earlier.”
Blushing, she met his exotic gaze. “Like I said, no worries.”
“Seat taken?”
“No…”
His grin flashed white and her heart thumped a bit. “We should probably start over,” he said as he slid by her—so close!—and into the next seat. “My name’s Adrian.”
“I’m Jen. Hi.”
He took her hand in both of his. “Hi.”
Sherbert20111 on FF
ReplyDeleteWordount 200
PLEASE PARK WITHIN THE WHITE LINES
Neatly noted on my windscreen.
I recycle.
I’m new, they could cut me a little, surely?
Tomorrow and tomorrow, the next day and after.
I crumple it quicker so the words don’t strike so hard.
I bruise easy on my own.
PLEASE PARK WITHIN THE WHITE
Bumper to rail, Big Red is still a problem.
Origami elephants are so pretty.
PLEASE PARK WITHIN THE
Make an ear, make a tail, I can make a Pachyderm chain on my dash.
I get in and out without scratching the Volvo next door.
PLEASE PARK WITHIN
It has to be the Momsmobile. Maybe she has trouble getting the kids out?
The interior is spotless. Kids are absent or automatons.
I rub my breath off the window.
And the smear that follows.
My sleeve must be dirty.
Shit.
I have some polish in my truck wrapped up in chenille and a monza wool mitt.
It will only take a minute.
The stairwell door bangs.
I just about jump out of my skin.
“Are you cleaning my car?”
“Hey, Oh. Yes. I can explain. It’s nothing really.” It’s on my tongue, right behind my teeth. There it is.
“Hi.”
I really, really like this. So creative! I'm smiling and feeling awkward and everything.
DeleteThank you :) Sherbs
DeleteI can feel the excitement pulsing through the halls as everyone is running around, their yearbooks in their hands and smiles on their faces.
ReplyDeleteThey don’t see me, no one ever does.
I’m just the boy that sits in the back of class, trying not to draw attention to himself.
But I see her. I always see her, even if she never sees me.
Things need to change today, it’s the last day of my senior year. I’ve run out of chances, I only have this moment. No looking back, no regrets.
My footsteps sound heavy to my ears as I make my way to her locker. Her blonde hair is falling over her face and she’s chewing on the end of her favorite favorite pen. I stand there for thirty seconds before I feel awkward. She’s too deep in thought cleaning out her locker to notice me.
My hands feel sweaty, but I know I have to do this.
I clear my throat and her grey eyes look up at me in surprise. She gives me a small smile and I feel a burst of hope soar through me.
“Hi.” I smile back. “Would you sign this?”
@TinsleyWarren
Words: 198
@MadiMerek
ReplyDeleteWords: 163
I relive that moment dozens of times in my head everyday. It was the simplest of hellos that multiplied and grew and cultivated into a brilliant series of wondrous I love yous. If I had known then what I know now - how the magic that made my life whole and new would be ripped so unceremoniously from my grasp - would I still have allowed that simple greeting to alter and change the course of my existence? Would I have returned the salutation with the same fervor?
I'd like to say no. I'd like to tell you with conviction that I would have run far away so I'd never have to experience the suffering caused by your departure from my life - from this world.
But I cannot.
I can't deny the need for you that still grips my heart and squeezes my lungs. Even if I only had you for but a moment in time, it was enough to complete me. It was everything.
@Mylisssa
ReplyDeleteWords: 196
Sitting in the park on a soft fleece blanket, I open my book to the same page I was on yesterday.
I read the same passage over and over, but it doesn’t sink in.
Every few minutes, I lose my place.
There’s no escape in the words when I’m too drained to absorb them.
Filled with frustration, I snap the book closed, creating a gust of wind. My nose is filled with the scent of musty pages.
I shove the book in my bag before I do something drastic like chuck it out in the lake.
A skateboarder spins to a stop right in front of me. Nearly every weekday, he skates past me.
His smile lights up his entire face. “Hi,” he says.
I wave, say the same, but I don’t ask this guy why he chose to stop today.
He nods and moves on.
I watch his back as he rolls away, picking up speed with every brush of his foot on the pavement.
I smile on the inside, but on the outside, my lips stay straight.
I pull my book back out of my bag. This time, I get lost in a dreamland.
Pinkcookie (PM me at fanfiction.net/Pinkcookie)
ReplyDelete200 words
I am a boy’s boy. At least that is what my Dad always tells me. He says I will grow up to be a man’s man. Whatever that is. I do know I like fishing, wrestling, football, and baseball most of all. I hate girly sports like figure skating, gymnastics and soccer.
I also hate anything Disney. My little sister is always bugging me to play Princesses or watch Princess videos or promise to ride the Little Mermaid ride with her at Disneyland. I’ve had enough Disney for a lifetime!
We have new neighbors. After the moving van leaves, I go to investigate. She is standing behind the big oak tree peering around at me with big blue eyes and shiny blonde hair.
I am mesmerized. “Hi! My name is Kevin. Do you like baseball?”
“Hi, I’m Gale. Baseball is okay, but I love soccer. Do you like Disneyland?”
“I love Disneyland!”
“Do you play soccer? We need a forward on our team.”
“Oh yeah, I play soccer. I’d love to play on your team” I said my voice dropping an octave.
We take our three kids to Disneyland twice a year. But never during the soccer world cup finals.
Twitter: @ShadesofPurple4
ReplyDeleteWord count: 177
“Hi”
“Hi,” I reply with a smile.
His voice brings me out of my trance from the computer as he leans down to kiss me. That’s how he greeted me every time we were together. I feel so much love in that one word that it melts away whatever stress I was carrying.
A simple ‘hi’ from those that care mean the world.
That simple ‘hi’ stopped echoing the day we buried him. The day I said goodbye to him. The day my love was laid to rest with so many others.
I now stare out the sink window in the kitchen watching him play with our children as a hand is placed upon my shoulder. “Mom.”
I’m startled looking at my oldest son with tears in my eyes, about to spill over as he says, “Hi.”
I smile while giving him a hug. “Hi.”
His arms engulf me. I cry on his shoulder as long as he stands there quiet, holding me tighter, knowing I need him. I need my son. I need my husband.
“Hi.”
Twitter: @Viridian6
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 200
And then she’s standing in front of me.
“Hi.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
I huff. “Hi? Really?” I look away.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice is small, scared. It does nothing to quell my irritation.
“Do you have any idea what...” I swallow hard. “I woke up and you were just… gone.”
“I’m sorry.”
Of all the questions, the accusations, the fears that have been swirling through my brain over the last two months, all that comes out of my mouth is one defeated word. “Why?”
“I didn’t want to be a burden.”
I gape. How could she think that? After everything, how could she think…
“You burdened me by ripping out my heart and taking it with you.”
Surprise colors her face.
“I loved you,” I shout, frustration forcing the words I should’ve said before.
Tears flood her eyes. I wipe them away as they fall.
“I love you,” I amend, softer. “Both of you.” My hand falls from her cheek to her stomach. There’s a small bump beneath her sweater that wasn’t there before.
She’s not the only one with tears now.
“Come home.”
And months of agony is erased with a timid smile.
@everydaybella89
ReplyDeletewords: 133
“Hi.”
One word.
One consonant.
One vowel.
One meaning.
It wasn't like the word no.
It also had one consonant and one vowel, but there were a hundred different meanings.
“No, not right now”
“No, not ever.”
“No, maybe later.”
“No, are you insane? I’m not going to homecoming with you, you geek!”
Hi was simple. It was just hi.
Except hers.
Her soft spoken hi could have meant anything.
“Hi, nice to meet you.”
“Hi, I think I would like to get to know you.”
“Hi, I’m really shy and I don’t knew what else to say.”
“Hi, you know they make stuff for your face. It’s called acne cream.”
Which one was it?
I needed to know, ‘cause she was really pretty, and I know which mine is.
“Hi.”
@Twilightladies1
ReplyDeleteWord Count 199
It began weeks ago when I covered a lunch break. I complained at the time, but in hindsight it was all luck.
Because it brought me to you.
I used to just watch from a distance, enamoured by your beauty—long brown curls flowed passed your shoulders and a smile that could light up a whole room.
Sometimes when your eyes would meet mine, I’d pretend your smile was for me.
The first time I spoke to you I thought I would pass out. I held the door open for you, mumbling a quiet goodbye. My heart soared when you thanked me and told me to have a good day.
Now, our brief exchanges aren’t enough.
I want more.
As lunchtime approaches, my confidence plummets and doubt seeps in. Our interactions probably mean more to me than they do to you.
When you arrive, I spend the hour avoiding you. It physically hurts to be away from you, but in my heart I know this is best.
You won’t be interested in me like that.
“Hi,” you murmur standing nervously in front of me. “Do you want to grab a coffee sometime?”
I love how you prove me wrong.
@sparklymeg
ReplyDelete200 words on the nose.
Her cherry lips are pursed; eyes narrowed in deep concentration. She mulls over her choice like it’s an advanced math equation.
Her eyes are like the espresso I grind; I want to grind into her.
“Triple shot latte, please.” Her smile is shy as her eyes drag from the menu to me.
I watch her from the corner of my eye as I prepare her drink. She’s all wild hair and bedraggled clothes, like she just fell out of bed.
I want to fall into bed with her.
I hand over her drink and her fingers linger on mine for a beat too long. She flushes.
I long to catch her hand in mine and kiss each knuckle.
~
Lunch rush is crazy; I can’t catch a break. I messed up three orders and scalded my hand on hot coffee.
“Hi.” Her candy-sweet voice soothes my inner rage. “Can I get another?”
“Sure.” I watch her watching me. Her eyes rake across my chest and shoulders, down my arms, finally widening when sees my fingers working the coffee machine.
She wants me.
She hands over the money; I brush her fingers away.
“It’s on the house.” I wink at her.
@ChocoMG2112
ReplyDeleteWord count: 200
“I must save her soul,” I murmured.
The Bishop spoke to me, but his words could not penetrate the intoxicating fog that enveloped me. This woman held me enthralled. I was a man of the cloth and faced temptation daily, but this was something else entirely.
My body moved to her as though she called to me. I was powerless to stop my rapid strides. The Bishop now chastised me, but it was of no matter. This raven-haired goddess’ eyes were locked with mine and I felt compelled to be at her side. Her ruby red lips beckoned me with a knowing smile.
I looked deep in her eyes and beheld a beautiful and terrible dragon with many secrets. My mind was immediately flooded with visions of blood and death, great pleasure and blissful pain. My body stirred with desire at the sheer contradiction of her. She terrified and excited me. My mind told me to flee to my altar and pray to the Almighty. My heart beat furiously and demanded I speak to her.
“Buon pomeriggio signorina. I am Father Alessandro.”
She looked down shyly and smiled. “Hello.”
I raised her hand to my lips and kissed the dragon.
@moonlit__girl
ReplyDelete176 stream-of-consciousness words
"this is not a love song"
you want me to write you
a love poem? i laugh but
you’re serious. you know
i’m not much into hearts and
flowers, baby.
you know that about me.
you know i don’t want
expensive gifts or drippy words.
i’m weird that way. i can’t
give them either.
you know to save
your sappy thoughts, your
romantic grand sweeping gestures
because you know
i don’t want them.
say what you mean.
keep it real.
you know i don’t want to hear
“your heart aches for me” so
you just say you “miss me.”
keep it simple.
you know i don’t
buy into the whole
“making love” mumbo jumbo.
no one can “make” love.
instead you tell me
you want to fuck-
that’s real.
you want me to
tell you a love story? really?
our story isn’t sweet or
nice. it didn’t start
with “once upon a time” and
it doesn’t end with
“and they lived happily ever after.”
that shit’s not real.
it started with “hi” and
it doesn’t end.
how’s that for a love poem?
@Shneezles
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 117
(Written at 2am, I can only apologise what you'll read)
________________________
It was her smile. All cheeks, teeth and creased eyes. Contagious. A genuine smile of contentment, adoration and excitement. It would warm the emptiest of hearts and light up the dullest of rooms.
It was her heart. The fact that she always put change in the busker’s cup and let everyone through the door before her. It was saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ because she meant it, not because of any socially accepted norm.
It was her voice. The honesty and beauty of her words. The soft tones and sparkling giggles.
It was six months of watching her from the side-lines. It was her smile, her voice and her heart that finally gave me the courage
“Hi.”
@femme_mal
ReplyDeletewords: 200
_____
No segue eased him into her life, merely an abrupt switching of the line as the help desk engaged different departments.
“And now we turn over the month-end migration to local support in Seattle. Chicago project management will stay on to assist.”
A click and then just the two of them, keeping each other company.
Software chugged, hard drives churned, creating grey data snow while his deep-as-night voice kept her company during the longest hours.
With a click Manila cut in as dawn approached; Chicago was gone until next month.
But then emails arrived, asking first about business. Then about Seattle; questions unfinished from last month-end were re-asked and answered.
She couldn’t imagine a month-end without hearing his voice.
Until suddenly it wasn’t him. She was heartsick; he was the only thing that made the lonely midnight shift bearable during those long, dark hours.
She debated about finding another job as she eked through her shift.
This was the last month-end I’ll work, she thought as she shut her office and entered the foyer.
“Hi,” said a familiar voice with a Chicago accent.
“Hello,” she smiled, realizing only now that she had much to look forward to before next month-end.