Ruling And Important Words To All
(Yes, Winnie-the-Pooh was a big part of my childhood, and I tend to Capitalize when I feel Important. Today I am a Judge. Feel the Importance, please).
Thank you all for writing for me. And thank you for squeeing all over twitter about the inspirational image—that really made my day. I can’t take all the credit for it, as I found the picture on Facebook, and added my own words to the it. I adored those red lips and was really happy to see them appear in some of your stories, both as cherry and as ruby. And I love the word “hi,” people use it everyday without realizing how huge it is.
So thank you all again. Now to the arduous task of choosing a winner. It ended up with a winner, a runner up and an honorable mention.
And KUDOS TO EVERYONE WHO WROTE FOR ME!
I have taken the liberty to give titles to winner, runner up and honorable mention.
Winner:
Sherbert20111
PLEASE PARK WITHIN THE WHITE LINES
God, but this one floored me, and had me screaming with laughter, too.
“I recycle” had me screaming out loud. Of course, I park like an ass, but hey! I recycle! That should count for something, right?
The way the PLEASE PARK-line is used it simply ingenious. I love how the car is called Big Red. We all know how difficult Big Reds are to park. Within the lines. Then the story starts to float, it becomes psychedelic, it turns into origami elephants and chenille and monza wool mitts. Amazing. Wow, just wow. And then, the word that is hiding behind your teeth, “Hi.”
Brilliant. How all that was born out of a smiling red autumn leaf is beyond me.
Kudos. What a trip!
Runner up:
@midnightsun1901
I know by the way you hold me.
You crush me. Thank you for this one. Every word holds meaning and sentiment, sentiment so deep it floored me. Thank you. Thank you for a story where the MCs are different and beautiful and true and loving, expressing more, with less of the usual flourish of fickle words.
Thank you. So much.
Honorable Mention:
@TinsleyWarren
Her favorite, favorite pen
Sixteen words in and the WHOLE SCENE is clearly laid out in front of me. This is crafty flash-writing, this is how it’s done. Three words paint it all: “pulsing” – “halls” – “yearbooks.” We all know where we are and what this is. The end of school. Bloody brilliant. Perfectly confirmed a few rows down, very good, you did not let the reader down. And I feel for this boy, my heart goes out to him. Courage, my boy, you are a man now! A young man who knows which one is her favorite, favorite pen.
Beautiful writing, gives me all the happies.
Come with me, let us stroll through each and every story, and I’ll tell you what I saw and felt:
@QuinnSkylark -
I ADORED this, especially as it did away with punctuation all together, how very refreshing. I could feel this MC getting on the train, being pushed around and suddenly being held and supported by this stranger. Beautiful. Encounters in real life.
“Forever found” indeed.
@adrfitinmyhead -
This sentence cracked me up: “One week you’d be reading Dan Brown and I’d judge you, the next week, E.M. Forster, and I’d swoon.“
I love how one paragraph is all about colors—coffee black, a brownie, green fountain pen—it drew a pretty picture of this mysterious man and the little things about him.
This has probably happened to anyone with a scheduled life, on buses, trains, in coffee shops, to see someone everyday for months. I’m so glad these two introduced themselves!
“Hi” is such a powerful tool.
Runner up:
@midnightsun1901 -
I know by the way you hold me.
You crush me. Thank you for this one. Every word holds meaning and sentiment, sentiment so deep it floored me. Thank you. Thank you for a story where the MCs are different and beautiful and true and loving, expressing more, with less of the usual flourish of fickle words.
Thank you. So much.
@sandyquill -
An exotic man who takes your hand in both on his? Oh, absolutely, a most resounding YES.
What a lovely little moment in the life of a clearly seasoned lady traveler. I could envision both the airport and the seat row where she waited for her other row-mates to arrive. Happy to see the Universe sometimes makes sure you connect with good people. Or exotic people. Most likely both. And twice.
Beautiful. Perfect use of the prompt.
Winner:
Sherbert20111 -
PLEASE PARK WITHIN THE WHITE LINES
God, but this one floored me, and had me screaming with laughter, too.
“I recycle” had me screaming out loud. Of course, I park like an ass, but hey! I recycle! That should count for something, right?
The way the PLEASE PARK-line is used it simply ingenious. I love how the car is called Big Red. We all know how difficult Big Reds are to park. Within the lines. Then the story starts to float, it becomes psychedelic, it turns into origami elephants and chenille and monza wool mitts. Amazing. Wow, just wow. And then, the word that is hiding behind your teeth, “Hi.”
Brilliant. How all that was born out of a smiling red autumn leaf is beyond me.
Kudos. What a trip!
Honorable Mention:
@TinsleyWarren -
Her favorite, favorite pen
Sixteen words in and the WHOLE SCENE is clearly laid out in front of me. This is crafty flash-writing, this is how it’s done. Three words paint it all: “pulsing” – “halls” – “yearbooks.” We all know where we are and what this is. The end of school. Bloody brilliant. Perfectly confirmed a few rows down, very good, you did not let the reader down. And I feel for this boy, my heart goes out to him. Courage, my boy, you are a man now! A young man who knows which one is her favorite, favorite pen.
Beautiful writing, gives me all the happies.
@MadiMerek -
A blubbering mess, that’s how your story has left me. By all that’s holy I was not expecting sadness this week, but you dug a huge hole and threw us all in it. Well done, that was absolutely heartbreaking. It was everything, indeed.
@Mylisssa -
Oh, girl, you frustrate me! Snap out of it! Open your eyes, and smile back at this boy! Yes, I know. It’s not that easy. It never is. But it could be. Easy. If you decide it is easy, it can be. Easy. Just smile at him next time he scoots past you on his board. Smile also on the outside.
Beautiful flash. I love how his “Hi” relaxed her enough to be able to read in peace. Beautiful.
PinkCookie -
YES! Kids introduce themselves exactly like that. “Hi I’m Kevin, do you like baseball?” Brilliant. Also how he turned around on everything he didn’t like to suddenly like it again. Made me giggle like a loon.
Loved the initial contact and then the fast forward two or three decades into the future. Great concept, very good execution. Snap, a whole lifetime. Done. Yes.
Well done.
@ShadesofPurple4 -
This made me cry even though I don’t really understand who died and who’s still here and why they’re playing with the kids if they’re gone but GOD it hurt so bad all of it that I lost all my punctuation and I am simply wailing now.
Well done. **blows nose** Oh, well done!
@Viridian6 -
“… all that comes out of my mouth is one defeated word. ‘Why?’”
You all want to make me cry now. This was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
Why do people not TALK with each other? So much pain could be avoided by just opening your mouth and saying the words. Out Loud.
Thank you for this story. Beautiful.
@everydayBella89 -
You are right. “hi” is nothing like the word “no.” Hi is just hi. Except hers. Her hi could mean anything. I’m dying to know what it means. To her.
I am also so very grateful that I am not a teenager anymore.
Great flash, it held a whole story in so very few words. Spot on.
@Twilightladies1 -
Ha. “I love how you prove me wrong.” What an incredibly perfect ending to this flash. Loved this. Just loved it.
@sparklymeg -
Yes. We all know a coffee shop person like this one. They are absolutely delicious, as is yours. I love how s/he thinks of grinding (coffee) and falling (into her bed) and how s/he just knows that she wants him/her. Heh. Go, boy/girl. Yes, as you see, I’m not sure if the coffee maker is a boy or a girl, and I feel freed by the very thought that she could be a girl swooning for this girl who comes in for coffee. So I’m going to decide they are girls. Both.
Great image.
@ChocoMG2112 -
What an encounter. The poor Padre. He’s got it coming, but he’ll never be able to handle that dragon, even if the lady looks down shyly… We are not fooled!
Well done, immediate transportation into a different world, universe, time… and dragons. How my image gave you dragons, we will never know. Suffice it to say that I AM THRILLED to have inspired dragons. Thrilled, I tell you.
Well done, you. And nobody died. Kudos.
@moonlit__girl -
“say what you mean.
keep it real.“
Loved the no caps poetry feel to this harsh and down to earth rendition of I LOVE YOU.
“keep it simple, keep it real.” A girl of my own ilk. Well done. Oh, well done.
That’s a great love poem. Top marks.
@shneezles -
See, this is how a careful and hesitating person acts. Takes stock. Counts smile lines around a person’s eyes. Then, after careful pondering, he takes action.
“Hi.”
What a powerful word it is.
And very well used here. A completely beautiful short story.
@femme_mal
Oh, oh, this shook me. The loneliness, in cubicles, with phone calls, about office buildings with no soul at all, everything slowly killing the spirit of one, small midnight worker. Eerie feelings all over.
And finally, that familiar voice with a Chicago accent.
Fabulous. Thank you for this. I loved it. Oh, I loved it.
Thank you all. You are an inspiration to me. I can safely say that Shell’s flashfic weekly happenings have saved my hunger for writing, safely cuddling it, so that I could come back to writing long things again, stories of many, many, many words.
I had lost that want. I have since rekindled the spark through these 100-200 word weeklies. Freeing, is what flashfic is.
Freeing.
Thank you writers. Thank you Shell.
AnnaLund
@AnnaLund2011 on Twitter
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