Of the Utmost Importance

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Gloria

‘Mother, where’s the thingamajig for opening jars?’

‘In the knife drawer.’

I open the knife drawer, which has no knives in it. I rummage through all sorts of instruments; peelers, weird scoop things, funny scissors, whizzers and all shapes of silicone. A slip-on spout? Gadgets with attachments, blades and prongs. A spork and a chork? What happened the chopsticks?

Ah… here it is. The yoke for opening jars!

I suppose mother needs all these accoutrements. How else would she peel fruit, slice avocados, zest her lemons, measure spaghetti, spiralize veggies, flip her lids, and beat her meat? I wonder!

Drawer full of cutlery — *Petra on Pixabay*

In response to Charli Mills’ 99 Word Flash Fiction Challenge. In 99 words (no more, no less), write about tools. Whose tools are they and how do they fit into the story? What kind of tools? Go where the prompt leads!

The Author is Alone

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Gloria

The author is alone in her chair

Thinking judging

Moving the words from here to there

Sits back to scrutinise

Feeling insecure

A need to criticise

She stares out the window

She leaves her chair

More coffee

Resistance

She sits again

Persistence

Delete restore

Add more

She leans forward in her chair

Plotting planning

Aims for perfection

Fear of rejection

The author’s chair holds her there

Until she is fulfilled

Until everything fits

And more ink is spilled

It all comes together

When she stays in her chair

Her passion for writing

Keeps her there

Right until

The End.

In response to Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch. In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about an author’s chair. It can belong to any author. Where is it located and why? Does it have special meaning? Go where the prompt leads!

Image by Ray Shrewsberry • Thanks for Downloads and Likes from Pixabay

The Headless Blacksmith

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Gloria

The blacksmith was hanged on a tree that once stood tall and strong. Now, its branches hang low, weeping for him; an innocent man. Guilty only of seeking to castigate the cretin who violated his wife; the influential man who smoked cigars and drank fine whiskey.

The headless blacksmith rides the dark lanes on his big black horse. With no need for sight nor light, he circles the weeping tree before galloping into the night, hunting for the dissolute rich man—who has long since perished under the hooves of the black stallion. The blacksmith rides on; doesn’t rest.

In response to Charli ‘s Carrot Ranch 99 word flash fiction.

In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a Big Black Horse. It can be a horse, a metaphor or an interpretation of KT Tunstall’s “Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree.” Go where the prompt leads!

Special Occasion

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Gloria

Is it becoming obvious that I only have time for short blog posts lately? That may be true, but I also enjoy writing flash fiction and using prompts. It’s a nice break from the intensity of editing 105,000 words.

Charli’s 99 word flash fiction prompt this week is Sweet Potatoes. I’m combining this with a photo prompt that a friend sent me recently. Just something she came across while out for a stroll in the woods. Who knows what story lies behind discarded objects we see on a daily basis? We can only imagine!

Special Occasion

I waited to take his order.

‘What do you recommend?’ he asked.

‘The Sweet Potato Frittata,’ I replied.

And so began the rest of our lives together.

For every special occasion we shared over the years, we’d celebrate with sweet potato. It was our little joke.

Today we met for lunch at our favourite spot in the woods. He brought the coffees and I brought loaded sweet potatoes. ‘What are we celebrating?’ he asked.

‘Look in the bag.’

He lifted the paper bag off the table and took out a white stick.

After all these years—two pink lines!