Month: December 2014
Friday Fictioneers: The Stairway of Alakazan
They say if you reach the top of the Stairway of Alakazan, you will find the kingdom of the Lord. For the last 200 years, many Opitozites have tried, unsuccessfully; falling to their death in the rocks below.
Today it was Ipitimus’ turn. At fourteen, he was considered a man. The entire tribe took part in preparing their latest offering, and when he was ready, seven virgins, all who awaited his success, planned to reward him afterwards. Failure meant they would be thrown into a pit of fire.
On this day, the fiery pits of Alakazan would claim eight more lives.
This is my entry into Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers
Three dogs
People say “Wow, three dogs! That must be so cool” While they are loveable, having three dogs can certainly be demanding. For instance, when I crawl out of bed at 6 a.m. and attempt to get ready for work, and of course all three of them have to go outside to do their business! This is okay on weekdays, but they know no weekends. so its the crack of dawn for me EVERY day! …and then, before I get my breakfast, they are ALL hungry…so feed them or they drive me insane by crying. I know, I know, I should be stronger and do the dog whisperer thingy and make them respect me….but this is hard when everyone else in the house is trying to sleep and the dogs are whimpering and barking. so I feed them. They have me well trained! Same thing when I get home from work. First one up and the first one home….so let us out, our bladders are going to explode and we are starving, so feed us…NOW! Alas, the barking and whimpering doesn’t work this time. Nobody home by me, so barking won’t wake anyone…so bark on. But the soft spot in my heart realizes that they have been in the house all day, never destroyed anything (major), and perhaps they really are hungry. So I feed them before working on getting supper for everyone else. All this while Marley, (the year and a half old Sheltie) brings me my slippers (slightly chewed, but what dog can resist chewing just a bit), boots brings a tennis ball, (he is the one in the front, a mixed breed, and most loveable and sook of them all), and Halle, the Pomeranian…you know what they are like…bark bark bark…but since she is 7 years old and only 3.5 lbs…she is almost cute enough to get away with it. 
Friday Fictioneers: Log Driving Man
One of the many jobs my grampy worked was that of a ‘log driver’. He would hitch rides to various logging camps, and when they were ready to ‘drive’ the logs down the river to the paper mill, his skills were in great demand.
In his stories, he told of many a man who lost his life on the logs, either by tragic accidents, or by carelessness.
Sometimes, when the logs tangled, the log drivers had to walk out on the slippery logs and free them. This was both dangerous and challenging. Only the best survived.
This is my entry into this week’s Friday Fictioneers.
Today’s Author: Vanessa Bites
…’Feeling the stares of everyone around her, she closed her eyes, took a bite, and imagined she was eating imported chocolate’; but it wasn’t chocolate, it was the neck of her closest friend Alice.
The Vampire club was a prestigious group of freaks who have been gathering together on Alabama Heights since the ’60’s. At first, they were organized to celebrate the old Hammer films of yesteryear, but lately the group has become so much more.
Alice let out a scream as Vanessa’s teeth tore flesh from her neck. Blood gushed as her former ‘bestie’ ended her life quickly.
“Geesh, you aren’t supposed to actually ‘bite’ her, just pretend. More of a sucking than a biting!” said Thelma, the group leader. After all, they weren’t actually vampires, just horror movie fans.
As the group looked down at Alice, now motionless on the floor, they wondered what would come next.
“We never actually killed anyone before” said Ruthie, her long red hair dangling messy on her head. “But you know what? It is quite cool!”
With that, the group members knelt next to Alice’s bloody body. They took turns drinking blood until their faces dripped red.
On that night, the Vampires of Alabama Heights became true blood suckers.
Today’s Author is a site that promotes good writing. This story is my entry into this week’s challenge.
100 word challenge: Christmas Tea
Genevieve walked across the creaky wooden floor, being careful not to trip; she did that a lot these days, old age is not a kind companion. She carried an old cast iron kettle, filled with boiling water. “That old pot is too heavy for you to be carrying around” Harry warned.
Her stark stare was enough for Harry to know when to shut up. He knew the meaning of that ‘look’. Annoyed, he went back to his favorite pastime of staring out the window and complaining.
“Come have some tea and Christmas cake with me, you old grouch!” she said, lovingly.
This is my entry into this weeks’ Velvet Verbosity 100 word Challenge.
Friday Fictioneers:Dead Flowers
dead flowers
that’s what he gave her
taken from the graveyard.
not much of a gift from a man who promised more.
But she accepted them, and smiled, in fear
“it’s not the gift,
but the thought
that counts”
he said, before he took advantage of her
again
that’s what happens when your spouse
is chosen before you are born.
you are his
he is yours
from this day forward
and forever on.
When he finished
she showered
because she felt dirty
then she put the dead flowers
in a vase
for him to brag about
when his friends visited.
This is my entry into this week’s Friday Fictioneers.
a certain destiny
It was a calm day when she awoke. She had been lying in the field all night, holding close to the ground in search of a small bit of warmth.
This place was quiet, except for the caws of a few crows who had perched themselves on a fence behind her. She looked around, as if she had no idea where she was, and immediately began to scream. The buzzing sound was the worst. She heard the loud hum just before she passed from one painful soul to the next. The buzz made her scream. Her screams were loud enough to wake the dead, and that is precisely what they did.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Nobody understood what was going on. Sure lying on your deathbed, waiting to die is a traumatic experience, but Hell, she was so heavily sedated, how could have felt anything? In fact, she lay motionless the entire week prior to this, not uttering a word until this precise moment. It was as if something took over her body
Sophie was an older lady who had lived out her life in Catwins, a small south eastern town just north of here. She raised twelve children and went through three husbands in her 97 years here. A mild stroke left her confined to a bed the last few years, her condition worsening about a month ago, resulting in her being induced into a coma. Now, just a days after coming out of the coma, it was her time to go.
The screaming never stopped all night. Sophie’s children and grandchildren were upset by this, and even the doctors and all the tranquilizers they pumped into Sophie’s frail body couldn’t stop the screams. and then they were none. The spirit fought until it could fight no longer, and then it left.
She watched as the family grew near. They lay over their lost one, crying and holding each other. She smiled as she witnessed family members put aside their petty differences and pay respect to the woman responsible for their existence. And then it was over. A heavy blackness overcame her. She was lost again.
She awoke again to the buzz in the room and wondered where she was this time.
The screams came quickly. She looked around and found that she was in a hospital room. There were beds all around her, tiny beds with small babies. They were crying too, but not as loud as she was. A man came in and picked her up. He was sobbing as he brought her out to meet a lady lying in a bed. Now everyone was crying. The mother held out her arms and the doctor proceeded to pass the small child, the screaming one, to her. She held the tiny thing tightly, singing and rocking it until it calmed down. Only it didn’t calm down. It continued to scream until it could scream no more.
Now it was the mother’s turn to scream. The doctor ran to retrieve the small one from her, carrying its motionless body to another room. Now everything turned black. This one was quick and she wished that she could leave and not witness the aftermath.
The mother had to be sedated so that she could rest. After all, she had just given birth to her first child, a beautiful little girl who had only lived in this world for a few minutes.
The ground was cold this time. Usually it is warm. She curled her naked body so that she could warm up, but warmth never came. At least the buzzing stopped, at least for awhile.
A small tree was her only shelter from the freezing winds. When she managed to cover herself with the skimpy branches she broke from the tree, she had time to think. What did she do to have been punished like this? Her soul being ripped from her body and forced to co-exist with another at the time of their demise? What a torture she faced. There were so many innocent ones that she met, and died with. God knows how many more she will accompany as they leave this world.
The ground began to shake. The buzzing started once again. The blackness began to cover her world, and she was taken once again. This time she shared death with a multitude of people. This one was a painful one as well. As the walls of the gigantic buildings collapsed, hundreds of souls were intertwined with hers. She felt their hopes dwindle as they faced uncertain death. She began to scream loudly. As she hollered, her soul managed to calm the ones whose lives were about to end. It was her job to calm the tortured souls before they left this miserable world and entered a much better place. This was a painful existence, but this was her destiny.
I entered this work of fiction into Today’s Author. The Write Now Prompt for December 2, 2014 includes the line ”
She awoke again to the buzz in the room and wondered where she was this time.”
Tearing down walls
I have been building walls all my life. My reasons at the time were unknown, but now I know. It’s all about self preservation. Don’t let anyone in, nobody gets hurt. Great plan. At least I thought it was a great plan.
Why face a problem when you can run in the opposite direction? The world has enough problems, why add to them? That’s why I built the walls. Twenty years of wall building and I thought I was pretty safe. Who wouldn’t?
My plan grew a snag when she came along. She wouldn’t let me push back. Don’t worry, I am still trying, especially whenever a challenge comes along, but she is strong, and she pushes right back.
She came along and showed me a different way. Instead of running in the opposite direction, she taught me to run at the problem head on. This new knowledge has allowed me to achieve so much. It has allowed me to be here right now. It allows me to share the secret with you.
Tearing the walls down was as much work as it was building them in the first place. Brick by brick, she helped me tear the walls down. You know what? The view out here is a whole lot better now that I can see the light.
This little piece of self examination is brought to you courtesy of Sunday Photo Fiction.
SightsnBytes 