Friday Fictioneers!

Every week Rochelle posts a pic and encourages everyone to write a 100 word story based on it. The photo prompt for this week is:

Photo Copyright: David Stewart

Addiction!

(100 Words)

Antilia was a sore loser so winning was her addiction. Be it academics or sports, she outshone herself. The winning streak continued even when she started swimming, crushing her opponents in a heartbeat each time.

However, her recent poor performances at the state level sealed her fate. While everyone saw 15 glorious years, she was devastated by her defeat.

Last night, inebriated, she jumped off the diving board and the water turned red soon after. Her intention wasn’t to die but then she wasn’t living either.

Like I said, she was a sore loser. And winning was her only addiction.

******

PS: This is one of those photo prompts where my story has no clear link with the pic but this is all I could think of.. :-) For all other interpretations of this pic, please click here.

Trifextra: Reading Challenge!

I choose these 33 words from one of my favorite books, Conversations with God (Book 1), by Neale Donald Walsch.

“The point of life is not to get anywhere – it is to notice that you are, and have always been, already there. You are, always and forever, in the moment of pure creation.”

 

 

 

* Written for the Trifextra Challenge.

 

The Ligo Haibun Challenge: Melt!

Insatiable Desire!

(218 Words)

Lying on the bed, draped in satin sheet, I gaped at the ceiling and the ludicrous blue color. The hotel room needed a serious makeover and yet here we were every Wednesday. The warmth of his breath made me feel alive. Even in deep slumber, he looked so appealing. Normally, I’d fall asleep in his arms and go our separate ways in the morning but tonight sleep eluded me.

“Wake up.” I couldn’t resist and shook him up.

“Whaaaaat?”

“What do I mean to you?”

“Ugh! Seriously. At this hour? Let’s talk in the morning.”

“I want to know now.”

“You’re the air I breathe. My oxygen. Every moment I spend without you, I die a little.”

“Then why can’t we be together? Marry me. I want to be yours forever.”

“You know, I love you. I really do. But I can’t divorce her. Please don’t ruin what we have. This was our pact when we started seeing each other.”

After a long pause, he continued.. “Now come, show me some love.”

I lay there staring at the flickering candle and the melting wax. A tear made its way to the ear from the corner of my eye.

Love faded. Hope died. One more night.

Melting by his touch

Succumbing to his strong hold

My heart sank again

***************************************************

* Written for the Haibun Challenge:

Haībun is Prosimetric writing. The haībun format here for the Līgo Haībun Challenge is as follows ~

A paragraph (more than one paragraph is fine, or just a few sentences) in prose form of either

• a descriptive passage , or excerpt from a story/or previously published post
• an explanation
• a tale
• a travelogue
• a news item
• a recipe

and

• the haiku to close

Friday Fictioneers!

Every week Rochelle posts a pic and encourages everyone to write a 100 word story based on it. The photo prompt for this week is:

Photo Copyright: Rich Voza

Home!

(100 Words)

I was running late so implored a lot to get through the airport security. I smiled when I finally boarded the flight. And now all I could think of was reaching home and soaking myself in the bathtub. It had been a long, exhausting day.

Somewhere mid-air, I woke up due to the turbulence and looked groggily at the air hostess requesting everyone to tighten their seat belts.

Within a few minutes, I heard the pilot’s voice “Ok! Everyone. This is it. Brace yourself for impact.”

At that moment, I, somehow, knew I was never going to make it home.

Trifextra Challenge: Dialogue!

The Opportunity!

 

“Dammit! Looks like we’ll be here awhile. Do you want to…?”

“Here…?”

“Drop the charade. You’re behaving as if we’ve never made out in a stalled elevator before.”

“Okay.. Ok.. You.. Opportunistic dog.”

 

 

* Written for the Trifextra Challenge.

Friday Fictioneers!

Every week Rochelle posts a pic and encourages everyone to write a 100 word story based on it. The photo prompt for this week is:

Photo Credit: Claire Fuller

Obsession!

Emma’s love for him was more of an obsession in which he felt trapped. Every time he tried to leave, she cajoled him into staying.  Her overly possessive behavior strained their relationship further.

At last, he decided to confront her. She was in the basement giving the finishing touches to the sculpture she called the symbol of their love. He never admired it as art wasn’t his forte.

Soon things spiraled out of control and in a fit of rage; she hit him with the sculpture. He bled to death and she smiled thinking there’d never be any disagreements now.

Weekly Writing Challenge!

Photo Credit: Cheri Lucas

The Wait!

Vivian was a free spirit. Full of spark and vivacity, it never was difficult for her to attract attention. Especially from men. With the sensuous curves in her body to the irresistible wit and humor, she possessed a striking concoction of looks and brains. Although a ballet teacher by choice, she had her hands in too many baskets. An artist par excellence, she owned an art gallery featuring some of the local talents. In her spare time, she contributed literary articles to the local library and gave guest lectures at her alma mater. However, it was her passion for green and safe environment that occupied most of her time, researching ways to minimalize damage to the planet.

The only shortcoming, if any, was that she treated men like toys, having issues trusting them. Her relationships never lasted more than 3 months, none of them reaching beyond the hand shake. Anyone who’d show even an iota of interest in her, she’d distance them completely by behaving acrimoniously. Maybe it was her mother because of whom she lost faith in men. In her early years, her father was mostly absent from their life because of work which took him all around the world. And when he did eventually settle down, he chose a separate family, abandoning them. This didn’t dampen her mother’s spirit and she opened up with someone again only to be fooled and heartbroken. After four failed marriages and alcohol addiction, she stopped looking for love to make her complete. And age only made her more cynical. The void left in her mother’s life significantly impacted hers. Her mother’s pain scarred Vivian for life and became the reason she abhorred men.

Until about a few months ago she would’ve vouched for her loathing but something was changing her heart now. Rather someone. Edward came into her life as a breath of fresh air, turning it upside down. In her company, she was just herself with no pretensions whatsoever. She was beginning to see that there are men who care and love with the same intensity like her or even more.

But before she succumbed to the heart’s desire she knew exactly what to do. She was sure in her head that it was only a matter of time before Edward left her so felt responsible to protect her heart from the agony. She met him at their favorite coffee shop and shocked him with her decision to end their relationship.

Edward tried to reason with her but in vain. He realized that instead of fighting for her to stay, letting her go to find her own happiness was the best thing he could do for her. As they walked outside on the cobblestone stairs, Edward hugged her one last time.

She walked straight towards the tram, never looking back. Edward knew he was ready to wait as long as it takes to change her mind. He was here to stay.

 

 

* Written for the Weekly Writing Challenge.

Trifecta Challenge: Mouth!

The word prompt for this week’s Trifecta Challenge is:

MOUTH

3: something that resembles a mouth especially in affording entrance or exit: as

a : the place where a stream enters a larger body of water

b : the surface opening of an underground cavity

c : the opening of a container

d : an opening in the side of an organ flue pipe

Please remember:

• Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.
• You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.
• The word itself needs to be included in your response.
• You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as stated above.
• Only one entry per writer.
• Trifecta is open to everyone.  Please join us.

Here’s mine:

The First Encounter!

(224 Words)

Zara always had a backup plan. Her life was all about the successful execution of her plans. If one thing didn’t work out she had something else to fall back upon. But what she never prepared herself for was heartbreak. The man she loved dearly left her insisting it was just a fling. While it had been three months since, she still yearned for him. Every vein in her body ached for his touch.

And although personally she was a wreck, professionally she maintained her poise. The agony behind her kohl smudged eyes was only hers to bear.

She had become an expert at masking her emotions at work. Her presentation today was a testimony that there’s nothing she can’t accomplish professionally.  She stunned everyone, especially the new Director who was completely smitten by her. Sneaking his hand into the mouth of the cookie jar on the conference table and devouring the chocolate chip cookie, he glanced at her almost choking on the last bite. He noticed a void in her eyes and felt a deep burning desire to know everything about her.

“Sheer brilliance” is all he said, shaking their hands. She smiled, unperturbed and walked past him leaving the whiff of her fragrance in the air.

This may not be a bad place to settle down after all. He thought and smiled.

Trifextra Challenge: Personification!

This weekend’s Trifextra Challenge is to give a 33-word example of personification, which is the practice of attaching human traits and characteristics with inanimate objects, phenomena and animals (http://literary-devices.com). It’s when the wind howls, the car door grunts, and the front porch shrugs its shoulders under the weight of its own history.

Here’s my personification:

The Last Kiss!

The lightning flashed wickedly as the thunderous clouds devoured the moon.

Betrayed by the tempestuous weather, they kissed one last time.

The ocean waves lashed out at their boat and gobbled them down.

 

* Pic is from the net.

Friday Fictioneers!

Every week Rochelle posts a pic and encourages everyone to write a 100 word story based on it. The photo prompt for this week is:

Photo Credit – Renee Homan Heath

Here’s my story:

Just Another Day!

I was sitting on the beach, brooding, when I first saw her, pirouetting on the sand impeccably. Brimming with mirth, her face exuded exceptional radiance. Watching her play with the waves somehow helped me in accepting this new phase.

My life ended abruptly because of an accident, landing me here. In heaven. And finally my soul has found its match which I never did when alive. I feel liberated and elated.

Now swinging on the moon, juggling the stars, dancing on the waves, flying in the air, throwing cloud balls at each other is like just another day. In paradise.