Odds and Ends

Bugs were using her as a snack and the clouds were getting darker. He would regret leaving her stranded out here without shelter if she ever made her way back to civilization. The tent was of no use to her with a gaping hole in it. Who left her stranded? How did the tent get a hole in it? Did she not take a cell phone with her? The word is tent and this post comes in at 46 of the 50 word limit set by M3 . Visit the Flash in the Pan page for official rules.

I am having fun with the  Flash Fiction Challenge  from the M3 blog. It gives me a break from the daily grind while getting my work in more books. (That's a bonus) I enjoy having new readers. My next book is completely different from the first two that I wrote. I adore the book writing process, well the creative part anyway. My next book (provided all goes well) will hopefully be out before the end of the year. I just have to finish it, get it through beta reads, edits and rewrites.  Well, I have more flashes to write for the 5th book. So I best get going. It is rather fun to have the freedom to leave the audience wondering and let their imaginations run wild. 

The men could not believe what they saw when they opened the hull. Years under the sea had degraded the mammoth ship to nearly nothing. How had it gone unnoticed for so long? Seas had to have been rough that day, according to legend the waves were hundreds of feet and twisters had come at the ship from all sides. The images that came to mind were more like those from a horror movie than a night in the 1800s. It was a bit of a disappointment when the determination came back that they had all died from Scurvy.

“A bottle of wine. Surprise me.” “Yes sir. Anything else?” “A salad, add onion, tomato, diced peppers. Italian dressing.” “Will there be anything else?” “Not now, my date will be along shortly.” “Very well.” The waiter went to put in the order and he sat alone staring at the buffet. Lizzie would pick it immediately. He had no idea how she could eat off those things but her willingness to do anything was why he loved her. ___________________________________________________________ Why is he so amazed that she eats off of a buffet? Why is he ordering before she gets there? Is it going to be a good night? The word is buffet , the limit for this post was 150 words. This post comes in at 77 words. Click the link to see the official rules at the M3 blog.

The day had been long, the night was going to be longer. Food was a luxury out in the woods, and today had not made an exception of this rule. If anything it had made it worse. The weather was unforgiving. Bundled in only a windbreaker he had no idea how long he would be able to survive out here. The fire was smoldering making him glad he at least had some more wood to put on it. Food would be nice though. It would go nicely with the fork he had found in his pocket. Where is he? Why does he have a fork in his pocket? Did he go for a hike unprepared or did he get caught in a storm? ___________________________________________________________ This post was inspired by the Flash in The Pan Challenge over at the M3 blog. The limit was 150 words, this post comes in at 96 words.

She glided effortlessly across the floor seemingly her feet never touched the ground. Intricate movements hypnotizing the audience, Lillian would be his stiffest competition. The years of professional training would not stack up against her natural talent. The dance would secure her place in history.

The lights flashed around the sign beckoning him to the hotel’s window. He hit the bell and waited impatiently for the clerk. He could see the clock ticking away the seconds on the wall behind the desk, he wondered if any eternity would pass. The squeak of the door indicated the clerk was finally there to rent him the room.

The pages were bent and ragged from years of use, covers worn out from hands rubbing over them. There were bowls everywhere, the oven was still hot. She tasted it again, something wasn’t right. It was sweet, tangy but not right. What was missing? She scanned the room again to see. Onions maybe? No, but what could it be? She hit her head on the cabinet. A pepper that was it!

Bare floors and empty cabinets taunted her. Dizzy from absolutely nothing he could figure out he assured her it would all be taken care of. The idea of a home was nice, but she felt as if he had no idea how to achieve it. The constant ringing in his ears did not stop. He only realized what it was when he heard her answer. A single word, “No,” is all he heard before she slammed the receiver down. “Who was it?” “Nothing.  Just a wrong number.” He did not believe her. He could only hope it hadn’t been his call. He gave into the dizziness and fell, sprawled on the bare floor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July's limit was 150 words, this post comes in at 113 words. The word is  call  and instructions are at the bottom of the linked post.