silence

Very Short Stories, Week 20

Hey everyone! Happy Labour Day, if you celebrate it!

I was enjoying the four day weekend with my hubby, but he’s fallen ill. That means constant snoring is in the background as he naps. Fingers crossed he gets better soon because it sucks when he feels so shitty!

Personally, things are starting to feel more normal since Jasper passed away. I’m crying less, but the last couple nights, he’s visited in some wonky ass dreams so I don’t know what he’s playing at!

That all means my very short stories aren’t as sad, depressing, or negativity. Some are, dare I say, hopeful.

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

 

August 27th

Lies are #tangled webs

That thrive

When the Truth

Dies

Alone and unspoken.

Lies are poison

We drink and spread

Like dinner rolls

Passed Clockwise.

Lies are the half truths

We trust to soothe Pain

That claims

Our minds

And dines on our hopes.

Lies are vicious Weaponry

We wield.

 

August 28th

His strength was a #fragile thing, hid behind stone walls made of pure silence. She longed to shatter them and cherish the words he would whisper. But he was a statue. The odd crack pierced his thick skin and his soul was beautifully broken in those moments of despair.

 

August 29th

The sweet #million tomato plant had grown beyond the garden’s borders. Its vast collection of ripening fruit blocked the zucchini plants and choked the other tomato plants. Roots provided strength to endure the storms that came and went. Yet its own weight toppled its branches.

 

August 30th

#Somewhere out there lies the reason she exists. If only she could separate it from life’s numerous obstacles. Instead, she wanders from problem to problem, fixated on everything, everyone, but her. If only the voices would stop shouting, putting fresh tears in her eyes.

 

August 31st

#Forever, she swore on their wedding day to stand by his side. His screams in bad moments didn’t deter her nor his dark days of depression. Their shared laughs and smiles united them like the knots they tied in matrimony. Together they were strong and she would remind him. Always.

 

September 1st

Street lights remained barren as the #gloaming descended. The asphalt paths were seas of black. Curtains blocked shut windows and multiple locks clicked into place. Any hint of light vanished as the people waited in fearful silence.
The scratching was heard first.

 

September 2nd

#Love is a stitch, a knot

It ties lives together

Loose or tight

Its thread can break

Wear and tear

It can be replaced

With #Love again

Tender touch

And words of care

Can repair

A broken stitch

But take heart

Best not to break

A bond of #Love

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Very Short Stories, Week 19

It’s been a tough week and I still feel lost and unsure. I know I should push forward and fight to normalize my routine again but… The weight of Jasper’s death still clings to me and the silence is a knife straight through my heart.

I hope by trying to tap into other things for the prompts, I might banish this sadness that comes in waves. Hopefully, the ache will lessen with a bit more time and I’ll be able to carry on.

Anyways, the vssof this week still deal with Jasper, but I tried to write about other things, too. I hope you enjoy them.

 

August 20th

My #haven is my pets. The soft touch of their fur on my hands and their attentive, soul piercing gaze as they listen to every word. I lost a piece of my haven last night. His barks that woke me with his demands. His warmth as he snuggled close at night. Gone. But not forever.

 

August 21st

Staring at the x-rays of her dog, she was #blindsided by the news.

We usually see this with cancer, the vet explained.

The rest of his words were lost on her and tears fell like silent rain down her cheeks. Her husband’s hand was rough yet warm as it rubbed her shoulder.

 

August 22nd

The #wilds of the world shrink and shrivel in the grasp of greedy humans. Trees fall, uprooted and cut. Lakes dry under an unforgiving sun. Grassy meadows become concrete beaches. Our touch turns the world into a cold, unforgiving landscape. Nature’s tears and cries unheard.

 

August 23rd

#Bright lights twinkled like rare gems above them. A sky full of treasure they’d never see or know. The soft colours danced upon the packed dirt and they followed it forward, hands clasped in each others. The world was still and silent as they reached the clear waters.

 

August 24th

The silence is neverending. An unbreakable entity consuming any whisper of noise and leaving a desperate void in its wake. She cries but the sounds of her sobs dissipate into a vacant air. Sadness fills her gaze like waters in a still lake. The ripples #shatter silence.

 

August 25th

Even when the #skyline hid behind trees, her bare feet carried her onward. Just beyond the horizon, she repeated, dragging her tired soul despite its cries. In the daylight, the sun battered her skin through ripped fabric. Her raspy breaths echoed in her ears as she collapsed.

 

August 26th

I #confess

my heart is broken

my mind is unguided

my body is hollowed.

I confess

my path forward is gone

my dream is muddled

my goals lost to time

I confess

I don’t know what to do

Take time to heal

or push right through.

I confess

my only solace is sleep

and it calls again.

Dissolve

Wails rip my throat

raw with despair

My heart now shards

broken pieces

tearing

free in force

to make me feel

every

single

tear.

His cold body in my arms

It’s a reminder

of a bright light

snuffed out.

His flame flickers

weaker and weaker

gone like the wind

in an instance.

I long to hear his

heart beat like a drum

but its silence is a

deafening blow

and I dissolve into the pain

of his absence.

Very Short Stories, Week 14

Another Monday is upon us and it’s dreary where I am! The sun is still hiding and my desk isn’t calling to me, but we’re here nonetheless.

 

I don’t have much to say about my past week. Grammarly picked a fight and seems to be winning though I ignore it telling me to get rid of my ‘u’s. I am combing back through the first 25 chapters I edited to correct comma use with Grammarly’s help.

It’s my first book and I’m probably still trying to find my voice, but I think I’m getting there! *fingers crossed*

Anyways, here are my very short stories from the past week! Hope you enjoy!

 

July 16th

Her reservoir is deep, filled to the brim with tears unshed, and words left unsaid. Every day she sits, pen in hand, and #delves into its ink. In scrolling shapes, she spills it unto the white page to lessen its load, but the day calls her forward.

And it fills again.

 

July 17th

#Reputation is everything,

they say.

From your hair

to your clothes,

you better look

crisp and clean.

A smudge on your face

could destroy you.

Keep shut that pretty mouth

for silence is your friend.

Forget opinions

or willpower.

Subservience to the norm,

Master

 

July 18th

Eyes glanced over the mutilated plants of her vegetable garden. Leaves were decorated in holes made by insects and weather. Long stalks & stems lay mangled on the dirt. Their produce, half-eaten, was left to rot and decay amongst the yellowing life.

#Unlikely to recover.

 

July 19th

One peek outside Vivian’s brick and mortar cage was all she could remember of freedom. Kilometres of space met forest, all #verdant shades, and guards patrolled every inch.

In the classroom, his voice shattered the idea of grass on her toes, “Vivian, are you listening?”

 

July 20th

She longed to #fly alongside the birds and forsake the Earth for clouds. A palace made of fluffiness and her crown jewelled with rain. She’d rule with kindness and love in her mind’s world.

The grass soft against her back but her mind soared with the winged creatures.

 

July 21st

The library #stacks were coated in dust, thick and displeasing. Rows of lines were traced by fingertips on book spines and footsteps marred the floor. She followed them, desperate for another human. A thud echoed in the distance and she raced towards it to find blue eyes.

 

July 22nd

#Elsewhere
I wish to be
Free from doubts
And failure

Elsewhere
I wish to be
With certain goals
Achieved

Elsewhere
I wish to be
In a new home
And energy

Elsewhere
I wish to be
At my desk
Instead

Elsewhere
I wish to be
In health
and serenity

Elsewhere
I wish to be
…

Very Short Stories, week 6

I’m back again with my very short stories for the week! The past days have been a challenge for me, but at least I’m keeping up with these.

As always, the ‘#’ in front of the word indicates it was the prompt word that day. Feel free to try them yourself and post the end result. They are meant to be the size of a Tweet if you do take up the gauntlet though!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy them!

 

May 21st

On the edge of the world, her hair twirled about thanks to the wind, its words #susurrus in her ear. The meaning was not lost on her, and she stretched her hands out, falling forward. The ground loomed towards her, but her wings unfurled to catch the mischievous air.

 

May 22nd

She sat, clipped in by the ride’s attendant, and waited for the long hike up the steepest of hills. The sound of gears greeted her ears, and the seats lurched forward to the pinnacle. Her heart pounded a vicious beat from the #frisson of it all, and the carts dropped off.

 

May 23rd

#Gossamer curtains were tied back in bows, and lined the harem. Females milled about the room. Their laughter echoed as did their soft whispers. Gossip fueled the hive and its secret desires.

But this was all shattered when guards opened the door for their master.

 

May 24th

Like a toxin, the #vile sensation of failure crept through her veins, and wrapped itself around her heart and mind. Its dark hands touched everything. It eradicated hope, joy, and happiness only to leave sorrow and a sense of bitter emptiness in its wake. Succumb, it said

 

May 25th

The #verdant green house was beautiful in the spring. Flowers carried tender buds, waiting to bloom, and vines climbed freely to new heights. Plants shed winter’s cold blanket to blossom under the sun’s rays.
She breathed in the smell of life deeply and continued misting

 

May 26th

She clasped her hands over her own mouth, desperate to suffocate the screams in her throat. Surrounded by darkness, she waited for her predator to disappear, but the footsteps continued towards her.  She ran with the heavy #breath of wind pushing her past her limits.

 

May 27th

The #Silence was an entity of its own creation, and ripped through the astral plane to emerge onto the physical plane. Garbed in blacks robes like the Grim Reaper, its slow steps made no sound on the crunchy, fallen leaves. Animals fled in panic, their voices stolen.

Savagery’s Cost

Blood fed the barren ground

Bodies decorated it

Like discarded toys.

Swords pierced the Earth

Beside the crippled, lifeless corpses

And yet

There was a Beauty in this Darkness

In the Savagery of War.

Life fled this land

Once rife with the green blades of Grass

Replaced now by blades of Iron and Steel.

For what, they ask

The Glory of Battle, the Honour it gave.

No structures of stone or wood

Stood in sight of the horizon.

A vast Nothingness claimed these lives

And Nature would take its Victims.

Limbs bared to Bones, sinking in dirt.

Rust from fruitless rains would claim the soiled metal.

The Shadows of carrion birds’ wings filled the sky

Their caws shredded the Silence, deafening.

Beaks ripped at stripped Flesh

As the Sun set, its rays of Light frightened by the field.

It seems a Horrible Dream.

An Evil that Desecrates the Human Soul.

Wars are waged, the Cost ignored.

 

 

 

 

Reading: All I’m Doing Today

Since I’ve finished my book for the moment, I’m taking the day ‘off’, and going to read. I haven’t done much reading and it is definitely essential if you want to write. So… I need to catch up on it.

Honestly, I might take a break or two from reading and knit or draw. Perhaps find an interesting writing prompt and attempt a short story. Who knows?

What I do know is, my book is on pause before I reread it and check the new details/sections/etc that I added. Better to do that when it isn’t so fresh in the mind. (Damn autocorrect in our brains!) Reading someone else’s work should help me get my own story out of my mind for when I need to check it again, too.

The background noise will be rotation of almost pure silence, a black cat frequently meowing, and snoring, dreaming dogs. Perhaps some music at points, too!

That”s all for today! Hope you guys are running towards your goals and achieving them too!

A writer is a reader who is moved to emulation. ~ Saul Bellow

 

It’ll Pass, Won’t It?

It seeps into the soul.

This Silence.

Absorbing all the noise.

All Energy.

It leaves its victims.

Fatigued and Ashamed.

Heartbeats pulse against a hollow shell.

Faint and Weak.

Eyelids close, weighed down.

Darkness.

All are stuck in this mire.

No fight.

It covers the whole body.

A burden.

Seeping into the bones.

Controlling.

And a lullaby sounds in the mind.

Desperate cries.

The ink jar runs empty.

Sleep descends.

Time slows til its frozen.

Death.

Don’t rebel against the nameless monster.

It’ll pass.

Won’t it?

 

The Nymph With A Siren’s Song

Moonlight dances on stilled waters

gracefully covering mossy shores.

Trees watch in stoic silence,

Like Statues guarding Nature’s Secrets.

Footsteps break the calming night,

Approaching the clear lake in awe.

In ethereal beauty, she stands barefoot,

A nymph whose wings glitter brighter than stars.

Her emerald eyes shimmer with promise

A siren’s voice sounds in the distance.

Light as air, she moves upon the water,

Finding her place in the night’s music.

Patterns form on the surface around her,

Chaotic and Beautiful under the Moon’s gaze.

Wings flutter in softened shadows

Lifting the nymph higher just to free fall.

The space is filled by her glowing prescence

Though she vanishes amongst the trees

Like an unformed thought is swallowed by the mind.

Removed from sight, the fireflies fade away,

A closing curtain on something unseen

And yet I know it was more than a dream.