I missed the weekend prompts for my posts this week so there a bit short. Hope you don’t mind!
September 24th
#Fire licked across the stacked logs, surrounded by placed brick. It grew until it crackled and sparked and its flames reached for the starry night sky. She sat with her husband on folding lawn chairs. No words passed between them as the heat warmed them.
September 25th
She wrapped the #sinew around the willow twigs that formed a circle. It required a soft touch and yet force was needed too. She continued until the web was formed, decorated with beads the colour of rainbows. As she kissed her son’s head that night, she hung the dream catcher
September 26th
Night #consumes the day and she readies herself. Dressed in black, she lifts herself onto the window sill. Its tracks bite into her palms and she drops when it’s time. The two-storey fall is quick and she lands with a thud, rolling for cover. She draws in a deep breath.
September 27th
Stars twinkle in distant #universes, lighting skies above alien life. Through telescopes, gazes meet but remain unaware. Life continues its circling dance. She dreams of unknown planets and longs to walk on foreign soil. Her imagination is a playground of planets.
September 28th
September 29th
September 30th
His bare feet were numb on the cold, wet road. The ragged clothes on his body were no shelter from the howling wind. There was no frown on this boy’s face. He wore a stubborn scowl like a shield and pressed forward. It was #inevitable in his mind that he’d find shelter.
For the second week, here are my vsspoem prompts! I enjoyed some of them and was challenged by others. They always start off as short stories and then I remember they’re poems!
That silliness pretty much sums up my week. Got some stuff done around the house and off to get more done!
Hope you guys are all as productive as you want/need to be!
September 15th
The pen scrawled
Across the page
Black ink
Vibrant against
Stark white.
She smiled
As the words
Stumbled Into sentences
On the third page
She stopped
The smile now tears
Their spots marring
Her paragraphs
She signed in scribbles
And kissed the #letter
Goodbye
September 16th
The #Cry for Justice
is answered
with guns, knives,
all sorts of weapons.
And scarcely words.
The people take it
into their own
hands.
Because the scales
are
broken
and
untrusted.
How does this change?
When does this change?
September 17th
(Time zones sometimes screw with my ability to do prompts… Sorry!)
September 18th
My problems are #mountains
that stand tall
despite my
cries.
My worries are #mountains
fierce against wind
and rain
always.
My goals are #mountains
with no summit
to reach
soon.
My life is #mountainous
and they only seem larger
despite my steps towards the top.
September 19th
The grass was burdened with dew
Cool beneath her soft, bare feet
The sun had pulled back its blanket
Its rays of light there to meet
The world seemed to smile at her
Yet she crumbled with defeat
#Serenity was a thing of the past
It was never meant to last
September 20th
#Inertia does not rule my life.
I am constantly
knocked off course.
Change might be
my middle name.
No path to stick to
like some sort of glue.
Not me.
I’m bounced along
from spot to spot
Always thinking its right
But its not.
They tell me so.
This past week has been tougher day by day. I feel stuck. I feel completely different. And the worst part? I have no idea how to change it.
I’m pushing through trying to stick to some routine and tackle things around the house, but I feel hollow about it all. My hope was writing more types of prompts would help, but it isn’t working so far.
Great segwey, eh? You’ll be seeing some #vsspoem posts once a week from now on and same with #BraveWrite. If I stick with it, who knows what might happen, right?
Anyways, here are my very short stories for the week without any further rambling.
September 3rd
Her #mysteries were caged in barbed wire. They surrounded her, welcomed her darkness. Whispered horrors and sordid images filled her every waking breath. And yet the Evil she held remained a secret. She wiped sweat from her brow and walked away from the newly dug hole.
September 4th
She chased the glowing #horizon
Its edge calling to her
She longed to free fall
into the abyss
Sink or swim
in a sea of words
Her fingers could craft
poems
short stories
novels
if given reign
And so she chased
the glowing #horizon
for a future it might hold
if she caught it
September 5th
Words of strange properties leapt from her lips as a soft whisper. Her magic danced in colourful swirls along the rocks she’d gathered. It caressed and curled about the stones like a lover. Before her gaze, they #crystallized, clear and crisp like an autumn day.
September 6th
The night put its arms around her, an old and welcome friend. Her radiant smile shone light upon the tides she taunted into play. In the black sky, she gossiped with the stars, twinkling by her side. And as the sun cast golden rays on the horizon, she waved hello to #daybreak.
September 7th
The #serendipity of it all, she determined, typing a response to a stranger’s message. And yet… he wasn’t a stranger. Her heart and soul knew he was meant for her like the sun and moon belonged to the sky. Eight years later, she still couldn’t pinpoint how she had known.
September 8th
#Comets blazed through the sky and diminished into nothing more than cosmic dust. From the comfort of her room, she chased their wandering trails with her eyes. They must live brilliant lives to be gone so quickly from existence, she mused. If only I could chart myself a course.
September 9th
The tree that grew in her backyard served as a reminder. #Souls have branches, roots. They reach, connect, support, and thrive with companionship. She couldn’t keep hers locked in a jar for fear of rejection or failure.
She had to open it. And she did. Her soul had wings now.
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.
Hey, guys! I can’t believe it has been FOUR MONTHS since I started doing the very short stories prompts on Twitter. It has kept me writing and challenged me in new ways.
The best thing I like about the #vss365 is it continually challenges my creativity and my ability to show rather than tell. Sometimes, I don’t deliver what I really want, but most of the time I really enjoy them!
My nephew has gone home and so it is time to settle back into a familiar routine that includes working on my manuscript. I’m prepping somemore tools to really help me get it to that polished level.
Anyways, I’ll keep this short. Here are my very short stories for the week!
July 30th
Birds of a feather #flock together, she told her daughter and ruffled her hair. You’ll be fine! I promise.
The daughter nodded and grabbed the familiar hand of her mother, worn with age. They walked down the gravel road of their drive way to wait for the school bus.
July 31st
The #Queen of Darkness reigned over nightmares and relished the sounds of screams. Pained wails bounced off the remains of her stone castle that night. The cries mingled with the smell of spilt blood to soothe her soul and she dreamed of red drops in the depths of depravity.
August 1st
The #cellar doors were smashed bits, surrounding the poorly lit opening. Its stairs descended into the pitch black with no end in sight. The flashlight shook in her hands but she clicked the light on. Cautious steps took her down the steps. The creaking echoed for miles.
August 2nd
#Familiar hands clasped hers, warm and soothing. But she didn’t hear his words. She’d vanished into a funeral in her mind’s eye, surrounded by fragrant flowers and the tears of the mourning. The coffin before her was made of oak, strong and sturdy like her father had been in life.
August 3rd
It’s a tough lesson when it comes to #sacrifice, the teacher said. His high school students sat there, bored but silent. Their gaze weighed on his shoulders and he breathed deeply. You see, certain jobs have more risks than others. They require a willingness to give and not get.
August 4th
Stars shimmered in the night sky like glitter on a black cloth. The pale face of the moon was absent, waiting rebirth the next night. She moved the telescope slowly, hunting for a different celestial body. Aha! She exclaimed as #Jupiter came into focus. Just beautiful!
August 5th
The #Empress stood still and silent, an observer of her husband’s power. Her role was nothing more than to enhance his presence.
She loathed him for it.
Her eyes roamed the army til they spotted her soldier. His attire shone in the light. Memories of his touch tempted her again.
You Idiot
How is it you can’t see
What’s in front of your face?
You Idiot
You think your words or lack of
don’t hurt me?
You Idiot
Think again about what you’re doing.
It speaks loud and clear
You Idiot
Take stock of yourself and improve
Or lose those who’d help you.
You Idiot
Look in the mirror for worth
Inside you and around you.
Kember's Journey 