Tag Archives: writing

Writers’ Week: Blaze of Violet

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Artwork by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)


There was a loud bang, and then pain ripped through my soul. I landed on shingle, knees skimming gravel. Tears slipped down my face as I stared in disbelief at the vortex wavering before me, I would never reach it that was sure. He leapt inside just moments earlier, but my leap was interrupted, the consequences of which would rebound across the galaxies.

The portal shimmered and faltered, and as I desperately clambered to my feet it vanished within a fizzing burst of violet flames.
I stood bereft, my hand clutching at my chest, and while my soul writhed in agony, a stain of crimson bloomed beneath my shirt and my heart broke. He was gone and there was nothing I could do.
I turned and watched the sparks fly as the armoured Riders gained and my haemorrhaging heart paled.
The Riders slowed as I sank to the gritty soil, my legs no longer able to assist, and I stared back. My sweat-drenched hair whipped across my face and I moved my scarlet hand from my heart to my head. Words had disappeared from my dry riverbed throat and I had no weapon more than my eyes, so I stared and I stared at death as fiercely as I could.
They laughed and their horses stepped closer until they all stopped and waited. The silence tore me apart, but my eyes flashed and bore into their metal shells.
They raised mail-clad arms and huge, rifle-paired crossbows glared at me. I braced and placed both hands over my heart, ruby tears seeped through my fingers, bruising my robes and I prepared for death, for I knew they would never allow me to live.
I held their gaze, clumsily stood and waited.
The Riders flexed and loosed and I waited, waited for the cold steel to pierce my body…
I gasped as effervescent flames danced and sturdy arms snatched my trembling body backwards, and then I was in his arms and we were gone within a blaze of amethyst.

writers' week writing contest
This is my entry for the Writers’ Week 2012 Writing Contest: Choose one of 50 prompts and write…

Five Sentence Fiction: Faces

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Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)
Time was moving fast, with no thought for anyone or anything.
She sat, an anonymous face amongst hundreds of commuters, her heart beating like the train pulling into the station. 
There was nothing she could do, exhaustion and fatigue not only lined her features, but incapacitated her tense muscles too, she couldn’t move and they were coming. Another glance at the clock and time was up, and from the corners of her eyes she could see them coming, like wasps swarming.
She rolled the capsule under her tongue, licked her lips, and moved the pill between her teeth; time was gone…and she bit down hard.

Made it just in time this week…now to get back into a routine after the Summer Holidays!

Five Sentence Fiction: Blush

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Photograph by Bekah and Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)

Pete was half way up the steps with his motorbike helmet tucked under his arm. He glanced back and waited for Jen. Jen struggled with the chinstrap on her helmet and he moved back to her and unfastened it. Jen lifted the helmet off and self-consciously touched her hair. Pete leaned close and whispered in her ear, Jen blushed and Pete grinned.

Blogflash: Day Eight: Relaxing

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Photograph by Bekah Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)

Day Eight: Relaxing
Flood Part Four:

“I’m so bored.”
“Why don’t you go beneath deck and relax? You do look tired dear.”
“There’s nothing to do and the last time I sat watching the damned ocean I was in a deck chair…and we’re running out of supplies…”
“Our supplies are fine dear. Didn’t you take a look at the stuff we picked up the other day?”
“Oh, the box with the parachute? Yes, I s’pose we’ll last a bit longer…and the parachute does mean we’re not out here alone…”
“There you go then, go down below and take a nap. I’m going to catch some rays…”

(100 Words)

Back to Day Seven…

We’ll be following this couple for a few more days…

Blogflash: Day Seven: Sunset

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Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)

Day Seven: Sunset
Flood Part Three:

“I’m finding it hard to recall the last sunset we saw on land…”
“Cwtch in closer sweetheart, wasn’t that long ago.”
“Tell me, mmm you’re warm…and it’s getting so cold.”
Beams of sunlight threw a path across the endless expanse of ocean.
“I like being on watch this time of night… It was that evening on the beach, before we lost the beaches and panic set in.”
“Don’t go there, not tonight.”
“Okay, the beach was still clear of debris, just that branch, remember? We watched the sun turn orange then red…then it disappeared into the sea.”
“Just like we have…”

(101 Words)

Click here for part two and here for Part One

Click here for Terri Long’s blogflash2012 Day Seven Sunset entries

Blogflash: Day Six: Reading

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Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)
Reading

Rowan grinned and curled up tight in her favourite chair as written words infiltrated her mind. She grasped the book in one hand and gently stroked the corners of the remaining pages in unconscious repetition. She was lost, lost in a world of elves and orcs and dragons, and love and fear and valour.
How Rowan wished she was there, swinging a sword and fluttering wings on her back, throwing herself into the adventure and feeling her spirit soar with just a pinch of fairy dust. And as she embraced herself in her blanket of words…in a way, she was!

(100 Words)

Blogflash: Day Five: Frustration

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Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)
Day Five: Frustration
Flood Part Two:

“I still think it’s biblical, forty days and nights…”
“Only it wasn’t forty days or nights, dear.”
“No it was more!”
“Typical old British Summer then.”
Water slapped the side of the boat.
“What d’you think happened to those in charge?”
“No idea…it was all a bit of a rush in the end wasn’t it?”
“You think they saw it coming?”
“No…or they’d never have done it.”
“Hmmm, bit more than a rain dance wasn’t it. Think they’d have known drought-ridden soil wouldn’t take that much…” Ominous swirling clouds darkened. “And here it comes again…will it ever stop?”

(98 words)

Five Sentence Fiction: Victory

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Photo By Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use)

She crouched uncomfortably on her knee, resting against the cot, its bars now imprinted on her cheek, one hand gently stroking soft baby hair and her finger tightly embraced within her baby’s tiny fist.
Her son’s thumb had found its way into his mouth and a quiet suckling broke the silence in the dark.
She held her breath and very, very delicately extricated her finger from his sleeping grasp, then slid her arms out through the bars as carefully as if they were laser beams, and slowly, very slowly rose to her feet.
Her creaking knees made her grimace and pause for a split second as the crunch echoed throughout the exhausted corridors of her mind, but she backed cautiously out of the room and pulled the bedroom door to.
She barely breathed as her ears listened for the tiniest of sounds, and as silence reigned she softly let out her breath and punched the air!

Blogflash: Day Four: Busy

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Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)
Busy

Sometimes I feel like I’m taking up too much of the pavement, and I make myself even smaller, pulling my holey jumper down over my knees and lacing my fingers tighter around my legs.
I try to be invisible even though I’m screaming to be seen.
I watch feet; I study shoes. Stomping brogues, clip-clopping heels, delicate sandals, cowboy boots, little girls’ T-bars, skyscraper stilettos, boys’ tatty trainers, sensible-for-work flats and flip-flops in the rain all pass me by.
This time it’s a pair of smart knee-highs that knock my nearly-empty, polystyrene cup of pennies flying…and yes, I am invisible.

(100 Words)

Come back tomorrow for Day Five and Part Two of Flood… 

Blogflash: Day Three: Colour

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Photo by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)
Day Three: Colour
Flood Part One:

“Didn’t God promise Noah he’d never flood the earth again?”
“He meant the entire world.”
“Well I can’t see nothing but blue from where I’m standing.”
The boat rocked gently on the huge millpond of an ocean.
“I think you have to blame the indigenous for this one…and we have to keep looking. There’s land, there’s definitely land.”
“Just not here.”
“So we keep sailing.” Crystal green waves splashed the hull. “And we follow that!”
The vessel altered course to follow the bow and its exquisite scarlet, apricot, saffron, emerald, cobalt, indigo and lavender colours arcing far across the horizon.

(100 Words)