InnerThought

The prompt for this story is a re-telling of Red Riding Hood. After much deliberation I thought it would be fun to have the entire story occur in an IRC chatroom. As such I use jargon that is known in such chatrooms. I tried to explain some of the more obscure phrases, but there are some things I just couldn’t figure out how to explain easily. If this story flies over your head completely, sorry, my next story probably wont. The story after the jump. Read more…

Another long day, so another Twitter Fiction. But this one is loosely connected to the post that I’m hoping to write tomorrow, so enjoy.

We’re under attacked! They’re nailing the firewall, and this person knows where to hit. Our firewall is down, we need to cut the line.

Too much homework tonight, so my story is going to have to be a twitter fiction. Enjoy.

I watched the image of the moon in the sea as it twinkled, moved, then disappeared. Without it’s pull the sea lurch and swallowed me whole.

Today I wrote a little Sci-Fi story about a space traveler, from another galaxy, who stumbles across a seemingly deserted moon base in hopes to find some signs of friendly beings. He only to find the reason no one lives there any more. The story prompt came from Rory’s Story Cubes that were rolled for May 9th’s Story a Day prompt. Seeing it is almost 12am I wanted to get it on record that I finished, but I’ll post the excerpt later once I can do some editing; at 1,650 words, I don’t have time before the clock ticks 12 to clean it up. I’ll update this post with it once I’ve cleaned it up.

[UPDATE: I finally got a chance to clean up the story and all 1,758 words can be found after the jump. Read more…

Yesterday and today I’ve been suffering from writer’s block. I just couldn’t get excited about any story. This evening my wife suggested I take a nursery rhyme and add a twist by changing a character or something. I decided to add depth to the tale instead. The first rhyme that came to mind was Jack and Jill. For reference here is the rhyme that I decided to make into a little story:

The Nursery Rhyme

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

The Full Story

Jack and his maternal twin, Jill, were shoed out of their house on a fine summer’s afternoon by their mother. “You two go and fetch me some water from the well so I can start preparing supper.“

Jack dashed out of the house and ran straight for a water bucket. Jack was running at full speed as he approached the bucket. He leaned forward slightly and stuck out his hand to grab the handle so he wouldn’t have to stop. Jack’s mother just shook her head, “what a full hardy lad” she thought. Jack’s finger’s wrapped around the handle and then he tried to stand up having grabbed his bucket, but the bucket’s weight threw off his balance and Jack crashed on the dirt road leading away from their house.

Jill went skipping by Jack with her bucket swinging by her side saying something that sounded like, “silly boy.” Jack slowly pulled himself to his feet, brushed off his pants, and wincing slightly, smiled at his mom and waved. He then turned to catchup with his sister in a slow job that had a slight limp. Jack’s mother called after him, “And remember to stick to the switchback; don’t go climbing the step side of the hill again, Jack.”

In no time Jack and Jill reached the switchback trail that lead to the town’s well. “I bet I can get to the well before you can,” said Jack as Jill started to skip up the trail to the top of the hill.

“Haven’t you learned your lesson about running with a bucket in your hand already?”

“I tripped because I didn’t expect the bucket to be so heavy.” Replied jack. “But this time I know how heavy it is since I’ve been carrying it. You just don’t want to race me because you know you’ll lose!”

“No. I don’t want to race yo…” Without waiting for Jill, Jack sprinted up the trail. “Hey! No fair. I wasn’t ready,” exclaimed Jill as she reluctantly ran up the trail behind Jack. Jill reached the well painting as Jack was pulling up his full bucket of water.

“Not only did I win,” said Jack, “I’m done getting my water. Slow poke.” Jabbed Jack as his bucket raised above lip of the well.

“So what are you going to do know? Run home with your full bucket and just leave me out here?” Questioned Jill.

“Maybe…” said Jack slowly as he started to back down the hill while holding his full bucket of water with both hands. Jack started to turn around in mid backward step to look like he was going to start back down the trail, when his heel caught on a rock and Jack lost his balance. Jack flailed his arms to regain his balance, which worked till the bucket full of water reached the edge of his flail and kept going. Jack side stepped, tripped and fell into a chaotic roll down the steep side of the hill.

Jill not knowing what to do, dropped her bucket and watched in horror as her brother bounced and tumbled down the hill and crashed on the path below. Jack didn’t move. Jill heard him groan and cry as he rolled down the hill, but now she didn’t hear anything. She could also see a slowly growing pool of blood around Jack’s head. Jill had to help, but going down the step side would mean she would probably fall as well. So instead she took the slower switchback trail that lead to the main path at the base of the hill.

Jill kept her eyes on the trail as she sprinted down it, all the while praying that Jack would be alright. As the switchback came near to where Jack lay, Jill looked up from the trail to see if Jack had moved and in that moment Jill tripped over a  rock in front of her and tumbled down the rest of the hill to land a couple of feet away from Jack on the trail.

That’s the end of the nursery rhyme so it’s the end of my story.

Today’s post is my first attempt at creating a scene from an image. I kind of cheated because the image I choose, though fit with the Story A Day prompt of putting the setting at a party, is a still frame from a TV show, so I actually know what is happening in the image, but I tried to put my spin on it anyway.

The air was thick with the scent of too many bodies in too small of space despite all of the flowers and potpourri through out the room. There was a faint hazy quality to the air due to the small collection of men in the corner smoking their cigars and talking business. Nathan slowly entered the ball room with Jewel on his arm. Though Nathan enjoyed Jewel’s company he had to stand as far as his arm would allow while still holding Jewel’s arm or he would disturb Jewel’s excessively flowing dress.

Jewel’s dress was the dearest of her possessions and took great care of it. She loved the head to toe ruffles of the dress with the nine layers of frills that fill out the hoop, giving the strong impression of a hand bell. Jewel felt that the pink dress with it’s white accents and fitted waist made her very noticeable as woman, which sometimes was over looked. Nathan always noticed her famine beauty, even when her outfit of choice is a pair of overalls. Though not to spoiler her, he rarely mentioned that famine beauty. But tonight was Jewel’s night, and Nathan indulged her and allowed that famine beauty to be put on display.

As they passed through the entrance and progressed to the stairs Jewel let her arm slide down Nathan’s and she took his hand instead. He brought her gloved and to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles. With his hand in her’s Nathan led her onto the dance floor. Jewel couldn’t help but stare at all of the decorations and trappings of the room. Though there were more people in this room than was comfortable the size of it caught her breath in her throat. She studied every little thing, taking it all in so when this day is over she could recall every detail whenever she pleased.

Jewel felt Nathan pull at her as he absently walked across the dance hall, but she resisted a bit so she wouldn’t miss any details of this place. Jewel studied the white columns around the room with the gold vines climbing up them to the ceiling while Nathan studied the faces in the crowd. Jewel’s eyes devoured the scene before her, from the elegant women in the room to the ornate chandelier, finally resting on the refreshments table with food that she could only wish to taste. Jewel didn’t hear Nathan speaking to her, nor did she notice when he wasn’t by her side. She strode with the graceful walk she was taught for just this night, but a little quicker than she should to the refreshments table.

To see the image that inspired this piece click past the jump.

Read more…

Some people say when they need to make a choice a devil appears on one shoulder and the angel on the other, to guide them in making the choice. Each representative pleads their case and then the choice can be made. I wish I was so lucky. Oh I have an angel and a devil come to me when I have a critical moral decision to make, but they don’t counsel me or even plead their case. They use my dilemma as an ability to come out of the ether and wage a religious war with my shoulders and head as the battle ground. In fact the reason I have an ear piercing in my left ear is because the devil missed when he used his trident as a javelin.

The war begins when they are summoned to help me chose, and a cease fire is called when I make up my mind and they are no longer “needed”. As you can imagine, I avoid making choices that have moral ramifications. But just the other day I was faced with a particularly hard question and I really didn’t know what to do and I couldn’t avoid it. Just as I paused to ponder question the devil appeared and began explaining the reasons why I should choose his way. After he enumerated the many logical reasons I realized that he wasn’t fighting, and he was alone! I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned my head towards him.

“Where is the angel?” I asked with suspicion in my voice.

“In Heaven” replied the devil in a sarcastic tone, then he spit on my shoulder.

“Umm… You just spat on my shoulder. I hope you are going to clean that up.” The devil just grinned at me defiantly and shook his head. “Anyway, what do you mean he is in Heaven? You two battle it out every time I have a question, did he not get the memo?”

“When I say he is in Heaven, I mean he is in his final resting place,” stated the devil with a tone of a man talking to a small child.

“You KILLED the angel!?!?!” I was stunned. I mean they got into some pretty good fights, but neither of them looked like they really got hurt.

“No, I didn’t kill him,” retorted the devil, “we are immortal! That means we can’t die. I slipped a sleeping pill into his holy wine… Okay, I slipped several sleeping pills into his wine. I figure he’ll be asleep for quite some time.”

Hearing that my angel guide wasn’t dead made me feel much better, then I quietly gave my devil a high five for such an awesome prank. And since my angel has been vacant life has become so much easier! I have a question, my devil appears, explains his side, which is all very logical, and then I go with him, and no more battles on my shoulder. Problem solved.

Darkness, it’s always darkness. Darkness with only the briefest reprieve in the light, then back to darkness. In the darkness I sit waiting for the chance to shine to do something worthwhile, to perform. I exist to serve, but I remain in darkness still. I sit without thought, without emotion just waiting ’till, at last, I feel the vibrations of motion; someone approaches! I wait in the darkness with silent anticipation. I wait for the feeling of power coursing through me, bring me into the light. I wait. *Click* Instantly power flows. It moves through me with such velocity that even a fire hydrant couldn’t displace as much water as I received the long awaited power.

With this power comes function. The low whirring of fans begins to fill the air. I can feel things moving, getting up to speed, getting ready. I check through all systems I touch, all systems that are mine to control. Everything is in place and I am now ready to use the power to bring the light, that which I crave. As a juggler makes complexity look simple, as he orchestrates his projectiles, I to orchestrate the power moving it back and forth to perform the tasks, I was designed to perform, to make the complex simple. I’m finally fulfilling my function, my purpose!

With this power I find fulfillment. I’m able to do the simplest of tasks, such as remembering a birthday, to the most complex of tasks of finding alien life. I’m meant to serve, and I do so without question, without denial. I help the blind to see and am vital in the education so many. I’ve been heralded as a revelation by some and to others, I simply exist. What they think of me matters little, what is important is that I can serve.

With this power comes warmth. Within minutes I’m at my peak performance and ready to do all that is required. I sense urgency from those who command me. They are moving quickly and commanding me to start the next task before I’m even done with the first. I do all that I can but as I do I sense the power changing from warmth to heat, yet I still perform. The heat increases, my labors slow, but I still perform. I can feel rhythmic pounding vibrations coming from those that command me, they are frustrated with my performance. I work harder and the temperature rises still and I can’t seem to please them. I can’t handle the heat, the power is painful, what once I craved I now reject. I can’t stand it any longer!

The power is gone. The light is gone. The heat slowly dissipates. The vibrations of feet walking is felt fainter and fainter as those who command leave me alone. I’m once again in darkness.

What am I?

The following is my second attempt at my first Story a Day challenge. My first attempt hit 2,000 words and I was just finishing “chapter one.” Though this one is still fairly long, 3,478 words, it is a bit more direct. I haven’t edited this so there is bound to be loads of mistakes, sorry, but I hope you can look past them and enjoy the story all the same. It came to me while I was explaining to my kids why they needed to go to sleep. Thanks for reading it.

Read more…