Flashback Friday – Three Witches

Welcome to the Halloween Edition of Fandango’s Friday Flashback, that master of the macabre invites us to reveal our ancient secrets in the form of an old post. Buahahaha ….

Three Witches

The bus pulled away in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes. Mary didn’t even notice, she was still standing, suitcase in hand, staring. This couldn’t be right. The ad had requested a housekeeper for a large family estate. It had failed to mention the dilapidated condition. “Must be better on the inside,” Mary assured herself as she wound her way through the dry dead weeds to the front door.

The huge, ancient door creaked open all on it’s own when she approached. Mary stuck her head inside. “Hello,” she called quietly as she entered the house.

It was gloomy inside, she walked deeper into the house and saw three old women standing together. Suddenly, one let out a mephistophelian cackle. Mary stepped back. “Hello, I’m Mary. I answered your ad.”

“Yes dearie, come in. Forgive us, my sisters and I are quite blind,” the tallest answered.

“We wouldn’t be blind if Lachesis hadn’t lost the eye,” murmured another.

The smallest shouted, “That’s why we hired a housekeeper.”

Mary looked around at the accumulation of dust and clutter. “Excuse me, but why precisely did you need a housekeeper?”

All three sisters cried out “TO FIND THE EYE!”

Mary fainted.

Word count 199

This post originally posted October 28, 2018 in response to FFfPP #43 and the word of the day challenge Mephistophelian – because it’s such an awesome word.

Til next time ~Witching you a Happy Halloween ~JP

Two Wrongs and a Write? – a SoCS micro-jumble-tale

For Stream of Consciousness Saturday, I’ve done something a wee bit different this week. Linda gave us a prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “a word that contains a silent letter.” Choose a word that contains a silent letter and use it in your post, or write about words with silent letters in general. Enjoy!

Okay so I decided on the letter W and scribbled down as many “silent W” words as I could come up with for a word jumble kind of story.

“Wrack, wraith wrangle wrap wreath wren wrench wrestle wrinkle wrist write wrong wrought answer sword two who“

It was quite the wrestling match as Wraith wrangled her wrap about her shoulders without wrenching a wrist. She wracked her brain for the author who had written “Tale of Two Wrong Swords” and was becoming overwrought by the latest wrinkle in her plan to wreath the book review in flowery prose. And where the dickens was her sister Wren?

Til next time ~Stay trippy hippies ~JP

Dry Boats – a Crimsons Creative Challenge micro fiction

Star gazed at the old boats with undisguised longing. They rested on a dry dock a stark reminder of the Water Elementals power. Oh how she missed the water, days with her family pulling in nets heavy with fish. With no natural rainfall and the cloud seeders struggling, boating was a luxury no longer even dreamed of. And so, Star brought out her small test kit and, finding the water fairly safe to drink, filled her canteens before walking on. A small smile stretched across her face at the memory of wet spray on her skin.

Word count 96

This story inspired by Crimsons Creative Challenge # 199 (wow that’s an auspicious number!)

Til next time ~May the rain fall softly on your fields ~JP

Friday Flashback – Prosery Micro-fiction

Light of the Pyres – a Prosery Tale

All that happened was in the past. So long ago, there was no way to change anything. Naught to do but watch the rain fall on the tiny grave. The landscape was dim, lit only by the flames from the pyres for the dead. The sky roiled sullen scarlet orange, it was medieval. A shiver ran up her spine.

They had won the battle, but they had lost so much. Star had lost her way, lost herself. She scarcely recognized her reflection anymore. She had been forged in the furnace of battle, hammered on the anvil of loss and honed into a fine weapon by tactics and strategy. Her self remained no more, replaced by the soldier who was a stranger in her own body. And suddenly she understood the prophet’s words, “you will love again the stranger who was your self.” But how?

This post inspired by Fandango’s Flashback Friday
and originally written for dVerse Poets Prosery flash fiction challenge

Til next time ~May you hearth fire burn bright ~JP

The Weapon – a Crimson Creative Challenge Micro Fiction

Our Crimson Creative Challenge this week is the fabulous clock pictured. Wow! For some reason it puts me in mind of a different time, a different world.

The clock ticked on. Gwren was growing restless and it showed. Javvir smiled that infuriating smile teachers have. “The blade reaches it target at the right time, never early,” he reassured.

Gwren shot an irritated glance at his mentor, “you speak of her as if she were a weapon.”

“She is the Starblade,” came with a shrug.

Gwren snatched a dagger from one boot and flicked it at the rail where it promptly exploded into white fire sending humans and monsters alike scurrying. “I am a weapon,” he kicked out with a low sweep nearly knocking Javvir’s feet from beneath him. “She is the spark of desire that drives the blade. She is the magic of ice and fire, of wind and soil. She is a woman.”

Javvir shook his head, a smile quirking one lip “and you my friend are a besotted fool. There she is.”

word count 148 (Whew that took some editing!)

Til next time ~May your Mondays be short, but not too short ~JP

Flashback Friday – Time to Run

Welcome to Flashback Friday where Fandango invites us to revisit and share some of our earlier works. Today I’m revisiting a post from July 22, 2019, originally written for the Sunday Whirl’s wordle # 413.

Signal, channel, simple, trauma, fine, smug, limit, rock, sage, claw, charm, run

playing around in Paint individual images from Pixabay

Time to Run

The signal came over the radio channel, it’s meaning clear to those who knew. Their resources had been stretched to the limit but the make-shift trauma unit been their home base for several months. A simple burst of static had changed all that. Persephone and the other dragons had dug through the fine rock of the cave opening to reveal the large inner cave.

Persephone shook her great head, they had become so smug, thinking themselves safe within their hide when the company’s Sage had cast her concealment charm. But now it was over. Now they must run. Run back to the war, to fight with fang and claw, against sword and pistol. Persephone stopped her musing as Marxine, her human rider, checked her fighting harness as she settled behind Persephone’s dorsal ridge. She raised her sword giving a battle cry, Persephone roared out her answering challenge and with the beat of her powerful wings, they were aloft.

word count 158

Til next time ~Peace ~JP

Death by Jewelry – Friday Flashback

Welcome to Flashback Friday where we reintroduce some of our older posts. Here’s one from 7/8/2021. Originally written for Crimsons-creative-challenge # 139 and published here for Fandango’s Flashback Friday, a peek into the dark alleyways of my creative mind.

Death by Jewelry

Solanj sized up the path, deserted even at mid-day, this would do nicely. A lovely place for a gentleman to take a lady for a moonlight stroll. The symmetrical trees and shrubs concealed many a covert alcove where lovers would be safe from prying eyes. A perfect place for the garroting of an evil aristocrat. Solanj fingered the gold ring on her hand, it’s cabochon stone concealing a poison dart. Her bracelet of lavender silk cord braided with strong silver wire currently wrapped around her dainty wrist, unrolled into an effective garrote. Solanj, the most feared assassin of her age, never concealed a weapon. After all who would presume to question a lady’s jewelry.

word count 117

Til next time ~Stay Wild Moonchild ~JP

Looking for Shade – a micro tale

Crimsons Creative Challenge # 190

Looking for Shade – a micro tale

She saw the sign that forbade entry, but it was long disused and overgrown. At the far side of the meadow were trees that beckoned with the promise of shade, a welcome respite from the steaming undergrowth of the fens. She hopped the low fence and trudged slowly on. Until she heard the rustle of movement in the grass, she stopped and strained her ears to hear the high-pitched pop giggle. “Gaushi! Fens Fairies!” With their sharp little teeth they were quite a spiteful nuisance, so she did what any sensible water witch would do. She RAN!

Word count 98

Til next time ~Peace ~JP

Flashback Friday – Spring Green

Here we are with Friday Flashback … again. I mean seriously, it’s Friday? Again? Already? Man my Daddy was NOT kidding when he said “once you’re over the hill, you pick up speed.” Fandango’s Flashback Friday aims to reintroduce some earlier works. So here is a wee bit of micro-fiction from June 17, 2021, originally written in response to Crimson’s Creative Challenge # 136

Parched

The clouds gathered dark that day, blotting out the sun. Dark and ominous with jagged edges, holding the promise for rain. Xere paused, savoring the cool shade. Desiccated earth beneath her feet cracked and crumbled, as her lungs cried out for moisture. No storm came to quench earth or skin. No rain fell that day, or any day since.

Til next time ~Stay Trippy Hippies ~JP

In the Greenhouse – a Crimson Creative Challenge

For Crimson’s Creative Challenge

In the Greenhouse

Farren ambled through the forest aimlessly, her ears still ringing from the mortar fire. She shook her head again trying to clear her mind, when abruptly she came upon a dilapidated building. An old greenhouse, long abandoned being reclaimed by the forest. Well, maybe there would be something edible to salvage, food was scarce. She was so sick of this bloody war, front lines constantly changing, attacks and counter attacks making it impossible to stay put for even a single season. Fought over some point so obscure, neither civilian or soldier could remember what they fought for. She parted the densly overgrown plants and saw a number of yellow fruit hanging from a branch. She grabbed one and bit in. It was sweet and the liquid cooled her parched throat. Greedily, she reached for another. That’s when she noticed the blue glow.

Word count 142

Til next time ~see ya later alligator ~JP