Idiomatic conversation- Light and Shade Challenge

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“I shall cross the bridge when it comes” quipped Lindel priding herself on her quick thinking.

“Always mend your bridges and never burn them” countered Esther calmly.

“Hold the bridge!..wait..or is it the fort??” blurted Lindel, panic eyes darting between the swift-moving sand and the picture.

“It’s all water under the bridge, now” scorned Esther, tapping the sand clock of its residue, signaling the end of the time limit.

“Now that your creative juices are well shaken, sit down to write that essay” bellowed Jonathan, an English professor and the picture-word game’s brainchild, secretly pleased with his children’s vocabulary. 
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Word count:100

100 word fiction written for the Light and Shade Challenge, combining both the prompts below:

Photo prompt:

Image courtesy of cheva and taken from the Wikipedia Commons
And the quote:
Shake well before opening
- instructions on a milkshake bottle.
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The haunted valley #FiveSentenceFiction

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The night of the full moon clad itself with a grey, smoky cover, throwing a muted and dispersed glow over the dark valley that was once inhabited by happy villagers until the fateful evening when a to-be-bride, jilted by her lover, jumped off the cliff to a violent death casting a permanent gloom over the village.

Ever since it was claimed that the girl, clad in her bridal outfit, disheveled hair left open and empty eyes, was seen standing at the edge of the same cliff on every full moon night, inhibiting travelers and natives alike from passing by the route, even as rumours of mysterious deaths in the valley gripped everyone with fear.

Not to be tied down by such superstitions, and with a lustful eye on the petite belle he could claim as his trophy, the village bully took up the bold challenge to drive down alone via the infamous route on a full-moon night at the behest of his inebriated ruffian cronies.

The stillness of the night, the accentuated sound of the steady roar of the two-wheeler, the swishing of the tree-branches as though in a hypnotic dance to an imaginary haunting tune, all added to the dark atmosphere and then all of a sudden there was a loud, screeching sound made by the abrupt halt of the rubber tires at the sight of a white apparition.

At this juncture, the recessed lights zoomed in gradually, and the 70 mm screen flashed the perfectly timed ‘intermission’, stirring the audience from the somber mood, yet keeping them guessing about the concluding part of the movie.

Lillie McFerrin Writes

Five sentence fiction written in response to the prompt: Darkness at LillieMcferrinWrites.


Lillie McFerrin Writes

Gum Boots #FridayFictioneers

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Carl's blackened body and contorted face was enough to give anyone the nightmares. The two cops stuck up their handkerchiefs into their nostrils trying not to throw up.

Walter spoke up first “Look at the blood marks here. The culprit was wearing gum boots”
Jack, his senior, rolled his eyes “Must have been disposed of by now”

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The flames rose as they caught on the rubber, spluttering sparks that bit Michelle. She felt no pain. Her life of abuse, pain and tears were over with Carl’s demise.

Michelle let out a soft laugh watching her gum boots melt away.

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright – Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Word count:100
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100 word story written in response to the photo prompt at Friday Fictioneers at Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. You can post one of your own or read the other entries here.

Happy Teacher's Day #55fiction

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He was new in the class; shy and afraid. The older ones laughed hysterically. “Wait, till Miss. Scarlet finds you. She’s our new dreaded teacher”.

As he stood shivering outside the staff room, ready to burst into tears, Miss Scarlet took him gently in her arms, “Let me know if the others trouble you, OK?”

Word count:55
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The Wildlife Enthusiast- Light and Shade Challenge

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I had always been fascinated with the animal and bird kingdom and devoured every trivia about them as a child, and stored the information in air-tight compartments in my memory. In the company of the (few) like-minded, these would be fished out duly and proudly presented during passionate discussions about the Beluga whales, African pythons or Bald eagles.

My ambitious friends, eventually, diverged out to bustling cities in pursuit of their own passions and dreams, leaving me alone in our childhood town, where pristine-white specks of fluffy clouds still dotted the clear blue skies that formed the canopy over the vast expanse of sun-soaked green and brown fields. My mind and heart were in constant conflict regarding my choice of profession and I could not decide whether to run after my passion and become a wild-life enthusiast, living the life of a nomad in the exciting forests and deep-seas or take up a more stable profession and live the expectations of my parents.

Photo prompt: Image courtesy of J-H Janssen taken from Wiki Commons

I settled for a job as a librarian-cum-manager in the only library we had for the entire town that housed about a 100 thousand people, including school and college-going students. The pay was meager but sufficient for my modest needs. The bonus was the access to the ocean of books and the solitude needed to dive and drown into the yellow, dog-eared pages on any topic under the sun. My picks were mostly books on photography, documentary making and of course anything that talked about the winged and four- legged creatures.

Living in the countryside meant a lot of family time and free-time to pursue hobbies. Where I lacked to give my family the creature comforts and luxury, I made it up by spending quality time, bonding with my better half and our four year old son. They glow of happiness on my wife’s face each time I made her breakfast on Sundays, or the depth of knowledge I could add to the infinite questions my son posed, filled my life with gratitude and contentment. I had saved up judiciously over the past several years and gifted myself a DSLR and spent precious time learning the nuances, and honing my skills in the picturesque local surroundings.  

They say, “When you wish with your whole heart, the universe conspires to let it come true”. Little did I know that my chance entry in a local photography and short video contest would open the doors to realizing my childhood dream; I bagged the first prize that offered a course in wildlife photography with one of the top universities in the state and a chance to work with the BBC wildlife professionals. I finally had a story to tell my son as he grew up: of a boy who never let his dreams die. It took a little detour, some compromises and a lot of courage in the heart but the flame was kept alive, that eventually was to become a raging inferno of proud accomplishments and fame.

Word Count: 499
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Written in response to the photo prompt for the Light and Shade Challenge, 1st September 2014.

Career conflict #FiveSentenceFiction #FridayFictioneers

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Grace crinkled up her nose. She hated the smell. It made her nauseous.

“You better get used to this. It’s going to be very much a part of your profession” scorned her mother whipping up the froth.

Grace mulled over if she really wanted to take up the profession that her family prided upon for several years now.

The conflict ended as divine aroma filled her olfactory senses even as the cheesecake did a slow and seductive rise in the oven.

“Bring on the eggs. I’m going to be an awesome baker one day!” She declared to her beaming mother.

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Madison Woods
Word count: 100
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Linking this to the 100 word fiction prompt at Rochelle's Friday Fictioneers, and
Five Sentence Fiction at LillieMcferrin Writes for the word prompt: Conflict

Lillie McFerrin Writes