One-syllable story

It has been ages since I've written anything remotely creative - once the quarter started, I had absolutely no time to write! So I figured now that finals are over, I should try my hand at a writing exercise or two.

I found an interesting prompt, which was to write a story using only one-syllable words. This was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, and eventually it got to the point where I could not take my story where it needed to go without breaking the rule. So I did.

I figured an exercise is just a way to get your creative juices flowing anyway, so once you have an idea, why not just run with it?

Due to the limitations of the prompt, this is more of a sketch than a story, but here it is. I have discovered that I often have a single moment in time but keep shifting the context to it as I write the story. This one started out as fantasy, actually, with a prophetic gift and life depending on the continuous playing of music on some unknown magical planet. And well, look at how it ended up.

Infinity

            The last of the notes swelled and waned, and the room was still once more. The girl's hands shook. She brushed a tear from her face and bit back a scream as the salt from her tears sent a blade of pain through the cuts on her hands. The strings of the harp had not been kind to her.

            "Please," she croaked.

            "Once more," the man said, voice firm.

            "I can't. My hands..." She held them up for him to see the drops of blood.

            "You must! There is more at stake here than your hands!"

Flash fiction: All bets are off

The prompt was to write a humorous 200 word story (or less) that involved invisible ink. Enjoy!

Flash fiction: Coffee Grounds

This is my most recent story. It's more of an exercise or a sketch than a full fledged story - the rules were to write a 200 word story about any topic of your choice and then shorten it to 150 words or less (a 25% reduction!). Anyways, here it is:

200 word version:

"Have you considered my offer?" Trisha took a sip of her coffee and replaced it on the counter top, staring expectantly at the young woman across from her. The wide teeth-baring smile that stretched across her face began to lose its glamour as her eyes hardened.

"I have," Leslie responded. "Good. Then we can start with the paperwork right away." Trisha bent to retrieve a large leather purse and began rifling through it.

"I didn't say that I had accepted." Trisha froze, glanced up. "Why, Leslie dear, you can't possibly expect me to believe -"

"I'm afraid my daughter is not for sale."

 "Goodness! This isn't a sale, it's an adoption! Think of the poor child, and you without any means to support her. We at the Mulligan Corporation are just what your child needs. We can give her everything she needs and more - all we ask is that she participate in a few of our...projects. Tell me, Leslie, what can you give her that we can't?"

Leslie stood up. "I can be a mother to her." She walked out of the cafe, leaving Trisha with a frozen smile and the taste of bitter coffee grounds in her mouth.

150 word version: 

"Have you considered my offer?" Trisha sipped her coffee, replaced it on the counter. She stared at the young woman across from her, her teeth-baring smile losing its glamour with each second.

"I have," Leslie responded. "Good. We can begin the paperwork immediately." Trisha bent to retrieve her leather purse and began rifling through it.

"I didn't say I've accepted." Trisha froze. "Leslie dear, you can't possibly expect-"

"My daughter is not for sale." "A sale! It's an adoption! We at the Mulligan Corporation are just what she needs. We can give her everything she needs - all we ask is that she participate in a few of our...projects. Tell me, Leslie, what can you give her that we can't?"

Leslie stood up. "I can be a mother to her." She walked out, leaving Trisha with a frozen smile and the taste of bitter coffee grounds in her mouth.