Prose – Page 48 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Station

I was at my station on Tower 5 overlooking Green Plains. We hadn’t seen a dragon in two months nor did we expect an attack from that side and since we were short of technicians they left me to guard the position alone.

When the sensors picked up the heads of more than fifty approaching, I confirmed the attack and fired the missiles which scrambled the jets. There was nothing left for me to do except wait sitting on the S10 as a last defense.

I can still hear the screeching of those who made it past our defenses. I didn’t expect to survive, especially when the tower dropped, but I hoped at least when I joined my family our city would.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word being “station”.

GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon — GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon

First Flight

The interviewer wanted to know whether Bird was scared when he jumped out of the nest for the first time.

Bird said, “Technically I didn’t ‘jump’. I flew. My wings moved. Soon the nest was far below me. I don’t know how it happened. It’s not like jumping. There’s a difference.”

The interviewer wondered, “Really? What’s the difference?”

He clarified, “You see, any monkey can jump out of a nest. You know as well as I do what will happen. I’m not going to go there. But birds, well – how do I put this? We don’t jump. We fly.”

Linked to Carrot Ranch August 13 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “first flight” for these 99-word stories.

From Useful to Useless

I held the pottery in my hands and noticed the crack across the bottom. It would not hold water but perhaps it was still useful.

When I placed it in the donations box I noticed an edge. I picked it up again running my thumb to test the sharpness and drew blood.

While bandaging my thumb I realized it was not safe to donate. After wrapping it I dropped it in the garbage chute and heard in the dumpster below the impact which split it in two.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge Six Sentence Story Word Prompt with the challenge word “useful”.

Lava Hot

When twelve Brett told his aunt that chickens were dinosaurs. She laughed. What a stupid kid.

Brett’s mind was lava hot, hot enough to melt chaos into understanding. After reading that chickens were dinosaurs he looked at the hens in the chicken house who’d peck when he reached for the eggs they were sitting on differently.

True, they were smaller. True, they had feathers. True, they didn’t really run like Tyrannosaurus Rex.

When seventy another nugget of reality melted in his ever hot lava lamp of understanding. What if his old aunt was right? What if they weren’t dinosaurs?

Linked to Carrot Ranch’s August 6th Flash Fiction Challenge. Charli Mills offers the theme of molten lava, real or metaphoric, for the 99-word stories.

Turning

Jim knew that random stuff couldn’t all be his fault. Some of it was bad luck. And as for the rest, he intended to get even with Mark and his girlfriend Denise for dodging their involvement by witnessing against him.

The judge sentenced him to thirty years saying that at Jim’s age that would give him a good chunk of the rest of his life to think it over and give the community respite from his stony heart.

After two of those decades Jim was surprised to hear that first Mark and later Denise both died from natural causes. In his own last years he forgot all about luck and wished he could have seen either of them once again to tell them how sorry he was for wasting their lives.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “random”.

One-Liner Wednesday – Yesterday

If I only knew I should have done what I didn’t do the day before.

Linked to Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday.

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

Stacking Stones

Nature does a grander job. What we made was mindful. Besides that wasn’t why we piled stones on top of one another. We were testing each other’s patience.

I failed the test and let her set the last stone, her crowning glory, on top. They didn’t fall and so per agreement she left.

I would have told you about the arguments, but I’ve forgotten them. I only remember where we set those stones. It was out of the way. A decade later I came back. I looked everywhere.

Nature let us take our turn then washed it all away.

Linked to Charli Mills’ July 30th: Flash Fiction Challenge to write a 99-word story using the phrase “her crowning glory”. Although the story mentions “I”, it is not autobiographical.

Shower

The week was hot and Gloria listened to her grandson Brian justify the latest rally with such fervor that she felt his self-righteousness pummel her aging body. She was young once herself, but she wished Brian didn’t have to learn things the hard way just as her father wished the same for her.

In response to her objections Brian increased the force of his argumentation until his mother, tired of overhearing them, called to him from the kitchen. Wiping her eyes Gloria wondered why people couldn’t see how easy it was to waste their short lives.

Brian agreed to apologize and the next morning he brought in a tray with his grandma’s breakfast, but after trying he couldn’t wake her. He yelled for his dad while outside a storm began pounding a heavy shower battling the heat wave.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “shower”.

One-Liner Wednesday – Tangled

A tangled tongue is better tuned with truth that’s kind and useful.

Linked to Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday.

Steward

Jim spent decades getting sick without realizing it. When finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease he didn’t believe it. Sure he had a belly, but he felt fine. Reality smacked him and he rejected all prescribed medications. He would rewind his life’s bad habits starting with his diet.

That took time, but he lost weight. His biomarkers improved. The diet became habitual. Jim forgot he was even on it.

He stopped thinking about himself. He realized he was consuming less. Perhaps even he, old Jim, could steward the earth rather than want to eat more and more of it.

Linked to the Carrot Ranch July 23 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “a story to show what it is to protect nature around us”.