Prose – Page 49 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

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”.

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

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”.

Hunch – Six Sentence Story

Jim noticed the movement of the mist on the pond as he went to the garden. He had a hunch Mary would be tending the vines.

She told him she was pregnant. One can’t escape consequences and sometimes one doesn’t want to.

I could have said they smiled, but no. They laughed and made new plans.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “hunch”.

Don’t Say a Word

Jeremy stepped inside. In his ear he heard, “Stay near the door. Don’t respond to anything they say.”

“Look. That guy’s back.”

“OK, let’s finish this. You’re going to get what’s coming to you. You hear me? No one will care how loud you scream in this place.”

The five men stepped out of the safety of the shadows moving toward Jeremy. When they were visible in the middle of the room, shots shattered the windows.

Jeremy heard a gunfight outside. His earphone went silent. He wondered what happened. Was it safe to leave?

He left the room anyway.

Linked to Carrot Ranch July 16 Flash Fiction Challenge to write a 99-word story with the theme “scream inside your heart”.