Amidst the amber hue of falling leaves, I stood awaiting autumn's embrace. The chilly breeze ruffled my coat, whispering of change. Suddenly, a majestic crow, feathers glistening, perched on my shoulder. Her ebony eyes held depths of stories from distant lands.
"Friend," she crooned. "Winter will be harsher this year. Gather the village, prepare."
I nodded, understanding her message was both a warning and an offering of camaraderie. We would face the coming cold together. As she took flight, the growing pumpkin patch gleamed beneath her, a beacon of hope and sustenance in the impending winter.
I’m here’s mine... I didn’t quite make the entire prompt the story took an unanticipated turn...
INTO THE VOID.
For two hours interior lights in the coach reassured the passengers, now, they begin to flicker, the battery obviously failing.
Outside snow is falling, swirling, white curtains whipped by a wild and worsening wind.
Normally, all eyes would have been filled with childlike joy at the winter wonderland before them. Instead, perched as they are on a précipice, 36 lives hanging in the balance, the beauty of the landscape is lost in the panic of the darkness.
Someone leaps up shouting, look there’s a light approaching, the coach groans, metalwork creaking, then teeters…
Sadly I cannot share my short story here this week! That's because the final episode in my Summer of Magic series is a *200 word story* - it simply didn't fit into 100 words. 😂
I'm going with the (Free Writing Friday) prompt this week, Erica.
FALL
The agonising pains started as he got out of the car. Heartburn, again. Damn, he should not have wolfed down that ‘snack’ before rushing to get his outfit on for the party. He was certain his corpse costume would be the sure fire winner. The pumpkin heads flickered with eerie life, spooky candlelight haunting his approach. The raven spoke, head to one side as it looked at him from its pumpkin perch. “Are you ready?”. As he fell, he clawed at his constricted chest. Voices in the background. “Damn, that corpse looks realistic. This is gonna be the best Halloween”.
In a dimly lit room, the smartphone's screen flickered ominously. Bob's gaze locked onto the dire message: "Battery Critical - 1% Remaining." Panic surged within him. His frantic search for the charger yielded only a sinister USB-C cable.
Driven by desperation, he plugged it in, but an eerie warning flashed: "Unauthorized Access." The phone unleashed a relentless stream of cat memes, filling the room with joyless feline laughter.
Bob's complexion drained as the phone drained his sanity and life force. Regret washed over him for ignoring those "free" cat content pop-up ads. In the digital abyss, he confronted the true horrors, technology.
Amidst the amber hue of falling leaves, I stood awaiting autumn's embrace. The chilly breeze ruffled my coat, whispering of change. Suddenly, a majestic crow, feathers glistening, perched on my shoulder. Her ebony eyes held depths of stories from distant lands.
"Friend," she crooned. "Winter will be harsher this year. Gather the village, prepare."
I nodded, understanding her message was both a warning and an offering of camaraderie. We would face the coming cold together. As she took flight, the growing pumpkin patch gleamed beneath her, a beacon of hope and sustenance in the impending winter.
I was going to leave it hanging Barrie, then I saw the prompt... hey ho! 😉
I’m here’s mine... I didn’t quite make the entire prompt the story took an unanticipated turn...
INTO THE VOID.
For two hours interior lights in the coach reassured the passengers, now, they begin to flicker, the battery obviously failing.
Outside snow is falling, swirling, white curtains whipped by a wild and worsening wind.
Normally, all eyes would have been filled with childlike joy at the winter wonderland before them. Instead, perched as they are on a précipice, 36 lives hanging in the balance, the beauty of the landscape is lost in the panic of the darkness.
Someone leaps up shouting, look there’s a light approaching, the coach groans, metalwork creaking, then teeters…
In the distance a raven is calling…
Oh, beautifully nudged toward the edge! Love it.
Here's my story for this Friday Erica! Thanks an always. I didn't use the photo prompt but I got the color right in a marigold... https://open.substack.com/pub/arrivalsanddepartures/p/saubhagyawati
Absolutely compelling writing. Thank you.
Thank you so much!!
Sadly I cannot share my short story here this week! That's because the final episode in my Summer of Magic series is a *200 word story* - it simply didn't fit into 100 words. 😂
I'm going with the (Free Writing Friday) prompt this week, Erica.
FALL
The agonising pains started as he got out of the car. Heartburn, again. Damn, he should not have wolfed down that ‘snack’ before rushing to get his outfit on for the party. He was certain his corpse costume would be the sure fire winner. The pumpkin heads flickered with eerie life, spooky candlelight haunting his approach. The raven spoke, head to one side as it looked at him from its pumpkin perch. “Are you ready?”. As he fell, he clawed at his constricted chest. Voices in the background. “Damn, that corpse looks realistic. This is gonna be the best Halloween”.
Never ignore a pain in the chest! Great writing Barrie...
As a man of ‘a certain age’, I wholeheartedly agr ... argh, what was that - ooh, indigestion. As you were. I agree 😉
😂
Woo hoo!! That was good.
Thanks so much, Reena.
Good one, Barrie!
Just a quickie ... but fun. Thanks so much, Debs
In a dimly lit room, the smartphone's screen flickered ominously. Bob's gaze locked onto the dire message: "Battery Critical - 1% Remaining." Panic surged within him. His frantic search for the charger yielded only a sinister USB-C cable.
Driven by desperation, he plugged it in, but an eerie warning flashed: "Unauthorized Access." The phone unleashed a relentless stream of cat memes, filling the room with joyless feline laughter.
Bob's complexion drained as the phone drained his sanity and life force. Regret washed over him for ignoring those "free" cat content pop-up ads. In the digital abyss, he confronted the true horrors, technology.