Tag: Flash Fiction

Maybe it’s a mashup

Chris Hall46 Comments

© Ayr/Gray

I didn’t expect that, but what a happy coincidence – two things happened at the same time (well, almost); just like ‘kill two birds with one stone’ (not literally, of course), but now I have ‘Six Sentence Stories’ and ‘The Unicorn Challenge’, how fun!

So, anyway, look at the photo – three musicians, all fine players, performing.

I remember the wonderful song ‘Pass the Dutchie’ (1982), written by three songwriters: Jackie Mittoo, Fitzroy ‘Bunny’ Simpson and Lloyd ‘Judge’ Ferguson from Kingston. It talks about the Dutch oven, a type of cooking pot, in Jamaica, and how very delicious it is. Even more interesting, the Jamaican slang is from a pot holding marijuana, although we would never use it (ehem).

So, enjoy the music!

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Posted for The Unicorn Challenge, a magical challenge hosted by Jenne Gray and C E Ayr, where they provide a photo and we, in turn, provide up to 250 words.

Denise Farley of Girlie On The Edge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: PASS
Click on the Café sign for more #SixSentenceStories

Coming soon…

Chris Hall18 Comments

Hanson Lu on Unsplash

Space Cadets: Series 2

If you’re new to the series or want to catch up and remind yourself where we left off, the previous series is here: Space Cadets Series 1

Kirk and Spock Space Cadets lunasonline

How the last series ended:
‘Fascinating,’ observes Spock. He puts the tricorder down. ‘Let me try something, Captain.’
Spock reaches across the console. He presses three keys, one after the other: Ctrl-Ale-Delete.
Everything goes black.

What next for our gallant Space Cadets? Tune in on Friday!

The Cutesy-Pie Snow People

Chris Hall36 Comments

The image shows four tiny snow men like figures in different poses. All looking very cute!
The image shows four tiny snow men like figures in different poses. All looking very cute!

The Cutesy-Pie Snow-People were the craze of the century that Christmas. Their sweet little faces and animated features melted the hardest of hearts, and by mid-December every garden, balcony and complex had their own little Cutesy-Pie.

Everyone feared what would happen to the cute little creatures come the thaw. People cleared spaces in their freezers and banded together to rented chill-rooms to accommodate them for the warmer months.

But as the snow melted the Snow-People hardened. They began to grow taller and slimmer. They lost their sweet expressions and threw off their quirky hats. People stared out at them with a new fear. Were their cute little Snow-People going to turn on them?

Then one morning as the sun rose and cast its strengthening rays over the land, the Snow-People took to the air, rising up, glinting in the sunlight like so many ice angels.

They banded together and flew north.

Satellites tracked the angels’ progress; the feed was live-streamed into every home. People watched and waited. Then, as the first light dawned over the northern pole, the angels descended. Their bodies merged with the melting glaciers and re-froze the recent permafrost.

Together the Snow-People undid the damage of decades.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #29 photo prompt.
Image credit: Alexas Photos on Pixabay

The Hound of Hellidore

Chris Hall17 Comments

The Hound of Hellidore by Chris Hall lunasonline

The hooded figure and the magnificent hound disappeared inside the castle. Sinead and Moonsprite followed, forced to walk singly in the narrow torch-lit passageway.

‘Courage, Sinead!’

The voice echoed in her head once again. She remembered when she’d first heard it: when she’d last gone into battle. But why the welcome and now the warning?

The voice continued. ‘Both good and evil lie within these walls and not everything as it seems. Remember this.’

Up ahead, the figure halted before an archway. The hound sat bolt upright, its attention fixed on whatever lay beyond. As Sinead and Moonsprite approached, the figure lowered its hood revealing the smiling face of an elderly elf. His green-tipped ears twitched merrily.

‘I am Tarron. I bid you welcome. This is the Hound of Hellidore. He will lead you to the Great Maze of Mandoran. Choose your path wisely and you will pass through unscathed.’

Image credit: wallpaperswide.com

Read the previous episodes of Sinead’s Final Quest

Beginning the Final Chapter

Chris Hall37 Comments

WDYS 22 The Picture shows a purple illumination in the sky in form of a beam. We can see the stars in it. A figure is silhouetted in the light.

Sinead held the Blue Orb aloft. Moonsprite, her snow-white unicorn, pawed the ground while her Mistress uttered the sacred words from the final chapter of the Prophesy book.

The orb glowed more brightly, its indigo light shining across the wild heathland. A path appeared before them: the way to the Far Side, where the Edge of the World began. Sinead must commit the way to memory. The Blue Orb would not shine here again.

Night creatures skittered and slithered around their feet. Sinead gripped the Orb more tightly, willing her mind to absorb the knowledge.

The Orb ceased to glow, but the stars shone overhead. Sinead returned the Orb to Moonsprite’s saddle bag and took out the Sword of Elshain, strapping it around her waist. There were four last challenges to complete.

Moonsprite tossed her silver mane. The journey would be long, but together they would finish the final chapter.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #22 photo prompt.
Image credit: Egil Sjøholt -Pexels

Sinead’s final quest began here.

Overcoming the Oppressors

Chris Hall30 Comments

WDYS 21 The picture shows a woman dressed as a warrior standing on a rock and next to her is a giant mask, one of the eye sockets of which is broken

Sinead stood defiant as last of the Oppressors tumbled into the cloud-cloaked abyss. She’d underestimated the power of the fabled Blue Orb, and thought the Prophesy must be flawed, but the magic she’d unleashed when she spoke the sacred words had felled them all.

That last one had laughed scornfully. How could a mere woman destroy the Patriarchy? But he was wrong. He sank, like the rest of them, crumbling to dust.

Sinead plucked the Book of Prophesy from Moonsprite’s saddle bag. The snow-white unicorn whinnied softly as her mistress turned to the final chapter.

The words glowed red.

At last Sinead realised what the Fourth Sacred Artifact must be.  Slowly she led Moonsprite back down the Sunset Path. Once more their journey would be long, but she must gather the remains of the Sisterhood.

Together they would forge the Freedom Key which would unshackle the chains of Mother Earth.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #21 photo prompt.
Image credit: Kellepics on Pixabay

Forewarned

Chris Hall16 Comments

what do you see 15 by chris hall lunasonline

Kitty Katz stared intently into Marvin’s special StudioSpyScope. Two men were gazing at a wide screen monitor. On the desk in front of them was her publicity file which her agent had recently distributed to his industry contacts.

‘Pretty little thing,’ said the first man, licking his lips lasciviously.

‘She sure is,’ the second man agreed, stroking the photograph which pictured Kitty posing coyly on a pink chaise-longue.

‘She’s very young; good for a few years before the sparkle wears off.’ The first man leered at the monitor where Kitty’s first screen test was playing. ‘I wouldn’t mind giving her the once over.’

‘Or the twice over,’ said the second man rubbing his thigh.

Kitty cringed and snapped the petals of the StudioSpyScope closed. She looked up at Marvin, with horrified eyes.

‘Well, Kitty,’ said Marvin, scratching his ragged ear with his back leg, ‘that’s the movie industry for you. D’you still want to be a part of that?’

Kitty screwed up her eyes. ‘I do not.’

‘Good call, Kitty!’ Marvin smiled kindly at her.  ‘In any case, it’s not as if you don’t have other talents.’

Kitty’s cellphone beeped. Her whiskers twitched with excitement as she listened.

‘The news you were waiting for?’

Before Kitty had the chance to answer her cellphone beeped again. Marvin waited patiently for her to finish.

‘No, thank you, Jed, I don’t want to be a movie star. My publisher’s got me a large advance and a three book deal on my ‘Kitty Tails.’

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #15 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Pinterest

That’s the second client that movie agent, Jed Talent’s lost already this year!
Read what happened in Casting Woes.

If you go down to the woods today…

Chris Hall21 Comments

what do you see 14 by chris hall lunasonline

– Hey bro’ what’s up with you?

– There’s a loada trouble goin’ down in the faerie ’hood.

– Like what?

– The Myco Boys are musclin’ in on our territory. Bringin’ in a whole bunch of new ’stools and ’shrooms. Stuff that’ll make your head explode.

– So, what we gonna do about it?

– We’re goin’ on the offensive.

– Doin’ what?

– Look here bro’, I got the seeds of a brand new product. Popweed from the Wealdan Woods. This stuff’s goin’ to blow their minds. It’s super-fast growing too. By next month’s Faerie-Fest we’re gonna have the pretty-wing girls’n’boys eatin’ right outta our hands.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #14 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Flickr

The Test

Chris Hall28 Comments

what do you see 13 by chris hall lunasonline

Alys balled her fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. She stepped into the stone circle. Moonlight shone on the cromlechs and lit up the faces of the members of the coven who stood in eager silence. This was the final test. Unless she could prove her mastery of the fourth element, she’d be banished from the sisterhood forever.

She raised her head and closed her eyes, centering herself. Palms back to back, she laced her fingers and took a deep breath. Muttering an incantation she opened her hands. A tongue of fire issued forth. She held her open palm aloft for all to see.

She had conjured fire.

Another word, and the fire was extinguished. Alys slowly folded her hands and clasped them gently to her chest before descending from the stone circle. ‘Thanks Sparky,’ she whispered, as the miniature dragon scurried back up her sleeve.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #13 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Pixabay

Casting Woes

Chris Hall36 Comments

what do you see 12 by chris hall lunasonline

‘You’ve got me an audition for what?’ Freya stared at her agent in disbelief. ‘You are joking aren’t you?’ A neat curlicue of steam issued from her purple nostrils.

Jed Talent hurried across the room and flung open the office window. ‘Unikitty is big time, Freya.’

‘I’m a serious actress,’ Freya huffed. ‘I will not work in some Lego toy spin off.’ She raked a purple-painted talon across the arm of the capacious couch on which she was perched.

‘Sometimes we have to take what we can get, sweetie.’ Jed returned to his leather-upholstered armchair. ‘After your disastrous audition for G.O.T…’

Freya pouted. Her spiky tail began to twitch; the glass-topped coffee table in front of her rattled ominously.

‘Okay, okay.’ Jed held up his hands in surrender. ‘Not Unikitty.’

‘Well?’ Freya’s eyes smoldered. ‘What else have you for me?’

‘Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty?’

‘What’s with the unicorns, Jed? I’m a dragon!’ Freya snorted, issuing a shower of sparks from her nostrils.

Jed eyed the resulting scorch mark on his thick shag pile carpet.

‘You want me to dress up in drag?’

‘Unicorns are where the big-time is at, sweetie.’ Jed ran his fingers through his thinning hair.

‘If that’s the best you can do, I’m finding myself a new agent!’ Freya stood up and swept from the room, her tail overturning the coffee table as she went.

Jed sighed as he watched Freya fly off from his office window, her dazzling blue wings framed against the giant Hollywood letters.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #12 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Flickr

Read more about Freya’s story in The Audition