May Day

May 1, 2024May 9, 2024 Chris Hall55 Comments

© Ayr/Gray

The ash and sulphur became so dense as the plane banked horribly and listed alarmingly – mayday, mayday – shouted the captain; at this point, the red-head writer, aka the Raconteuse, had so many thoughts but then she blacked out, which was just as well, since the plane lost power: it shuddered and quivered but it glided on the ice.

Just a few minutes later she’d recovered, she stared around, the plane was crippled and in a bad way, but it seemed that everyone was safe; and even better the volcano was silent again, just a few plumes of moulted rock and ash around.

The red-head writer realised that it would be a very long way to walk, but what else would she do; she decided that she would go alone and quickly – she was wearing all her warm clothes and she had a big bag – everything she needed.

She looked at her GPS, then set out.

She had been walking at least two hours, there was no ice now and it’s easier to walk, but suddenly the steep shale made her tumbled down, she had a long fall and stopped, she was rather shaken but soon recovered; now she saw a bank with deep water where the stream levels out – and here was the road.

A little later, she saw a huge car, she waved with her big bag, and it stopped; she smiled happily as she was whisked away by an excellent friend who drives too fast.

next episode

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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.

Di of Pensitivity 101 – Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge: SHUDDER, SHAKE, QUIVER

Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge
Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: LEVEL

More #SixSentenceStories

Equinox

March 20, 2024March 21, 2024 Chris Hall66 Comments

© Ayr/Gray

It’s late afternoon as I walked along the sand dunes near the sea, smiling as I hopped down the bank to the beach, striding along to the rock pools, then poking around to see what was there; I could be busy for hours.

As it was getting into evening, it was still warm as I walked around the edge of the ocean, looking far out in the lovely False Bay; then I looked back at the harbour, as I waved at Jannie who’s a fishermen, who works to catch squid and octopus in the dark sea in the night.

Much later, I flung open my window, and there she was, the beautiful moon, Selene. There she stood alone, with all the stars around her; her gibbous moon lay on her back, arching her jewelled scimitar.

I shut my eyes for a moment, and then I saw the octopuses dancing up in the sky, shooting stars around the world, for twice a year it’s the equinox, as the celestial moon brings the spring rebirth, while the harvest moon must rest for the winter. Meanwhile, the octopuses play in the Milky Way, because all of the octopuses are aliens.

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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 GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: BANK

More #SixSentenceStories

Harvest Moon

March 13, 2024March 15, 2024 Chris Hall59 Comments

© Ayr/Gray

The red-headed writer, aka the Raconteuse, had a plan – she was on WhatsApp with Jenne, Denise and Mimi, telling them that she was still a little magic left in her journey around the world; we’ll meet tomorrow, and don’t worry about the different time zones, I’ll handle it.

Now they were sitting in a beautiful wine garden in the château in Franschhoek, right by the vineyards where they are bringing back the harvest – you see, it was autumn in the southern hemisphere. In a little while two waiters brought wine, juice and delicious food; then they rested – it was so peaceful and calm, and they must have drifted into slumber for a while.

Later, they woke up and it was almost dark; they walked along the Huguenots Monument and further, now it was rather steep, rugged and remote; they laid down on the sweet fynbos, and there it is, the Harvest Moon, huge yellow and magnificent – but that was all they could remember.

Did we dream it – all of us – in different places? But no, on the table, each one has a small silver box and inside it has a little locket; WhatsApp pings, it’s the Raconteuse, you know, it’s going to be useful one day, she said.

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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: REMOTE

Click on the Café sign for more #SixSentenceStories

P.S. I am reading ‘The Moon of Autumn: Word Weaving No.1‘ edited by Colleen Chesebro & Jules Paige – I know so many lovely people in WP.

A celebration?

March 7, 2024March 7, 2024 Chris Hall60 Comments

Previously

The red-headed writer, aka the Raconteuse, hurries along the narrow street, looking up and down and around, checking to see what is unchanged: here’s the Bagel’n’Cake place (closed at this time, of course), and here are the two warehouses, rather dingy, on either side.

She’s almost there… and here it is: The Café and Bistro, she holds her hands up, but there’s no one there; she’s deflated, she dropped her head and her feet felt like lead.

She notices something at the top of the steps, it was a still-smouldering cigar butt on the ground – it must be him, the Gatekeeper, who else could it be?

She hurries down to the three steps by the double-doors, peering in the gloom in the long bar and high seats, and across the way to the food pass behind the doors; she could almost see what should be happening – the Bartender with the wine and whisky, and Mimi in the kitchen, and Tom as well.

Then she turns around, going back up, scanning around; there’s something about the back of The Café and Bistro, she races around the building, heaving her big bag, she peeps in the basement, now she’s making headway; she can hear music, in her mind’s eye, she listens, isn’t it Mark Knopfler playing ‘Sultans of Swing’ and wearing his headband?

The Raconteuse grins and she can see the Manager, smiling back and waving; he cranks up the volume and plays, ‘Ace of Spades’.

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Written in response to two challenges:

Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge: HEADWAY, HEADBAND, LEAD
Denise Farley of Girlie On The Edge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: ACE

Click on the Café sign for more #SixSentenceStories

Back in the neighbourhood

February 29, 2024 Chris Hall55 Comments

The red-headed writer, aka the Raconteuse, was sitting in the black taxi; the cabbie didn’t speak much, and she was happy with that, all he had said was the traffic was busy and where he would take her to the south in the city.

After a moment, she begun to rummage in her enormous bag, noticing her new bold, short and spiky hair in her little mirror; she dug down with her nail clippers, pens and pencils, than finally she found her lucky silver cigarette lighter (the non-functioning prop); she held it tightly, breathing slowly.

The sun was going down, huge and orange-red, over the tall buildings. The taxi swung a right and another left to the park; it was Friday – almost the weekend – so many memories, she thought, smiling.

She was almost there, right in the downtown district; the cabbie slowed down and stopped. The Raconteuse waved a handful of notes and gently slamming the door; then she walked around the narrow road, looking up as it beckoned.

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Denise Farley of Girlie On The Edge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: NAIL

Click on the Café sign for more #SixSentenceStories

Maybe it’s a mashup

February 23, 2024February 24, 2024 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

A journey around the stars

February 15, 2024 Chris Hall70 Comments

The red-headed writer, aka the Raconteuse, had realise that she had been wandering for months, maybe for years.

But what had happened? she remembered seeing a large ship and she had been shivering on the beach; she was dripping and all she could think was that she couldn’t write because the pen and paper were too wet.

Things became very strange – she was striding over mountains and across lakes, moving around so many places, she looked over oceans – was it the big, beautiful bridge, San Francisco? – and then she moved farther and farther away.

She hovered over the clouds and she felt her heart beat singing with joy; her mind, her spirit and even her soul, brimming over with glee. She thought that she had been to the stars as far as the milky way and back again.

But now she was back properly; the Raconteuse walk across the street, then hailed a cab, whistling loudly, ‘taxi!’

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Denise Farley of Girlie On The Edge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: HEART

Click on the Café sign for more #SixSentenceStories

Chris has got a new book out!

March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 Chris Hall93 Comments

Read yourself into the venue via my second Six Sentence Story this week. The Prompt Word (helpfully) was BOOK.

A neon sign lights up the narrow side street which leads to the Six Sentence Café and Bistro where a bearded man waits, watching as a minivan draws up. The driver leans out of her window and waves, and a leather-jacket-clad man wearing dark glasses, despite the lateness of the hour, emerges from the vehicle carrying a box marked ‘books’.

Low-lit ambience and laid back vibes wash over the now-iconic interior, where sunflowers grace every table, and the author, fidgeting with her special book-signing pen, observes the figures who drift into the room, each familiar from their glowing presence in cyberspace.

The scene is set, D has done a marvellous job; passing the author’s table, now loaded with shiny new books, she places a calming hand on her shoulder, winking at a recent arrival, who slides into a side booth with an enigmatic smile, indicating the bottle of apricot liqueur that’s partly concealed within her capacious handbag.

Returning to the bar, backlit by the reflections in the long mirror, D gives a nod to the MC. The tall, slender man strides onto the stage and offers a lavish introduction to the now inwardly-quaking author, who lays her pen aside and advances.

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Now on stage, I turn and survey the room, shading my eyes against the spotlight, I can’t see you properly, but I know you’re all here. Thanks so much for coming to the launch of my new novel, Spirit of the Shell Man.

I have to admit, I’m a little overwhelmed.

My heart-felt thanks goes to my fellow Proprietors of the SSC&B who’ve done so much to set up our little soirée, and to my ARC readers, Chris Nelson, Paula Light and Gretchen Bernet-Ward who have offered such encouragement in their feedback and reviews. Chris recently posted his review on his blog – I’m thrilled with it – you can read it here.

Okay, that’s enough from me, I’m no good at this self-promotion stuff, but since the audiobook version is being recorded at the moment, here’s a foretaste from Chapter 7, beautifully narrated as always by the wonderful Terry Lloyd Roberts.