Tag: what do you see

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

Game on, Sinead!

Chris Hall22 Comments

what do you see 11 by chris hall lunasonline

Sinead had fought and won. Finally, the Sword of Elshain, the second of the four Sacred Artifacts, was hers. The first, the Crystal of Nor, was safely tucked in her unicorn’s saddle bag, and he, Moonsprite, had gone on ahead over the dark mountain, while she followed the sunset path into its heart to find the fabled Blue Orb.

She pressed on into the gathering darkness, a halo of bats swooping and calling her onwards. The Sword began to glow, lighting her way. All she had to do was hold her nerve and follow the words of The Prophesy.

Without warning, Sinead was plunged into darkness. The silence pressed in on her.

No sight, no sound.

*    *    *

‘Arrrgh!’ Sinead screamed out in frustration. ‘Damn these power cuts. That was the furthest I’ve ever got: Level 9.’ She sighed and groped around for her head torch. Its beam cast a hollow light over the dark and silent computer screen.

She picked up her book and ran her fingers over the embossed lettering on the cover: The Prophesy.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #11 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Pixabay

Over here!

Chris Hall22 Comments

what do you see 10 by chris hall lunasonline

It wasn’t his ideal choice of job, but Jim had been desperate. He didn’t really understand why the clown outfit was necessary, or the balloons which sent him off balance.

All he’d been asked to do was stand on the hillside and wave.

But when the shooting started, he realised.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #10 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Alexey Avdeev

Catch a falling star

Chris Hall28 Comments

what do you see 9 by chris hall lunasonline

‘Okay, kiddo, you might come from a long line of lovable Disney characters but…’

Dumbo Olivier III held the phone away from his large crinkly ear and let his agent drone on. From the hotel bar where he was standing, he could see the pool area where a couple of tasty elegirls were frolicking. One of them caught his eye and beckoned playfully to him.

‘Dumbs!’ his agent’s yell caught his attention, ‘you listening?’

He put the phone back to his ear. ‘Yeah, yeah. Go on.’ He fiddled with the swizzle-stick in his empty cocktail glass.

‘You’re gonna fall off the Disney money train if you carry on like this!’ his agent continued. ‘Just lay off the booze and the chicks for a month or so. Keep your trunk out of the snow… you know what I’m sayin’ kiddo?’

‘Yeah, okay man. I’ll tone it down.’

‘I’ll book you into the Betty Ford Clinic if you don’t behave yourself.’

The young Disney star sighed. ‘All right, already!’

‘Towel yourself off, kiss the girls goodbye and get down to the studio now. I’ve got some cute photo shoots lined up for you.’

‘Cute shoots with girls?

‘Yeah, kiddo. Something like that.’

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #9 photo prompt.
Photo credit: Yo

The Eye of the Beholder

Chris Hall27 Comments

What do you see 8

‘They look so realistic! It’s bronze isn’t it?’ she steps forward reaching out to touch the arm of the nearest figure.

‘You shouldn’t touch…’

She pulls her hand back.

‘…remember in the Tate with the Henry Moore?’

‘But this is outdoors, exposed to the elements.’ She paces around the sculpture of the warrior bearing his fallen comrade in his arms. ‘The detail’s so fine!’ Unable to stop herself, she brushes her fingers across the shoulder of the upright warrior. The metal is cold and hard. She knocks against it gently with a knuckle. ‘I wonder who they are?’

‘Who they were, you mean.’

She rolls her eyes. ‘There must be a plaque or something.’ She crouches down, running her hand over the calf muscle of the warrior’s left leg. ‘What about the leaflet they gave us?’

He fishes in his pocket and hands her the crumpled guide to the castle, before strolling off towards the battlements. Sculpture’s never really been his thing and he finds the pair, posed together as they are, strangely unsettling.

The print on the leaflet is small. She walks over to a nearby bench, fumbling in her bag for her reading glasses and dropping the leaflet as she does so. As she bends to pick it up, she hears a loud yawn. She glances around, but no one’s there.

It hits her like a mallet.

The statues have moved.

She retreats, catching herself as the back of her knees make contact with the bench. She sits abruptly, never taking her eyes off the two statues.

The warrior has unburdened himself of his comrade and is stretching magnificently. His back is turned towards her and she can see every muscle and sinew rippling across his back. In one fluid movement his companion rises from the ground and stands facing her.

Living statues, like the ones they’d seen in Barcelona? But she’d just touched one and it was cold and hard.

The eyes of the statue facing her widen; his mouth drops open.

She freezes.

He puts a hand on his companion’s arm; he turns. Eyes lock on hers.

A long moment is frozen in time.

A loud whistle distracts her; she hears him calling her name. She looks up and sees him waving to her from the castle walls. When she returns her gaze to the statues; they have resumed their original pose.

She rises and approaches, raising a hesitant hand. Cold, hard and immovable; but she didn’t imagine it.

Did she?

She starts to walk away, then turns, staring at the two figures. Then she realises what’s changed.

‘You switched places!’ she accuses, raising a finger. ‘I know it!’

The statues remain impassive.

Footsteps approach from behind her. ‘You’re not talking to them are you?’ he says. He puts his arm around her. ‘You’ll be telling me you’ve had a conversation with them next,’ he laughs.

She smiles up at him and turns to leave, casting one last glance at the sculpture.

The upright warrior winks.

 

Written in response to Sadje’s ‘What Do You See #8′ photo prompt.

The Rubicon

Chris Hall15 Comments

What do you see 7

She clutches the coin,
her mind’s eye not satisfied
with memories alone.

She needs an affirmation,
a token to cling to
when all else is gone.

Now in the shadow-lands
the mystery deepens,
her sight dims, her heartbeat slows.

In that moment, she fights,
desperate to break their pact,
but still onward the ferryman rows.

Written in response to Sadje’s ‘What Do You See #7′ photo prompt.

Greta’s Ark

Chris Hall26 Comments
what do you see 6 by chris hall lunasonline
John Towner@unsplash

TRACTION BEAM ZONING IN… LOCKING ON…. AND ENERGIZE!

– Thank you Mr. Attenborough, we really couldn’t have completed our collection without you.

– Ms Thunberg, it’s been a privilege to meet you. In my long career, I’ve had many fascinating experiences, but I never expected to meet someone from the future. I’m humbled that you singled me out.

– You were the obvious candidate. You’re certain we haven’t missed any of the 21st century earth species?

– You have a pair of every living species for your trans-space-time settlement.

– Excellent.

– You will be returning to us won’t you, Ms Thunberg?

– In the blink of an eye. Remember, I can be in two places at once.

– Ah yes, you explained: quantum superposition; only a theory in the 21st century.

– You will keep my little secret?

– Of course. Although perhaps I might be permitted to share it with Brian Cox?

Written in response to Sadje’s ‘What Do You See #6′ photo prompt.