55 Word
Challenge
Week
Forty-Eight
Welcome back
to #55WordChallenge!
For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word
Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task,
but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all
the past contests can be found here. The challenge begins
at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is
based on one of three photo prompts and can
be written in any genre you choose. My only request is
no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it
titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.
The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.
The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at jezri@writing.com. I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.
If anyone is
interested in contributing a prize, a book, cover art, whatever you want, let me
know and we will work something out. If you are an
artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!
Photo
Prompt:
Shameless Plug:
An excerpt from Reverie:
April 5th, 1862
The wagon
carrying the shot and powder broke a rear axle, delaying us for the better part
of a day. The men are becoming irritable from the heat, something for which I
cannot fault them. If it weren’t for the unmitigated gall of the heathens that
live here to secede from the Union, I would leave them this godforsaken land
and say good riddance. The affront to our President though cannot go unchecked,
not to mention the disregard for human life.
One of the
enlisted men, Corporal Stanton, claims he saw a pale woman watching us from the
forest last night. He has been regaling the men about how she came and visited
him in his tent during the night. He showed them two puncture wounds on his
neck as poof.
I swear these
damn mosquitoes…I have asked Lt. Scott, as he is in charge of the medics, to
keep an eye on the soldier in case the buggers are carrying a disease that
causes delirium.
April 6th, 1862
We are lost. An
in-bred, ragtag group of soldiers attacked our company as we were passing
through a densely wooded area. They surprised us, coming from behind the trees
and attacking with knives before we had a chance to respond. They were no
better than savages. Corporal Green was killed. He showed promise, not to
mention he had a stash of liquor he was disposed to share with me most
evenings. It was against regulations, but I saw no need to make an issue so
long as common sense was used. He will be missed.
Several more men
have claimed to have night time visitors. Each of them have similar ‘bite’
marks on their neck to Corporal Stanton’s. The mosquito netting doesn’t seem to
be helping keep these buggers away from us!
April 7th, 1862
We are still
lost. The maps we were issued are filled with flaws and nonexistent landmarks.
I fear we may not arrive outside Savannah before Pulaski falls.
We have met with
some strange happenings as well. Corporal Stanton was found dead this morning,
fresh puncture wounds on his neck. Lt. Scott says he has never seen anything
like it. All of his blood had been ‘drained’ from his body. What kind of animal
can do something like this? I am now concerned about my men and their health.
Ironic that the damn bugs appear to be more of a threat to the Union than the
Confederate; perhaps we should enlist them to our side.
April 8th, 1862
7 a.m.
Two more dead
this morning! Sentries saw nothing unusual. Corporal Lansing’s throat had been
ripped out. We proceed with caution. Is this some form of animal that
infiltrated our camp or something more sinister? It certainly wasn’t the
mosquitos. The superstitious among the men have tucked small crucifixes beneath
their uniforms.
6 p.m.
There is a sense
of foreboding in the air. We encountered the remains of a confederate bivouac.
What was left of the troop was nearly unrecognizable as human. Limbs were torn
from bodies, heads ripped off and stuck atop stakes and nary any blood left in
a body. Some of the bodies appeared to have been eaten from, flesh ripped off with
jagged wounds that resembled bite marks. Some of the meat had been completely
shredded from the bone.
We have bedded
down for the night. We are all on alert. Whatever…whoever attacked the
confederate army will not catch us unawares. I no longer believe it can be an
animal attack. An animal would not put heads upon a stake!
Just .99Cents on Amazon, BN, Kobo and Smashwords.
Art
ReplyDelete“What is this one?” The boy pointed to the blurred shape of the bus, frozen in time. The docent paused, smiling.
“Oh, it’s quite interesting. This was from back when the first freeze ray was developed. They had to test it, you know.”
“So the people on the bus…”
“Are real, yes. Let’s move on.”
55 words {without title}
@Angelique_Rider
Gin swayed within the lurching, gasping bus. Gripping the above-head bar, she gazed placidly out the windshield. Abruptly there was a blur-thump; the brakes screamed and passengers tumbled to the floor in a confused pile of shopping and elbows.
ReplyDeleteStruggling to her knees, Gin peeked out through the glass.
Bloody hell. Was that a unicorn?
55 words
@awrenwriting
Phased Out
ReplyDeleteHe’d been doing nothing more exotic than waiting for a bus when the phase shift took hold and time bent sideways around space. Then…nothing…until he'd found himself back in the here and now.
Huddled and quivering, helplessly, on the abandoned platform, he could no longer deny the obvious. The temporal distortions were only becoming worse.
55 words @klingorengi
She had a beard.
ReplyDelete“You’re beautiful just as you are, dear,” said her smooth-chinned mother.
She doubted it.
Plucking, waxing, lasering—nothing helped. Canada and Mexico were busts. One desperate year she trekked across India, but even miracle cures… weren’t.
Until the Colony.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. His red-tinged, hairless eyes glowed.
Finally, she believed.
55 words
@postupak
The Fence, Part 6
ReplyDeleteThe trail led into the forest. The sunlight filtered through the tree limbs and leaves, lending a surreal feel to everything. After six hours into the trees, I saw him. Dressed in red, with long hair, and a white beard. He looked at me, laughed, and then moved so fast, I couldn’t track him.
55 Words (Excluding title)
@LurchMunster
The Speed of Light
ReplyDeleteIn that moment, it clicked. Time HAD shifted but he'd missed it while the psychiatrists were assessing his condition. He dropped to his knees in the crosswalk, clutching his chest and gasping for air. his only hope of surviving this grim new reality sped towards him but did he possess the strength to grab hold?
- - - - -
55 words / @bullishink
She clutched the can of pepper spray in one hand, hidden in her pocket. The train was late again. Any small noise caused her to start.
ReplyDeleteShe turned one way and the man came up on the other, putting a hand over her mouth.
She bit down and he screamed. He was the prey now.
@solimond
55 words
Time seemed to stop as soon as the little girl stepped out in front of the bus. Her mother numbly watched as she bent down down to retrieve the pink ball that had rolled out of her hands only moments before.
ReplyDelete"Mommy look...
A sickening crunch filled the air as the bus made contact.
54 words @bookwormattack
Photo Prompt 1: Ride
ReplyDeleteIt was the last one for the night, crouching on the corner. But darkness was crowding the alleys now, spilling out of gutters.
I'd take it.
When the door closed, the bus dove down the street, shadows spiraling around it.
I didn't have to look at the passengers to know I was going to hell.
@J_M_Blackman
55 not including title.
ReplyDelete'When you reach my age, you'll realise that life is both, not that simple and more precious than ever before'
Was I really taking life advice from a stranger?
'Life is like toilet paper, fragile on it's own but all together useful'
All this because I said he was too old for a pony tail.
55 words
@luke_rative
fifty5words.wordpress.com