100 Words – “Flash Fiction Likes to Bite”
2011
It’s been a week since the spamming/hijacking fiasco. I haven’t had any time to stop back here and think about whether or not I like this new template, and that’s probably just how it’s going to be until I’m used to it. I wonder how long til I stop being shocked when I first open the page. It’s like getting a new hair-style and for weeks startling yourself when you walk past a mirror. Is that me?
I meant to write my own piece on WHIMSY. I do love that word. I was all set to do it on Saturday but got lost in a long porch conversation under a full moon instead, and we lamented at summer slipping away as a chill rose up.
You all told some wonderful stories with it though. Some macabre, some delightfully twisted, some sweet, some comically tragic. My pick is Robin Hawke, who said, “I’ve discovered flash fiction likes to bite”:
Naturalist
After weeks of rain, mushrooms appeared everywhere. Glowing fairy circles sprouted across the lawn, but only one was a complete ring. Neighboring mushrooms were red and brown and purple and yellow. They were flat and round, domed and furled. The large ones looked like umbrellas for toads; the small ones mosques for insects.
Their magical overnight appearance was their only whimsy. A close look revealed spongy, sodden flesh. It took several hours to take pictures and make notations. After returning with plastic bags and rubber gloves, I filed each one away, wondering which woodsy taste would make the best poison.
See, this is why you never marry a naturalist. When you get boring, or old, or cranky, they know how to kill you without leaving an online trail.
I spent the afternoon yesterday poking around my favorite local used bookstore – honestly one of the best used bookstores I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Two floors, two whole floors of books and oddities. Sometimes I never want to leave.
I think Katherine Anne Porter is jealous of my shoes. They are kind of awesome.
On my lap is a biography of Katherine Anne Porter, which of course I bought. The word from that book is:
INHIBITED
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100 Words – Being True | Views From Nature
[...] challenge from the lovely Velvet Verbosity. This week the word is Inhibit. Check out the others who played [...] -
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[...] This week VV’s 100 Word Challenge is INHIBITION. Check out the other entries, won’t [...]
Great pick with “Naturalist.” That final line is stellar.
Inhibited. I do like the texture of the word…but it’s going to take some thought.
Chaotically Yours recently posted..100 Word Challenge: Some Days Alice
When I do these, I usually just let the word percolate until it tells me a story. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes it takes days.
Yes, my response to Whimsy came to me very quickly – probably because I was in the middle of doing something right after I read the prompt.
Maybe I should clean my kitchen to get things moving…
Chaotically Yours recently posted..100 Word Challenge: Some Days Alice
I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but as soon as I refreshed my Blogger dashboard (using Google Chrome), I got this warning message:
http://www.velvetverbosity.com contains content from id-software.ru, a site known to distribute malware. Your computer might catch a virus if you visit this site.
Google has found malicious software may be installed onto your computer if you proceed. If you’ve visited this site in the past or you trust this site, it’s possible that it has just recently been compromised by a hacker. You should not proceed, and perhaps try again tomorrow or go somewhere else.
We have already notified id-software.ru that we found malware on the site. For more about the problems found on id-software.ru, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page.
As you can see, I proceeded anyway.
And isn’t it natural to be inhibited about the word inhibited? Hard to break down those walls that keep our secrets safe, that keep our fears at bay.
June Freaking Cleaver recently posted..Adventures in Babysitting
Gah! Will check all the appropriate places, but I *think it’s just a hold-over, that warning. It might take a while to go away completely.
Yeah, just checked Google monitoring and they are not detecting any malware.
Inhibited? What’s that?
seeking elevation recently posted..Takers?
Ha!
I really enjoyed Robin’s piece too. Loved the surprise ending.
Tara R. recently posted..Universe’s end
You should, seeing how you’re one of the 100 Words masters of surprise endings.
Thanks everyone! It’s a pleasure to be in your company.
Looking forward to this week’s challenge and getting to know your fiction better.
Robin
Gotta say The Naturalist was a fantastic pick.
I love it!
Some weeks are harder than others to pick, of course. And it’s not about a “winner”, or even what I think is the “best” writing, it’s always whatever strikes me just right given my mood or whatever.
I loved this weeks pick too. So fun and that ending was awesome!
Oh, I love your shoes in that pic. They do rock.
Carrie recently posted..100 Words – Being True
Found those shoes on Etsy.
Book stores are like crack to me – the older the better. Jealous that you have one so close to you.
I live in an area that has more bookstores than you can shake a stick at. But this one, THIS one, is just perfection.
Thanks everyone.
This week, “inhibit” percolated for a long time, then, when I sat down to write the story I thought of, another came out in its place. The incubation process is mysterious.
Wonderful shoes.
Hi there ! My first time here at your place ! I’m a self-confessed drabble-junkie ! Your shoes sparked an idea for my piece ! Enjoy !
mish recently posted..No Offence Please !
Sorry for my broken link, guys. Blog’s down for a bit.
Still down? Boo.
I am all out of sync and can’t seem to get my rhythm back. I miss playing 100 words and will do my best to jump back in as soon as I can.
Fran recently posted..Hard work, hard work, hard work