Tag: flashfiction

“X” – eXtinguish the flames #atozchallenge #riots

a to z challenge, flash fiction, Our World, Photography, Social issues
Beauty of Baltimore

IMG_3412 (2)

Luz last night the hellioned beast raised its ugly head  in NewCago.

The gangs have unleashed their secret weapon.

They circled the opportunity like a predator for months

Fires are burning all over NewCago and there are just too few good people to put them out.

Those who had a job have one no longer.

Most have lost their meager possessions.

Young men are empowered with hatred.

The police are behind their iron clad doors.

Leaders had their speeches prepared in advance.

Hearts have gone AWOL.

…and if I don’t find a way to extinguish these flames,  NewCago will be nothing but ashes.

“Life in NewCago” is a  fictional series. The protagonist, Sam, is trying to restore a city run by gangsters and most of the people helping Sam are dead. There’s not much a single individual can do to put out the flames even if he can’t be killed.

Baltimore, a city that I love dearly, is in a shambles today. Fortunately,  there are community heroes who are trying to calm the heat. May those who care about their  city prevail.

This is a rather sobering post for the letter X. I want to thank the A to Z Challenge coordinators for this month of blogging.

Photography: Baltimore by L. Moon

X

Some bloggers participating in the A to Z Challenge:

1146.
1163.
1172.
1174.
1175.
1177.

Missed by Leslie Moon #atozchallenge

a to z challenge, Fiction, new cago, Writers
newcago blood
It’s a messed up place.  “NewCago – the metropolis of the golden age.” Ha – It was a great city ’til something went wrong.
 What were they were thinking when they reconstituted  Julius Caesar’s DNA.
Wouldnt you expect –  senseless killings, women enslaved , children given as offerings?  I can still see it – blood on the streets.
One night he was poisoned;  the next morning the MOB came in and became the government.  So we went from a crazy demigod to a bloodthirsty gang led society.
People are scared so they live in a cage. It should be called NewCage.
People know better than to go out after 6 at night,  even the cops.
As the clock chimes the hour in city hall, you can hear the clang of metal clad doors being slammed shut and quadruple locked..
The fancy folks have remote timed doors that close with lead bars that drop into feet of metal lined concrete.
I remember chuckling to my Lucy, ” It’s like living in a coffin for half of your life.”
So that night I told her, “Let’s go celebrate your birthday. I have this in an emergency (I pulled out my Glock .) I’m tired of breathing stagnant air.”
If I hadn’t been so cavalier, I would be tucking her in instead of cradling her bloodied body.
“Luce, why did you block the bullet? It was meant for me, doll. You deserve to live another day. I never started living ’til I found you again.”
 Problems follow me as does death. Blood seems to always end up on my hands. 

blood drips

A to Z participants I am enjoying today:
573.

Timber… #flashfiction #amwriting

flash fiction, nature

copyright-roger-bultot

It had been unseasonably wet in the state where it “never rains.”

We had run out of chips so I did a “quick run” to the store.  I felt a rumble, threw the car into park and jumped out.  Instinctively I knew that I had to get out from under trees and power lines. “Earthquake” I screamed at some  joggers. I stood watching the massive oak upended.

***

The landscaper had a smirk on his face. For years he had reported that the celebrated, oldest oak needed to be cut down. The celebration was over; the paying of bills in full swing…

Theme of this post: Fictionalized non-fiction

Rochelle has us in the trees this week at Friday Fictioneers. Check out the other stories here.

scalpel

The scalpel is a symbol of constructive criticism – cut away

Entrance to the Damned #flashfiction #pen

collaboration, flash fiction, Pen of the Damned, Writers

monument

Enjoy Pen of the Damned today as we have a treat for you. Each of us has written a flash fiction (100 words) based on the picture prompt (above). The words I have placed below is dark compilation.  Come over to the Pen and feast in our dark banquet hall.

The weeping was for all who, on small feet, come, hands overflowing with offerings; the dead screaming in their endless burn. They prowl the shadows, “You cannot flee, ” says a voice that is not his own.  Husks of comforting strangers fill my head with their thoughts.

“I always laugh last.”

~ and so they are all damned

pen of the damned

Small Sacrifices ~ Nina D’Arcangela

Damnation ~Dan Dillard

The Ruin of Man ~ Tyr Kieran

Palace ~ Joseph A Pinto

The Lost Message ~ Leslie Moon

Ghoul’s Last Laugh ~ Blaze McRob

THE OTHER PLACE ~ Thomas Brown

Dementia ~ Daemonwulf

Photograph: “Monument” © Copyright Dark Angel Photography.

The Day the … Died #flashfiction #vandalism #Lincoln

Americana, flash fiction, Social issues

A long, long time ago…
Words meant something
promises meant more
you’d turn the sprinkler on and there was an instant neighborhood party
add hand churned ice cream and the old people joined in
but that was a long, long time ago
now we rush around to the loud din of the money factor
churning out paper money faster than we can replace it
and no one from the neighborhood joins in because
water is more valuable than money
the ice cream is synthetic
and the man who delivers ice cream
knows more about the deal with Meth
it doesn’t matter the ice cream is synthetic
as are the promises that important men make
in the shadow of those from
a long, long time ago…

This photograph is attributed under Creative Commons Legal code as being the work of Adam Lederer

Please enjoy other work by Adam Lederer

The Ghost Rides #flashfiction

flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers

anelephantcant“That bicycle has been waiting for its owner for 50 years…”

“…That’s what a local told me.”

“Truth be told. That mangled piece of metal belonged to Sid from when he was a boy.”

“They looked for his body for months…. ”

“His ghost rides the bike through town on moonless nights.” A tourist stated. “We booked a room three extra nights –  in case he rides.”

“I like to sniff out a good story,” the journalist told the shopkeeper.

“I won’t let the reporter know I concocted the ghost story…”

“It’s been good for business.” The city council members shook their heads.

Take Two: I wanted there to be more mystery so this is ending #2:

“I promise I won’t tell my white lie to that nosy guy writing the story.”

“It’s been good for business though.” The city council members shook their heads.

Okay would love your feedback. Take One or Take Two???

The velocipede is a photo prompt (provided by anelephant can’t) for this week’s Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Join the other flash fictioneers in constructing a fictional story in 100 words.

No Kidding #newcago #noir #flashfiction

flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, new cago

goats_and_graves_3_randy_mazie

As I was hanging on the endless ladder, I heard a sound

“Sam you have had some interesting things cross your path but a goat?”

Somehow it gave me the incentive to climb faster.

There it was like a shoebox diorama of a distant past: a woman reading a book, a kid trotting about an untended grave site, peaceful death.

In angst I sighed.  “The people in NewCago have sacrificed so much for the sake of power and a few coin.”

There was no longer peace in Newcago streets even death was noisy as the ghostly victims could tell you.

Thanks to Rochelle our Fictioneer extraordinaire for the weekly prompts and for Randy Maize and the photo prompt for this week.

This is my final Newcago episode for Friday Fictioneers. I have decided to create a weekly series that will pull some of the elements from these stories and expand on them.

Go to page 2 to read last week’s Newcago serial and access the entire series

Pages: Page 1, Page 2