Every Friday, writers from around the globe join to write tiny tales in response to a photo prompt posted on Rochelle’s blog. It takes discipline to write a piece of only 100 words! This week’s photo prompt has been supplied by David Stewart.
Joanna’s story ~ Petals
Sula wanted to return outdoors, to feel the flowers’ silken petals drift through her fingers.
But the bell had rung.
Curfew.
She gazed through the window. Surely it wouldn’t be that dangerous?
Calla whispered, “I see your thoughts, sister. You cannot. You could be killed!”
Sula shrugged. “Don’t care. I want my freedom!”
Evading Calla’s grip, she opened the door, inhaled the air’s sweetness.
Teeth gleaming, the creatures streaked over the wall towards her.
Calla screamed.
Standing her ground, Sula cried, “LEAVE US!”
Bolts of copper light flamed from her hands; the creatures fled.
Thereafter, the bell remained forever silent.
[100 words]
………………
Ron’s ~ The Freedom Bell
“Once nine’s nine;
Two nine’s eighteen;
Three nines are…..err, twenty-seven?”
“How old are you, Jackson? and still cannot recite your tables! Go and stand in the corner – AGAIN!”
I move to my usual spot, looking out, longing for the bell to ring and another day’s torture to end. Just an hour’s respite before I get home and Mum ‘n’ Dad start on at me. No bell to save me there, just more smacks for writing that cannot be read, poor spelling, and not being a tables parrot. Just one hour alone in my woods, safe and alone.
[99 words]
………………
The tales written by other writers who’ve taken part this week can be found by clicking the blue frog below.
Our earlier stories can be found here and on our old blog.
Hope you enjoyed these tiny tales! If you like writing and want to take part in Fictioneers, please visit Rochelle’s blog for the “how to” guide. 🙂
Oh, and if you’d like to connect with us on Twitter, we are @LazuliPortals. 🙂
Defiant Sula. I like her spirit.
Then there’s the person who struggles with their multiplication tables.
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Thanks for reading, Kwadwo! I like Sula, too 🙂 Yes, dyslexia often is a quite literal struggle. Thanks for stopping by!
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Good for Sula!! I like that, Joanna. Ron, I could feel the hurt and yearning to get away in your story. There are too many children who can’t read, write and do math decently and it breaks my heart.
janet
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Thanks, Janet! It can be tough, can’t it, when you’re not given the help you need, made instead to feel “less than” you should be. Always good to see you hear – thanks for reading. 🙂
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Your story makes me want to know more about the world you’ve created, Joanna. Ron, the sadness for me in your story is the woods, usually depicted as a scary place, are here the respite for your character. Good ones, guys.
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Karen, thank you! Sometimes a snapshot feels just too short, doesn’t it! Maybe a longer story will evolve, one day!
What is freedom? The freedom to live on your own terms, to be yourself, without judgement? I’m sure it differs for everyone.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
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Both stories are great. Sula in particular is a credit to strong women everywhere–even those of us who don’t have lightning rays shooting from our fingers….
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Ha, lightning rays are a “good-to-have”, right? But the power comes from within. Thanks for visiting and reading, Jan. 🙂
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Two great stories…both so different, but each great in their own way
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Thank you, Bryan 🙂
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I am not good with figures at all and I can remember my mother smacking me over long division. It goes without saying that I prefer Ron’s story 🙂
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Celeste, I can understand your preference! I’m sorry your maths experience was so painful. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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Both stories are well written.
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Thanks. 🙂
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Both stories I enjoyed, but the first story really grabbed my attention.
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Thank you! 🙂
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Joanne,
I love the fantasy in the Sula story. You did well with the imagery with so few words.
Ron,
You really tugged my heart strings. I want to reach out to this little boy who finds solace from his own parents in the woods. I wish he would meet Sula there.
~ Dawn
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Thank you, Dawn – I love imagery but with 100 words (as you know) it can be tough to find room for it. Wouldn’t it be great if Jackson met the fearless Sula and they became friends? 😉
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Indeed!
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Both of these stories were well written and interesting. I enjoyed them.
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Thank you – I’m glad that you did. 🙂
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Very well conceived tales.
It is so easy to identify with Jonathan. Poor kid.
🙂
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Thanks. 🙂 I think Jackson’s predicament would resonate with a lot of people who struggled with traditional school learning, or who have dyslexia.
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So true 🙂
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Loved the magic and the fighting spirit in the first tale and felt so sorry for the poor kid in the second-good job with both:-)
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Thanks very much 🙂 Yours is really spooky!
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:-)Thank you once again Joanna
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Dear Joanna (and Ron),
I liked both stories that this week were quite different from each other. Ron’s made me ache for this kid. I have a friend I grew up with. Only recently in reconnecting did she tell me that she couldn’t read. When we were children, she would be put in the remedial reading group. Back in the early 60’s Dyslexia was unknown and children like these fell through the cracks and grew up believing themselves to be dummies. (My friend is a beautiful woman who is anything but stupid.) There…got that off my chest. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So many kids grew up believing things like that; it’s so good that there’s more recognition and support these days, even it didn’t help the children of earlier decades.
In any case, there’s so much more to intelligence, creativity, and spirit than “book learning” and “recitation” (and I say that as someone who did well in academic study, but has had to learn other talents for the real world!)
Glad you got it off your chest, Rochelle! I guess we did, too! 😉
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I really liked your heroine in the first story! Way to kick butt!
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Thank you, Riya! Sometimes it just has to be done lol 😉
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The idea of Sula’s superpowers was great.. and no curfew anymore… great. Then Ron’s descripton of life in hell.. just that one hour in the woods…
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One hour to reclaim sanity… and one blast of magic to restore freedom… Thanks for reading, Bjorn 🙂
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Lovely stories Joanna, thanks for following my blog..
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You’re welcome – thanks for visiting and reading ours. 🙂
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