Tag Archives: flash fiction challenge

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“Never judge a book by its movie” – The Mystery

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books

How many times have we heard this comment and seen the quote on the web? We also hear friends or family members complain that ‘the movie was not as good as the book’?  How wonderful is it to have so much more in a book?… and I am talking about a good book.

Have you ever wondered who J.W. Eagan is? He or she is supposed to be the author of the quote.

“Never judge the book by its movie” is one of the most popular book quotes on the web – but do you know its author?

She or he must be a writer. Or maybe a literary critic. A screenwriter? Hollywood-based reporter? A charismatic lecturer or passionate librarian?

The web including Google and Wikipedia, do not know this clever person. You won’t find J.W. Eagan bio on the internet.

It’s interesting that one of the most quoted persons of the Internet is so astonishingly anonymous. The quote has been shared hundreds of thousands of times each day in social media. It’s being reused on posters, t-shirts, mugs, and endless number of quote pictures.

Read more of this interesting story here.

blogging, Life, Living, People, short stories, Stories, Women, writing

Brooding Storm – Short Story

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Mondays Finish the Story by Barbara Beacham

This is a flash fiction challenge where Barbara W. Beacham offers a picture and the first sentence of the story. Based on the photograph and the first sentence, one must come up with a 100-150 word short story.

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Picture by Barbara W. Beacham

BROODING STORM © JK. Leahy

The crew of the Angel Flame received orders to head out. When Yakov and Marishka reach the secluded Russian base, most men had already boarded.

Marishka wiped her tired eyes as her husband walked to the submarine, leaving her, their newborn Polinka and their sick two-year-old, Boris. It was a dreary Friday at 5am; three lost seagulls skirted past Yakov, fleeing the brooding storm.

After Yakov’s head vanished into the submarine, Marishka left – four hours later the snowstorm hit. The radio announced that nobody was hurt. Marishka medicated and monitored Boris’s temperature.

The next day at 7am she heard a knock. It was persistent. Unwrapping herself from Polinka, she reached for her gown.

Marishka caught a glimpse of a man in uniform through the winter-frosted glass and threw open the door with a grin. Expecting to fall into Yakov’s arms, her stomach sank when instead she met the gaze of a stone-faced man carrying Yakov’s personal effects.

“Mrs Vladimir?”

“…Yes?”

 

 

blogging, JK. Leahy Short Stories, Life, Living, Nature and Climate Change, Nature and Environment, People, short stories, Stories, Women, writing

The Missing – Short Story

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Picture by Barbara W. Beacham

Mondays Finish the Story

Arriving at the beach, she reflected on her life. Mea searched the waves for two poles where the village bell hung. She had missed the bell sounds and the village gatherings. It has been 20 years since she left for Australia. The bell hung in the village centre; now, only seawater.

“I can’t see it,” she told her brother Tau.

“I don’t think it’s there anymore”.

“Right there” she pointed. “And what happened to Bubu Raga’s coconut trees?”

“The King tides, five years ago, took Moale’s family’s house, betel nut, breadfruit and the coconut trees. We dashed for the hill”.

“Oh My God! That would’ve been scary”.

“Yes, we lost everything. That was the day Chief Naka accepted the government’s offer to relocate us with other climate change refugees. It’s strange being on other people’s land. You are very restricted, but in the past 30 years, the water has raised so much. Our island will soon be completely submerged”.

authors, blogging, JK. Leahy Short Stories, Life, Living, People, short stories, Stories, Women, writing

Mind Games – Short Story

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2015-05-04-bw-beacham

Picture by Barbara W. Beacham

 Mondays Finish the Story by Barbara W. Beacham

This is a unique flash fiction challenge where Barbara provides a new photo each week, and the first sentence of a story. The challenge is to finish the story using 100-150 words, not including the sentence provided. The challenge runs from Monday to Sunday! 

Mind Games  ©JLeahy

“After losing her head, she realised that the rest of her body was falling apart”, Joe would mimic a psychiatrist.

I sat by the window. The sun warmed my scalp and shadows danced on my hands. In hiding, I watched police take Joe away last night. He would have calmed down, but only he and I knew that; not our new neighbours.

We could have lasted in this abandoned house. If only Joe stayed quiet. My thoughts hurt my head.

“Ava! Ava! Where is your doll?”

Over the low white fence were a lilac doll pantsuit and two doll hands.

I had watched Ava at work yesterday. The toddler first ripped the doll’s head and legs, which she threw towards me. Ava caught me watching her. She laid the doll arms and pantsuit down, and dropping the body, she ran to the house. My eyes salted, thinking how scary I must have looked to her. I must leave before the Johnson Mental Health party arrives.

(150 words excluding the opening quote)

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Feeling the Music – short story

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Monday Finish the Story. Hosted by Barbara W. Beacham

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Picture by Barbara W. Beacham

Feeling the Music © JLeahy

“Are you laughing at me?” Enoch asked me. His voice quivered and softened at the end of his question. Self pity.

“No! I love the orchids. They are beautiful.”

I looked at him, the sincerity in his large brown eyes made me want to laugh again, but I stopped myself. Without the harshness of the piercings in his nose and above his brows, and his terrible haircut, you could call him handsome.

“How did you afford this?”

“Oh, I had some money; my casual job.”

I looked at this 18-year-old boy and wondered what his parents would think, especially his mother – if she knew he was chasing his middle-aged music teacher. I held the orchids closer and observed the silky tenderness in its intricate layers of petals. I knew these flowers so well.

Each morning, I admired them as I passed the flowers at the front of the principal’s office.

(150 words)

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The Sacrifice

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Monday Finish the Story with host Barbara W. Beacham

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Picture: Barbara Beacham

The Sacrifice © JLeahy  

They followed the buffaloes and their babies along the trail heading into the woods. At trail end Aka ran forward and sliced the youngest calf and wrenched out its heart.

The calf gave a horrifying shrill and fell back; the rest dashed for the woods.

Blood spurted in a red fountain, saturating the soft green bushes, ground and his shirt.

“Look! Look Ahwen, it’s still beating”, he said mesmerized by the throbbing organ in his bloody hand.

I staggered back against the old rain tree. I stared at the convulsing calf beside his leg.

“Why did you do that, why?” I shouted.

I AM a warrior,” he said.

“A warrior ONLY kills for food.”

“We can take this calf to eat.”

“It’s not ours, it belongs to the sanctuary”, I looked at the cluster of houses at the head of the trail. Soon, someone will know.

“Let’s leave!” I ordered.

(150 words)

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Star-Crossed Lovers

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Monday Finish the Story with host Barbara W Beacham

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Picture by Barbara W. Beacham

Star-crossed Lovers © JLeahy

The neighbours were not happy about my choice of yard art. Beck shot me a look this morning before crossing to Mildred’s house.

I found the bison and hunter at a pawn shop. The owner wanted to get rid of them – cheap! He said it was an important reminder of our near-sighted ancestors killing all the bison.

“They’re special, you won’t find these anywhere”, the man assured. Sure, they looked ridiculous, but I wanted something like that for my stuffy neighbourhood. We moved here two months ago and I needed to get some laughs. My neighbours weren’t bad people, just very dull.

At 8pm, I heard Beck shouting over the TV.

“You have to get her to get rid of those stupid things. Mum keeps waking up at night to talk to the statue. She tells him how much she missed him while he was away hunting”.

“We are NOT going to remove the statues – make your mother take her medication!!”

(150 words)

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A Dam Explosion – Short Story

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Monday – Finish The Story

Inspired by Millie Thom and others who take part in this exercise, I decided to try the flash fiction challenge. The challenge asks for a story in 100 -150 words from a picture and a first line prompted by host, Barbara W. Beachman.

Team Work
Image copyright: Barbara Beachman.

“When the team heard the dam explode, the team knew they had limited time to make it to safety.

They were collecting specimens along the riverbank when local villagers warned; environment activists were blowing up the dam. The five ran and jumped into their yellow Kathmandu raft and anxiously strapped on life jackets. Gushing water headed downhill towards them. The raft was spat by the force of dam water metres into the air and slammed down into racing current.

“Noooooo!” screamed Wendy; she had been thrown off the raft.

Wendy! Wendy! The remaining scientists yelled against loud sounds of the rushing water. Nothing. The four held on tightly as the tiny, floating yellow raft bounced roughly down the wide powerful current. Kilometres later, the water poured into Mellow River.

Soon, darkness came and the current delivered them ashore a deserted bank. They lost everything and still, no sign of Wendy. (150 words)

Read more stories here