There won’t be another day

This flash fiction is inspired by the following photo prompt. the challenge is hosted by Madison Woods. Head over there for more flash fiction action.

I welcome constructive criticisms. That’s why I am posting these pieces on a blog. 🙂 Thanks in advance for taking the time to comment.

Wordcount: 100

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Let’s take a dip to cool off before food.

My Blackberry vibrated.

Please don’t! You promised today would be just for us.

I apologised to her but answered the call. My secretary said that I was urgently needed back in the office.

I’ll walk back after lunch. Alone. Again.

***

I sit down on the grassy bank. I feel the morning dew seeping through my jeans. I watch the sun rise.

Its orangey rays illuminate the mist covered fields. But they are not strong enough to chase away the chill within me. Last night she told me she wants a divorce.

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The Nightmare continues & Movie Date

Here is Julia’s 100 word challenge for this week. Please go here to read more flash fiction.

The prompt this week is ….‘aside. Now what was that rabbit late for,’ wondered Alice…..’ It is the last ten words of the piece written by Shade the Raven last week.

The first story is a continuation of An Invitation To Tea, my contribution to last week’s challenge.

The second story is a piece about young love, which is one of my favourite themes. 🙂

Wordcount for both stories is 100 including the prompt.

Hope you enjoy my interpretations. I welcome your feedback.

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Alice refused the old man’s offer of blood for tea. The rabbit looked disappointed, as it jumped from the table and hopped out of the cottage. Alice pushed her chair aside.

‘Now what was that rabbit late for?’ wondered Alice.

She followed the rabbit down a tiny footpath. The forest grew darker and the grassy undergrowth turned into thorny bushes. Alice sacrificed her arms to protect her eyes from being pierced. Tripping over an unseen root, she stumbled upon another clearing. Her blood froze, witnessing the scene before her.

‘Now would be a good time to wake up,’ thought Alice.

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A gigantic CGI generated rabbit hopped at a tremendous speed. In the last second before a certain head-on collision, the ‘Alice’ actress jumped aside.

‘Now what was that rabbit late for?’ wondered Alice.

The ensuing onscreen dialogues were lost on Justin. From the corner of his eyes he observed multiple colours flicker on Sarah’s face, making the moment more surreal. She reached for popcorn from the bag between them. He stuck his hand in, just as she was about to retract hers. The briefest of touches resulted. As if he were on a rollercoaster, Justin’s stomach made a double flip.
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All’s well that ends well

My first work day started with a virtual trip to Australia. For one, at the train station I was surrounded by people pulling their trolley luggage around. Then I sat next to a couple on the train, who had just returned from a three week holiday to Australia. We exchanged travel stories and I was reminded of the wonderful things we had done on our trip in 2010.

 

Things even got better. Since I was too early, I decided to buy buns for breakfast at a supermarket close to the company. Strangely the single open cashier had a long queue of people with full shopping carts. After seeing that I had only one item, the lady standing in front of me in the queue let me overtake her. The same thing happened again and again and I was in front of the line in no time at all. Everyone has super friendly to me today.

 

I ended yesterday with terrible backaches and a nagging fear I would oversleep. After taking a bath and a pain killer, I went to bed feeling extremely tired. However my nagging fear did not leave me alone and I dreamt that I had overslept. I woke up all nervous and looked at the alarm clock. The time was 4:48 am – way too early for me to wake up. But I couldn’t fall asleep again being all revved up as I was. I took my time getting ready and before I knew it, it was time to leave the apartment and I had to skip my breakfast. 😦 Not a healthy way to start a working day. However given how the day proceeded, I have to admit I couldn’t have had a better first working day.

 

All’s well that ends well. Looking forward to work tomorrow. (Wow! Did I just say that?)

The first day

Do you remember your first day in kindergarten? I do not have memories of my own of this day but my mother has told me hers. I am the eldest child and as a result my mother was apprehensive when the day came for her to leave me for the very first time in foreign care. Kindergarten in Singapore is not a playgroup but rather a pre-school. Children learn how to read and write in Kindergarten. I even attended Mandarin lessons as a second language. Unfortunately I was not allowed to continue it in primary school.

Where was I? Oh yes, kindergarten! My mother put me in my uniform, packed my school bag and walked me to the kindergarten. As we approached the building, she saw children freaking out to varying degrees. Some were hanging onto their family members refusing to enter the classroom. Others were crying their hearts out. Some even ran away and were caught and carried back to the classroom. My mom couldn’t bear the thought of seeing me crying. (Actually she admitted that she felt like crying herself.) However I surprised her by taking my school bag from her hands at the entrance and entered the classroom willingly. She still couldn’t bear leaving me alone and peeked through the window to see how I was coping. She said that when I saw that I waved at her; waved at her to go away that is. 🙂

Tomorrow I have another first day ahead of me. On the one hand, I am really excited and looking forward to starting a new job in a new company. I will pack my back tonight, pick out the clothes to wear tomorrow and check out the train schedule. Things I imagine little Irene might have done the day before she went to kindergarten for the first time too; except for checking for the train schedule. J

But there is a part of me that is feeling apprehensive, and afraid. So many ‘What Ifs’ fleet through my mind. I wonder if little Irene was afraid that day too? Did her joy to learn outweigh her fear being left alone, being with strangers or to fail? Maybe I am thinking too much about it. After all my instinct says that it was the right decision to take on this job and that it is exactly the kind of work I enjoyed.

What are your experiences on your first day at a new job?

Forget him not

This flash fiction is inspired by the following photo prompt. the challenge is hosted by Madison Woods.

I welcome constructive criticism that’s why I am posting these pieces on a blog. 🙂 Thanks in advance.

Wordcount: 100

A barbwire fence separates me from the spot, where he took his last breath. I see the emergency crew laying him on a stretcher. They try in vain to get his heart pumping again. But his body had slammed into the steering wheel with a tremendous impact. The damage was too much for his young body to bear. Why didn’t he buckle his seatbelt? Why did he drive drunk? Why didn’t his friends stop him?

Now I stand beside the road and brave the elements to serve as a warning against the senseless loss of life. Don’t drink and drive!

Writing Challenge: Plots

This is a writing exercise initiated by Chris. Here is the link to the original post. The task is to come up with many plot ideas for a given topic.

Pat always knew this day would come.

1. Patricia is a tennis player. She comes from a family of professional tennis players. She and her elder sister have been training together since they were children. Due to their age difference, they have always competed in different divisions. Pat is finally old enough to compete in the adult league and has to play against her sister in the final round. She knows her sister is a bad loser. Would the outcome of the game change the relationship between the sisters forever?
2. Pat is a teenager and has a huge crush on the boy living next door. She has been spying on him when he was in his room, which was opposite hers. One day he catches her watching him. A few days later he waits next to her locker at school. Was he going to make a scene and embarrass her in front of the whole school?
3. Pat, short for Patrick, was expecting his parents to arrive at his apartment. They knew he was sharing the 3 room apartment with a male friend. What they did not know, was that the relationship was not platonic. They would notice that there is only one bedroom and the other is a home office. He wonders how best to break the news to them. Before or after a tour of the apartment?
4. Pat knew that one day one of them would die, leaving the other alone for the first time in 50 years. She always hoped that she would die first. It was an egoistic wish but she couldn’t imagine a life without her husband; they have been together since they were teenagers. However her husband was diagnosed with cancer. He passes away and after the funeral, she wonders what she is to do with the rest of her life.
5. Pat’s husband has been missing for 20 years. They were on holidays in Italy and one day he simply disappeared. Pat moved to Italy in order to look for him, hoping that she would find him one day. After 10 years, she had filed a legal case, requesting her husband to be legally declared dead. Another 10 years have passed and her husband has been legally declared dead. However it doesn’t bring her the closure she had hoped it would. She returns to the place her husband was last seen for one last time.

An invitation to tea

Here is Julia’s 100 word challenge for this week.

The prompt this week is ….‘What was the rabbit late for,’ wondered Alice…..

Wordcount 108 including the prompt.

Hope you enjoy my interpretation. I welcome your feedback.

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Alice focused on reading the rabbit’s thoughts.

I am late.

“What was the rabbit late for,” wondered Alice.

She followed the rabbit into the forest. The dense tree crowns hid the sun, causing Alice to shiver in the cool summer day. Soon she saw a cottage with the front door open and followed the rabbit in.

“Ah! Just in time for tea,” said an old man. He was alone but the table was set for two.

The rabbit laid itself on the table. The man poised a knife over its neck and asked, “Rabbit blood fine with you?”

Alice sat up in bed. It was only a dream!