Band of One

Trifecta Week Eighty-Eight

BAND (verb)

1: to affix a band to or tie up with a band
2: to finish or decorate with a band
3: to gather together : unite <banded themselves together for protection>


100 words

An old friend returned recently. I was hoping not to see him again, but he reappeared. He beckoned and I absent-mindedly responded. Knowing, deep in my heart, that I should have held my head high and looked away, I walked with him anyway. I knew where the relationship would go when I got into his loose and easy vehicle, but we drove.  Down familiar streets.

The upper-cut of reality blew its blow as I sat at the plank, surrounded by others in the band.  

I woke today and wished the friend away. I’ve welcomed, yet again, a band of one.

 

 

 

  

I Love Periwinkle!

 Trifectawritingchallenge.com

We want you to follow suit and give us a thirty-three word piece that has a color in it.  Use the color to describe anything you like, or use anything you like to describe your color, but keep it creative and keep it short.

My Submission:

In deep darkness of early morning skies

Vivid blue eyes glitter periwinkle

In moonlights shine.

 

Proudly I present

Sparkling facets, I love you

My important question, long over-due.

 

Quiescently I wait, aflutter…

 

Yes!

A Charming rewrite

I’ve had to rewrite my submission this week, after all, isn’t writing mostly rewriting anyway?

This week’s challenge truly has been challenging. I’m glad a hint was given for proper context of the prompt.

“If your post doesn't have an animal in it, you've likely used the wrong definition” they warned.

I could use the obvious animal, a cobra, they get charmed by a very brave handler.

I guess piggy’s are charmed “Sue EEEEE!” called out by the farmer.

Cats, they’re charmed by an electric can opener. Catnip too!

A roach is charmed by RAID! Yay!

And, cheese (or peanut butter) works wonders with a pesky little rodent crawling around the attic, unaware of the danger of his delectable charm.

Wow, come to think of it, cheese works well as a charm for many animals! Even the human type! Brie for me, please and thank you.

But then, just as I thought I’d never come up with a clever story with “Charm” used properly, it hit me!

I am teaching my large dog how to behave in public. I use ice pieces, or dried chicken as treats, they totally charm him.

“What a good dog! Such a good boy! You’re a smarty farty!” I tell him. It works.

New Orleans

Trifecta: Week Eighty-Seven Trifectawritingchalleng.com

This weeks prompt is "Charm'. The third meaning is 3: to control (an animal) typically by charms (as the playing of music) <charm a snake>

I was delighted that this word and meaning was already in use in something that I have already been working on! What an easy week at Trifecta this will be !

My Submission:

The woman snobbishly tugged her male counterpart away from me, as to escape a certain robbing, and continue down the street.  He resisted, reached into his pocket and handed me a big handful of a pile of coins.

 “Hope this helps you out, kid.” the guy told me and coolly strolled down the street with his arm around his girl.

I walked, with my chin held high, back to the crowd and when I arrived, I was a freakin’ hero! Everyone gave me high fives and kudos for making my first “score”. I sat down and counted it, there was more than two dollars! One of the older wino’s sittin’ at the bench with us was so proud! His drunken eyes sparkled when he told me that that was more than he could get in a couple of hours. I have to admit, at the time, I felt pretty damn good about it too!

It didn’t take long before we had a hand-written sign that simply read: “Please Donate to the Beer Fund” It worked like a charm.

Soon, our overflowing fund jar, provided an ongoing supply of cheap malt liquor and plenty of cigarettes and pot to smoke. We were a part of the scenery and passerby’s gawked at us and our crazy hair and ripped up attire. Several tourists snapped pictures. In some sort of fucked up way, I guess, we were earning our own money!

This was the first time in my whole life that I felt like I was a part of something special. At my house, I rarely even felt like a part of the family.

Trifextra Week Seventy-Seven "Water, Ring, Stage"

On now to this weekend's Trifextra challenge.  This weekend we are giving you three words and asking for you to give us back another thirty of your own, making a grand total of thirty-three words.

Your words to work with are:

ring
water
stage

Good luck!

trifectawritingchallenge.com

Sipping tea with my aunt, my phone rang, it was my agent. My work was being considered for a stage production. My glass left a water ring on her unprotected antique burled-walnut table.

An Ungranted Wish

Trifecta: Week Eighty-Six "CRACK"

****In the Restaurant Industry, which I worked for many years, when an item is unavailable, sold out or unordered, it is "Eight-Sixed".

I had wondered where in the world that term came from and I found the eerie answer online: On a pirates ship, there was room for only Eighty-Five crewmembers. If you were the eighty-sixth, you had to walk the plank. Yikes!****



This week we have a new set of guest judges.  Please help us welcome Mary Beth, Shreya and Yve.  They've got a big responsibility this week, and we are confident that they're going to do an awesome job.

CRACK
1a : a loud roll or peal <a crack of thunder>
  b : a sudden sharp noise <the crack of rifle fire>
2: a sharp witty remark : quip
3a : a narrow break : fissure <a crack in the ice>  
  b : a narrow opening <leave the door open a crack><cracks between floorboards> —used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left out <a player who fell through the cracks in the college draft> <children slipping through the cracks of available youth services>
4a : a weakness or flaw caused by decay, age, or deficiency :unsoundness
  b : a broken tone of the voice
  c : crackpot
5: moment, instant <the crack of dawn>

Remember:

• Your response must be between 33 and 333 words. 

• You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post. 

• The word itself needs to be included in your response. 

• You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as stated above. 

• Only one entry per writer. 

• If your post doesn't meet our requirements, please leave your link in the comments section, not in the linkz. 

• Trifecta is open to everyone. Please join us.

 

 

MY SUBMISSION: (333 Word Count)

 

 

Friction caressed the long-necked vessel revealing a misty wayfarer.

“I possess to you tri-wishes this nigh, do with them what you will.”

Provided with a faint moment, the smoky apparition vacuumed, toe first, into its home.

 

Wild with wonder and full with hope, the final thrift store shopper of the day, unwrinkled a five dollar bill that was stuffed deep in his barren pocket and paid the nominal price.

“I can wrap it in paper to protect it, if you want” said the clerk to the crazed man.

“No that won’t be necessary, I’d like to hold it near me, if that’s alright.” he said and picked up his treasure, gently placing it between his rib cage and arm and walked with it out of the door.

 

“I wish for a silver Maserati” he spoke clearly.

In an instant the car appeared and he opened the door and sat in the luxurious leather front seat.

 

“I wish I had my own island.” He voiced his second desire.

Sitting in his new vehicle, he appeared suddenly on a beautiful black sand beach, white-crested waves crashing into the shore.

 

He opened the car door and stepped onto the beach, still clutching his magic jar. He walked to a cove shaded with palm trees and sat upon a rock. The excitement had brought with it a tiresome lull and within minutes, he was fast asleep. Awakened by a noisy flock of passing gulls, he pulled himself together and grabbed for his bottle, which, at this point had slipped from his hands, landing on the rocky ground. He picked it up, discovering that it now had a hair-line crack across the neck and where it had landed, was moist with liquid.

 

His daily third wish for his normal previous life were not heard, nor granted, all the rest of the years of his life. He rubbed and rubbed until his life had finally succumbed to his first wishes. He crawled into his luxurious casket and died.

 

 

 

Trifecta: Week Eighty-Five "Fly"

Trifectawritingchallenge.com

Trifecta is for everyone. Please join the fun!

We turn now to our weekly one-word prompt.  This week we are asking for a 33- to 333-word response using the word:

FLY (intransitive verb)
1a : to move in or pass through the air with wings

  b : to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space
  c : to float, wave, or soar in the air <flags flying at half-mast>
2a : to take flight : flee
  b : to fade and disappear : vanish
3a : to move, pass, or spread quickly <rumors were flying>  

  b : to be moved with sudden extreme emotion <flew into a rage>  

  c : to seem to pass quickly <the time simply flew>

The reaction I had when I got into the club must have been similar to that of the first Spanish Conquistador to witness a Native American’s ceremonial dance. I was shocked indeed! The place was completely packed. There was a raised stage and at the foot of the stage was a raucous crowd of people jumping up and down, coming down on each other in a violent way, like they were fighting to the death. Blood splatter was on some shirts and faces. “Slam Dancing!” Sarena screamed with explanatory exclamation, but also as if to be asking me to the dance floor. This was nothing that I wanted to participate in, I had been slam danced quite enough already, thank you very much! The love birds, at this point, were still with me. Then, Tom-Tom says, “Hey Shawn, put this in your mouth, but don’t swallow it, just keep it on your tongue.” And so I did. He and Sarena laughed, and I apprehensively did too. After a short while, they disappeared into the crowd.

Then, as I stood by myself, shit started to get very strange. The room went from an inanimate large area from which to contain a party, to a living creature, breathing deeply off beat. Its walls, floors and ceilings moved inward then out and inward then out. It was overly crowded and the people who surrounded me were now so close, as if to actually make contact with my eyeballs. They looked at me with suspicious evil eyes and wildly sweet smiles. They bumped into me and rambunctiously moved around me like multi-ball action from a pinball machine. They also seemed to have become a single, living being, like red blood cells moving under a microscope; a tiny part of a whole beast. I felt like a mouse, dropped by the tail into a pit of hungry lions. I had to leave, in my state of mind, this place would just not fly.

*This is a section of a story that I have been writing.

Lucky Lizard

The weekend Trifectawritingchallenge.com :

this weekend we are asking for a thirty-three word free-write.  Any topic, any style--just give us your best thirty three.

This weekend's challenge is community judged.

 

 

My Submission:

 

                                 

Slivering silver scaled snake

Guarding garden grounds gate

Waiting watching wandering.

Looking for a lunchtime lizard

To eat.

 

Hovering hungry hawk high

Spy, swoop, stolen by surprise.

Talons take flight.

Laughing lucky lizard.

 

"A Pill Popping Past" Trifecta Week Eighty-Four

THIS POSTING IS MEANT FOR A MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY. 

This week's trifectawritingchallenge.com's word is "crude". We must use the third definition of the word in our story of between 33-333 words.

CRUDE
1: existing in a natural state and unaltered by cooking or processing <crude oil>
2 archaic : unripe, immature
3: marked by the primitive, gross, or elemental or by uncultivated simplicity or vulgarity <a crude stereotype>
4: rough or inexpert in plan or execution <a crude shelter>
5: lacking a covering, glossing, or concealing element :obvious <crude facts>
6: tabulated without being broken down into classes <thecrude death rate>

Remember:

• Your response must be between 33 and 333 words. 
• You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post. 
• The word itself needs to be included in your response. 
• You may not use a variation of the word; it needs to be exactly as stated above. 
• Only one entry per writer. 
• If your post doesn't meet our requirements, please leave your link in the comments section, not in the linkz. 
• Trifecta is open to everyone. Please join us.

 

WARNING! FOR MATURE READERS ONLY!Week Eighty-Four

 

 A Pill Popping Past

Crude desire filled my every cell as I walked into the dank room.  The stranger’s wild, horny eyes met mine and we embraced, skin sliding smoothly with hot sweat and oily lubricant. Without saying a word, pornographic volumes spoke clearly with chemical passion.  Soon our naked and unprotected bodies connected to be one as my quivering entrance was received. I writhed in pain as the semi-hard monster tore at my bowel and stretched my innards tight. Deep huffs from the small brown jar of poppers made it easier to bear. We smoked more.

Hours before, I had been at a parTy smoking away at a clear glass bubble pipe. Crystalized poison melted as the blue flame from the torch brought the drug to a lave-like boil. Anticipation made rise to the fine hairs that covered the back of my neck.  I expertly rolled the tool between my fingers and dragged from the glass tube my first hit.  A thick cloud of toxic smoke made its way to the hungry chasm of my abused lungs and filled them full with danger. Instantaneously, my heart raced and my temperature rose. My senses were tweaked as the beast was unleashed from within. 

The electric hunt for sex was on. My fixed gaze into the bright screen of the computer made blinking impossible.  My dry veiny eyes longed for reprieve.  Entranced by the devil and staring at the backside of God, I shopped the nude pictures and dirty profiles of the site. I flirted with words and showed pics of my zity ass, until finally I had a hit, a date.  In a flash I was in the car and on my way to appease the insatiable crave the drug served.

Now, before bed each night, I put the pills into a small cup, there’s seven of them in all, and swallow them as a group. I will be reminded of careless nights like the one I just told you about for the rest of my life. 

Word count: 333