100 Word Challenge: Portrait

Here's my response to the 100 Word Challenge this week. The prompt is portrait.

Endings and Beginnings

Today was the day his exile and misery would end. For months he had been stumbling through life. Every day he pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion, then pushed himself further so his sleep would be dreamless. But more and more frequently he dreamed anyway. He dreamt about his life before, about what he had lost because of mistakes and stupid pride. His lover's face was prevalent in those dreams. With its portrait-like clarity it would beckon to him with promises of forgiveness, understanding, acceptance, strength, and love. God, he missed that face. It was time to go home.

100 Word Challenge: Hidden

In response to Velvet Verbosity's 100 Word Challenge, here is my response to the word HIDDEN:

Will it ever get here?

Come late April or early May, Michigan will be alive with flowers; crocuses and tulips and daffodils, iris and day lilies and hyacinths, too. My lavender wil finally bloom so I can bring its fragrant blossoms inside for various purposes: tea, lavender scones, sachets, and drying the blossomed stems for arrangements.

Come late April or early May, the grass will turn the most beautiful shade of green. The trees will bud then, bam, the next day they'll be full of leaves.

But right now? Now we're buried under a blanket of blinding white snow. All of Spring's beginnings are hidden.

100 Word Challenge: Thirty

This is my submission to this week's 100 Word Challenge hosted by Velvet Verbosity. This week's word prompt is Thirty.

Jonah
Thirty days isn’t a lot of time, but it would be enough. There were utilities to shut off and final bills to pay. She just told her landlord she was not renewing her lease. She had decided long ago that after Jonah died she would start over elsewhere. That time was now.

She had a destination in mind but decided to take the long way there. On her journey, she’d look for a new companion – one who would love her as Jonah had. One she could love in return, one who liked mountains. And snow.

Damn. She missed her Jonah.

100 Word Challenge

Inspired by Lou, I'm participating in this week's 100 Word Challenge hosted by Velvet Verbosity:

“Should I do this?” she wondered.

“CAN I do this?” she fretted.

“If I don’t try, I’ll never know,” she muttered out loud.

She immediately turned to stare out her window at the snowy city rooftops. Her mind wandered, in search of the ever-elusive first word. It’s always the first word that trips her up. Give her a starting point, somewhere to jump from, and she’s golden.

“No need to be nervous,” she told herself, “This task has a prompt, just what you need to help you write. “

She sat down and began writing her first 100 word challenge.