K R Smith: Lillie McFerrin

Showing posts with label Lillie McFerrin. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

FSF Challenge - Breakfast

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Breakfast

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction.

Get FSF updates on twitter by following @5SentenceFic

Hearts and Minds

Click here to see prompt picture

"I've pushed Grandma to the table outside, Dad, but does she even know it's breakfast time?"
"I'd like to think so, Sarah, and either way, the fresh air will do her good."
When a small bird had landed on the table in front of her, she pushed a tiny of piece of toast toward it. As the bird picked off crumbs to eat, the old woman smiled.
Sarah saw what her grandmother was doing, and nudged her father, saying, "I think she does, Dad."

Looking for a short romance read? Check out this one from from Terri Deno (Kindle format):

You can also click here to go directly to Amazon! Melody of Love

Friday, July 31, 2015

FSF Challenge - Bubbles

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Bubbles

A poem this time around...

Bubbles

Profoundly round,
Irrefutably iridescent,
They float on a whim into the sky.

Ephemeral rainbows,
Drifting randomly
Until bursting in an explosion of nothingness.

Transfixed, I watch
As the glistening spheres appear
And feel myself wandering with them.

It is merely a child's toy, of course,
Inappropriate for my years;
Just a looped wand and soapy water.

And yet I smile,
Wishing for the courage
To ask if I could play.

K. R. Smith

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

FSF Challenge - Thief

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Thief

Bit by Bit

"Mom, why is old Miss Taylor so grouchy—all she ever does is sit on her porch and grumble!"
"She's lost too much to thieves to be happy, Sarah, so please be kind to her if you can. When she was your age, a boy stole her heart, but before they could truly be a couple, a man took her innocence. The drugs she used to forget that time destroyed her body, and now the years are stealing her mind."
When Sarah's mother looked across the street later that day, she saw her holding Miss Taylor's hand as she cried.

Monday, June 1, 2015

FSF Challenge - Fresh

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Fresh

It's been a while since I've done a poem...

Clearing Thoughts

FSF prompt image: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_5606-1024x768.jpg

Rain passes;
Rocks glisten,
Dappled in sunlight.

Leaves twirl;
Winds rush
Across my face.

Clouds race;
Vapors entwine
Misty cotton jets.

Shadows fade;
Colors change
From gray to blue.

Rainbows sparkle;
Earth awakens,
Stretching to the horizon.

I'm not exactly sure you'd call these sentences, but that's the way it is! And there are five of them!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

FSF Challenge - Steam

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Steam

A bit of romance?.

One More Time

The steam from the engine entwined with the evening fog as she stepped off the train, swirling around her like a gossamer shroud. He looked up and squinted, trying to accept that it was really her. The subdued light from the station windows illuminated her face with the soft, ethereal glow that seemed so natural—and so familiar. As if emerging from a misty dream, she moved silently toward him, her eyes locked onto his. You don't often get a second chance, Brad thought, and who could have believed she would return to this forgotten part of the world, let alone willingly?

Note: If you want to hear this story from another angle, see the version Tess posted - this was quite by accident!

While you're here, why not check out my post for the Horror Bites #18 writing challenge!

Also, because of recent host problems at the FSF site, I was unable to post my entry for "Family." If you'd like to read it anyway, here it is! FAMILY

Friday, May 15, 2015

FSF Challenge - Family

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Family

Another short one this week...

Blind Date

    The routine was always the same when Brad and Cheryl went downtown on a date—he'd stop by the subway station entrance and talk to a homeless man, the discussion always ending with Brad giving him money, sometimes forcibly.
    "Why do you always give that beggar money, especially since he doesn't seem to want it?"
    "He's my brother, isn't he?"
    "Yes, I know we're all supposed to be brothers—"
    Seeing his eyes grow moist, she turned and looked back, only then seeing the resemblance.

While you're here, why not check out my post for the Horror Bites #18 writing challenge!

Monday, May 4, 2015

FSF Challenge - Memories

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Memories

Memories don't always make you happy...

Images of the Past

See the prompt image at:

Childhood Memories

Helen traced a finger across each of the figures in the fading black-and-white image. She remembered them all, and how they stood together, vowing to be friends forever. They had decided that in thirty years the five of them would meet on this beach and have a grand reunion. A shiver came over her as she stood alone, thinking of each one: Sarah had died from a drug overdose, Tina suffered a stroke and was in a nursing home, Gail was in prison for killing her boyfriend, and Debbie—she had simply walked out on her husband and three children without a word as to why or where she was going. Helen ran toward the ocean, tossing the frame and its contents as far as she could into the salty breakers, and when the cold water rushed over her feet, cried.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

FSF Challenge - Departure

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Departure

A real shorty this week...

Left Behind

Image source

It seemed like such a simple thing: to say goodbye. Kate was going off to a new city and a new job. This was a great opportunity for her. Jason gazed out over the runway and watched her plane lift into the sky, squinting from the sun in his eyes. That didn't hurt as much, though, as the thought that it should have been him.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

FSF Challenge - Changes

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Changes

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week Lillie posts one word for inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word.

This didn't come out as well as I'd like. Perhaps I'll do a rewrite at some point.

Lost in the Moment

Image source: http://powertochange.com/itv/spirituality/mentoring-changes-lives/ via http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mentoringChangesLives.jpg

Brad had heard his parent's complain for what seemed like the millionth time: "You take yourself so seriously, but you don't seem to have a clue to what path your life should take" or "That boy doesn't know if he's coming or going." He walked down the dusty road for hours, the warm summer wind blowing a thousand thoughts around in his mind, trying to figure out why they couldn't understand him or see his point of view. He closed his eyes to the summer heat, letting the dry breeze guide his steps. When Brad stopped to look behind him—or what he thought was the way he'd come—there were no traces of his footprints, all blown away by the wind. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry when he realized they might be right.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

FSF Challenge - Isolated

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Isolated

This story is more about the prompt word than the picture...

Sanctuary

Image of woman alone - source:
https://23thorns.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/alone-in-a-crowd.jpg

She peeked out the window from behind the curtain, looking at the busy street below, three floors down. There were so many people, but whom could she trust? As a woman passing by appeared to look up at her, she drew away from the window, steadying the curtain so her presence wouldn't be known. It's best not to take a chance, she thought. Turning her walker around, she inched toward a worn easy chair, lowered herself gently into it, then reached over to the lamp and extinguished the light.

Friday, April 10, 2015

FSF Challenge - Hunt

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Hunt

The right tool for the right job...

No Need For Overkill

     A tall man, wearing well-worn clothes of a style that seemed out of place in the heart of the city, walked into the shop, laid a rifle on the counter, and said, "I'd like to sell this, or to be more specific, trade it for something smaller."
    "That' s nice old Springfield," the proprietor said. "What did you have in mind for a trade?"
     He glanced out the shop's window to see a finely groomed man in a tailored Italian suit unlocking the door to the offices of Dewey, Cheatham, & Howe*, Attorneys at Law, just across the street. "Oh, a .38 revolver should do, seeing how you don't need anything so big and bulky just to hunt weasels."

* With apologies to the Three Stooges and many others...

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

FSF Challenge - Entrance

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Entrance

An entrance can also be an exit. Just sayin'...

Steppin' Out

Image source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Gunung-Mulu-National-Park-Deer-Cave-entrance1.gif

     "I want everyone here to know," the construction supervisor screamed as he walked next to the hardening concrete of the walkway, "that I don't find this the least bit amusing. It cost a pretty penny to lay this down, and whoever did this is not only going to be fired, they're going to reimburse the company for new paving and the museum that is sponsoring the opening of this cavern to the public for lost revenue."
    The crew looked at each other shrugged.
    "For God's sake, men, setting these ridiculously huge footprints into the cement all they way to the entrance is the sort of thing I'd expect from a bunch of twelve-year-old child—"
    The supervisor cut his words short when he saw what had made the footprints leading out was now making footprints leading in.

Friday, March 13, 2015

FSF Challenge - Vindictive

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Vindictive

I have two this week because I've missed a few lately. I've been doing some other writing, and I'm way behind on that, too. Anyway, here they are!

#1 A woman scorned...

Sharp Girl

Image of woman tied to railroad tracks - Source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TiedToRailwayTracks.jpg

Vanessa sat in the theatre where the old movies were playing, but her mind wasn't on the film. Brad had talked her into going, and then called to cancel at the last minute leaving her standing in the lobby with two tickets. If that wasn't bad enough, a friend sent a text telling her she'd seen Brad at the beach with another girl. She glanced up just as the scene of the helpless girl tied to the railroad tracks appeared, and smiled. "If she had a blade like mine," Vanessa thought as her fingers caressed the hunting knife in her purse, "she could fix all her problems."

#2 Based on the picture more than the prompt, this one is on the humorous side... well, dark humor.

Stand-in

     "I'm glad we got that part of the movie shot. With such a short time between trains, getting the equipment and actors in place—and then back out again—was a really tough job."
     "Well, it's over now," he said, pausing for a moment until the train whistle stopped, "and we can take a nice, long lunch before the afternoon's shoot. Let's get everyone together and head over to the food wagon."
     "Say—has anyone seen Mary?"

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

FSF Challenge - Forgotten

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Forgotten

A short and somber one this week...

Treasure Hunt

Forgotten Umbrella
By רנדום (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

The few residents of this part of the city, long abandoned by all but the hopeless, voiced no complaints when Bernie tossed the paper he had dug from the trash can onto the sidewalk. As a few drops of rain dotted the pavement, he looked up briefly, then went back to scrounging. He laughed as he pulled out a tattered prize, and said, "Somebody forgot their umbrella today!" But no one was listening. He had been forgotten, too.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

FSF Challenge - Open

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Open

I've had the lyrics from the song "All My Sorrows" by the Kingston Trio (yeah, I'm that old) running through my head lately.

Now there's one more thing
That troubles my mind
My love is gone, left me behind

All my sorrows soon forgotten
But it's too late, my love
Too late but never mind
All my sorrows soon forgotten

That's what inspired this FSF story.

Lonely View

     William never understood the powerful forces that consumed Miranda. How many times had he found her staring out the window into the seemingly empty distance saying, "Can't you feel it pulling you, drawing your soul away from this place?"
     "Feel what?" he would reply until, after a moment, she would shake her head, smile, and tell him it didn't matter.
     Only, one day, it did.
     Now, he sits alone by the window, foolishly searching the horizon for an illusive and amorphous entity which never existed farther away than Miranda's heart.

Friday, February 6, 2015

FSF Challenge - Villainous

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Villainous

A little fantasy this time. BTW, some folks really don't like their poetry critiqued...

The Sorceress' Garden

(Because I'm not sure about the copyright on the image

for this week's prompt, please go to Lillie McFerrin's site

to view the picture.)

     "Twining, tingling, intermingling,
      Evil arborous serpents grow
      Hanging, dangling, slightly strangling,
      Darkened limbs from seeds I sow."
      The knight stood in front of the sorceress, arms folded, a smirk on his face. "Do you really expect me to be frightened by some silly rhyme?"
      "If you don't like my poetry," she cackled, "perhaps you'll enjoy my gardening."
      From the arc traced by her arm, a handful of seeds flew from her fingers landing at the knight's feet. His annoying simper disappeared as the first tendrils snaked their way under his armor.

As a side note, is Microsoft Word sexist?

It doesn't seem to understand the word 'sorceress' in my version and wants to replace it with 'sorcerer.' But sexist? Probably not. More likely just written by a fan of science fiction rather than fantasy. Or it never occurred to Microsoft that someone might want gender-specific language.

Still, it is rather annoying, especially since I'm working on a longer story about a sorceress. I can see the message now: "You have 8,423,302 errors..."

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

FSF Challenge - Bedtime

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Bedtime

It's difficult to keep a positive attitude when you're out on the street...

Street Dreams

Click to see prompt image

     "I had a dream," the man said as he rearranged his blanket to capture the heat rising through a grate.
     "What about this time?" his friend asked after a cynical laugh. "That pretty girl you're gonna meet or a big table full of hot food for tomorrow's dinner?"
     "Both, but it all happened long ago. I don't dream about the future any more."

Friday, January 23, 2015

FSF Challenge - Abandon

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Abandon

Time to call the real estate agent...

The Last Guest

Image source

Gone were the crowds, the throngs of people who danced at the balls, celebrated holidays, and relaxed on the now-unkempt grounds. There were no visitors who called, no giggling children, no misplayed notes on the piano whose keys had long ago turned yellow. The music and laughter that once resounded through its rooms were only a dim memory in the minds of a few who remembered its magnificence. Now, only darkness and decay wandered the great halls. And one, it is said, whose forlorn face sometimes appeared at a window.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

FSF Challenge - Offering

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Offering

I would have thought a nice card would have been enough...

Final Offering

Image: Hand held out with light within. Source: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/offering.jpg

Clouds had covered the sky for weeks, and a misty drizzle soaked the fields. With the spring planting long overdue, it would soon be too late for the seeds to grow and bear fruit before harvest time. The high priest lifted his torch to the sky, an offering of light and warmth, to show the gods what his people needed. Their only reply was an indignant rumbling of thunder, the demand for a greater sacrifice delivered to the heavens by a messenger of smoke. As he placed the torch into a circle of dry tinder, lashed to a pole, I waited within for the flames to lift my spirit into the darkness.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

FSF Challenge - Fresh

This week's writing challenge
from

Five Sentence Fiction

( Lillie McFerrin Writes )
is based upon the prompt:

Fresh

Some New Year's resolutions should be kept... I'm thinking this would be a good one for me.

Resolution

Image source for New Year's Calendar: http://lilliemcferrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/abell_1790881b.jpg

"Dad said he was going to start his exercise program today."
"Yeah, the first day of the new year was when he was going to begin taking care of himself."
"The doctor said he should have started long ago, but I guess it doesn't matter now."
"Sure it does. Right after the funeral, what do say we both go for a long, brisk walk—and keep doing it every other day—so our kids don't have to have this conversation?"

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Friday, July 31, 2015

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Monday, June 1, 2015

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Friday, May 15, 2015

Monday, May 4, 2015

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Friday, April 10, 2015

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Friday, March 13, 2015

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Friday, February 6, 2015

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Friday, January 23, 2015

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

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