FLASH-FIC IS HERE
PLEASE JOIN US EACH FRIDAY TO SEE WHO'S FLASHING US
Each Friday a new prompt will be posted along with the previous week's winners.
What exactly is a Flash-Fic? It's pretty much a spur of the moment, tiny story, prompted by words, images or silliness. Not sure if you've ever been on twitter when this has happened, but it's pretty awesome when it does. It also happens often in threads, with a combination of people contributing.
How does it work? Each Friday one admin of TLS posts a picture prompt here to the blog. Using this image, entries are created by commenting on this post. Submissions must be 100-300 words ONLY. No more, no less. The entries are then judged and we post the winners here, each Friday, to share with all of you.
THIS WEEK'S NEW PROMPT
You will have until next Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST to submit your entry.
Picture prompt and judge this week is Nicffwhisperer.
Please leave your submission in the comment section at the bottom of the post using this format:
Your name (use your Twitter, Facebook or FFN name)
Your link to your FFN profile if you choose to share it
Submissions will be judged on Thursdays and on Friday the winning entry will be posted here, on the TLS blog. This feature is open to everyone, so come one, come all!
LAST WEEK'S PROMPT AND WINNERS
FIRST PLACE WINNER
@bebeginja
Word count: 296
I ignore the buzz of my phone on my nightstand. I can’t talk to anyone right now.
I can’t talk.
October.
I’m sprawled spread eagle on my bed. On the inside I’m writhing, begging for a reprieve from this nightmare. A wide awake nightmare.
Are my eyes open? Is my heart beating?
Feel.
I’m trying to feel but I can’t. What am I supposed to? Am I supposed to? Is this why people self harm? To feel? To focus?
Crazy. They’ll call me crazy. Off.
Something’s off.
November.
I curl in a ball on my chair in the middle of the room. Somewhere deep within me a voice is screaming get up! Get. Up. GET UP! Knock it off! Snap out of it! He’s not worth it!
But he is. He’s worth everything. I was stupid to do that, I know. To make him everything. I never wanted to be one of those people. I know better.
What have you done? Look at you, you’re pathetic.
But I don’t understand. Was I too much or not enough?
It hurts. The pain is so intense I can’t even tell where it hurts the most.
December.
I lie on the floor and stare up at the popcorn ceiling. If I believed in God, I’d ask him to take me now.
I am frozen. Consumed. And certain that no one else has ever felt this way.
Because no one else had him.
I could laugh at the absurdity. I should hate him, but I take it all. I take whatever he gives me, and right now he’s giving me this. His absence.
Even as he damages me I cry for him.
Even as he slays me I die for him.
Even as he leaves me I’m lost for him.
SECOND PLACE
Megan
http://www.fanfiction.net/~virginalvampire
Word count: 297
Sitting alone in the darkness and solitude of my childhood bedroom nearly drives me past the brink of sanity.
I quickly grab my jacket, not caring that the rain is pouring down outside. Standing on my porch, I rip my jacket off and toss it back into the house, suddenly craving the feel of the wet, cold drops falling on my skin.
I walk aimlessly for a while, soaked to the bone by the time I finally stop. I swallow and push open the wrought iron fence. I follow the worn path, careful to avoid the mud so I don’t slip.
When I reach the headstone I’m looking for, I drop to my knees.
“Everyone told me to just give it time, they said I’d be fine eventually.” I let out a cynical-sounding laugh. “Edward,” my voice breaks. I can feel the warmth of my tears mixing with the cold of the rain. “When is eventually going to get here? It’s been four months. I can barely breathe without you.”
I run my hand along the grooves in the headstone, tracing his name. The marble should feel cold to my touch, but it doesn’t, it feels warm. The wedding band that rests securely on my left ring finger and the dog tags nestled safely between my breasts seem to heat up as well.
It’s crazy to think that he’s somehow giving me a sign, isn’t it?
Just as I’m about to brush the feeling off, for the first time, I feel a kick. My free hand clutches at my stomach. I can’t help it, I smile. A sense of peace rushes through me, calming me.
I take a deep breath and stand, blowing a kiss to the stone.
“I hope he has your eyes. I love you.”
THIRD PLACE
@GeekChic12FF
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2331711/
Word count: 229
Wandering.
That’s all my mind does lately.
All my feet do.
There’s never a specific destination.
Just wandering.
Thinking.
Walking.
You’ve been gone five months.
It’s never a conscious decision to seek you out.
My feet take me down the path in the woods where you told me I wasn’t good enough.
They take me to our meadow where you once told me I was everything.
My brain wanders around these conflicting thoughts.
It can’t make sense of them.
It wanders through memories of us--touching, kissing, laughing.
Through every ‘I love you,’ not believing them anymore.
Why should I?
Was any of it real?
You’re not coming back. I can feel it in the very marrow of my bones.
I’m lost now.
Literally.
My feet have wandered past the spot where you stood and ripped my heart out.
Past our meadow full of happy, purple flowers.
My mind doesn’t recognize these surroundings--mossy rocks and sparse trees.
I hear water crashing against rocks in the distance.
My feet wander that way. My mind wants to see the chaotic waves.
When I reach the cliff, my mind wanders down the path of no return. How will it feel when my lungs fill with water? When I can’t breathe anymore?
Will my mind finally forget you?
Will I finally be able to let go?
My feet wander.
Right over the edge.
HONORABLE MENTION
@QuinnSkylark
Words: 271
“Fallen” (Sarah McLachlan)
What am I supposed to do?
The room spins around me and my head matches the revolutions in a sickening, dizzying whirl. How did I let this get so messed up? I sat by, idly watching as the control I once had slipped right between my fingers and I just...allowed it. I permitted him to speak to me that way. I accepted the ache inside of myself and ran away. I signed off on my own downfall instead of fighting back.
Now, Rose truly believes that I’d been fucking Jake, and apparently Edward does as well. How can anyone believe that when I had him—the highest and most powerful of all sexual deities—at my fingertips? Edward’s life and mine have been intertwined by the fates, spun on the thread that held my entirety. It would seem, now, that the cotton has been cut as my world unravels around me.
My stomach lurches and my vision blurs in the twisting room and I slip off the chair, falling to my knees before the garbage can just in time to empty the contents of my stomach. Over and over, I heave until there is nothing left for me to surrender. The pain serves as a reminder of why I’m doing this; why I’ve made these choices, but also a reminder of just how lost I really am.
But then Ben opens the door, knocking lightly before he steps inside. As I fall into the strong arms of my best friend, sobbing in frustration, I remind myself that I haven’t lost yet. No. The battle has just begun.
HONORABLE MENTION
@Twilightladies1
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2878973/twilightladies
Word Count 283
I watch as you sleep on our couch.
Curled in the fetal position, it’s as if you’re trying to protect yourself from something. Even in slumber, your thoughts are consumed by darkness.
I want to smooth the frown lines between your eyes, wishing that just for once,
your dreams at least, are a happy place.
Recently, it seems that everything makes you cry, and I hate how helpless I am
in all of this.
I used to be able to make you smile or laugh, no matter the situation. Your
eyes danced with mirth as you played your practical jokes.
Now, your tears are my demons.
“Edward,” you murmur, and my heart breaks just a little more.
You begin to whimper, and I consider waking you, to calm you. Only, that didn’t
go too well last time.
“No…Edward…Sorry…” Your voice breaks and tears roll down your face.
I hate the tears.
Drawn to you, I move from my chair and take you in my arms.
You stiffen, and I brace myself, unsure of which Bella I’m going to be faced
with.
“Edward?” your murmur.
“I’m here,” I soothe, kissing your forehead softly.
Your arms wrap around my neck. “I’m so sorry,” you sob. I feel your tears on my
neck.
“You don’t have anything to apologize for, baby,” I whisper.
You sigh, melting into my embrace.
I close my eyes, cherishing this moment, unsure of when the next one will come.
Pushing the hair from your face, I look into your tired eyes.
“We’ll beat this won’t we?”
I smile softly, “Of course we will.”
For the first time in weeks, you smile—a proper Bella smile—and I know we’ll be
okay.
HONORABLE MENTION
@TinsleyWarren
Words: 296
“Compose yourself Bella,” I growl at my reflection.
The girl looking back at me isn’t the girl I saw when I came in here. That girl was full of hope. The girl I see now knows it’s over. The tears stain her face like battle scars as she clutches a stick, her knuckles turning white.
I know I should be happy, I should feel blessed. But instead I feel dread and emptiness.
I’m so lost.
I know I shouldn’t have let him pursue me. I knew it would blow up in my face. But I went with my heart and I let myself fall without thinking of the consequences. I just thought of him and the way his smile made everything better, and the way his fingers could make me feel so alive.
Now I won’t ever be able to forget the way he made me feel, because the evidence of our love for one another is growing inside of me.
I know I have to keep this to myself. Even if his promises and declarations of love are true, this could ruin him. It could ruin everything if I let this slip.
No matter what my feelings are for him, I’m just the help. I wish I remembered
that before all this happened.
I don’t have time to dwell on my mistakes, I need to do my job.
I hold my head up high as I dispose of the test. Securing a smile on my face I grab the tray of appetizers. It’s my job to make sure this event goes smoothly, it’s the most important one of the year for our country.
Today I’m working Prince Edward’s engagement party, and the future Princess has no idea I’m having his baby. And neither does he.
The Lemonade Stand would like to also thank all of the participants. We thoroughly enjoyed ALL of the entries!
And I have to add that it was a really hard one to judge this week - I wanted to give everyone an honorable mention, so thanks to everyone for entering - Nat xx
I loved the beach during the summer, the feel of the sand between my toes seemed to calm me and allowed me to really process my jumbled thoughts. Unfortunately my Bella time was cut short as my ex best friend, Edward, stood over me blocking the sun’s rays.
ReplyDelete“What’s your problem?” He growled, his fists were tight with anger.
I rolled my eyes. “Why do you care?”
“Why do I care?” Edward screamed at me, causing the other beach visitors to look our way. “Bella, you can’t go around implying you slept with the biggest player in school. Do you want to look like a whore?”
His words hurt and I looked away. I wouldn’t let him tare me apart. “Shut up Edward! You stopped talking to me right before school ended and now that I’m getting attention you care?”
The look in his eyes made me pause. “You think I stopped talking to you because I didn’t care? I stopped because you didn’t care enough! I couldn’t be your friend anymore. I didn’t want that.”
My eyes filled with tears and I felt like I’d been slapped. Didn’t care? My feelings were the opposite of that, I loved him. How could I not have cared enough.
“As for me giving you my opinion, sorry. Sorry I don’t want the girl I’m in love with portrayed as a whore. She’s anything but.” The pain I heard in his voice froze my mind. Did he just say he loved me?
I looked up and saw him walking toward the ocean and I didn’t think, I just ran to him. I jumped on his back and clung to him like my life depended on it.
“You love me?” I whispered in his ear.
“Everyday.”
I held him tighter, “I love you too.”
@TinsleyWarren
Words: 300
The beach seems alive, as we run across the sand. Grains catch between our toes, covering our feet, finding their way into unwelcome places. A gentle breeze dances in the air, smacking our lips with salt and ozone.
ReplyDeleteIt’s our final summer. Next year we’ll be gone, abandoning the beach and waves for a pre-ordained future. We’ll be students, workers, travelers, lay-abouts.
But right here, right now; this land is ours.
Alice starts a game of volleyball, trying to corral us into taking part. You shake your head, your dark eyes catching mine. I feel anticipation curl in my stomach, like an arching cat.
Somebody turns on the radio and The Beach Boys blast out. Emmett rolls his eyes, muttering about how lame they are, but the rest of us join in the song. I bite my lip, wanting to freeze time forever.
I’ll miss this.
I’ll miss you.
The summer does strange things to us all. It darkens our skin and bleaches our hair, makes us feel warm and uninhibited. It allows us to do things we’d never dream of in winter.
Like the way I let you trail a hot finger down my suntanned thigh. I’m sticky with lotion and your movement stutters. I look at you through heavy lashes. The intensity of your eyes shocks me.
“You wanna go for a swim?” You raise an eyebrow. I want to imprint your cocky smile on my mind forever.
I nod and follow you to the shore. We dodge our way through sandcastles and football games. I linger behind, watching the muscles ripple beneath your skin. The sight does wicked things to me. I can’t stop myself; I run toward you, launching myself at your back.
And you catch me.
@chocaholic12345
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 291
The beach seems alive, as we run across the sand. Grains catch between our toes, covering our feet, finding their way into unwelcome places. A gentle breeze dances in the air, smacking our lips with salt and ozone.
It’s our final summer. Next year we’ll be gone, abandoning the beach and waves for a pre-ordained future. We’ll be students, workers, travelers, lay-abouts.
But right here, right now; this land is ours.
Alice starts a game of volleyball, trying to corral us into taking part. You shake your head, your dark eyes catching mine. I feel anticipation curl in my stomach, like an arching cat.
Somebody turns on the radio and The Beach Boys blast out. Emmett rolls his eyes, muttering about how lame they are, but the rest of us join in the song. I bite my lip, wanting to freeze time forever.
I’ll miss this.
I’ll miss you.
The summer does strange things to us all. It darkens our skin and bleaches our hair, makes us feel warm and uninhibited. It allows us to do things we’d never dream of in winter.
Like the way I let you trail a hot finger down my suntanned thigh. I’m sticky with lotion and your movement stutters. I look at you through heavy lashes. The intensity of your eyes shocks me.
“You wanna go for a swim?” You raise an eyebrow. I want to imprint your cocky smile on my mind forever.
I nod and follow you to the shore. We dodge our way through sandcastles and football games. I linger behind, watching the muscles ripple beneath your skin. The sight does wicked things to me. I can’t stop myself; I run toward you, launching myself at your back.
And you catch me.
@GeekChic12FF
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fanfiction.net/u/2331711/
Word count: 300
“Ready?”
“Set?”
“Go!” we yell at the same time as our feet kick up sand.
We run like mad toward the surf.
Last one there is a rotten egg.
Edward is getting ahead of me, but I know just how to gain the advantage. I work the tie loose on my top and hold it up.
“Hey, Cullen!” I shout, releasing the strings as my feet continue to fly.
His head turns, eyes widening.
He stumbles, trips.
I laugh as I pass him, raising my arms high in the air in victory.
Just as my toes meet the surf, strong arms wrap around my middle and my upper body lunges forward, my feet lifting off the ground.
“That was a dirty trick,” he growls into my ear.
“You like me dirty.”
Edward chuckles and play-bites my neck as he sets me back down onto the wet sand. I turn and jump into his arms, wrapping myself around him.
He’s so close. His face is tan, making his brilliant green eyes stand out even more. Tiny grains of sand are stuck to parts of his face, his hair a riotous mass of copper.
Beautiful.
“I guess you win,” Edward says with a smirk.
“Guess so. Good thing you’re a boob-man.”
“I’m pretty much an everything-man.”
“Oh, really now?” I ask with a raised brow.
“An everything-Bella-man,” he corrects.
“Ah, much better.” I bring my lips to his and mumble against them, “What do I win?”
“Well,” he says before kissing me, “your trophy is about seven inches long.” Another kiss, moving to my jawline and neck, making me arch against him and moan. “It’s quite solid and of the highest quality.”
I giggle at his words and the tickle of his scruff against my skin. “It sounds kinda perfect.”
“Mmhmm...perfect.”
@Twilightladies1
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fanfiction.net/u/2878973/twilightladies
Word Count - 294
She’s been taunting me all day. Her white bikini leaves little to the imagination.
It’s identical to the one she wore on our honeymoon.
The one she wore as I made love to her in the sea for the first time.
Ten years later we’re back at the same beach, and I want to repeat history.
I smile as I turn on my side to face her. With sun-kissed skin and a blissful smile, she’s never looked more beautiful.
Her nipples pucker in the cool air, as I tug the ties on her bikini top and pull it from her, throwing it in the sand.
She shudders as my fingers trail over her exposed skin, avoiding the area that’s begging for my touch.
“Edward,” she gasps, threading her fingers through my hair.
“Come into the water with me,” I whisper against her lips.
She nods shyly as she stands and jumps on my back. I run into the water, ignoring her pleading and squeals as the waves crash over us.
As we emerge, she wraps her legs around my waist and my greedy fingers pull her bottoms to the side.
“Are you ready?” I ask, as my fingers find her swollen clit.
“Yes,” she moans.
I move us deeper into the water as her hand moves between us to free my hardened cock.
She whimpers when I remove my fingers, pushing her hips down, searching for friction. I answer her with a thrust of my own, groaning as I enter her fully.
We forget our surroundings as we focus solely on each other.
“It’s just like our honeymoon,” she moans, as I hit her favorite spot.
I sigh and kiss her softly. “No, it’s better.”
Her answering smile dazzles me.
“Happy Anniversary, Mrs Cullen.”
rochelle allison/ @roglows
ReplyDeletewords: 295
http://www.fanfiction.net/~rochelleallison
~~
“Does he know you're home?”
I shake my head, staring at Edward. He's been standing at the water's edge, silhouetted by a slowly setting sun, nearly as long as I've been standing here, watching him.
“Are you going to –”
I grab Alice's hand, squeezing until she quiets. I'm nervous enough as it is; I don't need her saying the same things I've been thinking all day...
...week...month...year.
No one knows I'm home – I'm a day early. I couldn't stay away from this place, and if I'm being honest with myself, from this boy. He sets me ablaze the way he always done, making me feel more than I have in a long time. I wonder if he still feels the same way, too.
It wasn't hard to find my friends. We've spent lifetimes on these shores, and no day is more significant than the first of summer. Life is different now, with college and jobs and friendships spread thin by distance and time, but somehow time stands still here. Like nothing is different at all.
And that's what I'm counting on.
A couple of friends wander by, hands clasped, faces open in surprise when they see me. They smile and hug me, eyes darting back and forth between me and the boy on the beach. They look almost as anxious as I feel.
Heart in my mouth, I rip my shirt off and drop it to the sand. I take one step, and then another, and then I'm flying across the warm expanse, nearly blinded by the sun.
I say his name. He pauses, jeans soaked heavy, hair dripping down his back...and catches me when I jump.
“I missed you.”
My eyes burn with salt.
“I've missed you, too.”
@sulliedsoles
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fanfiction.net/u/4889580/
Words: 299
I look down the beach to the left, then to the right. I can't believe how empty it is.
It's late August, and here, it's almost too cold for this. But passing up my first glimpse of the Atlantic wasn't an option. I panicked when Edward threatened to keep driving. With a wicked flicker in his gold-green eyes, he leaned across the console and teased, "We can't be late for college, Bella baby."
I begged. I pleaded. I promised him head.
I breathe deep, trying to root salt, powder-soft sand, and heavy ocean air into my lungs. It's not until I close my eyes that I really feel the breeze and how alive it makes my skin. I hear his low chuckle right before he thumps my shoulder. "Daydreaming, pretty girl? C'mon, let's do this." He's striding confident, ripping off sneakers, then socks, leaving a careless trail down the dune toward the rolling waves.
I stay. Because I want to watch him pull his shirt up and over tousled and three-days-dirty hair. Because I want to see his back muscles, his low-hanging dark wash jeans, and his ass. I need to look at my boy.
"Get down here," he yells over his shoulder. I smile and keep watching until I cannot stand to be not touching him.
I tug soft black cotton over my head and kick off my two-buck flip flops, then bolt. He hears me coming, but he doesn't turn around, just braces himself for me. One, two, three more steps, then I leap, slinging long limbs and wrapping him up.
It takes a few seconds for him to realize, to really feel. He stops dead in his tracks and accuses. "Bella, are you topless?"
And I can't help but laugh.
@hallejaymes
ReplyDeleteword count: 298
www.fanfiction.net/~hallejaymes
Seeing the sign, Bella feels a surge of excitement. “Pull over!“
“You want to go to the beach?” Edward asks.
“I’ve never seen the ocean,” she confesses. “Not in person, anyway.”
“Where are you from again?” Edward asks more to himself.
Bella just shrugs.
“Well, after 23 years of life, I think it’s time. Who knows when I’ll get this chance again.”
“True,” Edward agrees.
~
An overcast, windy day makes for an empty beach.
Taking hold of her hand, Edward says lightheartedly, “It’s easier if you run right into it.”
Feet bare, they take off toward the shore with wide grins.
Bella shrieks in shock at the cold water, “Holy, this is freezing!”
Edward laughs but agrees with a shiver. “Yeah, maybe we should have just put our feet in. Oh, well. Live and learn, Bella.”
Standing there, he can’t help but fall a little more in love with this girl. A girl he’s only known for five days. Those five short days felt like a lifetime to him. He only hopes he’ll be enough of a reason for her to change her mind about what she wants. That she’ll consider coming back to him once she visits her sister.
Noticing the heaviness that’s settled over his chest, he decides he can’t afford to waste time thinking about what ifs and the future. He needs to enjoy the time he has with her now.
Right here.
“So, Bella, while we’re here checking things off your list, how do you feel about sex on the beach?”
Glancing at him, she wants to wipe the cocksure look off his face.
Pulling him to her, she palms him through his jeans and whispers, “Only if you catch me.”
Leaving a stunned and horny Edward behind, she takes off running.
Twitter: @hummingbirdFF
ReplyDeleteWord count: 299
~~~
She was so beautiful, even as the wind whipped her hair onto her tear-stained cheeks.
The day was as tough as they come, and we’d left the gathering as soon as we could politely do so. When we reached our apartment, she’d removed her black dress as quickly as she could and threw it into the corner as though it were diseased.
She crawled into my embrace, and I held her in my arms as she let her tears flow freely for what felt like hours. When she’d calmed down some, she grabbed a photo collage from the wall and settled back on my lap.
I stroked her hair while she trailed her fingers across the glass, pausing them every time they reached his face.
“He was so happy here.”
“I know, love.”
She reached a photo of the three of us at last year’s Fourth of July bonfire.
Her body began to shake in my arms, and I prepared myself for more sobs. My eyes widened slightly when her giggles reached my ears.
“Remember how tipsy he was right here? He even suggested that we go skinny dipping!”
My laughter joined hers, and an idea struck me.
“We never did do it. Let’s go now.”
“What?”
“He wouldn't want us to be so sad today. Will you go to the beach with me?”
She turned her head and gave me the most beautiful, red-nosed, watery-eyed smile.
That’s how we ended up at the beach.
She let her tears flow as she watched the sunset. I removed my shoes and shirt, leaving her to her silent moment as I made my way to the waves.
“Wait up!”
I slowed my stride as I reached the surf, feeling her laughter rumble through her chest as she landed on my back.
~~~