As I’m typing this, I have a kitten patting and biting at the screen. He’s hunting the ‘bugs’ of the black letters and cursor as they dance across the screen. Here’s hoping I don’t have more typos than the usual, but… well, kitten! *** James closed the door firmly after the letting agent, and then… Read More Odd Prompts: Let the Air In
The boy dragged the it of the broken branch laboriously through the damp sand. It made a fine writing surface, with the tide gone out. He could scratch in it to his heart’s content, and then when the waves came back, whatever he’d written would be erased. The same could not be said of paper.… Read More Odd Prompts: Flick
The coffee shop was buzzing, as it was every Monday morning. No one knew how the baristas managed to start the work week off with such bubbly, sunny enthusiasm, and no one ever asked. There are things it is best not to know. What you need to know is that the coffee here is good,… Read More Odd Prompts: Monday Morning
The cat was doing some slick moves, I had to admit, some kind of soft-shoe dance with his tail adding a shimmy no human would ever be able to match. He ended with that ridiculous top hat rolling down his arm, popping off his paw, and coming right at me. I caught it reflexively, and… Read More Odd Prompts: Catch
This isn’t anything just yet. Maybe later it will become more. *** “Who did this?” He gently picked up one of the tiny birds. “I have no idea. I haven’t seen anyone down there.” He put it back in her hand and looked around. The world was washed clean of the summer’s dust by the… Read More Odd Prompts: Snip
The ship was not still, but at least it was no longer under power. The relentless drive had been silenced, and the marines hung silently in the cargo bay, bunched up with attention pointed outward. Not weapons, with no signs of life or movement, just aware of their surroundings. The comms woke up. “Engine is… Read More Odd prompts: Adrift
The dogs were afraid. They whined, and crouched low by her feet, with their eyes rolling to the whites. She bent and patted them, one with each hand, then straightened to look for her husband. Until a few moments ago she had been happy in camp, with their cosy tent and the cunning little fire… Read More Odd Prompts: Falling Down
The problem is, human memory is short. If the floods came once a year, there would have been no building in the fertile valley, as tempting as the deep, rich soil was to the farmers who came to the land early. By the time they disembarked, the planet had only felt human steps for a… Read More Odd Prompts: Ripples
The mouse fitted into his hand poorly, the size of it subtly wrong, the arc leaving too much room for his palm, so he had to tense muscles he shouldn’t to manipulate it. It was just one more droplet into the pool of rage growing within him. He clicked on the tiny x to close… Read More Odd Prompts: Haunted
A snip of something for the prompt, don’t know if there is more. *** “We should have turned back there.” He announced, squinting through the windshield. “I’m pretty sure we’ve come too far.” “I think you’re right.” Bonnie twisted around to look behind them. The wet ribbon of the road twisted out of sight. She… Read More Odd Prompts: Special Delivery
This is a snip of the ongoing Chloe story. You can find earlier snips here, or the first book here. *** The bus was not a fast way to get home, but Chloe had refused to get a car, despite her mother’s silent disapproval. She’d only reluctantly gotten her driver’s license, and hated driving, and… Read More Odd prompts: Chloe Snippet
“Shouldn’t it be a suit?” “What?” He looked up from the wet surface of the dock to meet the other man’s eyes. “Jimmy?” James Pietswach, Jimmy to all and sundry, was hanging over the rail and looking down at the man on the floating dock. “A suit. With, you know, arms and legs. At least… Read More Odd Prompts: Deep Dive