Dig Two

I have to admit, I've missed Anne Marie and Liam,  the music more than the words built this...

"The elder ones always put up such a fuss, sweetling?"

Anne Marie shrugged as she finished cleaning the gore from her sword.  "Depends on how tired of it they are."  She grimaced as she resheathed her weapon.  "If you must feast on it, Liam, wait until I've left."

"There be things even ghouls won't eat, Annie, me love.  Werewolf bein' one," Liam answered.  "Suppose I ought dig a hole for the bits 'n pieces ye've left?"

Anne Marie raised her head, redrawing her blade at the same time.  A low growl repeated from several yards away.  

"Better dig two, Liam."




As always you have 7 days from right now to write 100 words inspired by my wife’s love of The Band Perry and their new song, Better Dig Two. Make sure you use the linky below and then tweet/book o face/and smoke signal your handiwork. Tell a friend or 50.

No Mercy

Trifextra: Week Fifty-eight

Congrats to this week's winners!
On to the Trifextra challenge, where we try our damnedest to incorporate the concept of three into something varied and inspiring.  This weekend, we're really stretching.

As you can see, the third element in the periodic table of elements is Lithium.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/periodictableelements/ss/Basic-Printable-Periodic-Table-Of-The-Elements.htm

The word lithium comes from the Greek word lithos, which means stone  (http://chemistry.about.com/od/lithium/a/10-Lithium-Facts.htm).  This weekend, we want you to give us a thirty-three response using the wordstone as one of your thirty-three words.  You can use any definition of the word that you'd like, but we are specifically looking for serious, well-conceived entries.  This isn't the weekend for light-hearted posts about the difficulty of posting before the linkz close, and we are not looking for hilarious commentary about your cats (THIS time).  We want something serious and deep from you guys this weekend, because the sun is starting to shine a bit more, and we think we can handle it now.  Take your time with it and give us your very best work. 





The bread was stale, her children hungry.  
The villagers jeered as they closed on her.  
An emaciated girl with a protruding belly cast the first stone.
"Thief!" 
Her daughter's taunt joined the others.



Concrit is welcome, and encouraged!

Tres-Path

Write at the Merge; Week 10

This week we’re honoring the genius of Dr. Seuss, who was born on March 2, 1904.  Our two Seussical offerings are an image and a line from one of his books. Happy writing!

“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.”
Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax

And because a birthday celebration should include everyone, if you don’t find either of these offerings inspiring, use your favorite Dr. Seuss quote or story as inspiration — just leave us a note letting us know what you chose!

I may have just chosen trees, which gives me an excuse to revisit the Elementals for a minute...

Chuck was gazing out the kitchen window when a movement caught his attention. He watched the young girl slide down the rough bark of the old oak in the back yard. She wasn’t at all dressed for tree climbing, her long legs were bare as were her arms. She didn’t seem to have shoes, either. The jumper she wore was far too frilly.

He called to his wife, “Hey, Beth, who’s the kid in the tree?”

Beth joined him at the window, still holding a plate and dish towel. She watched for a moment, then raised her brows, “That’s no kid, chuck,” she said as she lay the towel down. “That? Is a dryad.”

“A what?”

“A dryad, wood nymph.” Beth put the dish aside and headed out the back door.

Chuck muttered under his breath as he followed, “Wood nymph? What next, unicorns?”

Beth was already half way to the tree. “Whoa there, Toots! That oak is taken!”

The girl had started back up the tree when she saw beth approach. She hesitated, she had been caught by humans. Disappearing into the tree would not be a good idea, she dropped lightly back to the ground.

“I’m sorry, lady.” She did her best imitation of a young human girl, letting tears fill her bright green eyes and twirling a lock of honey brown hair. “I just wanted to play.”

“Give it up, I know what you are, and as I said, that tree is taken.” Beth glared at the nymph. “Whats your name? And no games, I’ll know if you lie.”

“Acalia,” she answered with a very unchild like scowl, “and how is it you know what I am?”

Beth looked Acalia over, she was too thin for even a dryad. “I know a lot of things. Except why you're crawling all over this tree.”

“I didn’t know this tree was taken. I need to find a new one, mine is sick.” Acalia squinted at beth, “You're no dryad, why do take this tree? I can make it a better tree, if you let me live in it.”

“The tree is in my yard, but I’m not the one that has taken it.” Beth said with smirk as the back door burst open once more.

“Get away from that tree, dryad!” cried the newcomer, her leaf green eyes blazing. “That’s my personal doorway!”

Acalia’s eyes and mouth fought to see which could open wider.

Beth chuckled, “Acalia, meet my mother, Tameryn Leafeyed, Element of Earth and Lady of Treecairn!”

Doors

I've combined two prompts.  Again.

StoryDam Writing Prompt

Prompt:

Free write for ten to fifteen minutes about what is inside of you whether it is metaphorically or physically. Or… write a story about the above choice, will you find the key to open the door to your past, present, or future?

Word Prompt: Key

Sentence Prompt:

I held the key but didn’t know where it would lead…

Did she really want to know what was behind the door…

Of course this may lead you in a completely different direction. Follow your heart and write what you think, feel, know!

Trifecta; Week Sixty-seven

JUGGLE (transitive verb)
1a : to practice deceit or trickery on : beguile
  b : to manipulate or rearrange especially in order to achieve a desired end
2a : to toss in the manner of a juggler
  b : to hold or balance precariously
3: to handle or deal with usually several things (as obligations) at one time so as to satisfy often competing requirements <juggle the responsibilities of family life and full-time job — Jane S. Gould>
Please 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. 
• Trifecta is open to everyone. Please join us. 

There is a door inside my head.  Or rather, there are doors.

One is the door of responsibility, the one that opens on orderly shelves. Where bills are paid on time and promises are kept.  The one that has my time scheduled minute to minute. Everything is tidy and perfectly spaced.

Around the corner is the door of dreams, where I have a whirlpool bathtub, and I can sleep until I feel like waking up. A place where I can all my own food, spin my own yarn, and make my own soap.

The door of imagination.  Packed behind that door are the voices of the page. The immortals that have a book for me to write. Or the stories of the widow and her late husband's dog.  And the tales of cats with more than mice on their minds.  

I want to unlock all the doors at once, let their contents loose.  I want to juggle it all into a manageable, glorious adventure.  

I just want it all.

Happily Ever After; Part 5

Master Class, Week 8
First the congratulations and the prompt:  This week we had two aces. Michael of Innocents and Accidents, Hints and Allegations went outside the box with the cosmos of newborn parenting in Baby Monitor, and Tina of Not Just Another Mother Blogger came through with a calculated tale of domestic abuse with The Laughter of the Cosmos.

I asked them both to open a book and give me the first line from each. Tina chose Shadow of the Night by Deborah Harkness. Michael chose Winter Journal by Paul Auster. Your lines this week are:

From Shadow of the Night:

“The past cannot be cured.”

And from Winter Journal:

“You have entered the winter of your life.”

You can use these lines in any order, however you must begin the story with one and end it with the other. Please identify the lines in the story by enclosing them in quotes, bolding, or italicizing.

And now, my excuse prologue; I'm trying something a little...well, crazy here this week.  I have been writing and linking up to several prompts every week.  I've combined prompts and I've written separate stories to the individual prompts.  This week my goal is to write one story, and split it into parts.  Each part fitting one of the prompts I use.  It's my hope that each part stands alone, yet makes one understandable tale all together.

Part one is here  Part two is here and Part three is here and Part four is here


Okay then, on to the story....


“The past cannot be cured, Meeribel.” Arlord said. “You are Princess of the Realm of Windmore. All the choices that were made, by you, by myself, or by others, have placed you here.”

“You're saying that my father’s choice to trade me for a ewe made me a princess?” Meeribel raised an eyebrow, “He only wanted me to learn to be a lady. I’m sure becoming Princess of the Realm was not part of his vision.”

“Had he not sent you to the herbwife, who introduced you to Witch Willin, do you believe you’d be Princess now?” Arlord asked.

Meeribel raised the other eyebrow, “Maybe. Perhaps if my father had made a different choice, so would your father have made a different choice. And perhaps, a different Prince would have come to the farthest reaches of the Realm of Windmore. And perhaps, that Prince would have chosen me to be Princess.”

“Perhaps,” Arlord chuckled. “And would you still think that princessing was too much work?”

“Probably,” Meeribel sighed. “It can be very tiring to always smile and be polite.”

“That is part of the duty of a princess, Meeribel.”

“Part of the duty? What else would a princess do?”

“Well, a princess could, if she had the knowledge, inspect the royal flocks. Then she could report on the disposition of those flocks.” Arlord continued, “I have no real expertise in that matter. I can only accept what is told to me by the royal shepherds.”

“We have sheep? Why did I not know we had sheep?” Meeribel exclaimed.

“You never asked if we had sheep. You have never asked anything about the running of the Realm, Meeribel.”

Meeribel looked away from Arlord, her brow furrowed. “I never thought about the running of the Realm. I suppose I thought it simply took care of itself.” She looked back at the Prince, “I think I would like to learn more about that, perhaps I could do more than smile and be polite.”

“It could be harder work,” Arlord said with a wink.

Meeribel grinned, “It could not possibly be harder than smiling for no reason all the time. How much is there to learn?”

“I expect you will still be learning, Princess, when you have entered the winter of your life.”

                                                      
                                                       The End???
                                            

Happily Ever After; Part 4

Trifextra Weekend Challenge; Week Fifty-seven

For the weekend challenge we're asking for exactly thirty-three words written in first person narrative. Have fun with it and we'll meet you back here on 3/3! - 


I'm trying something a little...well, crazy here this week.  I have been writing and linking up to several prompts every week.  I've combined prompts and I've written separate stories to the individual prompts.  This week my goal is to write one story, and split it into parts.  Each part fitting one of the prompts I use.  It's my hope that each part stands alone, yet makes one understandable tale all together.
Part one is here  Part two is here and Part three is here





I didn't realize how much a princess has to do.
Mediate disputes.
Attend parties, host dinners.  
And all the while, I'm expected to look like a princess!

I miss being a shepherd's daughter.

Happily Ever After; Part Three

100 words inspired by Linda’s pick of Elvis Costello’s Brilliant Mistake. Be sure to use the Mr. Linky below, tweet and Facebook out your link, and tell a friend or 50.





I'm trying something a little...well, crazy here this week.  I have been writing and linking up to several prompts every week.  I've combined prompts and I've written separate stories to the individual prompts.  This week my goal is to write one story, and split it into parts.  Each part fitting one of the prompts I use.  It's my hope that each part stands alone, yet makes one understandable tale all together.
Part one is here  Part two is here





Meeribel had expected to be thrown from the palace, or into the dungeons. She hadn’t expected that Arlord had known all along of her deception.

“So, do you love me without the potion, then?” she asked.

“No, not particularly. Though, you are fair to look upon, and you have a pleasant disposition.”

“Oh, well, that’s good. Because even though I believed I could, I don’t love you either. And I really don't like being the princess, I made a mistake, it’s hard work. Should I leave, now?”

Arlord raised an eyebrow. “Leave? I think not. You serve the people now.”