tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post3578992776662731867..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Flash fiction writing contestJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-57597684165094195912016-01-10T09:53:41.111-05:002016-01-10T09:53:41.111-05:00I made bold to stand upright that August afternoon...I made bold to stand upright that August afternoon when the swinging body of the executed woman absorbed all the shimmering light, and a chill ran through my soon to be dry, dusty bones.Lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17335923263777449916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-58901803286529308322016-01-10T09:38:40.216-05:002016-01-10T09:38:40.216-05:00Ela never saw Sashimi regenerate into a live salmo...Ela never saw Sashimi regenerate into a live salmon in 15.3 seconds. She executed 'Protocol 7'; stuffed it your purse and deal with it later. Mom warned her about unusual responses to her touch but it was too much to absorb. Mom grew everything; she boldly talked to trees and animals...in public. She 'controlled' the weather. Mother was a hippie. <br /><br />At the funeral, a woman comforted her, "Zema was a real 'Mother Nature', you know. I'll miss her". <br />Damn genetics...not the salmon's, hers. <br /><br />Ela's eyes filled with tears. <br />The sky clouded and began to pour chilly rain – filled with salmon.<br />Kate Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09861373649696211491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49867544376973279382016-01-10T09:33:00.454-05:002016-01-10T09:33:00.454-05:00It was a lot to absorb.
I'd been on the shelf...It was a lot to absorb.<br /><br />I'd been on the shelf a long time before she came along. Sure, I'd been picked up before. Others had considered taking me home, using me. But they had only had been bold. She was brazen. They dreamed of cleaning up their lives. She made plans and executed them. <br /><br />Her hands were all over me. In the carriage. In her car. In the kitchen when I was half in the bag. On the chilly marble floor, back and forth through the shimmering crimson pool beside her husband's head.<br /><br />It was a lot to absorb.<br />Roger Mohajirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16975163160959307900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78960171232784202842016-01-10T09:32:49.368-05:002016-01-10T09:32:49.368-05:00We were flying to Chillicothe to execute our mothe...We were flying to <b>Chill</b>icothe to <b>execute</b> our mother’s will. <br />“I’m still trying to <b>absorb</b> Mother is dead and you’re divvying up our inheritance.”<br />“Oh, po<b>sh. Im</b>agine yourself in her fa<b>b Old</b>smobile convertible. We’re talking vintage 1958 in mint condition.”<br />“I should’ve been nicer to her.”<br />“I want her china.”<br />“We argued our last phone call.”<br />“And her silver.”<br />“What if that caused her heart attack?”<br />“And her jewelry.”<br />“OHMYGOD, I killed her!”<br />“Get a grip! She was a miserable battleaxe.”<br />[sigh] “True, nobody got along with her.”<br />“Now, about the Olds…”<br />“I would look good in it, wouldn’t I.”Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09868642232827730189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12267869535717601672016-01-10T09:18:10.786-05:002016-01-10T09:18:10.786-05:00Four college girls executed in five months, and Ma...Four college girls executed in five months, and Mary convinced Ed to go for Chinese.<br /><br />“I got no appetite.”<br /><br />“You’ve been so absorbed lately.”<br /><br />“Work, I guess. Late nights.”<br /><br />The duck is bold, the beer chilled. He’s happy for once. <br /><br />She opens a fortune cookie. She secretly believes them.<br /><br />“It’s him,” she reads aloud.<br /><br />Must be a factory misprint, she thinks, unaware that three FBI agents are in back. <br /><br />“What does yours say?”<br /><br />“The usual,” he says, lost in thought. He’s wondering about the spacious trunk of their Subaru. That and the wisdom of cookies. <br /><br />He secretly believes them too.Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28782530260660773032016-01-10T09:05:34.934-05:002016-01-10T09:05:34.934-05:00Eternal
She said no boldly.Almost angrily.He belie...Eternal<br />She said no boldly.Almost angrily.He believed her.That was difficult but he did it. He was insanely in love. He turned to the other side,he couldn't bear looking at her skeleton. Not now. Not when she said no to sleeping with him in the coffin.<br />He turned on the torch,her wedding ring shimmered on her finger bone.<br />A chill went through him .It was that cold.It was colder because he was underground in a cemetery.At night,the earth absorbed all the heat.Like a leech.<br />She was executed five years ago.Jen.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00594813424039642626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9377597795746583602016-01-10T08:52:03.276-05:002016-01-10T08:52:03.276-05:00It's a difficult task to shimmy up a rope with...It's a difficult task to shimmy up a rope with a mangled foot, but the plan was being executed. It was daring, bold, it required the Master of the Universe.<br /><br />"Why do you always do that?" The crotchety voice of the snake Commander. "For every thought of yours?"<br /><br />He is confused.<br /><br />"Perfect example. You are He-Man, not just 'He'. You need to learn that you are nothing more than an androgynous 80's action toy that needs a ball-gag and black mask before Tanner will play with you again."<br /><br />He's fragile ego must absorb and ignore the harsh reality. <br /><br />Tanner's yips send chills up his spine.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04148789250122629732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78695734981837885722016-01-10T08:32:34.944-05:002016-01-10T08:32:34.944-05:00
They executed me at midnight, revived me at dawn....<br />They executed me at midnight, revived me at dawn.<br /><br />Sunlight danced and shimmered as I opened my eyes. I threw up the poison my body hadn’t absorbed. <br /> <br />The chill of death clung to me as I struggled to stand. <br /><br />“What have you done?” My voice scratchy, hurting my throat.<br /><br />“We warned you. Begged you to take the job.”<br /><br />“I’m not a killer.”<br /><br />They circled me, smug, arrogant. “You will become one. Or you will die again.”<br /><br />I stood, finally, swaying. Shook my head. Defeated.<br /><br />The boldest of them grabbed me, unsheathed his knife.<br /><br />I killed him first.<br />Cindy Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13196306055833459983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78907633271775679812016-01-10T08:27:33.188-05:002016-01-10T08:27:33.188-05:00Revenge.
Ten years later he still shimed the studi...Revenge.<br />Ten years later he still <b>shim</b>ed the studio door open allowing the dancers' heat to absorb into the <b>chill</b>y night. <i>Did he ever get the pun?</i> <br /><br />Confident he would not recognize her, she <b>bold</b>y <b>shim</b>mied out of her jacket at the registration table for the soft-shoe competition sharing the studio's name. She faultered at a flicker of recognition flitting through his eyes. Until he dismissed her. Again. <i>Too bad.</i> <br /><br />Moments after she <b>execute</b>d a perfect <b>Shim</b> Sham Shammy, she <b>execute</b>d him and left the <b>Shim</b> Sham Dance Studio for the last time. <i>You should have remembered me.</i>Loulymarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08207873356644644510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25840920875000842862016-01-10T08:21:01.603-05:002016-01-10T08:21:01.603-05:00Hammer in hand, Violet tapped the shim into place ...Hammer in hand, Violet tapped the shim into place under the old sideboard then hauled herself up. Huzzah! Time to unpack. But first, a cuppa.<br /><br />The tea brewing, she absorbed the wonder of owning her first home. In her old age too. She had executed their plan, made when he was still alive. <br /><br />Speaking of Henry, where was he?<br /><br />She found his box—plain wood, a cross etched on it. She caressed it. The Achilles' heel of their bold plan. She’d been unable to afford a posh urn. She’d wanted better for Henry.<br /><br />But, truthfully?<br /><br />She’d have preferred him alive.Lisa Bodenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17809067722921953857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67635401844294906412016-01-10T07:33:54.592-05:002016-01-10T07:33:54.592-05:00Father Macrae paces the gallows, his face a mass o...Father Macrae paces the gallows, his face a mass of boils. <br /><br />“Ye’ve been taken in by a bold-faced sorcerer!”<br /><br />I canna see the crowd from where I kneel, but I hear their screams.<br /><br />“She has called down pestilence upon us. Mistress of scarabs, orbs and death. She is no healer! Execute the witch!”<br /><br />The axeman lifts the blade. I close my eyes.<br /><br />A crack as metal shims the block.<br /><br />Blood spurts and steams in the morning chill.<br /><br />But it is not mine.<br /><br />The priest topples. My bonds fall free.<br /><br />Beneath the executioner’s hood, a familiar voice yells, <br /><br />“Run!”Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14579884957931782780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-23113388715318217882016-01-10T07:12:17.173-05:002016-01-10T07:12:17.173-05:00
There was a chill in the air as winter crept in. ...<br />There was a chill in the air as winter crept in. There was no boldness to her movements, she just enveloped remote corners and waited. Her takeover of the house was cruelly inevitable. A framed photograph on the mantle shimmered as autumn’s light faded. A still-life of parents and children, now dust beneath headstones. <br /><br />A clock ticked, as threadbare curtains absorbed the last rays of light. <br /><br />Old marriage certificates, executed wills, and death notices were filed away as winter watched. She had no malice, it was a curse imposed on her as well. <br /><br />Sadly, iced tears comforted no-one. <br />french sojournhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262858704848580714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28692147475227490732016-01-10T04:53:34.701-05:002016-01-10T04:53:34.701-05:00'They can't know what they're doing.&#...'They can't know what they're doing.'<br />He didn't answer.<br />'They're not much more than boys.'<br />'You've said it before.'<br />'I'm boring you?'<br />'Never that. But you can never just ...chill ..anymore.'<br />'Sam, they executed a child last week. And filmed it. And put it on YouTube.'<br />'You read a paper, you let it all in, absorb everything. It'll make you crazy.'<br />'You used to call me 'Becca Brave and Bold'. You said that's what you loved.'<br />'Pass the sashimi.'<br />'And if it was our son?'<br />He paused, his hand hovering over the food.<br />'What are you saying?'<br />She looked away.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01182415176686635154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71556410398625147422016-01-10T04:21:38.349-05:002016-01-10T04:21:38.349-05:00He shimmered into existence. His gold eyes took i...He shimmered into existence. His gold eyes took in the teeming streets filled with people bustling to and fro. He executed a quick jaunt that propelled him across the avenue in a blink of an eye. When he reappeared a bold woman gave him a chilly glare. “Watch it, buddy! Don’t start none; won’t be none.” He absorbed her agitation as she shoved by him. <br /><br />A second later, she stopped. The sea of humanity sailed around her. She turned and stared at him; her countenance filling with joy. She finally saw his halo; a tear rolled down her cheek.<br />The Notebook Blogairyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14668353619273159877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10523933596437396772016-01-10T03:52:16.981-05:002016-01-10T03:52:16.981-05:00People collect things.
Wide Load Johnson collect...People collect things. <br /><br />Wide Load Johnson collected license plates. From the cars he stole.<br /><br />Temperature in single digits, windchill below zero. Ideal conditions. Wide Load poured a shotglass of boldness. Watched the lady warm up her SUV, run back inside.<br /><br /><i>Time to execute.</i> Wide Load lumbered to the SUV. Shimmied behind the wheel. Drove to Pepe’s Garage, where he parted out cars after hours. <br /><br />That’s when he noticed the ID card. And badge. He’d stolen Detective Bridget Flynn’s car. His mind absorbed the painful reality.<br /><br />Wide Load Johnson collected six to ten years. <br /><br />He makes license plates for the state.<br />John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-69169993710538236322016-01-10T03:38:24.177-05:002016-01-10T03:38:24.177-05:00The chill invaded my lungs, but I refused to shive...The <b>chill</b> invaded my lungs, but I refused to shiver. Not here. <i>Be <b>bold</b></i>. I lifted my chin.<br /><br />At least there was a nice view. Sunlight <b>shim</b>mering on ocean waves. I watched that, instead of the crowd. They <b>absorb</b>ed every twitch. Show fear, and they would laugh like hyenas. <br /><br />To my right, a man waited to <b>execute</b> the order. <i>Don’t look</i>. I couldn’t ignore him no matter how I tried, though. <br /><br />His hand lifted.<br /><br />I had no poetry for this moment. I let my silence speak for me.<br /><br />The floor dropped.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17040814539462884752016-01-10T02:21:12.684-05:002016-01-10T02:21:12.684-05:00Cam absorbed that today she’d finish the tiny hous...Cam absorbed that today she’d finish the tiny house she’d built on a trailer. <br /><br />Tomorrow she’d hitch it to her 4Runner and hit the beach or California or Toronto. <br /><br />Using a miter box, she executed a 45° angle on door molding and nailed it up.<br /> <br />Stepping back, she assessed her compact creation, each angle planned.<br /><br />The bold colors would attract peacocks.<br /><br />Around 4:30, she squared the door jamb by wiggling thin wood shims into the cracks. Fini.<br /><br />As she stowed her essentials, a man’s shadow slithered onto her tiny house, chilling the air and Cam.<br /><br />She reached into her toolbox.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06622794483107665068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-1135453227087705702016-01-10T01:45:53.528-05:002016-01-10T01:45:53.528-05:00The shimmer of blood swirls gave her a little chil...The shimmer of blood swirls gave her a little chill. She smiled enjoying the feeling. She liked being bold. <br /> <br />Vince had called her self-absorbed. She laughed, look whose self-absorbed now in the murky depths of the Mississippi. <br /> <br />Sunset was her favorite time. She got in her car thinking about what to wear. Two dates in one weekend, she was a busy girl with plans to execute. <br /> <br />As she took one last glimpse at the river, she smiled in satisfaction. That man is never going to bother another little girl. It felt good to be a hero. Melissa Guernseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17600843092899229226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61508345540489642572016-01-10T00:22:50.112-05:002016-01-10T00:22:50.112-05:00
The sun shimmered in the chilly morning air. My h...<br />The sun shimmered in the chilly morning air. My hands trembled around a cup of coffee,steam wafting upwards into the smoke from a cigarette perched dryly in my lips. Two weeks ago the state was going to execute me, this was a lot to absorb. “I’m free,” I whispered.<br /><br />It was a bold plan; a suicide, a note, “PLEASE FORGIVE ME”, that was all it took; a second suspect. My lawyer did the rest, except for Edward; he did the dying and of course my wife; she did the writing.<br /><br /><br />In the distance binoculars glinted in the sun.<br /><br /><br />Steve Cassidyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03166816870967552955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-24952030521961569672016-01-10T00:14:56.981-05:002016-01-10T00:14:56.981-05:00I imagine the midwife recoiling in terror at the s...I imagine the midwife recoiling in terror at the sight of my lavender hair. Perhaps she wrapped my blood-slicked body in burlap, afraid to touch my witch-child flesh, and handed me off to a sister. <br /><br />“Stillborn,” she whispered, chilled to her bones. “Bury it.” <br /><br />My sister trudged into the woods, absorbed by the light in my grey eyes and the orange blossoms shimmering as they rained down around us. My magic was quiet, but not subtle. At what point did she grow bold and hide me in her warm coat, daring to execute a plan and gift me a stay? <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08697166619478748131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-79527808772748882782016-01-10T00:06:38.736-05:002016-01-10T00:06:38.736-05:00Rhea shivered.
“Cold?”
She glanced over. Mist ...Rhea shivered.<br /><br />“Cold?” <br /><br />She glanced over. Mist curled over Lance’s mouth, obscuring his perfect smile. She tugged her knit cap down. “Just chilly.” She wished he’d move closer so she could absorb his warmth. <br /><br />They looked up. The night was clear, bright. Stars spattered across blue velvet. Perfect. Lance gestured.<br /><br />“Ladies first.” <br /><br />With a deep breath, Rhea executed a perfect shimmy up the rope. As she broke the window with her elbow, she had the distinct feeling Lance was staring up at her butt. <br /><br /><i>Bold</i>, she thought, reaching in, flipping the window lock. <i>Oh well: first dates are always awkward.</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67005415682957633432016-01-09T23:57:15.656-05:002016-01-09T23:57:15.656-05:00Turning 30 was a calamity my brain absorbed like l...Turning 30 was a calamity my brain absorbed like liquor. Of the Life Goals I’d envisioned only two Mattered before this dubious milestone. <br />1) Finish that bloody novel. <br />2) Learn to dance. <br />Bold, I know. I never do anything by half measures. Since The Novel had been fermenting (“languishing”) for the better part of three years, I knew I needed to execute that shaggy dog post haste. <br />On to Plan B.<br />I fell into the arms of José (Cuervo) and enlisted in the dance army. If I can chill out, I can write. Trust me…this dame can shim-sham. A Little Tieflinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10692477899980317615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47289818266555239862016-01-09T23:47:47.401-05:002016-01-09T23:47:47.401-05:00“Chill, Dad! I can do this.”
Visions of the crum...<br />“Chill, Dad! I can do this.”<br /><br />Visions of the crumpled car rose unwelcome in my mind. She'd progressed from wheelchair to crutches to shimmy to....<br /><br />“Yes you can, Sweetheart.”<br /><br />“Be bold.” Alexis gripped my hands and smiled.<br /><br />“Yes, Sweetheart. Be bold.”<br /><br />She gave me a peck on the cheek and stepped onto the ice. The audience hushed as she glided to center ring and posed. Her eyes held the determination of one absorbed in her task.<br /><br />The music started. Alexis performed her routine flawlessly, ending with a perfectly executed pirouette.<br /><br />Thunderous applause.<br /><br />Modern prosthetics are amazing.<br /><br />Dena Pawlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65948025507710265912016-01-09T23:45:45.023-05:002016-01-09T23:45:45.023-05:00The companywide meeting continued as the CEO began...The companywide meeting continued as the CEO began her presentation. A banner behind her encouraged employees to “<b>Execute</b> (Y)Our Goals”, oblivious to its new homonymity.<br /><br />“After our company is <b>absorb</b>ed, staffing redundancies will be addressed.” <br /><br />Greg, glancing tentatively, clicked his remote. A sound machine glued to a <b>shim</b> under the podium emitted a loud “PFFFFTTTTTTTTTH”.<br /><br />He hoped his call to arms would inspire laughter, if not a <b>bold</b>er, eloquent protest. Greg instead met with <b>chill</b>y silence. Each noiseless second magnified the futility of the gesture to stop preordained corporate euthanasia. <br /><br />“We foresee the greatest overlaps in our corporate-wide functions.”<br />Ben N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16077270859674576826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-85092063918615521332016-01-09T23:32:31.916-05:002016-01-09T23:32:31.916-05:00Sunlight shimmered on the thick snow, but I was to...Sunlight shimmered on the thick snow, but I was too self-absorbed to notice its beauty. My skate bag bumped against my hip, punctuating my sobs with each step. They’d laughed; every last one of them. I’d been so bold; I’d dared to believe I could execute a perfect flying sit spin, but I’d failed. My skate had slid from beneath me, plopping me on my butt on the ice, still spinning. <br /><br />They’d laughed. I could still hear their laughter as I trudged home. Shame fired my hot cheeks, but my ass remained wet and chilly.<br />Allison Newchurchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00639341318039077271noreply@blogger.com