Tag: Challenge

The Beauty of Voyeurism

trE

Flash Fiction response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Prompt

Photo by Tetyana Kovyrina on Pexels. The image depicts a side view of a chipmunk with a tiny teacup. On the ground in front of the chipmunk is a tiny tea dish with a blueberry on it. The ground appears to be a stone-type walk, and there is a dark blue background.

Mr. Doyle lives across the street from us. He’s an older guy with wiry fire for hair in a golden rage. My mom hates him… says he’s on some sort of in-house arrest for his past following him all the way here. I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I like Mr. Doyle. He has this lisp that I bet could scale a ladder quicker than The Flash. I have tea and danishes with him twice per week. He paints nature–makes it pop.

Today’s piece is a chipmunk sipping from the tiniest teacup I’ve ever seen. He also has a rather fat blueberry on a plate in front of the chipmunk. “A proper breakfast”, I comment. Because who wouldn’t want tea and blueberries?!

He tells me he’s titling the painting The Beauty of Voyeurism, and I sit back on the green, crunchy cushions of his couch, swirl the name around in my mouth. I like it. But . . . “Why voyeurism? Isn’t this a more sexually derived term for being too nosy and too into what you’re snooping up on?”

Mr. Doyle rolls back and forth on the heels of his feet, nods his contemplative head, and shouts in my direction, “YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, SAM! If you notice, the chipmunk is focused, entirely too focused on the tea. The blueberry is lonely. It would like some of that attention, too. But the chipmunk has become enticed by, influenced by the deliciousness of the tea–so much so that its pleasure has been satiated by the tea alone.”

I know I ain’t the brightest crayon in the box, but I know at this point, exactly what Mom was talking about when she said Mr. Doyle has a past following him. I get up from the couch, grab my windbreaker, thank Mr. Doyle for the tea and danish, and high-tail it across the street.

Ain’t no way I’m telling Mom about this. NO WAY at all!

This flash fiction piece was written in response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge. Maybe you’d like to give it a go as well? Here’s hoping your mind doesn’t take you to where my mind took me. It was a fun write, nonetheless, though.

Have you gotten your copy of my new book: a collection of serial tales & flash fiction, Séduire (E-Book and Paperback) yet?

I recently signed up to write on Substack as well. Poking the Bear’s Belly for Fun is a place of healing as I speak about the most recent events with my place of employment as it pertains to racism and discrimination. I welcome your visit.

Peace and Blessings!

Gossip Channels at the Sahara Desert

trE

Flash Fiction

The image is from Getty Images on Unsplash.

Stefan and Holly hadn’t left the community pond in two weeks. Their last outing found them chasing away a cackle of hyenas who were trying to attack the neighboring zebras. Stefan was no longer in his prime. At 37 years old, his body weight amassed to 6,200 lbs. Holly was his confidant – his forever feathered friend. She would fly to his nook of the pond every day, and the two of them would gossip about the goings-on of the Sahara.

Jeffery the Jackal was cheating on his wife Johnna. Callan the Cape Hare had been evicted by the burrow’s landlord. Murphy the Mongoose lost a finger to Alfred the Alligator (by accident) the night before last. And Cheyenne the Cheetah was in heat.

“Have you heard about Cheyenne, Holly?”

“No, what’s that old bitty up to now, Stefan?”

“Word about the Sahara is she’s in heat.”

“You don’t say!!! Will Clyde and Clifton be on the lookout then for her, you think?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of those two since the last desert rainstorm.”

“My word! I hope she doesn’t come prancing over here with that scent of hers. We’ve got enough problems on this side of the pond. You heard about Jeffery, right?”

“The Jackal or the Giraffe?”

“The Jackal. Berta the Barbary Sheep caught him stepping out on Johnna.”

Stefan gasped, and a pent-up ball of air escaped his wide and viciously tooth-filled mouth.

“You don’t say! Didn’t they just have a whole new litter of little ones?!”

“They sure did! Four of the little pups, if I’m not mistaken. The nerve of that over-aged pimp! She needs to leave him!”

“I doubt she will, though. Two of the older children came back home to help out. Jeffery is the breadwinner – Johnna’s stuck. He’s got her right where he wants her, and that ain’t no place I’d wanna see any of my friends.” Stefan sighs discontentedly as he says this.

The Saharan sun bows its reddened glow and hovers over Stefan and Holly before closing its eyes. Pitch black is the night sky as the two wander gingerly back to the base of the pond. A day of gossiping, galloping, and gloating has met its end.

“Same time, same place, tomorrow, Stefan?”

“I’ll be right here, Holly.”

This flash fiction piece is in response to Melissa’s Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge. This was my first go at it, and I truly enjoyed writing this story. Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at this challenge, too?

In Real Time

trE

5 Words: Tell me what you’re grateful for

A few snapshots from the Erykah Badu & Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) “Unfollow Me” Tour

Live show
blessed my
s o u l

A few more snapshots from the Erykah Badu & Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) “Unfollow Me” Tour

Thank you to everyone who participated in the “Grateful in 5 Words” Challenge. This has been a blast! We have 11 pieces published (not including mine), and they will be featured on the homepage until Saturday, July 22, 2023.

Stay tuned for the next challenge in September!

Originally published in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

Writers: A Challenge

trE

I’m posting this here as well, as I typically do with ACG challenges.

5 Words: Tell me what you’re grateful for

Photo by Sir Manuel on Unsplash

Hello, beautiful people! Welcome to the fourth challenge since A Cornered Gurl’s relaunch. What do I have in store for you for this challenge? Ah, a sharing of just how grateful we are, even in the midst of this turmoil and grief and age of endless bad news . . . there are still things for which to be grateful.

And how will we do this? Oh, you beautiful human beings, you . . . we will express ourselves by using 5 words only.

Grateful: the definition

adjective
1. warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful:
2. expressing or actuated by gratitude:
3. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable; welcome:

— Dictionary.com

The challenge: Writers will share something (or some things) for which they are grateful. It can be anyone and anything, just describe it poetically — in verse by using 5 words only. Are you up for this challenge?

Note: This is a challenge — a challenge in brevity. Please do not submit a series of 5-word grateful responses to me in one post. Think outside the box, people. Use 5 words only in one set.

An example:

Nature’s kiss gives
me hope.

Let’s do what we know how to do best, beautiful people!

•Request to be added as a writer by emailing me at acorneredgurl[AT]gmail[DOT]com with “Please Add Me” as the subject line and please include the link to your Medium profile.

Don’t want to be a writer in A Cornered Gurl — simply comment with your response in this challenge post, or create your own post to your profile or in another publication, however, please use the tags, “Challenge” and “Grateful.”

The challenge will run from Friday, July 07, 2023, until 6:00 PM Monday, July 17, 2023 (with publishing days as Friday, Sunday, and Monday based on ACG’s publishing schedule). Please have “5 Words: Tell me what you’re grateful for” as the subtitle for your submission. CHALLENGE SUBMISSION BEGINS NOW!

It’s time to use our creative minds and share something or some things for which we are grateful; remember, use only 5 words!

Bring it, beautiful people!

A Cornered Gurl Guidelines: Instagram

Originally published as a newsletter in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

Writers: A Challenge

trE

I am sharing this here as well, just in case some of you are interested in participating:

6-word Story: Where do you want to travel next?

Photo by Annie Gray on Unsplash

Hello, beautiful people! Welcome to the third challenge since A Cornered Gurl’s relaunch. What’s cracking in my brain for everyone now? We will jump into a six-word story about where you would like to travel next. It can be a place you truly foresee yourself going in the near future or a place you would like to mark off your bucket list.

And how will we do this? You guessed it! You will use six words only to tell your story.

6-word story

A six-word story is an entire story told in six words. It is a short narrative that can have all of the emotional themes of longer stories — from funny to dramatic, sad to scary. While these quick stories don’t have the classic beginning, middle, and end of a traditional storyline, they have a subject and verb that give the reader a sense of what’s happened and a bit of conflict.

— MasterClass

The challenge: Writers will share where they’d like to travel next. However, use six words only to tell us about this place. Is cabin fever finally wearing you down? Do you have a place you sincerely want to go that is simply calling your name? Let us know — but come up with your story using only six words.

An example:

Tonga: an island of beauty, awaits.

Let’s get ready to master this challenge, beautiful people!

•Request to be added as a writer by emailing me at acorneredgurl[AT]gmail[DOT]com with “Please Add Me” as the subject line and please include the link to your Medium profile. Don’t want to be a writer in A Cornered Gurl — simply comment with your response in this challenge post, or create your own post to your profile or in another publication, however, please use the tags, “Challenge” and “6WordStory.”

The challenge will run from Sunday, March 26, 2023, until 6:00 PM, Sunday, April 02, 2023 (with publishing days as Friday, Sunday, and Monday based on ACG’s publishing schedule). Please have “6-word Story: Where do you want to travel next?” as the subtitle for your submission. CHALLENGE SUBMISSION BEGINS NOW!

It’s time to get creative and explore what we can do with six words only on where you would like to travel next!

Bring it, you amazing human beings!

A Cornered Gurl Guidelines: Instagram

Originally shared as a newsletter in A Cornered Gurl via Medium.

Writers: A Challenge

trE

I Am Sharing This Here As Well . . .

Writers: A Challenge

50-word Story: Animate your life

Photo by Donald Wu on Unsplash

Hello, beautiful people! Welcome to the second challenge since A Cornered Gurl’s relaunch. What do I have brewing in my mind for you now? Something I truly hope you can get into. We will tackle the task of animating your life or telling me about your life as it is linked to or related to your favorite animated movie, cartoon, claymation, etc. You get the drift.

And how will we do this? We will do so using the 50-word story (or a minisaga).

50-word story (minisaga)

A minisaga, mini saga or mini-saga is a short story based on a long story. It should contain exactly 50 words, plus a title of up to 15 characters. However, the title requirement is not always enforced and sometimes eliminated altogether. Minisagas are alternately known as microstories, ultra-shorts stories, or fifty-word stories.

— Wikipedia

The challenge: Please tell me about your life, but do so by comparing it or linking it to your favorite animated movie, cartoon, claymation, etc. Are The Flintstones your favorite go-to cartoon? How so? How is it directly related to your life? Dexter’s Laboratory is closely related to who you are and how your life operates — tell us how. The Incredibles directly define you and your family in some sort of way . . . really? Give us the details, but guess what — do so using exactly 50 words.

An example:

I was blessed with a quick wit, nearsightedness, and too much useless information packed into my head. I had an oddball gang of friends who didn’t mind carrying on with me. Sarcasm was my bosom buddy and I wasn’t popular, but I was well-known. Daria should have been my name.

Let’s get our thinking caps on, beautiful people!

•Request to be added as a writer by emailing me at acorneredgurl[AT]gmail[DOT]com with “Please Add Me” as the subject line and please include the link to your Medium profile. Don’t want to be a writer in A Cornered Gurl? Simply comment with your response in this challenge post, or create your own post to your profile or in another publication, however, please use the tags, “Challenge” and “Pandemic.”

The challenge will run from Sunday, January 22, 2023, until 6:00 PM, Sunday, January 29, 2023 (with publishing days as Friday, Sunday, and Monday based on ACG’s publishing schedule). Please have “Animate your life 50-word story” as the subtitle for your submission. CHALLENGE SUBMISSION BEGINS NOW!

Let’s explore what we can do with a fun topic that will allow us to reminisce, and hopefully have a great time while we get creative, too.

Bring it, beautiful people!

A Cornered Gurl Guidelines:Instagram

Originally published as a newsletter via A Cornered Gurl on Medium.