Catching Up!

Alrighty, we're up to the 19th already! Btw, I think I'm just going to do the prompts...no matching theme...it takes too much brain power :P

1/11/10

Prompt: "The man eating chicken chimichangas at table 25 asked for more tortillas and a Dr. Pepper..." (Kaitlyn Roy)

The man eating chicken chimichangas at table 25 asked for more tortillas and a Dr. Pepper. Lyla sighed and skated back into the kitchen to get them. It was a slow day at Mamacita’s Diner, and slow days were even worse than busy ones. At least with busy days, Lyla didn’t have to deal with Lucas “Pierre” Grady, the self-styled French chef. It was odd, the whole situation. She was the daughter of second-generation Lithuanian immigrants, and she worked at a 50’s style diner with a Mexican name, owned by a sleaze-ball from the Bronx, with a kitchen run by a “French” chef who hailed from Nevada. Could life get any weirder?

The bell on the door jingled as she plopped the order of tortillas and the drink down on the table. Oh, life just got a whole lot weirder. Two men walked through the door, two men dressed in black suits with matching black ties, aviator sunglass in—you guessed it—black, and little black earpieces coming from their shirt collars. Weird.

Lyla shrugged inwardly and smiled up at them. “Would you gentlemen like a table? We’re running a two-for-one special on the chicken chimichangas with a side order of slaw.”

The two men just looked at her and shook their heads in sync. The taller of the two looked her up and down, then down and up, as if scanning her skin-tight waitress uniform for mysterious lumps that might denote hidden weaponry. Finally, he spoke in a low gravelly tone.

“Are you Miss Lyla Glaukowski?

She nodded. “Is there something I can help you with?” Her southern accent had crept into her voice as she spoke, a sure sign of nervousness. Even though her parents still retained a trace of a Lithuanian accent, Lyla had be raised in Georgia, and had the accent to prove it. She’d worked hard to lose it when she moved back up North, but it still showed through when she was nervous or angry.

The tall man looked her over again, then turned to converse quietly with his partner. After a few minutes of intense conversation, the partner looked over at her and shrugged. The tall one approached Lyla again.

“You’re going to have to come with us, miss.”

Lyla glanced from one to the other. “Um, may I see some identification first?”

The tall agent showed her his badge and she gulped. “Alright, just let me get my things. Is everything okay? Are my parents alright?”

There was no response. They followed her as she went into the back room, the only benefit of their presence being they scared “Pierre” enough so that he didn’t curse her out in his very bad French when she told him she was leaving for the day. After she’d gotten her coat, they escorted her into a black SUV with tinted windows and government plates. Once inside, she looked at them again.

“Please, is everything alright?”

The two agents glanced at each other, then the tall one spoke again. “Lyla, you are special. Very special, and we have been sent by the government to determine exactly how special, and whether or not we can utilize it. Our country may be in grave danger, and you may be the only one who can stop it.”

Total Time: 13 minutes
Word Count: 548


1/12/10

Prompt: "The mountain was crying..." (Moriah Lee)

It was finished. So great was the tragedy, that even the stars hid their lights from all, and the moon was wept hazy tears in the clear night sky. There were no clouds at the mountaintop, yet the mountain was crying, fat dewdrops spilling off every leaf and blade of grass on her slopes. Nothing was left, nothing but a pile of crumbled ruins. So it was, and so it would be every time a god died. But this god, Meiliki was something special. She was revered by all nature in both land and heavens. And now she was dead. Her empty shell, now devoid of spirit, would float through the cosmos for all time, one day perhaps becoming a new plane, a new realm for life to grow. But for now, the world would mourn her passing with great sorrow. It was finished. Meiliki was no more.

Total Time: 4 minutes
Word Count: 148


1/13/10

Prompt: “David, do you have a few minutes?” (Kaitlyn Roy)

“David, do you have a few minutes?” Juliana’s voice rang through the garage, echoing underneath the hulk of metal that once was a car. A pair of jean-covered legs stuck out from underneath it, and fearsome clanking sounds emanated from the underbelly of the machine.

“David!” Juliana’s voice was louder now, startling the owner of the jean-covered legs. A loud clang was followed by a sharp curse, and a tousled brown head popped out from under the wreck.

“What!”

Juliana’s face came into his view, and he sighed. She had that look again. He stood up, wiping his hands on the greasy rag he kept tucked into his coveralls. “What do you need me to do?” he asked, leaving his project as he followed her into the house. Well, there goes the day.

Total Time: 3 minutes
Word Count: 133


1/14/10

Prompt: "I know you're listening!" (Me)

His head jerked up, his nervous twitch even more prominent under stress. His hands shook as he touched the last two wires together, completing the connection. At last, his masterpiece was complete. He moved slowly, nervously over to the power switch, his hand hovering above it as he hesitated.

A soft sound caught his attention, and he twitched again, his head spasming slightly. He looked around, his gaze traveling across the small, dark workroom. Metal pipes hung low on the ceiling and the walls were painted a dark gray. It was a dark place, one perfect for schemes and machinations. He glared at the far corner and scowled.

“I know you’re listening!” he shouted. “I know you’re out there, but you can’t have this! You can’t have my project!”

He flipped the switch and watched in satisfaction as his machine roared to life. Finally, he’d finished it, and now, the whole world had better watch out.

Total Time: 6 minutes
Word Count: 156


1/15/19

Prompt: “The hushed whisper of dry scales permeated the air…” (Me)

The hushed whisper of dry scales permeated the air and mixed with the pungent odor of decaying flesh. The passageway was dark; cold stone composed both the floor and walls. No tapestries hung to bring warmth in, no torches burned to shed light on the tortuous stairway. The acolytes of Demodeus made their way down by touch, touch and many years of long practice. Their gray robes whispered along the stone as they made their way down into the Grand Chamber. The procession wound through the twisting hallways, the only herald of their coming the whisper of robes mixing with the whisper of scales on stone. Each acolyte was accompanied by a serpent, all different kinds. The high priest was accompanied by an adder, one of the deadliest snakes on earth, while the lower ranks were accompanied by lesser serpents, ones of less deadly natures.

As the procession entered the Grand Chamber, they fanned out, robes and scales still hissing and rustling softly against the flagstones. They formed a semicircle around a large obsidian throne set in the center of the room on a raised dais. The stones that made up the dais were carved ornately, depicting scenes of Demodeus’ life. Serpents abounded in each pictograph, the largest always being the form Demodeus chose to take in his journeys to the mortal realm.

Two torches provided the only light in the chamber, flickering sinuously on either side of the throne. The acolytes began chanting, their words rising in sibilant waves up to the concave ceiling. It crescendoed, building chord upon chord, until the very stones beneath their feet began to rumble in anticipation. With one final note, the chanting hung poised, waiting, then it stopped. In the silence that followed, one sound became apparent, a slow, sinuous rasp of scales on stone. A hiss sounded, breaking the continuity of the rasping. Through the doorway behind the throne appeared a serpent. This was no ordinary reptile. The head alone was the size of a full-grown man, and the lithe body seemed to stretch on for miles. It filled the chamber, it’s scaled mass winding around the obsidian throne, twining between the torches. The great slit-pupiled eyes looked lethally at the assembled acolytes.

“Why have you sssssummoned me, my sssslavessss?”

Total Time: 10 minutes
Word Count: 378


1/16/10

Prompt: “Cheese is yummy…” (Moriah Lee)

“I like cheese. Cheese is yummy.” The toddler smiled up at her mom, face full of sticky cheddar cheese spray. She had grabbed the can off the counter and proceeded to spray it all over her mouth…she’d tried to get it in, but as a toddler, her aim left something to be desired. The yellow cheesy stuff was all over her face, down her neck, and covering the front of her shirt. Her mother sighed. Just another day in Mom’s World.

Total Time: 2 minutes
Word Count: 81


1/17/10

Prompt: “A slim band of silver is all it was…”

Cora looked down at her hand and the ring that now rested on her finger. A slim band of silver, that’s all it was, and yet it bound her to this man for life. She smiled. The magick in their rings was strong, promising long life and happiness. Her father had forged them and her mother had blessed them, her brother had polished them and her sister had presented them. The family had woven loving magick into them, filling the thin bands with hope and joy, enough to last three lifetimes.

A loud shout startled Cora from her thoughts as her new husband lifted their entwined hands high for the assembled crowd to see. She was wed, and would now begin a new life in a new home. She should be afraid, she reflected, but she wasn’t. No, she wasn’t afraid. Excited yes, and maybe a touch nervous, but she’d waited too long for this moment to be afraid. Caid would be a good husband, and together they would live out their days, with children running amok and good soil to be tilled. It would be a good life, one they would share for many years to come. They were together, and she was happy. Life was good.

Total Time: 5 minutes
Word Count: 207


1/18/10

Prompt: "Oh for the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth..." (Me)

She sighed as she put down her pencil. There was too much drama in the world. Every time she started to journal about her day, it was all about drama, and the latest tiff between cheerleaders. If only we could go back to a time before petty jealousies and feuds. She smiled slightly as she picked her pencil up and began to write, a line of poetry forming in her mind.

Oh for the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth,
When jealousies and pettiness existed not.

The poetry continued, floating onto the page as if by magic, and she was swept away into a wondrous world, where pettiness was eradicated, and creatures lived together without all that nonsense.

Total Time: 3 minutes
Word Count: 118


1/19/10

Prompt: "...and then there were none." (Isaac Lee, my brother)

First there were many, and then there were none.
First there was peace, and then there was none.
Next there was war, that always returned,
for first there were many, and now there are none.

Total Time: 1 minute
Word Count: 35