Again, sorry it's taking me so long to get this done...I've got fafsa/school/taxes/work on my plate...basically, a whole bunch of un-fun! But it's the life kind of un-fun, and it's pretty unavoidable. Anyhow, here's the next one!
2/16/10
“…you want my number?” (NaNo)
“Well, it’s kinda complicated. The directions, I mean. The event is pretty simple. Alright, first you go down Route 26, heading north—you’re coming from I95, right? Okay, so you take 26 through Gray and Oxford, then you turn off on 117, it’s right after—” She shook her head in frustration. “Here, you want my number? Then you can call before you leave, and I can give you the exact directions…it’ll be simpler.”
David watched his newfound acquaintance with a slightly bemused expression on his face. Taryn was a blur of ideas and thoughts, her mind jumping rapidly from one subject to another. It had been a chance meeting, totally a fluke, but he was exceedingly glad he’d decided to let the young woman go before him at Starbucks. It had been merely a courtesy at first, but then they’d started talking, and now, two hours later, they were just finishing up their coffees.
He took down her phone number, still smiling. She grinned before hopping out of her seat and dancing over to the trash to dispose of her coffee cup. She seemed to either bounce or dance everywhere she went, always full of life and energy. She was never still, her hands constantly flying through the air as she tried to illustrate a point. He found it oddly attractive, especially as he was usually reserved, and surrounded by people who were as reserved and studious as he. It was refreshing to be around someone who was so filled with zest for life, and so eager to try new things.
He pocketed his cell phone and smiled as she suddenly looked at the time and frantically bade him goodbye, hastily mentioning something about a class, and how she always forgot what time it was at. She backed out of the coffee shop, waving, before turning and dashing down the sidewalk towards the campus. David watched her go, still grinning. He was definitely looking forward to getting to know her—she seemed to breathe joy into everything she touched, and maybe some of that joy would rub off on him.
He finished his coffee with one last swig, then tossed the cup into the trash. He chuckled softly as he caught himself in a half-skip as he exited the Starbucks. Looks like she was rubbing off on him already.
Total Time: 12 minutes
Word Count: 390
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A Long One...
Alright...sorry it's taken so long, but here's the next one. I'm slowly but surely catching up...emphasis on the slowly :P. Anyway, I'm just going to post the link to this one, as it's exceedingly long...upwards of 1,600 words (oh my!). It hasn't gone through the complete editing session that I plan on giving it, but I definitely plan on tweaking it to perfection. It's interesting, and definitely more thoughtful than most of the other prompts...and I feel that it expresses a point deeper than just the story.
2/15/10
Prompt: "Don't come in yet, I have to put my face on!" (NaNo)
Total Time: n/a (wrote half longhand)
Word Count: Somewhere around 1,616 words
Link: http://gipsyfingers.blogspot.com/2010/02/masks.html
2/15/10
Prompt: "Don't come in yet, I have to put my face on!" (NaNo)
Total Time: n/a (wrote half longhand)
Word Count: Somewhere around 1,616 words
Link: http://gipsyfingers.blogspot.com/2010/02/masks.html
Monday, February 22, 2010
Happy Belated Valentine's Day!
Here's a gushy mushy happy-feely one for Valentine's Day! Nevermind that I wrote it a week late :P.
2/14/10
Prompt: “She felt his heart hammering warmly against her back…” (NaNo)
With a little shriek, Alesca toppled backwards, off the high ladder. Instead of landing on the hard floor as she expected, she crashed into a softer surface with a loud whumpf.
“Easy, girl, you alright?” The voice was low and masculine, and the owner slowly helped her to her feet, keeping his hands on her arms so she didn’t lose her balance again. Instead of letting go immediately, though, he held her gently, letting his fingers massage her biceps lightly. She felt his heart hammering warmly against her back, and she knew he’d been worried when he saw her mishap.
He pressed a kiss gently to the top of her head. “You are not allowed to worry me like that, cariña,” he cautioned softly, his hands sliding lower to caress the slight rounding of her stomach. “Do I have to keep you in a padded room to prevent such mishaps?”
Alesca laughed, turning her head slightly to kiss him quickly before wriggling out of his embrace. “I’ll be careful, Zak, I promise. It was just an accident, and I’ll leave the climbing up to you now.”
Zak nodded. “Good. Now, what was it you were reaching for, mi querida?”
Alesca unconsciously slipped back into his arms as she pointed out the book she’d been trying to reach. Zak smiled. Trust his Alesca to climb the ladder, barefoot and pregnant, to reach the largest book on the highest shelf in the whole room. But he couldn’t fault her for that. He couldn’t fault her for much, to be honest. She was his love, and every quirk and independent streak only made him love her more. After all, without those little quirks, she wouldn’t be the Alesca he loved so dearly. So he would make sure he was there to catch her when she fell, support her when she needed it, and love her throughout it all. He smiled and tacked on a mental addendum, for now there were two for him to love and cherish, his Alesca, and their unborn child. He smiled with pride and joy, reveling in the simple bliss of having someone to love.
Total Time:12 minutes
Word Count: 356
2/14/10
Prompt: “She felt his heart hammering warmly against her back…” (NaNo)
With a little shriek, Alesca toppled backwards, off the high ladder. Instead of landing on the hard floor as she expected, she crashed into a softer surface with a loud whumpf.
“Easy, girl, you alright?” The voice was low and masculine, and the owner slowly helped her to her feet, keeping his hands on her arms so she didn’t lose her balance again. Instead of letting go immediately, though, he held her gently, letting his fingers massage her biceps lightly. She felt his heart hammering warmly against her back, and she knew he’d been worried when he saw her mishap.
He pressed a kiss gently to the top of her head. “You are not allowed to worry me like that, cariña,” he cautioned softly, his hands sliding lower to caress the slight rounding of her stomach. “Do I have to keep you in a padded room to prevent such mishaps?”
Alesca laughed, turning her head slightly to kiss him quickly before wriggling out of his embrace. “I’ll be careful, Zak, I promise. It was just an accident, and I’ll leave the climbing up to you now.”
Zak nodded. “Good. Now, what was it you were reaching for, mi querida?”
Alesca unconsciously slipped back into his arms as she pointed out the book she’d been trying to reach. Zak smiled. Trust his Alesca to climb the ladder, barefoot and pregnant, to reach the largest book on the highest shelf in the whole room. But he couldn’t fault her for that. He couldn’t fault her for much, to be honest. She was his love, and every quirk and independent streak only made him love her more. After all, without those little quirks, she wouldn’t be the Alesca he loved so dearly. So he would make sure he was there to catch her when she fell, support her when she needed it, and love her throughout it all. He smiled and tacked on a mental addendum, for now there were two for him to love and cherish, his Alesca, and their unborn child. He smiled with pride and joy, reveling in the simple bliss of having someone to love.
Total Time:12 minutes
Word Count: 356
Belated Catch-Up
Sorry it took so long to get this caught up...it was school vacation week, so I wasn't haunting the teacher's room, stealing their internet. But school is back in session, so I've regained my honorary cubicle position across from my mother's. It's funny, when I graduated, I thought I'd never come back, I was so very done with high school, but now...boredom has set in, so I'm back in the teacher's room, and hanging around the AP English class. I can't wait until this fall, when I can start school in full, and engage my brain in continuous intellectual activity.
2/13/10
Prompt: “She was worried by the excited look in his eye…” (NaN0)
Start Time: 5:20
She got into the car slowly, trepidation evident in her moves. Jason was a little more cryptic than usual when he’d called, just saying that he’d pick her up in half hour, so be ready. Now, with most people, one might think of lovely surprises, or romantic dinners, but with Jason—let’s just say that the last time he’d done something like this, it was to take her eel-fishing…and somehow, the thought of having to swallow live eels hadn’t occurred to him.
As she buckled in, she glanced over at him, worried by the excited look in his eye. Still, she tried to act calm, as she asked, “So, where are we going?”
He just grinned. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
She rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “That’s the point.” He just laughed, and pulled out of the driveway, turning onto the main road. The music played quietly, and they chatted amicably.
After a while, the car stopped outside a small diner. Jessie furrowed her brow, slightly confused. Jason helped her out of the car and led her into the diner. She moved to sit in one of the booths, but he tugged her further into the room, to the booth on the far side of the small space. Realization slowly dawned on her as she took in the pseudo-familiar red coverings on the benches and the quotes painted along the wall.
“Isn’t this—”
Jason grinned and nodded, effectively cutting off the rest of her question. After he’d seated her, instead of sliding into the opposite space, he dropped to one knee, his hand deftly reaching into his pocket. As he slipped the ring on her finger, glee bubbled up in her chest. He’d finally succeeded and given her the perfect surprise.
Total Time: 7 minutes
Word Count: 301
2/13/10
Prompt: “She was worried by the excited look in his eye…” (NaN0)
Start Time: 5:20
She got into the car slowly, trepidation evident in her moves. Jason was a little more cryptic than usual when he’d called, just saying that he’d pick her up in half hour, so be ready. Now, with most people, one might think of lovely surprises, or romantic dinners, but with Jason—let’s just say that the last time he’d done something like this, it was to take her eel-fishing…and somehow, the thought of having to swallow live eels hadn’t occurred to him.
As she buckled in, she glanced over at him, worried by the excited look in his eye. Still, she tried to act calm, as she asked, “So, where are we going?”
He just grinned. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
She rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “That’s the point.” He just laughed, and pulled out of the driveway, turning onto the main road. The music played quietly, and they chatted amicably.
After a while, the car stopped outside a small diner. Jessie furrowed her brow, slightly confused. Jason helped her out of the car and led her into the diner. She moved to sit in one of the booths, but he tugged her further into the room, to the booth on the far side of the small space. Realization slowly dawned on her as she took in the pseudo-familiar red coverings on the benches and the quotes painted along the wall.
“Isn’t this—”
Jason grinned and nodded, effectively cutting off the rest of her question. After he’d seated her, instead of sliding into the opposite space, he dropped to one knee, his hand deftly reaching into his pocket. As he slipped the ring on her finger, glee bubbled up in her chest. He’d finally succeeded and given her the perfect surprise.
Total Time: 7 minutes
Word Count: 301
Friday, February 12, 2010
Twofer One
Well, no time-stamp on this one, it was written in longhand (in the middle of a staff meeting :D), so it was sort of on and off writing...anywho, I got bored when I finished the first one, and just wrote another shorty that you guys can have as well :).
Have fun with it!
2/12/10
Prompt: "He would have said it was all Greek to him, except he understood Greek..." (NaNo)
He would have said it was all Greek to him, except he understood Greek, so it would kind of defeat the purpose. In fact, he not only understood Greek, he could speak and write it fluently--along with Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and a smattering of several others. But these writings in front of him...these numbers...they were completely foreign to him.
He sighed, running his fingers through his thick black hair. God, he hated numbers. Words, languages, he excelled at, but numbers...numbers were enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. Even growing up, in high school for example, he made it through the basic math classes, barely, yet ended up with four years' worth of classes in three different languages. In college, he'd taken the minimun amount of math and science, while bulking up on languages and histories.
He sighed again, turning his attention back to the numbers scrolling across the computer screen. He shook his head and winced. There was no way he'd be able to figure it out on time. With a groan of defeat, he picked up the phone and dialed quickly. It rang twice before a perky female voice answered.
"Hey babe, how's it goin'?"
He couldn't resist a smile when he heard her voice, but couldn't help the note of embarrassment that crept into his voice as he replied. "Um...numbers, me...not great."
She laughed, the sound floating across the phone lines like a burbling brook. "Okay, I'll be right over. Love you!"
He hung up the phone and sighed in relief. A quick glance at the clock showed that there was enough time to run to the store and pick up some chocolate before she got there. Maybe there'd even be time to catch a movie or something when they were done.
He smiled as he grabbed his jacket. Looks like today was shaping up to be a wonderful day.
Word Count: 317
!!!BONUS!!!
She sighed softly, staring out the window, her palm gently cupping her chin. It was a beautiful spring day, with birds singing among the cherry blossoms, but she didn't notice. Although her eyes were fixed on the window, her mind was focused elsewhere, an elsewhere so very far away.
In this elsewhere, she was walking barefoot down a beach, with the warm salt water lapping at her toes. A bouquet of wildflowers dangled loosely in her fingers; her other hand was clasped warmly in Travis's calloused one. How she missed him! It had been two months since he'd left, and she missed him more and more every day. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if he was a soldier or translator shipped off to Iraq or something--she was blessed to have a fiance who was overseas for other reasons, business reasons. He was in England, only for three months, to work with his advertising firm on a major deal. He'd offered to take her with him, but she couldn't leave school and work for that amount of time. But still, when he'd left, he'd taken a piece of her heart with him, and she felt the loss every day he was gone.
They talked every night, not always on the phone, sometimes they could only manage a chat on Facebook or something, but if they got lucky, they were able to chat on a webcam. Those were the best conversations, but they still didn't replace face-to-face interaction.
The doorbell rang, and she sighed as she walked down the stairs. It was probably the landscapers, they were scheduled to do the garden and lawn this afternoon. She checked the peephole, then squealed in shock and delight. The door couldn't open fast enough, then she threw herself into Travis' arms.
"You're back! You're back!" She kissed him, then hugged him even tighter. "How! Oh my god, I can't believe you're back!"
He laughed and twirled her around. "We finished the job early, they said I could come home. I missed you, sweetie," he grinned. "Did you miss me?"
She kissed him again. "Of course I did! By the way, you are not allowed to leave for that long again, not unless you take me."
"Hey, I offered..."
They both laughed, and walked inside, arm in arm, both overwhelmed with joy. Love was such a wonderful thing, and surprises, especially ones like this, were the things that made life delicious. The birds still sang outside, but somehow, their songs became clearer. The sun shone brighter, the cherry blossoms smelled sweeter, and life in general, smiled a little more.
Word Count: 436
And so goes the beginning of my 'Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!' weekend :). Enjoy!
Have fun with it!
2/12/10
Prompt: "He would have said it was all Greek to him, except he understood Greek..." (NaNo)
He would have said it was all Greek to him, except he understood Greek, so it would kind of defeat the purpose. In fact, he not only understood Greek, he could speak and write it fluently--along with Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and a smattering of several others. But these writings in front of him...these numbers...they were completely foreign to him.
He sighed, running his fingers through his thick black hair. God, he hated numbers. Words, languages, he excelled at, but numbers...numbers were enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. Even growing up, in high school for example, he made it through the basic math classes, barely, yet ended up with four years' worth of classes in three different languages. In college, he'd taken the minimun amount of math and science, while bulking up on languages and histories.
He sighed again, turning his attention back to the numbers scrolling across the computer screen. He shook his head and winced. There was no way he'd be able to figure it out on time. With a groan of defeat, he picked up the phone and dialed quickly. It rang twice before a perky female voice answered.
"Hey babe, how's it goin'?"
He couldn't resist a smile when he heard her voice, but couldn't help the note of embarrassment that crept into his voice as he replied. "Um...numbers, me...not great."
She laughed, the sound floating across the phone lines like a burbling brook. "Okay, I'll be right over. Love you!"
He hung up the phone and sighed in relief. A quick glance at the clock showed that there was enough time to run to the store and pick up some chocolate before she got there. Maybe there'd even be time to catch a movie or something when they were done.
He smiled as he grabbed his jacket. Looks like today was shaping up to be a wonderful day.
Word Count: 317
!!!BONUS!!!
She sighed softly, staring out the window, her palm gently cupping her chin. It was a beautiful spring day, with birds singing among the cherry blossoms, but she didn't notice. Although her eyes were fixed on the window, her mind was focused elsewhere, an elsewhere so very far away.
In this elsewhere, she was walking barefoot down a beach, with the warm salt water lapping at her toes. A bouquet of wildflowers dangled loosely in her fingers; her other hand was clasped warmly in Travis's calloused one. How she missed him! It had been two months since he'd left, and she missed him more and more every day. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if he was a soldier or translator shipped off to Iraq or something--she was blessed to have a fiance who was overseas for other reasons, business reasons. He was in England, only for three months, to work with his advertising firm on a major deal. He'd offered to take her with him, but she couldn't leave school and work for that amount of time. But still, when he'd left, he'd taken a piece of her heart with him, and she felt the loss every day he was gone.
They talked every night, not always on the phone, sometimes they could only manage a chat on Facebook or something, but if they got lucky, they were able to chat on a webcam. Those were the best conversations, but they still didn't replace face-to-face interaction.
The doorbell rang, and she sighed as she walked down the stairs. It was probably the landscapers, they were scheduled to do the garden and lawn this afternoon. She checked the peephole, then squealed in shock and delight. The door couldn't open fast enough, then she threw herself into Travis' arms.
"You're back! You're back!" She kissed him, then hugged him even tighter. "How! Oh my god, I can't believe you're back!"
He laughed and twirled her around. "We finished the job early, they said I could come home. I missed you, sweetie," he grinned. "Did you miss me?"
She kissed him again. "Of course I did! By the way, you are not allowed to leave for that long again, not unless you take me."
"Hey, I offered..."
They both laughed, and walked inside, arm in arm, both overwhelmed with joy. Love was such a wonderful thing, and surprises, especially ones like this, were the things that made life delicious. The birds still sang outside, but somehow, their songs became clearer. The sun shone brighter, the cherry blossoms smelled sweeter, and life in general, smiled a little more.
Word Count: 436
And so goes the beginning of my 'Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!' weekend :). Enjoy!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Kinda Creepy...
Here's an interesting one...I blame it on the fact that I watched Bones all morning. Getting inside strange or creepy character's heads is an interesting experience...one I can't say I like or dislike. I guess it depends on the character...this one was creepy, especially since I got all the background stuff...the stuff that shows up in between the lines. Anyway, the next one will have much nicer characters :), no serial killers among them, lol.
2/11/10
“The window was positioned so perfectly, a person looking out could know the business of every person on the street…”
He sat back in the overstuffed armchair and smiled. It was an odd smile, rather unsettling, but there was no one there to see it, so he wasn’t worried. He surveyed the small apartment, much like a lord surveying his manor. Not a single thing was out of place. He’d finally found the perfect abode, with the perfect location, and the perfect view.
In fact, it was the window overlooking the street that he found most pleasing. It was positioned so perfectly, a person looking out could know the business of every person on the street. And how he loved knowing people’s business. You might say it was his life’s blood.
He sighed and took a long, slow drink from the glass bottle of beer he held. It was warm, but he liked it that way. He liked many strange things, things no one knew about. Things no one could know about. And he liked it that way. He stood, moving over to the window, staring out at the people hurrying quickly to and fro. Who would he choose? He didn’t know yet. It would take time, maybe months, before he made his decision, and he enjoyed taking his time. It was all part of the process, the long, delicious process. His process. And he loved his process.
Total Time: 4 minutes
Word Count: 218
2/11/10
“The window was positioned so perfectly, a person looking out could know the business of every person on the street…”
He sat back in the overstuffed armchair and smiled. It was an odd smile, rather unsettling, but there was no one there to see it, so he wasn’t worried. He surveyed the small apartment, much like a lord surveying his manor. Not a single thing was out of place. He’d finally found the perfect abode, with the perfect location, and the perfect view.
In fact, it was the window overlooking the street that he found most pleasing. It was positioned so perfectly, a person looking out could know the business of every person on the street. And how he loved knowing people’s business. You might say it was his life’s blood.
He sighed and took a long, slow drink from the glass bottle of beer he held. It was warm, but he liked it that way. He liked many strange things, things no one knew about. Things no one could know about. And he liked it that way. He stood, moving over to the window, staring out at the people hurrying quickly to and fro. Who would he choose? He didn’t know yet. It would take time, maybe months, before he made his decision, and he enjoyed taking his time. It was all part of the process, the long, delicious process. His process. And he loved his process.
Total Time: 4 minutes
Word Count: 218
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Last "Abbie" Prompt....
Well, Abbie, thanks for getting February off to such a great start! Here's the last one, hope you enjoy it!
2/10/10
Prompt: “And then, Abbie ran out of ideas for sentences.” (Abbie)
And then, Abbie ran out of ideas for sentences. That was it, there was no more juice left in the imagination. After writing out 10 different sentences for her student, she just couldn’t think of any more ways to use Mom, Amy, Lindsay, and Ashley, all in the same sentence. There weren’t any left, and it was late. She sighed, and closed the notebook. Sushi was calling, along with her date. Maybe they’d make less gay babies this time…she grinned. Here’s hoping!
Total Time: 2 minutes
Word Count: 82
2/10/10
Prompt: “And then, Abbie ran out of ideas for sentences.” (Abbie)
And then, Abbie ran out of ideas for sentences. That was it, there was no more juice left in the imagination. After writing out 10 different sentences for her student, she just couldn’t think of any more ways to use Mom, Amy, Lindsay, and Ashley, all in the same sentence. There weren’t any left, and it was late. She sighed, and closed the notebook. Sushi was calling, along with her date. Maybe they’d make less gay babies this time…she grinned. Here’s hoping!
Total Time: 2 minutes
Word Count: 82
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