Friday, May 1, 2009

Fiction Friday: Calling All Writers

A few weeks back, when I posted a piece of "flash fiction" I had written, a 100-word story, Lilly over at Lilly's Life suggested I post a prompt and challenge other writers to create a similar piece.

After mulling it over, this is what I came up with:

"The room was silent except for...."

Your challenge: create a short story of 100 words or less that begins with this phrase. Post your story in the comments, including a title (flash fiction often relies on the title to help tell the story).

To see the original post, with a couple of examples, go here.

30 comments:

  1. the room was silent,

    and so is my HEAD RIGHT NOW. Damn. I'll come back later....

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  2. one of my long time blog buddies has been doing this for some time - but they have been using 55 words - here is the link to her blog

    http://ironiccoincidences.blogspot.com/2009/03/55-flash-fiction-friday.html

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  3. The Empty Room

    The room was silent except for the constant pounding. Being imprisoned unwillingly under a life sentence, being shackled and humiliated in nakedness is nothing compared to the daily pounding. Sleep was my only refuge, to dream of other worlds, to escape the pounding.

    On the unexpected day of my release, a crowd had gathered, cameras rolling, to welcome me home. It wasn’t until years later I learned the pounding had been my mother’s heart.

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  4. What a cool idea...will have to think about this because my brain is not yet functioning this morning and this room is not silent enough for me to even try thinking with my 2 little people and their noise.

    And wow...Steven G's response is great! That is seriously awesome!

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  5. That's a good challenge. Trouble is I seem to have collected more than I can cope with just at the moment. Even so, it appeals to me, I'll certainly have a go - but don't, as they say, hold your breath.

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  6. except for the boasterous laugh of dar...haha she says...

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  7. Here goes. I'm not a writer.

    Title: "Swine Flu"The room was silent except for Bob's labored wheezing. "What's wrong with me?" asked Bob

    The physician answered, "Irony."

    "Runs in my family," remarked Bob. "My skydiving sister said her chute would fail on a cold day in hell. In February, she slammed into a place in Michigan called 'Hell'. …almost as sad as my gambling father who promised to quit when the Sox won the series, but he bet against them, lost it all, and hung himself."

    “You work at the CDC?”, asked the doctor, “Sounds dangerous.”

    “Bah! The day a disease gets me is the day pigs fly”

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  8. Steven G had a great 100 words.

    I am really lazy. Except I usually cannont refuse a challenge. Oh what'll I do?

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  9. The room was silent except for the screaming infant, the romping preschoolers, and the lazy worn out Barney video whirring in the background.

    “Please, darling, can’t we get a sitter tonight?” she pleaded on the phone.

    “We’re tight on money and the overtime is needed, you know that. Just be thankful you don’t have to work. My break is over, see you around midnight. Love ya”.

    “Bye” she acquiesced while quickly retrieving the nickel out of the toddlers’ mouth.

    She grabbed a cigarette, a lighter, and the screen door latch. The porch was silent except for the scratch flint.

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  10. Go see G-man through my blog he's organized a "55" group already..

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  11. Jeanne this is a piece I had laying around, and not sure what to do, but you have inspired me to move it on down the road...

    ‘Grand Memories’

    The room was silent except for shadows of a dusty piano that sat near a window in the formal hall. The world outside was clueless at what lay behind towering bushes, chestnut trees, part of the over crowded landscape of Monument Gardens.

    ‘Baby’, as we called my daughters favorite grand and expensive toy, was still waiting for her fingers to breathe life back into its frame. The long sleek legs mixed with morning half light stretched across the floor each day like arms beckoning me to find its mistress. She had gone; never to return.

    I could not bear to touch the cold wood, nor its ivory keys. To leave my prints where hers still lie was unthinkable. Their music still haunts this house, and every room you may enter. Sheets of paper sitting upon the stand; musical notes, compositions; pieces half finished; music that would bring tears to my still aching heart. Sounds that once brought life to the now silent rooms which have become so still.

    Now and then knocks at the door suggest I was expected to give up these moments, and return to what continued on in their worlds. Not even the slightest tugs from strangers could take this almost lifeless body away from grand past, walks in the garden, teas in the afternoon, balls lasting until morning light, and her smiles.

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  12. I love the challenge.

    I'm not sure what to do with it, but I'm really enjoying readers others attempts.

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  13. You've gotten some wonderful stories so far. What a fun assignment.

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  14. sorry I am not a writer I am a picture poster...LOL :-)

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  15. Oh, this is fun!

    The Day Eleanor Got Kicked Off the PTA Fund-Raising Committee

    The room was silent as Eleanor frantically tried to figure out why members of the PTA board were looking at her as if she’d come to the meeting stumbling-around drunk.
    Although that was starting to feel like a good idea.
    “I mean …” she said, feeling her way cautiously, “if you think holding another bake sale will work, let’s do it. I only meant that maybe everybody’s tired of buying dozens of chocolate-chip cookies.”
    Millicent O’Malley, the third generation in her family to hold the PTA chairwomanship, raised her eyebrows. Too late, Eleanor remembered that chocolate-chip cookies were Millicent’s specialty.

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  16. After The End

    The room was silent except for the smallest of scratching sounds emitting from the wall. Barely an inch long, the brown cockroach slithered its way onto the floor, its antena searching about frantically for a moment in the sudden light of the room, and then it relaxed. There was nothing in the room to threaten it. Nothing left alive in the whole world that would threaten it.

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  17. I took a few hundred stabs at this but I'm with Vodka Mom. The noggin is blank.

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  18. To darkened jade, I must say...

    That really WAS a Hattori Hanzo sword!

    nice.

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  19. The room was silent except for my heart. It beat loudly and clearly despite the ringing in my ears. As if I had just finished a sprint, it pounded painfully, straining to burst from my chest. I stared down at his body. A slow pool of blood crept outwards, reaching towards me. The smell of the smoke invaded my nostrils. My mind barely registered that I had been holding something as the gun slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor.

    Images of us as children raced through my mind.

    How could this have gone so wrong?

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  20. Jeanne of course you can break out the cards and rum (they don't like whiskey). They are angels after all.

    Have a good weekend.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  21. The room was silent except for a gentle tapping at the window.

    Sarah awoke suddenly. It was 2:14am, Sunday morning.

    The tapping grew louder. More insistent.

    Her heart raced, her mind did summersaults and her body lay rigid under the heavy bedclothes.

    “No, it can’t be”, she mouthed over and over.

    Sarah was alone. All alone, since she left Bradley and moved here months ago.

    She held her breath and pulled the covers up over her head.

    Waiting. Praying. Hoping.

    Deadly shards of glass exploded her dreams of escape.

    A blood curdling scream shattered the pitch black night. Forever.

    THE END

    Thanks Jeanne, much fun - lets do it every week. I need some practice!!!!!

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  22. Shite, I didn't follow the directions. I was meant to be put a title. How about,
    Shattered Dreams

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  23. Gonna post mine on my blog. I'll link back. Also trying to get Husband to participate.

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  24. I know I'm a day late, but I hope I can still play.

    Return to Sender
    The room was silent except for the crinkly sound of paper as I unwrapped the package. Trying to get the tape off, I thought of the deadly package I had recently sent to the person that had made my life a living hell for the past 4 years. And it worked because I haven’t heard anything for a week. No nasty phone calls, no threatening letters. Freedom!!
    I finally got the package open and saw the snake right before it bit me. Only then did I see the stamp on the outside. "Not at this address".

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  25. It's been a long time since I tried writing something so sort. A great idea for keeping the flab out of composition.

    Anybody remember the scene in "A River Runs Through It" where the father (Tom Skerritt as Rev. MacLean) is teaching his son compostion?

    "Again - half as long."

    Hope somebody enjoys this.
    ==========================

    One Breath

    The room was silent except for the distant hum of a fan. He lay still, his breathing hushed. He felt alone – although she was close enough to touch him.

    Then she reached out and grasped his arm, a gentle tug. Relief swept over him. He turned to her and covered her mouth with his own; his arms encircled her and drew her close. She took a sharp breath as she felt his lips on her throat, his hand at the small of her back. Now they breathed with one breath.

    “I want you. Do you want me?” he asked.

    “Yes.”

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  26. Am I w-a-a-a-y too late? Just in case I'm not, here is my 97-word submission.

    "In Her Mother's Footsteps"

    The room was silent, except for the sound of Amanda's fingernails drumming on the table. Her daughter Mindy glared, willing her to stop, but it did no good.

    “Dr. Allen will see you now.”

    Mindy stood and walked toward the door.

    “Are you sure, Mindy?”

    “Mom, we've been through all this.”

    “Yes, I know, but still...” Her voice trailed off.

    Mindy turned and gently kissed her mother. “Mom, I'll be fine.” She walked into the treatment room, leaving Amanda to remember another room, another doctor, her own mother's voice saying, “How could you do this to me?”

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  27. Finally! Here's mine: http://unmitigated.typepad.com/unmitigated/2009/05/flash-fiction.html

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  28. The room was silent except for the white noise vibrating out of the air purifier that John had placed in Sprite's room in order to cleanse the air from toddler germs. The only problem with this air purifier was that it interfered with the reception on the baby monitor which Jen used to spy on Sprite when she was too lazy to get up and peak in like any other normal parent. At one point, Jen heard what sounded like a jet plane trying to land in Sprite's room and hurried over just to see a sleeping toddler and the red light on that dang machine which was sure to cause problems later. So she turned it off. And then the room was silent.
    *Sorry. It's Monday. I'm sick. This is the best I could do.

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  29. A Tummy Tale
    The room was silent except for my rumbling stomach. All heads turn my way, everyone stares. What? Did I grow two noses? Or warts? It was just my stomach for God's sake. It always speaks for me during awkward silences..loudly.
    My husband leans over and whispers " Honey, what is wrong with your tummy? It is REALLY loud."
    I missed breakfast and one whiff of that delicious funeral hot dish was all it took to send my stomach rolling like a steam locomotive into a station..right on time..lunch time:)

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