Friday 10 June 2011

Lily's Friday Prediction...

... is back!

I am well into the gathering of the last year's-worth of Prediction entries so it's all systems go for an anthology. I haven't contacted any of you yet, so don't worry - you haven't been missed out.

So - are you there Moriarty? Or David, Chris, Antonia, AJ, RS, Sue, Aidan, Pixie, Tony, William, Phil, Erin, Jodi, Stephen, Michael, Susan, John, asuqi, ttofee and all the other Predictioneers?

For anyone new to Lily's Friday Prediction, the rules are at the end of this post.

Words for 10 June 2011

This week's words are fairly simple but they've got my brain stirring already. Hope you feel the same...

  • Flute
  • Phobia
  • Arch

Rules

The rules are: 100 words max flash fiction or poetry using all of the words above. Please add your entries in the Comments box below. You have all week until 9pm UK time on Thursday 16th June to enter.

Winner will be announced next Thursday or Friday. If you can, please tweet about your entry, using the #fridayflash hashtag, and blog if you feel like it.

I am desperate - desperate - for you to play. I'm game.
_________________________________________

41 comments:

  1. I'm here, ready to play! Oh how I've missed this...

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  2. I'm here Lily, whether my brain or home problems will let me write this week is another matter, but I'll have a stab at it...

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  3. Sandra Davies said...

    I thought I'd given this up, but evidently not - herewith my short but sweet entry:
    Shattering?
    To have had a champagne flute forced up one’s fundament was frightening enough to result in a definite fizz phobia, but for it to have been the archdeacon what did the dirty deed created a decided antipathy to religion also.
    10 June 2011 16:06

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  4. Antonia, Pixie - glad you popped in to say hello.

    Sandra - a ha ha ha, I loved this! I can imagine a posh dinner party with Mrs Gawther-Squablington holding her guests in semi-appalled thrall over Martinis. Very cleverly written, highly effective use of words and great fun.

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  5. Sandra, good one! Very clever!
    Here's my entry, how early is this for me??? Wow, must have missed the Prediction challenge far more than I realised, and I know I missed it!

    Siren Song

    Does it make sense to have a phobia about tunnels? Perhaps it was the darkness, perhaps the worry of falling bricks. Whatever it was, he feared to look beyond the arch into the emptiness beyond. Yes, he could see the light at the end but no, he could not set foot inside.
    Until the delicate flute called to him with a siren song he could not resist. Step by faltering step he walked into the tunnel, into the darkness, trying not to look up, to visualise the falling roof, the crushing stones, conquering his fear – until the flautist captured him.

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  6. This is my first here. David Barber pointed me this way. I'm glad he did. Some nice entries already!

    Cary Me Home

    "Would you mind if she took your empty seat?" The stewardess said. "She has a phobia."
    "Oh." Archie's dimpled chin fell, then a smile broke above it. "Not at all."
    The little thing curled up beside him, clutching a slender case.
    "Oh my. You're--"
    "Yes, I am. And you are, miss?"
    "Maria Zetowsky. With the Philharmonic. On loan to London."
    "That's your flute? Funny word, isn't it? Flute."
    "I guess so."
    He held her hand. "Relax, and soon we'll have _flew to_ England."
    Sometimes Archie wished Cary Grant could hold _his_ hand on long flights.


    (I cheated a bit with Archie vs. arch, and pretend the _ marks denote italics if you will)
    -Tom

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  7. Antonia, do you recall how in Grease Mr Travolta utters "Ohw", with a satisfied smile at the end of Summer Nights? Well, that's what I said out loud at the end of Siren Song. I loved how you built up the (very understandable) phobia-related fear of the tunnel only for the flautist to swoop in and capture him. An excellent, unexpected twist.

    Thomas, welcome! Such a lovely play on words, on Cary Grant and his real name. The idea of Archie needing the confidence of his alter-ego is inspired. Thank you for bringing that to us.
    Do feel free to comment on others' entries.
    And as a little tip, if you type < em > (without the gaps) before the words you want to italicise and < /em > (without the gaps) afterwards then it will put the words into italics. ;)

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  8. Glad your back Lily, I've been getting withdrawal symptoms. This ones been in the pot for a bit, I'm still not sure but I like the title so here goes.

    The Serpents Fife

    Enchanted by the girl replacing the flute in Furs music shop window, the young man enters.

    “The flute in the window?” he said as he noticed her name was Lucy
    “Would you like to play it?” Lucy asked
    “Yes please. Such a charming serpent motif, I normally have a phobia of Snakes” he said
    “It was my fathers.” she said nonchalantly handing him the Fife.
    As he began to play, the flute came alive in his hands and began to twist and arch till the snake entered his mouth and Stole his soul.

    She’s a tricky woman that Lucy Fur.

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  9. A Stitch In Spine

    Kendra arched her back, panting – breathing hard at each insertion.

    “Every one’s a stitch, honey” she whispered over her shoulder.

    Drips of sweat pooled on her skin as he laboured over her, fighting the phobia, thanking her for giving him needles to play with. He had to distract himself from their steely points – had to. Kate Bush sang of falling in love with a swan, the ethereal flute bouncing off marble in Kendra’s pseudo-Rennaisance hallway; the hostess’s tiny breasts flapped against the cold floor with her lover’s ministrations.

    “All done,” he said.

    Black ribbon studded Kendra’s spine. A permanent corset.

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  10. A Gift in Appreciation for Your Many Years of Service

    Fluted columns rose to dizzying heights, or fell to them, depending on your phobia. Hallways disappeared without ending. Callus didn’t need to know where they went, only to move forward.

    Looking through the arches at joys he could not experience became unbearable, so he shuttered his gaze.

    Occasionally, another would step into the hall, hand him some small object, and head off to where they were supposed to be. He wondered if they ever arrived or if, like him, they were stuck in the hell of the impatient powerful. His curiosity was never satisfied.

    The Secretary sat on high, smiling.

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  11. So glad you and the Prediction have returned Lily!
    Sounds like the well earned rest was worth it!

    Sandra I've always loved the word "fundament" - it puts the class back in... you know. Great piece

    Antonia This has the flavour of an urban fairy tale. Do continue. We're all ears. :)

    Thomas A more than worthy introduction to your style, and any David Barber fan has got one mark to the good already! Love the easy way this flowed, and the sneak peek into his mind at the end.

    William Clever doesn't begin to describe. Loved this one - and worth waiting for!

    Lily Back in style! There's raw feminine power in this, and the flesh and silk laced ending is wonderful.

    RR A secretary of the universe, named Callus. This is very well done.

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  12. Nightcap

    "Another successful evening, I'd wager," said Edward. He leaned nonchalantly against the high stone arch.

    "Don't be tiresome Eddie," sighed Elizabeth. "Quit posturing, and come here. We'll have a proper toast." She raised her champagne flute. The thing inside the wine stared dumbly ahead.

    Candlelight flickered as Edward strolled with sanguine ease toward Elizabeth's divan. The wet, throaty bleating from the cage in the corner was diminishing.

    Edward froze. He stamped down hard. Blood spattered out from the little pool at his feet. Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow.

    "Sorry," he mumbled, "I'm positively phobic of spiders.

    "Coward."

    "What??"

    "Nothing dear. Cheers."

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  13. Antonia: love the flautist's siren call
    Thomas: good beginning - I like the dialogue
    William: I'm glad i don't have a snake phobia!
    Lily: THAT is super classy, silky wicked
    RR: 'hell of the impatient powerful' - very deep, I like that.
    Chris: Yuck, yuck, yuck - I hate spiders with a vengeance.

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  14. Hi William here, blogger is playing me saying I'm anonymous, hopefully this work around will work.

    Sandra I love the word fundament.
    Antonia That drew me right in, I'd love to know who flautist is. I love the word Flautist too In my troubled mind it sounds almost forbidden
    Thomas A really Clever piece. I loved it.
    Lily What a pretty image you weave, I can't get it out of my head now.
    RR Kovar I loved the bleak dystopian feel to this, gave me the chills
    Chris This painted an interesting picture for me was she trying to kill/poison him, what was in the cage? You hooked me I want more

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  15. did we miss Prediction or what ... great rush of entries or should I say, rush of great entries??!!
    Thomas, good to see you here and a very clever word play.
    Lily, excelling yourself as usual ...
    RR Kovar, a bleak yet oddly satisfying piece.
    Chris, definitely intrigued, what was going on there? (My earl is arachnophobic to an alarming degree, he would sympathise with Edward!)

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  16. Great to see Predictions is back!!! Loads of great entries and will comment properly later. For now here is my entry to this party:

    Innocence Lost

    The archdeacon, lying prone on his back, knew he could never enjoy the sweet sound of music again. His new found phobia increased with the introduction of each instrument; each note robbing him of his two pleasures in life; both taken from the school orchestra.

    “That was the flute,” said his assailant wrestling it from the archdeacon’s anus. “Quite a nice sound I thought. Young Richard would approve.”

    “Well that completes the woodwind section. Brass next. Now Sarah, she was a favourite of yours. I was always surprised to see such a young girl take to the tuba so well.”

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  17. It's good to be back, a nice little diversion from the stress of the day job which is currently taking up a lot of my time.

    Execrate

    Clammy arches, insipid with a dark pervading sense of fear, glistened beneath the firelight; the sweat of men filled the stone hallways with a sour musk.

    He drank from a lustreless flute; extracted juices warmed his roseate lips, thick like oil down his throat, and yet it could not muster sensibility from a marbled expression. His phobia of clergy was just; swift.

    The monk’s strangled gurgle permeated the stone hall. A strange coloured liquid dribbled from his mouth; dark coloured slurry spotted with blood. Eyes bulged, veins squirmed.

    The long wooden spike emerged from the monk’s mouth.

    Vlad finally smiled.

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  18. Well, I'm back, early. And at the moment very happy as Amanda Holden has tweeted me Happy Birthday...Over the moon!

    Anyway...here's my offering...

    ARCHES OF SIN

    Thanatophobia – that’s the phobia he had.

    One that played straight into my hands as I laced the rope around his neck, tight.

    ‘Glance up,’ I whispered in his ear. ‘That rope is tied to The Arches of Sin.’

    I moved behind him, stroked his tainted wings, laced full of evil. ‘Peer down…it’s the trap door to your death…’

    I flew over to the trap door lever, stroked it fondly. ‘I shall be pulling this lever. But first, we need to play…what do they call it? Your swan song…’

    A fairy played the flute, as I pulled the lever.

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  19. Summer Raving

    Fluted notes screeched from the drum circle, the clearing's stench worse than the beef smeared over Isabella to mask her smell. She would've gagged if there'd been maggots. "Wait," Isabella said.

    "What's your phobia?" Marrieta asked.

    "Safe?"

    "I told you all the cool kids hang."

    "But --" Firelight caught a dancer, back arched with a snapped spine.

    "Look. We'll find you a guy. Get you to first base."

    "How do you know they're not..." Isabella couldn't kiss dead meat.

    "Those that drum out of beat are you know, or drunk. Stay away from both. Look for hand-eye coordination. Come on."

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  20. This looked really fun. So I thought I'd have a go.

    **********************

    As a child, Pan suffered from melophobia. From the luxurious lounges of heaven, the gods worried that he would never fulfil the prophecy of becoming the god of rustic music. Thor thought the thundering sound of his mallet, he accidentally whacked the invincible mirror of destiny. Warping out of the reflection a pipe shaped instrument flew across the heavens, into Pan’s hand. His eyes sparkled with flee, examining the flute and his being glimmered as he played soft, captivating tunes. From that day on and for eternity he would be seen as the arch-instrumentalist.

    WORDS: 94

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  21. Sorry , I post the wrong draft above. Here is my final one:

    As a child, Pan suffered from melophobia. From the luxurious lounges of heaven, the gods worried that he would never fulfil the prophecy of becoming the god of rustic music. Thor thought the thundering sound of his mallet would help but he accidentally whacked the invincible mirror of destiny. Warping out of the reflection a pipe shaped instrument flew across the heavens, into Pan’s hand. His eyes sparkled with glee, examining the flute and his being glimmered as he played soft, captivating tunes. From that day on and for eternity he would be seen as the arch-instrumentalist.

    WORDS: 99

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  22. Sandra: a very nice sentence you bring to the table. I like the way you cleverly applied the words in unanticipated ways.

    Antonia: I like this tale of misplaced phobias. I like the way you captured his way into the tunnel.

    Thomas: you capture a tender moment here and it paints a nice picture of when people were more courteous when flying. Welcome.

    William: LOL, clever play on words, I enjoyed the image of the flute morphing into a snake. Vivid.

    Lily: lovely & stomach turning. I like the twist at the end. This reminds me of White Rats, a Morris troupe that I haven't seen in person, but I understand some of them wear their bells via piercings (in their picture I believe some of them are sporting arm-bells).

    Reba: this reminds me of Borges' library, great picture of a bureaucratic hell.

    Chris: nice hints. I like the contemporary feel of the dinner party matched with the hints of blood sorcerers. Wonder what's in the glass... I assume something much worse than spiders.

    Phil: going through my mind "this is going to hurt" and that was before I discovered the tuba was next. Great hooks in the opening.

    AJ: beautiful images in this tale of Vlad the Impaler.

    Pixie: love the sensuality you pull into this piece and I want to get drunk on the world you've created here.

    Henrietta/Vix: intriguing mixed pantheon, intriguing idea of the mirror of destiny and I like how Thor's anger moves the plot.

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  23. Fab. So much wonderful predictioneering.

    William, I have dreams like that. It's a worry. A great piece of fun - we knew what was coming but you twisted it with the flute coming to life in a deftly veiled act of self-abuse. I think?

    Reba, I am torn back and forth in your Escher vision; plumetting from above, clambering from below. The manipulative game of The Secretary is a wicked, wicked delight. Beautiful, dreamy writing.

    Chris "The thing inside the wine..."? I love that concept! Just looked at my own glass and it was empty - little bastard must have drunk it all. There's a casual glamour to this piece I adore; it feels like a long-time relationship that the woman's growing tired off. And what the hell is in that cage? I want more.

    Phil Ha! Hilarious. I regret to say I hear the flute song and am terrified at the thought of what the tuba will sound like, as well as the damage it will do. Brilliant.

    Ally Oh Vlad - how I've missed you. Sensual and sensuous, evocative and always chilling this is pure A J Humpage. I step away from your words with liquid fear in my spine and echoes of the cold, cold drips ringing in my ears. Exquisite.

    Pixie, hope you had a fab birthday! This is a wonderfully crafted glimpse of an execution scene. I like how you pull us up to the Arches of Sin then plunge us down to the trap door of death. A wicked peek at Fairy fear.

    Oh Aidan, are we necrophiliating or stalking zombies? Lots of lovely smells emanating from Summer Raving. "Firelight caught a dancer, back arched with a snapped spine." Gorgeous line. Mr F - you are bonkers - and I love it.
    Intrigued by your comments about A Stitch In Spine. When I danced border with Hunters Moon Morris a few had piercings but no-one hung their bells from them. (I still have mine). Wolf's Head - however - a different matter.

    Vix, the Feardom's door is open to you! You have terrified me with a new word - I cannot imagine being afraid of music. I adore this pantheonic trip, a playground for deities and oracles. Gifted Pan - so misunderstood and misrepresented. Thank you Vix - beautiful writing and a fine last line.

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  24. William, missed you in the earlier comments, that won't do! loved it.
    Phil, good to see dark humour!
    AJ, superb as always
    Pixie, the writing is dark and precisely delivered, great one.
    Aidan, engrossing, is there more to this tale?
    Vix, good to 'meet' you and read such good stuff. More please!
    Thnat's me caught up, I hope. Out tonight, Circle, out Wednesday, a serious historical lecture on Sir Edward Woodville (at Carisbroooke Castle, I am required to be there at 7.10 precisely) and an evening of tarot readings as part of a fund raising exercuse at an island school. Methinks not much writing will be done this week ...

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  25. Hi nice to meet you all too. I've been going through all your stories and they're all great. All so different, so clever and so original.

    Sandra - hilarious and clever. Thought the pace really complemented the tone to bring out a really entertaining little piece.

    Antonia - Thought this was really atmospheric and original - never thought about the fact a tunnel arches.

    Thomas - clever use of arch in Archibald. Really wanted to read on.

    William - really flowed, especially the last line.

    Lily I'm a bit squeamish - I could feel that corset on my own spine. Loved the word ethereal to describe the flute.

    RR - favourite description: hallways disappeared without ending. I got an epic image with that.

    Chris - By jove, it was spiffing, darhling.

    Phil - Naughty! Funny.

    Aj - clammy arches grabbed my attention immediately....descriptions in this were fab.

    Pixie - Dark. I love fairies. Was a surreal image of one playing a flute whilst someone was about to die, swinging.

    Aidan - Intriguing.

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  26. And finally time to comment on the delights above!

    Sandra - I smile each time I read this. Does that make me a bad person? Great rhythm to it.

    Antonia - there's so much here that I want to know more about; very intriguing.

    Tom - welcome, nice story with a wonderful elegance about it

    William - I will now make sure all Lucy's tell me their surname for fear of them being tricksters! Clever.

    Lily - an intimate dark tale, I winced as each stitch went in!

    RR - what a wonderful mythology you've conjured with the neverending rows of columns for Callus' personal hell.

    Chris - What did they do? What did they do? And is that a sacrifice in the cage? Loved the phrase 'sanguine ease'.

    AJ - love the way you use language. Good stuff as always.

    Pixie - Excellent! Such menace from the executioner.

    Aidan - what world have you taken us to? So many ideas coming to my head from this and would like to read more.

    Vix - takes me back to when I used to read all the Norse mythology. Great stuff.

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  27. RENDEZVOUS

    He’d arranged to meet her under the arch. It was dark enough there. Nobody would be around. He tried to look smart, wearing his best whistle and flute.

    Approaching footsteps echoed on the cobbled road, resounded off the dank, curved walls. He took one last drag of his cig, before flicking it like a mini-meteor into the gloom.

    He breathed in the chilly night air, held it, and exhaled.

    It was time.

    His palms sticky, his heart thumping…

    She was here.

    “Yer gonna have to get over this bloody phobia soon, son. They’re only people… come on, you silly sod!”

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  28. Nice to 'meet' you all (& have fun with some of my old stompers!).

    Sandra – Crackin’ one sentence story!

    Antonia – Atmospheric, impressively written, with a punch-in-the-gut ending.

    Lil – Darkly poetic. Trademark, Childs. That’s two with songs in – why didn’t I think of that, dammit!

    Thomas – Cheekily adept. Glad Dave gave you the heads up.

    RR – Mystical, great imagery. Love the protag’s name.

    Chris - Classy use of words. Intriguing tale that lingers.

    Phil – I feel the need to swear, but since I’m not a regular (yet), I’ll simply say, flimpineckers, I nearly peed me pants! :-)

    AJ - Your words ooze quality. I feel so inadequate when read your stuff. So much depth.

    Pixette - Loved the word you created here, with evil fairies. Brilliant!

    Aidan - There’s a helluva lot going on here, fella. Grotesquely good.

    Vix You’ve created a magical realm, with musical overtones. (I loved Thor when I was a kid - still do!).

    Regards,
    Col

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  29. Sorry about the tyops, er, I mean, typos. I couldn't delete it, so I blame blogger... 'n' I have the audacity to call myself a editor! :-)

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  30. Gawd - "an editor" - Jeez...

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  31. Welcome back Lily ... it's ...

    Party Time

    Her eyebrow arched towards her tousled, black fringe.
    He hung there, upside down, looking like a character on a tarot card. His chains clinked softly against the steel beam, his eyes wide in fear. The scalpel cut was almost painless, and he could feel the warm fluid run from his neck, past his ear to his cheek.
    He whimpered through the duct tape as she held the champagne flute high, its contents dark against the moonlit skylight.
    “Salut!” she licked her lips, “Let’s celebrate! Haemophobia, it’s one that’s never bothered me.”

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  32. Col For those who don't know Col Bury (and how could that be?) he's co-editor at the almighty Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/. If you like your crime, your noir and your horror - TKnC is essential!

    Rendezvous builds us up into a state of palpitating nerves; the relief at the symptoms of a phobia is substantial but we're left with the fear of how it must feel to live with such sensations. Typical Bury humour in the final line!

    Kim Fantastic imagery in Party Time. The Hanged Man is a card of many meanings; highly personal and usually sacrificial. I suspect the victim here played no part in self-sacrifice. But what harm can a champagne flute full of the red stuff do - unless she plans to fill a magnum. Love it - needs to be illustrated.

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  33. Sandra - I love the humor and effrontery. For such a short piece, it was surprisingly visual.

    Antonia - There is a wonderful tone to this piece. I felt his trepidation, even as he was caught by the music.

    Thomas - What a wonderful little vignette. I like the duality Archie feels, and how kind he was to comfort the flautist.

    William - Sneaky girl, your Lucy, but it was always his choice to pick up the flute of temptation.

    Lily - What a fabulous and terrible picture! I didn't realize it was possible to clench one's spine, but I'm sure I did as I read this.

    Chris - I have been wondering what's in that cage since the first read. There's an elegance about the entire thing, but it reeks of decay.

    Phil - There's comeuppance for you. I wonder what happens when he gets to the percussion section. Grim, but satisfying.

    AJ - This piece was viscous from the beginning. You have such a gorgeous way with words. I wouldn't want to meet your Vlad, but I like him.

    Pixie - I want to know more of this world! "tainted wings, laced full of evil," is wonderfully evocative. What did our prisoner do and who is his executioner? So much to explore.

    Aidan - Slumming with the zombies to find a live date? Fabulous energy and imagery in this.

    Vix - Such a wonderful pantheon. Loved the accidental way Pan found his purpose and the clever twist of words at the end.

    Col - A very noir feel to this piece; I could see it filmed in black and white. I don't blame him for being afraid of people. We're scary monsters.

    Kim - Wicked little game she has going. Once you gave me the tarot card image, I was in the room with them. Nicely done.

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  34. Struggled a bit this week with time and words... (when do we not...? ;) ) So here's my entry, and I'll try to get some comments in before close of play...




    Piper


    She looks so innocent, asleep.

    My hands tremble as if this slim, black case contains my greatest phobia, when in truth there is nothing I fear more than myself. I snap the twin catches back and she barely stirs, muttering, arching her back. How is her sleep so untroubled? Does she feel no remorse?

    I slide the sections of the flute together and begin to play in breathy, mellifluous notes. I force myself to watch as her skin begins to dance; as it shucks itself from her body with a sound like paper tearing.

    Oh, now she wakes.

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  35. Col: I get a great gothic vibe from the backdrop to what I read as a vampiric story. Intriguing hook on the characters. The meteor flick worked to create a strong visual.

    Kim: beautiful images in this cross of torture & partying.

    John: gorgeous juxtaposition of woman and flute.

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  36. John, you're a trickster. You told me this was a real challenge, but Piper is inspired. Beautiful and tremulous I can feel the narrator fingering the flute. I can't make out if the instrument and the subject of his observations are one and the same, and that adds to the mystery. Wonderful.

    Twenty-five minutes everyone, before the doors slam shut.

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  37. Apologies for m no-show this week. How bad am I? I send a 'new' mate and don't turn up meself!

    Busy, as per...

    Will be here tomorrow with a full on attack. Be prepared.....as I hear The Two Blokes are in town, no matter what the words are!!

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  38. Phil - I love tales of these vile examples of humanity getting their desserts. Really love the humour twist too (reminded me of the old joke about the farmer's daughter, the turpentine salesmen and the watermelon)



    AJ - "Lustreless flute" - just one of too many awesome images to list. Loving the "Vlad".



    Pixie - Reading your accumulating predictions, I've come to appreciate that all is not daffodils and moondrops in the land of faery. Excellent piece.



    Aidan - Zombies and teenagers - like peanut butter and chocolate. Great writing.



    Henrietta - Pan is such a great character. The mixing of pantheons works so well - after all, one man's Hades is another man's Anubis...



    Col - 100 words, and you find space for "whistle and flute?" Hats off, mate. Great story, and a bittersweet, end (oddly touching too!)



    Kim - A mysterious raven haired woman, with a scalpel and a taste for vino vitae ... how can you go wrong? (As a reader, I mean - the poor guy on the chains is probably regretting an earlier decision at this point.)

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  39. OK... so play has well and truly closed... but the entries are too good for me not to comment... =)

    Sandra - short, sharp and sweet... ;) great use of the words.

    Antonia - I wonder what the flautist's true nature might be? And have they got over one phobia only to find another...?

    Hi Thomas - a lot conveyed through (mostly) dialogue, which can be hard, but you've done a great job. =)

    William - superb. Very accomplished in structure and wordplay, and dark too. Loved this one.

    Lily - very evocative. Takes me back a few years... ;)

    Reba - great work of dystopian surrealism, the touch of the secretary, sat on high, smiling down, is the cherry.

    Chris - curious, to dabble in darker things and yet be affeared of creepy crawlies... ;)

    Argh, Phil - someone had to go there... And "robbing him of his two pleasures in life; both taken from the school orchestra." is a great line, says so much.

    AJ - great! Took me a second to orientate myself, but it all made perfect sense. You write the grim scene so well, so absolutely viscerally.

    Nice one, Pixie - Fairies play for keeps, Thanatos gives no refunds...

    Aidan - a very dark streak through this one. What lengths people go to to fit in... ;)

    Hi Vix - an origin story for Pan, and a theological mash-up, these are truly some of my favourite things... ;)

    Col - oh, nice misdirection, the build of fear for something so ordinary, a perfect play on a very real phobia.

    Kim - Oh, she is wicked. I like the way she parties! ;)

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  40. Thanks for the kind comments. I enjoyed taking part. (You've really got something great going here, Lil.) Hope to be back soon - time permitting.
    Regards,
    Col

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Lily Childs is a writer of horror, esoteric, mystery and chilling fiction.

If you see her dancing outside in a thunder storm - don't try to bring her in. She's safe.