WELCOME - to Lily's Friday Prediction. If you're new then it's all about using the (exact) following three words or phrases within a 100-word max piece or flash fiction. Or poetry - hey, why not. Just flip them into the Comments box below. Go Anonymous if you haven't got a Google or other account.
Take a peek at the last few weeks' worth to get an idea, with great contributions from Michael Solender, Erin Cole, Sue H, Pixie J. King, Chris Allinotte, David Barber, MRMacrum and more. No prizes huns, sorry - it's just for the love and the practice.
This week's three are:
- Drawings
- Implication
- Charlotte
_____________________________________
I pushed my strawberry Charlotte to the side. The implication in his remark was clear, I'd admit to being plump, but I was not fat! Yes his drawings portrayed me as Reubenesque, but if a girl can't have a fruity desert, what fun is there in life?
ReplyDeleteThat was as quick and rich as a slice of cheesecake Michael. Well done.
ReplyDeleteJeez, you were both in there before I could close my slot, as it were.
ReplyDeleteOff to Bedlam now - see y'all in the morning, with comments and all. Bonne nuit.
Here's my little try:
ReplyDelete"She wouldn't ..." stammered the pig.
"She would, and she has. The implications are clear."
That the sleek bellied rat was telling the truth would have been easier to take, if he hadn't been taking such relish in his friend's discomfort.
"What's that right there?" asked the pig, pointing, with tears glistening in his eyes.
"That," said the rat, "is where the bacon comes out."
The pig fainted.
Walking by, the goose stole a glance at the drawings, and waddled off to be sick.
The rat was in still awe of the spider's genius:
"Charlotte's Abattoir," he read again, "Terrific."
______
(apologies to E.B. White)
He drew them whilst they slept, then drew them again once they were dead. He liked the subtle differences in the way their faces relaxed, the way they seemed to breathe in one drawing and then hold their breath in the next. Each one blonde, each one with baby-blues, each set the same, each one in his head called Charlotte, killing her once was never, ever, going to be enough, but no one knew the implications of that, Charlotte, his Charlotte was beneath his floorboards, this latest one would join her.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I concur. I see your model reclined on swathes of fabric, a strawberry in her fingers - the sticky cake hidden by her voluptuous curves. Short and sweet and delicious.
ReplyDeleteChris. That Charlotte's a right naughty arachnid. Love this twist on E.B White's tale, very clever and well written. Don't think little Wilbur will be hanging around though.
Lee, a beautifully disturbing vision of obsessive murder, and a great idea for a full-length story. Excellent write.
Three great pieces from three great writers. I'll be back shortly. :-)
ReplyDeleteChris, wonderful in a fairy tale kind of way, love the fainting pig and Lee - horrific/terrific exactly what I've come to expect from you..
ReplyDeleteHere's my effort - uh, it's a tad political.
ReplyDeleteAncient Aliens
“Charlotte……..Come quick.”
Kneeling in dried bat guano, Charlotte was focusing her brush and trowel on some fossilized remains. “Harry, I’m busy here.”
“No. You need to see this.”
Charlotte sighed and stood up. She headed towards the back of the cave, Harry’s lights illuminated some drawings he found yesterday. Emblazoned on the wall was an oblong object with two faces painted under it. Arrows pointed up.
Charlotte gasped. “Is that Sarah and John?”
“Can you imagine the implication if this gets out?”
“I told you back when we watched her get nominated, they had to be aliens. There’s your proof.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Just read Chris' entry - and had to run quick! (You shouldn't cause so much mirth to a woman of my age - or at least let me be on the same floor as a bathroom!)
ReplyDeleteComposing myself, now, to read the other entries - and possibly add my own!
(snigger, snigger, snort.......!)
Okay, here's mine.....
ReplyDeleteDetective Charlotte stared out of the window into the car park of the station, his hands behind his back holding three pieces of paper.
He turned to the man sat at the desk and placed the papers in front of him.
“What are these supposed to mean? They look like a child’s drawings.”
“They are,” the man giggled, drawing invisible circles on the desk top with his bony fingers.
“Mr Cropper,” the detective said, “Are you aware of the implication of your actions if we don’t find the boy?”
“Boy, singular? Who said there was only one?” Cropper laughed.
Really enjoyed the stories so far and have recovered composure now. (Altho' I still have unexpected flashbacks of the 'swooning swine' Chris! ;-p)
ReplyDeleteHere's mine:
They were just simple line drawings but even Charlotte realised the implication. She pushed them silently back into the book and stepped up the ladder. Uncle Silas’ library was vast. It would be easy to ‘lose’ the dreary little volume with its secrets on one of the higher, less investigated shelves.
She wasn’t sure how or when but clearly someone had watched her as she bathed, maybe even her dirty old uncle himself.
As she climbed back down the library steps she realised the power she had over him and looked down at her blossoming figure with a new-found delight.
(do I get extra points for using all three words in the first sentence, Lily...? ;-p)
Michael - Food based stories are great in my book, especially "tarts"!
ReplyDeleteChris - Nice take on it, bud. Gave me a laugh.
Lee - Sick and twisted as usual. Top job!
Mike - Great write mate. The start of something bigger if you played about with it.
Sue - Liked that one. Blackmail....I see blackmail! :-)
David - Oh......that's me!
Lily - Where the hell is yours? :-)
Lee - slick & evil. Thought this was going to be a Tobias C story!
ReplyDeleteMike - Smooth, smooth flow, and a great shot of humour
Sue - well done. Love her empowerment
David - I need more of this. Soon.
Lily - I second David - get crackin' :)
Sorry for the extended absence!
ReplyDeleteMike - very different, and mightily intriguing. I agree with David - want to know more!
Daivd - ooph - kick in the gut nasty. I really like how you've used the female name as a male surname; you just know he would have been picked on for that; maybe that's why he became a cop. Excellent write, very disturbing.
Sue - extra points indeed! Well done. :) Very clever, turning this on its head, enabling the the victim to have power over the sicko in this compelling tale.
Thanks for the kick-up the backside David and Chris. Promise I'll get something up by the of tomorrow.
Any more contributions out there?
Here's my little entry...
ReplyDeleteEXILE
Charlotte tickled the point of Marriott’s beard; the implication of her touch without question.
"What do you think?"
Page upon page of crudely-executed, juvenile drawings covered the soiled bed. His lover’s signature alone would be enough to make the art dealer’s fortune, but what of integrity, of reputation, of talent?
Marriott made his decision.
The principality in mourning, Marriott’s departure went unnoticed. Clean-shaven and dressed as a demure maid, the dealer crossed the border, the artwork beneath his robes. Reputation be damned, signed scribbles bearing the still-warm blood of a murdered royal would fetch him a far higher price.
Worth waiting for, Lily! The last sentence conjured up, for me, an image of Marriott staring out of a train window, with his reflection portaying his former look....(then again, maybe I've had too much wine this weekend!)
ReplyDeleteThat was a great little piece. For some reason, I had an image of this being set a very long time ago. Kudos to you for portraying that within 100 words! Looking forward to this weeks challenge.
ReplyDeleteNice one, Lily!
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Sue, that for you the end was on a train. In my head, Marriott was on a boat - but I didn't have enough words to clarify! "Border" had to cover it all - and in retrospect very definitely doesn't suggest the sea at all so I back down on that.
David, in my head it was a 17th century coastal/mountainous isthmus so your feeling of timing is right.
Somehow I feel Princess Charlotte deserved what she got. (Sorry for the wickedness).
Loving the entries this time. Look forward to seeing what the old book comes up with this Friday.
...eh? have I missed something,Lily? what book? :-{
ReplyDeleteHi Sue!
ReplyDeleteThe 'old book' is the one I use for the bibliomancy, It's not terribly exotic, (or old) just a heavy 1960s encyclopaedic dictionary. I close my eyes, let the book fall open then see which word(s) my fingers fall upon. Do it three times to get the weekly Friday Prediction.
Hope that makes sense?
Let's see. I have been involved in this flash fiction stuff now a little over a year I guess. My goal initially was to use this Internet medium to polish my writing skills such as they are. An odd thing happened and the skills took a back seat to the act of creating a story. I often find myself riding to work, working on a bike, or just finishing a phone call with a final thought, "How can I work this into a story?"
ReplyDeleteI have no favorite genre to write in yet. I pretty much read whatever came my way back in the day. Pulp, classics, poetry, Horror, crime, SciFi, yeah even tear jerking chick novels. I just loved reading words that took me to fictional places and events. If I have one frustration, it is my inability to choose one to focus on.
The fine entries this week reinforce my frustration. But thank you all for the pleasure of taking me to those fictional places I love to visit.
My apologies for such a long comment.
MrMacrum, you don't ever have to choose just one, write in many, remember we're not a slave to words, they are slaves to us, ours to nuture, or to break. If you want to write sci-fi, write sci-fi, the next day you feel ghoulish then write horror that day. I think that's a big problem with us writers, we believe we should be pidgeon-hold, just write what you want to write feller.
ReplyDeleteMike, I couldn't agree with Lee more. And his words are very timely (as he knows - cheers matey) because I've been struggling with a similar issue lately myself.
ReplyDeleteJust keep at it, regardless of genre. Don't put yourself under pressure by worrying where a story might sit; write it anyway and it'll find its place, even if it's a few years down the line.
And no apologies necessary!