Prediction Winner

Goat's Eye - John Brody Photography

You lot have given me a hard job this week, especially with the last minute entries. The already-outstanding quality gets better week by week, so much so that it's a real privilege to 'host' your entries, even more to judge them. Should I win the lottery or get a 7-figure book deal (yeah, right) then I'll start giving out prizes.

In the meantime I, like all of us appreciate how everyone contributes their own thoughts on the entries. For me, that is reward enough.

So, comments already provided on last week's Prediction challenge, here is the summary:

• Chris Allinotte tricked us with fairy tales and sharp-toothed nymphs
• David Barber offered a dodgy box of chocs and slaughter with The Sacrifice
• Aidan F's ethereal jungle wedding (or not) spangled with supernatural tingles
• Antonia Woodville cleverly exposed the self-absorbed cynic vs. the philanthropist
• My 'Oracle' saw Roman/Celtic lovers go their separate spiritual ways - for the moment
• Bill Owens' FREE FILM FEST FRIDAY! could compete with Dave Barber's Two Blokes. Hilarious tale of a genuine but lazy love of film.
• Pixie J. King's One Man's Debt poured with poignant tragedy; leaving home - against all odds.
• Sue Harding's Not-So-Dumb Animal perfected the attitude of the goat as he chewed away at her beloved books. Until...
• AJ Humpage evoked ancient sacrificial days of golden Mayan desperation with empathy and understanding, with Shadows of Kukulcan.

I loved the variety this week - and was stunned no-one did the the scapegoat aspect or the old Devil worship goat thing (I've got one of those coming up soon - no pressure Lee - at Thrillers Killers 'n' Chillers, even though I don't believe in Mr D.) Fabulous entertainment and all so well written and constructed.

This week's winner is Pixie J. King's One Man's Debt. Her words chilled me to the bone. I felt drenched by her piercing rain; desperately sad for the man leaving everything he loved behind. At sixteen years old, Pixie's writing continues to astound, and improves day by day. Can't wait to read more. Well done Pix.

Bonfire Night's Prediction coming shortly - with not a banger in sight...

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Deafening Hush - brief poetry

This was my entry to October's One Word (poetry) Challenge over at Writers' News and Writing magazine's online Forum Talkback. For non-Brits, WH Smith is a huge Stationers with branches in more or less every town in England.

The theme of the challenge was 'Silence.'

DEAFENING HUSH

I’m standing still in WH Smith.

All is numb.
All is quiet.
Staff chatter, making Os and Es
with empty mouths.
Eyes wide open
I stare around,
newspaper in hand –
my shuddering hand.
Crowds mill
hustling, bustling, shuffling
past me.
I’m in their way.
I don’t feel their elbows,
don’t see their looks,
can’t hear their tutts,
their complaints.
The world’s fallen silent.
All I can do
is stare at your face.
The front page.
You’re on the front page.
And I know
that you know
where I live.

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Strange photo

This evening hubby wanted to take some photos of me for a drawing he's planning. Now we don't have a posh David Barber camera but it'll do.

The photo below - though a little blurred - freaked us out a bit - look at the backdrop - can you see the face? Like a child's drawing. It's not on any of the other pics. Also there's an orb (though I'm a right cynic over those - probably a speck of dust,)

Your thoughts? (Click on it to view full size).

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Season's Greetings

Waxwork automaton of Lily Childs, circa 1947

Hell, the veil is thin this year. It's no wonder with so much political shite going on worldwide. Mother Nature's fucked off with her world being (over)run by accountants and lawyers, with all the inabilities their imaginations are possessed of, and distinct lack of talent at understanding human nature and people's creative needs.

Tonight - in fact the next couple of weeks are - special. I don't do New Age; everything has its dark side, and so we need to embrace it. It's not evil, it's essential - it's balance.

Once upon a time a "very powerful healer" (her words) told me to stop wearing black, that I should invite the light in and wear white. Now - me and white don't like each other very much. I look like a patient in it and always spill food down it, and in turn it loves to make me look even wider than I already am (and that's pretty considerable). Any old way, said powerful healer insisted on doing a reading for me using Native American Totem Animal cards. The card that came up first was Crow "You wear black as a cloak. It is your power, black is your creative path. Black is your colour by nature." Yup. Powerful Healer changed the subject.

Happy, or rather a deeply reflective and ancestor-invoking Hallowe'en to all of you.

With love.

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Lily's Friday Prediction

Stunning number of entries last week - great! Keep 'em coming. Wonderful to see new contributors - hope you'll be back this week.

Congratulations to winner Chris Allinotte with his feral beast Queen of Cats. Purrrrrfect.

Today's words for you are:

• Fellowship
• Rain Forest
• Goat

Usual rules - 100 words max, please - flash fiction or poetry using all of the words above. Please add your entries in the Comments box below. You have all week to enter. Winner will be announced next Friday. Please tweet about your entry, using #fridayflash if possible.

And the race is on...

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Thursday 4th November - 23:30 p.m. GMT. Friday Prediction now closed!
Winner will be announced just after midnight.
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Prediction Winner

Whoa - a record eleven stories last week, including one double-entry. Fantastic quality - how hard was this to judge?

You all gave wonderful comments - which we all appreciate. A quick summary of all the entries then:

• Michael Solender gave us an arse-pounding tragedy of human over-indulgence.
• Joleen's commoner threatened an uprising, with little resistance from the King's servants
• Ants in my Stnap was Chris Allinotte's first, fire-ant riddled offering, a cheeky play on words
• Bill Owens provided a boyish banter about what to name a band moments before setting off to the contest
• Chris Allinotte's second piece, the feral Queen of Cats poured like chocolate
• Anthony Cowin tortured us with his murderous tale told from the perspective of a book
• Antonia Woodville slammed us back into English history with Warwick's dangerous conniving.
• My tale was of Mother Scarebones and her useless familiars. (You just can't get the staff these days.)
• AidanF brought Grimm to the present day with his urban fairy tale
• MRMacrum teased us with his Mayan mystery and nature's wrath
• David Barber's Two Blokes were at it again a dialogue packed with misunderstandings and wit
• SueH had the hunters becoming the hunted - as is only right IMHO.

Bloody excellent - the lot.

And the winner is... Chris Allinotte for his second entry Queen of Cats because it was so well written,  lapped at my senses and made me downright purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........... Congratulations Chris - and well done everyone.

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Dark New Things

The Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle, Cornwall has relaunched its website at www.museumofwitchcraft.com. Both the site and the museum itself are well worth a visit. I've been there several times, danced outside and sung in The Welly round the corner with the lovely museum staff.

They have a massive historical collection with many rare artefacts and books.  Very highly recommended.

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New dark fiction magazine, erm 'Dark Fiction Magazine' launches on 31st October. It will be a collection of audio short stories.

Its press release says "This is a free service designed to promote genre short fiction to an audience of podcast and radio listeners. A cross between an audio book, an anthology and a podcast, Dark Fiction Magazine is designed to take the enjoyment of short genre fiction in a new and exciting direction..." Looking forward to this!

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