We’re All Mad Here

There came a fork in the yellow brick road, so I took the rainbow path less traveled and left Kansas far behind.

A quaint and eerily welcoming chapel materialized at the end of the line and beckoned me to its door.

The tiny Irish preacher invited me in, then he offered me a pint of emerald green lager along with some advice: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else, oh and you probably shouldn’t have eaten those mushrooms.”

– Written for Sonya’s (Only 100 Words) Three Line Tales: Week 184. Photo prompt by Dave Herring. WC 90.

The Letters That Keep Me Grounded

I kept them all. Rejection. And I took them to heart.

I used them to build a foundation. I will always remember where I came from because I am standing on it even now.

When the first acceptance letter came I reread them. When more rejection letters come I will add them to the pile.

– Written for Kat Myrman’s Twittering Tales #134. Photo prompt and 280 characters or less. CC 280. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood at Pexels.com.

I Fell Hard

She did not wait for me.

– Written for Worcester Public Library six word story challenge. WC 6.

Passed

“Of all the things I said and all the things I thought to say, I know now the one thing I should’ve.” He read the words scrawled on a single page by a shaky hand. “I am proud of you.” This was the only message in the journal that arrived a week after his estranged father passed.

– Written for Kat Myrman’s Twittering Tales #130. Photo prompt and 280 characters or less. CC 279. Photo by Marc Schäfer at Unsplash.com.

In Our Own Time

“Only time will tell,” she said with a smile and mischievous wink.

“Oh, well we’ve got nothing but time,” I replied while spinning the hands backward.

Time flies when you’re having fun.

– Written for Sonya’s (Only 100 Words) Three Line Tales: Week 165. Photo prompt by Stijn te Strake. WC 40.

No Such Thing as a Clean Slate

The light shines
And guides or blinds

The way is set

A back turned on the past
Passed regret

A marked heart
Bound to forget

Circumstance or chance

We all start the same they say
To justify the greed
When denying the need

Hate to help
A handout perpetuates
The cycle

The path
Is a thin line and
Quicksand doesn’t discriminate
Toss a coin to determine fate
Born too early or born too late
Not exactly born with a clean slate

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #86. Word and photo prompt. Word prompt was “hate”. Photo prompt by Patrick Jennings.

First Contact

I knew it had followed me and this time I caught a glimpse as the setting sun reflected off the shiny exterior, so I lured it toward the alleyway where my trap laid waiting.

From beneath my net, the small door on what I originally thought was a remote-controlled drone exploded and a little humanoid tumbled onto the concrete.

It stood clumsily brushing itself off before turning to me and shaking a tiny fist while unrecognizable sounds came vehemently rushing out of its scrunched up face.

– Written for Sonya’s (Only 100 Words) Three Line Tales: Week 61. Photo prompt by Caleb Woods. WC 86.