“DAY 30: Winning”

On the 8th of August, I discovered the BlogFlash2012 Challenge. Over a week behind, I began scribbling down responses in a bid to catch up to the pack and complete the list of prompts. Seventeen stories, four haikus, three etherees, two dialogue-only tales, two pieces of twitter fiction, one acrostic poem, and one photo later, the Challenge is complete.

“Winning”, some might say.

If you’ve not yet done so, I highly encourage you to go over to Terri’s site and look at the other responses, for Day 30 and all the rest.

And, for the last time, I shall lead you back to my very first post.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey, and I hoped I’ve in any way entertained you with my pieces.

..Winning..

Thud. Thud. Thud.

His feet attack the earth in a painful rhythm, propelling his body along the track. Not ‘flying’, as so many of his competitors boastfully describe—flying implies separation from the ground, a reliance on proverbial wings to thrust you into success.

He does not fly. He runs—bounded to the track’s sickly-orange clay, feeling the ground’s steadfast assuredness beneath each step as he leads the pack in charge.

Thud across the finish line; the crowd cheers, but their champion runs on, the clinging white winner’s tape draped around his shoulders like wings.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 29: Masquerade”

Second-last day, readers! Good thing, too, cause I’m running out of steam, and your inboxes are probably dangerously close to spontaneously combusting under the weight of the many LtBG Notifications.

Anyhoodley doodley, here’s Day 29 of the BlogFlash2012 Challenge, written as a combined etheree/inverted-etheree.

Day 1 can be found waaaaaaay back here.

  * Masquerade *

Mask
covered
her face, her
beauty, freeing
her from the burden
of their lustful stares and
unwelcome touches. Around
her, couples swayed in gentle dance,
cloaked by paint and feather—attraction in
its most simple, heartfelt form. Real. She blushed.
A mask of golden-black gazed upon
her, intense and alluring. She
went to him, safe beneath her
mask. Only later, when
he crushed his lips to
hers, would she see
the folly
in her
plan.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 28: Frog”

The end of the BlogFlash2012 Challenge is looming closer and closer. For today, I’ve written a haiku. I hope you enjoy it.

Check out other contributions for Day 28 here.

Check out my contribution for Day 1 here.

Frog

She kissed the frog in
search of her prince. She wound up
with warts, instead—croak.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 27: History”

Day 27 of the BlogFlash2012 Challenge, folks, and today I’ve written a love-story… Of sorts. It wouldn’t be “Me” if it weren’t a touch dark, now would it? I hope you enjoy, and any comments or constructive criticism is always welcome.

Day 1 of the Challenge can be found here.

.: History :.

Though they have no recollection of it, their past lives have intertwined often. They find each other again and again; deepest feelings unremembered consume them, driving them to each other’s arms and making each feel, finally, complete.

In the cruellest twist, it seems their every meeting is to end, swiftly and cruelly. They no sooner find each other when, within a month, a week, or even a day, she is taken from him.

Within the hour, he, too, is gone—taken by his own hand that he might find her again, in another life, with another heart.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 26: Seeing”

Morning readers! The BlogFlash2012 Challenge is slowly drawing to a close, which is well-timed, as today I return to uni after a two-week break, and I shall soon be smashing my forehead against a brick wall in an attempt to leviate stress.

(Note: I have found that, in most instances, smashing one’s forehead against brick walls does not leviate stress.)

Other Day 26 posts can be explored here.

Go to the start of the Challenge here.

Seeing

When the Priest disappears within his Temple, the village people hush each other with fervent whispers: “Do not disturb our Priest; he is seeing.”

The intricacies of this process elude the people, for none have ever seen it. But they each hold hands and gaze at the Temple door, praying that maybe today the Priest would emerge and say that he had seen the World, and all was well once more.

Within the Temple, the Priest’s blackened, unseeing eyes explored the earth in search of a land unbroken and pure.

He saw none; he would look again tomorrow.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 25: Blue”

Check it out, readers! We’re five-sixths of the way through the BlogFlash2012 Challenge, and today I present a rather random little haiku.

Other contributions for Day 25 are here.

Go back to the start of the Challenge here.

Blue

Blue sky. Blue ocean.
There’s too much blue in this world.
Be happy instead.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 24: In the Woods”

Day 24 of the BlogFlash2012 Challenge — the end is in sight! Today, I’ve written a dark retelling (of sorts) of a classic fairytale. Three guesses which…

Day 1 of the Challenge is here.

.. In the Woods ..

“Let’s go into the woods,” he said. She could deny him nothing and so they went, hand-in-hand, through the twisted trees and clinging shadows. Alone, he kissed her hard, too hard. She pushed him away, asked him to wait—he refused.

He lunged impatiently, pushed her down into the sharp bedding of nettles and tree-bark. His weight was unbearable. She sobbed; he snarled like a wolf dominating its prey.

He ripped off her winter cloak, and as she watched it flutter freely away, a scarlet smudge against the dimming sky, she fell still and prayed for it all to end.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 23: Cooking”

Hello dear readers. Today’s story started off in a slightly different situation, and over some editing wound up where it is now. As a result, the theme is kind of more “dining” than “cooking”, but that prompt still played a role. Anyhoodle, I hope you enjoy it, and as always, any comments are much appreciated.

Other contributions for Day 23 can be found here.

Day 1 can be found here.

Cooking

The sound of knives scraping against plates seemed painfully loud. Kylie looked up, tried to meet his eyes; he remained unresponsive.

“Dad, could you please pass the salt?” she asked quietly. Her father did not move, did not react at all to his child’s pleading tone. Beside him, Kylie’s mother delicately dabbed at her lips with a napkin.

Silence, but for the damnable clinking of their cutlery.

Kylie’s eyes flooded with tears as she smoothed a hand over her blooming belly, felt the life kicking within her. The saltiness of her sorrow ran over her lips and she whispered, “Never mind.”

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 22: On Holiday”

Day 22 of the BlogFlash2012 Challenge, dear readers — thanks to those of you who have stuck around through the inundation of email notifications!

Well, let’s not beat around the bush: here’s today’s response.

Day 1′s response is here.

.: On Holiday :.

Ring-ring. Ring—click.

Hi, you’ve reached Jason Marshall. I’m not home right now, but leave a message after the beep, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Oh, and if this is Judith, don’t bother leaving a message, because I’ve gone on holiday with my money and my car, so that I can pick up the pieces of my life. And if this is about signing those bloody papers, you can damn well wait until I get back, at which point I will promptly shove them up your arse, you stupid, cold-hearted, worthless bi—

Beeeeep.

- Love The Bad Guy

“DAY 21: Night”

Hello readers. Looky! We’re over two-thirds of the way through the BlogFlash2012 Challenge, with Day 21. I’ve got a very short piece for today, but I hope you enjoy it.

Day 1 is here.

Night…

There is something so magical about the night. The stillness of the air; the watchful gaze of the moon; the unfathomable shadows that cloak me so kindly while I bury the body.

Truly magical…

- Love The Bad Guy