Every Wednesday Madison Woods posts a picture prompt to challenge writers to create a 100-word story or poem or anything that works for you. then post your work on your blog. additionally, on friday, you go back to her site and post a link to your blog entry in the comments on her Friday Fictioneers post.
I’m going to try to keep up with this, as should you. Give it a shot. I prefer to stick to 100 words, but she doesn’t mind either way. not everyone has the time to sit and write, revise, edit, revise, edit, etc. until getting it down to 100 and telling everything you want to tell.
The Gate
Ninja limped, shuffled up each rocky step. The final gateway punctured the evening mist. The increasing sweat impaired his vision. He couldn’t read the ancient script surrounding the opening, thus he dared not move. Fingers twitched. The gate was just one step away. Weakness battled will power. He straightened his spine, eyes tall. Master approached from the other side.
“You were warned not to come,” said Master.
Ninja remained still, silent, but ready.
Master dared not look away but pointed to the sign next to the gate.
“Closed for refurbishing.”
Master spoke. “Gift shop is open.”
“Tiiimmyyyy!” called Ninja’s mom.
__________________________
100 words
My inspiration for this came from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Sometimes Calvin would imagine himself as a superhero Stupendous man, or adventure hero Spaceman Spiff, or the gruff detective Tracer Bullett, and then his mother or father would do something that would snap him back into reality.
Very clever.
thanks miss.
Indeed, it is clever. The phrase “eyes tall” is intriguing.
a way of standing up straighter, getting ones eyes up higher to present an illusion of being more formidable.
ha ha ha oh this is fabulously cute
almost as cute as you.
Nice twist and change of POV
I liked this, a fun start to a Friday morning. Mine’s over here http://anneorchardwriter.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/friday-fictioneers-jungle-escape/
Loved the ‘gate puncturing the mist’ together with the effect of the last couple of lines, puncturing the image that you’d created. Well done.
Love the twist!
thanks a bunch.
I so loved the twist – perfection
oh, dear, perfection is a big word. i’ll take it!
sometimes it is deserved
who am i to argue?
This one had me laughing out loud, Rich. Very cute.
i’m cute? thanks!
There’s something about this picture that encourages more than the average number of ‘twists’. Very good. Made me smile.
that smile seems to be plastered on your “face” anyway. thanks.
I love this, Rich. Fun filled with a nice twist. I’m here: http://readinpleasure.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/fridayfictioneers-my-dream/
thanks very much. soon i’ll start reading through them all too.
Oh the tenseness … then zing!
but if it’s the ladies of CNN, then it’s “schwing” instead of zing.
Just mentioning the CNN ladies makes me smile.
even brianna keilar?
Of course!
for some reason i thought you weren’t a fan of hers.
She just not one of my elites.
she’s one of wolf’s elites though, now that she’s his co-anchor. i wonder if that’s an aesthetic move.
Hmmm … they do seem to leap from Wolf’s reporting desk into an anchor slot.
are you suggesting a casting couch? desk? seat?
Me?
or me. either one.
Hi Rich,
I consider myself a tough audience, but I couldn’t help laughing. The ninja theme was so appropriate and I was ready for sword play or something dramatic and then you went in a totally different direction, Loved it! Ron
thank you sir. happy friday.
Laughed out loud to this, brilliant.
aww shucks ma’am. i’m sure yours is too but i didn’t get to it yet.
Love, love, love this! Great job!
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/dukkha/
thanks miss. i will be reading yours and all the others soon.
I greatly enjoyed the reveal at the end. This is so child-like in a good way. You captured the child’s point of view aptly.
thanks very much miss.
You sure nailed that one Rich!!
thank you kind sir.
Do I love twists at the end of a story? You betcha!! Very well done. Thank you!
Thanks to you ,miss, for reading.
I’m a big Calvin & Hobbes fan. You hit this one out of the park, Rich. Excellent fare.
Thank you, sir. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have named the child calvin instead of timmy
Lol. A humorous take. Love Calvin and Hobbes!
Thanks. And I love painted toenails. On females. Had to clarify.
Lol. That’s important to note.
lol, great story, Rich. I loved the language you used to give us a feeling of a different time and place.
That might be because sometimes I wish I were in a different time in different place. Thanks miss.
I liked the “eyes tall” too. Your ninja/Master beginning was very believeable. Well done!
thanks very much. i was hoping so.
Good buildup before your “zing”/”schwing”–(you neglected to mention whether Timmy managed to come away with loot from the gift shop).
i was more concerned about his immasculation and disappointment, but the souveneir mug is important too.
Nicely done.
I am number 44 this week
thanks. i’m on my way.
Intrigue, suspense and youthful innocence wrapped in an enjoyable 100 word package. I loved it!
thanks miss. much appreciated.
Thanks for passing by.
I loved this story, and the fact that the gift shop was open, but especially the fact that you drew your inspiration from Calvin and Hobbes. Spaceman Spiff was my favorite, but I loved all of his alter egos.
Definitely a favorite. Thanks for reading.
Ninja’s mom is some spoilsport! I wanted to see a battle or at least buy a couple of postcards in the gift shop. Nice piece!
Thank you for your very kind words.
Intrigue, intimidation, danger and then comic relief! Great, I am a fan.
that’s a great thing to hear. thanks very much.
Ha hahaha got me on this one! mawwvelous darling!
thanks very much.
HA Ha Snort Snort
Funny, cute and a lot shorter than your previous post. By the way I added two words to my post. I would like to thank you for ruining my perfect 100 word count and for pointing out what was a confusing sentence.
Thanks and oops!
Loved it. A marvellous little story.
http://adrarasdreams.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/fridayfictioneers-gate.html
Thanks very so much.
I loved the twist in this — from mysterious, almost ominous, to magical and light. Very nice!
That was fun, definitely a Calvin and Hobbes moment.
thanks misssss.
Dear Rich,
Count me with the ‘Ayes’ on this one. A perfect story with a surprise ending that no one could see coming except perhaps Timmy. It was simple and flowed effortlessly from paper to mind all while leaving in its wake a wide swath of alternate endings. Very good work this week.
Aloha,
Doug
very kind words. thank you sir.