A Day in the Life of Moriah

A Day in the Life of Moriah:

(side note, my brain couldn't keep up with the writing prompts, so I stopped lol!)

I woke up this morning, excited to tackled the day because there was SUNSHINE! It was deceiving sunshine, but sunshine nonetheless! It made me so happy, I was motivated to do some cleaning and such. I donned some bright colors because it's SPRING. In case you forgot, it is indeed Spring now!

As you can see by the mess on my vanity, I needed to do some straightening.

First, I dealt with the laundry. I hung up a second rod underneath my shirts for Eddie's "too big" clothes for now. One of his Great Grandma's got him that for Christmas this past year. 😉

I also found chocolate! It wasn't that tasty...but it was chocolate!

Then, I decided to tackle this mess. I realized my jewelry was in 4 different spots in our bedroom. Which made it highly annoying to actually wear it.

I also gave myself permission to throw away the plastic thingy that my wedding earrings came on. Documenting it first though. 😉

Much better! Ready for moving things around soon to get ready for Eddie!

I also found a frame so I could do a project I had been wanting to do. Yes, I framed a chocolate wrapper. And yes, it looks fabulous!

I also got this little flower pot from a friend recently, and had been wanting to do something with it. When I found the boutonnieres leftover from the wedding, I turned them into an arrangement.

After dinner, I worked on catching up on some magazines. I fell behind on reading them with all my crochet projects the past couple months.

Then got hungry and made some mini cinnamon rolls out of crescent roll dough! Mmm, so good! We also ran to Stewart's for a couple things, and I got TWO kinds of ice cream this time! Both pints, so I'm not too worried about them going bad. Now I'm going to go have a parfait as my blender is acting up and my normal smoothie routine is out the window, then head to bed.

March Writing Challenge - Sneezing

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Sneezing

Word Count: 350

Genre: Science Fiction

Character: An immunologist

Material: A saxophone

Sentence: “There is no time.”

Bonus: Your character has a world-changing idea. X

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Anya sneezed. And sneezed once more. The breeze was blowing and something must have been triggering one of her numerous allergies. She had been to an immunologist so many times for allergies. Running through the list in her head of what could be in the air, nothing came to mind. It was the dead of winter, so no pollen. No animals were nearby, she hadn't had anything to eat in the past hour. Yet again she sneezed and her face began to itch.

Her immunologist was on speed dial. She called her as she began to walk back to her house. So much for an invigorating walk outside in the snow. Could she be allergic to snow potentially? That would depressing. It was her favorite time of year as most of her allergens were dormant. Living in Siberia helped immensely. As she was put on hold, her sneezing became more frequent. Thankfully, she was nearly to her front step when they picked up.

“When can I come in again?” she asked with desperation between sneezes.

“How about next week?” asked the receptionist.

“There is no time.” she sneezed again, “I can't stop sneezing.”

“4:45, this afternoon?”

“I'll be there.”

She let herself into her warm abode and her sneezing began to slow a bit. Making a cup of warm green tea, she sat on her couch and watched the clock. Aside from a sneeze here or there, she seemed to be improving slightly. The time came for her appointment. As soon as she went outside again, she began to sneeze just as bad as before. They were right around the corner, so she walked. Stopping every few feet to blow her nose.

The diagnosis was startling. Uncommon to say the least.

“Are you sure?”

“Dead positive.” said her lovely immunologist.

She stared at her. Her head couldn't wrap around it. Continuing to sneeze till she got home, she closed the door behind her, and sat on the floor of her entryway. She was deathly allergic to saxophones and the beautiful music they made.

March Writing Challenge - The Lion Trainer

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.) 

The Lion Trainer

Word Count: 300

Genre: Fairy Tale

Character: A lion trainer

Material: A coin

Sentence: “Where'd you get that wound?”

Bonus: Your character is fearless to the point of stupidity.

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Leopold the Lion Trainer came into the nurse's first aid tent. His hand was bleeding.  But his pride hurt much more than his hand. Tanya was a healing fairy. She grabbed her wand and came over to him.

“Where'd you get that wound?” she asked already knowing the answer.

“Lew, of course. Who else?”

She tsked him and waved her wand over the wound.

“Ah!” he exclaimed grabbing his forearm.

“Sorry, it'll sting. You're bleeding quite a bit this time.” she said.

He sighed. It had been the silliest injury to date.

His mind went back to earlier that afternoon. Their afternoon circus performance had just ended. Flowers and coins had come down as people cheered. He collected what he could for himself as was everyone else. Then he led Lew back to his cage. Setting his money down next to the cage, he led Lew into it. As it was a warm day, he then decided to get some water to tide Lew over until dinner.

When he returned, his money was gone! No one was around. Except Lew. He walked over and looked at his furry friend curiously.

“Open wide.” as he proffered a treat for the trick.

Sure enough, the little furry friend was also a fiend and had chipmunked his money into his cheek. He went to reach in and claim it when Lew decided to bite down on his hand. And then proceed to spit the coins out in exchange for the treat.

Tanya had almost finished her treatments. His hand was quite sore but not bleeding profusely thankfully. She wrapped his hand with some ointment. She was an awfully sweet fairy. Maybe he'd have to get injured again so he could have a valid excuse to come visit. Hmm....

March Writing Challenge - The Souffle

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

The Souffle

Word count: 150

Genre: Fantasy

Character: A chef

Material: A bucket

Sentence: “Shut up.”

Bonus: The story takes place two-hundred years from now.

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The chef twitched his nose. A burnt aroma wafted from his souffle. Again, he failed to create it correctly. It served him right using recipe books from the 21^st century. He scraped it into a bucket by the door. The pigs would be enjoying a classy dinner at the rate he was going. He should've asked his grandmother for her advice when he attempted it all those years ago. Unfortunately, he had been rude instead.

“Shut up.” he had growled, and continued to make attempt after attempt.

Now, a dozen people were coming for dinner, a savory dinner, in which the main dish was a savory souffle. He gazed out the window. The sun was beginning to set; he was out of eggs.

“Well, I don't think they can tell the difference.” he said to himself, and proceeded to use one of the food replicators in his kitchen.

March Writing Challenge - How to Communicate with Horses, 2nd Edition

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

How to Communicate with Horses, 2nd Edition

Word count: 350

Genre: Adventure

Character: A daydreamer

Material: A cowboy hat

Sentence: “Never.”

Bonus: Your character has a world-changing idea.

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Jeb removed his cowboy hat to scratch his earlobe. Where would his dad leave the book? He had a vague memory of what it might look like. His dad read the same book every evening when he was younger, but he never knew what book it was. Usually if he had come down after he was supposed to be sleeping, his dad would tuck it into the couch so he couldn't see it. It had to be the same book. But where would it be?

A task he had been putting off was to clean out his dad's pick-up so he could sell it. He would keep it for nostalgia's sake, but he had just gotten a new truck last year and having two seemed excessive. Besides, his dad's old pick-up with parked next to the horse barn. The white pick-up with the orange stripe was straight out of his childhood. The Colonel would be something he'd never part with. After clearing out the newer one, a thought dawned on him.

He went over to the Colonel, peering through her dirty window. Something seemed jammed down next to the clutch. Rubbing the window with his thumb and spit, he peered closer. It was a book! He popped open the door and reached in. Blowing the dust off the book, he saw the title:

“How to Communicate with Horses, 2^nd Edition”

He couldn't believe it! Running back into the house, he sat down with a cup of coffee and began to pour over the book. The day passed with a blur. Night fell. On he read straight through till morning.

“Well, I...” he paused speechless, “...never!”

He decided to put the theories and lessons into practice. Sure enough, his best mare began to discuss her world with him.

Ecstatic, he took her for a ride. She described the colors, the sky, what she heard, how it felt to canter. In awe, he considered the ways that he could use this to better his horse-handlers. Rehabilitating these horses was his life's passion. Right here was the opportunity of a lifetime.

March Writing Challenge - Steamboat for the Stars

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Steamboat for the Stars

Word Count: 100

Genre: Fairy Tale

Character: An architect

Material: A steam boat

Sentence: “It is required of you.”

Bonus: The story takes place in space.

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A world renowned, no, galaxy renowned, architect stared at the job. “It is required of you.” he was told. His assignment? Making a steamboat for the stars. Essentially a steam powered spaceship. Whoever thought up this plan had not thought through it very well. As he was only in charge of drawing up the plans, it didn't mean it would have to work very efficiently. A cruise ship for the stars was what it would be for. Leisurely trips around the galaxy. He better get to work, or they wouldn't be going anywhere. Might be fun to do after all!

March Writing Challenge - Icy Ice Cream Repairman

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Icy Ice Cream Repairman

Word count: 550

Genre: Seasonal

Character: A repairman

Material: Ice cream

Sentence: “I can fix this.”

Bonus: Your character is hated by everyone.

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Mitch scratched his head and stared at the ice cream machine. Every year without fail he was called in to repair the machine. Every year to the exact month and day. And every time without fail, everything was wrong. Spring was around the corner, and the ice cream stand would soon be quite busy. He sighed, pulled out his toolbox, and began to take apart the front of the machine. Time to find the root of the problem this year.

Gracie Lou watched from a distance. She hated having to call him again, but what was she to do! She could never figure the bothersome thing out. Too many knobs and buttons. He was the least liked repairman in the company, albeit he was the one assigned to their area so that's what they got. The gruff veneer put most people off.

“How's it look?” she asked.

“Not good.” he grumbled.

“Will you be able to fix it?” she asked furrowing her brow.

“I can fix this, I can fix this. I do it every year.” he griped.

“Can I get you some coffee?”

“Just quiet.”

She left him then. He sighed with relief. People watching over his shoulder drove him batty. It was one of his biggest pet peeves. It joined “ice on the sidewalk” and “half-frozen veggies” on the list. Sighing once again, he finished loosening the screws on the front panel and popped it off. Assessing the situation, he rummaged through his bag. It looked like some tubes needed replacing.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she sat at one of the little booths with her laptop. She needed to update the website with information on their grand opening for the spring. Updating the page took less time than she expected, and she found herself leaning on her hand watching him work. He may be the least personable person with the repair company, but he was highly efficient. Mulling over this fact, she remembered her coffee and drank it to not appear to be watching him.

He sensed her watching him. The laptop keyboard had gone silent and the hairs on the back of his neck were on end. Rubbing it absentmindedly, he pulled out one of the tubes he was replacing. Grime went every where. He cringed at the mess. Oh well, it usually would get worse before it got better. That's how this particular machine was. Each one he worked on had a unique personality. Almost like a person. They all looked the same on the outside, but deep down within the nuts and bolts was a temperamental machine with feeling. Giving the side of the machine a knowing pat as he would his beagle, he put the new tube in.

Gracie Lou watched this act of tenderness and decided he was an entirely misunderstood person. If he could show feeling towards an ice cream machine, she was sure he was nice under his gruff veneer. Feeling inspired, she decided to pour him some coffee. Maybe kindness would be the best way to go to warm up a grouchier individual. If nothing else, the coffee would. Putting some in a thermos, she set it next to him. A slight smile formed, he sipped some, and then continued to work.

March Writing Challenge - A Letter

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

A Letter

Word count: 50

Genre: Suspense

Character: A horse whisperer

Material: A pen

Sentence: “It is required of you.”

Bonus: Your character is dying.

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Son,

As I hold my pen, my hand trembles. The end is near. It is required of you to continue your efforts to rehabilitate the horses. This is a gift you have cultivated within over the years. I left the book on how to actually talk to horses in the....

March Writing Challenge - Nola's Trip to NOLA pt 2

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Nola's Trip to NOLA pt 2

(part one here)

Word count: 1000

Genre: Fairy Tale

Character: A wallflower

Material: A steamboat

Sentence: “Not for you.” ✖

Bonus: Your character is shipwrecked. ✖

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Soon thereafter, it was time to dock and disembark. The sailor that helped her earlier stopped her as she headed towards the stairs.

“If you want to go home, come back, and we will give you a lift.” he said pointing to her lunch pail.

“Thank you, sir!” and raising the edge of her skirt so she didn't step on it going down, she made her way to the main deck.

She followed the crowd to the bridge looking thing that got them off the boat. As she crossed and set feet onto the shore, a cheer broke out among the crowd. Everyone was looking at her and celebrating her! Immediately her instincts were to run into the crowd to hide, but something stopped her from doing that. She held her chin high and walked towards the sidewalk where her name was on a banner.

“Welcome to NOLA, Nola!” declared the banner.

A man in a fancy suit with a top hat came up to her.

“Nola?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes sir?” she asked curiously.

“Here is a key to your city. Come visit us any time you'd like! All hail Queen Nola, our fair ruler of NOLA!”

“All hail Queen Nola!” cheered the crowd.

Time began to blur as she got to see her very own palace, meet her subjects, try some yummy foods, and adventure all throughout the beautiful city. Days seemed to fly by, maybe even weeks or months. She wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was that it was making her braver than she had ever been. Every day someone new wanted to meet her and shake her hand. Confidence filled her steps. She didn't want to be a wallflower any more. She was the life of the party!

One day, she noticed her lunch pail on her shelf in her closet. What she had intended to do was get a pair of shoes so she could go join a game her friends were playing. What she ended up doing was taking the lunch pail off the shelf. Staring at the steamboat on the outside, it dawned on her that she had been in NOLA for a very long time. Maybe she should go home for a bit. How to do that though was the question. She started at it long and hard, then remembered what the sailor had said.

Slipping out of the palace quietly, she walked to the docks where the steamboat was waiting. The sailor greeted her with a smile and a welcome. He helped her onto the boat and they began to head up the river. Holding her lunch pail in her hand, she climbed back up to the top deck so she could get the best views of the river and the city as she left it. Lots of memories had been made. Confidence gained.

They reached the spot on the river in which she had joined them. Rubbing the wheel on her lunch pail, she was pushed across the boat and right back into her seat in the cafeteria. Connor was still walking away. Feeling lonely already, she followed him.

“Can I sit with you today?” she asked.

March Writing Challenge - Nola's Trip to NOLA pt 1

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Nola's Trip to NOLA pt 1

(part two here)

Word count: 1000

Genre: Fairy Tale

Character: A wallflower

Material: A steamboat

Sentence: “Not for you.” ✖

Bonus: Your character is shipwrecked. ✖

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Nola opened her lunch pail. She had gotten it from her uncle who told her never to share its contents or secrets with anyone. Even if she just shared extra potato chips, the magic would stop working. Connor walked by, where she sat with her back to the wall of the cafeteria. She always sat here as she could see the world, but the world rarely saw her.

He walked by not noticing her. She stared at her lunch pail. If there was a better time to escape people, she couldn't think of it. Staring at the steamboat on the side of the pail, she rubbed the wheel that turned the water. That pushed her through the cafeteria and right onto the steamboat. Gulls flew overhead and the scent of the river filled her nostrils. Certainly it smelled a lot better than the cafeteria, although the scent was still not that great. A gust of wind blew past her and she turned to face away from it. Salt was in the wind so she knew she must be close to the end of the Missippissi. However you spelled it, she wasn't sure. She was only in 3^rd grade by golly.

She walked along the deck admiring everyone's clothes. Feeling out of place, she looked down and realized that her clothes had changed to blend in. Grateful more than ever for her uncle's thoughtfulness, she blended in perfectly. Seeing stairs to go up to the next level, she hoisted her skirts and climbed up. No one seemed to notice an extra passenger and she made it to the next level. It appeared that all the rooms to stay in were here so there wasn't much space for her to walk around. Seeing the stairs for the top deck, she climbed up.

The view was beautiful at the top. Certainly a lot better than the view of the crowded noisy cafeteria. She saw someone who looked like they were a sailor or something on the steamboat, so she decided to go ask where they were headed.

“NOLA!” he replied with a grin.

“But that's my name?” she puzzled.

“Well, then missy, we are headed to your city!”

She looked over the railing on the very front of the boat, and saw in the distance a city. Her eyes widened. She never knew that there was a city named after her! Or was she named after a city? She'd have to ask her mom when she got home. Glancing down to make sure her lunch pail was still with her, she stood there for a good long time drinking in the sights of the outskirts of NOLA. No one was bothered by her, and she bothered no one. This was the life!  

March Writing Challenge - Addendum for Yesterday

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Addendum for Yesterday

Word count: 100

Genre: Adventure

Character: An adventurer

Material: A time machine

Sentence: “I'll deal with you later.”

Bonus: The story takes place in space.

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Addendum for yesterday's:

We didn't tell you about the trip that occurred after Jem's. An eager youth wanted to go on one of the trips, but we had decided against it then.

“I'll deal with you later.” said the philosopher brushing him off.

The youth wished to travel into the future and see a comedian on Risa. He climbed into one of the machines without our realizing, and sent himself there. He didn't realize was that Risa was made for the Star Trek Universe, so time wasn't going to lead him there. We unfortunately couldn't bring back our adventurer.

March Writing Challenge - Time Traveling for Comedy

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Time Traveling for Comedy

Word count: 700 (712)

Genre:Comedy

Character: A philosopher

Material: A time machine

Sentence: "Repeat after me."

Bonus: Your character is fearless to the point of stupidity.

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A time machine. A portal to another dimension. A means of travel in which you have all the time in the world. Definition, “a machine capable of transporting a person backward or forward in time.” A philosopher friend of mine, had a wise thought. The world today was too serious. If he could harness the powers of a time machine, and send others through time, space, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, then maybe the world would become a more light-hearted thoughtful with a purpose place. Instead of the drudgery, misery, and thoroughly depressing way it was.

So, he started a GoFundMe. And soon, it was one of the largest grossing fundraisers. Successfully creating the prototype, he himself tried it out first. Setting the dial for 1952, he went back in time to see Bing Crosby and Bob Hope together in a comedy class, “The Road to Bali”. Staying back in the shadows, his heart was instantly lightened by the laughter of joy.

“Ah,” thought he, “I need to share this with others”.

As Bob Hope said, “He's gonna sing, folks. Now's the time to go out and get the popcorn.”, he returned back to our time with new purpose.

More time machines were formed, and he gave me the honor of being the next to try. I decided not to go back too far either. Don Adams was my jam. The spy of comedy, from “Get Smart”. Coincidentally, he shared my birthday. I found myself on the soundstage when I emerged from the time machine. Unfortunately, everyone thought I was an actress who was to play a KAOS agent, so I ended up getting “killed” within 5 minutes and having to go home since my scene was done. It was totally worth it.

“Would you believe...?”

My friend Jem heard all about my adventure. I wanted to go again, but she had signed up for the next slot. Ever since she had seen Jerry Lewis in “The Nutty Professor”, she had been obsessed with meeting him! Meet him, she did.

When they were filming the line, “Well, just don't do something, sit there!” she had accidentally gotten in the way off the cameramen.

They liked it so much, that they used the line in the film as we know it today. Not wanting to accidentally disrupt time, she returned early. Thinking that it would be wise for her to enjoy the rest of the time, the philosopher decided to let her use the rest of her time slot to visit someone else. Was he ever wrong.

Jem's second choice had been William Shakespeare. So, he decided to go send her to see a comedy of his. Not wishing to send her back too far to when he was primarily writing tragedies, he set the dial for 1595. Unfortunately, that set her right in the midst of a literal and figurative, “Comedy of Errors”. Firstly, the machine broke upon arrival. It had never traveled more than 67 years into the past at this point. Everyone had been using them to visit great comedians of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. And considering the technology in 1595, there was slim chance of her fixing it.

The comedy proved to be amusing. But, as time passed and she remained in this time, she knew that getting back to where she was would be harder as it progressed. She befriended Shakespeare for the fun of it, and he used her as inspiration for his tragedies. Fitting in as best as she could as the years passed, she ended up playing one of the wives in “Henry VIII”. Unfortunately she was in the theater on June 29^th, 1613 when it burned to the ground. The only reason we know all this happened, is that Shakespeare himself scribbled a note of this to himself. My philosopher friend went back into the archives to figure out what had happened to Jem and discovered this fact.

And so, despite the fact the time traveling was effective as long as you stayed close to the future in a way, they had to be disbanded, demobilized, and destroyed. The philosopher went into stand up comedy, discovering it was a much more effective way to spread happiness and brighten the world.

March Writing Challenge - Silence

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Silence 

- By John Schairer

Word Count: 600 (611)

Genre: Suspense

Character: A Hermit

Material: A Spoon

Sentence: “I haven't found a soul”

Bonus: There is a great storm.

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It has been forty years since that day. The day where I went from wealth top having nothing more than a spoon to my name. I had been a CEO of a large corporation, hundreds of employees, big houses, lots of cars, and all the money a man could ever want. It was truly the life. However, all good things must come to an end I suppose. It was June 23 when I arrived at the office for what I thought was a normal day. Oh, how foolish I was. If only I knew what that cursed date would bring about for me. I had arrived at the office around 7:00am as usual. I found my parking spot and headed straight to the stack of paperwork that was awaiting me. I grabbed some coffee and sat down to get started. After a few hours of mind-numbing number crunching I stopped for some food. When I got to the break room, I caught the breaking news story that was informing all of us on the west coast to brace for “The storm of the century”. Now I have heard these claims before as did everyone else at the office. I kept working and finished around 6:00pm and I began to left the office. I stepped outside to see the wind whipping around and the rain beginning to fall hard so I walked to my car and began to exit the parking garage that I always park in. I began driving home and the weather just kept getting worse and worse. The lightning cracking at regular intervals and the thunder booming like a cannon and rocking my car as I drove along the highway. Now by this point I knew this storm was bad, but this was just the start. When I got home I ran inside and slammed the door behind me. The wind screaming outside and the rain slamming against my house, I decided to get into something warm and maybe start a fire in the fireplace. Time seemed to creep forward as the house began to shake and shudder. Now my home is no shack. I did spend a few hundred thousand on this place so the way the house was reacting to this weather was making me nervous. Eventually 10pm rolled around and the weather wasn't letting up a bit I decided to just go to bed and hope everything would be better in the morning. Around 1:00am I was violently awoken by the sound of metal and wood being torn apart and glass shattering. I jumped out of bed to see my home starting to fall apart. I grabbed a few things from right at my bedside and ran downstairs. As I was running my home began to rip and fly apart around me. The adrenaline pulsing through my veins I barely made it to the basement with my life. I slammed the door and locked the basement down to try and weather out the storm. I pulled out the couch in the basement and tried to fall asleep. I woke up who knows how much later and made my way upstairs. I found nothing but destruction. Everything was gone, with nothing but bent metal and splinters everywhere. I looked out from the wreck of my house to see the whole neighborhood was devastated. Not a home was standing. Nothing but silence and pieces of homes dotted the landscape. I began going around to the homes near me but sadly no one made it. To this day I haven't found a soul, and well I don't mind it honestly. You get used to the quiet after thirty years.

March Writing Challenge - Leaving One's Handiwork

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Leaving One's Handiwork

Word count: 150 (167)

Genre: Suspense

Character: An expert gardener

Material: A pair of slippers

Sentence: "Sorry I hung up on you"

Bonus: The Sun is failing.

A month had passed since the sun had last been seen. The sky seemed to be a bit brighter today than before. Fido, came in barking at his master who was a gardener for a manor house. Hearing Fido, he shuffled to the window and peered out. Sure enough, a glimmer of light was in the sky. Better than nothing like the past few days, he grabbed his slippers, and went out to check the gardens. Most everything was turning brown; withering away.

Saddened seeing his handiwork wilt, he headed back inside to call his sister. She answered on the second ring. And then a click. He waited. She called right back.

“Sorry I hung up on you.” she said, “How does it look today?”

“Terrible.” he said, shaking his head. “Everything is dying or dead.”

“Shall I get the guest room ready?”

He picked up his trusty tools, a flashlight, and Fido. Taking one last look at his beautiful garden, he said goodbye.

March Writing Challenge - Farmer Smitty and the Big Snow

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Farmer Smitty and the Big Snow

Word count: 300
Genre: Comedy
Character: A lonely farmer
Material: A very small television
Sentence: "I've been in love with you since years"
Bonus: There seems to be no one left on the planet

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Farmer Smitty sat on a bale of hay. Snow swirled outside. The TV in his barn played a sappy romance movie. He cringed.

“I've been in love with you since years.” said a voice in the voice-over.

He shook his head and snapped the TV off.

“Humans, what's with them and love?” he drawled to a nearby cow.

Typically his barn TV was solely for weather as they were prone to freak snowstorms. Although ever since the last one, he had been holed up with the cows and chickens. He sighed. It had been several days since he had gone out into the world. Other than the sheep, he didn't mind being with the animals. He was reminded how teachable they could be.

Time passed. Days followed by nights followed by more days. He was grateful that he had thought to stock up pantry items in the barn. Teaching the chickens to cluck on command, or the cow to play dead kept him busy. Finally one day, the wind went silent. Poking his head out of the barn, he saw an expanse of white. It was like the great flood, but with snow.

Slowly, it began to melt. Time was a foreign concept. A happy day came when his house was finally visible and accessible. Soon after, the trusty pickup truck was as well. And then, the roads were clear. He decided to drive down to the diner to get a hot cup of joe. No one was there. No one was at the post office. No one was at the supermarket. Aside from him and his farm, life had seemed to vanished.

He drove home.

“Well guys, it's just us.”

Popping some popcorn, he settled into his hay bale recliner for a sappy TV romance movie.

March Writing Challenge - The Daring Dwarf

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

The Daring Dwarf

Word count: 550

Genre: Magical Realism

Character: A superhero

Material: A spoon

Sentence:"You don't have to love me."

Bonus: Your story involves a damsel in distress.

The Daring Dwarf awoke. Sunshine flooded his humble abode.

“Snickerdoodle!” he griped as he climbed out of bed. “Overslept again. I need to get me a sidekick!”

He fumbled with his superhero suit. No capes for this poor dwarf. Once he was dressed and ready for the day, he plodded downstairs for his daily cup of dandelion coffee and corn flakes. He grabbed a spoon from his cupboard and stirred his coffee slowly. He didn't need a sidekick, he needed a good swift kick in the pants. Or maybe an alarm clock. Or maybe both. Business would be good as well. He sighed and stared at his window while his cornflakes sat soggy in the bowl.

The faerie princess dwelt nearby. She was a quiet sort of lass. Usually kept to herself unless something was needing her personal attention. She knew of the Daring Dwarf, albeit never met him. Solitude was her preference and everyone respected that. She went into the garden, and then vanished.

The Daring Dwarf lounged in his recliner. Why go out, save people, and do good if there was never anything of merit to do? Radio blasted country rock.

“You don't have to love me.” twanged a soulful voice.

“No one loves me either.” said the Daring Dwarf grumpily. “Hence I'm here.”

His doorbell rang.

Five minutes later, he hopped on his dirt bike, and raced to the scene. Finally some business for a superhero! He arrived at her home, a modest dwelling for such a prestigious individual, and began his investigation. Clue searching could be relegated to a sidekick if he was someone like the Omega Ogre or the Equable Elf. They each had sidekick. Maybe he should seriously consider this for the future. Back to the matter at hand. The faerie princess had gone into the garden and vanished. Where could she have vanished to?

The investigation took the better part of the afternoon. He had begun to question the neighbors after finding nothing in the garden. One of her advisors went into her home to search again through her papers in case she left a note. The advisor heard a noise. A scream pierced the air. The Daring Dwarf fled back to the abode to discover that the faerie princess had returned? He couldn't believe his eyes!

“Where have you been!” exclaimed the startled advisor.

“Off and about adventuring.” came her nonchalant reply.

“We were worried sick....” said the advisor trying to regain his composure.

The Daring Dwarf stuck out his hand, “Pleased to meet you, ma'am.”

She eyed him curiously. Here was a man who had adventures everyday, and no one worried where he was or what he was doing. She shook his hand. Then shooed the advisor from the room.

“I'm sorry for putting you through all this trouble.” she said, “Sometimes, I just want to get away. So today I did.”

“No worries, ma'am. Just was doing my job.”

“Can I do anything to make it up to you?” she asked in earnest.

“Know anyone who'd be a good sidekick?” he asked.

“Me?”

The Daring Dwarf thought this over for a moment.

“You're hired!”

She smiled as he hopped on his dirt bike riding into the sunset.