In response to 1000 Words: Twelve They had just passed the ancient town carved into the mountainside when the sun finally disappeared. Darkness made it difficult to navigate the rocky terrain, and they had only a vague idea where they were going. The valley seemed endless, and the mile-high slopes on either side seemed threatening; […]
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Standing by a moss-covered cave, Silljar said, “Open the doors!” This order spread fear into the hardened panzers, who stared at her in disbelief for a second, before they slowly, very slowly walked to the steel doors. Strong hands removed a rusty steel door bar and the sturdy doors were opened. They could feel it, […]
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A warm summer breeze blew along Mthatha’s main road, carrying dust from the bone-dry verges in a whirl of hot air. The afternoon sun beat down on the commuters, shop workers and vagrants moving about the pavements – some stopping for a chat with road-side pallet stall vendors; some just waiting patiently to hail the […]
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There is a lapping of water inside my head – hollow and wet. I can feel the water trickle away from the hull of my mind with each tiny wave. Chaotic trails of water rippling down the wooden sides, eager to rejoin their brethren in the quiet little river of my thoughts. “These are my […]
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“Bao, wake up. Don’t fuss. Hurry. We must go!” The muffled restraint of my mother’s voice woke me from a dream. A dream I had many times pondered over in the morning after. A dream of flight, of rush. A dream just like this moment. Through foggy eyes I watched her dress my sisters without […]
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When you get to her age you discover life becomes more about the routine of birth and death. And while she’s experienced the first she often sits alone in the dark of her living room waiting to experience the last. A ringing telephone becomes the pistol in a game of Russian roulette; whether her […]
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To say he had soulful eyes would be an injustice. Rather, they were a milky green. A clouded visage of perhaps an even more clouded history. They were deep, but murky; cold, but inviting. They tempted me into worlds I could not control, into a flight of passion I could not contain. But I […]
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Inspired by Writing Prompt One Hundred and Seven: The elastic on his waistband was frayed, adding one more pleasantry to this awful business. I love my job but sometimes… let’s just say… some days are harder than others. A few years ago, in late October I had a major remodel to a house out […]
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Islands of cascading mossy trees lined the gritty sand of ocean beaches. Waves trickled in from the calm gulf, a gentle breeze through the sound’s leaves. The water was murky, stagnant, diseased. He huffed out a sarcastic laugh. A sea to match his withering soul. He dug his toes into the […]
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Response to Writing Prompt Ninety-Seven: A kayak, a tent, an endless horizon and yet… A kayak, a tent, an endless horizon, and yet the tall towers of the city shimmered before Laura’s eyes where there should have only been the endless waves of the Pacific. Whispering pines were drowned out by honking taxicabs and the […]
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