Random Writing, Blogs and Adventures |
A mix of Random writing in an attempt to organize my thoughts, storyboard ideas and conserve portfolio space in the process. |
I was visiting Ireland and had taken a late night stroll when I heard a noise... A high pitched whistle. It was soft but melodic. It seemed to stop me in my tracks. I could best describe it as the wind hitting against a wind chime but it seemed to vary in cadence almost like a song. It was so beautiful. My eyes seemed to glaze of over. Something in me wanted to find out where the music was coming from. Trying to pinpoint the source of the music I wandered the area. Before I knew it, I found myself staring over a cliff. The music seemed to be coming from the lake below. I stared into the lake. It was as if I could see all my happy memories down there. The whistle echoed from below calling me. It was like an earworm I couldn't shake. My body moved on its own jumping over the edge. I feel the icy water hit me hard as I pass out. I woke up on shore coughing. "Easy lad. You just took a dive... you are so lucky you didn't hit the rocks below." A fisherman who had pulled me out out of the lake told me. "Did you hear the song?" I asked. "Song?" "Like the whistling of the wind." "Ah..." He said seeming to understand. "The evening Sirens be playing tricks on ya!" "Sirens?" "We have a saying in the isle avoid the call of the winds at night. They lure men to their death." The skeptic in me wanted to dismiss his words as folk lore but it was obvious what happened. I had somehow heard the Siren's call and survived it. Word Count: 283 words Author's note: This was written for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: “I heard a noise.” |
A northern bird... Its colors bright. Its scarlet jacket shines at night. Its black mask... stand out in the day Glimpse quick before it flies away! Prompt: "Bird..." for "EIGHT, the Weekend - 04.14.24" Word Count: 32 words Line Count: 8 Lines |
I was stuck with a difficult decision. I felt like I was choosing a career... Like the rest of my life would be decided by this. "Clock's ticking" Serena reminded me. It didn't help that my fiercest rival was there to offer her feedback on the decisions I was making. Ok... referring to Serena as a rival might be stretching it a bit. She was actually my best friend... just not in this particular moment. I sighed. "I'm aware...luckily we are not playing bullet chess today." "I kind of wish we were. If it is taking you this long to make your first move... we are in for a long game." "Hmm..." She continues to taunt. "You know it won't change the outcome right?" "You're so confident that you know how this will play out." I stared at the possibilities in front of me. "So many paths to choose from." "We both know what you are eventually going to pick." I rubbed my chin as I considered my next move in my head calculating the odds. I've had a lot of luck with the classic opening. I moved my hand over my King's pawn. She smirked. "Knew it!" "It is the most popular opening in Chess." "Always the same thing ... so boring." "You're sure you're just not sore about the last few times I used it?" "Oh big talk. You still have more losses then wins with it." "Fair point." "Try to be adventurous... take the road less traveled." "I feel like there's a Robert Frost reference in there somewhere." "I was thinking more of the Lauren Alaina song." "Never heard of it." "Not surprised there. It would probably inspire you to play more unpredictably." "You know you'll have your chance to showcase your inventiveness when it is your turn to play as white." I pointed out. "Besides you could counter differently ...you don't need to move your king's pawn in response well." "Perhaps... it still limits our game a bit though. I was hoping for a completely different path." "Hmmm..." Serena idea was a tempting prospect but offered a little bit of a challenge. I had refined my King's pawn game a lot. The first couple of moves were almost the same every time. The problem was that I used it so often that I couldn't really strategize with other openings. Maybe it was time to experiment with movement a little bit more. She seemed to sense that she was leading "Come on," She coaxed. "Walk on the wild side." I sighed but acquiesced. "Ok I won't play e2-e4" I agreed. She smiled. I moved my Queen's pawn instead and hit my clock. She facepalmed. "Baby steps I guess!" Author's notes: This story has a few terms that may need a little bit of understanding of basic chess to follow. I added a short "Chess Pokedex" for any readers that are interested below: Chess Terms: Bullet Chess- A game of chess where each player has there clocks set to 3 minutes or less. Players would need to play really quickly to complete the game. Opening - The moves that a chess player decides to start a chess game with. The King's pawn opening - One of the most commonly played opening moves in chess. The player moves the pawn in front of the king up two squares (from e2-e4). It allows them to control the center of the board. The Queen's pawn opening - The second most popular chess opening. The player moves the pawn in front of the queen to start the game. It also gives the player center control of the board. Word Count: 595 Words Prompt: Write a story inspired by the Lauren Alaina song "The Road Less Travelled". |
My Plan was sound What can I say? Act like a ghost... to scare away. But now I'm caught... exposed through vids. Thanks to that dog and meddling kids! Prompt: "Write a Meddlesome Poem" for "EIGHT, the Weekend - 03.30.24" - |
These apples just possess the shade of forest green... a bright light jade. They offer health and quench one's thirst. As snack foods go, you could do worst. Crunchy with a hint of sweet, they prove to be a tempting treat. But be forewarned those who devour, the taste you'll find is mostly sour! - Prompt: "Write a Sour Poem" for "EIGHT - 03.29.24" |
You might think that the King owns the scene, but the true power piece is the Queen. Three vectors to cross... deliver Chess loss. It's a piece not to get caught between! - |
The color it roams is the same but don't think that the Bishop is lame. For a piece in its sight, it's an easy good night. Diagonal moves are its game! - |
Across the board, the Rook, it does glide. Up and down or perhaps side to side. It can switch with the King. That move's called castling. It's a piece that does not need to hide! - |
The Knight's movements will sure ring a bell. It's a figure Tetris fans know well. Either hook 1, 2 3... or up 2, turn and see. It attacks in the shape of an L! - |
Day 29 of "The Soundtrack of Your Life" challenge. Our final number of this challenge is... December, 1963 (Oh What A Night!) by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons I wanted to end on something epic so I went back and I added this to my play list. This is probably the song I have been listening to the most this year. Probably even toward the end of last year. You know... "Late December back in 23". The 4 Seasons are an iconic group and this is one of their most famous songs. To be fair they have a lot of them such as Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man. This one though is the one that sticks with me the most. The melody, the beat and some great vocal and lyrics. I love the balance how it alternates from lower to high. The best part of the song for me though is: "I felt the rush like a rolling ball of thunder. Spinning my head around and taking my body under." It has a shift in melody making it stand out from the rest of the song. All that combined with harmony of a vocal quartet to create an amazing blend. It is awesome. Oh what a night indeed! Well that brings a close to this challenge. If you guys enjoyed it let me know and maybe I'll post some more songs in the future. Thank you for reading and listening. - |