Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #34

Posted in Posts, Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

Today marks the official completion of one of my goals for the year –

16 flash fiction pieces written based on writing prompts I’ve shared, bringing my total to 90.

A small victory, but satisfying nonetheless, and something to celebrate, as all completed goals deserve.

Here are July’s offerings:

Unlocked

All houses had their secrets. The older the house, the greater the number of secrets it held. Everyone had heard the whispers of what happened in my house, long before I was even born, but now, as I took on the mantle of mistress of this keep, it was time to learn what was behind every door, what secrets were being kept, what mysteries might be revealed.

I left the warmth of the upper floors to delve deep into the lower levels where I had been restricted from entering…until now. I took a final glance as I descended the rough hewn stairs to the fading golden, reassuring light, and made my way into what had always been described as a pit of hell.

Accommodation*

When Wyeth had suggested they spend a long “weekend” on an advanced planet, Sadie not only blushed at the thought of the two of them spending time alone together, but she also could never have imagined such a place as the towering neon cityscape that made up the entirety of the planet spread before her. She could see a great deal of it from above on the ship. As if it weren’t mind bending enough to know such a place existed, that is was also not the only one of its kind caused Sadie to rethink everything she had ever learned. Traveling with Wyeth, for even such a short time, had led her to see remarkable things. Earth was only a tiny planet in a tiny system and the humans that lived on that little blue dot were ignorant of what lay beyond their known universe.

As Sadie and Wyeth strode into what was considered mid-range accomodations, the clean shiny surfaces made Sadie fearful of touching anything. It was a hotel, rising hundreds of stories into the clouds, but to Sadie it was magic, a marvel, and another clue into the mystery that was Wyeth. The way he handled himself in any given situation, the things he knew, the things he said, the things he didn’t say – it all made her realize how little she truly knew of him and that she wanted to know everything.

*This was one of those times I sort of had an idea of what I was going to write, and then a story of its own making made itself known. I was tired, not fully paying attention, and the above is what happened…stream of consciousness at its best, I suppose.

Peephole

Hannah didn’t like to think of herself as a gossip, but she did admit that she enjoyed hearing about whatever scandalous topic had her circle’s full attention, so when the wealthy, handsome, single Lord Evan broke his journey at her family’s estate, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from eavesdropping to learn what she could of the man. There was very little to entertain a young lady outside of town.

Well, perhaps gossip wasn’t too disparaging a word.

It wasn’t just that he was rich and titled, he was attractive and alluring in a way that made Hannah want to draw nearer. He seemed to feel it too. He sought out her company, engaged her in conversation, and stirred her imagination with posssibility. She was certain he would speak to her father, and so later, when she spied on him through the keyhole in his door, hoping to ascertain how the conversation might have gone, given his demeanor, she found herself rooted to the floor with an eye full of his bare flesh. He didn’t look anything like the boys in her village who swam in the lake in the summer.

No, indeed.

She couldn’t move, her mind swirled, and then, as if sensing her presence, he turned to give her a complete view, and she noticed the smile upon his lips. “Well,” Hannah thought, “I do enjoy a challenge. I’ll have him begging for my hand before his sojourn ends.”

~ * ~

We’re over halfway through the year, how are your goals coming along?

If you’ve been inspired by any of the prompts I’ve shared, I’d love to see what you’ve created!

Happy Writing!

14Jun2025

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #33

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

I am determined to make my writing prompt challenge goal, and as I have had little opportunity to sit and write anything since going back to work, I wanted to write as freely and without hinderance as I could with the time I had available. And so I just wrote. No idea of what it was going to become, no concern of word count, just a little story to break up the monotony of my day.

I present June’s flash fiction pieces.

Ghost Story

Every culture has their ghost stories. Often times they’re allegorical tales intended to frighten the children into behaving, or to give reason for the strange happenings in the land. But not every mystery has a reason, not every sighting has cause.

In our village, for as many years as anyone could remember, there was the tale of the Mist Woman or the Lady in Black. There was no memory of who she might have been, why she walked with her umbrella, or who or what she may have been looking for. She simply appeared, and no one could connect her sightings to events of good or ill, she just existed, randomly.

And that brought me a great sadness. She seemed to be stuck in limbo, and she didn’t have a history of threatening behavior or a desire for help, which made me wonder at what held her back from crossing over? Why did she remain?

One day I was “lucky” enough to cross her path. I was not afraid. Only curious. I hoped to be able to discern something in her nature that may be of use. There was no chill in the air, no disturbance, she simply manifested near me. We walked together for a while. There was no wind, but her dress moved about her as if she were caught in a breeze, or perhaps in water. I could not see her face, but I felt something, like gratitude. She suddenly stopped, turned toward me, made the slightest gesture of a head nod toward me, then disappeared.

I walked that path every day for the rest of my life waiting for her to join me again.

Dark Side

Morgan had a lot to be thankful for, but she was also a teenager who resented hiding her true nature. She was born a fairy and raised by humans, and while that sounded like the interesting premise to a story, her life was lived in fear that she would be discovered; that she would be taken by the Men in Black to be experimented on, never to be seen by her loved ones again.

She once had white hair and wings to match, but then she met someone who changed her perspective. Whose influence changed her in ways she could never have imagined. An unleashing of power long repressed by fear and responsibility.

She had felt the change happening, and feared it, as she had most things until her transformation was complete, and then she felt renewed, strong, unafraid. Her power had been dormant because, in part, she didn’t know who she truly was. It’s one thing to know you’re a mythical being, it’s another to discover what you’re capable of because you’re this mythical being.

She knew Lucien was not to be trusted, that he was not the ally she needed, there was another who already had her heart, but while he wanted to keep her safe, keeping her progress slow, Lucien was determined to set her free. But he had his own agenda, a grand scheme that gave her a different sense of fear.

~ * ~

I hope you’ll join me for a little free write, writing community! I look forward to reading your creations!

Happy Writing!

22May2025

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #32

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

I will make my goals. I will make my goals. (Repeats mantra for the umpteenth time this month alone.)

Sticking to the planner has become a game changer for me. It’s kind of like gaming, keeping track of my “quests”, marking them off, or watching them carry over from month to month, has an effective, compulsory nature to it.

Writing at least two flash fictions a month will quickly get me to my goal of 90 completed fics for the year, and it’s something I’ve written in the planner so I actually make time to do it. This month’s offerings brings me to 85. Only five left to write and I’ll have them completed in probably the next two months. Yay! A completed goal well before the end of the year. (I’m also close on my book reading and movie watching.)

What is this strange sense of accomplishment I’m feeling..?

Unlikely

I hadn’t really expected to find it. It was both a fairy tale and a warning of what was possible.

Every mer creature was given the chance to discover the world above. There was much to learn, to see, to experience. It was a chance for each of us to decide how we could help our people. Could we bring back useful information? Would the humans above be a threat to our way of life? They were poisoning our water, killing our friends, destroying everything around them, but as we learned, they didn’t all do that. Some were trying to reverse years of damage, but even still, when my turn came to go to the surface, I was hesitant. I had heard a great deal, seen some of the results of their “curiosity”. I was properly prepared, calm, resigned to my task.

But I had found kindness. I had found passion. I had found someone so different and yet not.

I stayed too long.

With his help back to the sea, we said our farewells. He held me in his arms, so strong, doing his best to remain stoic. He and I looked toward the vast expanse before us, each seeing something different. He saw an unknown world, miles upon miles that would separate us. I saw home.

But my heart was conflicted.

Regret

So, yes, I was to blame for my current predicament. I had, because I had been put in the position as “leader”, made the decision to make Alistair king, and that made it my fault that he was now willing to put me aside, because while I was good enough to sacrifice my life for the “greater good”, I was not of a bloodline worthy to sit beside him on the throne.

Did he not love me anymore? Did he not think me worth fighting for?

And as he thought on it, a moment longer than I thought respectable, all I could think was, “In your hesitation, I found my answer.”

It wasn’t fair to have thrust so much upon him, to expect so much when most things were now out of his control, but his heart…that still belonged to him, and who he chose to give it to was still very much in his power. Maybe I still had it, but he had been swayed to think that he should have a “proper” wife, and he thought he was doing me a kindness…hmm…perhaps, I had a great many thoughts on the subject, but the foremost one was I knew he would come to regret his very first decision as king.

~ * ~

Hey, writing community! Feel like joining me in a little writing prompt challenge? I look forward to reading/seeing your creations!

Happy Writing!

17Apr2025

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #31

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

Going back to work has really messed up my schedule. I want to say life, but that’s sounds rather dramatic, albeit somewhat true. In my planner, I’ve been setting a goal of writing two flash fictions a month, which you would think would be an easy task to complete, and yet, I couldn’t get them written in March.

So I set aside a day to write this week, a little bit of everything, and you can guess how that went. I was feeling…ambitious…also, a bit determined. I need to spend time doing the things I enjoy too. It can’t always be about the grind.

I present to you (March and) April’s flash fictions, in my pursuit to write at least 16 new pieces this year. I’m halfway there! ((thumbs up))

Enough

“We all have our reasons.” Those haunting words had come from an unlikely ally, one she knew she couldn’t trust, no matter his “reasons”.

The revolt had long been in the works, but it wasn’t until today that they took action.

It was necessary.

They were justified in rising up.

She just didn’t know how alone they’d find themselves once they finally did.

There had been a surprising division in the populace when offered the chance at freedom. So many were compliant, unwilling to take the risk. They turned their backs. They played dumb. They simply didn’t care what happened to those not so different from themselves. It could have been them, if they found themselves in a different box, but they considered themselves lucky for being “normal”.

How boring life would be if everyone fit that mold.

And so, as she stood before one who had long championed conformity, and everything else they stood against, she had to wonder what had brought them to this point? What did they consider the uncrossable line in the proverbial sand of their morality?

They couldn’t be trusted, but they could be exploited, and so it began.

Red Light District

The red light used to mean something different, or so I’m told. It was a way to communicate a service, rather discreetly, until it became more well-known. There were entire districts within cities named for the light that provided patrons with all manor of diversion, but now it meant something else.

Now, it was a means of refuge.

Hm. Now thinking about it, it was a refuge then too, just for a different means of escape.

Red lights were scarce, and you had to know someone who knew someone who knew someone that could lead you there because the vice grip of the police state wanted to keep everything, and everyone, within their grasp. They couldn’t allow any one to escape, because that kind of leak could cause their entire system to crumble, so the red light was like an urban legend.

Everyone “knew” someone who had been able to utilize the service, it was a more comforting thought as to why people went missing, but now here I was. The darkened hallway looked more like something out one of those pre-war horror movies people used to enjoy, not realizing one day we’d be living a daily nightmare. The slash of red that should have caused fear actually caused hope to swell. After nearly a year of searching, in a few moments, I could be out.

Last Ditch Effort

We weren’t exactly cornered, but we wouldn’t be able to outrun the horde either. We were all batttered and bleeding and didn’t have enough supplies to remedy ourselves for more fighting. I hated the Deep Roads. They were probably spectacular at the height of the Dwarven empire, but now they were a death trap. Not one building offered proper shelter, let alone a defensive position, and yes, while we had been able to travel deeper than anyone in an age and would come out the other side, if we were lucky enough, rather wealthy from the abandoned treasure, I wasn’t sure that was enough incentive.

There was a narrow pass over a long drop, which would slow up our pursuers for a moment, and maybe we could take out enough of them while they tried to cross, but it wasn’t the only route. We were at risk of being surrounded.

As we weighed our options, I looked up, as did my companions, and we all had the same idea. “If you’ll give me a minute…I think I can make this worse.”

Stray

She shouldn’t have come with him – hindsight was brilliant in times like these – but how could she not? It was another planet, another world, and she was going to be the first human to see it, to stand upon its ground and admire its beauty. He was going to gather resources for the journey, but she didn’t believe she would be a liability. Why would she? She was a tourist, basically. An extra pair of hands.

So, when the weather took a sharp, unexpected turn, and hail the size of VW Bugs started to fall from the sky, she was surprised to find him coming to her rescue, putting himself at risk, for her. He had barely acknowledged her presence since coming aboard, to some degree against her will, if she may say so, so why would she think he would care at all for her well-being, other than the implications of having a human aboard his ship?

And now he was injured, and she didn’t know what to do. It’s not as if he had a physiology she was familiar with, and being unconscious, didn’t lend to him telling her what she could do to help. What it did lend to was a quiet moment to reflect on the strange man who had become her rescuer. He was interesting to look at, dare she think, attractive, even among his own kind. He was helping her, even if she believed, begrudgingly, and she was indebted to him for saving her from a desperate situation, and now, no matter her ineptitude, she might have an opportunity to repay him.

~ * ~

Come join me in a challenge!

Happy Writing!

11Feb2025

Writing Prompt Challenge Accepted #30

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

The planner is still working for me ((thumbs up)). I set some time aside to write three new flash fiction pieces, making 5 of 16. And it’s only February. I’m already so far ahead of last year.

Why did no one tell me of this before?! Sheesh. I feel like I should have figured this out sooner, and I’d be so much further along in all aspects of my life. This is one of those things that comes with age. Right?

Anyway, here are February’s offerings.

Humans

Humans were obsessed with space. They hadn’t even discovered the entirety of their own planet, and yet they were willing to traverse the vastness of dark space. They were silly creatures; prone to all manner of emotional outburts and frivolity. We had been among them for years, and they were none the wiser. We had done what we could to aid them in their advancement of basic “humanity” and science, but they were a stubborn bunch, only willing to coexist and rally around one another for the most inane of causes. They so rarely saw eye to eye.

We had finally had our fill, unwilling to continue to bear witness to their ever declining state and left them to their own devices one autumn evening in spectacular fashion. Or so we thought. We timed it with one of their own explorative device launches, but they never saw it. They never knew what we had tried to do for them, what we had done for them. It’s not even worth mentioning now. Perhaps we’ll see them again one day. Perhaps not. Only time will tell what they’ll make of themselves.

Fibonacci

Casi stood in the center of the church, a kalidescope of color raining down upon her from above. She looked up, overwhelmed by the beauty of the hundreds of stained glass panels spiraling in a Fibonacci pattern from the tallest dome of the structure. The colors told a story, one she wasn’t adept at interpreting, but she felt the impact nonetheless.

The colors were only truly present at high noon when the sun, at it’s zenith, reflected their purpose, so there was only a short time each day to spend in reflection. Casi was given an hour. Her special ability was being tested, albeit unfairly. She had only just come into her power, and discovering the intention of the ancient marvel was something she wasn’t prepared for. She wasn’t sure she ever would be. Whoever had designed the unique feature had been touched in their own way.

Dad

It’s hard to think of Death as anything other than what he is.

He’s the inescapable end.

The intangible.

The anti-thesis.

The great neutralizer.

The last measure for which almost all beings are desperate to avoid, and willing to barter and sacrifice any and all in an attempt at thwarting his purpose. It rarely works.

He’s also a father. My father. I call him Daddy when I’m feeling especially light-hearted, and although I’m mortal, he treats me like the rarest, most spectacular being to have ever existed. With so many afraid of him, unwilling to greet him, even those he considers his peers, I was an unexpected delight to his lonely existence.

You may wonder how it is a mortal child found herself in Death’s grasp without crossing over. It’s not that exciting a story, just luck, I suppose, that a sad deity took pity on an abandoned tot.

There was a time he was afraid to touch me, because each time he did, it stilled my heart, but eventually, it no longer had an effect, I became something else. And how could I not share my affection with him? Mortals crave contact, and he discovered it was something he needed as well. So while I may have been raised in a strange realm, with an unconvential parent, I thrive. I live. Something that might not have occurred should I have been left alone that winter’s night long ago.

~ * ~

I’d be delighted to read your creations, if you’d like to join me in the writing prompt challenge. Be sure to tag me or put a link in the comments, and I’ll share your work here, with your permission, of course.

Happy Writing!

3Aug2023

Writing Prompt #158

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

For this week’s writing prompt, I found an image that speaks to a new idea I’ve had recently. The imagination is slowly getting back up to speed, and now I’m on the hunt for imagery for yet another Pinterest board…gracious.

Do you need a little escape from your own writing? Want to join me in this week’s writing prompt challenge? Be sure to share, and from all of us in this community, we look forward to seeing your new creations!

Happy Writing!

12Jul2023

Writing Prompt #157

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

I’ve always been fascinated by fire. It’s beautiful, it dances, and while it can be destructive, it can also be cleansing. It warms a cold night, its discovery changed humanity, and it is to be both feared and revered.

For this week’s writing prompt, I wanted to find cool imagery that might spark the imagination. Pun intended?

What do you think? Up for this week’s writing prompt challenge? I look forward to reading your creations!

Happy Writing!

15Mar2023

Writing Prompt #156

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

It’s time to get this writing community back to Writing Prompt Wednesdays! It’s been a while, and if you feel anything like I do, which I hope you don’t, you may need a little inspiration to get that imagination back up and running.

So one of the story ideas that tried to make itself known during the move was a one-shot fan fiction from Dragon Age.

I know! Don’t even get me started.

It’s a simple idea from a mission in the third game that left a lot of fans in a tizzy at the time, and for some reason, came to me when I didn’t have any time for anything creative. I made a few notes and left it at that.

Then a few days ago, wanting to write anything, I opened up that story idea and wrote about 500 words. Not a huge number by any means, but…it felt good…to be creative.

The idea is of a character left alone in an inhospitable environment and how they might survive.

And then I saw this image and it struck me in its symbolism to this short story I’m working on. So here it is, my impulse choice for this week’s writing prompt.

Are you up for the challenge?

Happy Writing!

18Jan2023

Writing Prompt #155

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

I’m currently reading The Martian by Andy Weir. I am also playing Fallout 4. I am fascinated by extreme situations and how people handle them. Why? No idea. And I’m not sure exactly what that says about me. Let’s not delve too deep.

Not too long ago, writing prompt #151 actually, I shared a similar image. It was a close up of a woman’s face within an astronaut-like helmet. The lighting was different, and the overall feel was more positive…or so it could be construed.

This image has a totally different feel, and I like it…for the story ideas it inspires.

I’ve had a number of ideas percolating for the rewrite of my sci-fi pilot, and I’m hoping the dry spell is over, so when I saw this interesting piece of imagery, it felt right that it become this week’s writing prompt. It has a cool, creepy vibe and encapsulates the isolation my poor protagonist is enduring, in addition to an impending threat – what could it be?!

What do you think? Feeling inspired?

I look forward to you joining me in this week’s writing prompt challenge!

Happy Writing!

14Dec2022

Writing Prompt #154

Posted in Writing Prompt by Rachael C Marek

I saw this image and immediately thought, “They say there’s no magic here. Clearly they aren’t looking very hard.” And so it became this week’s writing prompt.

I like that inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places, and that’s why writers are such amazing people. We pay attention, we take note, and we create.

So, are you up for the challenge?

Happy Writing!