Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

   Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge It was the same thing every year. I trek out to a cemetery no one else I know is buried in to pay my respects to someone I didn’t even know on New Year’s Day because someone I love asked me to, which was all fine and good when she was alive, but she’s dead now too.  Yet here I am, kind of hungover, freezing my butt off going to pay my respects to a stranger.  The ice-covered snow crunches beneath my Uggs as I maneuver my way between headstones and plots, carefully trying not to walk over someone’s resting place. The sound is muffled as if every other sound once you cross over the property line. The cars on the street not even 100 feet away aren’t as loud as you’d think they should be. It’s like the whole cemetery is under a sound-dampening dome or something.  The flock of geese flying overhead should be a racket, but yet they are entirely silent. It’s k...

This week I'm doing a 5K Your Way for Libraries to help raise money for EveryLibrary - You can donate by going to my page here - Amelia's Team Page for Lit Chicks I'm doing my 5K by writing 5 thousand words.  I was going to do a 5k word short story, but it might end up being a series of flash fiction/short stories. Sunday, September 26  - Word Count: 807 Morning in the Library It started off like any other Monday morning. I unlocked the side door to our building, disengaged the alarm, and then locked the side door.  You would think patrons wouldn’t attempt to enter the library through a staff-only door before operating hours, but you’d be wrong. I dropped my stuff in my office before making my way to the break room to start the coffee.  It’s the unofficial rule of the branch, first, one to come in in the morning starts the pot and everyone needs to make it the same way, one scoop per 1 cup water.  Coffee started; I headed out into our small brick branch of a lar...

So wasn't really thrilled with either thing I wrote last week, but at least I'm writing! Prompt: Dear Mom D o you remember that pool party you and dad were hosting when you dove into the pool, fully clothed to rescue the doll I pitched into the deep end on a whim when I was three?  I wanted to see if she could swim, you wanted to prevent a future meltdown when I no longer had her to cuddle to sleep. E very observant, I’m still not sure how you noticed I had thrown it in when you were over on the other side of the backyard talking to Mrs. Cress.  But there you came out of nowhere to leap into the pool to rescue Masiey, causing quite the stir as all the guest turned to look at the commotion.   A dmittedly, I did know better than to throw her into the pool. You had warned me not to throw my toys into the pool after the incident with the barbie, and that one time with the princess crown.  They always sink to the bottom and get stuck in the filter on the floor of the...

 I'm only sharing the one prompt today because I wanna work more with the other one and I'm not ready to share it yet.   Prompt: Only human He kept humming the bars of a song. The earworm was stuck firmly implanted in his brain as he tried to work on a budget report, a memo about quarterly spending, and reformatting a spreadsheet his coworker had messed up. But what was the song? He caught himself humming it while alone on the elevator at work and wondered again for the thousandth time what the song was and why it was stuck in his head. After lunch, he put his headphone in and tried to drown it out by listening to any other song on his playlist. When that didn’t work he decided maybe he should try to find out the song title. This way he could eradicate it by listening to the real song. He opened up the app on his phone to identify songs and hummed. Yea, that didn’t work. Maybe Jessica knew what song it was, he sent her a text explaining the situation and t...

 A few weeks ago I attended my first virtual write-in.  We were given a prompt, some time to write, and then volunteers could read.  The first prompt was: did I just say that out loud I freeze, did I just say that out loud? I ask myself as I notice the sound coming from my computer has stopped.  I quickly looked down to the bottom of my screen to see if I was muted or not.  The red slash is there across the microphone icon and I relax slightly at the sight.  “Amber, did you want to add anything to the discussion? I believe you are muted.” I click to unmute myself, “No, sorry I was just talking to myself as I took notes.  I will add now that I am unmuted that I really like the direction this project is headed in.” I quickly mute myself, not that I feel any better about telling everyone on the call that I talk to myself. I spend the rest of the meeting nodding along, taking notes and clearly not talking to myself. No sooner does the meeting end then...

   Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge There is something special about watching the sunrise over the ocean. I have felt this way ever since I was a child, and my mother would wake us up early in the morning to make the one-hour drive to the shore.  Barely awake, we’d trudge down the sand until we were close enough to hear the waves and feel the saltwater on our faces but far enough back not to get wet. We’d huddle together on the blanket in serious childhood debate, waiting for those first rays to change the sky from dark blue to a wild array of colors.  As we got older, the trips were few and far between, but mom always insisted on at least one group trip a year on Thanksgiving morning. Over the years, we transitioned from one car to multiple cars, from mom driving herself to a rotation of being picked up by a child and a yearly debate on if significant others and children will be invited....

The prompt was to pick captions from 2 pictures and then connect them.  These are the captions I chose: The proposed warehouse on Kuser Road The decision to include these red-eyed bugs in ice cream was a “special” one for {Gabby} and business partner {Matt} (changed names) Here's what I wrote: The proposed warehouse on Kuser Road hit a roadblock last week when crews out to survey the site released a swarm of bugs.  The workers were taking a soil sample when the bugs rose from the ground swarming out of the hole.  The swarm was rather large and now has infested the town, residents have been advised to seal up their homes and only venture out when necessary.  These rather large flying insects have already caused 2 traffic accidents, damage to one local convenience store, and caused the cancellation of various outside events. Local pest control businesses are booming as they are offering sealing services to help keep the bugs out of your homes and businesses.  Loca...

 I was IT support for the first meeting of the library system's virtual writers group. I listened for most of the meeting but decided to participate in the writing prompt.  We had about 15 minutes to write. The prompt was to write something in the format of Joe Brainard's I Remember.  The prompt had me remembering a poem I had to write for something a creative writing class and I took the idea of that poem and expanded it: I remember our nights together; the taste of whiskey in your kisses and the smell of it on your breath.  I remember the feel of your hands and the soft curses we both spoke in the back room of the bar, in the kitchen of your apartment, or the bedroom of mine.  I remember how your kisses had the same effect as a shot of whiskey short-circuiting my brain.  I remember every whispered promise of love, marriage, and family.  I remember the night those promises stopped when I walked into the bar to see your hands on another woman.  I ...

  Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge I submitted this one but didn't win.  However, I had fun researching and writing this one! ***** Our job was to burn the house down. We devised a plan—a grease fire in the kitchen. The fire would catch on the curtains and spread to the cabinet tops, where there were years of dust and grease build-up. Within minutes we had planned on a flashover to spread to the rest of the house. We also made sure there were flammables in the attached garage for added combustion. “We’re all set in here. Over.” “Let it burn. Over.” I turned on the gas stove. Sloshed grease over the rim of the pan and watched as the fire started. I turned and made my way out of the back door, making sure to close it tight. I made my way to the property line and watched as smoke started to fill the house, the dancing flames filled the window over the sink, and I smiled at a job well done. I let out...

Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge This one is from February, I never entered it, because I never finished writing it. Something just felt off and I couldn't get it edited and submitted in time.   If you like alone time to just sit in nature and drink your tea don’t date a K-9 officer cause the moment he cannot find you he sends the dog after you and that very good boy will always find you. This happens at least once a week when I'm off in the woods that back up to our house, I’m never very far and always within cell range, but he still sends the dog. It’s good training for the dog and he does make me laugh so I guess it’s not a terrible way to be found, but sometimes you just want to be alone.  That’s what I was feeling when I stormed out of the house and headed off into the woods during a break in the snowstorm. I know better, yet in the heat of the moment off I went and in my anger I went too far ...

Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge Marilyn was standing at her sink washing her lunch dishes when she saw the bear amble through her back yard. It wasn’t a completely uncommon occurrence, but it wasn’t something she saw every day, so she paused and enjoyed the site. It was the next day when she saw yet another bear, or was it the same bear, walk through her yard she got concerned. Then she realized both bears were coming from her neighbor’s property.  Marilyn huffed as she slipped on her boots, she’d have to go over and clean up their mess, again. They were barely down here overnight; she couldn’t even guess what they could have left behind that a bear would visit 2 days in a row. As she rounded the corner of their house, she saw that he had tipped over the trash can and had torn into one of the black trash bags.  All the years she lived out here she never had problems with her neighbor’s and that prop...

I won the Flash Fiction Popular Vote! Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. It was my first trip to New Mexico and my uncle promised me an easy hike as part of my vacation. Knowing his normal hikes, I was certain his definition of easy and mine were vastly different, but I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to spend time with one of my dad’s brothers. Being with them was like being with him, something I sorely missed.   I had the early morning news on in my hotel room as I packed my bag for the day. The drone of the reporter the perfect background noise as I struggled to keep my eyes open. It was early but my uncle said we had a drive before we reached the National Park. He wanted to be there for when the park opened, which meant an early morning. I tossed my National Park Stamp Book into my bag and zipped it closed.   Picking up my tablet I sat down at the little table in my room to read and drink my weak hotel room coffee. I had done m...

 I wrote this for this week's IU Flash Fiction Challenge and forgot to submit it...but you get to read it here! Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. “Ah, there you are.” She said looking up from the book she was reading. “Where have you been?” She got up, picking up her iced  teacup  and sliding into her flip-flops.  “I thought something happened to y ou.”   She walked into the house as Old Rufus made his way up onto the porch. He had been coming here to sun himself for as long as he could remember.  He used to be carried out from the house and placed on a chair, then he got too big for the chair and laid on the floor.  Then he moved to the lake and would still make his way up the back yard to lay in his favorite spot.    He wouldn’t come every day, but she was right, a week was longer than he normally stayed away.  He didn’t do it on purpose, the days had gotten away from him and he suddenly got the cravin...

This week's prompt for Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge Photo copyright K.S. Brooks.  Do not use without attribution. He sat there watching as the sign was erected. It was an all-day process that interrupted his morning nap, spoiled his lunch and now kept him from his afternoon nap. All that banging was making him antsy. With a sigh he laid his head down and shut his eyes. He’d try to fall asleep one more time before he’d just give up on napping today. No sooner had his eyes closed then he heard someone call his name. Maybe if he pretended he didn’t hear them they would leave him be. He snuggled down determined to get in at least one nap today, but they called him again. This time closer which only meant they were coming to get him and his dreams of a nap were officially over. He stood up slowly, his legs not as strong as the had been and made his way gingerly towards the name caller. “Wanna go see what I’ve been doing all morning?” He wanted to say no, he wan...

misogynist,   neophyte,   oblivious I went to my friends again this week about a length for this prompt. After hearing the words, a friend mentioned that it sounded like words describing a certain serial tweeter and I should style this week in tweets.  I liked that idea so I did some quick searching about writing stories as tweets.  I stumbled upon Nanoism.net , which features stories written in 140 characters. I thought I'd attempt to write something in 140 characters. Went out with a secret misogynist. He felt I was a neophyte and explained politics to me. I think he mistook my bland look as obliviousness!

Jockey,   Kindred,   Lopsided I asked my friends for a length I should aim for when writing this week. I got 6, 42, and 500.  Well I went with 6 and 42 for this prompt (and 500 for another writing prompt). So Sean clearly got the idea for 6 from Hemingway's 6 word story . So here's what he got: Horse and Jockey, kindred lopsided smile-ers. And Chris clearly went with 42, because what geek doesn't answer 42 (at least some of the time) when asked a question or for a number. Kindred winners with lopsided grins stand in the winner’s circle. Chester, the 2 year old colt and his longtime owner and jockey, Bob, won this weekend’s amateur race at Town Race Track. They will compete again next weekend at Other Town Track.

Fatal,   Gaping,   Harmonious I'm not telling how much of this is true and how much of this I made up to fit this prompt! I can’t remember when I fell in love with blacksmiths, but they have been my secret obsession for years. It probably started at one of those living history sites, the smithy shop has always been a favorite stop when walking around the town. There was something magical about the elemental way they can reshape metal. As a teen I’m sure it became more about staring and trying not to gape at the blacksmiths themselves. Even today, I find myself drawn to these demonstrations. Watching as they pull the metal out of the fire, shape it on the anvil and then cool it in the water. I have quite the collection of pieces created by this technique. The pieces are scattered around my apartment as to not draw attention to the collection. The same can be said of my collection of books featuring a blacksmith. I started by picking up nearly every book I could ...

carefree,   deadpan,   ear-splitting Maya and her boyfriend were sitting at a table outside of a little café enjoying their Saturday routine of coffee, scone and free Wi-Fi when an ear-splitting scream disturbed the peacefulness of the morning.  Glancing in the direction of the scream, Maya could see a group of teens in the park across the street all running towards the girl, phones drawn and at the ready to catch whatever it was that the girl was so excited about and soon they each were just as excited. Quickly they were off to hunt the next creature to capture. “Wonder what they caught?” “You could go over and find out.” “And ruin the image of a grown adult who is sitting here reading the New York Times on an iPad?” “Like you haven’t been playing on your phone the whole time we’ve been sitting here?” “Fine.” In as casual as possibly Maya got up and walked across the street. She was just a carefree woman walking into a park looking at her ...

Tell this story I hold his sword and wonder if he was a good man.  "My lady?" I hear the voice, but all I can manage is a shake of my head. The last thing I want to do is address these men who stand before me. They failed and because they failed I have lost him. I know I can't stay quite much longer, I can already hear the rumblings of the impatient men. "My lady?" the voice is closer now, barely a whisper. I know he would save me from all this if he could. He's the only person I trust. He holds my father's sword. I look up and he hands it to me. I hold the sword and wonder if he was a good man. I know he was a good warrior, a good leader, but I don't know what kind of man he was outside of those roles. As the leader, he wasn't never a father in the ways I hear about and see in the village. Yet, he is my only example, my only role model for what is to come next in my life. "Was he a good man?" my voice barely above a whisper. "My l...