Showing posts with label Halloween flash fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween flash fiction. Show all posts

Monday, October 28, 2013

"Conjured" for Spooktoberfest!

Right, so; here's my entry for fellow blogging buddies/writers Dani and Jackie's boogety-boo blog hop...
Spooktoberfest!

Participants were challenged to compose flash fiction between 300-500 words which:
  1. had to be set in the location depicted in one of the four pictures provided; and
  2. had to use three out of six words listed (the three I used are in purple).
To see all the pics, possible word choices, and check out links to other participants' entries, click here or there.

This is the pic.
October was a busy month of work travel for me and though I'd decided on the pic, no story emerged in my mind. Then just this past weekend, as I settled in for the night at the B&B I stayed at while visiting my Kid for Family Weekend at his college, one of the other images demanded my attention. A weird and, frankly, rather disturbing story unfolded in rhyme, much darker than is my wont...I think. It turned out to be the sequel to my first Spooktoberfest entry, though it's told from a different point of view and it's nowhere near as lighthearted. Anyway, er...hope you enjoy?





Conjured by Mina Lobo
(300 words)

I'm the wretch that lurks at the bottom of the stairs
with the long, sharp beak and the coarse dark hairs,
whom you summoned to your home in the middle of the night,
whom you called when quite alone; now I have you in my sights.

You thought yourself so lonely and you felt yourself to ache
for some pleasures yet unknown, thus this action you did take:
you dug out that old spellbook that you'd hidden long ago,
when your last attempt went sour; yes, you stashed it down below

In the basement of your duplex, just behind your ancient dryer.
(You'd have been better off if you'd tossed it in the fire.)
Skimming quickly through its pages, soon you saw the thing you craved,
little knowing it was you who would find herself enslaved.

As others' children left to go begging for some sweets,
you sought to entertain yourself with one especial treat.
You went into your room and bubbled up a potion,
then mixed it with some cream to concoct this haunting lotion.

The scent so arousing, the sentiment inspired,
by all your burning hopes, and your dreams, and desires.
And with the aid of beings you believed safe to enlist,
you crafted what a thing like me can't possibly resist.

It called me from the deep, and up your dirty steps,
I wake you from your sleep, your eyes go wide and next,
your throat prepares a scream; I keep it from this task
by covering your lips and sliding off my mask.

You moan as though it's tragic that what appeared is me,
well knowing that your magic is what caused this beast to be.
I lean into your body and whisper what I'll do,
then on your moonlit bedding, I lay right into you.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

She rocked us...

Pic courtesy de moi.
...like a damn hurricane.

Tuesday, October 30
I'll not bore you with the minutiae of the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy in my neck of the woods, as I imagine you've either heard stories aplenty or lived your own personal nightmare. But I will note that I've been without Internet, electricity, or hot water since just before 8pm on Monday, October 29. Commuter rails into Manhattan have been suspended since Sunday night, so I've also not been in to work.

I hand wrote this post on Tuesday, having spent two fairly quiet days at home with the 'rents. Monday was ok, as I'd had power for most of the day, but going without light has been rather surreal. I never knew how very dark one's home can feel. Add to that the fact that I've been passing the time re-reading the very gothic Lasher by Anne Rice (sequel to The Witching Hour, which I scribbled about here), and the gloom only deepens.

Strange as this enforced quiet feels, it's served as a much needed respite. Midway through October, I came down with bronchitis. Due to an inordinately full and heavy plate at work, I couldn't take any time off to recover (indeed, I've worked at least two hours past my normal quitting time, every day, for the past couple of weeks). Now, I've no choice but to relax. I hesitate to say I'm glad of it...perhaps it's best to note simply that my body and mind needed this break.

Readers, if you and/or your loved ones have been similarly stricken by Sandy, I hope things soon turn around for you and yours.

And to Sandy, I cordially extend an invitation to self-procreate. Self-procreate into a stupor, you heartless cow.

:-)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Wednesday, October 31
Happy Halloween, all youse ghouls and goblins out there! Still no power/hot water, Internet access is being paid for at a local Kinko's type place (where the fella on the PC to my left is talking to someone on his cell phone in fluently sexy French - Le swoon!). Commuter rails to start up again on a limited basis this afternoon, so it looks like I'm bound for work tomorrow morning.

I'm bummed about the continued lack of electricity, especially since it means I may possibly miss American Horror Story: Asylum tonight, but I'll cross my fingers and maybe leave an offering out for The Great Pumpkin, you know, to cover all my bases.

I did get some amazingly excellent news today, though...

I'M JACKIE FELGER'S WINNING PICK FOR SPOOKTOBERFEST!!!!!
W00T, W00T, and a thousand times W00T!!!!!!!!!!


It's the first time my writing's been publicly recognized since I started scribbilng (lo, so many moons ago), so W00000T!!!!! Thanks again to Jackie of Bouquet of Books and Dani of Entertaining Interests for hosting this blogfest and for the honor!

If you've not yet read my flash-fic submission, you can check it out here*. To read my co-winner's piece, Randomness by Von L Cid, click here. He was also a runner up for Dani, so kudos, Dude! Your story freaked me out!

Runners up are:

Carving by L.G. Keltner (Truly chilling!)

Veil Hill by Tamara (Raised the hairs on my arms, for realz!)

The Dare by Tiffany Price (Haunting! Literally!)

(*Hmmm...maybe y'all had better read these other cats' stories first and then read mine for a giggle.)

So yay, yay, and yay again, verily! I reckon sometimes good things do come to those who wait in the dark...

Edited on Thursday, Nov. 1 to add: We got electricity/hot water back Wednesday night, I WAS able to catch AHS:Asylum, and I made it in to the office today. Baby steps to normalcy, y'all! ;-)

Friday, October 26, 2012

Spooktoberfest Blog Hop!

Click here to learn more!
Welcome to...

Spooktoberfest!

This blog hop is hosted by Jackie at Bouquet of Books and Dani of Entertaining Interests. The challenge? Compose a 300-word piece of flash fiction in which you use the following five words (singular or plural):
  1. cobweb
  2. cauldron
  3. jack-o-lantern
  4. ghost
  5. razor
There are no restrictions on genre; the tale can be scary, funny, or all romantical-like, so long as it follows the above guidelines. SO, here's my entry. Hope y'all enjoy!


Crocked
by Mina Lobo
(293 Words)

    “Stupid, not-working spell.”

    “Sophia, how can you say that when the happy result sits before you?” Hecate asked, elegantly waving a hand over herself.

    My eyes shot razors at the Witch Goddess. “I wouldn’t say ‘happy.’”

    “Well, if you’re unsatisfied, you’ve only yourself to blame. Perhaps if you’d used an actual cauldron instead of that…that…what was it?”

    “A crock pot.”

    “Yes, that.” The platinum-blonde deity from ancient Greece sniffed her disdain. “Proper technique is the key to successful spell-casting, my dear.”

    “Keep your voice down, unless you want everyone at this Halloween shindig to know who you are,” I snarled.

    “I’ve nothing to hide, nor did I ask to be summoned.”

    “I didn’t summon you, I invoked the ‘Beauty of Hecate.’”

    “And here I am!” Hecate did the hand waving thing again.

    I downed my fourth (fifth?) vodka shot. If only she hadn’t been so gorgeous. The diaphanous gown Hecate wore made her look all Sexy-Ghost-Going-To-A-Very-Adult-Party, whereas my jack-o-lantern ensemble miserably failed to highlight my (dubious) assets. Damn that costume shop clerk; I’d said pumpkin colored, not—

    “Who’s that toothsome terror?”

    I took another shot, then looked. My heart sank. “That’s Troy. The reason I cast the spell.”

    Alerted by some sixth/sex sense, the muscular “werewolf” turned and locked eyes with Hecate, then goggled as she rose sinuously to her feet.

    “Well, sack my walled city,” Hecate purred, beckoning Troy with a crook of her finger.

    “Oh, no…you’re not going to—”

    “—clear the cobwebs from my cave? Oh, yes.” She gave me a lurid wink as the wolf man panted his way over to her. “Leave a torch lit for me, would you?”

    “Woof!” said Troy, proffering an arm.

    “Indeed,” said Hecate, taking it.

    And then they left me there.

    Crocked.