recovery

Watcher Doings 30

/ Liz H-H / 19 Comments
juicy tangerine wedges

Join us for a weekly blog party in Six Sentence Stories, hosted by Denise and attended by some mighty fine, fun folk. Prompt word=GROUND. Read, write and come back for more SIX SENTENCE STORIES.   (Link goes active Wed night).

(Pause to author sipping cold coffee as she gazes, dismayed, at the piles of springtime paperwork to be filed, the folder holding pages of notes from workshopping another long short story/possible novella, and emails reminding her that edits are due for a group project. The heels of her hands are cold and she realizes she needs to drape the green wool shawl over her shoulders because no sunshine today; she will not regret the last several days out walking in sunshine and snowmelt in the February false Spring.)

***  

Picture this instead: Ferah and Rockmouse have caught their breath and Rockmouse covers ground in split seconds to wrangle the other gnomes into some kind of order so that the Weber barbecue can be saved, oranges confiscated, and dinner be served up, while Ferah slips silently across pine needled ground to the shed and gently opens the door to find her brother Montay, exhausted and naked, lying on the floor in human form, bits of snakeskin stuck to his glistening skin (never shapeshift while molting; he is nauseated, too).

Continue reading →

Time 7: Goodbye

/ Liz H-H / 11 Comments

Tree of Life

She sighs, runs knobby fingers through graying hair. The increasingly wiry strands slide silky still through veined hands, and she smooths them down, twisting them into a tight knot just above the nape of her neck. Surveying the scatterings of UPS boxes, packed a little heavy for professional movers, she wonders at how a woman’s entire life can be reduced to the wreck and rubble before her. 

Or not.                  Continue reading →

Kitchen Witches

/ Liz H-H / 20 Comments

Stack of three M and M cookies, bite out of one

“Oh for Pete’s sake, Jory,” Andy groaned, watching the multi-colored candies spread across the kitchen floor. He sighed as the remaining pieces rattled and rolled under the refrigerator. The following silence? Continue reading →

A Cup Untouched

/ Liz H-H / 12 Comments
Two pitchers, one blue & one white, against a backdrop of green trees and open skies

© Ayr/Gray

From Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr’s photo prompt. The Unicorn Challenge (04/14/23). No more than 250 words in length. Otherwise, let your creative flag fly!

“You realize that you’ve likely ruined the kettle, right?” She gazed beyond the electric tea kettle and pitcher of thick milk that perched, cooling, on the apartment’s veranda rail. Green trees and blue skies spread languorously, but the sharp, slightly fishy scent of the ocean nearby intruded at the will of the wind. She’d hoped for a walk through town down the hill – they were new to the area – but the scent was making her nauseous.

“A morning like this deserves a bracing cup of coffee!” the second enthused. “Rinse the kettle thoroughly and it’ll be good as new.” Continue reading →