Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt #7 Entries: THE LINKS

The order appearing is the order in which the entry was received.

GL below stands for the reading Grade Level. Harry Potter is a GL of around 5. Tolkien is around GL 6.5.

The Writers with The Links

The Newborn
by Teresa Smeigh (Writing is my Life)
Tessa makes a mad dash to the hospital with a newborn a lot less stressful in a lot of stressful ways. Humor was the goal this week and she accomplished that, even though it wasn’t where she originally intended to go with the 7th installment of her series. 281 words. GL of 5.6.

How not to start the New Year
by KL Caley (New2Writing)
A great start for our new to the challenge member. I have a bad feeling this was based on fact rather than fiction. Isn’t that where the best humor comes from? At least she can laugh about it, or maybe this was a cathartic endeavor. 283 words and 7.3 GL.

Purple Haze
by Kat Myrman (like mercury colliding…)
Hooch for the pooch brings about an intoxicating smooch. Kat pulls out all the stops in her Humor piece this week. 255 words. 6.8 GL.

Caring For Your Schnauzer by Ima Le’Amature
by Meredith Haynes (Meredith’s Musings)
This week Meredith shares a chapter from a book that’s helped her with Nick all this time. Um, sort of. Chuckles and squeaker toys abound. You know that combination can’t be good … for the owner, not the Schnauzer. 487 words and 5.3 GL.

Stag Don’t
by Ritu (But I Smile Anyway…)
Where does her mind go for these things. The next prompt might be for her to explain what happened in this one. 142 words, 3.2 GL.

Feverish-Part One
by Melissa Barker-Simpson (Author Blog)
Talk about Cats and Dogs. Melissa gives us a sci-fi/fantasy type trip here. And it’s only part one. 1003 words and a 4.6 GL.

Cat’s Rule
by R. Todd (A Flash of Fiction)
Seeing inside the minds of Cats and Dogs. This is evil. And I somehow think it just may be true. 338 words and a 2.8 GL.

The Right and the Wrong Umbrella
by Alka Girdhar (Magnanimous Word)
Alka thought there wasn’t much humor here, but she was only being modest. Her style gives a subtle touch to humor and you begin to chuckle because you see what’s coming before she tells you. Very nice. 324 words at a GL of 4.8.

Fluffy, the Matchmaking Cat
by Michelle ‘Nato’ Lunato (Chasing Life and Finding Dreams)
Seduction, romance, humor, and a cat toy? I enjoyed this one a lot. She’s got some promise. 845 words. GL of 2.4.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out Valentine’s Day of 2016. He shares his life through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge, a new Friday Fiction Writing Prompt Challenge, and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

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@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2016

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt #5 Entries: THE LINKS

First time visiting? Click HERE for the details of the Challenge and the Free eBook Project.

The order appearing is the order in which the entry was received.

GL below stands for Grade Level. Harry Potter is a GL of around 5. Tolkien is around GL 6.5.

The Writers with The Links
Digging to China
by Clarence Holm (PrairieChat)
Clarence tells a tale of something we probably all thought of when we were kids. 307 words and a 2.9 GL, this is right on track for being in the perspective of a child.

Not now but soon
by Willow (willowdot21)
A tragic story that is all too real. With emotions and dialogue that is spot on for the story, Willow’s first attempt at flash fiction is more than a success. 410 words and a 4.5 GL make this just the right level for the target audience.

A Beautiful Life
by Geetha Prodhom (Geetha Balvannanathan’s Blog)
A wonderful nonsensical sort of tale about Spinach and a lonely young lady. I wonder if the spinach has anything to do with the lonely part? Although I love spinach, as does my son. 756 words at a GL of 6.4.

Love Me Tender
by Teresa Smeigh (Writing is my Life)
A fast pace hospital room scene. Judy has to protect her husband and her mother from revenge minded gang members. 589 words. GL of 2.7.

It will rain
by Geetha Prodhom (Geetha Balvannanathan’s Blog)
You know, sometimes a story … well you can read this one and probably know where I was going. 209 words. GL of 4.3.

Candle in the Wind
by Kat Myrman (like mercury colliding…)
A story of friendship and hard decisions. If I said much more I would reveal too much. 393 words. 2.8 GL.

The hanging tree
by Sarina (Shining Seeds)
A story about school kids and dealing with a common aspect of life these days. 1409 words. 2.2 GL.

The End or a New Beginning
by Meredith Haynes (Meredith’s Musings)
A couple+A party+Late Again=What? Meredith’s first trip into the challenge. 441 words and 3.2 GL. You would swear from the amount of emotion and storytelling there would be a larger word count.

Strong Enough
by Florence Thum (Meanings and Musings)
Florence chose a poem that is a story at the same time.

Don’t Let Go
by Ritu (But I Smile Anyway…)
We have a story of an event that will haunt a person forever. Good imagery and pace. 287 words, 4.4 GL.

Christmas Stockings
by Greg Wolford (Potholes in the Road of Life)
An interesting story. Know Greg as I do I can see one possible reason for a story like this. It’s still a tough story to put out there. But I think it is a needed one. I believe parents should read them one for sure. 1441 words and 4.7 GL. I think this one read quicker than the word count might imply.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out Valentine’s Day of 2016. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge, a new Friday Fiction Writing Prompt Challenge, and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt #4 Entries: THE LINKS

First time visiting? Click HERE for the details of the Challenge and the Free eBook Project.

The order appearing is the order in which the entry was received.

The Writers with The Links

The Escalator
by Clarence Holm (PrairieChat)
Clarence takes a trip back in time to a day out with his mother. From the comments left as of this review, he captured exactly the right feel. Memories abound for the readers.

Ice Cream Tummy Aches
by Kat Myrman (like mercury colliding)
This one gives attention to an all too common part of society. Memories will come flooding in for some, while others reading need comprehend and apply what they discover here.

It’s Not Happening
by Ritu Bhathal (But I Smile Anyway)
Much like Kat in the previous entry, Ritu takes a similar subject and approaches it from a different angle. This one is also very common and parents need to read this and understand it. Children all over the world react this way every day and carry these traits into adulthood.

Judy and John: Part 4-The Hospital Under Siege
by Teresa Smeigh (Writing is my Life)
Tessa continues her series with our couple in more uncomfortable moments than the title suggests.

Betrayal
by Carol Campbell (WritersDream9)
Carol goes extreme with keeping her piece under 100 words. A story of the inner turmoil of a woman betrayed represented by the world around her. A very nice story idea.

Buried
by Melissa Barker-Simpson (Author Blog)
What has this woman gotten herself into? Will you figure it out before times up?

Crocodiles
by Jane Dougherty (Jane Dougherty Writes)
Corcodiles, stags, and magpies all in a row. What brings the smile to a little boy’s face?

Double Standards
by Janni Styles (JanniStyles1)
You know, I witness this type of thing in my own home. I observe and have begun to point out the times it does happen.

Button Holed
by Melinda Kucsera
A scene from the world Melinda’s created. Also part of an advent series she is doing. I think you’ll want to read the other parts after this one.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge, a new Friday Fiction Writing Prompt Challenge, and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

Stripping for Fiction.

If you’ve never written Flash Fiction you’re missing out on one of the best tools to achieve what Literary Agents, Editors, and Publishers are looking for, the art of Show Don’t Tell.

How to Write Flash Fiction

A major mistake when writing is to look at word count. We want to write a novel, or at least a novella, but that is where we fall prey to bad writing. I advise you to either turn off the word count on your writing program, or put something over it so you can’t see it. I have mine turned off.

Let the story tell the story until it’s finished. That’s your first draft.

After the first draft is when you begin to cut the fat out and get to the healthy parts of your story. For Flash Fiction, this means your story becomes shorter, tighter. That could mean the same thing for novel length writing as well. There is nothing wrong with writing every single thought you have, every scene you have in your mind during your first draft. You don’t know what might be the best for your final draft.

To write Flash Fiction:

  • Write a scene as you normally would
  • Then strip it down to under 600 words or 300 words, whatever the prompt or your goal is.
  • If you can do this and still convey everything the reader needs to know and feel you have accomplished your mission and saved your Agent/Editor and yourself a lot of work later on.

How do you strip a scene down?

  • Get rid of unneeded adverbs.
    • Adverbs are okay sometimes. However, most of the time they can be done away with.  “The boy casually strolled along the path.” Casually could be okay to use, or you might look at the word strolled and realize it implies a slow pace, a casual pace of walking. Another example might be “The girl abruptly stopped in the street.” The idea is the girl stopped in the street.
    • Very and really are two overused adverbs.
  • Write in an active voice, not passive.
    • An example of an active sentence-The boy shot the ball.
    • The same sentence in passive is-The ball was shot by the boy.
    • Notice you have the noun directing the action instead of the result directing. With the active voice, there are two less words than the passive voice.
    • You can set up your Word program in Microsoft to check for passive voice. To see how, click HERE for
  • Remove unnecessary dialogue tags.
    • If you have a conversation between two people and you have established early on who the people are, you don’t need he said or she said constantly. Keep in mind not to insert the name of the people in conversation early on to establish genders and the like. If you have a long dialogue exchange, I would insert a name in the dialogue or an action including the person’s name to reinforce the order of speakers.
  • Write language not English.
    • When you write conversations, write how people talk. You don’t need to have every person speak properly and according to your spellcheck and grammar check. We don’t all speak that way every moment of our lives, especially with friends.

We think more is better but in reality, it’s what you say and how you say it rather than how much you say that matters. Choose your words wisely. Close your eyes and just begin to type what you see of the scene and then come back and work it.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

© Copyright-All rights reserved by Ronovan Hester 2015

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt #3 Entries: THE LINKS

Update! The Free eBook Project will be through Smashwords and/or Amazon. This is an update to include Smashwords. The reason being, Amazon, as far as I can tell at the moment, only offers FREE eBooks all the time as a price match option. Smashwords offers it all the time and a great many ways to download and read, including Kindle. Click HERE for the details.

As we continue with these challenges I’ll find a balance between blurbs and my insanity at reviewing and hopefully bring some entertainment to the table.

The order appearing is the order in which the entry was received.

The Writers with The Links
Fear of Flying
by Kat Myrman (like mercury colliding)
The title gives you a bit of an idea as to the story. Kat shows her writing experience here very well. No passive writing and she keeps the reader engaged. Also, there are no unneeded extras to take away from the story and feeling. Very nice. A MUST READ!

Mile High Club
by Ritu (But I Smile Anyway)
With a title like that, do you need to ask? Yes you do. Go check it out. Ritu and her imagination shining through.

Judy and John-The Flight: Part 3
by Terese Dean Smeigh (Writing is my Life.)
Part Three of the story has an interesting turn of events. I doubt anyone saw this coming.

A safe place
by Jane Dougherty (Jane Dougherty Writes)
An interesting bit of fantasy, of sorts, this week from our author, Jane. Going in a direction few would think, and some may even wonder now what direction that is. I find the leaving of a certain element in the unknown for the individual to discern allows one to learn how one thinks about life and situations.

Number 26
by Clarence Holm (PrairieChat)
Clarence publishes his first ever, shared piece of fiction. A first person account of a situation, the story pulls the reader in through emotional as well as physical detail. I know the disturbing aspects of writing a work like this on the author. Perhaps that’s why I go there so few times these days. A MUST READ!

Chicken
by Melissa Barker-Simpson (Author Blog)
Melissa brings some action with a touch of comedy with her first entry in the Friday Fiction challenge. You can tell there is experience behind the writing of this fast-paced ride. Her fans are loving her return to sharing her short fiction.

Takeoff
by Melinda Kucsera (in medias res)
Melinda manages to incorporate the prompt into her story world nicely. The descriptions of environment are well done and one is almost able to see it all.

Cupid’s Arrow~Take Two
by Michelle Lunato (Chasing Life and Finding Dreams)
Nato’s first entry into the challenge and she gives us a story about first loves reuniting. We see realistic thoughts surrounding the situation, not a fairy tale story.

Take Off
by ShidaTahirah (876LoveR)
Shida flips the point of view this week. Normally we see the feminine side of things, now the masculine comes through. A contemporary and realistic story with a surprise ending.

Memento
by Florence T (Meanings and Musings)
Florence gives a family moment that may be all to real these days. There is almost the taking of a headline and peeking behind it to what happens where the cameras and the reporters don’t reach and don’t seem to care.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge, a new Friday Fiction Writing Prompt Challenge, and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com. For my own take on the prompt, and my last entry in the Friday Fiction challenges, visit my new site dedicated to fiction writing, WritingsByRonovan and the story UPSIDE DOWN: Part Two-The Flyby.

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@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

The Flyby.

“Hey, Rob. You with me man?” I focused my attention, a return trip from lost in space.

“Sorry, Phil. Not all here at the moment.” An understatement if ever there was one.

Understanding showed in my friend’s eyes. “No worries. I was only talking about plans for after we land. These conventions are great for connections and a few The Flyby by Ronovan Hesterbook sales but I like hitting a few spots not on the agenda.”

His smile made it evident to me his spots and my spots would not connect to form a picture of Central Park and the historic apartment buildings adjacent. “I plan to tour the city and get a feel for some of the architecture and people, take some notes, get the atmosphere of it all for a book idea I have swirling around in this old brain of mine.”

“Rob, you need to have some fun, and I don’t mean with buildings and tour guides, unless the tour guide is a little blonde.”

Friend is not the right word to describe the affiliation Phil Marks and I have. We both belong to the same writing group in the area. And when traveling, we did so together to have company and sometimes to split costs of rooms and fees. Colleagues, that’s the right word to use.

“Not quite up for that.” I didn’t smile. I was not in the habit of encouraging things I didn’t like. Why placate?

“I get it. It takes time. It took me almost a month after my split before I got back in the game.” Phil turned and focused on the security process of the busiest airport in the world.

He did not get it. It was not about recovering from a divorce, it was my not being a party guy. I liked my quiet time, visiting historic places in the cities I traveled to, and taking my notes for future books that might never happen.

Phil wrote books to get one thing, I wrote to get something else. Those two things were about as far from each other as one could get. You could tell from our books’ topics what those reasons for writing were.

Phil passed through and it was my turn.

~*~

“Mom, we’re fine. You enjoy yourself.”

John hugged me and stepped back. “You take care of your sister, understand?” I attempted a stern look. I failed.

“That’s Uncle Drew’s job. I’ve got a game to focus on, not some princess. Ow!”

“Don’t call me princess!” Lena uncurled her fist and hugged me even tighter than her brother had. “I want a T-shirt, okay?”

“I knew there was something behind the ferocity of the hug.” I smiled and looked at the beautiful girl, almost eye to eye with me. A few more months and I would be the shortest in the family.

“No, but a shirt would be cool.”

“I know, dear. Drew, are you certain these two will not be a trouble?”

My younger brother shook his head. “With my brood, who’s going to notice two more?”

“If this had only been next weekend their father would have them and no imposing on you.” There were still a few sorting pains over the managing of situations such as this. The divorce was going along fine, but the little things still popped up that were new and caused brief headaches. Precedents could not be set to undermine the plans put in place. This weekend was my responsibility.

“Just go. You’ll miss your flight.”

Drew and I hugged the quick hug of adult siblings, and with a smile and wave, I turned, pulled my bag behind me, and joined the queue for the security check. My mind went to the sites I wanted to see after landing. Traveling alone had its advantages. There would be no biggest whatever store in the world for me.

I looked up and caught the security people looking at me. Great, I was going to get extra attention, again. And then there were the disadvantages.

~*~

“Mind me taking the window?” Phil sat and stared through the small glass panel.

“No, I’ll most likely take a nap.”

“Awesome, thanks.”

They do not make planes with people my height in mind. Not even seated yet, my knees hinted at not being able to stretch when needed. I glanced up to the other passengers making their way to their seats. Now that, is the height I would like to be for flights.

Dark hair swirled around and I could see the woman’s face. Pretty. I’m glad Phil was looking out the window, I knew what he would say, and I did not want to hear it. She was classy looking, intelligent. Phil would spoil it with some vulgar suggestions.

She glanced up before turning to sit down. A weird feeling went through me.

~*~

Do I know him? He has that look on his face as if he knows me. Something about him is familiar. But I’m mistaken for someone people know all the time. So many Americans cannot tell the difference from one Asian nation to the next. But he does look familiar.

~*~

This is going to drive me insane. Where do I know her from? The headache was beginning. It would be a migraine before New York. Why couldn’t I let mysteries stay mysteries?



My entry for the Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt Challenge. Also a continuation of a story begun last week in The Library Date. Also visit Using Proofing To Help Your Fiction Diction & More! for some tips in regards to tools to assist you in improving your writing.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge , a Weekly Fiction Prompt Challenge, and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt #2 Entries: THE LINKS

Update! The Free eBook Project will be through Smashwords and/or Amazon. This is an update to include Smashwords. The reason being, Amazon, as far as I can tell at the moment, only offers FREE eBooks all the time as a price match option. Smashwords offers it all the time and a great many ways to download and read, including Kindle. Click HERE for the details.

As we continue with these challenges I’ll find a balance between blurbs and my insanity at reviewing and hopefully bring some entertainment to the table.

The order appearing is the order in which the entry was received.

The Writers with The Links
The Legend of Wolf’s Crossing Lodge
by Kat Myrman (like mercury colliding)
An awesomely spooky story using all six prompt words. Kat creates the perfect atmosphere to help the story go to that next level. All this achieved in a short story. A MUST READ!

The Library Date
by Ronovan Hester (Ronovan Writes)
My entry this week. Love comes and goes in glances and heartbeats. We’ve all been there. I like to say comedy is present from beginning to end, you can decide for yourself, but there is also that uncomfortable awkwardness that makes things painful to watch because you want to tell the main character what to do. Or at least that’s how I feel.

I Thought We Were Forever
by Ritu (But I Smile Anyway)
This is a story about a woman who discovers her husband of so many years is moving on with love without her being included in that part of his life. The how she finds out is very much today. Ritu mentions in the comments the ending somewhat created itself. It’s a surprise ending in a way. At least the woman’s reasoning is surprising to me. GREAT READ!

Judy and John—The Newlyweds
by Teresa Dean Smeigh (Writing is my Life)
Part two of Teresa’s work, although it can stand alone. Judy and John are enjoying a moment as newlyweds when disaster strikes.

Staircase to Nowhere
by Melinda Kucsera (in medias res)
This week Melinda shares a scene from an upcoming Kindle eBook. One of her characters comes upon a strange object, well not so much strange as strangely located.

The Cabin
by Michelle (The Journey)
Thanksgiving memories shared in this particular tale. Some legitimate life situations, emotions, and all that comes with them are shared in this Thanksgiving memory filled tale. But don’t think you know anything. Just when you think you know, Michelle throws in a twist.

Movie Night: Part Two
by Greg (Potholes in the Road of Life)
Greg continues his story, although it can be a stand alone piece, with this quick read about how one young woman handles her man being far from home. And she does it in a most constructive way. At least I think so.

Laila’s Brother
by Alka Girdhar (Magnanimous Words)
An almost behind the scenes look at the headlines of today. I’ve often thought of something like this. What goes through the mind of a mother when she sees her adult son in the headlines and on the news around the world? GREAT READ!

What a Mess
by Shida Tahirah (876LoveR)
A cozy time is had by Shida’s two characters in the story. But if you focus on the end you miss what is being said throughout. There is some social commentary in this one and we get how people react to things in today’s world. Even if today’s world in the story is in 2017. And no, it’s not a Science Fiction Futuristic piece.

Dust Devil: the whole story
by Jane Dougherty (Jane Dougherty Writes)
Jane brings science fiction to the challenge this week. I know Jane’s writing through the retelling of Irish legends in a book I reviewed and then had the pleasure of her answering a few questions for an interview. This work is a complete surprise in genre. MUST READ!

To live another day
by Florence T (Meanings and Musings)
An interesting piece in first person voice. I wonder if the speaker is insane, honest, or perhaps both. A surprise of an ending and in truth a surprise of a story. Very Nice.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

 

This Week with Ronovan Writes!

In case you missed anything click and go!

haiku-challenge-image
71st HAIKU CHALLENGE COVER&COLOR
We Color The World A Haiku-Ronovan
HAIKU POEM “We Color the World” a Tribute to Paris
Copyright HaikuHound.WordPress.Com
A BLOG WORTH KNOWING-HaikuHound
The Writers with The Links
FRIDAY FICTION LINKS from Challenge #1
Southern Serenade by Ronovan Hester
Southern Serenade: A Work of Fiction
Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes
Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Challenge #2
The Library Date: A Flash Fiction Story
The Library Date: A Flash Fiction Story

The Library Date

The Library Date: A Flash Fiction Story

“Where you get that weave at?”

“Weave? Girl, you better hush. This ain’t no weave. I am all natural goddess.” I watched the two girls a few tables away. This was not going in a good direction.

“Girl, you the one better hush. Tellin’ me to hush. They got them so tight you can’t even blink. Go ahead and try. That is, if you can stop slappin’ your all ‘natural’ head long enough.”

“OOOOO, that was a burn for sure. She got her good with that one, Mac.”

I stood and put my backpack on my shoulder. “I’m out of here. They’re going to fight and I don’t want to be anywhere near it. Besides, I have a paper to research.”

My Italian-American baseball scholarship best friend wasn’t taking the hint that he should go too. “You go ahead. I’ll record anything that happens and post it. If it’s good, that is.”

“Don’t get caught in the middle of it or coach will eat you alive.”

He glanced away from the girls and up at me. “You worry too much. These are the last years we get to enjoy ourselves before being adults for real. Lighten up man. Find a girl. Go on a date. Kiss her. Do something. All books and no play makes Mac a depressed watch dog of a friend. Besides this is a girl fight. And you know what that means.” He put the sly smile on his face. Why did I choose him as my best friend?

I cast a last look toward the girls and saw the signs a fight was about to happen. Each was standing, had one hand on a hip, the other hand up with a finger working in the face of the other, and the head was going. I’d tried to do the head thing myself, for fun, but it was too painful. Men weren’t supposed to do that. Maybe it had something to do with women and their ability to look after children and families so well. They needed to see in all directions at the same time.

“See you later.” I zipped my jacket and headed away from anxiety central. There was always something going on here.

The air was crisp when I stepped outside the student center. Fall on campus was one of my favorite times. Light filtered through the orange and gold leaves and speckled the ground in front of me. Now where should I go?

I told Tony I needed to research so I could get away from the mayhem, but I did need to get that paper done. I couldn’t afford to burn the one lowest grade drop Dr. Goddard gave us for the semester. With two tests left before finals, I needed to do my best on something I had complete control over, just in case. I did not want to lose my 4.0. That meant, library time, and my date.

An hour passed with my head bent over a book. I loved history, a lot, but I wasn’t sure why I needed to know that old Louis didn’t want to conceive with Marie Antoinette, and her brothers showed up to get him drunk and circumcise him. Okay, so I know why I needed to know, but after almost four years of study, the details were beginning to play on my nerves. But the class was better than the Bosnia & Serbian class last semester. I never wanted to know the exact details of impaling and now I would never forget them. The guy Dracula was based on was one sick puppy.

My neck and back felt the pain of study or maybe I was having a sympathy pain in the neck for old Marie. Rotating my head to relieve some of the pain, a flash of silver caught my attention. The real reason I was in the library sat one table in front of me.

I didn’t know her name, was too scared to ask. She arrived every day at this time, sat at that table, and studied. She was beautiful, brainy, and real. But she was unreal at the same time. The necklace she wore seemed to signal me of her presence every time. I wasn’t even sure how the light reflected off it, but I was happy it did. That reflection had caught my eye that first time last semester.

Her hair was that dark brown so dark it looked black, and she was the most delicate looking creature I’d ever seen. But there was something strong about the look in her eyes as she read, and the way she sat. The way she moved between book and paper and drinking her bottle of water told of her determination and intelligence. I’d never seen her with anything other than water to drink. That must explain her skin.

Her head moved and I looked back down at my book. She almost caught me. My ears were beginning to burn. I hope she didn’t notice. If she did then she would know I had been staring at her.

~*~

Why doesn’t he talk to me? Does he not like me? Is it because I’m not from here? Americans can be so weird sometimes. I’ve been here every day since I saw him that time. Maybe I’m not pretty enough or he thinks I study so much because I’m not smart enough. Couldn’t he just say hello once? It must be warm in here, his neck and face are flushing. He should take that jacket off.

The Library Date: Flash FictionFor my Friday Fiction Prompt Challenge.

(For those who may wonder if I am trying to stereotype people during the beginning exchange, just ask women who have a weave done what happens. They have to have it done tightly so it lasts and you can’t scratch your head at that point so you pat your head to stop it from itching. If looks funny because if you don’t know what’s going on it looks like they are slapping themselves.)



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge, a Weekly Friday Fiction Prompt Challenge, and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

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@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt #1 Entries: THE LINKS

Nine responses to the first Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes. I call that better than expected. You will notice this is more of a round-up than a review. Being that these are long works of fiction and so many aspects of writing could be commented on, I felt it best to give the links and a blurb about each piece. The story ideas for each had their own merits. And as with my own work, we each had areas we could improve upon. But then, that is one reason we are doing this. One reason all writers do challenges, to keep improving.

As we continue with these challenges I’ll find a balance between blurbs and my insanity at reviewing and hopefully bring some entertainment to the table.

The order appearing is the order in which the entry was received.

The Writers with The Links

That sinking feeling.
by Ritu (But I Smile Anyway)
Our first entry in a brand new challenge, we have a story you might want to keep reading until the end. Ritu throws a curve. | A young woman on a voyage finds herself falling for the ship’s captain when nature takes its course. A familiar story with a very modern twist.

Movie Night
by Greg (Potholes in the Road of Life)
A modern military version of a love letter home. In Movie Night, Greg gives us an idea of how life has changed in some ways for today’s soldier while the core remains the same.

Southern Serenade
by Ronovan (Ronovan Writes)
An untold scene from a work in progress.

Saved by the Chocolate
by Sarina (Shining Seeds)
A young woman brings her fiancé to her family for the first time. And there is some explaining to do.

The Man in the Captain Uniform
by Michelle (The Journey)
A piece of flash fiction about a little girl and her father in his military uniform.

Heart of Gold
by Shida Tahirah (876LoveR)
A shy Jamaica romance between a man, woman, and a beach at sunset.

Judy and John
by Tessa Dean Smeigh (Writing is my Life)
Judy is on the beach when John arrives home. A small disaster happens with an even bigger ending.

As always
by Florence (Meanings and Musings)
A seductive rendezvous is told from the view of the woman arriving at a surprise destination.

Captive Dragon
by Melinda Kucsera (in medias res)
A fantasy story set in a world of her own making, with a character from her previous work.



Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

Southern Serenade.

Southern Serenade by Ronovan Hester

The hand carved swing was beneath the trees along the back fence line and I let my body and the wood find each other in their common curves, as I knew was the thought behind its creation.

The early fall night was cooler than I had expected, but cooler rather than hot was a good thing. The temperatures were higher than usual for this time of year.

The candle flame wavered slightly on the tree stump used for a table. He’d thought of everything. A lot more of everything than I knew about, even now.

The flame didn’t do much for reading, but that wasn’t why it was here. There was something warm about it. The kind of warm a heart needs, not the flesh. Staring into the flame could help a person get lost for a while. But I had been lost for too long. I was searching. I wanted, I needed to find.

Crickets chirped a Southern serenade. I drifted between their harmonies and the dancing of the flame. If asked I would’ve sworn the swing moved, although I knew it didn’t. At least not by my doing. The flame grew large and then small again, back and forth, with the size changing as if in time with my heartbeat.

A sky filled with dots of dreams and wishes, twinkling their good luck and smiles down on those they were intended for. Those dreams, those wishes burned bright and rained down to a place between the flame and me. The serenade grew louder. One wave after another assaulted my peace.

An ocean roared and waves crashed against the hull chasing the moon. A voice called and I turned. Dark hair moved and sun bronzed cheeks glowed in the moonlight, lips parted an—

“Sis?”

I jerked. Two figures stood over me, each with an arm around the other and looking down at me. “What time is it?”

“About 9:30. We stopped by Mom and Dad’s and got caught up in talk. Sorry we’re late.” Blue eyes of our father searched the eyes I’d inherited from our mother.

“And your mom had lasagna made.” The young woman rubbed the man’s stomach.

“Shh, you weren’t supposed to mention that part.” Mother’s lasagna was his kryptonite.

I smiled up at the miniature version of our father. “You two are lucky you got out of there this early, considering you two were together. Wait until they find out.”

“Well, it was a bit uncomfortable, but they were doing their best to talk about anything and everything other than something.”

My brother and I both looked at my best friend then at each other and then back again. “That was amazing.”

“What?”

“Sis means you just made so much sense while saying so much nonsense. You could be my partner in a law firm one day. ” He leaned down and kissed her the top of her hair. His lips lingered. I could see him inhaling her scent. He had wasted so many years not realizing she had been right in front of him … waiting.

He turned, a grin of joy, a look of bliss on his face. His eyes caught mine and frowned.

“Don’t you dare.” I held up a warning finger. “It’s okay. My turn will be soon enough. I know it. It has to be. After all these years, he can’t give up now.”

“It would take an army to stop him.”

The golden glow of the candle blurred. “But that’s what they have.” Arms wrapped around me and the stirring of the wind blew out the flame. My world plunged into darkness. The stars were dim compared to the heart of the flame. Even when it couldn’t be seen.


 

This is my entry into my first Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes Prompt Challenge. The story is one you can choose to have it fit in the manner you wish for it to. I hadn’t planned for this to be a Be Writing on Wednesday post but it’s the day I was able to have it ready for.



I don’t write about something unless I am either interested in the subject or am part of the character make up of the cast. For today’s story I looked around and believe I found an appropriate quote.

“What I can say is that all my characters are searching for their souls, because they are my mirrors. I’m someone who is constantly trying to understand my place in the world, and literature is the best way that I found in order to see myself.”~Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho Quote of Characters Searching for SoulsVisit SilverThreading.Com for more quotes this week.


 

Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

Bag O’bones-Biddle

black cat transparent
 
 
Ticky tocky ricky rocky
The cat hummed its favorite tune
Watching from overhead
All snug in its rafter bedLarge-Cat-Paw-Transparent-left-down
It knew dinner would be coming soon.

Pebbles rittled and rattled
Night mice skittled and skedaddled
The man skipped to the beat of his head
Though the house up ahead was in gloomLarge-Cat-Paw-Transparent-right-down
And the beaten head needed a bed.
 
Bag O’bones-Biddle
Watched the skipping man’s skediddle
A smile spread across his big shroom
He turned to stoke the cooling fire
And swept up ashes with a broom.
 Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-left-down
“Greetings  my good dear friend,”
The man said to O’Bones-Biddle as if kin.
“Might I partake of a spare piece of floor?
As the night has come on quickly
And I find myself without safety of a door.”
 Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-right-down
The answer was yes,
O’bones-Biddle was quick to confess.
“Pardon the house it’s not as I wish.
My keeper has all but left.
But he makes a delicious dish.”
 
The night’s dinner was thin
“Too much is a sin.”
The skipping man said in fun.
“Or so the saying goes”Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-left-down
O’bones-Biddle nodded. “It’s a good one.”
 
“I wonder this night,
If by chance you just might,
Help an old man such as me?”
Bag’s spoke in a voice
To bring pity upon one such as he.
 Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-right-down
“Of course I may,
Anything you might say,
Of this grateful stranger.”
The man did smile
Not the least aware his danger.
 
“I hope it’s not much trouble.
With two we may carry double,
And the fire will be stocked up as could be.”
Bag O’bones-Biddle went out the door.Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-left-down
The man belched, sated and hunger free.
 
“Pardon me, your dinner was divine,
It was the best I’ve had in quite some time.”
“Thank you, kind sir. It was the last in my larder.”
But to fill it once again,
I need not look much farther or harder.”
 Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-right-down
Ticky tocky ricky rocky
The cat hummed its favorite tune
Watching from overhead
From its rafter bed
Shaking its head at the buffoon.
 
First one load then two
Back and forth the men flew.
Wood stacking up higher.
“What all of this
You could build a bonfire.”
 Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-left-down
“Oh no, dear me,
I am no one for a party.
But I like to be prepared for a dish.”
Bag O’bones-Biddle took up is fiddle,
“I’ll play whatever you wish.”
 
“Oh, I don’t think so.
It’s time for bed, you know.”
And the man looked about for a way.
O’bones-Biddle, ignored the denialLarge-Cat-Paw-Transparent-right-down
And with a drawing he began to play.
 
“Ticky Tocky Ricky Rocky
That was what me Mum sung.
Ticky Tocky Ricky Rocky
Until the day she was hung.”
Bag O’bones-Biddle played and hummed.
 
The man danced and danced,
Though the music was un-balanced.
“What are you doing to me, you’re mad?
I can’t do this much more,
Or me heart will burst and I’ll be had.”
 Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-left-down
Bag O’bones Biddle stepped to the man,
His hands fiddled as fast as a fan.
The man backed his back away,
Toward the rolling boil,
Whose fire had helped stoke to stay.
 
The cat sat and it watched through the pane.
Seeing nothing as wrong but all for its gain.
For it knew it would not be too long,
Once the fiddle began,
And heard Bag O’bones-Biddles’ mum’s song.

Large-Cat-Paw-Transparent-right-down
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 

Ronovan Hester is an author, with his debut historical adventure novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling due out in December of 2015. He shares his life as an amnesiac and Chronic Pain sufferer through his blog RonovanWrites.WordPress.com. His love of poetry, authors and community through his online world has lead to a growing Weekly Haiku Challenge and the creation of a site dedicated to book reviews, interviews and author resources known as LitWorldInterviews.com.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

@RonovanWrites

© Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

In Search of Life #FlashFiction

“You’re such a liar.”

“Shut up. You have NO idea what you’re talking about.” I didn’t care if he did or not, but I wasn’t in the mood for anything he had to say right now.

There was only one problem with that. “That empty hole in your chest, the cold-hollow ache in your bones like a cancer…you know what it is.”  He just never knows when to shut up and didn’t give a crap about my moods.

“This is none of your business, so for the last time shut it.” If I clenched my teeth any tighter they would break.

“This is just as much mine as yours. I’m just not the coward here who’s afraid to admit the truth.”  I hated him. I wasn’t a coward, I just didn’t want to hurt again. I didn’t want the tidal waves to come pounding back in where her love had left from me.

“Ever think about what-ifs?” I didn’t expect or wait for an answer. “I live on them. They are my protein that keep me alive.”

“I know that, Walker. You think that’s news to me? You think I don’t know about your every feeling of dread at every wasted second without her?” If anyone would know it was him.

“I’m tired. This tornado of emotions I live, not knowing when the next moment will be…it hurts.”

“Which hurts worse…pain of never knowing or the pain after the joy of having her for those few brief moments? That is what you need to decide.”

“I already made my decision. Don’t you know that, Mr. Know-Everything? Would I be like this if I hadn’t? Do you think I could live without her…even if having her is for only minutes at a time?” I hated him. Why couldn’t he let me wallow in my self pity?

“I know all of that. I’m here to keep reminding you of it…lest you forget it.” I slammed the notebook shut.

READ ME NOW!

I stared at those words on the cover–words I had been reading for years.

Gripping the notebook in both hands, I tore it in half with only the binding keeping the two pieces together. The small trash can beside the hotel bed rattled and rocked from the fall of the notebook into it.

I didn’t want to read any more.

Walker: In Search of Life by Ronovan

(Tales from my drafts folder. I rarely share my fiction. I know good writing when I see it. But with limited computer abilities right now I thought I would show you why I review books and do interviews.)

© Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com 2015

A Cry For Help Ignored.

Christian Flash Weekly Event #40 From Christian Weekly.

A Flash Fiction Challenge.

Prompt and Word Limits for Event #40
Length: 1-150 words
Prompt: John 11:35 (KJV)
Jesus wept.

 

“I’m so confused,” Charlie said.

“Sup, man?” I asked.

“Dude, I just don’t know anymore. Parents have been dogging me about everything. I don’t think I can take it much longer.” His hands kept clenching and unclenching.

“Not a problem, man. You know all parents are like that. They just trying to get to you. Maybe trying to help too, in their own weird way.” I laughed a little, hoping to lighten the mood.

“It ain’t funny. You know I ain’t going to put up with it much longer. I can’t take it. I gotta do something.”

I knew he wasn’t joking. “Dude, just chill til tomorrow. I gotta go now, but text me later, okay?”

“Sure, man. Yeah.”

In the car Mom could tell I was upset. “What’s wrong Jeremy?”

“Nothing, Mom.”

“We have to be at church early before Youth Group tonight, so we’re going to just run through somewhere for fast food, okay?”

“Sure, Mom.”

Jesus wept.

 

As a former youth pastor I tried so hard to show my kids how to reach out to others, how to share their faith, how to talk to people, how to simply invite someone to the Youth Group on Wednesdays to have some fun and ease into church. It was a frustrating time. We even went out and visited people in the hopes of making a connection. But it was difficult when the Youth didn’t know where their friends lived. But we still tried. Tuesdays we would load up the van and go visiting and Wednesdays we would gather for our studies and activities.

It wasn’t just about more kids in church that was my biggest concern. It was about helping them. I knew there were dozens, hundreds of kids out there needing help. But with a church body that wasn’t as a whole as concerned about young people, the lack of empathy was absorbed by the youth themselves. Yes, there are many who care but too many that don’t.

ronovan-writes-signature-black

 

 

@RonovanWrites

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The L.A.W. is Thrilled to be Trippin’. Who said that?

AmiraTL3CatTL3ElenaTL3JennaTL3KateTL3Credit: Freefoto.com

 

 

 

 

 

The last time with the L.A.W. Ronovan and the team faced off against zombies as they made their way toward the home of a key person behind the missing U’s and other letters threatening to make their friend Hugh disappear back in Britain. Just as they thought everything was finally okay they faced offed against an even bigger

“Thanks guys,” said Amira with a wave and a chin thrust. We had Thrillered for at last 10 blocks with the Zombie Horde as they showed us how to find our destination.

“No probs, A. Mak, just make sure I get that signed copy of The Reaping,” said the leader of the dance troop. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the Musical Comedy theater production they had developed. Thriller meets Walking Dead meets Dirty Dancing. Would Baby eat her Daddy for putting her in the corner? Would she fall apart when lifted in the air? Would Johnny melt when he rehearsed in the river? Were Zombies afraid of water? Wait, was the Wicked Witch of the West a Zombie? Whoa!

“Ronovan?” I shook my head at the sound of the voice. Turning I saw hazel eyes staring into mine.

“Um, ya?” I asked Kate.

“Just checking. You had the concussed look like my daughter Molly used to get when dropped on her head as a flier in cheer.”

“Pretty close. I think I’ve been in Lubbock too long. I’m not all that thrilled to be here.”

“Muahahahaha!” Elena was cracking up. “Not ‘thrilled’. Zombies. Thriller. Hahahaahahahaa.”

“I think brain chick has been here to long too,” said Cat as she flexed her fingers.

“Well we’re here now,” I said, finally shaking off weird thoughts. “Let’s see if Cyril Bussiere is home.” I knocked on the door.

“What do you want?!”

I had not been expecting that kind of answer nor that accent. “You sure this is the right address?” I asked Elena.

“Yep. See the Napoleon shaped door knocker?”

I squinted. “Is that who it is? I thought it was Marlon Brando,” I said.

“It ain’t no Marlon Brando or  Nappy Poleon,” said the female voice behind the door.

“Then who is it?” I asked, figuring at least talking was something.

“Dennis Hopper, C.B. loved him some Speed. He watched that movie until the tape done broke in two and then had to get a DVD one.”

“Um, is C.B, I mean is Cyril home? We’re friends of his and kind of need to talk to him,” I said.

“That boy done gone and took off for the FeFe land. Scoundrel that he is. Gave me chocolates and nylons and then throws me to the side.” The door opened and the largest woman I had ever seen was in the door. Now I know people like to say that, but this woman was about 6’9″ and weighed easily 500 lbs. I don’t think there was much fat. She was round with what her Momma gave her. I’ll just say that.

“Urr, um, were you and Cyril . . .,” I began.

“Honey, that man done had me cleaning this apartment for him and that little sweet thing of a wife of his for a year now, and then he just up and leaves. Now what am I supposed to do for a job? Tell me that. Well what you standin’ there lookin’ like some fool who done seen the second comin’ of the Manga Carter.”

I was speechless. I really had no idea what to say to that. I really had no idea really what she was saying and coming from me that is saying a lot, if you really think about it. Things get kind of random around here.

“I know, I know!” We all turned and squinted.

“Honey, you best be turnin’ out them lights,” said the woman. “And put that hand down. This ain’t no class room. Wavin’ your hand like you some kindercare with a need to go number one or somethin’.”

“Sorry,” said Jenna as she put her hand over her smile and lowered the hand that had been waving in the air for attention. “But I bet that dance troop we just left could use some help. They mentioned something about cleaning out some store over on 5th and Walker.”

The woman reached inside and grabbed a bag and stormed out past us. There was silence as we all stared in stunned amazement that it, she moved.

“Okay,” said Amira. “Get going and search the house. C.B, I mean Cyril has obviously skipped the country but we need to find out all we can here before we head out.”

“But if he’s left already we are way behind,” said Cat.

“We have a way,” said Elena as she started dialing a number on the wrist thingy she had on.

The rest of us started searching the place. “Oh look, a Blue Moon,” said Kate.

We all looked at her as we knew the moon was white and shining tonight. She looked back at us and saw the confusion. “See,” she said holding up the bottle. “His favorite beer. I think it’s the Belgian thing about it. Nasty stuff, don’t you think?” She asked as she threw it out the window.

“I got something,” said Amira from a back room. We all rushed down the hallway.

“Looks like he’s been studying up on Oreos and their ingredients. I think these are recipes and he substituted these chemicals for some of the real ones or at least added them,” she said.

Kate leaned over her shoulder to look. She was the ingredient expert seeing as how she was the resident health nut. “If those things are what I think they are then they would add no taste to the Oreos or change the color and actually help burn calories as well.”

“Hugh is addicted to those things,” said Jenna. “Every time there is coffee there has to be some Oreos or some type of biscuit, as he likes to say.” She controlled the smile so it was just a grin. The strain was amazing and we were afraid she was going to pull a dimple muscle. It had happened before from what I had heard.

” And look at these,” said Elena. “Plans for some sort of helmet but no, not a helmet but a mind control device. They look like bowl cut hair styles.”

“Oh no, the Royal Family has those,” said Jenna.

“Mind altering Oreos, Mind Controlling Mop Tops,” I said. “This is bigger than Cyril. Someone must have a closer connection than even this diabolical Frenchxan.”

I noticed they all looked at me. “What?”

“Frenchxan?” Jenna asked. Yes, even she looked at me funny.

“Well he’s French and he lives in Texas so I put French and Texan together and . . .”

“We get it,” said Amira as she turned to Elena rubbing her forehead. “ETA?”

“Should be outside now,” said Elena.

“Okay, guys, time for a trip, outside.” We all marched outside at Amira’s words.

There was an odd blue telephone thing out there. “Wait, I’ve seen one of these on TV. It belongs to . . .,” I began.

“Who,” said a voice as the door opened.

Out walked a man I had only seen on TV. “Anyone want a jelly baby?” He asked in a British accent. I looked around at everyone. They all marched inside and took their favorite color jelly baby from him as if this was common.

“Well, are you coming or swimming?” The Doctor asked.

“Take the red one, Ronovan, the red one,” said Cat over her shoulder with a smile.

“I so can’t believe this,” I said.

“Who would?” Dr. Who asked. Then he laughed insanely as he shoved me in and we were suddenly streaking away.

 

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A beauty so high.

Stoneworth didn’t give a fig about life. As far as he was concerned it could end in a breath and that would be just fine with him. He had lived long enough and life was a bunch of bull. Every step he took he stepped in a big pile of a reminder of it.

“Mr. Stoneworth, may I have your autograph, please,” said the young girl.

Stoneworth looked at the book and pen offered. Gritting his teeth he put on his best fake grin and signed one of his somehow formulaic but popular mysteries. If he thought it all was crap then why did he care if the girl was happy or not? Perhaps he didn’t want it to be all bad, maybe he wanted a sign of something good. Or maybe he wanted to pay bills until the crap buried him.

He left the tip on the table and then the cafe behind. His burger was not even half eaten. It was not a normal bull day.

It was worse. It was like rodeo week and he was the head scooper.

He should have stayed home and eaten the frozen Chinese dinner. It would match the frozen ears he had from the early winter wind. His work was now going to suck the rest of the day and night and he was going to be hungry. Any flow of plot he had was gone. And he had a deadline. Ten days or death would be knocking at his door. Either death or his agent. They looked about the same.

His apartment smelled like burnt hot chocolate, not coffee. He had tried the stuff but couldn’t drink it until it had enough milk, sugar and chocolate syrup in it to taste like hot chocolate. Why waste the time and the money? Just cut out the middle men.

He looked at the wall thermostat and the screwed on lock box. Freaking landlord. 65 degrees. He left his coat on and turned the small electric heater on. He let it oscillate just to have some noise in the place.

Even though he knew his purpose of the day was ruined he sat down at the laptop anyway. The 1 appeared at the top of one tab of the many opened in his browser for research on ancient Central American civilizations. His thoughts improved with hope.

He had mail. The list of songs were long and not quite his usual fare but he listened. She had sent them. He didn’t listen to much music. It caused headaches. But from her, the headaches didn’t happen. They inspired him.

My beauty has given a gift to me

One I don’t often have time to take

It could not be more sweet and dear

Unless the music her own fingers did make

How is one so beautiful

How is she in my life

If by chance life did change

“Stoneworth!”

He looked up at the ghastly form approaching. He stared through it. Why would it not leave him be? The ghost of a past that was no longer his. All he wanted was the now, the reality of what is.

He did not need what was the never was. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands together until his fingers turned white. The music started again in his ears.

“Worthless! Invalid!”

Stoneworth moved his hands to his ears and pressed hard. Forcing the music in. Driving the hate away.

The pain seared through his brain and down his spine. Cackling laughter reached his now unprotected ears. He slowly sank to the floor unable to control his movements. His body arched as spasms began.

Laughter.

Music.

Laughter.

He shut his eyes tight. Focus on her eyes, those brown eyes, focus. The cackling continued. The pain continued. But suddenly he did not care. He felt warmth touch his skin. A smile crossed his face. It didn’t matter. There was a light he could see now for the first time. And music. He was climbing higher and higher. His dream was there, higher than he had ever been before. A beauty like he would never witness again.

**

“What happened?”

“I don’t know officer. I came in when he missed his deadline for a book he was writing and found him.”

“Did you turn that heater on?”

“No officer. It was already going. I moved it away from his face though. It was really close.”

“Well, it looks like a heart attack.”

“He always said that’s how he would go.”

“Well, this looks like another case he solved before he ever got a chance to write it.”

stoneworth

Ronovan

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Day of a Dream

Darkness has fallen and the doors no longer shake.

Jack O Lanterns have been brought in and witches pulled up by the stake.

Sugar has filled every hollow of child and man.

Excited minds and heartbeats are falling to sleep if they can.

 

But have you wondered what happens next,

In the world minutes after that night of eve?

Did you think this all came about,

Just to practice trickery for treats to deceive?

 

The spirits form from wisps of smoke.

Their cackle calls pulled from a drunkards choke.

Why do they come on this night back to earth?

And are they the kindly or those of no worth?

 

They stagger about through the streets and the paths.

They venture into the quiet to hide their vengeful wrath.

Some wonder why there are those who go missing.

And some wonder just before at the sound of that hissing.

 

The rustle of a leaf, the wind blowing of course.

As shoulders are driven to earth by inhumanly force.

Bodies try to scream as skin is ripped to shreds.

Last thoughts of how they wished they had returned to their beds.

 

Feet pass by the darkened garden spot,

The sniffling wet nose drawn to a certain spot.

The master pulls with force to move them on their way.

Perhaps next time on the next All Hallows Day.

 

 

 

The sound of a distant whimpering and a terrible scream,

And the smoke formed spirit knows, for those two, there will be no next Halloween.

The sound comes to its ears at the approach of another  present for its once per year day of a dream.

 

 

Ronovan

spunky_pumpkin4

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2014 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com

The Spunky & The Pumpkin Meet.

For those of you who have never met My Pal Spunky, let me introduce you to him.

My little white tiger.Spunky, the little white tiger was the first of his siblings to do everything and without a fear in his snowy pure heart. And thus was born a name.

He learned many things along the way, one of which was taught him by his mother Kitty.

Gray cat with glow in the dark green eyes.You know what you taught him Kitty. Kitty helped me during my early months after my fall in my home. I assure you, she is much more intelligent than this picture would imply.

What did she teach Spunky?

Kat-fuThe art of Cat-Fu.

Kitty In ReposeMomma did not say knock her out, Spunky. but Spunky was trained to face any challenge or surprise encounter that came before him.

Then one day Spunky was roused from his resting slumber.

Spunky_In_Chair.jpgSpunky had never seen the inside of a pumpkin before, let alone one with a light emitting from it. And Spunky, having earned his name decided to investigate.

spunky_pumpkin1 A simple touch and glimpse did not suffice his cattious curiosity. Therefore, he decided to investigate further.

spunky_pumpkin2Exactly what he saw or heard that day no one knows, but from the expression on his face, it must have been something eye opening.

spunky_pumpkin3Not long afterwards, later that evening a mysterious image appeared on the carved tree of the pumpkin, looking oddly enough like a cat with a wizards hat. Striped tail and all.

spunky_pumpkin4

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Bus Stop Stories: Margaret and Martin-A Man’s Stomach. She wins? or He Loses?

“I don’t care, I’m not going to like it.” Martin’s arms were firmly crossed in combat formation.

“I know, dear.”

He lifted his hands, shoulders up around his ears. The first crack in his battle formation. “Then why are we going?”

“Because we must. If we don’t, you know what they will say.” Margaret’s head bobbed with every other word.

Martin’s hand slapped down on his gray slacks. He shook his head and stared at the sidewalk. The shaking stopped, and he looked at me. “I will trade with you.”

I held my hands up in defense.

He nodded. “I thought so.” He turned to Margaret. “See, I told you. I doubt I could pay for someone to take my place.” His shoulders sagged, his eyes focused on the reliable cracks in the pavement.

“No one you ask will know what you’re talking about. Besides, if we don’t go then we won’t be able to stop off at Strom’s Deli on the way back.” She leaned forward, as if she were looking for the bus.

The shoulders straightened. Martin’s eyes lifted from the sidewalk. “Well, I guess it would look bad if we were the only ones not there. It’s not like I have any problems with it, it’s just that it’s so far away. But if it will make you happy, then okay.”

Martin stood up as he heard the whine of the bus, that sound only a bus makes. Margaret stood and looked down at me. She winked and put her arm in through the crook of her husband’s.

He helped her up onto the first step of the bus and then followed. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But so is his weakness.

 

 

© 2014-2020 Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.

Man of few Words

Man of few Words

 

A man named Ego

Stood before the Queen

His arrogance of self

Bordered on the obscene

 

“You wish to be spared,

But what use are you to me?

What can be had from you

That all these others cannot be”

 

“I am a great man,

A man for all seasons

Name any one

I will give you the reasons”

 

“It is now Spring

What will you do now?”

“I will plant your fields richly

Without even using a plow.”

 

“What then of Summer

When the Spring will turn?”

“I will use my broad shoulders

To protect your tender skin from the sun’s burn.”

 

“And of the Fall?

When the sun is no more to do?”

“I will pick the rose petals

To accent the glow of your hue.”

 

“Then Winter will come

With no planting, sun nor rose,

That is when I will show you

This man Ego can melt . . . whatever is froze”

 

She saw the look in Ego’s eye and looked around.

Surrounded by the court each her subject,

Except for one who was visiting among them,

A man whose gaze upon her was never in neglect

 

He was a visiting Prince,

Who had come from a distance.

She looked at him,

His appreciative smile was of consistence.

 

“Prince I ask you,

What do you say to this,

These words of advice,

From this man Ego came hence?”

 

The Prince stood up,

And approached the queen.

“A lot of words spoken,

But very little to be seen.”

 

“You speak with a confidence,

Quite deep from the thoughts in your head.

What would you propose

If not his words instead?”

 

The Prince did not hesitate.

He embraced the Queen.

His lips pressed hers.

Their bodies with nothing between.

 

He leaned back and looked into her eyes

“Will that do my Queen . . .  instead?”

She pointed to Ego without a glance

Then said, “Off with that blathering fools head.”

 

 

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