The Word Cloud

OMG - more great entries. And we're still only half way through the month...

But fair play - it's great to see such innovative pieces.

love em all
stephen

Crushed into submission

Opression hangs like a dead weight.
Shouting, screaming; obsenities.
Words of love gone. Long past their sell by date; off.
Bitterness, anger, hatred.
A letter through the box.
Separation. Anxiety.....grief.....relief.
Crying kids - regrets.
Settlement - shite.
No pension and life on a council estate.
LET THE SUN SHINE!!

Hello, I'm new and am really looking forward to contributing to the site! I've been really inspired by all the great writing around here already, and am hoping it will spur me into greater diligence with my own writing. I love the Hemingway story and it started me thinking about how articles of clothing can tell so much about someone. Which led to this:

Bold and embittered I edge to the coat stand, holding out a trembling hand. My fingers fumble and flounder in the lining of his coat. My hand finally alights on a worn piece of paper, a betoken of guilt I'm sure. It reads: NO I'M NOT HAVING AN AFFAIR.

"The Long Drive Home for Christmas"


So soon?
So happy. So looking forward.


So distant...


So:
So early. So dark. So long. So far, so good.
So long, so dreary. So long, so weary.


So late. So wet. So fast. So tired.


So sudden!


So dazzling - so quick.


So dead.

The girl watched quietly as the other kids bought whatever they wanted.

"Laura! Come on, be useful. We've no money to waste."

"Coming, Mom"

Show over, she was lugging unsold cakes. Calling her over I reached into the box and gave her a shiny waste of money.

Lovely name, Laura.

Some more fascinating pieces. A tribute to the posters' creativity and very welcome *cough*.
As if I didn't have enough to do - how the hell do you expect me to judge a winner? Oh no, not more creative responses, please. I said, please.

BTW, I have booked in to a retreat halfway up an inaccessible? mountain, commencing 30 April, where I shall spend one month escaping the wrath of the disappointed. I shall listen to piped music and succumb to daily massages and green tea...

"So, here we are." "Here we are." "Is that it?" "That's it." Silence. "Can we go home now?" "Let's go home."

Last day for entries. Comp closes midnight BST.

St Andrews seems so long ago. That crazy fashion show. Those long evenings spent ‘studying’ together. The furtiveness. The fun. The first time I met your mum. And that ring. I love you. And now - our first public kiss. In front of all our friends here in the Registry.

And the winner is -

Look, I’ll be honest; I’m not going to pretend I am some literary judge or applied some scientific process in selecting my finalists. From the 48 bone-fide entries I picked out the ones I liked, that were original, caught my imagination, and told me a complete story.

That wasn’t easy; some well deserved pieces didn’t quite make my cut; on another day with another judge, it could have been different. Please do not feel disappointed if you missed out – as far as I was concerned, EVERY entry had merit. Well done peeps, classy stuff.

Some special mentions along the way:

Noel (and later, Tenacityflux abridged) for Flash – I spent the whole morning listening to Queen instead of writing! But so very clever.

Ancient Woodland for the shortest story, three words. “Rain stopped play”.

The list goes on; Barb’s risqué WOOF, Minxie’s sad PERSONALS, Glyn’s sad - Father’s LOSS & WEDDING, Malc’s inspirational Father’s EYES, Islander 8’s observational GOING HOME… I had a long list of thirteen. Thirteen! And it could easily have been double that, it was that close; Slippers, Mark R, Caoimh (Kevin), Noodledoodle, Rebecca, Amarantha, jim nobot, Roisiposy, Gnomalo and Alan P all contributed creative pieces.

The winner’s rostrum is crowded with talent.

Equal 3^rd place

Peter George for this suspenseful 46 word story.

Feeling the heat from the flames inches from her face, she knew she only had one chance.

It wasn't going to be easy. She had to act fast.

Children's voices ringing in her ears.

Filling her lungs, she went for it.

'Make a wish!' they chorused.

Danielle, for this 50 word story with a twist at the end.

Thomas replaced the telephone. "That was...my ex-wife is dead."

"Oh."

"God. Oh, God."

"But, she was your ex, right? So it's not as bad as it might be. Right?"

Thomas studied his secretary. So young, unaccustomed to tact. "It's how she died."

"How?"

"Some kind of disease. An STD, apparently."

And Guero Davila for this hilarious (unless you’re a cow) 40 word story.

As the plane taxied down the runway, I rued the fact that the guy who'd given the orders was dyslexic.

Destroy the diary, his instruction should have read. Still, no point crying over spilt milk.

Shame about the cows, though.

Runner up.

Tony, for this 50 word story, full of social comment.

A Mars Bar. The shopkeeper wasn’t looking. Tasted good. The next one was easier.

Then the Nikes.

The stupid guy shouldn't have left his keys in the ignition.

Supervision Orders aren't so bad, but it's custody next time. Don't want that.

But I want the X-Box in Curry's window.

Winner

Mike, for this intriguing 30 word story, full of ambiguity. This one held me throughout; became the bar that others toppled, but didn’t clear. A 3 sentence story that incorporated a beginning, middle, and end. (Excuse the formatting).

Simple, but so enigmatic. Reminded me of Hemingway.

Tide flowed towards the beach where footprints led to the edge of the sea.

Water sucked and gurgled around the footprints and then the tide ebbed away.

Only sand remained.

Congratulations Mike. Now it’s your turn to host May Clouders competition.

Congratulations Mike!

Great summing up, Stephen, and congratulation Mike!

Congrats Mike. Well deserved. Thanks for the mention Stephen. I'd never attempted or thought I could write flash fiction. I will now be more aventurous with my writing.

I think Stephen should host award ceremonies as a sideline! Love it! And thank you for the mention. :]

Well done to the runners up, and congratulations to Mike on your win. Very well deserved.

Minx x

Stephen, I didn't envy your task for a second. Nicely handled.
Many congratulations to Mike for a very fine piece.

I learnt a lot from Ant and Dec...

Well done Mike!! ND ;-)

Congratulations, Mike!