Bobby’s Boonies

July 18, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Writing Tags: Boonies, Contentment, Country life, Finding peace, Flash Fiction, Hinterland, Home, Just because, Making do, Micro-fiction, Weekend Writing Prompt 10 Comments

Photo: Nolan Krattinger on Unsplash

He never thought he’d feel that way. But there he was, besotted by life in the hinterland, buoyed by the boondocks.

Who’d have believed the sticks could end up so satisfying? Sure, he gave up the sunny beaches, but while his city pals squeezed onto small spaces on the sand to swelter in the summer sizzle; he could splash right in his backyard stream, in his birthday-suit if desired.

Then there were vegetables from the garden. The birds’ song. The quiet. He had discovered his inner bumpkin.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Hinterland in 87 words

Perfectly Aligned

July 4, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Meditations, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Aligned, Beautiful world, Breathing Space, Creative writing, hope, Insight, Just because, Meditation, Poetry, Syzygy, Vocabulary, Weekend Writing Prompt 29 Comments

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Photo: Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash

When the light

Aligns just right

And the ebb and flow

Combine

To sheer insight,

She breathes in

To allow

The soul expanding

Syzygy

Of hope and

Love and

Heart.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Syzygy in 30 words

Gallivanting Gary

June 20, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Funnies, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Creative writing, Ditty, Dogs, Family, Joy, Just because, Just for fun, Living-in-the-moment, Playfulness, Poetry, Rhyme, Weekend Writing Prompt 24 Comments

Photo: Noah Austin on Unsplash

Gallivanting Gary liked to roam about

In town.

He refused to let a passing hardship weigh

Him down.

He took his time to get things done.

He rambled on and on.

But once the dinner bell at home was rang

He’d lift his feet

And run.

For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Gallivant in 46 words

Top Dweller

June 17, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Animals, Anxiety, caregiving, Climbing, Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Just because, Ladder, Micro-fiction, Photo prompt, Rescue 61 Comments

Photo prompt © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

She peered anxiously through the glass. He should have called someone. Who climbs up metal ladders in this frost? What if he falls? Breaks something? Who would care for him? Care for her?

She pressed a knuckle to her mouth, too afraid to call out lest her voice startled him.

“Aha!”

The sound came with a ladder-wobble and she almost screamed. How can he do this to her? He knows she cannot stand to be stressed!

A moment later his foot descended.

Wobble.

Stop.

Wobble.

Next.

Then his elbow.

With a miserable-looking kitten cradled in the crook of his arm.

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

Enough To Share

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Funnies, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Things Kids Say, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Creative writing, Elves, Everything's relative, Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Just because, Magical, Micro-fiction, Photo prompt, Sharing, Small Things 52 Comments

Photo prompt © Ted Strutz

“I kept some for you.”

She offered the crumpled paper reverently.

“Why, I thank thee!” he bowed.

He unfolded the checkered waxed napkin to reveal two potato chips, one small bite of pickle, a tiny sliver of bacon, a dot of olive, a slightly bigger dot of pepper, and a few crumbs of tuna. There was even some mayonnaise for condiment. A feast.

She squatted and rocked back on her heels in satisfaction as he devoured the food. Her greasy fingers left marks on her slacks. She was oblivious. Mesmerized.

The elf licked long skinny fingers. Burped. “No beer, eh?”

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

Temptation

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: CCC, Creative writing, Decisions, Flash Fiction, Hard work, Heat, Just because, Micro-fiction, Photo Fiction, Photo prompt, Stone Mason, Temptation, Writing Challenge 28 Comments

The sun beat on his nape and his shirt stuck to his body, too wet to do any good in absorbing the sweat that trickled maddeningly down the center of his back and soaked the waistband of his pants.

His arms ached. Granite did not easily yield.

The soft ripples of the water mocked him, parading a breeze he did not feel. The pillar blocked what small air movement could be had. To add insult to injury, the hot stone reflected the stifling heat back at him. The path was an oven.

A dragonfly skimming the river caught his eye and he paused, mallet in mid-air and chisel in position, muscles bunching under the folds of his damp sleeves.

What if? he pondered.

He shook the thought out of his mind. Let the mallet land.

Who knew what lurked under the surface of seemingly inviting water. Better hot than drowned.

For Crispina’s Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Out Of The Blue

May 27, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Creative writing, Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Just because, Micro-fiction, questions, Relationships, Revisiting, Roundabout, Unexpected, Writing Challenge 37 Comments

Photo prompt: © David Stewart

The streets still shone with wet but the dome of sky stretched clear above. The wind had swept away the clouds.

She shivered even though the air was warm. Perhaps it was the damp that had her reaching for her shawl.

She hugged herself and wondered if she’d ever know whether he had left because he wanted to or because he had no other choice or because he did not know any better.

“Where are you?” she whispered.

She jumped when the fountain unexpectedly came to life and bathed the roundabout in blue.

It felt like a hello. From Hugh.

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

Frazzle Dazzle

May 3, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Funnies, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Bears, Creative writing, Frazzled, Just because, Poetry, RDP, Relationships, Rhyme, Timing, Writing prompt 15 Comments

Photo: Smadar Epshtein

She refused to stop her fretting.

He could not get her

To relax.

She was adamant the world

Was ending,

That they were about to breathe

Their last.

Nothing he did could

Distract her.

Not the honey.

Not the charm.

She was frazzled,

And he should have known

To not try

Bedazzling

To disarm.

For RDP Sunday: Frazzled

Elbow Grease

April 22, 2020April 22, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, House hunting, Just because, Macabre, Micro-fiction, Photo prompt, Real Estate, Surprise, Unexpected 49 Comments

“It’s been a while since they lived here.”

I nodded. The place was filthy. A bit stinky, too.

“Nothing a little elbow grease won’t fix.”

I wished she would shut up. The property manager’s eagerness to sell the place was obvious. Her neglect of the place was, too. She might’ve spent a bit of elbow grease before showing the space.

No matter. The sorry state of the cottage might lower her price to my range.

“Why aren’t these garbage bins outside?” I ventured.

“Oh,” she fidgeted, “those are … um … kind of urns. They’d wanted to be buried in them, indoors.”

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

Scale Things Down

March 26, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Writing Tags: Ambiguity, CCC, Creative writing, Flash Fiction, Just because, Micro-fiction, Misunderstandings, Photo prompt, Science Fiction, Writing Challenge 14 Comments

Photo: Crispina Kemp

“We’re gonna have to scale things down,” The Earl noted.

“Yep,” Monterey scratched the stubble that sprouted, stubborn, on his chest. He was going to refuse the grooming nonsense next time.

“Got the shrink?”

Monterey nodded. He’d put up with the thumping for the last bit of journey. Annoying though it was, the noise did save him the trouble of going into the back compartment to check whether the cargo was still alive.

“Have him at it, then.” The Earl turned and strode back into his cab.

Monterey waited till The Earl disappeared from view before bending to rummage through the vehicle’s boot. He plucked the squirming figure out of its perforated container and held the furious man between finger and thumb.

“You’re a shrink,” he rumbled, pointing another hand at the air-ship’s anchor and chains. “These are too big. Can’t have’em stay this way. So you best shrink this.”

For Crispina’s Crimson’s Creative Challenge