#short story – Kevin Parish

Tell The Story Challenge II

My dear friend Stu invited me to participate in Tell The Story Challenge II.

The rules are simple:
Present a picture, and then tell the story about it. It can be as short or as long as you like. Nominate at least 3 people to write a story based on any of the pictures you choose to share.

Here is my take on the picture I chose:

SEA MONSTERS

“Let’s go for a sail, they said!”

“It will be fun and relaxing, they said!”

“You don’t really believe in sea monsters, do you?”

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Below are the pictures I’ve chosen for my nominees. Please feel free to join in the fun if you are reading this.

To my nominees… I can’t wait to read your creative stories…

Night Owl Poetry

Southern Writer

Tao Talk

Dawn, Sea, Rocks, Sky, Clouds, Landscape

The Lost Hilt of the Scabbard of Kaliespis… Part 2

THE LOST HILT OF THE SCABBARD OF KALIESPIS

Image Credit

Part 2

Suddenly, darkness fell and Mika feared for his life. He felt as if the whole of the world had encompassed him. In his panic, he held tight to what he thought could only be the Lost Hilt of the Scabbard of Kaliespis.

The day was bright and sunny with a subtle breeze that did little to cool the sweat forming on the faces that stood solemnly staring. A voice was droning on but the old man wasn’t really comprehending what he was hearing. To his left were two figures that were shaking and sniffing.

Reaching out the old man placed a hand on top of the small coffin wherein lay his precious, grandson. As tears formed, welled and dropped heavily from his eyes he said a silent prayer.

“God’s speed my dear, sweet grandson! I hope you found what you were searching for. I’ll be with you before you know it, and we can continue our adventures… I love you, Mika!”

Mika had not returned that day. His small body was found beneath a ton of earth where one side of the gully had caved in. He was sitting upright clutching a lump of clay against his chest while his other hand lay at his side grasping a stick.

THE END

The Lost Hilt of the Scabbard of Kaliespis… Part 1

THE LOST HILT OF THE SCABBARD OF KALIESPIS

Image Credit

Part 1

Legend tells the story of a great warrior of days gone by. Stories passed down through generations, now, are only stories. Some call them pure fiction based on wild imagination when winters were long and indoor activities were few. However, others believe they are based on truth. Such is the case of the Lost Hilt of the Scabbard of Kaliespis.

Mika sat mesmerized as his grandfather recounted the story of the Lost Hilt. In his mind, he could picture the sword fights and the blood, decapitations, and thrusts from the infamous weapon as it sliced and diced through the enemy of the Kaliespis tribe of Shear.

Mika loved the sound of his grandfather’s deep, melancholic voice. He was always disappointed to wake up the next morning having fallen asleep during the story. Though he knew the story well he never tired of it.

Now, Mika, an over-enthusiastic young lad of 11 years, would often play down in the gully near his home and pretend he was one of the warriors of the Kaliespis tribe of Shear. With the perfect stick in hand, he would thoroughly thrash the bushes and trees with his overwhelming skills in swordsmanship. In his mind, he too one day would wield the infamous sword.

On such a day as this Mika was tired after an intensely fought battle. Against the shaded, shear bank of clay that made up one wall of the gully, Mika sought his rest. He found that if he dug out some of the walls that the clay was cool and comforting. This was especially attractive after annihilating and dismembering so many of his dreaded foe on this hot summer day.

As he leaned back against the wall he was aware of a distinct discomfort pressing rather obtusely upon his left shoulder. He turned and with some effort, he managed to dig out the offending clay-encrusted clump, using his trusty sword (stick), and lay it down before him. “What the heck is this?” he wondered aloud. Poking and picking away the clay Mika gasped at what he held in his hands. Running down to the very bottom of the gully Mika found a small puddle of water left over from the last rain. He thrust his prize into the water and feverishly rubbed it clean. Holding it up in front of him he exclaimed, “no way!”

To Be Continued

The Spell… a short story

Ghost, Halloween, Woman, Female, Beauty — Image Credit

Her only hope was cascading away in a whimsy of words appearing upon the walls. This spell, the one she found in her great grandmother’s diary, the one she thought was only words of lore, now have meaning.

And, from her childhood, she recalled the eerie words of her grandmother who often talked of witchcraft and her own mother’s ability to deal with undesirables who came uninvited into her home. Even the small memory of her great grandfather, who she never knew, but who she had heard terrifying stories about began to make sense. He had disappeared without a trace.

Isabelle accepted this fate seeing her existence fading into light, like the spell read, but she maintained her composure and watched her very being subjugated into nothingness.

SENSE OF HUMOR… a short story

white bed comforter set and brown wooden bed frame beside brown wooden nightstand — Image Credit

As he walked the halls

Waiting for her return

He relives their lives together.

High school sweethearts

Falling in love and getting

Married straight out of school.

The children have grown up

And started families of their own.

Grandparents?

How did that happen?

It seems like yesterday,

But it was a long time ago.

Here she is.

Finally!

“Goodnight, my love!

Sweet dreams!

I will wait for you

Hereon the other side.

You’re going to love it here.

God has a great sense of humor!”

The Solo Dancer

The following short-fiction is inspired by the photo above posted by Diana of Myths of the Mirror.

Time had transformed the future into a robotic and Artificial Intelligence ruled world. Children were created only in test tubes and mankind, as we once knew it, had collapsed into technological chaos.

Relationships between humans were, for the most part, non-existent. Human life was lost to the very technology that mankind had once so proudly worshipped as the future to save the planet.

Manipulation of DNA was initiated by the Keepers early in the gestation period and the vessels (mothers) were kept in stasis. All this leading to an obviously unsustainable population.

Mar had traveled far on a cruise ship that had been lost at sea for years. He grew up with parents, still of the old days, who taught him how to survive. They recognized that creativity was going to help Mar live a fuller life, so they taught him to dance and entertain. These lessons helped him to survive and keep his sanity after a plague wiped out all but he and a handful of others on the ship.

The sun was first blocked by the small planet, now in synchronous orbit with the earth, back in the late 2020s. What Mar remembered was the ship had lost all contact with the world when communications ceased to work after the ship barely survived the wrath of the ocean during the horrific transition. The captain and most of the crew had also perished during the catastrophe.

When supplies on the ship had eventually run out and the equipment to catch fish had all dilapidated or broken… it was time to leave.

In one of the lifeboats, Mar made his way to the distant buildings and then upon the deserted shore. Though scared, of he knew not what, Mar straightened his frame; he took a deep breath; and then, he danced a solo dance.

15-Minute Fiction Friday #7

Every Friday the creator of 15-minute Fiction Friday post a photo on Instagram. The challenge was to create a story or poem in 100 words.

Here’s my take on the photo prompt.

“Marco!”

“Marco?”

“Dang it! They did it to me again!”

“Stand here, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Just count to 100,000, they said. Jerks!”