Writing Challenge ~ 21st April - 19th May 2012

WRITING CHALLENGE ~ APRIL 2012​

I know, I know, it’s been a while but I figured now was as good a time as any to set another challenge.
So, here is this month’s prompt and will be open for 4 weeks…


You can involve the prompt itself in your piece and make your link to the prompt as obvious or as subtle as you like or use it simply as inspiration for something else. You can use part of the prompt, just one aspect of the image, or use it in its entirety.

The word limit for this month’s challenge is 2,500 words and your submission can take whatever form you desire – poetry or prose, complete story or a vignette. Erotic or not, serious or light hearted, it’s whatever you want it to be!!

Post only your submissions in this thread, constructive comments and reviews are to be posted in the appropriately named – Writing Challenge Review Thread

The deadline for this month’s challenge is Saturday 19th May 2012, to allow readers time to get through everything before the May challenge starts!

Previous challenges and reviews can be found here.

Happy writing!

The Wild Winter

"There is absolutely NO way you're going to get me to go out there. Let alone naked!"

"Come on, it's a tradition around here..."

"You go first then!"

"Alright...but if you don't come in after me, I'm gonna be frostbitten and pissed."

They laughed together like old times, sitting there by the lake. It was the last monument to the great outdoors left in their small community. The big businesses had taken over just about everything else. They were bundled up from head to toe, but nevertheless, he stripped down every inch of his clothing and walked over to the edge of the frozen lake. The surface was paper-thin ice and even the timid pressure of his toe cracked and broke it. It truly was frigid. But he'd already accepted the challenge.

Each step was more and more cold; he could feel just how bad an idea it was as he got waist-deep into the water.

Too late now, just get chest deep...you can do it....

Just as he made it to the point that only his neck and head were above water, he heard a loud splashing behind him. He turned just in time to hear:

"Ok, fi--OH MY GOD IT'S SO COLD!!!!"

He laughed and shivered simultaneously as she waded out to him. They shivered some more as they held each other, faces close to one another.

Her voice was shaking and low, but the smile she wore was bright.

"C-c-can we g-g-get out now? P-p-please?"

"Close your eyes and count to ten, then we can."

Before she'd gotten to five his lips were pressed to hers for a quick kiss. Before she'd finished getting to eight, she felt herself being scooped up and carried out of the icy waters. The air seemed warm by comparison; luckily no breezes were blowing. They dressed quickly and hurried back to their cabin.

The path leading to the lake held no shoeprints. The lake's surface is undisturbed. The cabin lays barren, unused in ages. As the sun sets, however, you can see what seems to be the shimmering of a fire inside. Perhaps it is a trick of the eye, a play of the light. Perhaps it is the lingering memory of the last time the wild winter was enjoyed.

Flight​

Snowflakes drifted on the air as they made their lethargic drop to the blanketed ground below. The soft white covering remained mostly level, except for the slight dips as it approached the trunks of the trees that caught most of the falling flakes of ice. Little air moved between the behemoths that stood fast against the onslaught of the seasons, defiantly continuing to grow and somewhat mock the snows attempt to dominate the area completely.

Through this pristine environment crashed an intruder. His fur boots punched gaping holes in the surface of the snow as he ran with great lifting strides. What little of his bronze coloured face was darkened from the exertion. The remainder of it was lost behind a layer of ice that covered the lower part of his face. Of the rest of him, skins of other animals were sewn about him, keeping the cold from the rest of him.

He stumbled, crashing into the snow and almost being swallowed by it. He scrambled to his feet, looking behind him with fear. Huge clouds billowed in front of his face, obscuring his vision and making the ice shelf on his face grow a little more. He hastily groped for his spear before trying to make up for lost time. His feet cleared the snow's surface with each of his strides through the trees that hindered him more than helped.

When he broke cover, his heart sank. Before him was a large body of water, untouched by the frosts that claimed the land. His head rolled back, his face skyward and his eyes closed. Only the continued plumes of cloudy white from his mouth showed he lived. His head moved forward, only stopping when his chin reached his chest. He took a few steps forward until he reached the very edge of the water. He paused, looking at the thing that would be the cause of his death.

Slowly, he knelt, dropping his covered hands to each side of his knees, lowering his mouth to the water. The first sip was colder than anything he had ever felt before, but it brought him back to full wakefulness. Ignoring the biting chill, he drank deeply. No other drink tasted so good as that one did. When he stopped, his stomach felt like a ball of ice.

He stood up, and took a couple of steps away from the water. He looked at the trees nearby, hoping that there would be branches he could use to get away from them. But as with all the other trees, there was nothing within his reach. Fear clutched his belly tight. His heart began to race. He took the spear in both hands, and waited for them to arrive, and finish what they started.


Noses swept from side to side, ears turned to every slightest sound. Together they moved as if linked by one mind. Their prey was close; his scent was getting stronger. The wind shifted, and as one, they knew. The leader picked up his pace slightly. The rest followed, fanning out further to prevent him from escaping. They saw him before they left the trees, standing, waiting, ready to fight.

The leader paused. He assessed the one they had chased for the last hour. This prey had teeth too. Strange teeth that bit far from the mouth. They could not get behind him. There would be a fight. Some would die before he died. They needed food. The whelps need food, as did the bitches in the den.

A soft yip declared the commencement of the end of the hunt.


He watched as the pack broke cover. Three charged in, while the others approached slower. There was no time to think as the first wolf leapt at him. He used the butt of the spear to push the wolf away, ducking his head from the snapping jaws. With a grunt, he sent the wolf over him and into the water behind. While it was not a kill he needed, the wolf was as good as dead once he was out of the water.

A second wolf made the most of the chance, and bit his leg. The spear was angled almost perfectly for the strike that drove through the bottom of the neck, deep into the chest. Wolf's blood mixed with his own as the dying animal pulled itself free. The third wolf that charged him paused for the slightest moment before continuing, only to find a fur covered foot wildly lashing out to smack into the side of it's snout.

The cold burrowed through the mix of blood to add its own bite to the wounded man. His leg was still good, but he felt the steady flow of warmth trickling down his leg. Hope sparked a new. If he proved too much of a danger, they would leave him, and he would bind his wound and live.

He feinted to one side, charging a couple of the wolves. As he hoped, those on the other side raced in to get him from his exposed rear. He turned in time to slash the flank of one wolf. It filled the air with a pained yelp but pulled away quickly. It was hurt, little else.

But as he turned to deal with those that raced to get him, the ones he charged charged him. They made no sounds and he felt the powerful jaws clamp on his lower leg. He screamed with pain as another went for his arm. He brushed it aside but another took his other arm, holding it tight. He stabbed it with the spear as he felt more teeth gripping his other leg. He fell under their weight. The rest of the pack rushed in, and his pain was short before he felt no more.

The Northern Lights

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w62/Britwitch/wc_april2012.jpg

The Northern Lights

The moonlight shone off of the mountain lake, as Jack moved his canoe silently across it. The quiet lap of the paddle was on only sound, and he was surrounded by the crisp, perfect Alaska wilderness. It was a far cry from New York City, and even Central Park. In Central Park, it might be beautiful, but you could still hear the traffic, and knew that it was all an illusion.

Behind Rebecca was silent, starting out at the world around them. Her arms were crossed in front of her orange safety vest and she was shivering. Still, her big brown eyes were taking in the world, storing it for the city. She broke the silence. "We don't have to go home, you know. We're writers. Surely we could write up here in Alaska, as well as at our ratty apartment."

Jack laughed lightly. "I love you Hon, but how could you survive without your cream cheese and lox bagel? What would your papa say, if you told him that you loved Alaska more than the family deli?"

She smirked. "And what about you, Mister, I-would-marry-the-Mets if it were a woman?"

They both feel into a sad silence. It was wonderful, but it to was an illusion. They only had one more night, and then the plan was coming for them. They had tonight though, and they would make love in their cabin, will the Northern Lights played across the sky.

I awake amidst the frozen snow.

You stand above me, greeting me with a smile and an outstretched hand. I reach out to accept it, but within the blink of an eye, you vanish without a trace.

I slowly make it to my feet, my bare, exposed feet; I do not know why, but the cold snow has no effect upon me, so I fear neither frostbite nor chilblains.

I long for your embrace, for the frozen sun above fails to warm me; the harsh wind bites and buffets my unclothed flesh, but it too does not faze me.

I venture down the small hill from which I spawned and ignore the long black hair that whips to and fro before me.

Your words frolic and flow through the wind; I stop, straining to catch them and lock them away within the recesses of my heart, but they are gone, spiraling away into the shiny heavens.

I begin to cry.

You were everything to me and now you are gone; your presence was such a beacon of light to me, such a sturdy foundation, that I now crumble because you have been taken from me.

I take a step onto the still lake.

And then another.

I walk upon the watery glass, ignoring the reflection beneath me and yearning for the memories bequeathed me.

I stop when I reach the epicenter of the frozen lake.

I tilt my head back and gaze upon a meteor shower, the falling shards of heaven signaling my transcendence.

I close my eyes as explosions rock the landscape around me, and as the watery glass shatters beneath me.

I cast into the murky depths beneath me a solitary wish for the solitary shooting star I observed moments before I fade away into the darkness, all of my thoughts trained upon you.

~

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The disgruntled man paced the small room without direction, his sorrow evident even in the dim lighting. He didn’t bother checking his watch; he already knew that the time had come.

He willed himself to make those last few steps toward the bed and he collapsed into the chair beside it.

“Alyssa…”

Her name alone choked him up, his eyes beginning to mist over as he reached for one of her hands.

It was so cold, so dreadfully cold.

“Baby, if you can hear me…I am so, so sorry I wasn’t there…I love you so much honey, please forgive me…”

He was reduced to sobs as he lowered his head to his wife’s hand, her wedding band pressing symbolically into his forehead; he had slid it onto her finger for this occasion.

He stayed that way for many minutes, pouring his soul all about the hospital room, sobbing and repenting all at once.

If only he had been awake when she went for a swim; the guilt was heavier a burden than the task bestowed to Atlas.

He raised his head, seemingly recovered from his fit, but his eyes were drawn to the door; the doctor was patiently waiting, his own facial features expressing the deepest sorrow.

“Please Mr. Williams, take your time; I know this is incredibly difficult for you.”

He could only nod, wiping his face with the backs of his sleeves.

“I think its time doctor. I’m ready.”

The doctor hesitated for a moment before slowly entering the room, the door shutting behind him. He slid the curtains to the window peering into the room shut, offering the utmost privacy for the grieving husband.

He observed the doctor through watery eyes and tried to hold his emotions in check, but dissolved into tears when he neared the machines keeping his wife alive.

The two men exchanged glances.

He looked down at his beautiful wife, her long black hair flowing freely, her decadent lips pursed together innocently; he had to imagine her eyes, those studs of jade that lit up even the darkest of nights. He closed his eyes to envision them once more.

He clasped her left hand with his own, their wedding bands intertwined as he felt her pulse fade away.

~

I fall and fall and fall.

I do not scream or yell or fear.

I keep my eyes shut tight, awaiting my arrival.

You are close to me now; I can feel you within me, around me, all about me.

I pass through a barrier that some say doesn’t exist, whereupon others firmly assert; I cannot say that it does or does not, for it all happens so quickly.

I am back where I belong, and only just.

~

He is a mess; a distraught, depressed, emotional wreck.

The doctor hangs his head dejectedly, absorbing the labored sobs of a tortured man the best he can.

Beep.

The two men snap their heads up without hesitation.

Beep.

The doctor accosts the monitor hastily, abandoning his professional demeanor.

Beep.

The doctor slowly turns, not to look upon a grieving husband, but to gaze upon a woman who was supposed to be dead, but who is instead very much alive.

“My God…I don’t believe it…”

~

She places a loving and tender kiss upon his lips, and he gladly reciprocates.

They giggle immediately afterward like teenagers after a sexually charged innuendo during passing period.

She opens her eyes, hands placed upon the sides of his face, and gazes longingly into her husband’s; he gazes right back, slowly beginning to tear up.

It’s been a week or so, and they’ve left the hospital behind, but he still can’t help himself.

“What’s wrong baby?” She asks, her smile dampening, concern spreading within her face.

“I want to apologize…it’s been a long year, since…y’know…”

“Ssshhh, it’s ok honey, I’m here now. To be frank, since I don’t remember anything about the incident, I can’t really place blame, now can I?”

“I suppose not.”

A silence filled the gap between them.

They stared into each other’s eyes for minutes.

The painting of the frozen landscape, with the frosty water and the snowdrift plains and the cragged boulders and the forest of pine trees and the heavenly skies hanging overhead hung forgotten upon the wall in their studio.

The light that was supposed to be illuminating it shone upon them.

Peace

It never sleeps. The water. It may be still as glass, but it never sleeps.

The stillness. The quiet. It was beautiful. As beautiful as the snow that lay quietly carpeting the ground or the colors that lit up the sky. How odd was it that there was not one animal stirring or talking at that single moment as she crossed the snow, walking toward the water, drawn to it by some invisible thread that tugged at her. Behind her, she left the footprints of her bare feet and the soft brush of her nightgown where it touched the snow. Both trailed behind her, leaving in her wake the only evidence that she had been there. Snow encrusted pine trees swayed in the slight wind that whispered amongst them.

Shhhhh! Another one comes! The whispers seemed to say.
Yes. She was here. Drawn by forces she didn't understand. Drawn by urges within herself that she further didn't understand. Nothing stirred. It felt like there was only herself, the snow laden trees, the hint of golden sky and still waters rimmed by snow.

She looked straight ahead and kept walking, even as the icy water crept over her toes. Not a flinch. Not a sound. Nothing marred the perfect stilled beauty of her face. Her arms hung at her sides. Her jet black hair flowed down her back, like a mantle. The deeper she went, further toward the center of the silent lake, her hair started to float around her on the top of the water until it followed her below. A soft breeze, like the movement of an angel's wings stirred along the snow, covering her footprints.

There wasn't a soul around to say if she hesitated or veered from her course as the water started up over her head. It was highly unlikely. She was found floating face up in the same still waters three days later by rangers on one of their morning routine drive throughs. There were no signs of a struggle. No footprints. She looked like an angel, they said. Never had they seen such peacefulness on a face before.

The pine trees whispered amongst themselves.

(Been quite some time since I have written anything. This is a great place to start. Thanks for the awesome prompt Brit)




scrape

thump

scrape

thump

Finally silence broke like shattering glass in a vaccum. Ice blue eyes rose toward the sky in rapture at the sight. Were the heavens burning? Or was that just the sky parting? She could not tell. The vision swam and shuddered as if darkness were trying to pull sight from eyes already locked upon sight. A wet cough wracked her body with spasms. The sharp pinch just beneath that bottom rib became clamped and started to burn.

scrape scrape scrape

thump

The last few moments had been filled with horror. Not the merciful type of horror that erased thought and concience. It was a real, tangible horror that basnished nothing and enhanced this terrible world. She could not feel the icy water any longer, or the rock that ground the metal links into her back. All that was real was the pinch beneath her breast, that pinch that penatrated body and soul.

Sight shuddered again, swam, and began to shimmer as if when you held your breath just a moment too long. She sagged back against numbness and hard rock.

scrape

The sky was starting to burn, she was sure of that. She no longer cared. This was the perfect place for time to end.

Sight shattered.