Writing Challenge ~ September 2015

WRITING CHALLENGE ~ SEPTEMBER 2015​

Sorry for the late start of the September challenge, I’m sure most of you are aware that I lost my dear Dad at the end of August and that has obviously had a profound effect on most aspects of my life recently. But! I know I want to write and I’m sure there are others out there wanting to write so…here are your prompts. In light of the current situation my time to browse for prompts hasn’t been as much as it usually is and so I’m giving you an autumnal mood board to hopefully inspire you all.


You can involve the prompts themselves in your piece and make your link to the prompts as obvious or as subtle as you like or use them simply as inspiration for something else. You can use part of the prompts, just one aspect of the images, or use them in their entirety.

As there are several prompts you can of course chose to use all of them in one piece or write one for each…again, it’s your writing, your challenge. You write whatever you’re inspired to write!

The word limit for this challenge is 2,750 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 – Comment and Review Thread

And please, if you do take the time to read? Please just take a few more minutes to leave a comment.

The deadline for this month’s challenge is Wednesday 30th September 2015, with October’s challenge hopefully going live the following weekend.

Previous challenges and reviews can be found here.

Happy writing!

He'll be with me

As I sit amongst the summer, the richness of life abounds. I look towards the fall and see the maturity of life, the colours of age and finality. The ever-changing, always beautiful spring, sits amongst the leaves of autumn, basking in the kaliedoscope display of its warmth and comfort.

Rally on Autumnal times, for the golden landscape shall change. It is your time to be, the time to be praised and acknowledged. You have brought forth and provided, another generation to come after and dwell in the glory days you. I honour and praise you for all you are and all you continually conquest, for your strength has been mine.

Yield one last time the fruits and harvest of your bounty, that which you spent a lifetime to achieve. Share with me one last time, the joys and comforts of your beauty. Let me read the final chapter of your story and know that it came to a wonderful ending. Let me know you one last time before you go, one last hello, one last goodbye. Let me remember that which you are now, as winter comes to take you away and leave me cold.

Blame Vail

The leaves crunch and remind me of the perfect way the crust crumbles and flakes. The sunlight burning down through reds and yellows imitates the perfection of heated sauce and melted cheese. Watching my breath curl in the autumn air hearkens to the steam venting from a perfectly prepared pie. The Harvest Moon goes high, grows full, a pizza in the sky.

Fall's for football and frolicking and the coming of Halloween. The departure of Summer and Winter's prelude. For gath'rings and hay rides and reaping festivals. For pumpkins and turkeys and Pilgrims and skeletons. And though Thanksgiving's meal will be glorious, we'll have some pizzas in between.

Autumn Troops

"The leaves are falling, sir." The attendant mumbled this to his feet, eyes locked on the shined patent leather. He was clever to do so; the attendant was currently talking to The Boss, and The Boss was very serious. It was that time of year - that one where it was best to tiptoe past his office and not stumble - or laugh, talk, or even whisper. To avoid any contact at all was to have an injury-free season.

"Yes... yes, it is autumn. It has begun." The Boss replied, a small thumb rubbing against his furry chin. "Our opposition across the way don't stand a chance, if our defenses from last year are still in place."

He hadn't been told. "But... but sir." The attendant stammered, beady eyes twitching upwards as if to gauge the initial reaction of The Boss before continuing. No frothing at the mouth was forthcoming so the rest of his words spilled out before he even knew what he was doing: "... those were dismantled last week. Our scouts found the remains near the hedges... Oak Division 3."

Silence.

"We're doing the best we can to fortify the perimeters further!" The attendant continued, his stubby digits clutching together in a form of desperation. "We still have our main stores, and the 43rd Spike Troops have promised to lend us aid this autumn. We'll be ready for winter, sir. Those... creatures of Megwood will have nowhere to go but to go begging from the stable corporations by the time we're done with our plans!"

A chuckle came from The Boss, a high-pitched squeaking coming from inbetween his sharp teeth. "It's our time." The squirrel said, adjusting on his haunches as he continued to look out of the knot in the tree. "We'll be first to the goods this time, comrade. Those bastards won't know what hit them."

A pregnant pause, then a sigh of contentment. "Tell the troops we're feasting on apple tonight."

October

Crisp air and bright leaves
Harvest moons and pumpkin pie
Autumn must be here

The Grotto

The end of the day fell like all the colours of the sunset; orange and red and brown, bleeding across the woodland floor, turning everything it touched into earthy hues. The ethereal light reflected off the windows of her cottage. It made it look like the inside of the house was on fire, under the muddy thatched roof.

She stood under the sycamore tree. It's abundant leaves blanketed the ground around her as she stood. Her feet were covered in soil and leaves as she stood rooted to the spot.

'Aren't you coming?' The Cat said. 'You've been standing there all day.'

The Cat stared absentmindedly at a small Mouse, sitting between it's paws. The Mouse was oblivious to The Cat, the feline's tail flicking back and forth as the big yellow eyes watched the little creature scurry away into a knot in the sycamore.

'Weren't you hungry?' A nearby, high pitched voice squeaked. 'You never let them get away.'

The Cat sighed, glancing over at the pile of apples from where the voice had come. The tail flicked again, and then swished from side to side, stirring the leaves.

'I've not had much of an appetite of late,' The Cat said to The Hedgehog. 'What about you? How are you getting on with those apples?'

The Hedgehog climbed up to the top of the pile of apples and looked over at The Cat. One apple tumbled down and rolled over to the lady, stopping just in front of her. 'I'm not getting along badly. There's a lot to get through. What do you think?' The Hedgehog wriggled it's nose at one of the apples in the pile. There was a star carved in it.

'Quite the artist,' The Cat said with a low purr. 'Definitely better than last year's.'

'Thanks,' The Hedgehog said. 'Well, I should get back to it.' The Hedgehog looked up at the woman and then back at The Cat. It's beady black eyes twinkled. 'Do you think she's going to manage?'

The woman glanced down at the apple on the ground before her. She squinted a little, and the freckles across the bridge of her nose seemed to dance a little bit. She knelt down and picked it up, it nestled in her hands and a little carving of a heart shone in the white flesh.

Her eyes were the colour of a spring morning sky. Clear and blue and full of all the promises of the day. But her eyes seemed hollow; the colours and sounds of her laughter were muted.

The Cat looked from the woman, crouching on the forest floor in her dirty bare feet, holding the apple, to The Hedgehog. For the longest moment, The Cat's disinterested gaze took on a depth. The deepest, darkest green. They were full of the green. Like grass after rain. And then, they blinked. The Cat rose to it's feet at the same time as the woman did. It's lithe, black body swirled in and around her feet, tracing an infinity sign around her ankles.

"What does it mean?" The woman asked as she glanced down at The Cat, still holding the apple in her hand.

'It means love,' said The Hedgehog.

'It means always,' said The Cat.