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19.7.18

ECLIPSE - a story in 100 words


ECLIPSE
“Fetch another virgin now!” the Chief screamed, “The Sun is dying!”
The medicine man cowered. “But Chief – we’ve sacrificed all the virgins.”
“Get Daxo’s neice.”
“The gods will be insulted – she’s too ugly.”
“That’s why I’m sure nobody’s screwed her.”
The fire that burned Daxo’s neice had been his fault - she was still a virgin because no man saw past the scars. 
“Hide, Petl – they will sacrifice you,” he urged.
“They won’t if I’m not a virgin, Tio.”
“Who?” Daxo gasped.
“You, Tio – quickly!”
Despite himself, Daxo succumbed, and the medicine man arrived just as Daxo saved Petl - and the sun - the only way he could.
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This week's story is condensed from another I wrote last year, with apologies for my lack of  fresh inspiration. We have just been offered a Trust cottage and will be moving within a month - so much to do, so little time, but we're thrilled.
Meanwhile, a quick plug for my latest book HELTER-SKELTER - just the job for a holiday read so be sure to get your copy, paperback or ebook, before you pack your suitcase. Link to the Amazon page at the top of my blog.

11.7.18

THE SLAVE GIRL - a story in a hundred words


THE SLAVE

 “Who will buy this lovely young virgin?”
“I will,” Petrus said and the hammer fell.

His home was a humble pottery in Stabiae, but a fig-tree shaded the yard, the kitchen was cool, and when Yani gave birth to a son, Petrus freed her.

One day he announced, “I go to sell pots in Surrentum,” and Yani said, “I will come too.”
Petrus stared as she packed all their belongings into the cart. “Shall I bring my wheel?” he joked.
She glanced at the mountain and shivered, clutching her child. “You can buy another – now hurry!”

They were ten miles away when Vesuvius erupted.
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Stabiae was a small village overlooking the Bay of Naples which, like Pompeii, was buried under metres of volcanic ash when Mt Vesuvius erupted.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabiae
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I took this photograph on our village green at Halloween a couple of years ago - this was our local supermarket's offering to the festivities. Thanks to Rochelle for using another of my photos - I shall enjoy reading what the rest of Friday Ficitoneers thought of it. If you are not a FF contributor, you can find us by following the blue frog link from https://rochellewisoff.com/ - after you've left a comment here, of course.

And - if you click on the book cover at the top of this page, that link will take you to the Amazon page where you can buy my new book HELTER-SKELTER, which is the story of Albie, a boy growing up in Kent, South-east England, between the wars - a completely different genre from my last book, A Volcanic Race. For those of you who bought AVR, I am still working on the sequel and hope to publish it in time for Christmas.

5.7.18

THE LAKE - a hundred word story for a hot day.


THE LAKE

That summer was a scorcher but the townsfolk were still shocked when Brandon appeared in shorts. 
His boss asked why he couldn’t at least get a leg that looked human, but Brandon said he was hot and they’d have to get used to it.
After work he walked round the lake, wishing he could grab a swim, but knew his stump would be too much.
Until Sadie got caught in the weeds, and he tore off his leg to dive in, then hopped ashore with her in his arms.
He swam every day after that, and at Christmas he married Sadie.
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The photo prompt this week was taken by J Hardy Carroll and posted on https://rochellewisoff.com/  If you follow the Blue Frog link from Rochelle's blog you can read other stories by Friday Fictioneers..

My Big News this week is that last Saturday - just inside my self-imposed deadline of June - my historical novel Helter-Skelter went live on Amazon. 
Publishing this book has been a dream for a long time. Some years ago an agent took it on but she couldn't find a publisher. Many of those she approached said I wrote well, but they didn't want an author who lived abroad and wouldn't be instantly available for publicity purposes!!
Well, now I'm back in England, the book has undergone a thorough edit, and here it is. If you click on the cover image the link will take you to the right page on Amazon.
For those of you who read A Volcanic Race and are waiting to read the sequel, be assured that I am working on that right now. I hope Wolf Pack will be out later this year.