Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It was a rather fortunate coincidence that pointed my towards this 😉

What a gruesome scene you show us here, Chloe… It always surprises me how the characters in novels handle such scenes: there’s guilt, there’s determination for revenge, but seldom any emotional response like grief or terror or despair. But maybe that’s what makes them the heroes of novels…

Hi Marcena, that is quite an unexpected and refreshing take on the prompt. Well done indeed!

Hi Glen! I am not quite sure what to make of your MC. Did he kill his lover or try to save them? The jagged heart line must be a hint, but I can’t work it out. Doesn’t matter, I like it when makes me think. Well done!

Hi Seyi! I must say, I do love me a mischievous demon or ifrit (my Namira from the ‘Special Offer’ series is supposed to be one, too, but unfortunately she lacks cheek)… As to the ‘rut’ – it seems fairly prevalent among the ‘hardcore’ members of this group right now, and I think it’s no wonder – I mean, who in their right mind writes different…[Read more]

Hi Mark! I did not know what a Lochgelly tawse was, so I went and looked it up and now I am shocked! I can’t believe there was a special instrument for the beating of school children! This realization somehow eclipsed your story for a moment, sorry. What irony, if the painful shoulder were the one he used to beat the children… I like the set up…[Read more]

Hands can tell so much about a person. On the other hand, touching someone’s hands is an oddly intimate thing to do, don’t you think? I wonder what the ‘fellow’ thought of Marie. Great visuals. Very well done, Teresa

Thank you, Deryn!

Hi Seyi, you are up to your old no-romance tricks 😉 Isn’t romance (in romance novels) the part when the lovers are separated/not yet together and overcoming obstacles to get together? Apart from this (small) flaw, well done. I like the sentence ‘We destroyed it’ although I had to read the piece twice to get it (I was focused on the ‘hut’ and…[Read more]

Hi Seyi! I don’t know how I missed this piece (must be because I spent Wednesday in deep despair over not having a single idea for the ‘Stale’ prompt). This is brilliant! You employed your favourite technique again, I notice, and to great effect, as usual. I like the little gems like the warriors that were ‘well done’ and ‘tongue dissolving and…[Read more]

Present Tense would make it more immediate, would give the reader the illusion of being right there with your characters. If this were part of a bigger story, though (which I feel it could easily be), it might be better to keep the past tense.

How exciting! Well crafted story – or rather, I would hope, beginning of a story. Trees and magic!

Ah, what a devastating picture! I have always thought of a honeymoon as exploring new places together, sharing experiences, making memories, rather than staying in bed for days on end (seriously, in this day and age when people usually live together for a while before getting married)… But that’s beside the point. You describe the scene…[Read more]

Matrix-y good, but different. Brilliantly done!

Nicely done!

Hi Megan, you have me completely intrigued with this. Where can I find the ‘prequel(s)’?

Those are usually the best stories 😉

This is so well done, I am a bit envious 😉

Hi Che, you managed a whole story in 70 words – no small feat. Lovely read, too. Thank you for sharing