Fiction | But I Smile Anyway...

March 15 – Flash Fiction – Carrot Cake

16 Mar 2018 71 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #bloggersbash, #CarrotRanch, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Carrot Cake, Charli Mills, Flash Fiction

Charli’s prompt this week:

March 16, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about carrot cake. It can be classic or unusual. Why is there cake? How does it feature in the story. Go where the prompt leads.

Oh Charli, just reading the prompt made me hungry! Carrot Cake is my favourite and I have shared a great recipe here… and I am not cruel, I even shared my carrot cupcakes at the last Bloggers Bash, and the recipe and photos are here!

Right… here goes! A little tongue in cheek flashback to when Geoff and I baked goodies for the last Bloggers Bash. It is (slightly) fictitious but I did really bake and make all those things! And Geoff makes a mean cake too… tried and tested on two separate occasions!!!

Cake-Off!

Lifting the last box from her bag, Ritu sighed with satisfaction.
The pastries, bites and cakes had all reached the venue intact: Nutella puff pastry twists, Rocky Road bites, and her favourite, carrot cake cupcakes.
Nothing else was laid on the table… until he turned up.
Armed with gluten-free, sugar-free fare, His Geoffleship laid his plates across the other table half.
The competition had arrived.
Soon the room began to fill with the attendees of the Bloggers Bash, ready for the Blog Awards…
But for these two bakers, the real winner would be who won the Great Bash Bake-off!

CarrotCakeCupcakes

20170702_104813

https://carrotranch.com/2018/03/16/march-15-flash-fiction-challenge/

And if you are interested in the chance of more cake… maybe you need to get yourself to the Bash, it is overshadowing that other minor event, that happens to be the Royal wedding, on May 19th, 2018, in London! Get your tickets HERE!

#WritePhoto – Ahead

16 Mar 2018 27 Comments

by Ritu in #WritePhoto, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #WritePhoto, Ahead, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Flash Fiction

Sue’s #WritePhoto Prompt this week:

No matter whatever the situation

Keep your head held high

Don’t let the world drag you down

Don’t sit and ponder “Why?”

Just focus upon the time that’s coming

Always keep looking ahead

For the best is yet to come

Look forward to that instead

Ritu 2017

#writephoto

https://scvincent.com/2018/03/15/thursday-photo-prompt-ahead-writephoto/

March 8 – Flash Fiction – Balloon

09 Mar 2018 95 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #CarrotRanch, Balloons, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charli Mills, Flash Fiction, Missing

Charli’s prompt this week:

March 8, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that features a balloon. It can be a party balloon or a hot air balloon. How does it add to your story? Go where the prompt leads.

Jenny tied the last of the balloons up. There. The room looked amazing.
Decorations adorned the walls and banners saying Happy 16^th Birthday were hung up around the room.
“There you are, Amelia. A party you’d have been proud to host.”
Pop!
A lone balloon burst.
And with that, Jenny burst into tears.
Was that another sign? That she wasn’t coming back?
It had been 9 years since Amelia went missing, disappeared from the local park whilst playing with her friends.
Yet Jenny had never been able to accept she wasn’t coming back.
Was it time to accept reality?

https://carrotranch.com/2018/03/09/march-8-flash-fiction-challenge/

#WritePhoto – Arch #IWD

08 Mar 2018 36 Comments

by Ritu in #WritePhoto, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #InternationalWomensDay, #WritePhoto, Arch, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Flash Fiction

Sue’s #WritePhoto Prompt this week:

The pathway was empty.
A strange hush surrounded the area.
Usually the place was teeming with folk, women hurrying about their daily duties, fetching supplies from the grocery shop and market, sloshing the dirty laundry water out, dropping off, or collecting children from school. The men appeared in the mornings and then at around 6 pm, either on their way to work, or returning.
You wouldn’t see a woman out then. They’d be busy getting dinner ready at the table, a feast for their menfolk.
But today, just ahead, if you stepped forward, and looked beyond the arch, you could see them.
All the women surrounded a podium on the green.
A commanding figure stood on the stage, addressing the women.
“I have had a vision. It may not happen in our lifetime, but one day, we WILL be appreciated for all the hard work we put in. It won’t be just the menfolk who are applauded for bringing the money in, but us too.”
A snigger from the crowd.
She looked over to where the noise came from.
“I kid you not. There will be a time where we will step out and work alongside them, and sometimes, even do a better job! Yet we will still be that wife, mother, home-maker… It shall be for one day each year, and one day only, but on that day, we shall celebrate being female. A day devoted to women!”
“In her dreams,” whispered Deirdre to Agnes, “now I’m late getting the tea on… spouting poppycock and nonsense like that. She’ll spoil the young’uns, putting ideas into their heads… Really! I’m off!”

#writephoto

https://scvincent.com/2018/03/08/thursday-photo-prompt-arch-writephoto/

March 1 – Flash Fiction – Raven

02 Mar 2018 45 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #CarrotRanch, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charli Mills, Flash Fiction, Ravens, Tower of London

Charli’s prompt this week:

March 1, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a raven. It can be in nature or used to describe humanity as a metaphor. Follow the bird. Go where the prompt leads.

We have a set of ravens that congregate on the roofs of the houses of our neighbourhood… but they weren’t the inspiration for my flash today.

No.

I ended up thinking about the famous ravens at the Tower Of London. I knew they were meant to always be there, but wasn’t sure why, so it was time for a little research again.

Did you know they clip one wing, so the birds don’t leave, though there have been ‘escapees’ and they had to ‘sack’ some because Raven George kept eating Television aerials, and Raven Grog was sighted outside an East End Pub, drinking on the job!

I kid you not! If you want to read a little more, click here!

And here is my little attempt!

“It is a worry indeed, Your Majesty, yes. We’ve had to sack three of them this year, and getting decent replacements, well that is an increasingly tough task.”

Beefeater Chambers looked out of the window, whilst speaking to the Queen on the Royal telephone.

The requirement was six ravens to be guarding the Tower of London at any one time, or the Tower and Kingdom would fall, and this new generation, well they were useless.

They didn’t have the spunk of their ancestors, calling in sick all the time, too busy posing for the tourists and Instagram selfies.

Really!

https://carrotranch.com/2018/03/01/march-1-flash-fiction-challenge/