Charli Mills | But I Smile Anyway...

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/

February 22 – Flash Fiction – Unicorn

23 Feb 2018 39 Comments

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

Charli’s prompt this week:

February 22, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about a unicorn. It can be realistic or fantastical. Go where the prompt leads.

“A unicorn? You want a unicorn?” Sarah turned from her daughter and looked at her ex-husband, Peter, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, it’s like living with Verruca Salt! She thinks she can demand anything, and that you’ll get it! How are you going to handle this one? They’re not even real!”

She was fed up of her daughter’s unrealistic demands, and the fact that Peter, anxious to score Best Parent points, would always succumb to the demands.

Peter just smiled and said “No problem, my Princess!” and hastily typed Unicorn into the Amazon search bar. Amazon sold everything after all!

https://carrotranch.com/2018/02/22/february-22-flash-fiction-challenge/

February 15 – Flash Fiction – Ice

16 Feb 2018 26 Comments

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

Charli’s prompt this week:

February 15, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story on ice. It can be an event on ice, a game on ice or a drink on ice. Go where the prompt leads you…

As she poured the scotch, Paula could hear the cracks as the warmth of the liquid began the melting of the ice cubes in the tumbler.
If only she could be like that drink, and her presence the liquid that slowly caused the ice around his heart to melt…
She didn’t know why he was so cold towards her, they’d barely spoken twice, since he started coming to the bar where she worked, but she was determined.
He was a good looking guy, and by all appearances, well off too.
And she was a girl who needed looking after…

https://carrotranch.com/2018/02/15/february-15-flash-fiction-challenge/

February 8 – Flash Fiction – Fireweed

09 Feb 2018 33 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #CarrotRanch, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charli Mills, Fireweed, Flash Fiction, London, World War 2

Charli’s prompt this week:

February 8, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes fireweed. You can use it as the plant, a flower, a metaphor or as the name of someone or something. Go where the prompt leads. Burn bright when you write.

“It’s hard to believe the carnage that happened here a short while ago.” Olivia looked around at the bombsite where once her home had stood.
Across the whole area, pretty purple flowers grew, giving the destroyed street a hazy filter.
“That rosebay willowherb has just taken over. It’ll take an age to clear it up too, before we can even think of rebuilding…” Janet sighed.
“Fireweed… that’s what they call that, across the Atlantic, where I’m from.” Chuck, the GI who had befriended them at the dance the night previously, said. “It sure loves a bit of burned ground!”

I’m not great at researching pieces, often just going where my mind takes me with prompts, but with this one, I had to do a little reading first, as I didn’t know much about fireweed, and other than cracking a joke about fire and wee… my imagination was coming up with nothing! Apparently, fireweed was rife where the bombs had razed parts of London to the ground, during World War 2.

https://carrotranch.com/2018/02/08/february-8-flash-fiction-challenge/

February 1 – Flash Fiction – Black & White

02 Feb 2018 29 Comments

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

Charli’s prompt this week:

February 1, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that features something black and white. It could be a nun in a zebra monster truck, a rigid way of thinking, a bird in a tuxedo — be imaginative and go where the prompt leads.

I just had to ask. It was eating me up inside. The lies… the excuses…
“I saw you. With her.”
“Who? Janine? My father’s carer? And?”
“You weren’t at work the other day. Yet you told me you would be late back.”
“So? I had an appointment with Dad’s doctor. I went in late. Had to make up time.”
“Your eyes have been constantly on your phone recently.”
“I’m answering messages. From the carer. Dad’s going downhill…”
“Oh…”
“Yeah… Oh… What did you think? I’d been cheating?”
Pete rolled his eyes.
“Life’s not always black and white, you know.”

https://carrotranch.com/2018/02/02/february-1-flash-fiction-challenge/