The Unicorn Challenge.
A magical new weekly writing opportunity from her – Jenne Gray – and me.
Visit her blog every Friday to see the photo prompt, and post your amazing story in her comments section.
Or on your own blog, and stick the link down in her comments.
The rules are:
Maximum of 250 words.
Based on photo prompt.
That’s it.
To hear me read my story, just click here:
Love in the Afternoon
When I was married with children, I managed IT system projects, so, especially at installation time, I was away from home often, and for long spells.
Inverness, Frankfurt, Galway and Utrecht, all good towns, spring to mind, but they, and the hotels, start to blur, become one.
Did you ever, y’know, a wee bit houghmagandie, I get asked.
I shrug.
I’m only human, or almost, according to some people.
I stare out over the grey, god-forsaken town.
I’m on the fourteenth floor of a Holiday Inn, almost anywhere.
It’s Sunday afternoon, and it’s dreich.
It’s a dismal day, in a dismal place, when I should be home in Scotland with my family.
But this weekend I had to stay, to be hands-on at critical points during the testing phase.
I would be utterly depressed, if not for one thing.
Behind me, I hear her stir in the bed.
She is not a young woman, exactly, but still very attractive.
I told her I was lonely, she told me she gets bored.
This afternoon was, as the others were, inevitable.
I am not sure how she managed to escape her responsibilities, but I am grateful.
This is something that doesn’t happen often enough.
But it did happen in Inverness, Frankfurt, Galway, and now Utrecht.
Moments in life.
Moments to treasure.
She starts to giggle.
I turn, smiling.
Then we are both start to laugh.
What would our kids think, my wife asks.
I always thought there was a soppy side to you!
That’s just the kind of guy I am, Keith, the rest is all a front!
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Love, love, love. You sucked me right in, but you didn’t deliver a sucker punch. Instead you delivered a red red rose. Well done.
How sweetly put, Sally!
Thank you.
nicely done!
Pulled me right in is all you did… (enhanced compliment: even despite the couple of times I stepped out of the narrative to …. check some words)…
still surprised.
(plus, on the technical side of my readage: the repetition of the city names, very nice anchoring* of the traveling motif)
*or whatever the term in rhetoric for that is
I’ll teach you Scots if it kills one of us!
Pleased the repetition worked for you, Clark, it seemed to me to add something, but I wasn’t quite sure what.
Pulled in and surprised, hmm, so my job is done.
Sweet, lovely and romantic.
That’s me in three words, Nancy!
Oh what a wonderful twist. I sure wasn’t expecting it. Your lead up to the twist was fantastic.
Thank you
Oh, that’s lovely – for once it’s a happy twist!
Laughing. Thanks, Chris!
Wonderful!
Mischievous and wonderful..
The insinuations were all there, and like a sheep, I followed them.
Right to the glorious twist.
I bow to the master of deception.
Thanks, Jenne, this one was fun to write!