The Morning Mist
By Donna L Martin
Things looked different in the mist covering the old bridge. It softened the edges of the world and made it seem a little less cruel. But Jack knew better than to trust the mist. He knew what happened when promises were broken and lies blanketed the truth. People got hurt.
Turning up his collar against the wind, Jack took one more look around the valley before he headed toward the stone structure. Too late to turn back now. Too many demons, too many answers waited for him at that bridge and he wasn't going to run away from the truth this time.
Maybe it was the haunting dream of Rachel last night that brought him here. Or maybe it was just the result of too many secrets kept for too many years until he no longer could tell what was real and what wasn't. Jack only knew his time had run out and his future waited for him in the morning mist...
***Okay, it's your turn. What happened next? Who was Rachel? What were the secrets Jack kept all these years? What did he find at the bridge? Leave a comment, leave a sentence, or finish the story...you decide! You don't have to run with my flash fiction piece. If someone else comments and you want to add to their story, then go for it. Let's see where this picture prompt takes us!***
He could still hear the sound of the trains in his mind. The zipped by with a clicky-clack, clickity clack, carrying the modern world at top speed away to busy places. While below, he and Rachel could only listen and dream about the places those trains might go. That was a long time ago. Jack wondered if the trains still ran over the old bridge. It was hard to see in the fog, but the old stone bridge seemed much less sturdy than it did back then. Back then, it was a refuge. Back then, it protected them.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jerry, and welcome to my blog! I like the fact you joined in the fun with your version of what happens next. Good job! Now to see if anyone else gives it a try...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!
I will certainly give it a try but I think my entries have a tendency to lower the tone so I will wait until the last minute :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for volunteering to distribute my book to a couple of worthy people in the US of A and I will now contact them to advise if they choose to sully their bookshelves with my garbage.
There are naturally copies for you and Janet but there are also three other US based bloggers I would like to have a copy. I'm not sure of parcel restrictions but I will also include 3 paperbacks and 5 e-book stubs for your upcoming event. I have also been promised promotional material and if there is anything suitable I will enclose that as well.
Thank you!
Hi JP! I'm happy to help you send your lovely book on a tour around the US...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!
JP, my bookshelf won't be complete until it has your book on it. I look forward to adding ALL of your "garbage" to my library.
DeleteAs the fog slowly began to lift, the staunch figure of Rachel's father appeared at the far end of the bridge. Behind him two other figures in long coats kept their distance. Jack had a feeling Ranger would not come alone. The old man was out for revenge. Rachel had paid the price all those years ago and Jack knew he was like a dog with a bone. If he could make someone suffer, he would. Jack knew the old man wanted answers, but so did he. What part did the old man have in all this, and why was he so hell bent on putting the pressure on Jack? Pointing the finger.
ReplyDeleteJack's mind clouded again as Rachel's face lying where she fell brought a stinging tear to his eye. He shivered, pulled his coat lapel tighter, and continued towards the bridge.
Ohhh, I am just back from holiday and getting over jet lag.
Hi Diane! I really liked your addition to my story and glad to know you made it back home safely!
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!
Going outside to play, so no story today. I liked reading them though! :D
ReplyDeleteLol, Erik, sometimes we all just need to take a break...go outside and play as well...;~)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and come back any time!
An interesting exercise! So you do always seem to do this on your blog here? By the way, I would also like to ask you about a site which enables writers to build up a fanbase and market their books online, ReadWave.com.
ReplyDeleteYou see, I help out on there and we've just launched a "reading widget" (a tool which allows you to embed a story on your website in a very compact form) which is aimed at bloggers who love short stories. Since you like both and because you seem like a nice person, I was hoping I could ask you to check it out and let me know what you think of it? Here's a link to our Blogspot where you can see a demonstration of how to do so. For the site page, it’s here.
At the moment we're still looking for feedback on how easy it is to use the feature, and how useful you think it would be, so if you are able to test it out on your blog I would be eternally grateful. Please do get in touch.
All the best,
Nyasha
Hi Nyasha and welcome to my blog! Thank you for thinking of me regarding your ReadWave.com venture. I did a quick look and it seems really interesting and potentially helpful to writers...depending on what they are looking for when they start to build their platform.
DeleteI think a lot of writers (myself included) would be hesitant, though, to post a story they are hoping to become published one day, but I can see it might be a great way for potential fans to get a sense of a particular writer's voice through short pieces they might post.
I write mainly in the children's picture book, middle grade, and young adult genres so I was looking for those genres and had to really look to find them. If you are wanting to attract writers of those genres, you might want to think about making those catagories a little bit easier to find (like part of your tool bar at the top of your site?). The links you referred to in your post here doesn't actually GO to any of your links...just thought you might like to know...
Unfortunately, I receive many requests to participate in many other ventures with very little time to offer my input so I have to give very careful consideration to all requests. I wish you luck with your website ReadWave.com and will try to spend more time visiting as soon as I am able to...
Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!