Wednesday, December 5, 2012

55 Word Challenge: Week Thirty-Seven


55 Word Challenge
Week Thirty-Seven

Welcome back to #55WordChallenge. The guest judge and artist this week is Tome (@SareeseFeet)  Sara has contributed some great photos to help inspire your muse.

For those that are uninitiated, the 55 Word Challenge is a contest to write a story in 55 words or less. Not an easy task, but fun and I have been blown away by some of the entries. See for yourself, all the past contests can be found here.

The challenge begins at noon Eastern time every Wednesday and ends at noon Thursday. The story is based on one of three photo prompts and can be written in any genre you choose. My only request is no porn. I don't want to hear graphic details. If it is erotic, make it titillating, not obscene. I know that can be done and done well.

The story is to be posted in the comment section below, along with your twitter handle or email address, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you don't want to list your email address, send it to me at I promise I won't distribute it, but if you are the winner I need a way to notify you and to send you your prize.

And what does the winner get? This purty badge for one. For two, a gift card for $5.00 from Amazon. (The prize will be rewarded within about week and sent to your email.) Also, I will be offering a monthly prize to the story I liked the best between the winners. That will be announced at the end of the month who gets this. (I will announce last weeks winner Friday, but there will be a delay in delivery. I have to order more and that takes a few weeks for delivery.)

If you are an artist that would like to have your work featured, let me know!

Photo Prompts:

Tome (@SareeseFeet) can be pretty much described as Aspiring because there are so many creative things she wants to do but all of those things don't involve income yet. By day she works in a tea shop and learns about theatre. By night she is a fangirl of many a thing. By late night she writes. You can find her at
Shameless Promo:
Jarrod moves with his family to Alaska where he and his new friend, Carl, decide to explore the old house that his father’s company owns.  While searching the attic, the two boys discover an old wooden chest and pry it open. Inside is a treasure unlike any that Jarrod has ever seen… an army of wooden soldiers.  With animalistic features, the army resembles a demonic horde, one that terrifies Carl because he knows the history of the house… or at least the stories that have been passed down through the years.
Over a hundred years before a witch had lived in the house. As the town threatened to destroy her, she created an unholy alliance with Satan, bringing forth a legion of demons to protect her. The witch and the creatures that served her disappeared, but many whispered that she would one day return.  Carl, believing that these soldiers were not toys but the witch’s army, urges Jarrod to put them back in the trunk. When he refuses and begins to play with his new toys all hell is loosed.
But the witch’s army isn’t the only supernatural presence in the house. Christmas is around the corner and as the witch prepares to make her entrance back into the world, another army prepares to battle for Jarrod’s soul.


  1. Loaded Dice
    By Wakefield Mahon
    “Derek, I swear I’m never playing with you again. Everyone knows the chances of rolling a six eighteen times in a row is 101,559,956,668,416.”
    “Everyone, meaning you and who else? Fine, I’ll use your dice if you think I’m cheating.” Brenda’s dice slid across the table into Derek’s hand. “Do you want to roll first?”
    55 Words

  2. D&D?

    The group sat around the glass-topped table, impatiently waiting for Ben to make his roll. If he managed to do enough damage to bring the creature down, the party would be victorious. The dice spun and landed, six dots showing.

    The DM smiled. “You have beaten the humans…for now.” The dragonlings cheered, eager to continue.

    55 words {without title}

  3. Her upended cello reminded him of a ship’s bow setting sail for a foreign shore.

    In disconsolate rage he had also tipped over the music stand, notes cascaded down the page in a way the composer had never intended.

    Robert sat sobbing for the music he would never hear again, her sweet melodies lost forever.

    55 words

  4. Anya's final words echoed in the empty silence of the room.

    One's a thrill, two's a kill.
    Three's a spree, four you're free.
    Five's your own life, six takes the knife...

    Eloise wiped the bloodied blade on her jeans and gently placed it back on the table. 'Right,' she said, grinning. 'Who's next to roll?'

    55 Words

  5. The one roomed shack had no electricity, no running water and was miles from anywhere. Over the years the room had been used by couples trying to recapture their youth; teenagers experimenting with drugs and sex; solitary men as a haven for unacceptable hobbies.

    If only buildings could talk, the stories it could tell.


  6. She tried the handle, it turned but wouldn't open, and she began frantically yanking the door. Every time she did so the walls of the house moved inwards and the roof lowered. What had started as a large barn and shelter from the rain was now a small shack that threatened to be her coffin.

    55 words

  7. When she took the photo out of the box it was all grimy, but it didn’t stop the flood of images the sight of it brought; the ropes, the chains, the blood, and so much pain. She pulled her knees up to her chin & started rocking, just like when they’d finally found her.

    54 Words

  8. Chance nor luck were ever on his side. He’d found the map, found the farmhouse, but lost the bet. His wife and her lover weren’t there. Yet. Strike up the orchestra, pluck those taut violin strings, this tale was all too familiar. The ending needed revision. He re-loaded and waited for the music to end.

    55 words


    The cottage was not as it had once been. His daughter gone, the old man now lived all alone.

    Only on days the black rabbit came in from the garden did music return to his life. She would stay for tea, games and pleasantries.

    Not quite all alone, the old man remembered how to smile.

    55 words

  10. The creature didn’t look like us and it didn’t talk like us. When it pointed at the viola, looking for permission to touch it, we chuckled. When it picked up the instrument, held it next to its mouth and turned the sheet music sideways, we roared with laughter. When it started to play, we cried.

    55 words

  11. Decorum

    The pastoral scene visible through the transit window was indistinct and blurred by temporal distortions. Lord Malak eyed it with obvious distaste.

    “I do believe I’d rather stay here and perish than to spend my days as a…farmer.”

    Turning, he strode from the Portal Chamber knowing he would at least die with his dignity intact.

    55 words @klingorengi

  12. He composed his first concerto at forty-seven and his second six weeks later. Making up for lost time, he said, laughing.

    At fifty-five he learned craps. He won hard, lost hard, both without regret.

    Painting came at sixty: landscapes, seascapes, in gloriously vibrant greens and blues.

    Vegetative state, they said, shaking their heads.

    As if.

    55 words

  13. Tonya squinted at the music. It made no sense to her right side up. It jumbled and danced on the page, a mash of lines.

    The conductor wasn’t happy with her discordance. She had performed so beautifully during audition.

    She sighed, turning the book on its side. The notes moved together seamlessly, making sense again.

    55 words