Austin Briggs's Blog, page 35
February 12, 2013
All Packed
All packed, toothbrush and all.
I said goodbye to those I leave behind.
There were some tears, both joyful and sad.
But I wonder what tomorrow brings?
With one last look at the rain and the cold,
no regrets, no more farewells.
They call my plane, and I am off.
Sophie.
All Packed is a post from: Adventure and Learning
February 9, 2013
Beginning or The End?
Swirling and kicking in the watery sack, I absorb to grow. . . molecule to massive!
With protrudes I can swim. Something tick-tocks to keep me cognizant. I can sense secrets, anxiety and warmth.
Today, I have overgrown the sack, struggling for expanse.
Don’t push. . . stop!!
Ohh, where am I? Is the adventure over? . . . Or just begun?
Beginning or The End? is a post from: Adventure and Learning
Flying Lessons
“Jump!”
I stand on the quarry rim, the still water black, oiled peacock feathers in the filtered light.
“Do it!” they dare, giggling, impatient.
I hold my nose, knobby knees bent, looking up into oak leaves, surely facing my death.
“Jump, chicken!”
Eyes squeezed shut, I shriek, I leap.
I open my wings and fly.
Flying Lessons is a post from: Adventure and Learning
February 8, 2013
The Last Great Adventure
The mountain had taken his friends, a handful of fingers, and a couple of his toes.
“You’re lucky to be alive,” they said.
Not lucky, he thought, but forgotten. He’d been left behind.
Someday, he would return to the summit.
And from there he would reach out to them.
And hope that they remembered.
O.D. Trebor.
The Last Great Adventure is a post from: Adventure and Learning
A Youthful Adventure
Wind flew through his hair as he sped down the hill. The dirt trail stretched between foliage and trees.
He rode through a trickling stream. Water spat against his face.
A dirt mound lay ahead. He launched through the air, his bike flying three feet off the ground. He landed with precision and kept riding.
A Youthful Adventure is a post from: Adventure and Learning
Into the Void
The dead lurch out of the darkness. They stagger forward with the insatiable hunger of the damned, taloned fingers clutching greedily for my face, my hair, my clothes.
I pull the shotgun trigger again and again, but it clicks empty.
Cornered, surrounded.
Exhausted.
I close my eyes, preparing for a bitter taste of dark immortality.
Hope Sullivan McMickle.
Into the Void is a post from: Adventure and Learning
A True Teen Adventure
The sweat oozed through his vest, every step was agony.
Was it idiotic to brave the onslaught from this dragon in its foreboding lair?
Closer to his goal, with one last breath he was ready to suffer whatever backlash fate decreed. He pointed to them.
“A packet of three, please.”
“Ribbed or regular?”
A True Teen Adventure is a post from: Adventure and Learning
Midnight Explorers
12 AM. once again,
Frankie aged 13, packed his rucksack.
“Hurry,” shouted his friend Jack.
Frankie climbed down from his bedroom window.
“Tonight will be our greatest adventure”
Jack showed Frankie the map, his grandfather left him.
“tochtli quauitl”
The only words inscribed, with directions into the woods,
This time, shall be their greatest discovery.
Midnight Explorers is a post from: Adventure and Learning
February 3, 2013
Agoraphobic Adventures
She went to the mailbox last week, Monday the garden.
Wednesday the shops, long queues, noisy children, music non-stop, and too loud announcements. A chocolate bar, easily found, right at the front.
Hi and how are you today?
Fine. Deep breath.
Churning, fear and chaos.
Outside, relieved, high on the thrill of making it out.
Agoraphobic Adventures is a post from: Adventure and Learning
February 2, 2013
January 2013 Winners
The January was a short month, because of me. Although I missed the time and didn’t announce any particular topics, great entries kept coming in.
Because there hadn’t been many stories posted, I suggest we do away with the short list and go straight to the winners.
1st Place ($55): A Breathing Secret by Raani York. I loved the completeness of this very emotional, deep story. The conflict, although subdued, is masterfully done.
2nd Place ($30): Tastes like Oak by Robert P. Wills. Brilliant, isn’t it? I fell in love with this cool piece.
2nd Place (#30): Leftovers by Eugene Chun. This is such a bizarre, dystopian story that I can’t get over. Wonderfully done.
To be honest, this was a tough one, having to select three from so few strong stories. I know that on top of brilliant writing, some folks like Dani J Caile really drove exposure to this contest, for which I’m deeply grateful. Please write again, who knows, you may win next month!
As always, I’ll contact the winners by email and will wire them the money via Paypal.
Congratulations!
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Now, on to the next month!
In February, let’s write about adventure. I love this picture of a Russian diver beneath the ice, with aurora raging above him. I hope this image captures the spirit of adventure, exploration and beauty that the February stories should be about!
Adventure
Write a complete story in 55 words about any adventure – doesn’t have to be about diving in the dark northern sea! Don’t forget about the contest’s criteria found here.
January 2013 Winners is a post from: Adventure and Learning
