Write a story of around 100 words using only one-syllable words. Meaningful and powerful writing does not have to contain impressive words; often, writers are too worried about sounding intelligent that they focus too much on "big" words and "big" themes. However, there are times when simple, direct prose has more power.
For example, basic words such as bed, earth, stars, bone, yard, house are all simple words, but they're also rich with emotional potential.
Examples:
The boy sat on the dock and wept.
He cried for the loss of love. A tear in his heart so big it seemed too much to bear.
He glanced up at the fish in the lake and wished to be with them. To be free with them for a few days is all he asked for. To not think about the life he must face. He would not go back to the house. Not back to the home where he knew her. Where her bones would be lain. Not back to the house where his mom had died.
"Dear God," she wrote, "I have been good all my life. I lived in a way I thought you would want. Be it man or beast, I treat all with love. But I ask, is life how it should be? And," she went on, "Why did you leave?" She paused on the next words. "Did you leave me?" she asked in her head, "or did I leave you?" She threw the note and pen to the hard floor and cried. "Who left who? Do I have a soul? Is this life all there is?"
She feared the truth she knew.
The night was bright; the stars threw light on the old town. Men walk like dead freaks through the streets. Girls hang out at the town pub and drink their souls out. Al that is left is a drunk shell of a girl who used to be good. Men tell them they will take care of them, but they just want to have a good time with them. You can see it all night; the things that go on here are so weird. One day you are a smart man with a good life, the next day you are just a flash in the pan.
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ReplyDeleteIn the night a child sat on the ground
DeleteHe would look at the stars
And he would think
What would he think of though?
The fight that took place on the field where he sat
Or the men who gave their lives on that field
He did not care for them
He only cares for their blood
That dark drink
One to flow down to his gut
His tongue would not miss a drop
To him the taste was sweet
He was a child of the night
A think that lives in the dark
He will feast on blood
For he is a spawn of evil
I ran past the park. My breath was sharp and full of pain. My mind was not in one place. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. My mom and dad had made me so mad, I had to leave. If I did not leave I would have hurt them. Each fist was closed as tight as a rope. Tears ran down my face. I swung my head back and forth in search of a curb. I went to the edge and sat down. What was I to do? I could not go back home. That was the last place I would want to be right now.
ReplyDeleteThe boy ran. He ran fast but yet he did not fall. His sis ran too. She did fall, and she got hurt. A cat comes by her side. She took it home. The boy was mad, their dad was sad and the mom was glad. The cat was mean and ate their fish. That cat was put out. Tears ran down the dad’s face. He loved that fish. They were all mad at the dumb cat. They bought a new fish, yet it did not fix that sad day. The day we lost our fish and the new cat.
ReplyDeleteShe was just a young girl, had her ups and downs. She had big fights with her mom and dad. They did not get how she was. Judged her so fast. Did not try to get to know how she is. She never got that one smile from her mom and dad. She was not happy with her mom or dad. She had friends that were there for her. They made sure she had a smile; they talked to her so she can let it all out. She got past it all, and learns from them. As long as she had people to let things out than she was happy.
ReplyDeleteShe wants to go back in time. She wished for a time to go back. She got her wish. She got to be five. She said it was her best year. Now she has a day. She woke up in her five year old self. She saw that she was young. She went to put on her dress. To see that the dress did not fit her. It was too big. She had grown out of her dress. The rest of the day was not the same. She had been so used to do adult like things that not being able to do what she wanted was a pain. It was an hour in the day and she did not want to be five. She knew that it was great being five but she did not think about the way they would treat her. She went to her room and laid on her bed. A tear ran down her face. She rolled and made a wish.
ReplyDelete“I do not want to be five. I want to go back. I want to go out, I want to drive, to cook, to clean, to text, to hang out with my friends.” She cried.
She put her hand on her head, then closed her eyes. She had a dream about her being old. She had a dream that she was glad, a dream where she was not five. When she woke up she was back to her age.
“I do not want to be five. I am glad with my age.” She said with a tear that left her eye.
Why did Ken leave his mom and dad to go be with clowns? His rents did not like them. But Ken had the knack to fool and play with all the clowns. When Ken left, he made his way to find a guy with a fun and weird mind; much like a clown. He found a guy named Jim. He was a clown, and not the kind of clown you’d ever see. Ken walked up to Jim and asked if he could learn the ways of a true clown. With a smile, Jim said yes, and the skills will flow through Ken’s brain like a fish in the sea. They went right to work, and it only took days for Ken to gain all the skills he had to have. They went to a dance where they had to slow dance. When it was done, not one man laughed at their brave ways. This is why Ken and Jim went on to be the world’s best clowns to be seen by the eye of man.
ReplyDeleteThe tall man strode to the door. He tried to get through, but he hit his head. When he did, he fell down and things went dark. When his sight came back, he was in a new place. There were all types of things new to him in this new world. There was a green cat, a blue cow, and when he looked in the lake, he saw that he too looked strange. His hair was bright pink, his lips were in a morphed smile and his eyes were pitch white. He felt a shock and shot up. A crowd stared at him. His dream was done.
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ReplyDeleteI know the things that I have done
ReplyDeleteMay not be good but there is a cause
I chose to do those things for those who I thought were in my squad
I do not look in the past but it did effect who I am
Things I did for heads I thought were there for me
Now I see who my heads really are
Down the line I just got me myself and I
I work hard for the things I need in life
I grind so my mom can have a great time as well as I
At the end you go 6ft low in the ground alone
The boy lied to her; he said and did things he can’t take back. She’s sad that the love they once will not be the same. He was with that girl, the girl that lied to her too. He did not mean for that to happen, he does love and care for her but his mind was not in the right place that night. He had too much to drink, and too much to smoke. She was crushed and had no more love for this boy. But that’s also a lie; she loves him so much it’s too much to bear.
ReplyDeleteThe dog sat on a log. It was not a big log. The log had a bump on it. That is where a frog would sit. The dog, log, and frog sat next to a small lake. The sun shone bright on the lake. It would heat up all in sight. The fish in the lake swam with ease. The lake was a calm place. Some would go there to think. The lake was a place to leave the world. The sun was bright and it made the dog hot. The dog died due to the heat. It was a sad day.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend was by my side
ReplyDeleteWe sat on the ground
All day and night
To wait for the sun to rise
I could not sleep at all
Or else I would miss it
I did not bring a coat
The night was very cold
I won’t lie
I was shy
At night I looked at the sky
And a star passed by
I closed my eyes
All I did was to wish for one thing
He begged to know what it was
But I could not tell him or else it won’t come true
The time was up
The sun rose
I got a kiss
Wish came true
that's crap
DeleteI was born in a bed
ReplyDeleteI saw light and I was proud
I see my mom smile
I see my dad cry
Tears on his face
I was a proud son
My life is a circle
Sorrow and hate
Dark and light
I see nothing but love
Friend I am
A good friend
You should be my friend
I’m nice and sweet
But dark is life
When time is up
The sun falls
We all die
And go all the way down low
No wish comes true
I won’t lie to you
I would not sleep if I lie
I was on my way. Out of school. On my way home. I just bought my train stub. But the time it would leave was at ten. It was then eight. So I had time. I was not in need of food. And I did not want to sleep. So I dropped my bags and sat on a bench. That is when the tune was heard.
ReplyDeleteThe flute was great. But the one who played it was even more so. He swayed as he played. His eyes closed with no sheets. Dressed in jeans and a shirt. The small case lid was up, to urge the folks on their way to drop even a bill in. The song played just down the line from me. But I thought I was too far off. So I picked up my bags and trudged to the best seat.
I was the lone one to take note of him. The rest just passed by. Some dropped a bill in here and there. But I heard the tune. I took it to heart. And heard all the notes. It was the best song in my whole life that hit my ears. The next song played and I was still there with a grin on my face. The next song. The next song. At last, he stopped. The sad few bills that were dropped in the case with no care were picked up by his skill filled hands. The flute put in. The case picked up. The man set to walk. But stopped. And turned to me. Me. His soul fan. And gave me a card. I gazed at it and then looked up to thank him. But he was gone. I was the lone one in that place.
So I looked at the card one more time. But looked with more care. I saw the swirled lines on each edge. And saw the name in fine print. It was hard to read but I made out the name. Matt King. The famed name. the one that played flute for a job. The one that did not dress in jeans and a shirt. The one that did not play by the train. That one that pleased more fans than any one else. But I was his soul fan that day.
The day Trance Case came back, it rained. He left that same day five years back, and like that day, it stormed. No one has seen him since, and no one have heard from him. That night, his house burned down. Folks thought he was dead in the flames.
ReplyDeleteThe town was stunned to see him walk on the streets of the town once more. He used to be a warm kid. He was missed when he was gone. Now, he came back, he is warm no more. His face is stern and has a long scar down his left arm. His clan is long gone. He is lone. Folks asked him where he went and what he did, but he did not reply.
One day, bad luck came. A guy in black suit was at his house with a gone. The guy said that he will kill him. Turns out, Trance’s dad stole a gem with great price from the head of the gang in Guam. When his dad died, the gang turns to him. Trance does not know where the gem is. He thought of all the place where his dad could have put it, but he did not find it. The gang gave Trance three more days to find the gem, or else they will kill him.
Trance looked through the old bags and all the rooms in the house. Then, he thought of when his dad told him that if he gets in a mess one day, the thing in his mother’s safe box will help him. He pulled the lid out and saw a big gem stone. He gave it back to the gang, and they let him go.
The girl looks up to the sun. In the sky it hung. She walks down the street, step by step. The house next to her stood tall, and blue. The tree in the yard was brown and bare. The fruit all fell off since it got cold. She went in the house to say hi to mom and dad, and then she went up to her own room where she shut the door to cry. She was made fun of all day, and she does not know why. Her bed was clothed in tears where she laid her head.
ReplyDeleteHe broke his heart with a stroke of his pen. He wrote day and night on a tear-stained page. He wrote for her--who still won’t love him to this day—then he would burn his script in flames. He would write his pen out of its ink, and he would write his heart out of its beat. He bled his love on each page, as if she would care. All he knew was that he loved her, but who she loved was not him. She saw him as a friend when they were kids. He saw her as the girl of his dreams. She broke his heart. She had no clue.
ReplyDeleteKind of an idea stolen from the previous prompt.
ReplyDeleteThe nymph walks down the tearstained road
The creeping shadows engulfing its soul.
In its hands it cradles a small figure,
A pale, tiny child.
Its body is cold in the creature’s arms,
Its face is pale as the moon
The nymph’s tears do not awaken the boy
He is dead, dead and gone.
The creature reaches the house, and slips through the window,
Moving toward the crib.
Gently it places the child inside, and a guttural sound comes out of its throat
A moan of a banshee, a howl in the night, that rises to a scream
The nymph collapses on the ground, its body limp
Dead as the child it had returned.
“Who’s there?” a voice cries,
And walks into the room.
A sharp scream escapes her mouth
As the spectacle before her becomes known
And, then, there is only silence.
The night moves on, steady and calm
And the shadows reign on the Earth’s surface
Shadows of love, shadows of pain
Shadows of life, and shadows of death.
The green dog took a walk
ReplyDeleteDown to the house of Jim
Jim said “why are you green?”
The dog said “Woof!”
“That does not tell me why you are green” Jim thought.
Jim dug in his brain
For the cause of this green dog
“Green paint?
It could not be.
The dog has green hair, not skin.
Men from space?”
There was no way this was it.
Soon, a bright light shone from the sky
Down came a ship full of small green men
“Is this yours?” Jim cried out to them
“Blargh.” They said back.
A glance went back and forth
From the dog to the men
Back to their ship,
The green dog took a walk.
I ran through the park. I felt the sharp pain in my chest. The run was fun and long. I jumped and leapt over trees and sticks as I ran through the green field. Then I made a sharp turn down a long dark path full of bad trash and bad smell. Once the dark path was cleared the great clean air hit my face and gave me a boost. That boost made me pick up my pace and the home stretch was in sight. The final turn was made and my house was in sight. I took the final steps up the stairs were made and the run was done.
ReplyDeleteWhy? Why did you go? I still need you. Come back, I do not want to be left in the dark. I’m sad. I’m so vile. I was mean to you. I did not mean any of the stuff I said. I was mad, but I was still cruel. I made such a mess of this. Friend, I want to take all that I said and take it back, but I can’t. Take pity on me. I can’t go on if you are not here. Come back to this place. Come back. Though we did not always agree, the days we spent were full of joy. So come back. I need you, my friend.
ReplyDeletehe sits and waits for a very, very, very, very huge box that comes on a very big day for him and he sits in the heat, the cold, the rain, the hail, sleet, and snow but it did not come to him so he was very, very sad bu he did have one more thing he had that he could play with it was his ball from when he was a kid and he loved his ball more tha his life. so this is that was the story of a very strange man who was feared by the small kids that wouold walk by his house and he had ten cats which was weird too.
ReplyDeleteI glanced up at the sky. I saw light and clouds that moved with the wind. It both awed and scared me. The slight gale was to turn to a dark and strong gust that would end the peace. I knew that I had to take care of the things that would be hurt due to the storm that was to come. The vast sea thrashed on the shore. The huge tide made quick work of the waste that was on the beach. It brought the stuff to its vast self and gulped down the things whole. I looked out from the shelter of the gap in the long fence that lined the beach. I could feel the air as it passed through the slits in the screen that filled the bare space. I then ran to my house that was perched in the sand. I locked the door and shut all of the panes. I was used to storms and I knew how to deal with them. From the peace of my home, I watched the sky and the sea. The wind picked up and thrashed on the walls. I could feel the great force of the storm as it rocked my home like it was a house of cards. As the day turned to night, I could still hear the fierce gales as they caused the sea to swirl with rage. Trees swayed back and forth, and the roar of the storm filled the air. As soon as it had been brought to the sky, it was gone in the same length of time.
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ReplyDeleteFight, that was the word he knew best. The worst part of it was, he had no choice. Day to day to day, they made him fight. He did not like it, but he had to do it. This was the only life he knew. These men were his dads. They were his only friends. They made cash when he won, they made whips when he lost. But this changed one day, for poor Frank, when new men showed up. They each wore a vest that said F.B.I on it. They had come to save Frank, and put the bad men in jail. With his dads in cuffs, Frank was free.
ReplyDeleteaye yo cuh
ReplyDeleteHumberto is Retarded
ReplyDelete