& don’t forget to watch out for my Sunday post (during the competition) with links to my ebook release Desecrated Bonds!
Today’s Picture Prompt
Today’s Word Prompt!
The following may be used as a sentence in your story OR provide a basis for it:-
scraping back skin
Read on for the rules!
Rules!
- You may enter as soon as this post appears.
- Post entries in the comments – you may simultaneously display them on your personal blog etc but please show a link back to this competition post.
- Stories must be 150 words – margin of 5 words either side – AND based on the picture and written prompts.
- Entry titles do not count towards the word count.
- Only one entry per entrant.
- End each entry with word count and name/twitter handle – if you forget these REPLY TO YOUR OWN COMMENT with them before judging closes!
- Monday 11am GMT is the usual closing time for entries – BUT the competition will be open until I put a ‘competition closed’ comment so you may be able to slip something in (because I’m extra kind like that). Got that?
If you do not comply with these rules your story will be disqualified from judging. Good spelling and grammar will also help to make a better impression on judge/s – the odd typo, however, will be overlooked so please don’t worry about that.
For tips, read through the critiques from last week’s entries.
Winners!
There will be ONE OVERALL WINNER and THREE RUNNERS UP. After that there will be THREE CRITIQUES of three stories that didn’t make it.
– It would also be nice to those participating if you could promote your fellow competitors and those who win.
The Judge
This week’s judge is…
That’s right. This week it’s me.
Sorry to disappoint, but if you are interested in being a judge like Doctor Mike Reddy or Nicole Wolverton have been then please send me an email on the address supplied on my contact page.
How You Can Help
Give a +1 or a tumblr reblog or click the ‘tweet this’ link up on the right hand side or share from the facebook fan page or retweet from my twitter page to spread the word.
Or, even better, go on the #SatSunTails twitter search results and retweet other entrants.
The more people that hear about #SatSunTails, the more entries there are and the better the competition becomes!
So What Are You Waiting For?
Go on. Have a go!
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"I know why the Mona Lisa smiles"
by Dr. Mike Reddy (@doctormikereddy)
[150 words]
Marie sat gratefully in the Salon Carré, staring at the small half figure perched on a five hundred year old piece of poplar. A portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, commissioned by her husband, Francesco, to celebrate her giving him a second son. They had many children, only losing one in childhood, but the artist never delivered the painting to the family, claiming "It wasn't right."
However, the painter never gave up on the portrait, going back in spare moments, while working on more lucrative paintings of battles. One last time he scraped away the daubed skin, a failed likeness of the haunting face, and finally caught the mouth that had evaded him for over a decade; a smile that had weighed on his mind, because his male sentiment refused to unlock its enigma.
Marie stroked her bump, felt it kick, and grinned. She knew now why the Mona Lisa smiled.
I'm Blooming Psycho (or Bloomy) from @UndeadNether
Some of my blog teammates have participated here before.
My story is 150 words.
On the surface, she was everything almost any man would desire. To Gabriel, she was the worst of bad dreams; a recurring nightmare from which he’d never be free.
He’d seen the body of the creature who held him prisoner until his rescuers freed him from her realm. The oneiromancy she used to make him believe her artificially constructed world was real was reversed. He followed his friends to a sweet reality in which he met and married his true love.
On the surface, everything seemed wonderful; yet Gabriel knew that something was very wrong. These days, every time he rested, Dawna appeared to him. It took a lot to frighten an Undead, but frighten him she did. This time she stood before him, scraping back skin, tearing off bits of her outer shell, revealing the true horror underneath.
She tore away her features, revealing a blank mask. Gabriel screamed.
The Masks We Wore
The costume was stiffened to hold the shape. It was scratchy and made me suffocate. The sweltering heat backstage wasn’t helping either. In spite of the assurances, I was worried that my makeup was going to melt scraping back my skin. I had not slept well in last whole month. The tour was taking its toll on my psyche. I had not seen the sun in a long time, and I longed for a normal life, I did not know what that would be like.
Time for my entrance! I waltzed on the stage, hitting just the right note.
***
From my front row seat, wearing my happy wife mask, I watched the actress on stage. I admired and envied this woman, living the life of a celebrated performer, displaying her gifts unabashedly!
***
When the theater was washed in house lights, the two women exchanged glances through their masks.
@needanidplease
150 words
‘‘Matriarch’’
by Sam Coleman
150 words.
@indigo_sam
The old house squats betwixt the pines, her dust covered windows concealing within like eyes milky with cataracts.
The furniture was covered in plastic as I started to scrape back her skin. A cream coloured layer with a brown interweaving pattern came first, it matched the furniture. Next a royal blue pattern against white. The bright astronaut decoration of a child’s room gave way to a foul mustard coloured floral pattern. Again and again I peeled back her coloured chameleon flesh and as I did I pulled back the veil from her past until I stripped her down to her archaic wooden bones. A large brown stain spotted the wall, that familiar iron pungency, almost sweet. The horror welled up within me and broke into screams as the sea breaks upon the shore and I knew then, I was looking upon her face.
The old house squats betwixt the pines.
I saw her picture in a magazine. Her face was perfect, and I knew no male could unable to resist her eyes and lips. They were just his style. I tore the picture from the magazine, put it on my computer, scaled it up to my size. I printed it out.
She’ll plead innocent when she’s arrested.
I glanced at the male to my right, his hand resting on my thigh. He believed he was getting laid tonight. Too bad he didn’t know he was getting laid to rest. As I leaned against his shoulder, I pulled my Derringer from my handbag, pressed the barrel against his chest, pulled the trigger five times, then walked off.
Everyone saw her murder him.
When I got home, I’d be scraping back skin, putting her face back on her picture, then shredding it. Tomorrow I’d start another game, with another random human’s life.
150 Words
@LurchMunster
Title: Is it all Illusion?
Jenny, the girl next door has a habit of leaving her kitchen window open. That is why I was able to overhear her on the phone earlier.
“Next Tuesday? That is great. Thank you so much.”
“Yes, I am starting to show some discoloration. I thought I could wait the two weeks, but this morning I started seeing spots in my neck and face.”
“Yes, last time it took me almost three weeks before I could go out in public.”
“Excellent, that would ensure I don’t have to lose any work days. Yes, yes if you are able to find a sooner time, I’ll take it.”
“Thanks so much, you have my credit ID, so we should be all set. Excellent, see you next Tuesday if not sooner.”
After, all I could think of was Wow, a real live skinner right in our block! Wonder how old she really is?
150 words
@mrdlcastle
Competition is closed!