'N' is for...??

Hard to believe we've reached the half-way mark of this crazy A-Z ride!  I've been having a blast working off the same list of prompt words as Jessica Bell.  My partner-in-prose and I create short excerpts 'showing' the emotion/feeling/state of mind that is our letter-word of the day.  We've  been asking our readers to try and guess the word we've depicted.  I've been having a blast, and I hope you've been enjoying the game, too!

Yesterday's word was 'Madness.'

Without further ado, I give you my 'N' entry:


"Wal-mart, Customer Service.  This is Brenda speaking."  Bored monotone.


"Good morning!  My name is Mary Manning, and yesterday I was in your store because I wanted to print some pictures with the self-serve machines.  Well, I got my camera out but then I realized the 'Prints-in-minutes' machines were out-of-order and only the 'Prints-in-an-hour' machine was available.  See, I didn't have an hour, 'cause I -- well, I won't bore you with my life story."  Giggles.


Silence.


"So anyways, I've turned my house upside-down this morning searching for my camera, and I can't find it.  It's not in my purse, or in my car.  I've looked everywhere!  I have a very bad feeling I set it down next to the photo machines when I was in Wal-mart trying to figure out what to do, and left it behind by accident.  Did anyone turned in a digital camera?"


"No, miss."


"Huh.  Are you sure?  I mean, I can hold if you want to look around.  I really need my camera back."


"No one turned in a camera.  I'm sure."


"Well, okay.  Darn it."  Pause.  "I tell you what, let me give you my name and phone number, in case someone found it and just didn't have time to turn it in."


Snort.  "If you insist, miss.  Go ahead."






There you go!  Any idea what emotion/feeling/state of mind I've depicted here?  Go ahead and guess in the comments, and then I hope you visit Jessica's blog and see what creative entry she's come up with today.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!!

                                    

'M' is for...?

This week is crazy and I have been writing like a fiend.  Fun!  Thanks for those of you who chanced guesses at yesterday's word.  It was 'Lust.' 

Today, guess which 'M' emotion/feeling/state of mind I've depicted in the short fictional passage below.  Jessica Bell is using the same prompt word for a passage of her own.  After guessing in the comments here, won't you follow the link and read Jess's entry?


Here is my 'M' entry:

Stacy Johnson’s mouth dropped open as she exited the car.  From her vantage point on the make-shift parking lot, it looked like total mayhem had broken out on the sweeping front lawn of the middle school.  Children ran after each other in every direction, some in packs of four or five.  Many looked wet.  Their shrill laughter rose and fell like waves in the heavy breeze.

Stacy headed for the groups of parent onlookers.  As she drew closer, she noticed the there was some order to the craziness.  On the ground at the center of the lawn was a large fifteen-foot-across circle of neon pink plastic tubing.  The children inside the circle chased each other with shaving cream, managing to always stay within the perimeter.  Mr. Mathis, the gym teacher, supervised the antics, and offered water balloons to kids without cans of shaving cream.  Everyone was a sopping mess!

Outside the pink circle, the rest of the kids raced around, jumping rope, running sack races, playing catch, turning cartwheels.  I caught glimpses of teachers joining in the fun while guiding the activities best they could.  When a whistle blew, the inner circle kids raced out and a fresh, dry batch of children took their places.

A parent noticed Stacy’s look of confused awe.  “Haven’t you been to Field Day before?” she asked.  When Stacy shook her head, she went on.  “The teachers call it ‘controlled chaos.’  The kids just call it ‘fun’!”

“I call it ‘m--’” Stacy was stunned into silence.  A stray water balloon had exploded on her shoulder.     

Any guesses?  Hope you all have a wonderful Friday!  And here's a link to Jessica's 'M' entry, based on the same word as this one.  Happy guessing!

                                    

'L' is for...?

Yesterday's post described 'Kindness.' Almost everyone guessed that, or 'karma,' which I think fits too!


Today, my passage involves a lot of emotions. To successfully guess the 'L' emotion/feeling/state of mind, you have to look past the POV (it's not her!) and pay special attention to Jennifer and Jonathon.  Ready?  Here goes:

“Your table is ready.”


I followed my sister and the hostess. I watched Jennifer command attention as she sauntered; her slim hips swayed exaggeratedly with each step, tracing slow, deliberate figure-eight patterns. Infinity. The hostess handed us oversized, leather-bound menus as we took our seats.

“Bring us a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1982, if you have it,” Jennifer commanded.

I looked at my watch. 11:50 a.m. What the hell, I thought. A drink is probably a good idea...

The hostess said she’d ask our waitress to bring a bottle, but Jennifer had already dismissed her. “So,” Jenn addressed me. “Can you believe we’re planning Mom’s retirement party?”

It was never easy for me to talk with Jennifer about our mother. Although I was barely one year older than her, we hadn’t been reared in the same way. Maybe it was because Mom identified more with Jennifer’s easy laugh or spontaneous personality, or because she just assumed my independent streak needed little nurturing.  Whatever it was, Mom’s affections had always been aimed foremost at Jenn. As an adult, I’d rationalized it and made peace with it; but when I was face to face with either of them, I still struggled to ward off the painful memories of being the invisible child.

“Yeah,” I began, “I was thinking of renting out that little Victorian restaurant she loves--” I was interrupted by a man who had stopped at our table.

“Excuse me,” he said to Jenn. “Aren’t you Mandy Goliath?”

My sister smiled salaciously at him. “Why, yes. How sweet of you to recognize me,” she added coyly.

“I’m a big fan of your work.” They hadn’t broken eye contact.

“I’ll bet you are big,” she breathed. I looked at my watch again. He seemed to notice me for the first time.

“Jonathon Shill.” He extended his hand to me.

“Dr. Nadia Beaulieu,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Doctor?” He sounded impressed.

“Oh! She’s not really a doctor,” laughed my sister. “She just teaches at the University of Albany!”

The man had lost interest in me the moment my sister spoke. They conversed a couple more minutes, and then he told her it was a pleasure to meet her. As he was taking his leave, my sister offered him a kiss. He leaned down and she kissed him long on the mouth. Shocked, I glimpsed their groping tongues before looking away. 

The waitress arrived, thankfully, with the bottle of wine.

Any guesses what 'L' emotion/etc. Jenn and Jon have exhibited?  I love reading your comments each day.  Keep them coming!  And please visit by writing partner-in-A-Z-crime, Jessica Bell to read what she's come up with for today's 'L' word!

Have a fab day!

                                    

'K' is for...?

Yesterday's 'J' word was 'Jealousy.'  Thanks for all your wonderful comments and guesses!

Today, guess which 'K' emotion/feeling/state of mind I've depicted today in the short fictional passage below.  Jessica Bell is using the same prompt word for a passage of her own.  After guessing in the comments here, won't you follow the link and read Jess's entry?


Here's my 'K' offering:

Bradley chased the soccer ball, bouncing toward the far corner of the playground.  As he neared, a soft whimper carried on the noontime breeze.  He slowed, then peeked around the trunk of the huge oak at the fence.  Lydia Vance sat, her back against the rough bark and her hands in her face.

Lydia was the fairest child in Jackson Elementary.  If her eyes had been pink, she’d have been a full-fledged albino.  She stuck out, and kids can be cruel.

“Dude!  Hurry up!” his friends shouted.

Bradley picked up the ball and turned towards them, then looked back at Lydia.  He’d never actually talked to her before.

Lydia’s shoulders heaved.  She looked small, vulnerable, like a scared little bunny rabbit.  The boys yelled again, something about needing the ball before graduation.  Bradley hurled it in their direction, then shoved his hands in his pockets. 

Taking a small step forward, he said, “Um, hey.  Er, are you all right?  I mean, anything I can do?”

*~*~*~*

Any guesses to today's 'K' emotion/feeling/state of mind?  And please pay Jessica a visit HERE.  Thanks!! 

                                    

'J' is for...?

I'm so happy Jessica Bell had the insanely creative idea to use the A-Z Blogfest as an experimental canvas for 'showing' emotions/feelings/states of mind.  And I'm thrilled she asked me to partner up with her!  We're working with the same list of prompt words and using them to inspire our fiction or poetry.

Today, our prompt word begins with 'J'. Based on the poem below, can you guess what emotion/etc. I've depicted?  Looking forward to your guesses in the comments!  Here goes:

A wicked temptress stalks her prey tonight,
With graceful gait, hips sway to generate
Heart’s sweet desires; mine slowly swells with hate,
The fires of lust sparked in the dark ignite.
Across the room the albatross takes flight,
As if on feathered feet she floats; too late
To stop her stealth approach toward my date,
I sense at once she has him in her sight.

A brush of lips, he whispers in my ear,
I turn; my face is mirrored in his eyes,
Words uttered so no one will overhear,
His hands direct me, to the door they steer,
Last glance I see her glare and realize,
Her jealousy's not veiled by silent jeer.



Any idea what emotion inspired this poem? (Hint: I wrote this a couple years ago prompted by the same word, and it appears in this poem :D)


BTW, this is a Petrarchan, or Italian Sonnet.  A Petrarchan Sonnet is a fourteen line poem distinguished by its strict iambic pentameter and rigid rhyme scheme: abba abba cdc cdc (Sicilian sestet). The first eight line stanza, the octave, establishes the theme and developes the poem in a certain direction. The ninth line is the turn which heralds a distinct change in tone from the octave. The second stanza, or the sestet, introduces a new development in a different direction, with the first tercet carrying this new direction to a definite point; and the final tercet bringing the theme to a conclusion.


Be sure to visit Jessica's Blog and read her 'J' entry!  See you over there :))

                                    

'I' is For....?

Saturday's 'H' word was 'Hope.'  Thanks for all your wonderful comments and guesses!


Today, guess which 'I' emotion/feeling/state of mind I've depicted today in the short fictional passage below.  Jessica Bell is using the same prompt word for a passage of her own.  After guessing in the comments here, won't you follow the link and read Jess's entry?




Here's mine:

The writer stared at her computer screen.  The cursor blinked, accusingly, next to the one character she’d managed to type.  ‘I’.  She sighed, her mind wandering to her to-do list, which was short today.  She forced her attention back.  ‘I’.  What a silly prompt.  It’s a letter yet a word all by itself.  Big deal.  She lifted her fingers off the keyboard, examined a bit of polish chipped off one nail, then lay them back into the grooves of ‘a’, ‘s’, ‘d’, ‘f’, ‘j’, ‘k’, ‘l’, and semi-colon.  ‘I’.  What could she say about ‘I’.  She had no opinion, one way or another.  The only thing she cared about what getting something, anything, written down.

Any guesses?  See you over at Jessica's blog!

                                    

'H' is for...?

Yesterday's 'G' word was tough, but a couple people guessed right.  It was 'giddiness'!


Guess which 'H' emotion/feeling/state of mind I've depicted today in the short fictional passage below.  Jessica Bell is using the same prompt word for a passage of her own.  After guessing in the comments here, won't you follow the link and read Jess's entry?


Here goes:

3:00
Marnie pushed the start button on the microwave timer.
2:59…58…57…
She kept her gaze on the changing numbers, forcing her eyes not to drift towards the stick, lying on the table on a single sheet of paper towels.  She’d been waiting fourteen months.  It was a long time to wait.  But nothing felt longer than these last three minutes. 
2:28…27…26…
She and Chad had begun trying on their wedding night.  They kept it no secret, confiding in anyone who would listen.  Friends and family asked every time they saw them.  And it had gotten more and more painful to keep saying, ‘No, nothing yet.’
2:02…2:00…1:58…
Marnie wrung her hands until they nested all by themselves into a prayful clasp.  Please, God…I know it’s wrong to ask.  I know I must accept your will.  But if you let it be, if you just let it be…please let it be…
1:40…39…38…
The morning of their first wedding anniversary, her temperature had peaked and then dropped off.  Conditions were perfect, and they took full advantage.  But being it was their anniversary, they’d forgotten about the thermometer and the ovulation charts on the bedside table and had gotten blissfully lost in their love.  Three weeks later, Marnie got her period.
:57…56…55…
Look, if it isn’t meant to be, it isn’t meant to be.  Think of all the unwanted children born into the world every day.  There is more than one path that leads to parenthood. You’re young.  You have your whole life…
:23…22…21…
The glowing numbers swam, ran together, and Marnie blinked rapidly.  Oh, to feel a baby move inside her, to waddle beneath the weight of a gloriously swollen belly, to face the fear and pain of delivery, all to see born a perfect product of her and Chad’s love.  It was the last chance to see their genes mixed, their blood mingled, for Chad’s legacy to live on.
:11…10…09…
Marnie closed her eyes tight.  She wished Chad were here.  He would have been so supportive.  Tears leaked from squeezed lids, spilled down her cheeks.  “Please,” she whispered.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

So, what emotion/etc. have I depicted here?  I look forward to your comments!  And please shoot over to my writing partner, Jessica's blog, and see what her creative mind came up for our 'H' word!