Writing Challenge!
“The sun shone on the body of the last living person in the
world, as he gasped his final breath and fell silent.”
I came up with that line off the top of my head during an
open chat a couple weeks ago. Karina Fabian thought it would make a great
writing challenge, so we’re going to give it a try.
The challenge is to write a flash fiction story, using that
as your FIRST line. Flash fiction is short, but should pack a punch, and must
have a beginning and ending. We’re not looking for scenes here, but complete
stories.
Think about it, write and EDIT your story, then come back
and post it in the comment section. Remember, anything you post online should
be clean, polished work. Don’t let yourself look like a sloppy, uneducated
writer.
Remember, the first line in this post must be the FIRST line in your story. Go!
Labels: flash fiction, writer's chatroom, writing challenge, writing prompt
posted by Anonymous @ 9:16 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
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From: KC Hobgood
Flash Fiction Challenge
The sun shone on the body of the last living person in the world, as he gasped his final breath and fell silent. His eyes looked up into the blue sky. A sky that was too blue. The wrong color blue. The color had changed as the last of the ozone dissipated in the upper atmosphere. The cranks who said it was due to human activity had been thoroughly debunked. Same for the stupid egg-heads who took the same line for the rising oceans and changing weather patterns. “Idiots!”he thought.
The government assured us spreading droughts were all just a natural cycle. The rains would get back to normal. Then the bees disappeared. With the bees gone crops failed, food prices shot through the roof. Riots, mass killings, chaos spread as desperate people fought to survive.
Something crawled across his face. “A roach.” The damn thing was walking across his cracked lips. His skin felt hot. His body lost the ability to sweat, to cool himself. Internal organs, shutting down. Brain stewing in its own juice.
Something above him fluttered in the dry wind. His eyes pried open. A poster from the Head Shop that used to sit on this corner. Over the Peter Max background were lines of text. The last thing he would ever see. Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. “Damn Hippies!”
Flash Fiction, by Skip Miller
The last Human
The sun shone on the body of the last living person in the world, as he gasped his final breath and fell silent.
From over the hill came Zork. “I told you I got it,” he shouted, jumping up and down. His one huge eye watering with tears of joy.
El, followed not far behind. “You got it alright, just be quite about it, or we’ll have to share it with the others.”
“I can taste it already.”
“Well you better enjoy it, that’s the last one. I told the elder, we should of left some to breed, so we could come back later, but would he, would anyone listen to me? NO! Now we’ll have to find another planet with life on it.”
“We couldn’t help it, these taste so good smothered in vegetables.” Zork pleaded.
“Would it have hurt just to leave a few for later? When you’re having to eat some Luk or Dell, you’ll be wishing you could make a trip back here for a taste of Earth.”
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Attitude Adjustment
KB Gardener
“The sun shone on the body of the last living person in the world, as he gasped his final breath and fell silent.”
Tom stared at the screen. He began to move his head from side to side in disbelief. He lowered it into his hands, cradling it. “I can’t believe this crap is what they are wanting me to write,” he moaned.
College had been hard. Tom hadn’t anticipated all the extra costs he would incur while pursuing a creative writing degree. He glanced up at the diploma on the wall in his “writer’s lair,” A.K.A. the spare bedroom in the apartment he rented… at least for now. The past due notice for his rent laid next to his computer, silently mocking him. If he didn’t come up with enough money to cover this month and next month’s rent, he’d be out on his ear and forced to move back in with his jock older brother—or worse, move back to Indiana and his parents’ house.
Becki walked into the room. Tom could tell even though his back was to the door. The fragrance of her body spray was unmistakable. He quickly covered the past due notice as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft breasts into his shoulder blades. “How’s it going, Tommy,” she purred into his ear, following it up with a nibble on his earlobe. “Are you going to be done soon? I’m getting so bored.”
Tom tilted his head up to receive Becki’s lips as she kissed him deeply. He broke off the kiss and said, “Let me get the first chapter down and then I’m yours for the rest of the night.” She giggled as she stood up and walked out of the room. Tom turned back to his computer screen. “Well, there’s worse ways of making a buck,” he muttered as he resumed his writing.
"Up to Us"
Lauren Buckingham
The sun shone on the body of the last living person in the world, as he gasped his final breath and fell silent.
Or so he had mistakenly believed, that he was the last. In the distance emerged a man and a woman. The pair walked through the valley, looking upon the bodies of the young, the old, men, women, children, bodies that had once contained life, laughter, hopes, dreams, emotions. But now, none of that remained.
The woman wiped a tear from her eye, as she surveyed the widespread destruction in front of her.
"Where did it all go so wrong?"
She said tonelessly, and glanced at her husband.
"The world.. it went crazy. They said we were crazy when we built the shelter... but even I thought we'd never have to use it."
She looked at him intently.
"So, now what?"
He shook his head. "I guess it's up to us now."
She nodded slowly. "I guess it is..."
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This challenge has ended. Now it's time to vote for the winner!
Read the stories above, and make note of the author of your favorite story. Then go to http://writerschatroom.blogspot.com/2014/04/vote-for-winner.html and place your vote for the winning story!
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