Category: Fandango’s Story Starter (FSS)

Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) Fiction Flashfiction

Fandango’s Story Starter #92: Piper’s Problem

This week’s Story Starter teaser is:

When I walked into the kitchen, I noticed that there was broken glass all over the floor. There was purple ooze dripping down the cabinets and refrigerator door. To make matters worse, Fido was licking up the jelly from the broken jar! This was awful, but having the dog eat glass would make this situation so much worse.

I grabbed my Swiffer and a rag and stared at the mess trying to figure out how to tackle this sticky mess. I couldn’t even get mad. Piper had only been trying to be a big girl and make her own sandwich. Now she lay crying on the sofa. I’m just happy she didn’t get hurt and once I got Fido out of here I could get this all cleaned up.

Fandango's Story Starter (FSS)

Fandango’s Story Starter

Jim was hosting for Fandango but Fandango will be back. Thanks Jim for taking the time to fill in.

Things were different back in the day when …

Written for FSS

Things were different back in the day when the world seemed so safe. As kids, we would leave the house in the morning and return only if we forgot some treasure or new tool to use as we built an imaginary world around us. 

“Hey, wait for me”, I remember my best friend saying as she pedaled harder and harder to catch up. We were on our way to the underpass. 

The underpass was I95 which cut through the shoreline and went all the way from Maine to Florida, or so we were told. We would search the sand on either side of the road that traveled under the underpass to look for bird eggs that were maybe jostled out of their nests by the rumbling vibration of the cars and trucks. Once in a while, we would find a blue robins egg, cracked in half like mom’s Sunday morning breakfast eggs, but never a baby bird to rescue. 

“Let’s ride up to the store and buy gum!” my friend said. There was a small store about a mile away.

We would cross the busy street, Route 1, which also supposedly runs from Maine to Florida. Then we would pedal over the East River and cross the town line to finally get to the shop close enough to buy big packs of Grape Hubba Bubba. Chewing happily we would ride toward home, wondering what we should do next. We never told our moms we rode so far. It was dangerous crossing a main road, never a worry about anyone kidnapping us or luring us in some obscene way. As long as we were home for dinner we were free to explore the world around us, and that we did!

Christine Bialczak poetry Compilation Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) JusJoJan2023 Three Things Challenge Word of the Day Challenge

Fair Maiden: Compilation 01/24/2023

Boughton, George Henry; The Lady of the Snows; Walker Art Gallery; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/the-lady-of-the-snows-97671

There, amidst a clearing in the dark woods,
stood a maiden with her hair bound up tight
A paintbrush poised beside her bundled hands
In this land its a ubiquitous sight

An ideal place exists in forests
So still, where silence hides a tranquil place
No utter madness of the modern world
No new electric nor developed space

But what is this I still can hear
a sound with feeling draws me back
a topical solution found
Where once was only a small crack

So leave us, her and I alone
to guide silent inferences here
so glory may be sent to God
to leave majestic beauty near.

©2023 CBialczak

paintbrush https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/23/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-23rd-2023/
ideal https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/24/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-24th-2023/
ubiquitous https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2023/01/24/ubiquitous-2/
topical https://fivedotoh.com/2023/01/24/fowc-with-fandango-topical/
madness, electric, silence https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2023/01/24/three-things-challenge-m218/
https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/01/24/tankatuesday-ekphrastic-poetry-challenge-no-304/
There, amidst a clearing in the dark woods, stood … https://jimadamsauthordotcom.wordpress.com/2023/01/24/fandango-is-recovering/

Christine Bialczak poetry Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) JusJoJan2023 One Word Challenge poem Poetry to enjoy stinewriting The Daily Spur Three Things Challenge Weekly Writing Prompt Word of the Day Challenge Your Daily Word Prompt

Never together: Compilation 01/10/2023

Once his dream of a life together
With her faded, day by day,
As he realized that his love for her
Was unrequited and far away

He knew he had to move on
A premonition he had felt
Even though she kissed him tenderly
Its a hand that he’d been dealt

Like a needle in a haystack
Found only once by a surprise
He stood there in a trance and stared
The scud, a cloud look to his eyes

Holly’s not some trendy model
No debutant from castle life
In a periwinkle dressing gown
She’d never get to be his wife. 

periwinkle https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/10/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-10th-2023/
holly, needle, once https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/three-things-challenge-m204/
Once his dream of a life together with her faded as he realized that his love for her was unrequited, he knew he had to …https://fivedotoh.com/2023/01/10/fandangos-story-starter-80/
premonition https://fivedotoh.com/2023/01/10/fowc-with-fandango-premonition/
sock https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/tuesday-rdp-sock/
trance https://thedailyspur.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/trance/
scud https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/your-daily-word-prompt-scud-ydwordprompt-january-10-2023/
trendy https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/trendy/

Christine Bialczak poetry Daily Writing Prompt Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) JusJoJan2023 One Word Challenge Photo Challenge Rag Tag Daily Prompt stinewriting The Daily Spur Three Things Challenge Word of the Day Challenge writing prompt Your Daily Word Prompt

One Tough Lady: Compilation 01.03.2023

One tough lady

She thought she heard his voice in the hallway [just] outside
of her apartment so she immediately found a place to hide
It was a place reserved for those things that many people keep
a solo beach lounge chair, all the junk was piled deep
With a measly bit of force she left the settlement alone
forcing every muscle to move with every bone.
She could hear him mouthing off to the gentleman next door
calling him a OMW, acronym for old-man-whore
She knew the power of his words would make the man just cry
but she quickly ambled out the door, her only chance to fly
She made it to her car with only seconds more to spare
When she saw him start to run towards her with a nasty, evil glare
She put the car in drive and escaped his scary trap
and went right to the police house to tell them of his crap.
The cops were so confused as to why she stayed so long
She simply told the policeman there she was trying to stay strong.
They drove out to her place and saw him lying on the ground
someone definitely shot him, the gun made little to no sound.
No body witnessed anything and they said he had no friends
And this is where the story of abuse will surely end.
©2023 CBialczak poetry

acronym https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/acronym/
reserved https://fivedotoh.com/2023/01/03/fowc-with-fandango-reserved/
solo https://lindaghill.com/2022/12/30/just-jot-it-january-2023-the-rules/
She thought she heard his voice in the hallway outside of her apartment, so she immediately…https://fivedotoh.com/2023/01/03/fandangos-story-starter-79/
settlement https://thedailyspur.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/settlement-2/
power, above, force https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/three-things-challenge-m197/
measly https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/rdp-tuesday-measly/
mouth off https://heartlandenglishwordoftheday.wordpress.com/author/jondknight/

Christine Bialczak poetry Compilation Daily Writing Prompt Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) One Word Challenge poems poetry Poetry to enjoy The Daily Spur Three Things Challenge Weekly Writing Prompt Word of the Day Challenge Your Daily Word Prompt

Time for a new dad: Compilation 12/27/2022

When Andrea found out that she wasn’t really his daughter, she knew exactly what she had to do.
She’d take a bottle of wine, a cheap box of chocolates, and some tea that she’d made for two.
She would talk to him slowly in a tone crisp and light and forget about the whole escapade
Then chat with a coterie about solidarity and a counter-attacking brigade.
When all’s said and done and she could stand all alone and then leave the people behind
There’s joy in this world and he didn’t matter, a new father she’d hope to find.

chocolate, wine, tea https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/three-things-challenge-m190/
When Andrea found out that she wasn’t really his daughter, she knew exactly what she had to do. https://fivedotoh.com/2022/12/27/fandangos-story-starter-78/
tone https://fivedotoh.com/2022/12/27/fowc-with-fandango-tone/
counter https://thedailyspur.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/counter/
solidarity https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/solidarity/
coterie https://onedailyprompt.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/your-daily-word-prompt-coterie-ydwordprompt-december-27-2022/

#stinewriting Blog Christine Bialczak poetry Compilation Daily Writing Prompt EM's RWP Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) poems poetry Poetry to enjoy Rag Tag Daily Prompt The Twiglets Three Things Challenge Weekly Writing Prompt Word of the Day Challenge writing prompt Your Daily Word Prompt

My Cup-eth is full: Compilation 08/23/2022

It would be easy enough
to come away tough
from that encounter we had
thinking that it wasn’t that bad
but I look in the sky and see the sky leans
Genuinely not knowing what it all means
The lofty white clouds float like pieces of art
I watch and I stare, wait for cold rain to start
The lucrative part of my buried past
ripple like currents, splash with a blast
As pilgrims had one day cooked chicken divine
my talents are lucrative, just ’cause their mine
Healing will come and the dust will settle
For now, I must say my cup-eth is full

©2022 CBialczak Poetry

#stinewriting Blog Christine Bialczak poetry Compilation Daily Writing Prompt Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) One Word Challenge poems poetry Poetry to enjoy Rag Tag Daily Prompt stinewriting The Daily Spur Three Things Challenge Weekly Writing Prompt Word of the Day Challenge writing prompt Your Daily Word Prompt

Crazy Lady: Compilation 07/26/2022

She’d been watching her old neighbor’s house
for weeks and weeks and more
but she saw something impossible
that made her lock her door.
Her desire to unlock it was an option
she disposed
the brutal looking man outside
made her quietly avulse
Approximately two days more
and she was overcharged
Reacting like a live wire
was feeling very large
She couldn’t share her upset
she knew they’d find her daft
She looked and sounded crazy
especially when she laughed.
She pulled out her old pistol
and aimed it at the door.
Thats where they found her body
a bunch of bones now on the floor.

©2022 CBialczak Poetry

#stinewriting Blog Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) Fiction short story stinewriting

Fandango’s Story Starter

Check it out at Fandango’s site

As our eyes met across the busy café tables, I was struck with the feeling that…

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People Watcher by Christine Bialczak

As our eyes met across the busy cafe tables, I was struck with the feeling that you knew. You had this look in your eyes that saw into me. I could tell you weren’t just scanning the room. This has never happened before, this feeling that someone can be inside my head. It was a nice change if I admitted it but that was assuming I was right. This was the first time I have ever seen you and I do know what you are thinking, but can you know what I am thinking? I drop my head and stare down at my newspaper, trying to clear my mind of all thoughts, yours and mine, so I could get a fresh look at you. When I finally raise my head to look back at you, you are gone.

“That was close,” I murmured to myself. It wasn’t that I was afraid for others to know, for you to know, it was just so hard to explain to those who only saw part of me. I mean I have never seen you before or talked to you. I didn’t even know you personally so how could I open up with something so mentally confusing? That was the hardest part; trusting my decision to say something or not. It had happened exactly like this before and the minute I opened my mouth to explain, it was a disaster. All I know is I was relieved to see you haad gone, even though you were pleasant to look at, unlike half of the patrons in this place.

When I first realized my ability to hear people I thought it was just my imagination running wild. I mean, how can you look at a stranger and suddenly know who they are and what they are about? It didn’t happen with inanimate objects; that had been one big failure in that poor, old man’s junk shop. I have to smile to myself when I think of that day. I stood in that shop for hours, trying to hear what all those old junk pieces might say to me, but nope, nothing. It had been disappointing as I thought maybe I could learn some new bit of history that is unknown to the rest of the world. No such luck. The only thing I heard was the old man farting and the scuffing sound as he moved about his shop.

I don’t know when it happened or what it is called. I have Googled the subject thousands of times, coming up with nothing. But it was there, a part of me that could hear right into someone’s thoughts. It was a creepy idea when I said it aloud, I will admit that. Stalker 101, Psychopath Next Door, Fucked-up Weirdo in a coffee shop. Yup, I fit them all, when I didn’t explain myself well.

Looking back down at my paper I began reading the articles on the first page. Nothing exciting. More news about school shootings, which always broke my heart, and of course more about the Republicans versus the Democrats. That topic is really getting old. With all the money they make up there in Washington, why not just buy someone who is completely neutral to come and fix the issues. That seems reasonable to me.

#stinewriting Blog Christine Bialczak poetry Compilation Daily Writing Prompt Fandango's One Word Challenge (FOWC) Fandango's Story Starter (FSS) One Word Challenge poems poetry Poetry to enjoy Rag Tag Daily Prompt stinewriting The Daily Spur Three Things Challenge Weekly Writing Prompt Word of the Day Challenge writing prompt

Time to get up!: Compilation 06/14/2022

If the truth be told and I don’t really lie
my heart wasn’t in it, I wanted to die
I declined the chance which might have been bad
it was an opportunity I never have had
Until I found out later that day
with dawn and then twilight dimming the way
my fears could diminish and vanish for good
If I conflated my lives with a twist of my mood
I was only a chicken with white, softish wings
the dawn of a new day was really my thing
so I sucked up my fear and used what I had
And found waking up early wasn’t that bad.

©2022 CBialczak Poetry