Category: First Line Friday

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First Line Friday: March 12, 2021

It is First Line Friday! Welcome and let’s get writing. https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2021/03/12/first-line-friday-march-12-2021/

Tamsin’s heart drummed frantically as she tore through her pack, her books, and the messy desk– where was it?! She knew she had put the folder on her desk prior to unpacking the rest of her stuff but it was nowhere to be found. How could a manila envelope that big just disappear?
This was just her luck. First, she finds out her great aunt Cindy died then finds out that she is the Executor to her estate! Why was she named the one in charge? She barely knew Aunt Cindy!
She only had about an hour to spare before the attorney’s office closed. She had to get the paperwork to the attorney so it could be filed with probate in the right amount of time. Luckily, she got that heads up from her cousin Billy. Billy had called looking to find out what Aunt Cindy had left him. Tamsin had no idea so she told Billy she would ask the attorney. That could happen if she only found what she was looking for. What would her relatives say if she said she lost Aunt Cindy’s Last Will and Testament? There had to be another copy somewhere but that would only take longer then to find it.

Tamsin dropped into her chair. Letting out a giant sigh she bowed her head knowing she had messed up. What would the attorneys do? Would they have another copy? Would this situation get better or worse? Out of the corner of her eye Tamsin noticed a small piece of manila envelope sticking out from behind the waste pail. The folder! She must have dropped it! She reached over; while thanking God, and grabbed the folder. She ran out of room and tore down the hall, knowing that if she flew down there now she would have plenty time to get things done. Maybe Aunt CIndy was up there taking care of it after all!

©2021 CBialczak Flashfiction

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First Line Friday

Hosted by Mindlovemiserysmenagerie: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/12/05/first-line-friday-december-4th-2020/

The black dog followed them home.

The black dog followed them home. Milly saw it out of the corner of her eye the entire trip. She wasn’t sure why it followed them, they didn’t have food in their bags, nor did they offer the dog anything to entice him to follow. The biggest question would be what would happen once they got home. Where would he go? They couldn’t have dogs in their apartment, and he must certainly belong to someone. 

Quiet wandering 
Companion in search of love 
Finding its true home 

©2020 CBialczak Poetry

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First Line Friday 20th November

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Dominic bowed his head to hide his face.

To participate go to MLMM: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/first-line-friday-november-20th-2020/

Dominic bowed his head to hide his face. He didn’t want his mug showing up all over the news stations. If his parents found out he was one of the protestors they would never let him live it down. They were not the type to engage in such foolery. But Dominic knew, deep down, that fighting, for what you believe is right, is not foolery; foolery is looking the other way at something that is wrong.
This was going to be a night like no other. Dominic planned on watching the looters, finding out their tricks and finding out where they kept all the merchandise they stole. He wanted to help bring these people down but watching and waiting seemed so passive. He strolled through the crowded streets just watching and waiting for it all to begin.

©2020 CBialczak Flash Fiction

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First Line Friday: November 6th, 2020

Dylan Hughes is our host for the First Line Friday challenge.
Here are the rules and link to her original post: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/11/06/first-line-friday-november-6th-2020/

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“The splashing of pink rain boots announced her impending arrival.”

“The splashing of pink rain boots announced her impending arrival.” 

Martha had been waiting six months for this day to come. With the lockdowns from the pandemic, she hadn’t seen her grandkids in over six months, but they had been planning this particular visit since the state went into phase 2 opening.  

Her grandkids were precious and all this time that she hasn’t been able to see them has felt like pure torture. Talking over video calls isn’t the same as wrapping your arms around these sweet babies. She didn’t care how she looked right now, she only wanted to get to the door and open it to see them! 

©2020 CBialczak Flash fiction

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Hosted by mindlovemiserysmenagerie: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/06/19/first-line-friday-june-19th-2020/

Jaime spent the whole day browsing the antique store and left with just one thing….
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Jaime spent the whole day browsing the antique store and left with just one thing. She had gone in with an idea, having woken thinking about Dylan. She just wanted to show him how much she loved him, without being overbearing or smothering. It is something Dylan had stated on their very first date; smothering drives him away.   

The jar was heavy, made of handblown glass. The shop owner insisted it came with mystical powers, that he bought it off a stranger visiting Bhopal, India. Jaime didn’t know if she believed the shop owner but who was she to say he was wrong. So, she paid the money, declining the two pennies change, and left the shop. 

Stepping into the sunshine, Jaime was almost blinded by both the bright light of the sun and the reflection of that sun off the windshield of the car parked across the street. What the hell? Was there someone sitting in the car behind the wheel? Did they notice that the sunlight was reflecting all the way across the street?  Jaime doubted it. It looked like a man from here on this side of the street and it looked like he was sleeping.  

Walking in the direction of the parked car, but on her side of the street, Jaime was finally given relief from the glare, bringing her attention back to the jar. How would she give it to him? It was sort of early in the relationship to just pop a surprise gift on him, but then again, he had bought her a beautiful bunch of daisies last week, having seen them in the storefront window of the local florist. Maybe she should tell him she saw it in the storefront window of the shop. That would be quite ironic sounding, even if it was a lie. Then she hated to start lying to him. It was a simple, little white lie, nothing bad, nothing to hurt anyone, but dishonest all the same.  

Stepping off the curb, Jaime’s ankle got caught in a crack in the pavement, twisting it to the side, making her stumble, but her hands continued holding the jar firmly so as not to drop it. After a few steps forward she was able to catch her footing again and stood up straight. Relieved that she was okay, and the jar had not broken, Jaime unlocked her car, got in and put the jar on the passenger seat.  

Driving home, Jaime felt a throbbing in her ankle. She had probably twisted it more than superficially. It almost felt like her ankle’s skin was stretching as a balloon was being inflated under the skin. She also couldn’t ignore the pit that was forming in her stomach. She must have been feeling nervous about giving Dylan the impromptu gift. What if he thought immediately that she was trying to smother him, to try and trap him in a new relationship? She laughed out loud, thinking how silly she was being, jumping to conclusions that she was making up in her own mind. It was just a jar for God’s sake.  

©2020 CBialczak Fiction

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First Line Friday

For: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/02/28/first-line-friday-february-28th-2019/#like-19615

Everyone breathed easier at the first signs of spring.

Everyone breathed easier at the first signs of spring. It was finally a time where oil didn’t seem so necessary and walking instead of taking a taxi was possible. For those in the New York suburb, life wasn’t the suburbia people talk about. Their home was only an extension of the ghetto and their lack of resources only reinforced that.
When the weather finally warmed enough that the pipes couldn’t freeze anymore and when standing outside was no longer a danger, we knew it was finally the time of year where a penny would go further than the bills piling up on the counter. We could now bank on the idea that walking was not only good exercise, it was a way to save money. When it comes to $25 for a taxi or $25 for a stop at the market, walking seemed perfectly acceptable.
Spring was a time of rebirth and we knew that it was the time to start rebuilding and getting ready for the next winter. It took that long, but it was worth it. New York was a beautiful state and although their suburb was not desirable to many, they called it home.

First Line Friday Random Writings

It is First Line Friday!

Eden saw doubt in their trembling smiles, they never expected her to recover. 

But as she regained consciousness, visions of the accident started coming back in small snippits. Was she driving the car? She can’t remember. Where was she going?

Everyone, including the doctor and the charge nurse, stood above her, staring down at her as though she had died. No one seemed particularly happy that she was alive, let alone awake. Perhaps they knew she would survive. But those smiles, half smiles really, sent a chill down her spine. She began realizing they were waiting for her to respond before celebrating the fact that she was even alive.

Her eyes became heavier and she was unable to find the energy to keep them open. As soon as Eden closed her eyes, they began to speak in hushed tones. In her head she wondered, “Was that the doctor’s voice saying I could still be in a coma? Was I in a coma?” This was so confusing and no matter how hard she tried she could not will her eyes to open or her mouth to form words to speak.

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First Line Friday: October 25th, 2019

Your line for this week is:

He came down from the mountains as autumn aged, before the paths could pile with snow and the bridges bowed with ice.

It was not until he reached the surface, not icy just covered with a layer of frost, that he began to realize it would be his last time crossing over to the other side. How many times had he done this in his lifetime? Hundreds, maybe thousands of time.

He recalled the summers he spent with his family up here in the woods. He and his brother would run across this rickety bridge without thinking twice about its safety. From one side of the river to the next, searching for treasures and hidden places. He and his brother would crawl through the the fern and fallen trees in hopes of finding a fairy home or troll tunnel.

But for now he would just cross this old bridge once more. He didn’t think it was strong enough to carry him more than once across. Those days of trips back and forth are long gone. Silly adventures and fairies and trolls were now outgrown. He wouldn’t see this bridge or these woods ever again. How had life gotten so far away from him and all of the simple pleasures he had as a child? Today was the day to say goodbye, to not look back, and to have no regrets for the changes he was making.