Heartwarmers
#104 – Recompense
Palm flat. Hand turned up. He’s waiting for you.
Don’t reach out too fast. Don’t seem desperate: make him wait for it. Listen to the crowd and let the moment breathe. Let it happen.
Step away. Hear the hiss of air through ten thousand sets of teeth. Don’t smile at it – remember who you are.
There it is,… the boos have started, spreading through the arena like a virus. Glorious.
Now is the time. Step back through the ropes.
An hour of agony and blood. A smile between secret friends.
“Hellava match, man. Hellava match,….”
“Same time tomorrow?”
(c) Tim Austin 2016. Image by Martin Kníže via Unsplash.
So this is my take on the word “Recompense”, what’s yours? Write your own and pop me a link! And if you’d like to suggest a word for me to use as a title, please do!
Today’s word was suggested by Marple25Mary – a short story writer and connoisseur who can be found at https://marple25mary.wordpress.com/. Say hello.
#34 – Beehive
The House Mouse paused. The long grass around him was sighing and rustling as he gazed up through the forest of green leaves. So close.
The hum of the swarm shook the air: a cloud of insects flitting to and fro, journeying to distant flowers. They wouldn’t see him, surely? Not a tiny mouse like him,…
The honey dripped down the white paint: a golden stream overflowing to the soil below.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The Bee was bent double with age, its forelegs crossed over its sting.
The mouse pouted and turned away from the guard.
“Nowhere.”
(c) Tim Austin 2016. Promo image courtesy of Karsten Wurth Via Unsplash.
A big thank you to Aaron Robshaw for today’s word. Aaron is an expert on armor and leather work. He combines bespoke crafting of armour for re-enactments and collectors with leather work for motorbikes. You can discover the latter by clicking here.
Keep reading, sharing, liking and suggesting words. Follow me on Twitter @timaustin2k and Like the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/owosexperiment
See you tomorrow for “Illuminated”!
#33 – Petrichor
The sky was purple,… no,… not sky,…
Emma sat up a moment, the sleeping bag bunching down around her waist. She let the ghosts of her dreams dissolve, clearing her mind and letting it drift towards memories of the night before.
She smiled.
She fell back, breathing in the scent of pine needles and dew. A wind was tapping against the edge of the tent and she drew her breath in time with the swelling fabric.
“Yes.”
Emma laughed, arching her back and screaming into the sky as she lifted her hand, the engagement ring shining.
“Yes! Yes! YES!!!!”
(c) Tim Austin 2016. Promo image courtesy of Jet van der Wouden via Unsplash.
Today’s Story was inspired by Author, Oregonian and Coffee Addict Erin Ritch. You can read her marvellous blog at nowyverns.com and tweet her @Eritch324. Thanks Erin!
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Keep reading, pop comments in the section below – let me know what you think!
See you tomorrow for “Beehive”!
#32 – Hands
“This,…” Becky’s Mother stroked a finger over the young girl’s palm. “Is your life line.” She smiled, her blue eyes fixing on her Daughter’s. Becky giggled, pulling her hand away.
“Tickles, Mummy!”
Mother and Daughter laughed together, their summer hats flapping gently in the breeze. Below them, the surf crashed against the legs of the pier. Gulls soared above, calling a lament as they swept out to sea.
“Becky!”
The girl’s Father was calling her. She looked towards him.
“Who are you talking to?”
She turned to look at her knelt Mother. Her smile faded.
“She always loved it here.”
(c) Tim Austin 2016. Promo image courtesy of Wil Stewart via Unsplash.
Today’s one word title was suggested by the lovely Becky Danks – avid bookworm and reviewer. You can find her on Twitter at @BeckyD123.
Keep your one word titles coming in – I can’t do it without you! Pop your suggestion in the comments section below or tweet it to me @timaustin2k using the hashtag #onewordonestory. Go on, what’s stopping you?
Remember to like the OWOS Facebook page and join me here tomorrow for “Petrichor”.
#30 – Window
Stephen pressed ten fingers to the glass, his breath frosting a small circle as his face sank ever closer. Someone was talking to him. A nurse, he thought. He didn’t care.
For so much of his life he’d drifted: aimless in his passage from one job to the next. One failed relationship followed another – a ship without power or purpose, blown on the wind. Finally life mattered. Beyond the glass she lay: swaddled in an incubator, tiny and useless.
“She will need constant care for the rest of her life.”
He didn’t know why the nurse looked so sad. To Stephen, his daughter was perfect.
(c) Tim Austin 2016. Promo image courtesy of Alexander Lam via Unsplash.
Today’s one word title was donated by Sue McCormick: Actress, Playwright and Activist. She’s also pretty darn awesome in pretty much every way. She wrote this, among her other works http://www.whatsonstage.com/lancaster-theatre/reviews/10-2013/no-fat-juliets-lancaster_32214.html.
If you’re enjoying these stories, check out Chapter One of “The Santa Beneath the Ice” FREE by clicking the banner to the side.
And keep your one word titles coming in! Pop your suggestion in the comments section below or tweet it to me @timaustin2k using the hashtag #onewordonestory.
See you tomorrow for “SmegForBrains”,… I’m told, by the person suggesting it, that it’s a real word. Considering his name is Danny John-Jules, I’m inclined to believe him!
#17 – Expectation
Benjamin peered through the window, wide eyes looking out into a star-specked sky.
The boy smiled as he carefully scanned the horizon: tonight he would see Father Christmas.
Outside his door, two figures were kissing in the dark, their giggles muted by the touch of their lips. They made no sound as they printed a soot-covered shoe to the floor. They were careful to make no sound as they crept away, hand in hand.
Still Benjamin waited.
And, as his eyelids fluttered closed, he knew,… he just knew,… that tonight he would be the boy who saw Father Christmas.
(c) Tim Austin 2016
Today’s word was suggested by Jemma Cross – Acting Coach, Director and proud Mum-to-be. You can find her over on Twitter at @JemmaGross. If you want to donate a word, please pop it in the comments below or tweet it to @timaustin2k using the hashtag #onewordonestory.
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Come back tomorrow for “Ooze”!
One Word, One Story 