X is for X-Factor
Day 24 of the challenge!
My theme is NIFTY NUGGETS. Little nuggets of writing based on a photo, a phrase and an object, which is designed to encourage lean, tight writing. I’m aiming for a word count of under 300 words.
Thank you to L.Diane Wolfe for providing the beautiful photo prompts. You can visit her blog to check out more pictures.
X-FACTOR
PHRASE – an urban legend
OBJECT – fancy bow
It happened more than 20 years ago…
To this day, the folk agree on one thing, the weather was sure strange on that particular day. The morning started off, sunny and clear. The midday sun slipped behind the gathering clouds, peeking out every now and then, until the mist arrived. It was amazing, they said, the way in which the mist hovered, casting a surreal glow over the woods, a thin blanket covering the area, with slivers of sun cascading through…
It happened more than 20 years ago…
The people spoke about it for a long time thereafter. Women discussed it, standing in the queue at the local store; gathering around the Friday night bingo table; sitting in a circle at the monthly book club meeting. Men debated the topic over beer at the local pub. Children whispered to one another on the playground. The urban legend was re-told, over and over again…
It happened more than 20 years ago…
They say he materialised. Appeared out of nowhere. Came through the mist.
A man on his horse. No ordinary man, mind you…
A man on a mission, to repay an old debt.
Proud and defiant, he sat astride the magnificent beast, as it trotted along the dusty road, as if he had not a care in the world…
It happened more than 20 years ago…
He left, in the same manner… proud and defiant… he sat astride his horse as it trotted along the dusty road leading out of town.
Mission accomplished !
When the local sheriff opened his front door the following morning, he received the surprise of his life. The box was on his doorstep, with a colourful wrapping and fancy bow.
And to this day, folks still indulge in heated speculation as to the contents.
Some say it contained twenty bars of solid gold. Others insist that it yielded a human finger complete with a gold and diamond ring.
Love the picture. It has a magical quality and looks like it would make a superb book cover.
I like the use of repetition in this piece. You just know something way out of the ordinary happened more than 20 years ago!
Thanks Joy! 😀
I’m guessing the latter!
Cool photo.
The photo is one of my favorites!
I hope it wasn’t a finger. That would be a nasty shock to receive.
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee’s Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Shock factor is the name of the game… isn’t it? 🙂
Wooo, yikes! I think it’s a finger. Has to be.
Yep, it’s more exciting… or maybe both?
What an awesome idea for a theme! And what an awesome nugget! Hahaha, we BOTH did X-factor today. XD Hmmm, I wonder what the story is between the sheriff and the stranger….! And I really love it when stories repeat a line, like your “it happened more than 20 years ago”. It gives things a surreal yet intense feeling! lol if that makes sense. X)
Thanks for the wonderful comment.
Yes, I get what you’re saying! 😀
Sounds like an urban myth if ever I heard one. Now I’m going to worry about that finger.
That finger MAY just haunt my dreams… LOL
That was very haunting and chilling.
That image is available at my website to purchase if anyone does want it as a book cover.
Thanks once again, Diane!
That’s an excellent flash! I loved the repetition as well – imagining the whispers/talk going around town as the tale was repeated. 🙂
Thank you, Tyrean! 🙂
You talk about my haikus. You are the FF maestra. A FF diva. A FF Empress.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! That repetition adds so much. You ROCK. And the photo is a perfect match. xoxoxo
A million thank yous, my friend! xoxoxo
I love the legend, what really happened, and they mystery of what’s in the box. And, that picture is stunning. It’s my favorite one from the series!
The picture is breathtakingly beautiful! 🙂
Loved this piece and the photo is very magical.
It’s a wonderful photo.
Thank you, Rosie!
great built up , the end surely left a taste of mystery, my first visit to your blog, but i would read your earlier posts, i have to.
http://www.obliqview.blogspot.in
Welcome to my blog!
Thank you for visiting.
Feel free to roam around… 🙂
Either option would make for a good story. Small towns can make legends out of anything.
Absolutely… spot on!
Oooh, was it cake? It was cake, wasn’t it? What else could be in a colorful package with a fancy bow? A finger is too gross for that.
(Definitely cake.) 😉
Wouldn’t cake be boring? Or maybe not.
There’s always a twist… 🙂
Wooooeeeee. Love urban legends, and you had me from the gitgo. Thanks for a story well told. Now I have to see what else you wrote!
R
Aha. Glad you were hooked.
Welcome to my blog. 🙂
I love this and I love the repetition of the phrase – works really nicely with the story!
Thank you! 😀
You have a wonderful way with spine-tingling endings, Michelle! I might have to sleep with the lights on tonight.
Thanks Julie! 🙂
Hi Michelle .. love the ‘it happened more than 20 years ago’ … and how that legend would go into lore … fascinating read … but water whips has got me! Cheers Hilary
I hope that “water whips” will eventually fade…
Love the photo and the suspenseful story. Eerie! I vote for the finger. 🙂
Thanks Debbie! 🙂