Monday April 23rd, 2018

The exercise:

Going to do another theme week of sorts starting today. For the next seven days all prompts will be location based. You can try to tie them all together but, looking at my list here, I'd say that would be... rather difficult. Well, it'd be easier if I ordered them differently, but I'm not so... up to you if you feel up to the challenge.

Also: all but one of them were inspired, at least in part, by something that happened during my first four days back at work. See if you can determine which location is the odd one out. I'll share the inspiration for each prompt at the end of the week.

Anyway. Let us begin On Location Week with something that takes place: on a rooftop.

8 comments:

Marc said...

Two quick things:

- my second four day shift commences tomorrow

- I finally added to this month's Empires entry

Okay, good night.

morganna said...

Greg -- the box didn't change size. Not sure how to describe it. It was about 2 hands across at most. It's magic.

I'll be back later with a post for the prompt.

morganna said...

Over the city
Never seen
Above the everyday
Right there in plain sight
Obvious to those who know
Only resting until
Finding the right moment.

morganna said...

And one more comment from me.

Greg, I changed the last sentence of what I wrote yesterday for 'Heart-Shaped Box' and added more. Hopefully this clarifies things a bit.
=============
Melanie and Esme glanced at each other, stood up from the table, held hands, and jumped above the box.

The box did not change size and yet it did. As Melanie's and Esme's feet came down toward it, the opening enlarged to fit them, while Mother Hilda's hands still held onto it. The last thing Melanie saw before being completely engulfed were Mother Hilda's twinkling eyes. Then the world went black.

Greg said...

@Morganna: I think the extra sentences work really well to show the magic happening! I've got a really good picture in my mind's eye now of how it seems to Melanie and Esme, and how it looks from the outside world -- if this were an anime film I'd be watching from the edge of my seat.

Also @Morganna: your acrostic is as elegant as ever, and I like the way you never reveal exactly what it is that's up there. I'm favouring a gargoyle myself, but then I've been reading about your fauns all last week :)

@Marc: excellent addition to Empires -- I really like that there's a distinct similarity between Ana and Stacey and their actions, but that we're never having to point it out in the text. And I also like that Stacey doesn't let other people control her actions (which I bet has a lot to do with growing up with Ana around). But beyond all that it's becoming clear that the hospital is a dangerous place for the twin-pairs and that something has been going on there that probably should have been through an ethics committee or three before being tried out....

As for the new theme week -- well, it's probably just coincidence that Red was only just on a rooftop since I think I posted my piece yesterday after you put up the prompt, but what a useful one :)

[Sorry, I have to double post as well!]

Greg said...


On a rooftop
Emma walked straight past the entrance to her building, which was a low block of flats, only six floors, on the edge of a leafy suburb. She was ten minutes walk from downtown and ten minutes walk from a the second-largest park in the city and she liked the sense of balance that it provided. The doorway was well-illuminated, and there was a concierge desk beyond it where a little white sign was propped up. Emma had been back late enough often enough to know that it read "On rounds; call xxxxxxx to reach me, Dave." There was also a huddled shape in the doorway, possibly wrapped in a large hoodie or a blanket, and that was definitely not usual. So she kept on walking as though she was going somewhere else entirely, and casually turned down a side-street and walked past a few dormer houses. After the fifth there was a low wall in front of a grassy patch, and then the green-painted chain-link fences that surrounded an electricity sub-station. She vaulted the wall lightly, with only a moment of remembered pain from when she'd been shot. She was sure she never really felt the pain, but she couldn't seem to stop remembering it at times like these.
No-one was around -- it was late and dark and this was the suburbs after all. Even the kids would have gone home to annoy their parents now. She walked quickly round the substation and pulled herself up another wall at the back; this one was taller than her, but only just. She took a couple of deep breaths, filling her lungs, and bounced on her feet lightly a couple of times. Then she ran along the wall, the pattering of her feet like a cat's, and launched herself out at the end into empty air.
And grabbed hold of the fire-escape ladder to her own building. It clanged and shook and a small reddish cloud of dust descended slowly to the ground while she quickly climbed up to the landing and onto the main fire-escape. She rubbed her hands -- streaked now with orange, and walked up to the top floor and her flat. Here her windows were unusual -- the locking mechanism could be accessed from both sides -- and she unlocked one and let herself in.
The intercom was shrilling, so she answered it, remembering at the last minute to sound sleepy as though she'd been woken.
"Sorry to disturb you, miss," said Dave's lilting accent. "There's... well, I'd call her an urchin if I'm honest. She wants to talk to you. She's got a bit of paper with your name on it, and it and says you know her."
Emma felt a flicker of hope at the word urchin, and squashed it down firmly. Miracles that big never happened.
"What's her name?"
Dave sighed. "She keeps writing Puppy when I ask her that. I can just-"
"I know her," said Emma, the flicker of hope burgeoning into flame despite her attempts at self-control. "Can you put her on the stairs and tell her to go to the roof, please?"
"Miss–" Dave sounded upset.
"I know, but she won't go in the lift, and she doesn't really like being inside buildings all that much either." Memories of the aquarium surfaced briefly. "And I don't blame her. It's fine Dave, it really is. I'll take full responsibility."
She set the intercom phone down and headed back out of the window to reach the roof -- it was quicker. Where the hell had Puppy come from?

Marc said...

Morganna - wonderful acrostic, as usual :)

And I like your edited ending, as it works much better. But I also like it because you took Greg's feedback and used it to improve what you'd written. Stuff like that always makes me happy :)

Greg - oh, s**t. Empires. I should remember to do that prompt this week.

Also: glad you liked my addition :)

I'm glad the coincidence worked out in favor of this tale continuing!

And... you brought Puppy back.

It took a lot of effort for me to not put the above in all caps. With like a bajillion exclamation marks afterward.

This tale is hitting all the right notes for me :D

Marc said...

Oh, right, inspiration explanations.

There's a monthly (I think?) work safe magazine that's usually left on the lunch table at work. I was flipping through the incident reports at the back and there were a *lot* of roofing companies getting fined. Mostly for workers not wearing safety harnesses, or not having them hooked into lifelines.

Thus: on a rooftop.