0 comments on "Prompt: 099. carousel pony"

Prompt: 099. carousel pony

1. He proposed to her while they were each riding a carousel pony.

A. He proposed to her while they were each riding a carousel pony. Bobbing up and down as the carousel music played, he’d looked across at her and his smile had been the sweetest thing she’d ever seen. And then he’d brought out the ring, and she was crying and saying “Yes! Yes, of course, yes!” and she was off her horse and in his arms.

He’d held her so tight and kissed her with such gleeful passion that she imagined she could still feel it hours later. The ring was beautiful on her finger; she planned on never taking it off.

She was getting everything that she’d ever wanted in life. First the great career, now the love of her life, and next… The thought of children tripped her thoughts up a little, but in a good way.

2. There was a moment of stillness as they took in the sight of the full-sized carousel pony taking up space in his living room.

A. There was a moment of stillness as they took in the sight of the full-sized carousel pony taking up space in his living room. “So. Is there some kind of story behind this? Or are we supposed to pretend that we don’t notice that gigantic pony taking up three-fourths of the room?”

He could barely hear Tory speaking over the buzzing in his ears. He walked around the carousel pony three times, four times, and was halfway around for a fifth time when his anger finally caught up with his shock. “I’m going to kill you, Derek!”

3. She held the toddler against her chest as they rode the carousel pony. He laughed and kicked his feet, the plastic reins clutched by his small hands.

A. She held the toddler against her chest as they rode the carousel pony. He laughed and kicked his feet, the plastic reins clutched by his small hands as he leaned his chest against the plastic neck of the pony.

“Are you having fun?” she asked.

“Yes!” He kicked his heels. “Go horsey, go!”

She tucked her face into the side of his neck, breathing in the baby smell still clinging to his skin. It was moments like these that she wanted to hold onto forever, because she knew they weren’t going to last.

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Panoply at Amazon
0 comments on "Heroes & Villains: “Dinner For Two” by Harper Kingsley"

Title: Dinner For Two
Author: Harper Kingsley
Series: Heroes & Villains
Setting: post-The Wedding, pre-Allies & Enemies
Characters: Vereint Georges, Warrick Reidenger Tobias

Inspiration:

Walking into the penthouse, Warrick was greeted by bags of groceries on the counter and Vereint wearing an apron and nothing else. The sight of that devilish smile and those bare arms and legs made Warrick hitch his step on the way to the hall closet to hang up his jacket.

“What’s going on?” he asked slowly. He couldn’t help tracing his gaze over Vereint, seeing where the brightly colored fabric curved, bent, cupped, and what it did and didn’t cover. It took him an extra few seconds to get his jacket on the hanger and the closet door closed.

“I thought we’d cook dinner together,” Vereint said. “I saw this recipe for garlic butter steak.”

“Steak?” Warrick’s mouth salivated at the thought. “Butter… That’s going to be a calorie bomb though.”

“Tonight’s special,” Vereint said.

“Oh?” Warrick crossed the intervening space and wrapped his arms around Vereint. He peeked over Vereint’s shoulder and couldn’t help grinning at the sight of a bare back and buttocks. He let the fingers of his right hand drift off the apron and lightly brush against Vereint’s skin. He was always so warm.

Vereint obligingly pressed closer to him, one hand going into Warrick’s hair. “Mm.”

“Why’s tonight special?” Warrick asked. He tried to walk Vereint toward their bedroom, but Vereint didn’t move. Warrick stopped pulling at him, resting his whole weight against him instead. If Vereint didn’t want to be moved, there would be no moving him.

“It’s our anniversary,” Vereint said. He must have felt Warrick’s body stiffen with sudden panic because he laughed. “Don’t worry; it’s not our wedding anniversary. It’s the anniversary of the first time I took you hostage.”

“What?”

“You know, when we were in that bank–”

“And you were wearing that horrible shirt!” Warrick laughed and squeezed Vereint.

“That’s when you fell in love with me,” Vereint said.

“No way,” Warrick said. “You terrorized a bank full of people and took me hostage. I thought you were a brat.”

“A brat that you immediately fell in love with because that’s the kind of person you are. You thrive on adversity.”

“And you being a brat is what you consider adversity?”

“No. I call that ‘charm.’ The adversity part comes in when you try to resist jumping my bones as we sear the rib-eye I’ve got on the counter.” Vereint tugged himself out of Warrick’s arms and headed toward the kitchen. The flirty wink he tossed over his shoulder and the way he flexed the globes of his ass were a dare.

Watching him go, Warrick shook his head with a rueful grin. He could definitely feel the adversity now.

Fortress in the Eye of Time at Amazon
0 comments on "Prompt: 098. dirty computer keyboard"

Prompt: 098. dirty computer keyboard

1. The worst thing about the IT job was fixing the office computers. It was hard to believe that so many people could happily use such dirty computer keyboards.

A. The worst thing about the IT job was fixing the office computers. It was hard to believe that so many people could happily use such dirty computer keyboards. It made her skin creep to see the crumbs and smears of grease on the keys.

The office was a breeding ground for germs. It was like a trip through a sewer every time she had to make an office visit. On leaving she would practically bathe in hand sanitizer and would wash her hands, arms, and face thoroughly once she was back in the IT department.

It reached the point where she finally had to face the facts: 1. She couldn’t do this job anymore. 2. She was going to need a new job.

2. The soda can hit the desk and tipped sideways. A flood of sugary soda covered the computer keyboard, slipping into the nooks and crannies.

A. The soda can hit the desk and tipped sideways. A flood of sugary soda covered the computer keyboard, slipping into the nooks and crannies. By the time he’d lunged across the room and begun mopping up the mess, it was already too late.

His keyboard was dead.

As the office had a no open beverages around the computers policy, he was going to have to buy a replacement keyboard out of his own pocket. And considering how close he’d been cutting his finances, he would be living on ramen, Spam, and rice until his next paycheck.

“Dammit.”

3. There was a dirty old computer keyboard poking out of the ground. Someone had gotten creative to mark the grave.

A. There was a dirty old computer keyboard poking out of the ground. Someone had gotten creative to mark the grave, using a remnant of the old world to help shape the new.

Julienne leaned down to read the name scratched into the plastic of the keyboard:

CRAIG DANSEN
14 YEARS OLD.
HE WAS BRAVE.
HE DIDN’T CRY.

Just another dead kid. One amongst the billions that had died since the end of the world.

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.patreon.com/HarperKingsley.
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Let's Make Dumplings at Amazon
0 comments on "Sneak peek: Complicit"

I was working on a drawing project and this idea popped in my head. It’s called “Complicit” and it’s a short story that will be on KDP Select. As such, expect a download link that will allow you to grab a free copy before it’s released to the public.

“When Hannah was young, she knew her father was a good man. He’d always told her so, and all she’d ever seen were the golden moments.”

ink drawing featuring the word 'Complicit'

* * *

Sent the original post via email from my phone. Several corrections were made and it was kind of a mess. So apologies for that.

Excerpt —

When Hannah was young, she knew that her father was good man. He’d always told her so, and all she ever witnessed were the golden moments: The hotel openings. The resplendent parties. The employees all perfectly pressed to corporate code.

It took years for her to notice that the smiles were forced. Her father couldn’t see it—his smile was always real, a fierce baring of self-satisfaction in a job well done—but she could.

By then, her own smiles were forced too.

People didn’t like her family.

Even though he told her “Don’t read that trash”—she couldn’t resist taking a peek. She worked for the company now. If there was a PR problem happening, then it was her job to fix it. All neat and legal to keep any backlash from happening.

Still, she helped change the narrative. That’s how she explained it to her father later. She was adjusting the media focus with a few philanthropic gestures.

And honestly, it felt good to help mothers and children. It made her think of her own mother—(beautiful face a mess of bruises. The split of her lower lip raw in a way Hannah had never seen before)—who she hadn’t seen in years.

Sometimes she missed the court-mandated visits of her childhood. At least then she’d had an excuse to give in the face of her father’s jealousy. Now if she visited her mother, he would view it as a personal betrayal and she didn’t want him to know that she’d been lying to him for years.

She missed her mother. Helping women and children in need eased the ache.

Even if she never stepped foot at any site, she was the one that authorized the release of funds. She was the one her father smiled at so proudly when she pointed out she’d cleaned up their PR problem and given them a good tax write-off at the same time.

He loved sticking it to the IRS. And sure, they’d caught him a few times before, but he’d always bounced back. “It’s all part of the game, honey,” he’d said after the third bankruptcy. And his laugh had been so loud it made her ears ache.

Sometimes she had to explain things to him carefully. Pointing out the pros and cons of every given situation with her chosen path clearly highlighted. And maybe it helped to dress in rich colors and low-cuts, but that was just business. She knew how the world worked.

Hannah enjoyed the philanthropic side of things. And after her father caused that little mess, she was finally able to start the charity she’d always dreamed of.

She wanted her family name to be remembered for both great and good things.

/EXCERPT