A to Z April Challenge- Z is for Zeal

Today's word inspiration is Zeal.


"She has forgotten." Pronounced Mable, taking another sip of her coffee. Trudi nodded in agreement.

"I think we are going to have to do something." Trudi nodded and then pronounced with great delight,

"We need to have an Intervention!" Both of the friends nodded sagely, and finished their coffee. Their friend Sam was notorious for becoming 'involved' in things, and running away with it. Once literally.

"Do you remember when she joined the circus?" Both of the women exploded in gales of laughter. Normally she would get wrapped up in something and eventually get bored. Staying power wasn't really her forte. As Sam said, their was so many things to try why limit yourself to just one.

They drove the short distance to their friends house, both wondering aloud what it might be that had caught their friends attention this time.

At first they thought their was no one home when they first arrived. For a long time nothing happened, then a loud bang came from the back of the house. Suddenly the door was thrown open.

"Well its about time you two got here. I need your help. And now I have just managed to knock trays of beads everywhere!" Without a second glance Sam vanished back into the house.

A to Z April Challenge- Y is for Yesterday

Todays inspiration is the word Yesterday.

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday."


Sighing Micheals voice trailed off, he could not for the life of him remember the next few lines of the song. Odd really when it had been his wifes favourite song. When they were younger she had often danced around the house singing it, at the time it had driven him crazy, now he wished she would do it again.


Gently he ran his hand down the side of her sleeping face. She stirred, her eyes half opening as she whispered his name, "Micheal?" He didn't respond, not wanting to disturb her. But her eyes opened fully and she looked at him.


"Your here! Does that mean it's time?" He nodded hoping the thought did't upset her too much. But she laughed instead, sat up and threw herself into his arms. "I thought I heard you singing."


Looking back, for a long moment she stared at the body that she was leaving behind. Then she tightened her grip on him.


"I think I need a new favourite song."

A to Z April Challenge- Xanadu

Today's word inspiration is Xanadu.


"Xanadu, Xanadu, Now we are here, In Xanadu." Singing to herself as she cleaned Natalie danced around her new home.

A home! Finally she had a home of her own. Oh she new it wasn't much, just a 2 bedroom apartment, but it was hers. For the first time in a long time things were starting to go her way.

And it was about time! Her parents had died when she was young and she had ended up in foster care, which had been a nightmare. She considered herself lucky though, her mother had always told her she could achieve anything. That had been her motivation.

At times it had been hard. She had had to juggle jobs with going to TAFE and then she had gone on to university. So many of the people that she knew growing up, had turned to drugs and become lost. But she had persevered.

And finally she was achieving her goals. She had a good job, a home. She had achieved her Xanadu.

A to Z April Challenge- Weave

Todays inspiration is the word Weave. I would love to try weaving with a loom.


Click click clack, click click clack, click click clack, underlying that the shuttle created a humming noise as it slid across the warp threads. With a soft smile Ella lost herself to the rhythm of the loom as slowly but surely the fabric grew.

It was so peaceful sitting and weaving,creating something that would eventually go on to become something else. Almost as she herself was growing and changing to something else.

Lost in her revere Ella jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. Clotho, one of the Greek goddess of fate, and her mentor smiled down at her.

"Come, you are ready for the next step".

A to Z April Challenge- Vaccine

Today's word inspiration is Vaccine.

Carefully Kel used the micro dropper to pick up a drop of the blood. Setting it carefully onto the Petrie dish beside her. She had to concentrate on taking a deep breath, weeks of work had lead to this moment. In a few minutes she would find out whether it had all been worth it.

Carefully she added a small amount of her vaccine to it. Just a fraction. This was the hardest part, working out how much was required. For a long moment nothing happened, and she felt her hopes dying.

But suddenly, movement. At first she thought she had imagined it, but there it was again. Slowly but steadily the red blood cells were starting to multiply. The blood in the Petrie dish began to increase in size.

Kel stifled the urge to dance around her laboratory. She'd done it! Finally she'd done it. No longer would they be dependent upon the humans for blood.

A to Z April Challenge- U for Unite

Today's inspiration is Unite.


Carefully I cut open all the individual packets and tipped them into a bigger container. As the pieces rained down they made a cheerful tinkling noise. Happiness suffused me.

Slowly I ran my hands through the different shaped blocks, reminiscing as I did. I had adored Lego as a child. Spending hours making different things with the blocks that I had.

Then I had put them away as I had become an adult. No longer did I have time for childish things as life went by. I had missed playing Lego with my kids as they grew up, always busy with other things.

Now here I was again. Fresh Lego blocks lay before me, ready to be united together. A clatter sounded as the front door opened and closed.

"Nanna what do you have?"

A to Z April Challenge- Time Travel

Today's inspiration is Time travel. Now I have to admit to being a huge Dr Who fan. As a kid I was always day dreaming about escaping on the TARDIS.


She was in the zone, that space that all runners talk about where everything just flows. Legs pumping, breath flowing, everything was effortless. Later she would blame that on not seeing the blue police box until she hit it.

Well, hits not really an accurate term, she slammed into it at full speed. Gasping for breath she lay staring at the blue sky above. A face with brown curly hair, hat and multi coloured scarf appeared above her.

"I say, are you alright?" Carefully he helped her sit upright. Dizzy she looked at him closer. Yep, definitely a concussion, or maybe she was unconscious.

"Jelly baby?"

A to Z April Challenge- Seismic Activity

Today's inspiration is the word seismic activity.


The first warnings had come in the early centuries. Little rumbles that were registered on the richtor scale. Fault lines along the earths crust rubbing against each other.

But as the centuries went by they got worse and worse. Eventually new scales were created to measure them. Until eventually humanity had to accept the inevitable.

The planet was getting ready to tear itself apart. All the excesses of the past had brought forward the death of the planet.

The effect of this knowledge on a planet that had been full of civil wars for centuries was incredible. For once we all had a common goal. To find an alternate home. To survive.

The early space race paled to what happened next. The whole world focused on space. And escaping earth. Survival is an incredible motivator.

Against a back drop of Earth slowly imploding, the bio-arks started their journeys of hope.

A to Z April Challenge - R is for Reap

Today's inspiration is Reap. Having been in Cairns, where all you see is mountains or miles of sugarcane crops, helped me with this choice.

The heat was stifling. The humidity was a hundred percent and the heat from the flames didn't help any. Standing on the verandah he stared across the oceans of flame in front of him. The crops were eerily highlighted as the flames went through them.

He couldn't tell for sure but it looked as though the flames were finally starting to abate. Not that it would make much difference to the heat, it was almost midnight now. But it felt like midday. No wonder the old ways were being phased out.

Tomorrow the flames will have gone out and they would start reaping the harvest of sugarcane. At least all the snakes and toads were gone.

A to Z April Challenge - Q is for Quarantine

Today's inspiration is the word Quarantine.


Forlornly I stared out of the window. This was excruciatingly boring. Day by day passed by but all we could do was watch the outside world go by. At least we had the world outside to watch. And long for.

After all we had travelled so far, and yet we might have travelled another million miles for all the good it had done us.

Quarantined, they told us. We had to be quarantined for the safety of the planet. The planet that we had come to be settlers on. A thousand years in cryosleep had not been enough. Apparently it just let the bugs sleep as well. The first new waves of settlers had resulted in massive deaths among the native population.

So here we all were, locked up in a glass dome of sterile white furniture. Watching. Waiting.

A to Z April Challenge - P is for Paradise

Today's inspiration is Paradise.

I am currently in Cairns, Queensland, visiting relatives. So I thought this word was doubly appropriate.

I hope you all have a good Easter.


Outside the storm was raging. Wind whipping through the trees and rain hammering at the roof top. It was your typical monsoon style storm, everything was humid and muggy.

Softly I ran my fingers over the book in front of me. Years of handling had softened the leather, darkening the original colour and obscuring the original tooled letters.

I didn't need to read them to know what they said. Family bible. The original family bible, passed down since my family had first come to this land. Destined to be passed down to the next generation.

Even though it was Good Friday, I didn't want to read that story. Instead I turned to Genesis and the Garden of Eden.

A to Z April Challenge- O is for Overboard

Today's word inspiration is Overboard. It's very in keeping with that that somehow I lost the first post and have had to rewrite it. Needless to say its a different story now.

Sighing, Mike, swirled his glass of beer. Staring into its depths. He was avoiding going home and he knew it. But what was he to do. His wife was completely overboard at the moment, totally obsessed with this latest past time of hers.

Knowing he was out of options he left the bar and made the short drive back to his house. Steeling himself for what waited inside. The laughter hit him first.

Walking through to the lounge room Mike nodded to the group of ladies seated there. Kissing his wife on the cheek he assessed the room.

Beads were littered over every surface of the room, even on the floor. It looked like they were having a fun evening.

A to Z April Challenge- N is for Necklace

My inspiration today is the word Necklace.


The beads glittered in the light, shades of amethyst and rose flashing. They were an impulse buy, but one she hadn't regretted. The colours jumping out at her as she walked past the bead shop. For some reason bringing her a strange nostalgia.

She could remember her grandmother and great grandmother beading when she was a child. Not beads of this colour. But pearls and white seed beads. They had made handmade wedding dresses.

Beautiful dresses that took them hours to bead. She would play under their work table, picking up the beads that escaped.

But that wouldn't do for these beads. While at the bead shop she had bought needles and thread, everything that she might need for a necklace. For that was what these were destined to be, a beautiful beaded rope necklace.

A to Z Challenge - M is for Magnets

My inspiration today is the word Magnets.

                                
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For a long time Jenny just stared at the magnets. Someone at work had decided to start a magnet collection and every few weeks more would mysteriously appear on the fridge door.

So far they had collections of letters, buttons and even little glass dome ones. The newest ones were pebbles. Little tiny pebbles with traffic related themes. Someone had even drawn a road on the door.

Jenny wasn't sure why but the collection of road signs made her feel like they had been made especially for her.

Stop. Yield. Do not enter. Parking. It was like they were an illustration to the rut that her life had become. What had happened to the young Jenny who lived to seize the day.

When had she become so, well, stale? As she took her coffee back to her desk she ran into her boss.

"Daydreaming again are we Jenny. I swear if you worked as hard as you dreamed it would be amazing." Typical of her boss, you were never told you were going a good job, only ever bad.

"Well Mr Lynch, you remember the Jenny that first started here?" Puzzled he nodded at her.

"She's back! And I quit!" With the first real smile she had had in ages Jenny collected her stuff. It was time to get out of the rut.

A to Z April Challenge - L is for Leviathan

Today my word inspiration is Leviathan.

 

Source 

Margaret hummed as she worked, carefully planting row after rows of seedlings. In a few weeks her farm would abound with new growth. She loved where she was, a small country farm, far from the cities. Peace and quiet abounded. She felt free.

As the shadow started over her she thought is was clouds. But the darkness got thicker as it came. Frowning she put down her tools and looked up.

With a gasp, she lost her footing, landing with a bang.

Above her was a huge ship, for lack of a better word. In shape it reminded her of one of the old blimps, but it was years since anything like it had been seen. It was so huge that she felt as though she could touch it if she reached up. But as she watched it sail slowly over her town she realised it was very high up.

As she watched it sail over the farm she realised that it was heading for the empty fields near her farm. The Leviathan was landing.

A to Z Challenge - K is for Killjoy

Todays inspiration is Killjoy.


Blah! Blah! Blah! If he had to listen to his neighbour drone on one more time about his pedigree dog he would scream! At first he'd listened politely, then he had quietly and quickly excused himself. Now he just shouldered past and ignored him.

Damn dog was a mutt anyway. Little yappy thing. Why do people get 'Dog' like that was beyond him. What happened to the good old fashioned Great Dane or Rottweiler? Now they were dogs.

To be honest though he was sick of everyone he met. It was an endless case of blah! Everyone was so mired in their own little world and the things that happened to them. But no one was ever happy.

And people had the hide to call him a killjoy. Bah! He was better of without them.

So caught up in his own thoughts that he never even saw the little dog race past him. He felt it though as he missed his step on the stairs. For a long moment he teetered as he thought, will anyone miss me?

Then he fell.

A to Z April Challenge - J is for Jillaroo

My word inspiration today is Jillaroo. A Jillaroo is the female version of a Jackaroo, an Australian term for someone who works on one of the big cattle properties outback.


The rainy season had arrived with a vengeance, rain sleeted down, reducing visibility to a few hands in front. Mel pulled the edges of her drizabone closer together, and pushed her hat down further. Working in this weather was just miserable. But it had to be done or they could loose the cattle on several thousand acres.

With such poor visibility it nade it hard to repair the fence. She was mostly working by feel. At last the wires had been attached to the last post and tied off. Thankfully. Now to get back to the main house.

Swinging herself up into the saddle of her very bedraggled gelding, she turned his head for home. She tucked her head down against the rain and let her horse have his head. Knowing he would find his way she let her mind wander.

Soon the rainy season would be over and they could all dry out.

A to Z April Challenge- I is for Immunity

My inspiration today is I for Immunity.


Everyone always talked about the Zombie apocalypse but no one really believed it. It was a bit like aliens, great to talk about and watch in movies but never going to happen.

Ha! Thought Ian, slowly rolling onto his side. His left arm hurt like hell. It felt like it was on fire. Struggling to a seated position he looked at it. He was obviously shocked or the torn mangled flesh and exposed bones of his arm should have freaked him out.

His brain couldn't take in the level of destruction around him. The dead were every where that he looked, torn apart, by the creatures that had attacked them.

Zombies were real! And destroying everything in their path. How, or rather, why he was still alive was a mystery.

The pain in his arm spiked sharply. And before his amazed eyes the skin, slowly but steadily, knitted itself back together.

A to Z April Challenge - H is for Hero

H is for Hero


It's true what they say. In that split second before you die our life flashes before your eyes.

You get to see all your triumphs and regrets. You get to wish that you had done things differently. All the while knowing that its too late now.

At the same time all the little details of the present moment stick in your mind. The look on the drivers face, the scratches in the cars bumper. Sounds around you both clear and yet distant.

Time stops.

The thud, when it hits you, comes not from the direction you expect. As the world tilts and speed up again.

The pavement is hard beneath you, the car has gone past. Dazed you look to your side, where, breathless, a young man anxiously asks if your alright.

A to Z April Challenge - G is for Gypsy

Today's story inspiration is the word Gypsy.


Carefully she ran her hand over the soft fabric of the skirt, it was a patchwork of multicolours. Different to any of the other items in her wardrobe. Nervously she laid it on her bed alongside of the black pheasant style that would go with it.

For a long time she just sat and stared at the piece. Could she do this? Should she do this? Her life was a monotone, black, navy those were the colours that she wore not this riot of colour before her.

Part of her was dancing in glee, the part of her that had made this impulse buy years before. Then had hidden away until today.

If the invitation to the fancy dress party hadn't come it would still have been hidden away. With a sudden surge of confidence she quickly dressed.

Black top with her amazing multi coloured skirt. A blue scarf to pull her hair off her face. And chains. Lots and lots of coin chains, for neck, wrists and ankles. When she finally moved to the mirror she merrily jingled.

Finally, with a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at herself. A stranger looked back. Blue eyes wide in a pale face, dark hair cascading down her back.

A beautiful carefree gypsy.

A to Z April Challenge- F is for Fog

Welcome to today's A to Z April Challenge post. I have to admit that I have been having a great time writing my posts and reading all of your posts.

Today my word is Fog (I had started with Fishbowl but I had no inspiration for it).


Wriggling slowly, Kim rolled over onto her back. It was absolutely freezing, and she was quite sure that there was ice crystals on her eyelashes. Somewhat stiffly she managed to get the zipper of her sleeping bag open.

Grabbing her nearby bag she dragged on several more layers of clothing before crawling to her tents opening. When she had checked the weather last nothing had indicated that it would get so cold. Hopefully it wouldn't take long to get her fire going.

Gasping she stared at the vista before her. She had pitched her tent on an overhanging on the Snowy Mountains, overlooking one of the valleys. But now, as far as she could see, everything was covered in a thick white fog.

It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, though incredibly eerie as well. Everything just seemed to fade away in it.

A to Z April Challenge- E is for Exhibition

E is for Exhibition. I am going to change things a little today. This post is not a short story but a review of a bead exhibition.

The Bead Show is being held this weekend in Sydney. We don't have big shows like you can get overseas. Many years ago we had a really good one that was run at Olympic Park in Sydney but they have closed down.

Since then most of what we have had has been in included in other shows, such as Stitches and Craft Show held at several locations. But I have to say that I was really disappointed with the last one. Not many beading suppliers and very little seed beads.

By chance I stumbled across the Bead Show website and I made an effort yesterday to go and have a look. And I was so glad that I did. While it is not a very big venue they had 19 exhibitors and it was a pretty even match of lampwork artists to bead suppliers.

And seed beads! Rows and rows of glorious seed beads. I honestly do not think that I have seen so many in one place before. So I had a lovely time and we won't talk about how much I spent. They are on again in September and this will definitely be going on my can't miss list.

One day I will go to Tuscan to the big bead exhibitions held there.

A to Z April Challenge- D is for Debacle

Today is D for Debacle.

"Again Kel and will you concentrate this time!"

Trying not to loose her temper, Kel took two slow deep breaths. She was concentrating,but this was the umpteenth time she had attempted the spell and she was tired. Not to mention the fact that she was beginning to think that it was impossible.

It was just over a year now since she had started working with the Magus, though she was not sure that was what she should call it. Mentally exhausting, back breaking labour was more accurate. Having talked to some of the other acolytes she had quickly established that her Magus had the worst reputation.

With another slow deep breath she slowly gathered together the energy of the spell, in her mind creating the result she wanted. Just as she went to release the spell, the door flew open and a messenger raced in. Startled Kel jerked and the spell rocketed out of control across the room.

With a shimmer of sparks it hit the opposite wall and the calendar hanging on it.

"What in blazes do you think you are doing? How dare you barge in here!" Irate, the Magus descended on the messenger, but he wasn't paying attention. With a shaking finger, and Kel was sure he was trying not to laugh, he pointed past them.

The calendar that the spell hit was writhing. And to Kels horrified eyes, cats started to climb, or rather fall, out of it. Lots and lots of cats! Horrified Kel looked at the Magus.

"Well Kel this is certainly an interesting result". And then to her everlasting mortification he started laughing.

A to Z April Challenge- C is For Carpe Diem

C is for Carpe Diem


For long moments I stared at the elegant sign over the glass counter. In bold script it announced Carpe Diem, or seize the day. I could feel a gradual sense of panic starting to build. Carpe diem, carpe diem, my mind kept repeating it like a mantra, over and over.

Carpe Diem! Oh my god! Who was I kidding? My eyes ran over the glass shelves of jewellery. Earrings, bracelets and necklaces glittered in the early morning light coming through the huge front windows. All over the shop jewellery was artistically displayed. Outside people were going about their morning routines, occasionally stopping to look in the windows as they went by.

I edged carefully deeper into the shadows at the back of the shop. I had to get out of here before someone saw me. Anxiety riding me I turned and started for the way I had come in, the back door of the store. Hoping to escape before I was caught, but it was not to be.

Cheerfully the bell above the front door jangled as it opened. Pasting a smile on my face I turned.

"Good morning, welcome to my store, Carpe Diem. All of this has been handmade by me, please don't hesitate if you have any questions".

And suddenly the fear and anxiety was gone, I could do this.After all, it had been my dream my entire life. I was not going to let a little fear stop me.

Carpe Diem!

A to Z April Challenge- B is for Babble

Welcome to Day 2. My word for today is Babble.


It was soft at first, barely there. A tiny whisper of noise. Soothing in its own way, it intruded gently into Kel's dream. Gradually it got louder and then louder still. It felt closer, as though what was causing it was nearing. A slight frown marred Kel's sleeping face.

It stopped being soothing about the time that you could start to distinguish that it was people talking. No, not talking, yelling. The same themes started to run through what could be heard.

Fear, pain, pain, fear. RUN!

Kel lurched upright and out of her bed, hands automatically up to defend herself. But the room was empty.

The noise that had been filling her dreams had stopped. Kel was certain that it hadn't been just a bad dream. Somewhere something was very very wrong.

A to Z April Challenge- A

Welcome to my first A to Z April Challenge post. If you are not familiar with this challenge see link.

My word for today is Acolyte.

Acolyte n. 1) a person asisting a priest in a service or procession
                 2) an assistant; a beginner


Looking back Kel would often wonder how such a simple decision, such as accepting a job offer, could so greatly alter your future for the worse. But then, how was she to know just what it was she was accepting.

But on that fateful day in autumn Kel had thought that she was about to land the job of her dreams. now she knew she should have been suspicious of a job that had found her and not vice versa. But back then, after years of study and work, it had seemed like a dream come true to her. Like a nightmare that she couldn't ecape all the details came back to her.

Sitting nursing a coffee at the cafe across the road Kel stared at the building. Like every other building on the street it was all glass and steel. No company name or logo marred the crisp lines of the building. Office workers from the surrounding buildings passed by without even glancing at it. Later Kel realised that unless you were invited here people were not aware of it.

Steeling her nerves, Kel left the cafe and crossed the street. Entering the building she made her way to the security station.

"Hi, I'm Kel Shield. I'm here to see a..." She hesitated as she double checked the name on her letter. "Magus Cruise for an assistants position".