The next weekly challenge topic is: Style, Figure, Balance, Schism, Flower basket, Double
LISA
Lonely Hearts
His flat overlooks the city but Paul isn’t looking at the view.
Paul’s TV is on but he’s not watching it.
A pigeon flies into his window, dies instantly and leaves a dusty imprint that Paul barely notices.
He’s scrolling, scrolling a dating site, scrolling a long list of single women that are looking for a man.
Looks matter but that’s not what stops him. It’s something he can see in their eyes, imperceptible to you and me. He knows what he needs. He likes them damaged, desperate and downright sad.
He stops scrolling.
Clicks.
Paul’s next victim is chosen.
LIZZIE
“The scroll, please”
Amidst the perplexing disarray of intentions (everyone darted in different directions), one of the monks tripped.
“So?”
They said the turmoil was such that no one fetched the scroll.
“Considering the monk’s broken leg will stay broken for a while, someone, get the scroll.”
Everyone hurried.
After a while…
“There are two scrolls, Father. Which one…?”
He took a deep breath. There are two, they said… Two scrolls, one broken leg. And he felt like strangling someone and shoving a scroll down someone’s throat. Then, there would be only one.
Hell. That’s where he was heading, Hell.
RICHARD
Origami
The South Coast Regional Origami Learners List, otherwise known as SCROLL, seemed like a good idea at the time. An online community of people with a shared interest in origami, providing a forum for enthusiasts of all abilities and experience to share their knowledge, and show-off their creations.
Unfortunately, we’d over-estimated not only the number of origami fans on the South coast, but also the levels of enthusiasm, which – if I’m honest – was pretty much non-existent.
Frankly, the whole thing turned out to be a complete waste of time, money and effort.
In the end, inevitably, it folded.
SERENDIPIDY
They say there are great mysteries contained within the sacred scroll, and that profound truths about life, death and the universe can be found within its writings.
Some have even speculated that the nature of god can be divined from studying its hidden messages.
It’s been said that magical texts of great power are held within the scroll, and ancient secrets are woven throughout its passages.
But, nobody knows for sure.
Because nobody has ever read the sacred scroll.
They simply skip to the bottom, tick the box saying they agree, and click on the ‘Accept’ button.
Just like you.
TOM
Never knowing the moment
A few years ago some wicked publishing house print out the coolest run of Kerouac’s On The Road. Like the original, one long scroll of paper. Should have laid out the coin and bought it. I didn’t big mistake, along side not buying a wood cut copy of the The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. To honor the passing of my friend who actually met the man. I dragged out the old tractor feed Epson and printed the scroll out. He and it reduced to ash. Funny how a single book can change a whole generation. Forever on the road.
My Absence
In John Green’s the fault in our stars his hero reflects on the pivotal turning point in dying “There’s no way of knowing that your last good day is Your Last Good Day. At the time, it is just another good day.” That’s for someone on the inside. For we on the outside trying own damnest not to fill that last good day with the mundane needs of community management we wait too long. Which is why I didn’t ask my best friend what the passwords were while he lay with multiple tube pumping in and out of his body, because, he was coming home.
NORVAL JOE
The hunched old man scratched his head through his black hood. “Yellow teeth?” He took out his phone and scrolled through his photo gallery.
Billbert scooted up next to him. “Can I look at that? Sabrina said there were some dark knights in our homeroom class. I’d like to see who they are.”
“Right. I think not.” The old man put the phone away and turned to the youths. “Bring me the scroll.”
The girl brought him a yellowed tube of parchment.
He unrolled it and read, “Billbert Dimplepoker, for crimes against the magical realms, you are condemned to death.”
PLANET Z
The rule is simple: wizards can only cast spells from magic scrolls and priests can only cast spells from holy scrolls.
If anybody else tries to cast spells from them, bad things happen.
Egbert the warrior tried. That’s him over there, that pile of ashes.
The dead frog in that pile is Luthien the lockpicker.
The woman rolling around on that mess and screaming is Melody the bard.
She needs a cure insanity spell cast on her, and luckily enough, we have a scroll of it.
Or maybe ironically enough, since it’s the scroll that these three idiots tried reading.