Tag Archives: A to Z Challenge

April 6, 2013

Fjord

“A-ha! There! Do you see it before us, brother? I told you the gods would see us safely home, was I not right?”

“Be at ease, young brother, we are not home yet. We’ve still to traverse her icy cold waters, and narrower passageways.”

“Bah, you’ve no faith, my brother! The gods would not have brought us this far to see us fail now. Perhaps the trickster, but not the hammer, he wishes to see us die in battle. Come, brother, do not tell me you fear drowning more than death by axe or cudgel? Smile, fate and life lay ahead, our journey nearly complete.” Pouring two horns of mead, he offers the fermented honey concoction to the man standing beside him. “Drink, celebrate with me; celebrate our return to this, our homeland!”

Glancing into the carved keratin vessel his younger brother has handed him, and back again to the high cliff walls of the fjord, he steps to the side of the boat and pours the mead into the waters below.

“Brother! You waste so much when we have so little left after this voyage? Why?”

“Do not question my actions, little brother. An offering to the gods is of far greater value than sating my thirst for celebration. I offer them this drink and ask that with it they grant us safe passage through these cliffs. Honor them as I do. Honor them or we shall all suffer. Heed my words, young brother, your youth blinds you.”

“Bah,” the younger man drains his horn into his gullet and tosses the hollowed carving overboard. “The gods have no use for sentimental offerings. They want us to live as men, as warriors, not as scared sheep!”

The sky now darkening, clouds swiftly rolling in. Their boat caught in the unsteady waters of the fjord, the younger man looks dubiously upward as the crew grumbles of bad omens. The older brother stares at the younger, resigned to what fate has cast upon them as the waters begin to froth and the wind picks up speed.

I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}

32 Comments | tags: A to Z Challenge, brother, F, fiction, Fjord, flash, loss, Nina D, Nina D'Arcangela, ship, Viking | posted in 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, Flash, Flash Fiction

April 5, 2013

Egret

By Nina D'Arcangela

Crisp snowy white and regal, you move with a fluidity that shames most creatures. Long, needle-like beak, a brilliant hue of yellow, used to pluck small fish and amphibious morsels from the waters you feast upon. Still you stand, almost statuesque, waiting for opportunity. A splendid creature, moving meticulously through your real… But to see you spread your wings and take flight, the grandeur of such a sight makes you nothing less than queen of your domain. Soaring close above the water’s surface, your reflection ripples with equal beauty.

Mating season arrives, your brilliant verdant plumes draw them, they flock to you. Eight, ten, perhaps twelve suitors this season. They sit amongst the trees waiting for you to choose. A prize chosen, you dance together on the air, you lead, he follows. You perch among the foliage, building together, creating together, but now that the creation is complete, he leaves. In your nest you wait, you birth, you rear. The smaller of the young lost to the larger, yet still they are yours to accept. Youth does not always grant grace, but in time, it will come.

You, the Egret queen, soar magnificently over the waters, and stalk this pond upon foot with serene patients as the others watch with jealous pride.

I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}

12 Comments | tags: A to Z Challenge, bird, E, Egret, flash, flash fiction, flight, majectic, Nina D, Nina D'Arcangela | posted in 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, Flash, Flash Fiction, muse

April 4, 2013

Delicious

By Nina D'Arcangela

She had never seen anything more delightful, delectable or delicious in all her life. With her nose pressed to the glass of the shop window, hands cupped around her eyes to cut down on the sun’s glare, she stared into the Patisserie wishing she had enough coin to indulge in such sweets. But her mother had only given her enough money to buy a loaf of bread, a few eggs, and a bit of milk for tonight’s supper. She wouldn’t dare squander their meager cache on something as frivolous as a cream filled pastry! It would be unconscionable. Still… they looked delicious. Her stomach let out a loud grumble.

An older gentleman walking past not only saw her, but heard her body emit the mournful noise. Walking stick tapping the ground to catch her attention, he asked her if she saw something in the window that caught her fancy. In a near panic, she turned around. Looking left then right then left again. Rubbing her moist palms on her filthy tunic, she stuttered a response that even she couldn’t understand.

At that moment, the shopkeeper – having witnessed this transpire from inside – stepped through the doorway to ask if anything was amiss. The older gentleman, such as he was, tipped his hat to the shopkeeper and replied that all was well, and he and his ‘granddaughter’ were indeed about to patronize this fine establishment and partake of its wonderful offerings. The young girl stuttered again as the shopkeeper held the door open. This time the older gentleman was close enough to make out the words “But I have no coin, sir. It would be stealing.”

Bending down to rest his palm upon her head, he replied, “Nonsense child, stealing is for the poor, and I can see you are anything but. You wouldn’t deny an older gentleman the privilege of indulging a young lady with a delicious morsel, now would you?”

“No, sir, I would not, but…”

“Then it’s settled. Have you picked your treat yet? I know what mine shall be. They make the most scrumptious chocolate Pasticiotti here!” He smiled as he shooed the shopkeeper away and held the door for her to enter.

“Oh, yes, sir! That was the very thing I was looking at through the window. They do look marvelous, don’t they?” She grinned from ear to ear with excitement, eliciting a small chuckle from the old man.

“Then please, my dear, after you.”

She entered the shop unsure of herself; she’d never been in such a fine bakery before. She could barely contain her excitement. The older gentleman ordered two chocolate Pasticiotti and guided her to one of several small tables lining the wall. After instructing her to wash up in the ladies room at the rear, he drew in a deep breath that carried with it all the marvelous aromas held captive within the shop. He then released that breath upon a sigh, and leaned his walking stick against the wall.

When the young girl returned, the desserts had been served, and the older gentleman seemed to have fallen asleep. Unease filled her once again, but the scent of the sweet cream filling was too much for her to resist. She found herself gobbling as fast as she could. The pastry, it seemed, was slightly larger than her eyes and her belly, for she began to feel very full. The shopkeeper came over to ask if all was well, and she replied that indeed it was, however, her ‘grandfather’ seemed to have fallen asleep. Gazing at the old man, the shopkeeper smiled. He retrieved a box from beneath the counter and packaged the older gentleman’s treat inside it, along with the remains of hers as well.

Handing her the box, he told her to run along and take the gift home to share with her family. Gratefully she thanked him, and asked if she should wake the older gentleman to thank him as well. The shopkeeper simply shook his head and told her to let the older man sleep, he would pass along her gratitude once the gentleman woke.

Hopping off her seat, she thanked the shopkeeper again, said a silent thank you to the sleeping older gentleman and headed out the door feeling happy and bright.

Once the door closed, the shopkeeper looked sadly upon the old man, his hat still resting at an awkward angle upon his head, as it was most days. “Ah, Granddad, you need to find your rest. Please, I beg of you. I enjoy your daily visits, and I know how much you loved this shop and the children who visited it while you were here, but your soul needs to find a home of its own now.” And with that, he placed the silver handle of the walking stick back into the older gentleman’s hands, and watched with tears in his eyes as his Granddad slowly dissipated.

Wiping his eyes dry, and the table clean, he went about his business as the latest in a long line of family proprietors of the Patisserie; all the while praying for his Granddad’s soul to find peace, but knowing he would see him again the following day.

I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}

18 Comments | tags: A to Z Challenge, Delicious, flash fiction, ghost, Nina D, Nina D'Arcangela, pastry, sweets, treats, wishes | posted in 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, Flash, Flash Fiction

April 3, 2013

Cat (two for one)

By Nina D'Arcangela

WARNING: If you are offended by foul language, please skip

the first piece and go to the second!

CAT5e

Fuck me, really? What’s wrong with these jack-off’s – can’t they ever get this shit right? Every fucking night I come in and it’s the same crap! The notification board is lighting up like a god damned Christmas Tree, the fucking alerts are blaring, one right after the other. Yeah – I know the fucking system is dying. I can see that, I’m working as fast as I can to fix the problem. Frigging software maggots, what the fuck makes them think they can build a damn machine, then implement it without even starting it up for a test run?

Seriously? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. The client specifically ordered hardware RAID on this system, and what do the fucking code monkeys do? They yank out the RAID controller cards and shove in these cheap-ass standard controllers so they can install software RAID. That’s it; I’ve had enough of this shit! I’m going to the server room to switch the machines back over to hardware RAID – fuck who ever doesn’t like it.

Alright, find the right rack, do it in sequence, and nothing else will go down. Bingo! There you are baby! Power down the first of the clustered machines; excellent – no problems. Yank it, replace the controller. Wait, what – fucking CAT5e? God damn it! We shouldn’t be running anything but CAT6 to this system! Fuck me! It’s gonna be a long night…

(and for the non-computer geek…)

Cat

“So how is it you think they stay upright on those things? They’re called legs like ours, right?” He asks, then shifts for a better view.

Sighing deeply, she reflects on how much stronger and aggressive he is than the other males, but that he is definitely lacking in the brains department. Ya can’t have it all, right? “Yes, they’re called legs. Beats me how they walk like that. I can only make about ten seconds at most, and that’s sitting back on my full feet, plus my butt. Standing upright on just my pads, either give me a doorknob or a counter to hold onto, or I’m face-planting after a count of two.”

Muffs glances over at her, “I hear ya, same with me.” Flipping onto all fours, he sits upright and starts bathing. “You think there’s a way we can get them to pick up a bigger bowl? You know, so we don’t have to wait so long if it goes empty during the night?”

“Goes empty?” Fluffer questions. She’s still lounging in the beam of sunlight, eyes squinted shut, trying to relax. “Honey, you say that like it magically happens out of the blue. You know your big round butt is the one making it ‘go empty’ at night. Have some dignity, will you?”

Muffs stops stroking his head and looks over at Fluffer. “Look, no need to be mean about it. I just meant…”

“Yeah, I know what you just meant. You just meant that your greedy belly wants more to eat.” Fluffer opens her eyes and slaps her tail down in challenge. “Did it ever occur to you that I might want more to eat, too?”

“Oh, here we go! You always take what I say and twist it around. Look, I meant it would be good for both of us.” By this point, he knows he should shut up, but just can’t make himself do it. “And so what if I eat a lot, I’m hungry at night. I don’t pick my way daintily through the pieces like you trying to decide which is the yummiest. They’re all freakin’ yummy! So don’t start with me!” He slaps his tail down hard in return.

Standing up and squaring off with Muffs, Fluffer flattens her ears and responds, “Are you slapping that tail at me, Mr. Furball?” A paw strikes out lightning fast and lands atop his head. “Maybe you better rethink that attitude, Chubs!”

Pissed and poofed, Muffs dives at her screaming, “Chubs! Who are you calling Chubs, you rat-eating, bunny-looking, white ball of fluff! Yeah I said it – fluff. Just like ‘Fluffer’, such a cute little name,” he mocks. “Too bad they don’t know what an evil bitch you really are.”

Rolling around on the floor, arms tangled, heads thrashing, jaws snapping, with unholy screeches emitting from their feline lips; they’re seriously going at it… At least that’s what it looks like to the woman who rushes in to break them up.

Fluffer, the squirrellier of the two, avoids capture. She tosses a look over her shoulder as she walks away with her tail in the air, “See what you did, you orange, mange covered, litter-stinking beast. Now she’s gonna have to check every inch of our bodies. Do you know how long it’s going to take me to lick that smell away? Forget it, not like your skunky butt would know what a real bath was anyway. Well, at least she got her hands on you first.”

Muffs really does look miserable. His arms held above his head, belly exposed, standing on tippy toes, eyes wide as saucers while the woman examines him. Fluffer giggles in satifaction, and says, “I’m going upstairs to lie down on the bed. And when she’s done putting her stanky-ass hands all over you, don’t you dare run your cat butt over to that bowl and comfort binge!”

I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}

28 Comments | tags: A to Z Challenge, April 3rd, Cat, CAT5e, computers, feline, Nina D, Nina D'Arcangela | posted in 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, Flash, Flash Fiction

April 2, 2013

Breath

By Nina D'Arcangela

The screaming, the screeching, the un-godly wailing that echoes down the hall – it’s deafening. Splashing hot coffee onto my shaking hand, I howl in pain, adding my minor wound to your egregious suffering. The scorching brown fluid beads upon my skin. The hours, they seem to never cease, passing by slower than time should allow. Will this night never end? Your breathing harsh and ragged, my fear beyond measure. Should there be this much blood? My expectation was of a few difficult moments, sweat dripping, faces smiling… but the screaming, the agony – no one told me of these things. If I had known, I would never have let him touch you. I would never have agreed to this – the price too high. Dragging myself through the hall, fighting the buffeting waves of fresh torment tearing from your body, I arrive at the room once more, just as the screaming ceases, just as the tears begin to flow, just as the wail erupts. A first breath taken, the beginning of what will forever be our new life.

I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}

12 Comments | tags: A to Z Challenge, agony, birth, Breath, fiction, flash, Nina D, Nina D'Arcangela, pain, screaming | posted in 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, Flash, Flash Fiction

April 1, 2013

Apathy

By Nina D'Arcangela

Sitting before you, watching your fluids drain slowly into the thirsty dirt below, I feel nothing. You twitch in pain; agony the mate of your very soul. Once you were all that mattered to me. Once you were the light in my sky, the air I breathed, the blood I bled; now you are nothing. To scoff is beyond me, I have not enough emotion in my chilled heart to bear you ill will. Your fall, the fall of all before my eyes, has left me nothing but a hollow shell. No echo of crashing waves, no wondrous Alabaster beauty, just jagged shards remain to rend and tear the soles of those unfortunate enough to tread where I now lie. Yes, a lie – one that stole my humanity and brought me to your side on this dark night, moonlight glinting off the dagger in my hand. Staring into your dazed eyes, indifference is all I feel. Apathy is all my abandoned faith will allow me to embrace as I watch the final breath expel from your body.

I’m doing the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge! Pop back everyday but Sunday through the month of April for a new letter prompt to spawn my deranged ramblings! ;}