Steven Paul Watson, Author

A ballet of thunder and lighting lit up the night sky; the winds had picked up blowing a cold breeze across the lake. Sitting on the top of the picnic table with her feet resting on the seat, Naomi watched the glow from the tip of her latest last cigarette with a forced smile. She traced the cross tattoo on her wrist with the tip of chewed fingernail on her free hand. She could almost hear them now, the laughing, the mocking I told you so. All she really wanted was for someone to say those simple words: it’s going to be alright. 

A couple days she did not have to waste and another bill she could not afford to pay. Thousand miles from anyone she could ask for help even though she was sure if they were just a five minute walk away it would have been useless to even ask.

Naomi smiled as she dropped her head, locks of brown hair fluttered across her forehead as she watched a long line of ashes fall to the ground. “I like the tattoo.” She turned to see the young man and his eyes glued to the dragon head peeking out of her collar, she blushed knowing the young man would really be impressed with how large it stretched down from her neck, the whole of her back and around her side to her stomach. 

“Tell Roy to get the parts.” She gave the young man another glance, but only a moment before she again looked out over the lake and the clouds racing across the night sky. She forced a half smile as the young man gave her a sly smile and quickly retreated from her side. She could feel the tears begin to swell behind her eyes with a loud crack of thunder off in the distance.

With her free hand she pulled the necklace from her shirt and the small golden pendent; the last thing she had of her mothers. She knew it was worth more than enough to pay to have her car fixed and get her a long way from here. Further from the place she was running from. She held a tight grip on it in the palm of her hand, and whispered a silent prayer. No matter how bad things got, she knew her mother was there looking over her shoulder with or without the necklace. Naomi could hear her mother in her soft voice telling her exactly what she needed to hear, that everything was going to be alright.

Five Sentence Fiction – Composure

He had broken from a momentary hesitation when he pushed the button on the elevator, he felt his throat seize and was unsure if he would even be able to speak when the moment came.   Voices in his head screaming out at him with not a single one of the dozen in agreement with any other and all fed to the growing conflict in his stomach.  With each passing floor the beep of the elevator echoed in his head, the static growing louder and more confused.  The doors opened, his nervousness shown on his red face as he stepped out in time to avoid the rush of others quick to retreat.  Slowly he walked down the hall coming to the desired door, lifted his hand ready to knock as he took a long deep breath and smiled…

For more Five Sentence Fiction check out Lillie McFerrin’s blog!  🙂 🙂

Five Sentence Fiction – Pirates! – “The Dragon’s Lady”

As an experienced thief it was an easy task for her, slip aboard the anchored Dragon’s Moon, the sailors all drunken and whoring though the taverns and brothels and steal the map; everything else she could carry would be hers with no questions asked.  Swiftly Tessa Ann pulled her wet frame up to the edge, retrieved the dagger from her clinched teeth and cut through the grumbling guard’s voice, her free hand pulling him over the edge taking her place in the ice blue depth below with a smile brighter than the full moon above.  Immediately she sprinted across the ship, down the stairs to the minor obstacle of a locked door as she pulled a lock pick from her soaked hair.  Immediately she thrust through, taken by surprise to see the pirate captain there waiting, arms crossed against his chest and three men closer to her with swords so sharp she could feel her skin peel with only a glance.

“Welcome, Miss Willow it is good to finally make your acquaintance,” the Captain said with a rotted smile, “I have heard much of your skills and I have a proposition for you.”

For more Five Sentence Fiction check out Lillie McFerrin’s blog!

Five Sentence Fiction – Harvest

            June is over and I did participate in JuNoWriMo (NaNoWriMo in June) and I did it really the same way I did my first couple attempts at NaNo, by just winging it.  I went into the month undecided on what I wanted to write, even in the first week of the month I changed my project three times.  Around the 8^th I finally settled on what I wanted to write…

            Directly inspired by one of my past Five Sentence Fiction entries (Hunger), I wrote the first two chapters before I forced myself to sit down and write out some sort of overview, planned plot for the story.  I ended up just shy of the 50 k goal for the month but did get a very (very) rough draft done that I can return to later. 

            A sneak peak from the story:

            Darwin rose from the cold floor, straw stuck to his face from the smelting heat in the bowels of the ship, instantly he realized the shackles were gone from his wrists and ankles.  He knocked the bedding from his face as he stood; the clang of the opened cell door brought a smile to his face as he stepped through the entrance and out into open room.  “You are a lost soul; much blood lays in your future Gladiator.”  Darwinhad never heard her voice before, even though he had only seen her the once, he knew instantly it was her.  She stepped into the candle light of the cabin, her ghostly appearance even more apparent in the shadows and bleak darkness of his prison chamber.  “You will be the ruin of my mother’s house even though she sees you as a savior.” 

Her pale skin, solid white hair with matching slip of a dress, dark brown eyes were her most striking feature. “Whispers say you are a seer, tell me how am I the ruin of your house, I will do anything to make it untrue.”  

She was close enough to touch, Darwinreached his arm out and ran his hand down her soft cheek, eyes closed she leaned into the palm of his hand and smiled. “Our paths are one…she does not have my gift and I have kept this future to myself.  I have seen it many times over the years never did I know your face until two days past.”  She kissed the palm of his hand and he saw the wicked mischievous grin grace her thin lips. 

“Is this a dream?”

“It is what you want it to be.”

He ran his free hand through her silky straight white hair, “How is it you have seen me in your visions and not know my face.”

“Many times I have felt your hand over my mouth, the blade against my neck but never had I seen more than shadows.  Not until the day beneath the arena, when I touched you, I saw it clear.  Just as if it had been there all along staring down at me.  You are destined to take my life…”  She leaned into him, pushing the hand at her face away.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her even closer as he lowered his head to kiss her thin lips.  Her fingernails dug into his bare chest and the existing wounds from the arena forcing him to push her away before their lips met, still she smiled.  “When will this happen?”

“An enemy disguised as a friend will send you to me.  There will be no doubt when the time comes, it will be my blood you are asked to spill.”  She took a step back away from him and as suddenly as she had appeared she was now gone.  Darwinrushed to the door and out into the open air immediately met by the two guards with swords drawn and realized it was no dream.

Five Sentence Fiction – Faeries

Seven miles from the nearest home Simon had set up his camp, he traced the outline of his jaw in the crystal clear pool of water.  He had come this far down the Appalachian trail in hopes of finding an escape but there in the water he could see clearly the mark she left on his face and felt the one he could not see even more.  Simon heard the laugh, more of a giggle; it broke him from his reflection as he stood from his crouched position and heard the sound of the birds take fight, “even the birds are having a laugh at me.”

He turned to stoke the small dancing fire a hurt smile graced his chapped lips when the voice broke through the chattering wilderness, “The heart scars so easily,” he was stuck in a haze of confusion from the moment he saw her standing in the clearing with him.  Her body covered in a slip of a purple dress, hair a violent red with matching eyes and a mischievous grin but none of it was as spectacular as the fluttering transparent wings and it was then he looked to the trees around him, before he thought it was just fireflies but realized now they were something so much more.

For more Five Sentence Fiction check out Lillie McFerrin’s blog!

Forbidden Love:  London in the Skies

The airship London was a small vessel meant for transportation and minimal occupancy, it had been in her family for generations.  She could hear the hum of the steam engines, the smell of oil hung thick to the air and every breath was near intoxicating.  The floors a seasoned oak, stained with a storied past.  Paintings of times old hung to the walls keeping the secrets of all they had seen.  Aboard this airship was the one place she knew she was always in control and was fully herself.

Short brown hair hung to her shoulders with streaks of purple and red, the goggles with their lime green tint and bronzed casing stuck to her forehead as beads of sweat fled the rubber exterior. The black leather corset clung tightly; white laced long sleeve top exposed her cleavage for the shadows to stare.  Brown fitted pants with matching belt and gun holsters hung to her hips.  White laced ruffles floated around her wrists as she sharpened the surgical knife.

She turned away from the work station; it was the first sound the doctor had made in an hour.  A whimper, knowing all hope was lost.  She pulled the goggles down over her hazel eyes, with her purple eye liner.  She starred contently at the blade for a moment longer.  The second plea for mercy brought her to her feet, the sound of her heavy knee high black boots thundered across the room.  “I love you,” she whispered to his ear.

A sharp smile graced her thick red lips as she placed the tip of the sharp blade to his chest, their eyes met one last time.  Aboard her airship, Jaclyn Ripper was always in control and who she was meant to be.

Check out the other entries to the Forbidden Love blog hop, last day to enter.

Forbidden Love:  Shooting Stars, Broken Heart!

Lucas swung in the hammock and looked up at the shooting stars; he was on his fifth drink and far from done.  The glorious sight over head was something he had only witnessed once before and made the feeling in his stomach bitter sweet. 

The last time so vivid in his mind, the same hammock, the big difference was Tessa.  It was one of the last days they spent together over four years prior.  The night ended with the only time the two ever kissed and he still remembered her voice, “I’m in love with you”.  They had only been just friends before then and he didn’t realize what was in front of him.  He loved her but he was not sure he loved her in the way she needed him too. 

Lucas pulled the invitation from its flashy envelop once more.  “You are cordially invited to the wedding of Mr. Joshua Scotch and Tessa Daniels”.  His heart sunk each time he had read it; it was closer to the hundredth time now instead of the first.  They had remained friends all these years and he knew this day was coming.  He was truly happy for her.  He studied the picture of the happy couple and then back to the hand written note for him inside, he knew it was her own hand writing.

Lucas set the invitation back inside the envelop and took another drink feeling another round of tears swell.  He would not go to the wedding.  He did not trust himself to be there and not say something when it was asked if anyone objected.  He truly wanted her to be happy.  She was more than just a friend, she was the one he foolishly let get away…

Five Sentence Fiction –  Lost

Bradley paced back and forth, frantic, ever part of him screamed in anger and it felt like his heart was going to explode from his chest.  He ran his hands through his short hair in frustration how could he have lost it, he had torn his way through his apartment and it looked like a tornado had been there in his place.  Weeks Bradley had planned this evening, a full moon lingered overhead outside and the night air was just right for a moon lit stroll through the park and he had already went by the small bridge and hid the single lily.  He looked at his watch once more, ’10:01’, he knew Maria would be there in less than an hour as she was always early but it didn’t matter if he couldn’t find it.  The door bell chimed, he thought his heart had stopped that very moment but it was the shock he needed, and he knew the small black velvet box was in the cookie jar waiting for him all along. 

For more five sentence fiction goodness check out LillieMcFerrin’s blog, (and her snazzy looking new site).

Also check out her Forbidden Love Blog Hop, only a few days remaining to get your entry in.

Napping Blogger Award

Thanks Donna B McNicol for the award 🙂  

What I do when I want to relax or get away from people, a number of things really.  I enjoy going to the movies, but sometimes that is the last place you want to go when you just want to escape people.  A lot of times over the past few years when I want to take time just for me, I go for walk/run.  Just nature and my mp3 player…as I always have to have music.  : )  Other times I like to go by any of the local lakes.  

The Five Bloggers who deserve a break:

(Be sure to go back to her page to pick a banner of your choice if you don’t like the one I picked)