July 2016
The One Word Challenge is a monthly competition which takes place on Writers Talkback, the online writing forum run by Writing Magazine. June's prompt was 'LATE' and I entered a piece called Killing Time for Neddy, which won.
Here it is:
Killing Time for Neddy
As long as there was time, there was hope, so he had to keep them going.
On every wall and shelf were clocks: cuckoo clocks, carriage clocks, alarm clocks, chiming clocks, pendulum clocks.
Neddy balled up his fists and banged his ears.
THE TICKING!
It tapped on his brain like mechanical drumsticks. Or hammering rain on a corrugated shelter. Too much ticking, overlapping in awkward rhythms.
It was definitely louder now. Deliberately so.
The grandfather clock was in charge. Always had been. And the others… they were the disciples, watching him, even at night with their luminous numerals. Eight was the one he was most wary of.
Those hands… never to be trusted… sending their secret messages in semaphore.
Neddy covered his eyes and peeped through his fingers, the only way to remain safe: six o’clock, twenty to eleven, ten past six.
‘D…I…E’ Neddy spelled out to himself. Those three mantel clocks were the worst.
Just in time, he turned the hourglass, then jumped as the cuckoo was spat out of his Swiss chalet seven times, his tweet a semi-tone down, and slurred.
So much time, but so little hope.
It was already too late for Neddy.
This month I submitted two poems to The Poetry Society for the members' competition on the theme of messages.
I also sent off three poems to Carers UK for their creative writing competition.
Still on the theme of messages, I wrote a poem called To the unborn in response to Poetry Day Ambassador, Liz Brownlee's request for message poems in regard to wildlife/conservation, etc, Liz's area of interest. It was published as Poem of the Day today on her blog.
News, too, this month, that another piece of flash - Filling the Space - has made it into The Best of CafeLit 5. You can read it on this website under the heading 100-worders.
And, finally, from 27th - 31st July, one of my children's's books, Salt, a seaside mystery, is FREE to download as a kindle edition.
