The bandage is starting to smell. I’m sure the wound is infected. But I’m afraid to remove the bandage. I know there will be pus, blood, and gook beneath it.
My friends tell me to stop being so passive. They say to be quick and just rip the bandage off. It’s the only way to deal with a relationship gone rancid.
(Exactly 61 words)
Written for Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt, where the word is “bandage” in exactly 61 words. Also for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (passive).
The instructions were crystal clear. It had to be large enough to be visible from space. A bullseye constructed of natural stone would be surrounded by concentric circles, ultimately covering the entire valley floor. It also had to stand the test of time, because it could be eons before it was actually required. Or maybe never. That depended upon the evolution of the dominant species that inhabited the planet.
It also had to look natural, so that the dominant species would not see it for what it really was. In other words, it had to blend in, as much as possible. Yes, it might be seen as a phenomenon, and potentially become a tourist attraction or a holy site upon which religious rituals were held. After all, the dominant species was comprised of spiritual creatures who invented supernatural beings to answer what to them was unanswerable.
But the time had finally come. There was an imbalance that the dominant species had created on the planet. It took billions of years, but the planet was beginning to decay, and should that be allowed to happen, the effects upon the solar system in which the planet exists would be devastating, possibly even leading to adverse consequences throughout the galaxy.
“Our ancestors did what was asked of them,” the captain said. The target is clearly visible from deep space. “It’s time to engage the photomagnitron that will send the electromagnetic pulse directly to the center of the target. Upon impact, it will set off a chain reaction causing the planet to almost instantaneously implode.”
“Everything is ready,” the gunner said. “I await your orders, Captain.”
The captain took a deep breath. His order would destroy the planet and the civilization that inhabited it. What he was about to do was unprecedented, but his orders were clear. The dominant species had left no choice, having created an environment that would soon be unable to support life forms. Like a virus, it had to be destroyed before it infected the rest of the universe.
“Engage,” the captain said. He and his crew watched as, moments later, the electromagnetic pulse hit the bullseye and the third planet from the star named Sol disappeared.
Written for Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Image credit: Robert Lukeman @ Unsplash.
Okay, everyone, please be silent. I need you all to listen carefully and follow my instructions. I want the following individuals to go stand in front of the letter B: Debt, Doubt, and Subtle.
Now will Obscene, Scissors, and Scene move over to the letter C? And Wednesday, I need you to stand before the letter D.
Align, Assign, and Resign, head to the letter G. Gnaw and Gnome, please join them.
You all are doing great. Let’s have Echo, Scheme, School, and Weigh find your way to the letter H.
Knack, Knee, Knit, Kneel, and Knot, will you please stand by the letter K? Could and Would, would you mind, if you could, assembling under the letter L? Thanks.
Alrighty then, we’re making a lot of progress here. I’d like Autumn, Damn, Solemn, and Column to find your way to the letter N.
Pneumonia, Psychic, Pseudonym, and receipt, please move to the letter P.
Castle, Listen, Often, and Fasten, if you could find your way to the letter T, I’d appreciate it.
I’d like Build, Guitar, Guess, and Rogue to please make your way to the letter U.
And finally, Sword, Wrap, Wring, Wrong, and Wrist, I’d like you to go stand in front of the letter W.
Okay, everyone. You have each been selected because of your special characteristics. You will be participating in a very important job in the English as a Second Language class and your mission, as words with silent letters, is to really fuck with the heads of those poor, unsuspecting student who won’t know what hit them.
So be proud and go out there an wreak some havoc. No doubt your efforts will drive some of these folks psycho!
Written for Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, where Linda has asked us to choose a word that contains a silent letter and use it in our post, or write about words with silent letters in general.
It’s September 10, 2022. Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).
Today’s word is “foist.”
Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.
Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.
And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.
This, That, and the Other 