The Prediction - you can bank on it!

Greetings all, Phil here speaking from the past! I hope that you have been treating The Prediction well in my absence. If I am right in my planning then this week should be bank holiday in Britain so an extra day of writing to be had. It will be raining anyway!!!
 
Now, if everything went to plan then we had a winner announced for last week. If said writer would be so kind, do let everyone know who you thought was the outstanding entry this week. As I said last week, no obligation but would be nice if you could.
 
If we had no winner announced then such is life and you shall still have your new words.
 
There have been stories in the papers of a vicious, leather clad beast roaming the moors, muttering strange words. Now the words drifted to me in my sleep by some unholy union and they sounded like:
  • Ration
  • Squid
  • Flatter
Oooh, squid looks like it could be nasty but I am sure you will all come up with amazing takes on that trio.
 
The usual rules apply: 100 words maximum, excluding the title, of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy or science fiction. All variants and use of the words as stems are fine. Just have fun!

You have until 9pm (UK time) Thursday 30 August to get your entries in. New words will be displayed shortly afterwards. If you can, please tweet about your entry using the #fridayflash #100words or #flashfiction hashtags and blog if you feel like it. Please tell your friends and do give feedback to your fellow Predictioneers - everyone appreciates it!
 
Now keep playing nicely!

Comments

  1. Congratulations clarkythecruel, as for me...
    OMG, I'm totally bowled over, thank you thank you Rebecca. I'm totally Stunned. Now for the scary part judging next week, I'm not worthy. I may have to wear beige all week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I have not been an attentive Surrogate host.
      Dealing with the Madness that is Work & Family.

      Delete
  2. Damaged

    Hands shaking, I grasped my medicine bag. I’d have to ration pills until I recovered. Nate’s kit consists only of booze. He flatters himself by believing he’s not an alcoholic. After our fight, I shouldn’t have worried about his safety, but I always do.

    A mirror showed the red lump and something much worse. My eyes, normally brown, were squid-ink black.

    I fumbled with my phone.

    Uncle Jim answered on the first ring. “He knows.”

    “Not enough. We should finish the story for him.”

    “Come on home, boy.”

    “Is that wise?”

    “Hell no, but I’m not facing his wrath alone.”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Uncle Jim sounds a likely foil for both Seth and Nate, and the final line leaves us wanting more, as ever.

      Delete
    2. If he's anything like my Uncle Jim he will give as good as he gets and then some. Looking forward to more of this I predict a riot

      Delete
  3. Congratulations William, and Clarky!
    This one's good, Rebecca, I haven't even begun to get to grips with the words yet... but I will!
    Just wondering how much fun we can have whilst the jailer's away and the inmates can play...
    that is, if William gets out of his beige outfits. Can't allow that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations William and Clarky, well-chosen Rebecca.

    The blacksmith's wife [part 32]

    ‘Written in squid ink and signed with the Captain’s blood!’
    ‘It doesn’t smell of fish, and blood dries rusty.’
    ‘Not this! The treasure map. This tells where it’s hid.’
    Matthias, having drawn my blood, forced Gabriel to release the letter. Starvation rendered him irrational; he clearly under-estimated our intelligence.
    I snorted with disbelief: Gabriel’s warning glance suggested he’d likewise under-estimated mine.
    Flattering his recently-incarcerated brother, he said ‘You forget I‘ve not your education, find it hard to trust in pen-scribed words. Why risk your life, and threaten me and mine, for this?’
    Hoarsely, eyes a-glitter, ‘Riches, brother, riches beyond compare!’

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An excellent episode, Sandra. Will Gabriels bluff work I wonder.

      Delete
  5. Procedural

    I walk into the dive, squid faces stare, and bubbling chatter ceases. You could cut the atmosphere with a filleting knife.

    They came in the boom days as cheap divers then Core techs synthesises shell-oil. Corporations move taking jobs with them.

    We’re left with an alien problem, they’re left with sadaqah
    charity rations and you can imagine how long Imans argued over
    that ruling.

    I raise the jacket to show the gun and the Nu Olu Deniz Sharif’s badge.

    “Don’t flatter yourself ‘hulus I’m not after any of you. Has anyone seen Alchemical Ali?”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such a lot of back story to this, brilliant!

      Delete
    2. My first reading, brought to mind the bar scene in star wars, but in the present day. A good back story.

      Delete
  6. A need to be nasty overcame me.

    The blacksmith's wife [part 33]

    We exchanged a glance as he demanded more to eat.
    ‘I’ve been on prison rations for a week.’
    ‘He changes colour oftener than a squid’ I muttered, contemptuous, ‘from pride to pathetic in the bat of an eye.’
    ‘But at least lacks energy for the priapic.’
    ‘And will lack more than that when the senna I’ve put in the soup starts to work. He’s thin enough now but his belly’ll be flatter than the bladder of a suicidal jester!’
    ‘I don’t want him evacuating here!’
    ‘The dead dog collector’s cart’s due in an hour - we’ll put him on that.’

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...and you do nasty so well.
      I hope the dead dog cart is here soon, I wouldn't want to explain the mess to phil when he gets back.

      An excellent setup and perfect way to deal with the brother.

      Delete
  7. Eating Out
    The bar served high class cuisine along with the drinks, or so they said. Me, I worked in the kitchen, I knew otherwise. Squid contains a poison sac, you have to remove it very carefully before cooking the animal/thing in its own ink.
    There was one customer, a flatterer, drove me mad just because I was English and working in a Basque bar. Too smart for his own good.
    The party he came in with one night all wanted squid.
    My chance…
    His ration was soon on the plate, along with a little extra…

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh the benefits of research - I'd forgotten (if ever known) that squid's were poisonous, and how smoothly you've told the tale, Antonia.

      Delete
    2. I love the delicious way you serve up revenge Antonia.
      A perfect execution.

      Delete
  8. Clarky, nice one, as Sandra said, a lot of back story going on here, which enriches it.
    Sandra, powerful as ever! Congratulations on sustaining the high standard throughout this entire story.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I still feel i need to apologise for last weeks oddity. not sure where my brain was, but maybe nowhere near sanity ;-)

    Heated by the Latter Fire

    Far below, the Cephalopodal bulk of the Kraken turns his vast eyes to the sunlight overworld, to the floating metal specs on the edges of his consciousness. He feels the oceans, from his squid brethren to the bright and alien minds of the whales, feels their anger and confusion, their loss and fear.

    Deep in his brain it knows that his time is long past, and that new stranger creatures flatter themselves masters of the seas. With no need to ration his might and power he knows he can ascend, one last time to stand against them.

    Roaring, he rises.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What havoc the Kraken will reap. As I read this, my mind could picture the movement of the sea as water rushes in to replace the bulk of his/her body as it rises. The terror as ships are sucked under by the resulting maelstrom.

      Will the Kraken prevail, or will Calamari be special of the day. I hope we get to hear more of this.

      Delete
  10. A tough week

    Tough words this week, especially if you overcook the Squid. That maybe why we have a small ration of entries? I had a hard time writing something myself, due to a number of emergency dashes to my parent’s house. I kept getting calls from the lady at the monitoring service. She told me my dad had pushed the panic button for the fourth time this week. In my panic to get my parents I didn’t see her waiting as I sped onto the driveway. She was a nice plump lady, but now she’s flatter, with a shallow grave that’s wide.

    ReplyDelete
  11. CLOSED
    Sorry I'm a bit slow closing the doors, but the company is so good tonight. Well the towels might be on the pumps and the blinds shut, but if we keep it down a bit we can have a bit of a lock in, as long as the rozzers don't find out, or they'll have my license. While Frank is soft pegging another barrell of Whistle belly, I'll just grab myself another glass of the Rouge du Patron, and deliberate.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is a really tough task, I don't consider this a judgement as I have come to love, cherish, and respect each of you over the years that I have written along side you all. Every piece was a winner of heart in so many different ways.

    However the book requires that I must choose a torch bearer.

    Congratulations Matt Farr you captured a moment of fear for me that loosened something unpleasant deep within me. I have seen natures fury, and lived to be in fear since.

    My runner up is Antonia for the matter of fact way of despatching a lothario, with the blame at the Chef's door.

    ReplyDelete
  13. William, love the 'story' ... many thanks for the runner up position! Congratulations, Matt, worthy winner and yes, it was a tough call, really high standards (again)... now to tackle this week's words...

    ReplyDelete

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