GAME: Hook my first line and sink her in to a paragraph!

[LittleStar]

As the moonlight filtered through the ancient tree's branches, Celida began to whisper the forbidden words of enchantment. A breath of wind touched the leaves, and a half-moon smile waxed on Celida's face when the mossy soil rippled beneath her feet. It was starting. She pressed her hand into the soft bark, leaning her whole weight into the primordial trunk, and finished the final words of her spell, before a breath of leafy laughter spilled from her lips.

'Now. Awake, Arbrel,' she cried. The wind had picked up, now a near gale it whipped autumn leaves through the grove.

A tendril root tickled Celida's ankle, and a second raised from the earth, and a dozen more soon after. The lowest boughs of the ancient tree creaked and groaned like a summer glacier. The wind softened, and the canopy swayed like seaweed in a tired current.

Celida covered her giggle, when an arboreal yawn rumbled her skin; and she gave a full laugh when she heard the voice she'd been waiting for her entire life.

'Aww, it's not time already. Another five minutes, please.'

Celida's mouth dropped open, and her eye twitched. The only sound filling the grove was Abrel moaning over and again, 'Snooze. Snooze. Hit the snooze!'

------------------


Abby peered over the rim of the well. She had always wondered about that twinkling light at the bottom.

 

[Ashleyne]

Abby peered over the rim of the well. She had always wondered about that twinkling light at the bottom. Every year, at this time of year, always on the eve of Xmas, the kids came to skate upon the frozen lake, but Abbey, only Abbey, sat at the well and watch the twinkling light.

This year was different, though. Abbey wasn't a kid anymore; she could do what she wanted. She smiled, almost defiantly whilst lowering the rope ladder, slowly, down the well, having already tied the other end to a tree stump, nearby.

-------------------

Sammy woke up, shivering in the snow, his ribs aching, as if he'd been kicked.

 

[sahlmi]

Sammy woke up, shivering in the snow, his ribs aching, as if he'd been kicked. Nothing about the area looked familiar. He stood, but with an old man's droop. An even string of smoke rose from below a northern hill. Maybe someone there who could help him? He took one painful step before turning toward the source of a smooth shuffling--a thing, like a gigantic slug, transparent as a jelly fish, slunk within a cluster of small snow drifts just behind him. Wherever he was, he wasn't home.
-------------

Wherever she was, it wasn't her home.

 

[Boneman]

Wherever she was, it wasn't her home. The door looked the same, but the handle was on the wrong side. The doorknocker was iron, not brass, and there was no frosted pane of glass above it. But this was the street she'd grown up in; the pavements she'd rode her bike along, the fences she'd run a stick along, until old Mrs Bansfield had boxed her ears. She raised a hand to the knocker and gasped. It wasn't her hand, either, it was a man's hand, hairy as hell. Scary as hell.


The report was clear: she'd died of internal injuries - a broken heart.

 

[sahlmi]

The report was clear: she'd died of internal injuries - a broken heart. Her brother, Jordan, stroked her hair, a response beyond his consciousness. His tear-stung eyes deformed to rage. Rage for this scum Claire called a husband and he called a friend, a man with whom he shared more than a few hardy laughs, a man with a razor smile that charmed everybody around him. Yes, he fell for it like Claire, both fools of venom. But now he mirrored that son-of-bitch's smile--except his intentions were not deceptive.
----
Mylo would never let her touch him.

 

[althea]

Mylo would never let her touch him.She wondered if he found her repugnant or if he just enjoyed knowing how she longed for skin to skin contact.
How long could she wait? She had to touch him before the poison she carried dried up.She had to find a way to overcome his reluctance.
She accidentally fell against him,touching his long limber tail.He whipped his tail back and forth,but it was too late.
Her touch had seared his flesh.He knew he was going to die.

We were walking together when suddenly,you were gone.

 

[willwallace]

We were walking together when suddenly,you were gone. After all these years, I still feel the loss as keenly as on that long-ago day. I think back to the morning we had, laughing together as we ate breakfast, wiping crumbs from each other's lips. Falling up the stairs, giggling as we made our way to the bedroom.
Afterwards, we lay resting on the floor, the sun's rays pouring from the skylight and kissing us as we did the same to each other. Warming ourselves by the fireplace, you practically shouted "Time for a walk!". "No, please, let me rest," I entreated. But your insistence won me over, and out along the cliffs we went, in the brisk, thin air.
Many times I have played out that morning in my mind. Had I made you stay inside, you might still be here. But I could never deny you any request. When you wanted to try your new wings, I had no choice but to let you go. As you flew off, I could only watch helplessly as the winds snatched you away, taking you out of sight in mere moments.
Now, there is only that last memory I have of your face, ecstatic and terrified at the same time, as you disappeared.




The sky was full of them today, I had best be on my guard.

 

[sahlmi]

The sky was full of them today, I had best be on my guard...like just now. I dodged in time, and felt a too-close breeze as one of them whizzed by, its spear-shaped beak barely missing the side of my head. I looked for an area with less open air. A spot with more dense trees stood several feet away, but I'd have to run directly into the swarm to get there. I measured my choices--try to make it to the plane, take my chances and cross to the woods, or stay here and be gashed. The woods were closer. I hiked up my coat to at least partially cover my face, and started to cross.


I can't remember the last time I witnesses something so damned ridiculous.

 

[Alex The G and T]

I can't remember the last time I witnessed something so damned ridiculous. A motley crew of crazies surrounded a hearse. They stumbled on oversized shoes, spritzed each other with plastic lapel-flowers, shook each other's joy-buzzered hands; while creating a cacophony in taxi horns and jingle bells. Even a clown deserves a funeral procession.


The sirens began to wail in the distance.

 

[willwallace]

The sirens began to wail in the distance. So soon? The all-clear had sounded not two hours ago, from the last alert. We began pulling on our heavy protective suits, strapping on the flametanks, and prepared for another exhausting battle. Since they had started falling from the sky in the spring, we had discovered fire was the best weapon to stop the slugs that burrowed into our houses, fields, and practically anything not made of rock or metal. If only we had brought more tech from the homeworld when we settled here. Even a couple of fire-breathing dragons would be nice....

(nods to Anne McCaffrey)


The dragon's eye slowly opened, and I knew the situation was about to get worse-a lot worse.

 

[sahlmi]

The dragon's eye slowly opened, and I knew the situation was about to get worse-a lot worse. I hit it so hard it nearly blacked out, so I knew it was peeved. I brought the swatter down again, hoping to smash it this time, but it reacted faster than I expected. It whisked upward, away form any solid surface. I could swat at it only in mid air, striking the overhanging pots and causing a raucous. Allowing it to get away alive would be deadly. It would most likely come back with an entire swarm, at least thousands more. Alone it couldn't do much harm, but a horde of tiny dragons is more to be reckoned with than you may think.

He placed his ear near the pond's edge and heard a whisper from the water.

 

[willwallace]

He placed his ear near the pond's edge and heard a whisper from the water. Satisfied he had found the right one, he began pulling out the various objects from his rumpled sack which he would require for the next step. Arranging the shells, figurines, and powders in a complex pattern he knew all too well, Victor stood back to inspect his handiwork. Satisfied all was correct, he withdrew a long, silvery wand from his waistband, and began weaving an intricate pattern in the air. As the water in the pond began to bubble, he thought that perhaps his life should be better than this. But he had chosen to be a necromantic exterminator years ago, and a job's a job.


Even now, I can still hear his last words to me, in my head.

 

[Ashleyne]

Even now, I can still hear his last words to me, in my head. At least, I think they were words. I hear them just as my son'd always spoke them, yet I still can't understand them. They float inside my head and twirl into gibberish. Where's the use in remembering if all you can remember is gibberish, especially meaningful gibberish? And yet, as my heart pounds at this sight of a magical orb within the mouldy smell of my prisoner's cell, I know that 'that gibberish' is somehow connected.


--------------------


I always felt like I was being watched.

 

[J Riff]

I always felt like I was being watched. For this reason, I assumed a bewildering array of disguises. But it didn't help. The eyes, the invisible eyes, remained upon me, wherever I ventured, however many dark alleys I dodged into, no matter how many times I entered the sewer system and swam to obscure parts of the city - the feeling persisted. Little did I know, then, that aliens were real, and they were indeed watching me, constantly, everywhere I went. Later, just before they left our solar system, the aliens contacted me, and apologized for all the watching. I asked them why and they mumbled then said well, we just liked you yknow, we found you interesting. After that things were pretty much okay.

The horror that was Thursday morning began late Wednesday evening.

 

[willwallace]

The horror that was Thursday morning began late Wednesday evening. All those strange lights flitting about in the sky at first seemed merely to be some kind of new light show. When the government denied it was responsible, and sent up planes to investigate, the lights easily sped away from close inspection. As they zoomed off towards the horizon, everyone laughed about the "UFOs". Until this morning, when we awoke to find our belly buttons gone! Not all, though-just those that were "innies". Obviously the UFOs needed the belly button lint as fuel for their ships, and the easiest way to collect it was to steal our belly buttons. I always knew having an "outie" would come in handy one day!


For one brief moment, he actually thought they would get away with it.

 

[The Bravest Newbie]

For one brief moment he actually thought he would get away with it. Outnumbered three to one, low on ammunition, and facing the advanced siege weapons his traitor brother had purchased from the Umbra Combine, Crown Prince Rhako Vander's fleet had dug in around the capitol planet. Stubbornly they resisted the black horde for week upon ill-gotten weeks until it looked like by some pathetic excuse of luck they would survive and stop the insurrection in its tracks. Rhako was getting ready to sound the counterattack when the wormhole opened and a warship larger than any he'd ever seen emerged. He stood fast gave the order to concentrate all their fire on it. The monstrosity shrugged it off like a bee sting and swatted down the loyalist's defenses with railguns and torpedoes. Finally the thin red line broke, and Rhako placed his flagship in orbit above the Imperial Palace for his final stand.

My only daughter died two weeks ago.

 

[Boneman]

My only daughter died two weeks ago. We went to the regeneration centre and they told us there was a three-parsec regeneration scheduled later that day. Luckily, our health plan covered us for unexplained death, and we jumped the queue. The chamber was made ready and I took her body inside, laying it carefully into the receptacle, and buckled myself in. You don't feel the motion, it's more like a whoosh of super smooth hydraulics, but we went three parsecs out and returned, and ten years time travel brought her back to us.
"Dad! I told you not to do this again. Next time, I'm going to kill myself where you can't find my body."


How can I repay what she did for me?

 

[willwallace]

How can I repay what she did for me? Looking around at the books lining wall to wall shelves, I remember how my eyesight began failing last year. The clouds began to form at the edges first, soon spreading across my entire field of view. My beloved books were as useless to me as I would be to the King, unable to provide the proper protection spells. When she offered me her eyes, I could not say no to such a gift. The transfer spell was simple enough, and I can see as well as an eagle again. One day I will repay my daughter for her sacrifice.

Three times she tried, and three times she failed to gain entry to the tower.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Three times she tried, and three times she failed to gain entry to the tower. "B****y princesses," she thought to herself. "Always cutting their hair at inconvenient times."

When the bell tolled the creature raised its head, gore dripping from its fangs, and stared me straight in the eye.

 

[J Riff]

When the bell tolled the creature raised its head, gore dripping from its fangs, and stared me straight in the eye. "Nyaaah!" I said, as the creature shuffled forward, gory dripping fangs dripping gore, and my pathetic life flashed before my eyes. It was over in seconds and I thought what a crummy low-down life it had been, and how I should probably write it up, except I knew no-one would buy it for a second. Distracted by my own miserable musings, I had forgotten the rapidly-approaching gore-dripping fangs of the creature, raised from the dead by the tolling bell of doom, and now nearly upon me, gore dripping like molasses from its slavering jaws and, again, my life started to flash before my eyes, like some awful B-grade re-run, dimly remembered like a bad dream, and I knew I was doomed. But then, as the monster leapt at me, I remembered a day, a long-lost day from childhood, a day at the movies, probably a Saturday matinee, and the cartoon, a Pink Panther episode as I recall, and short feature, a Three Stooges episode, and, as the creature's deadly dripping fangs neared my throat, as if in slow motion, I struck, extending two fingers forth into the foaming face of the fiend, and successfully gouged its ghastly alien eyeballs. "Nyaaaah!" it said, and I was off and running.

The creature from the pit knocked at my front door.