February 2016 75-word Writing Challenge -- VICTORY TO CAT'S CRADLE!

[Perpetual Man]

Goodnight, God Bless.

There’s nothing there, mummy says but…

I can feel rheumy eyes in the dark, long fingers gripping the door frame, consumed by cold shadows.

Hush, shush, sleep tight.

The dark closes in as the door creaks shut. I can feel it, sinister in silence. Webs of malignity spreading through the room. A draught of chill breath. I cling to teddy, he writhes in my grasp…

My room thrives in oblivion.

And I am all alone.

 

[chrispenycate]

The Show must go on

In the muffled velvet blackness, hidden from the public's eyes,
The performance being 'it', you're the butler, maître 'did'.
You're perfection, never slack, invisible, unrecognised,
Incomparable incarnation of thespian id
You move scenery, change costumes, lubricate or improvise.
Actors, spectators all ignore you, have forgotten you exist
Conscripts of illusion, it's the stars tat you despise?
Environmental omnipotence gives no foothold to resist

Image disappears in infinite diffraction,
Music commences, lighting fades to satisfaction.​

 

[thomas sweetman]

Beliefs and reality are worlds apart. Donning a costume,not enough in the real world.He jumped in with his belief in the righteous and was beaten to death in the harsh reality of real life. Being young and fanatical about the protection of the easily intimidated is a far cry from being the protector of the worthy and the innocent. The world is cruel. Fortune does not favour the bold. The real world triumphs...

 

[ratsy]

The Real Me

I thought it was just in my mind. The pills seemed to ease the pressure building up inside my throbbing head, but only for so long.

She smiled, clad in white from head to toe; a veil hiding the true me as we said our vows.

I wish I told her what I was becoming. Now it’s too late.

I hold the picture of us - bloody prints mark the edges...pill bottle's empty.

 

[Grimward]

Receivership of the Ring

Brandon staggered past fiance Laura, wiped sweat from his brow, then fell
into his chair. Dragging his eyes from the empty black box to his laptop, he gasped; his
cultivated finances lay shredded.

Back at the jewelers, the proprietor smiled knowingly, turning the ring-less tag over.
Faint amber script appeared, whispering unseen warnings...

One Stone to rule them all
One Link to find it
One Sale to lure them all
One Bankruptcy behind it

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Elephants Never Forget


You can’t go out.

You can barely move.

I sit here, heavy on your shoulders, toasting and eating your brain.

I watch your thoughts turn brittle and black.

If you were any good, you could stop me. But you’re not, are you?

That’s why I’m here.

Remember that time… and that one… and don’t forget…

I’m getting so fat, I may never leave.

But you’re not going anywhere.

Look at you. You can’t even move.

 

[Culhwch]

Haunted

I didn’t see her, by the roadside. My fault: checking my phone.

Midnight. Mercy General. Dead on arrival.

The judge was lenient. Involuntary manslaughter. Two year suspended sentence.

Afterwards, I saw her: in our kitchen. I recognised her from newspaper photos.

Then again: behind my wife, reflected in a mirror.

Then: in my son’s room. Standing over his cot.

I knew what she wanted.

She watched me climb to the roof, and jump.

 

[farntfar]

The Teatray Cometh.

Bats did wheel across the sky
a glimpse of fang, a hint of red.
Unknowing, innocent did lie
the maiden in her lowly bed.

Dreams of handsome stranger tall
a black tuxedo, red-lined cloak
a Count in some vast lofty hall,
rushing home at midnight’s stroke.

Dreams that noble blood might take her
just before, alarmed, she woke.
Never seen, the bat did wake her,
blood lust sated, fades to smoke.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Sometimes when you look, you don’t really see

“Psychiatric nurse!” I said at the front door. Expecting, he let me in.

Inside: window panes slathered with matt paint; skirting boards, furniture, and even television screens sanded down. I sat, amidst dust and candles, facing him.

“Messed with mirror magic,” he said. “Demons cross over in reflections when I’m not looking. Got rid of every reflective surface.”

Not all, I secretly sniggered, while admiring the image of the empty room in his eyes.

 

[The Judge]

Psycho Patho Gene


It will start with something minor. A headache, perhaps. A sniffle, a cough. I don’t like to be predictable. Just a cold, you’ll say. Nothing to worry about.

Odd muscular spasms will follow. Then sickness. Diarrhoea. Something you ate, you’ll think. Close. It’s actually something eating you.

Then the delicious symptoms. Blood flowing from every orifice. Your organs turning to soup. Fever incinerating your brain.

Yes, do run if you want.

While you still can.

 

[Mad Alice]

Everything Comes Out In The Wash


Vexed, she poured more bleach into the tub. Ruined! Valentines dinner. Him leaving for that woman.
She homeless? No! Bleach slopped over the body.

Turning the burners on full, the stain hovering over her life bleached clear.

The police found his car and the insurance paid, satisfied.
She luxuriated, carefree.

In bed she felt a weight against her. But lights revealed nothing there.
It wasn't until she slept invisible hands crept around her neck.

 

[Ursa major]

The Challenge is now closed to new entries.

The poll will be open shortly.

 

[Ursa major]

Voting is now open at the link below:

POLL -- JANUARY 2016 75-Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​