ladyhwin

Agreed giraffe...

mouse

277 words not counting title--Hope you all enjoy. I have loved each story I have read on here--



Cabbage Festival

The annual Cabbage Festival was upon the elves. It was a time of merriment and mingling with friends after a long summer of hard work.

Ethan had ardently attended his cabbage patch all summer. He would enter into the yearly competition, for the 10th straight year. As always, he was in hope of getting the coveted “Golden Cabbage” award. His devotion to his garden was legendary but he had never won an award.

All the elves in the kingdom would be entering there cabbage dishes, too. The judge this year would be none other than Queen Elspeth. She was known for her fairness but more than anything she was known for her love of cabbage.

She had no qualms about tasting any dish made with cabbage.

So Ethan had decided to try something new this time. It was a sandwich of cooked cabbage, roasted, on buttered rye bread with a little bit of goat cheese melted on top. The aroma was awesome. He had gotten the idea from the humans who made their sandwiches with meat as well as cabbage. But, no elf would eat meat. They felt a kinship with the animals and would never slay one for food.

So with faint heart and high hopes Ethan entered his dish in the competition.

Queen Elspeth entered the tent where all the cabbage dishes were on display. She went from dish to dish, sampling each and every one. When she picked up Ethan’s dish, he held his breath. She looked closely at the golden crust. She inhaled, deeply, the wondrous aroma. She took a big bite. There came a hush over the crowd. And, then she smiled.

ladyhwin

beautiful mouse!!!!

ladyhwin

Just so everyone knows, ladyhwin will not be around tomorrow. She is going to a piano festival and will be gone most of the day. If she gets back in time, she will jump online and see what has gone on during her age-long absence. She has no qualms about anything and is sure the elves will whisper ideas into your ears so that you will write overwhelmingly good stories.

Nylecoj, still waiting!

Nylecoj

277 words without title.

Farewell

Ethan's Qualm, a dangerous shoal between the coast and a reef, the deathbed of many ships, lay with open arms between the elvish dock and open waters, swirling with impatience as a slender boat of elven make, with banners flowing, wood shining, sparkling in the morning light like a jewel floating on the sea, prepared to launch on her first voyage, carrying the elves of Linloth across the sea to unknown shores, never to return to the world of men.
Their queen sat on the shore sifting the cool sand through her slender fingers in a last farewell to the land that had been her home for hundreds of years. At last her people would be free from the sufferings of a mortal world. They deserved a better life than that of this one. For years she had ardently wished to give it to them, and now they would finally join their kin over the sea, finally their devoted service would be repaid.
She stood, brushing sand from her skirt, and walked towards the boat, calling the order to sail. But even as the elves joyously began to let down the sails, even as her hand lie resting on the rail as she glanced back one last time, she saw, thick as rye standing in a field, a swarm of orks descending from the nearby hills towards the shoal. There was no way the boat could safely navigate Ethan's Qualm without being an easy target for the orks, whose red eyes started from their pale cabbage-like skin, intently bent on slaying them, unless...
She leapt back to the sand, "Go! I will hold them off."

Doug

mouse: I didn't think I would like a story about a cabbage festival, but I did! I thought it was a well developed story an the sandwich of meat and cabbage reminds me of Primanti Bros. here in the burgh. You get a sandwich with meat, home-made hand cut fries, and a bunch of slaw on top. They are incredible. Nice story!

Nylecoj: I thought this was your best yet! The long sentences were interesting. I thought you would get hung up on them and get too wordy, but it all makes sense and gave your story a good flow. It was also a very touching story with the queen staying behind to save the others. Good job!

giraffe

Nylecoj, Ditto to Doug. It needs more. Left us hanging there.

Mouse, That sandwich really sounds good. Call Rachel Ray. A veggie delight! The poor man's Reuben. I'd add a little horseradish, tho. (cooking tips from Giraffe).

Dragon

I love a short story that ends with a little ambiguity. I do it all the time with mine.

Dragon

Ok, here's one that has nothing to do with fantasy at all (strange for me, I really must do another one that's entirely Dragon-y after this)

277 words not including the title.

The Wisdom of Drunken Texting

Adriana sat looking at the glass of Rye on the bar before her. She knew she shouldn’t drink it, remembering the last time she’d been drinking Rye and had ardently argued the proof of elves with Ethan based on nothing more than the Keebler commercials and the fact that she couldn’t get cabbage to grow properly in her garden. In the clear light of sobriety she realized how ridiculous it had been but unfortunately she couldn’t get those hours back. This was why Ethan had had qualms about their relationship in the first place. Well, that and the fact that he’d met her kin. It was inevitable that his devotion would die after meeting her mother, the queen of the sarcastic comment and her brother Luke who felt it necessary to tell him all about the time she puked all over the stage in her high school production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. At least he hadn’t shown Ethan the video of it, she was quite sure she’d found every copy in existence and burned them all. Perhaps it would have been better if he had, then she could blame Luke for killing the relationship instead of knowing it was her own fault.
So there she sat looking at that glass of rye knowing she shouldn’t imbibe but also knowing that now that Ethan was gone she had no reason not to. Why not, she thought as she downed the first of what was sure to be many glasses this evening, with this in me I can win any argument no matter how foolish and slay any dragon no matter how terrible. Perhaps I should text Ethan.

giraffe

Dragon. That IS bizarre for you. You're mixing fantasy with reality. I like it.

giraffe

OK. My last night in MO. It's probably cheating, but here it is.

ARDENTURE FINALE

Ethan was whisperin ta me one night. (We done settled his horny, but he still had some qualms.) "Billie Queen, we can't go nowhere without folks like yer Pa treatin us like kin to murderers."

"Ya ever slay anyone, Ethan?"

"Nope"

"Then why fret? You keep a-sayin you make your own life, doncha? Then let them make their own lives, too. They wanna fuss an squirm over none-a their-damn-business, let em."

"That ain't the same, Billie. Yer Pa ain't gonna rest till I'm dead and you're back."

"Your ar-dentures are slipping."

"This ain't funny! Listen to me, Billy Goat." he weren't whisperin no more. "We gotta get outa all these here hollers. Campbell Holler kicked us out. Schumacker Holler ran us off with sticks. We can catch a train to somewheres else. I read it in magazines - there is folks who think we're just like them!"

"Where are these folk?"

"It's called 'Atlanta, Georgia'. We can hop a freight an be there in a day or two. I'm goin."

"I don't know if Pa could take it."

"Last chance."

"Well, I done come this far."

My devotion to Ethan ain't like devotion ta kin. Kin's like havin ta eat cabbage when ya hate it. This is like ham on rye whenever I'm a-willin.

We get to 'Atlanta, Georgia' and it weren't thet good. Some fella slammed us backside the head an took Ethan's $2.50 and my $10.00. "Is thet you, Pa?" No answer - just me an Ethan leaning against some building. He was cryin.

"Much obliged, Mister, we do need some help." Is this the folks Ethan was railin about?

"Come on you can't sit out here like yard elves. Come inside. You have friends here."

Doug

Dragon: Great story! It certainly is a tale that is practiced over and over again for real. Used to be a huge drinker myself (home not out) and working late nite in a college town (five of them all within a mile) I"ve seen so many crocodile tears and dragon slayers.

Doug

giraffe: That's not a finale when you leave the story open-ended! lol. Loved this edition as I have the whole series. "We done settled his horny." What a classic!!!

ladyhwin

Thank you, Jocelyn. It was beautiful!

Dragon: I laughed. That was really neat!

giraffe: A most intriguing ending to the tale, but are you sure it's over???

giraffe

I like this one, too. I think I'll start over and write it freely without the limitations of the word list that inspired it. There are times when you have to scrimp on an idea because you're running too close to the word limit. This is a great exercise and if something good comes out of the discipline, it's worth doing it.

ladyhwin

very much agreed, giraffe

ladyhwin

okay, midnight! Where's the whip you had?????

midnightpoet

the whip is in my corner with me...who do ya want me to use it on?

Dragon

Okay this is nowhere near the right number of words but I just couldn't add anymore with out it getting out of hand.

Ode to Selene

Oh cruel Selene, steely queen of the night
Standing oh so aloof
There amid your twinkling kin
Upon deepest dark velvet
I wonder which is colder
Your icy heart or your single eyed glare
No elf am I to revel in your silvery light
To dance for your pleasure
To worship you from eldritch glades
I give my devotion to your sister, shining Sunna
And languish beneath her golden smile
‘Neath her warmth and nurturing gaze
Which she freely turns upon all of days children
From wide, amber rye field to lowly green cabbage patch
All feel her gracious beam and thrive
Oh heartless Selene, so serene up above
Who would ask without qualm
Would demand upon me
To slay that which I love most ardently
You’ve lost me completely
Your faithful fool no more
My lover is safe beneath Sunna’s loving mien
So vicious Selene, no mourning keen will you hear
From my lips o’er the grave of my Ethan
No more shall I live at your whim
I am days child now
I leave night behind
And I bask in my choice of the sun

Doug

Good one dragon.