Thursday, September 29, 2011

Imago For A Moment (Challenge 2 From Rach Harrie)

Rachael Harrie has issued her challenge and I decided to participate!  It was actually a lot of fun...I learned a few new words and wrote outside of my element!  The challenge instructions are:


Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title.  It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc.  The blog post should include the word "imago" in the title and include the following four random words: miasma, lacuna, oscitate, synchronicity.  If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.  For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!

I chose to write flash fiction...it is inspired by a little man I know.  And, I decided to be crazy and take on all challenges--so yes, it is exactly 200 words with a mirror.  I'm posting pretty late in the challenge, but if you enjoyed it, I'd love a vote here...I'm #166!

Here we go...

Imago for a Moment

“Fire! Fire!” I donned the extra gear reserved for a call.  In perfect synchronicity, I raised the garage door, flipped on the siren, and adjusted the mirror.  We were off.    

We arrived at a horror scene.  People burnt.  Children crying.  A woman screaming about her dog, still inside the house.  This was my moment.  I was ready. 

I threw open the door and choked on the smoky miasma that tried to suffocate me.  I dropped to the floor and found a decent lacuna with air I could breathe.  I crawled.  I reached.  I hit the ground and clapped my hands.  Finally, I heard a puppy-like whimper. 

The dog was hiding under a couch.  I wiggled left.  I rolled right.  I dodged burning pieces of furniture as they fell towards me.  I resisted the urge to oscitate.  One yawn now could be disaster.

I finally had the dog.  “It’s a good thing you’re a little guy,” I whispered.  This time, I decided to fly out of the house.  It was much faster. 

I dropped the dog.  My hat came off by itself.  The scene changed to my bedroom.  “You can be a fireman again tomorrow.  Right now, it’s time for bed.”

29 comments:

Sheri L. Swift, Author said...

Cute story! Oh the freedom to dream! ; )

David P. King said...

That was adorable. To think I used to play fireman when I was a kid. Just like that (without saving dogs, though). You brought out the kid in me.

Great job, Carla!

Golden Eagle said...

Aw, I love the ending! :)

Maria said...

I had a great image of a little kid in my head.
Good flash.

Abby Fowers said...

LOL! So cute! I love it! Great twist and great job.

Jess said...

Aww I love this! This is so cute! Great job! I'm a new follower by the way and nice to meet you!

(I'm entry #112)

Ruth Josse said...

Great piece! Love the imaginings of a fireman in the making:)

Jen said...

I love the ending here! This is a fun twist.
Mine is #3.

Joanna said...

Great story of a wannabe-fireman!

K.T. Hanna said...

What a great little story. I love at the end how you realize it's a kid playing. I remember playing like that. Wonderful!

Ruth Hartman Berge said...

That was great! Such a cute story and so true of a child's imagination, too.

I'm #44.

Anonymous said...

You're on fire! That's so impressive, what a hard challenge!
:) Carter

Carla said...

Thanks, guys! It was a lot of fun. I'll tell you, I think my little friend could wear his fireman hat all day!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm off to "visit" each of you now!

Carla

Kenda Turner said...

Fun story!

elizabethanne said...

Oh! Neat twist! I love that it turned out to be a kidlet pretending!

Tara Tyler said...

i'm glad that was play acting! what a relief!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful Job Carla!

Anonymous said...

LOL, I've had a few bedtimes like this with my wee beasties :) Thanks for the smile. Great take on the challenge.

Claire Hennessy said...

Great story - really nice. Just what kids do. Voting now :)

Dawn M. Hamsher said...

This was so fun! You had me going for a minute. Glad it was a kid's story!

The Write Soil

Mine is #50.

Cherie Colyer said...

This is very cute! Loved that it was a kid role playing.

ali cross said...

ROFL! Surprise! Loved the little twist. Great job! :)

MISH said...

Very cute ... imagination has no boundaries !
my entry at no.#185

Sher A. Hart said...

I'm in your campaign group & ANWA, slowly getting around. I loved the story being about bravery instead of horror like so many, and then I loved the twist, thinking this fireman was also a superhero until it turned out he was a budding fireman. Mine has a twist too, also something that might bring back youthful memories. I'm number 52. My blog has a chocolate contest for followers, hint, hint. I followed you.

nutschell said...

wonderful work as always! Come drop by my blog to claim your AWARD!

nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

F.E. Sewell said...

Cute story! Love the twist at the end!

Carla said...

I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it! Kids really are full of imagination--Mine fill my days with loads of surprises! Sher, I'm not much for horror. ;) And I'm working my way around too! Thanks, Nutschell! I'm going to have to wait until next week to post about it, but I'll definitely come by today!

Carla

the wild magnolia said...

Imagination station and excellent micro fiction story. Fine word usage. Fun read. Kids are amazing.

#188

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