The "Fifties" - 6 + 2

#99 - Then at her door with reason to run he entered

Welcome to Before I Forget . .      

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                               The “Fifties” - 6 + 2

Justin Deming writes the fine Substack called Along the Hudson. Give him a visit when you can!  

And every other Friday, Justin offers - Fifties by the Fire - a challenge to his subscribers and writer friends - a fifty-word, prompt-based, writing challenge.  

Justin provides the prompt, a word or picture, and we provide the stories, either fiction, CNF, or a poem, - in exactly 50 words. 

Here are six more stories I’ve contributed. It’s more of a challenge than I would have thought.  

You’ll find terrific writers and their stories at the date and prompt links provided. It is amazing the points of view folks can take on the same prompt. 

Thank you, Justin! 

#1 

12/01/23 - Prompt - utilize the name of a town, city, state, or province.

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-states-cities/comments

Concord, CNF  

Concord is my home. Not Concord in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, or New Hampshire. And not in New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee,Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. 

The one in California. 

#2  

12/22/23 – Prompt – a tale fit for the holiday season  

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-heartwarming/comments

Two Cups of Hot Chocolate. CNF 

Large snowflakes blanket all. 

Looking through the LED lined window to the decked out Christmas Tree inside by the lit fireplace, children run and play amid a mountain of discarded gift wrapping. 

The porch swing swings with two sets of eyes and two cups of hot chocolate. 

Love is here. 

#3  

01/12/24 – Prompt – the image provided  

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-evening-glow/comments

Purple Mountain's Majesty, poetry? 

Purple Mountain's Majesty rose from the black velvet cloak of night and spread itself on the horizon before the dawn. 

It can not be only for me, that I'm the only one to see the morning mist arise in wisps and disappear, 

Turning mares of night into dreams of day. 

#4  

01/26/24 - Prompt – arrivals and departures  

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-arrivals-and/comments

The Planes Come and Go, CNF 

He stood at the end of the runway, watching the planes come and go, his fingers hooked through the chain link fence under the "No Trespassing - Airport Property" sign. 

She said she'd call, she said she'd write. 

A year's gone by, and he's heard not a word. 

She's a memory.  

#5  

02/9/24 - Prompt – the word sphere

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-sphere/comments

It's a Spherical Spherical World, CNF 

As Bubba would say it to Forrest, 

"You have sphere, and you have hemisphere, and 

you have atmosphere, and you have biosphere, and 

you have lithosphere, and you have ionosphere, and 

you have magnetosphere, and you have photosphere, and 

you have stratosphere, and you have troposphere, and 

then you have... 

#6 

02/23/24 - Prompt – a gateway 

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-gateway/comments

The Second Gateway, CNF. 

We do not choose the first, we delay as best we can the third. The second gateway is life day to day. Beyond the gate are green grasses and your dreams and also wrecking balls and screams. Knowing the gate can swing both ways, perhaps you've found your home today. 

I hope you enjoyed these 50-worders! Here are a couple more, both using “House” as the prompt: 

Was Their Home  

The house was torn down this weekend. The Taylors had called it their home. Me and Dale Taylor were best friends. He went to war and didn’t come home.  

The Taylors abandoned their home in the woods to the woods and the critters and time. Their whereabouts are still unknown.  

Reason To Run   

He was one of those who slow-walked through the crowd on Bourbon Street looking up at the beauty with the come-hither eyes as she swung on a swing that was hung in the window.  

Then at her door with reason to run, he entered The House of the Rising Sun.   

Thank you for reading Before I Forget . . !  

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For my newer Subscribers - an earlier post from Dec 15, 2023 -  

More posts for your perusal are in my archive. Check them out!   

Image by DALL-E 3 

See you next week, my friends.  : )