One-Hundred Word Challenge - The Stone Settee

Every week in term time, I write reviews for the kids who participate in the 100 Word Challenge. 100WC is a weekly challenge for schoolchildren under 16. I've read some excellent stories as well as many good tries, and a few half-hearted efforts. There have been lots of zombies, dreams, and video-game-inspired action as well as truly original creative gems of writing.

Sometimes, I'm inspired to write something myself. Of course, I can't join in the 100WC, but I do have a blog, so here is my effort for last week's prompt.

Week #23 prompt for 100WC

No one in the park sat on the stone settee with a cat. There was something eerie about it. Only the sculptor knew why. His wife had disappeared just before the commissioned settee had been installed in its spot. A curious policeman was told it was solid stonework. It was, almost. She was put on the Missing Person’s list. The wife’s not-so-secret lover never got over her disappearance. The sculptor feigned distress, but went on to marry again, and have the children his first wife never wanted. He got rid of the wife’s mean old cat too. Happy at last...

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We always need new reviewers for the kids, so if you'd like to join in, let me know and I'll pass on your details to the organiser.

The Clock

Wordpress have a Daily Prompt I know that this is a Blogger blog, but I get the daily post sent to my email anyway because sometimes they have good ideas for blog posts. I haven't, up until now, actually used any of their ideas, but I liked this one, and was inspired by the writing of fellow blogger Multifarious Meanderings and her short story thriller called Time up.

This Daily Prompt is called The Clock: Write about anything you’d like. Somewhere in your post, include the sentence, “I heard the car door slam, and immediately looked at the clock.”

So I thought I'd write a very short short story.


It was raining outside. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it pounding on the windows, the wind howling round the trees, their branches tap tapping on the glass. Let me in, let me set you free, they seemed to say. I dream of life and liberty, set free, riding the wind, but it'll never be. I'm locked out of life.

I heard a car door slam, and immediately looked at the clock. I can see and I can hear but I cannot move. I can't talk, or can I? Maybe I could, but, not since that day. The day my life ended. The nurses on the day shift called out a cheery good-bye. I looked at the clock. Time is all I have left. I note its every move. I have to, I have to keep control.

The day my life ended I lost control. Those men, they had control. I can't remember, I just know. The knowledge consumes me. I fight it but I can't win, I'm too scared. The clock keeps me focused.

My parents came to visit. They gave me the news, told me my sister was expecting a baby. Life goes on. Renewal, continuity, moving on. But I can't move on. I can never be free. I'm locked in, locked down, locked out.