#17 – A Storm Destroy’s Your Uncle’s Shed…

…and kills his six-year-old son.  Describe the color of the sky right before the storm hit.

It changed so quickly.  Blue skies at first, with only tiny puffs of clouds trailing by.  In the distance though, darkness loomed.  It was a foreboding roiling black that settled unease inside any person who laid eyes on it.  Like a bottomless pit, it swallowed up all light as it spread across the horizon.

There was no promise of peace or prosperity.  There would only be destruction against anything that stood in its path.  It was the color of death and despair.

Behind the Random: This one definitely falls under the “Dafuq?” heading of the “Kind of prompt is this.” I wanted to try and stretch it out but my brain is on strike at the moment and really, I would have been skirting the TL;DR threshold.

#276 – Write a Single Paragraph…

…that conveys a lot about a character’s life.  Think about how this can be achieved with voice and rhythm and repetition.

I am the darkness, watching and waiting with the patience of a god.  I have existed since the dawn of man, born of the first drop of innocent blood and the madness of a man’s rage.  Fear and despair became my sustenance and in time I came to swell in power.  As the kingdom of humanity sprawled out, so did my influence.  Unbeknownst to world leaders, my shadowy claws dug deep into their thoughts, urging them into battle with their brothers and churning up bitter hatreds.  All to feed my insatiable appetite for my death and destruction.  Now, after eons of manipulation, the stage has been set for my arrival.  Soon, I will step forward and take claim to this reality at my rightful place; not hidden in the shadows, but at the forefront.  Tremble as you read these words, for I am Chaos and I am coming.

Behind the Random: Oh, I love me a good ol’ fashion all-powerful villain.  They make for some of the most epic battles between good and evil.  This story is actually a variation of just one of the many origin stories for my favorite monster/hero, the Skull Jester.

#613 – Describe Two Visits to the Circus…

…from the point of view of someone who’s bipolar.  On one visit, he’s manic, and on the other, he’s in a pit of despair.

Martin was excited.  Oh so very excited.  There was so much color everywhere!  The music thrummed through his body and filled him with energy as he watched the clowns come tumbling out.  He laughed out out loudly as they performed their pratfalls and gags.  Then he marveled as acrobats performed their death-defying stunts high above him, clapping loudly as they flipped on ropes and swung from platform to platform.  As the animals acts marched out, Martin gasped and cheered and laughed as men and women performed with beasts.  Lions leaped through flaming hoops and bears rode tiny bicycles and an elephant balanced on the top of a freakin’ ball.  A freakin’ ball!  It was all so amazing and Martin was grinning ear to ear as he walked out.  This was the best time he’d had in a long time and he knew he would be first in line the next year the circus came town.

Which is exactly where he found himself almost a year later to the day but something was missing this time.  The colors seemed faded and music was too loud.  As Martin sat waiting for the show to start, he was acutely aware how uncomfortable his seat was and dry the peanuts tasted.  As the tune swelled and the clowns came out, Martin wondered why he was even there.  It was the same old tricks with such little difference that it was just a waste of money.  Besides, clowns weren’t that funny anyways.  More scary but as long as they stayed down there and away from him, Martin was okay with that.  As the acrobats took to the air, Martin wondered why he was sitting here watching these people risk their lives and brush death each and every day while he just sat there and watched them.  As if he had nothing better to do with his time.  Which apparently he didnt’ since he was sitting here, watching them risk their lives.  Then, as the animals were trotted out, Martin had to leave.  This barbaric practice of forcing animals to perform was heartbreaking.  It was all too much for Martin and he couldn’t take it anymore.  A well of darkness swirled inside of him as he marched out into the parking lot.  One thing was certain; it would be a long time before Martin would come back to the circus.

Behind the Random: This one was interesting, for lack of a better word.  It was kind of like looking at the flip side of something.  Taking everything that’s amazing about something away and leaving the bare bones of it.

#279 – Think of an Episode of Your Life…

…that you don’t dare write.  Write it.

It was over.  There was no longer a point.  Not that I could see anyways.  All that existed for me was a void deep inside me that only the red haze of rage seemed to fill.

Hatred had consumed my heart and left me with only despair and all I wanted to do was end the unrelenting pain.  That’s how I found myself in the basement with the rope around my neck.  I needed it to end, even if I had to end everything with it.

I blocked out every thought that went through my head, ignoring the flashes of my mom and grandparents.  I didn’t care if they would understand.  I didn’t care if it hurt them.  I didn’t care about anything anymore.

I experimentally tipped the chair I was standing on backwards and felt the rope press againt my skin, digging in painfully.  Survival instincts kicked into high gear and screamed at me to stop, but I pushed that away too.  A moment of pain would be worth the eternity of numbness I would feel later.

My resolve steeled, I kicked the chair backwards and felt myself fall.  I thought it would take forever, like falling through space, but instead it happened so fast I didn’t even realize what happened until it was done.

First, there was a stinging pain in my neck then a loud snapping sound before I was dumped to the ground.  I hit the cement floor on my knees, letting out a gasp of pain and I pull the rope off of me.

Rubbing the burning abrasion around my throat, I look up at the ceiling to see the snapped rope swinging from the rafter.  A strange relief fills me as I realize what I’d almost done and I throw the rope across the basement like it was a poisonous asp.

I never thought I would be glad to find one more thing I was bad at.

Behind the Random: While it’s not something I keep secret, it’s also not something I typically reveal to people.  It was during the later part of my teenage years and I just couldn’t handle bullying and pressure to ‘realize my potential’ and being alone and all that jazz.  I’m not proud of what I tried to do, but I don’t hide from it.  Suicide is rarely ever the answer.