100 Challenge - 20. Fortitude

Boo.Yeah! 2 in one week, a roll is happening! (Cursed it now mind!)

Had some fun writing this, I'm on a medieval/peasant-Lord thing at the moment (Merlin's fault!) So when i thought about it, and the word "Fortitude" I liked the idea of something to do with "courageous Knight" in some way, and this was tapped out. 

Make your own back story up. It's pretty easy to 

(Little bit of a mature theme, death 'n' all)

20. Fortitude

There was a horrid crunch as I felt bones break and muscles rupturing. Blood then began to flow freely, hot and sticky against my skin, cooling very quickly in the day’s breeze. The offending sword was sharply removed and I heard gasps from all around.

I could feel myself swaying, my legs going numb far too quickly for my liking. My breathing becoming a chore, laboured and heavy while moans and gasps escaped my lips. A hand grabbed my shoulder tight, my offender, dragging me close to him so he was speaking into my ear. I steadied myself up against him, a bloody hand on his fancy clothes, tightly gripping.

“And what, dear Francis, did that prove?” My eyes widened as his hissed words came at me. God, so much pain, make it end, Gods. Another moan flew from my now bloody mouth. So much pain. “You’ll die and I’ll still do whatever I want to her.” My fear filled eyes darted to Juliana’s. She looked so lost, a deer caught in a trap. “Trying to be the courageous knight in armour?” He pulled me closer, the movement caused so much pain that I wailed out. “You’re nothing but a peasant, an ant compared to me.”

I placed my bloody hand on his face and dragged his ear close to mine. “Never kick an ant’s hill.” My breathing was so painful, rasping gasps now. Lord Bale just shoved me hard, one shot to the shoulder that a smarter man would have been able to defend against, but my feet and my brain were no longer connected so I stepped back a few times before falling down heavy, my arms taking a little of my fall.

I smelled Juliana before I saw here swim into vision, she always smells like summer roses and lavender. She propped me up a little on her, her fair hair falling down in smooth locks. I reached out and played with one a little, my blood smearing over the golden strands.

“Why Francis?” Jen asked, pain scratching at her voice. I could see tears rolling down her face. I convulsed slightly as my insides began to shut down, a moan from my mouth. I could no longer feel my legs and my lungs felt like they were made of lead, every breath so heavy. I took her hand and brought it to my lips and kissed it. I wanted to tell her how I felt, how much I cared for her, how I cherished everything she was and ever would be. I wanted to say that I wasn’t sorry for our love, but I was sorry that she was married to that awful brute.

“Juliana!” I heard Lord Bale shout; he then grabbed her arm roughly and threw her to her feet. I fell back to the floor, my head painfully knocking against the dry mud floor. I saw him tightly grip her arm and slap her hard across the face, her hair flailing wildly across her face. He shook her hard now, screaming in her face. He raised his fist to throw a punch but a strong arm held it back.

I’d love to say I found some strength, some second wind, but I was still sprawled out on the floor, life ebbing away. Instead my words had rung true, “never kick an ants hill,” and my village people were revolting. The men folk had found their strength and courage to fight back and were now surrounding and chasing after Lord Bale. I could heard their roars of anger and a faint cry from that horrible man.

Juliana came into focus again, her face reddened from the slap, a feisty anger in her eyes that I’d not seen in some time. She planted a kiss upon my dry mouth as my eyes flickered back and forth. My body was moments away from sleeping eternally; I was making pathetic sounds, moans and squeals as the pain worsened. It was so much, too much, Gods, God help me, save me. I tried to breathe again but it was too painful.

“You were so brave!” Juliana said, hugging me into her. I felt her tears plop against my pasty skin. She leant down, placed a tender kiss against my cheek, her hair spilling down like a curtain against us and whispered “I love you, my courageous Knight.”

100 Challenge - 19. Grey

Good lord! That has taken me 2 months to write! Some of these blighters are a little hard to do!

First it was happy, love story, blahh
Then it was all angsty and rahh
Then it was about tea (Don't ask!)

Finally sat down and knocked this out and it's okay, but I need to do more "writing" like story/prose style.

(Also, sorry to anyone who thinks I've spelled grey wrong like ten times, I haven't. I'm English and we're kookie like that!)

19. Grey

Grey was the colour of his suit, a medium grey, made from cheap polyester material that caught and clicked easily.

Grey was the colour of his underwear, what were once white and new was now stained and washed together with his black socks, the colours muddling together like his memories.

Grey was the colour of his hair, what was left of it anyway. Not silver like a fox, the rich dark locks gone from his youth, leaving only wisps of this grey.

Grey was the colour of his skin, too much smoking has left him with this tinge, now his face hung and sagged, deep sad wrinkles scattered.

Grey was the colour of his brain, fogged up and old, forgotten thoughts, recollections. Suit? Socks? Wisps of grey? Grey?

“Grey is the colour of my suit.”...

100 Challenge - 18. Under

 100 Themes Challenge - Variation 2

My little brother had just gone to university, the first in my family to actually "go" (like stay in halls and all that, I stayed at home and commuted) And I don't miss him, but I guess somewhere in my subconscious I do because this just spewed out quite soppy like

18. Under

Under all that, little brother, I still see you.

Under your heavily tattooed skin I still see the baby of the family.

Under your facial piercings I still see that cherub face.

Under those sleep deprived eyes I still see the baby blues shining through.

Under all that, little brother, I still love you.

100 Challenge - 17. Blood

17. Blood

100 Themes, variation 2


Gooood Lord, it's very long. I just went for it. Full steam ahead! Aye aye Captain!

I quite enjoyed writing this, the ending is piss poor, kind of unraveled because I wanted to keep writing but if I keep writing it kind of stops being a Blood theme and moving onto what it's all really about.

Points if you can guess? ;D It's oh-so obvious but I enjoy where it's going so I might carry on with this one and see where I end up.

TL;DR? 

17. Blood

The sight of blood knocked me sick; it brought waves of nausea, cold sweats and eventual unconsciousness. My Mother says I was forever being clumsy when I was younger, scraping my knees and gashing my head open. My Father thinks I’m a sissy girl.

Any mention of blood makes my upper lip sweat, the sight of anyone else’s brings clanging to my ears and bile to my throat. The sight of my own blood is all of the above plus me eventually passing out in an ungraceful manner. So here I am staring at my index finger pouring with blood, doing quite well I thought.

My upper lip was damp, as was my forehead and I could hear a familiar clanging and buzzing in my ears. I shook it off as best I could as I quickly grabbed the kitchen towel from the counter, wrapping it many times around the slice as tightly as I could. The blood quickly soaked through the four wraps and a little shrill panicked noise escaped my lips. The buzzing returned but I began to sing nonsensical sounds. Laa’s and hee’s were sung at the top of my voice as I raced around the kitchen in the hope it would help.

I noticed my phone lying on the counter and I thought about ringing for help. My Mother would just chastise me; shout at me for being so careless with a knife. My Father would call me a sissy girl. My sister lived in another County and all friends within available radius would ridicule me for such a silly cut. The thought of ringing an ambulance crossed my mind as the tea towel was now soaked through but again it could be nothing and I wouldn’t want to be a time waster.

I didn’t realise I was singing so loudly until I stopped when I then heard the heavy hammering of a fist on my flat door. I slowly swayed across to the door, grinding my jaw as the blood was seeping through the towel now.

“Hello?” I asked, opening the door wide, hiding my covered hand. A tall man looked down at me, thirties, rough dark hair, dark eyes and angular facial features. His face fell straight, no hint of any emotion. I thought he maybe looked a little amused though.

“Are you okay?” His accent was rough too, masculine but rough sounding. I nodded, hoping he couldn’t see how pale I probably looked, or how sweaty I was feeling. He gave me a quick once over, his eyes giving nothing away. “I heard you singing, loudly.” I forced a small smile of ‘Sorry’ and added a nod too. “Do you often do that?” I shook my head, no, afraid to talk to him as I felt nausea ripple through me. A trickle of blood escaped from the towel and slicked its self down my arm. The crimson bead was the last straw; I’d been brave for long enough now.

The buzzing in my ears grew louder, and I could see the man in front of me talking but his words grew fuzzier and my eye lids felt heavy. I don’t remember falling, but I remember a firm grasp holding me from somewhere, slowly picking me up and carrying me.

I hadn’t been out long, minutes, if that. I was now lying on the sofa though, head propped up with a cushion while someone was touching my hand. I rolled my head over to see the man crouched before me, wiping away the blood from my finger with some tissue from my coffee table. It stung like hell but he was gentle in his ways. A small smile was sitting on his lips, he looked up and the smile spread a little further. “You should look away,” he finally said as he stopped wiping.

I gave a little glance down to my finger and made a small retch sound. The cut looked deep, not stitch worthy but messy all the same, a clean slice at the top of my index finger.

“First aid kit?” He asked me. I blinked away a few nauseous thoughts and motioned toward the bathroom across the way.

“Bathroom cabinet.” I mumbled, feeling less fuzzy and more embarrassed. I swung my legs back round and planted them on the floor, sitting upright on the sofa. I took a quick peep at the man in my bathroom, his attire was a suit, a store bought, poorly fitting black thing that he looked so uncomfortable in. I saw a black tie was loosened around his neck as he came back through.

“So, you don’t like blood then?” He asked as he crouched down before me again.

“Never have done,” I replied, not daring to look into his eyes, the embarrassment creeping onto my face. He opened the kit up and wiped the last of the blood away with a wipe, it stung and I made a fuss but he didn’t stir from his occupation. Finally a plaster was wrapped round the wound and he clicked the kit shut. Silently he rose to his feet and went to replace the kit in the bathroom; the man came back and slid the bloodied tissues into his suit pocket. My eye brows hitched up my head at this .

“Oh, oh don’t worry!” He replied to my widened eyes, “I figured I’ll bin them at my place, save you looking at them all the time.” I nodded, smiling a little at his thoughtfulness. “It’s not like I’m a vampire or anything,” He said with a nervous giggle on the end, like there was some big joke and I wasn’t getting it.

“So where do you live then?” I asked in my most coy-slightly-flirtatious voice.

“Here and there,” he replied breezily.

“Here?” I asked with a little too much hope in my voice. He smiled. Drat! He’d caught me flirting. I coughed and regained some composure. “I meant this building? The area? Town?” Jesus will you shut up! Just stop talking! Again a small smile played on his lips.

“Three doors down, Larry, the guy who owns it, has gone on a fishing trip and asked me to take care of his flat.” I nodded again, I had a faint idea of Larry, I could see a wispy old beard and a leather waistcoat. We’d never talked much, or at all except niceties about the news or weather. The man picked up the very wet and very soaked through tea towel and I retched.

“Do you want me to bin this? Put it in the washing machine? Burn it?” I retched again and felt sweaty all over. He dropped the towel into my waste paper bin and with his clean hand came over and forced my head down so I was looking at my feet. The clanging and chimes began to disappear and I could hear him again. “-deep breaths, deep breaths, push against my hand, deep breaths.” I sucked in some well needed air, pushing back against his hand until he let go.

“Please, get rid of it.” I leant back on the sofa, all this blood just for a small cut on my finger. I heard him tie the plastic bag in the waste paper basket up and lift it out.

“I’ll take it back to my place, bin it there.” For what felt the umpteenth time that day I nodded. “You really don’t like blood do you? You look really pale, pasty even.” I hadn’t even thought about how I was looking. I was wearing cheap blue jogging bottoms and an old grey t-shirt with a faded logo and numerous stains. I had mismatched socks on, one bright pink one yellow and my auburn hair was looped into a rough bun, frizz probably sticking out every where.

“I’ve never liked blood.” I rose to my feet and crossed my arms over my chest. “Childhood trauma or something, just can’t stand the sight of it.” I looked him in the eye. I was very grateful for his rescue, helping my in my hour of need. But he had just called me pasty and I wasn’t having that. I locked eyes with him for a moment, his dark inviting eyes were calculating something but as soon as the moment had come it had passed. I strode across to the door and stood by it, defiantly. “Thank you for all your help...”

“James,” He helped, filling in the space between us in a few easy strides. He was close now, so close I could feel his breath blowing the wisps of loose hair on my head. I felt the heat radiating from his body and those dark eyes looking down at me. Something was pulling me to him, some force making me look up into his beautiful dark eyes, down to his soft wet lips. My arms loosened and fell useless to my sides, but itching to run over his body, through his hair. I could feel my blood pounding in my ears, my mouth becoming dry, lips parting, closer, closer...

I then stepped back, arms instinctively crossing back over my chest. “Yes, well, thank you James, thank you for everything.” I was flustered now; I’d been caught off guard, vulnerable. I scowled at him and held my arm out, showing him the way to the corridor. A puzzle was playing out on his face, like he was trying to do a ten thousand piece jigsaw in his mind. His lips were moving slightly but no words were coming.

“Thank you.” I snapped, almost shoving him out the door, slamming it behind him. I’d feel guilty about it later, probably go over and apologise. Perhaps invite him to dinner somewhere, bottle of wine, back to my place...

I moaned out loud, what was my problem, what hold did he have over me? I stormed into the kitchen, snapped on a pair of marigolds, got a spray bottle of cleaner and a cloth and set about cleaning up the dots and drops of blood. I cursed his name through out, almost forgetting that it was blood that I was cleaning up. 

100 Challenge - 16. Spit

Yes this is a poem. My kind of poem. I honestly don't understand poetry, all I know is it either rhymes or it don't, it's all the same (My English Lit. teacher will be so proud!)

So this is what I came up with for Spit...Honestly, it's a silly theme

16. Spit

There was a young lad,

Who used to spit on his Dad.

The kid’s Father got mad,

Told the boy it was bad

But the brat just laughed like he was glad.

100 Challenge - 15. Silence

Not happy about this, this theme stirred a thousand thoughts, but none wanted to shine as much as this. Ho Hum!


15. Silence
Glancing at the clock again I sigh a heavy hearted sigh, forty five minutes left until my lunch break. I'm almost dreaming of that little plastic Tupperware box when a RING of a phone and a WHUMPH of heavy papers being dropped onto my desk brings me back. I scramble about for my head set and take a deep breath before "Good morning this is Helen from Phones for Life how may I help you?"

    I can hear a SCREAM of a child in the background and a YELL of a woman to "SHUT THE HELL UP!" I then hear a disgruntled sigh and she comes on the line, a scratchy sounding voice with husky undertones. "Listen right, I've been on 'old for ten minutes yeah? 'Ow long does it tek to answer the phone?" I take another deep, calming, breath.

    "I'm very sorry miss, what is it I can help you with today?" I try to sound as calming and polite as I can knowing full well she's just listened to the "Your call is important to us, we endeavour to take your call within five minutes" reel that plays with the hold music. There is a BANG of a door and a good few BARKS of a dog. She YELLS at it and then gets back to me. Her credit hasn't gone through, she's got calls to make yeah, what am I gonna do 'bout it? 

   I quickly sort her out, promising the earth just to get rid of her, breathing a lovely sigh of relief as the click ends the call. I then have another loud woman, but she's just old and SCREECHES down the phone to everyone I guess. Then an man with the LOUDEST laugh I've ever heard, it broke my ear drum I swear. 

    As I finish with him I glance back up at the clock, five minutes to go. The Tupperware box is calling me from under my desk tucked away in my tote bag. I'm sorting out the mass of papers, the RUSTLE of them grating through me with each leaf. Across the way two colleagues of mine CACKLE away about their gossip and a staple gun is BANG BANG BANGED every second against more paper. I can hear CLACK of keyboard keys and CLICK of high heels against the hard floor. 

    I'm up and out of my seat as soon as the hand clicks by, grabbing my bag and leaving my head set to rest. I let my floor manager know and she ticks me off a register, she then tries to talk to me about something trivial but I apologise and make a run for it, like I'm escaping. Down six flights of stairs, through the main foyer and out into the open where my lungs take a deep needed fresh breath. 

    Our office building does have a staff room with vending machines, sofas and furniture but it's often loud and even with head phones in my co workers always feel the need to talk to me. I'm not mean spirited, I'll have a good goss' about anyone with anyone but my lunch hour is to get away from that hustle and bustle. 

    I sadly eat my lunch in the car park, on a grassy spot on a bench. I've always questioned why this bench is here, the smokers go round the back of the building to their designated shelter and visitors are very sparse to have want of a bench. But I'm grateful for it every day, I plonk myself down in the middle, to ward off any one wanting to sit next to me, open my Tupperware box, take out a sandwich and lean my head back a little, soaking up the few rays of sunshine. 

    I can't hear a thing, not an angry customer, not an office moan or a stationary sound; just pure, blissful silence.

100 Challenge - 14. Smile

Wahey! Back on a roll! (probably jinxed it)


Quite like it. Little long, but makes up for all the shorts I've been writing of late.




14. Smile


"Write down one hundred reasons to smile." That was her 'homework' from today's session. Smiling was the first step to happiness apparently, and happiness was a step towards normality. Katie had thought about this on her way home, she hadn't smiled for a long time, she couldn't even remember what the last thing to make her smile was. She sat at the back of the bus and looked around. The dreary bus didn't make her smile; the bawling child at the front didn't either. The trees looked bare outside and the skies were murky grey.


Her boyfriend Elliot greeted her with a kiss, rubbing a towel in his hands. Katie could smell food coming from their kitchen, sweet spices of a chilli bubbling away and vanilla wafted about from a custard dish. He always made an effort when she came home from counselling; cooking a meal, attending to her needs, glass of wine ready. Katie took the wine and sipped at it, "this should be making me smile, I should be smiling." She thought loudly in her head.


Elliot talked about his job today, what happened, amusing stories of banter with colleagues and Katie felt her self smiling and talking back with him but it didn't feel right, her muscles in her face were just contorting to what Elliot wanted to see, her smiling. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, "it's good to see you smiling again, I've always loved your smile." Katie nodded with another facial twitch that pleased him. She took a gulp of wine.


"Speaking of, I have to write a list." Elliot raised his eye brows in a sign of continuance. "100 things that make me smile." Elliot nodded and drank a little.


"Hopefully I'll be at the top of the list then?" He winked and smiled a wide smile; Katie felt like he was almost mocking her.


"Only if I get dessert," her facial muscles contorted and Elliot was up on his feet, clearing the dinner plates away, bustling himself into the kitchen, getting on with his custard dish. Katie sipped at her drink again. "I should be smiling." She tried hard to feel happy when he brought the custard desert out, really tried to feel this emotion, but in honesty she felt nothing. The food was bland in her mouth, she could guess it was hot and that vanilla was used but other than that it was just wobbly yellow custard with tasteless raspberries and un sweet sugar. Elliot cleared the dishes away and began to wash up, Katie made herself a cup of tea and set out a cup for Elliot.


"Just going to go write this list," she said, slinking away from the kitchen. He nodded, looking at the dish water. Katie knew that he knew she wasn't happy, but neither would say anything for a while. She sat at the dining table, pad and pen in front of her but untouched for an hour. Elliot kissed the top of her head half an hour in, said something about going for a run, don't wait up for him. He went running when things weren't right, he'd come back refreshed and ready to tackle his depressive girlfriend again.


He came back and she'd fallen asleep on her arms on the table, a furrowed frown on her face as she slept. Even in sleep she can't smile he thought. He glanced at the paper, his name wasn't there, she'd written the date, the title and numbers 1 to 20 down the side. There were stuttered dots one number 1 where she'd tried to write something. He kissed the top of her head again and almost for a second he saw a smile in her sleeping face before it slipped back to nothing. "I'm going to bed, you coming?" He whispered in her ear, she stirred, nodded and fell back asleep. "Thought so," he draped his jacket around her shoulders and went to bed.


This list made its rounds round the house, it stayed on the dining table for three days, mail, junk, bowls, boards and assorted house hold rubbish began to lie on top of it before Katie rescued it one afternoon while cleaning. She ripped the page out, folded it a few times and it lived in her jeans pocket for a day and a half.


Elliot saved it from her pocket when he did the washing. He unfolded it, read the nothingness, and pinned it to the kitchen notice board where it stayed, a bill covered half of it in the end and Katie scribbled a phone number down on it in a rush for paper.


It was Wednesday again, Elliot was back to his usual self, promising lamb chops with minted peas and an Eton mess for tea. He kissed Katie good bye and sped off to work in the morning, smiling that wide smile, was he mocking her? Katie busied herself with chores until she had to catch the bus again for her session, when it dawned on her; the list!


She ripped it from the notice board, a takeaway menu and notes covering it completely. Somehow it had a orange splatter on one corner and a phone number scribble. It looked a right mess. But it would do, she was already running late. She grabbed keys, coat, bag, paper and dashed out the door, down the road and to the stop. The bus wasn't there. It should be there it was due any time now. She might have missed it. An old man  was at the stop with her.


"Has it been?" She asked him.


"The 12? No, not yet, running late I think." She thanked him and carried on looking down the road. "Cheer up lass," Katie's eyes bulged out of her head and she was about to rant at this man for being so rude when something stopped her. She studied the man; he was dressed in beiges and browns. He wore a bulky cardigan and flat cap perched on his head. In his hands were a bunch of sad looking flowers and a card.


"Who are they for?" She asked, sitting beside him now.


"My wife," He replied, slightly proud sounding.


"Oh I'm sorry for your loss-" The man laughed a little wheezy laugh.


" She ain't dead lass, in a nursing home up route, it's her birthday today. I visit every week but today I thought I'd push the boat out a little." He smiled, clenching the flowers a little harder. "She won't be bothered mind, dementia and all that. Nothing makes her smile anymore, there was a glint in her eyes a good few month back when I played the radio, now not so much as a little grin. She's gone." He looked sadly down at the flowers and Katie felt a hard scratching lump in her throat. She wanted to burst into loud wailing tears, hug the man and tell him everything will be okay. "Here now, bus is here." He got to his feet and waved it down. He smiled a wide smile to Katie and got on, sitting at the front. Katie paid and sat down next to him.


They didn't talk for the entire journey. Just sat like two passengers on a bus. The man pressed the button for the bell. "Wish your wife a happy birthday from me," Katie said to him. The man nodded and smiled again. "How do you smile like that?" she quizzed him.


"Well, one of us has got to smile. She can't, so I'll smile for the both of us." He nodded his head to her, smiled a final time and got off the bus.


Katie felt numb for a second, she had wanted an epiphany, loud trumpets, a chorus and for the grey clouds to part to reveal warm sunshine and colours. She sighed and leant back on the seat, looking out the window. Her phone buzzed noisily in her pocket, waking her from her mood.


From: Smelliot


love you hun :) x


Katie rang him back immediately.


"I'm not happy. I never am, I fake my smiles and hate myself for it. You never ask how I'm feeling and I love you for that because I don't have to lie to you. I'm trying, I really am, I'm trying to smile again, but it's taking longer than I thought. So I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"


"Anything."


"Could you smile for me too? Smile for the both of us?" She heard Elliot chuckle down the phone.


"Course I can." She could feel him smiling down the phone.


"So, I'll see you tonight?" She asked, hopeful for the first time in months.


"Yep, love you."


"Love you too." He hung up on her but she kept the phone to her ear a little longer, in shock. Her cheeks ached, and her lips felt dry, but there she was, smiling.