Fifties by the Fire — a fifty-word, prompt-based writing challenge. Feel free to share your response below…or simply read/comment to join in on the fun.
Prompt: To kick off November, use the word “wilderness” in a fifty-word story, poem, or work of CNF. Here are the other guidelines:
Make sure your piece is exactly fifty words. Feel free to use Word Counter or the word processor you use.
Write a title with the genre in the first line. (Example: Voicemail, Fiction)
The title does not factor into the word count.
Good luck and have fun. Happy writing!
Special thanks to John Lightle for providing his photo, “Misty Mountain Hop,” for our writing prompt.
John Lightle is a Texas writer, poet, and photographer who spends many hours sitting on his woodpile contemplating. When away from his frame shop, he schleps his artwork among area art shows. The job takes him across the countryside, occasionally overseas, photographing the quiet resolve found within the golden hours.
When he found himself planted in the heart of the Adirondacks, something came over him. The wilderness took hold of his body and forced him to take it in – the mountains, the trees, the sky.
A gust of wind swept through, whispering an ancient secret: you’re hooooooooome.
The landlady shows me to the tiny room where I’m to stay in this urban wilderness of Barcelona. It’s painted entirely in a deep, thunderous red. It has no windows, and seems to be furnished primarily with cats.
“Excuse me,” I venture, “is it too late to cancel?
The motor home was loaded. The couple and their two dogs piled in to head off into parts unknown. Oh, they new their destinations, at least the first two, but what surprises awaited? Texas was familiar, yet they were headed for the desert. They just might love the wilderness ☺️
I am lost in a wilderness of worry today. Gas prices. My weedy garden. Gun control. Memory loss. Election results. Carbohydrates. Mammogram. House taxes. The dreaded computer upgrade. My disappearing savings. The absolute madness of half of our nation’s people and where will it end?
Lyle’s boss left for the week to go camping with her husband. Jenny didn’t leave him with any tasks. No reports to file or spreadsheets to make. He panicked, worried a coworker would catch him being “unproductive.” Jenny went to the wilderness, but Lyle was the one who got lost.
Nov 11, 2022·edited Nov 11, 2022Liked by Justin Deming
It's Over, Fiction
(Crime Fiction)
Will Derness hitched his backpack off his weary shoulders and faced the setting sun. His feet ached in his boots from hiking since sunrise.
They had pinged his cell phone. Police had found the body. There’s no going back.
He stepped off the cliff’s edge and fell into the wilderness.
~~~
Justin, this is so fun; thank you for hosting us.
Hi, Everyone! My publications is still fairly new, I'm hoping it will grow. I would love for readers to select the link below and make a Comment on my story on my site as well, to give my tiny story some "Substack algorithm love", Lol! Thanks in advance, and if you'd like, you can subscribe for free if you feel led to do so!
The wilderness feeds my addiction. I choose monsoons under the moonlight, savage beasts in the rainforest and cannibals in the Congo as my drug of choice.
I need a stronger hit. The universe is my dealer now, planets and stars beyond our solar system my new drug.
Nov 11, 2022·edited Nov 11, 2022Liked by Justin Deming
Helpless, Fiction
The birds whistled. Trees wept. A coyote can be heard screaming in the distance. The dog stayed near. The stump was hidden. I didn’t see the bear. My breathing was heavy. The pain radiated down my leg. Light echoed through the trees in the wilderness. It was the search party.
“Wilderness,” they sneered. What a horrible place to choose to spend time. “Full of bugs,” they said, shuddering at the thought.
“Freedom,” Christa said, sighing with contentment as she prepared to set up camp beside her favorite waterfall. Far from the insanity of her family’s obsession with Wall Street. “Home.”
I turned on the faucet. Nothing came out. I never saw Phoenix again.
There were shortages of everything: Electricity. Internet. Eggs. Sanity. Really, though, it was all about power. I worked for the world’s most powerful company. We controlled everything.
Our goal? Take down the nation. Starting with the grid.
Ancient Secret - fiction
Royce left the city.
When he found himself planted in the heart of the Adirondacks, something came over him. The wilderness took hold of his body and forced him to take it in – the mountains, the trees, the sky.
A gust of wind swept through, whispering an ancient secret: you’re hooooooooome.
A Room With No View - fiction
The landlady shows me to the tiny room where I’m to stay in this urban wilderness of Barcelona. It’s painted entirely in a deep, thunderous red. It has no windows, and seems to be furnished primarily with cats.
“Excuse me,” I venture, “is it too late to cancel?
Bon Voyage
The motor home was loaded. The couple and their two dogs piled in to head off into parts unknown. Oh, they new their destinations, at least the first two, but what surprises awaited? Texas was familiar, yet they were headed for the desert. They just might love the wilderness ☺️
Fatigue - fiction
I am lost in a wilderness of worry today. Gas prices. My weedy garden. Gun control. Memory loss. Election results. Carbohydrates. Mammogram. House taxes. The dreaded computer upgrade. My disappearing savings. The absolute madness of half of our nation’s people and where will it end?
I’m going back to bed.
Empty To-Do List, Fiction
Lyle’s boss left for the week to go camping with her husband. Jenny didn’t leave him with any tasks. No reports to file or spreadsheets to make. He panicked, worried a coworker would catch him being “unproductive.” Jenny went to the wilderness, but Lyle was the one who got lost.
It's Over, Fiction
(Crime Fiction)
Will Derness hitched his backpack off his weary shoulders and faced the setting sun. His feet ached in his boots from hiking since sunrise.
They had pinged his cell phone. Police had found the body. There’s no going back.
He stepped off the cliff’s edge and fell into the wilderness.
~~~
Justin, this is so fun; thank you for hosting us.
Hi, Everyone! My publications is still fairly new, I'm hoping it will grow. I would love for readers to select the link below and make a Comment on my story on my site as well, to give my tiny story some "Substack algorithm love", Lol! Thanks in advance, and if you'd like, you can subscribe for free if you feel led to do so!
https://jenisecook.substack.com/p/its-over
Adrenaline Junkie, Fiction
The wilderness feeds my addiction. I choose monsoons under the moonlight, savage beasts in the rainforest and cannibals in the Congo as my drug of choice.
I need a stronger hit. The universe is my dealer now, planets and stars beyond our solar system my new drug.
What a high.
Helpless, Fiction
The birds whistled. Trees wept. A coyote can be heard screaming in the distance. The dog stayed near. The stump was hidden. I didn’t see the bear. My breathing was heavy. The pain radiated down my leg. Light echoed through the trees in the wilderness. It was the search party.
Wilderness (fiction)
“Wilderness,” they sneered. What a horrible place to choose to spend time. “Full of bugs,” they said, shuddering at the thought.
“Freedom,” Christa said, sighing with contentment as she prepared to set up camp beside her favorite waterfall. Far from the insanity of her family’s obsession with Wall Street. “Home.”
Analog Wilderness - Fiction? Reality? You Decide.
I turned on the faucet. Nothing came out. I never saw Phoenix again.
There were shortages of everything: Electricity. Internet. Eggs. Sanity. Really, though, it was all about power. I worked for the world’s most powerful company. We controlled everything.
Our goal? Take down the nation. Starting with the grid.
Love the photo! Ok, I’ll get to thinking on this one!
Misty Mountain Hop is a Zeppelin song, but you knew that.
Wilderness terrain, splinters my brain.
Wilderness dilemma: living, but insane. 😉