Category / Half Hour Challenge

by Colette

Try and Fail again

Written by Blue-Eyed Devil

Trapped: The effects of Agoraphobia can be socially and physically damaging.
Image Courtesy of austinkleon.com

His day started with the screeching of his alarm. Its incessant nagging roused him from his dreamless slumber in its usual reliably rude manner and he reached out towards the table to hit it. It clattered noisily to the ground, its cord yanking away and silencing the vile contraption. Breathing a sigh of relief, he slipped a foot out of bed and yelped, pulling the appendage back under the sheets.

Perhaps he should have turned the heating up before he turned in last night? Continue reading →

by marleylilith

The City of Koku

China’s Atlantis; the Lion City. Image courtesy of http://www.lovethesepics.com

Written by Lilith

Off the north eastern shores of the great continent of Silvera hides a marvel of engineering, a secret wonder which most only dream of seeing, and many believe to be nothing more than a myth. Contained within one huge air bubble at the bottom of the sea is a city, and that city is named Koku for the four brothers who built it. It is well maintained; fresh air runs through pipes that lead to the surface, and there are many ways to travel between the city and the world outside, though few choose to leave the security of their secret world. And the city itself is not just a marvel, but also a beauty. Tall, twisting towers reach up to the very peak of the bubble, and the glass of a thousand windows winks in the half-light; the only light that the bottom of the sea can get. Here, it is always dusk. Continue reading →

by Colette

Pop!

Written by Rob

We all like our personal space, but there’s a real bond between us too.
Image Courtesy of lifeandhorses.com

Normally, we’re just too strong to entertain the idea. Although we like our personal space, and every one of us moves independently, there’s a real bond between us too. You can see it clearly at the edge of the group. No-one wants to be at the edge but, obviously, some of us have to. Anyone finding themselves at the edge tries to fight their way back into the throng. This causes quite a bit of tension.

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by Colette

A new month, a new challenge

Hello!

As it’s the start of a new month – or shall we say, almost mid-month now – we’ve got a new half hour challenge for our team of writers: Bubbles.

They are simple, playful and fun to catch and burst, so Inkblots thought it would be awesome to have a theme that evokes happiness. Of course and as always, the theme is intended to be taken in any direction the writer wishes, so we may just find a few surprises, whether they are bizarre, sad or uplifting.

Once again, we shall choose three of the best pieces to go up here, so keep your eyes peeled for them in the next couple of weeks.

– Silver, Inkblots Editor

Yayyyy bubbles!!!
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

by Colette

Brotherhood

Written by RicardoCC

It only seems like yesterday we were strolling along Blackpool beach together. Well, I say strolling, but I mean escaping. Burning time so that we didn’t have to go back to our father: “this holiday will be different, boys” he’d always say. But it never was. He always stayed out late, got drunk and, when he came back to the hotel, he’d beat our mother black and blue for not making the bed or not ordering his dinner for the next day. Then he’d turn on us if we weren’t asleep. Nobody could blame our mother for doing what she did. When they found her…

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by Bobartles

Mine

Written by Bobartles

I couldn’t quite remember when I first claimed my little piece of sky; it had been mine for as far back as I could recall. Presumably I’d felt its call from the moment I was old enough look up and see that vast blue expanse, so pure, empty and ripe for the taking.

My piece was easy enough to find. You’d have to be standing in the garden of the old abandoned house down the road, at nine o’clock (AM) precisely- no sooner, no later- with a couple of rulers and a pair of sunglasses. The first ruler goes parallel to your gaze, from the lobe of your left ear. The second ruler runs perpendicular to that, fifteen centimetres along the first. Look up at the sun, count exactly seven-point-five-three centimetres to the right, and you’ve got the dead centre. Everything for an inch around that? Mine. My little piece of sky. A little easier to see at night, of course, when the stars are out as reference points to mark the borders.

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by Colette

Skies

Written by Doishy

A piece of sky is unique, something that will only ever occur once and, despite certain theories involving infinite monkeys, will never be repeated exactly. The piece is defined by the time, weather, temperature and ultimately any outside effects upon this. It is because of these variables that certain skies and the pieces that make up them are more memorable than others. Each person has their own memorable pieces, perhaps the moonlit night where they first kissed their crush at a young age, the sparkling dawn as they awoke after a heavy night drinking or the sorrowful grey clouds of when they lost a favourite pet. All these pieces have memories attached to them and emotions that help define them.

Continue reading →