Write about anything you’d like, but make sure that all seven colors of the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet — make an appearance in the post, either through word or image.

I woke up an hour earlier than usual and stretched out lazily in my bed. The sun was slight a ball of orange in the morning sky and it seemed to be telling me to “go back to bed son, I’m not yet in my full glory.” However sleep was the furthest thing from my mind as I needed to do a few things before my beloved comes home – our home! I kicked off the sheets and went into the shower to do my duties before taking a shower. 20 minutes later, fresh as a daisy I got out of the shower and grabbed the red towels – the new towels that she had bought for me just a month ago – and dried myself.

Next stop was briefly to my den/man cave and to my desk to boot up my laptop before I stepped into the kitchen for some coffee. Hmmm, need that decaf before I face the day, so I grab my beautiful but old blue mug and wait for the coffee to be ready. After I grab my coffee it’s back to the den where I place my coffee before switching on the tv news. Ok, there’s an hour for me to kill before I have to get breakfast ready so I sit on my indigo computer chair and click on my email and check the sports websites and Facebook. Oh man, am I ever green with envy looking at the photos of my friend’s new sports car. Ah well, not that I can afford something as ridiculously expensive as that.

An hour goes by quickly so I put on a t shirt and change from my pjs to a pair of jeans and head to the kitchen to make some eggs and toast. There’s some fruit juice in the fridge, new brand but it tastes good and comes in a bright violet can. Hmm, tastes great. She made a great choice. No soon had I plated the eggs – scrambled for her, omelet for me and began to butter the toast when I heard her open the doors using her keys and come into the house. I missed her while she was away with her family. Ah, was she ever a sight for sore eyes, dressed in her favourite yellow blouse and jeans, the casual woman I know. “Expecting company for breakfast?” she teased and smiled at me. “Maybe” I smiled back and grabbed her, pulled her towards me for a big kiss. This is good!

Prompt from the Daily Post at WordPress.com.

You’re at the beach, lounging on your towel, when a glistening object at the water’s edge catches your eye. It’s a bottle — and yes, it contains a message. What does it say?

So there I am, drinking a selection of ice cold beer one after the other from a large cooler lying next to me. I’m lying on a large towel, wearing just a smile……and a pair of shorts (whew!) and pair of sunglasses with a straw hat on my head. An ipod is my only companion and lazing about, half asleep pretending to read a book is all I have planned for this afternoon.

Suddenly I catch a glint of a light flash from the corner of my eye. Not too bothered to look towards that direction and see a clear glass bottle, a rather large clear glass bottle, floating on the sea waters and being tossed up and down by the waves. A bottle? I sit up to check and see if I can make out if there’s anything inside it. No, looks like I’ve got to get up and investigate. I walk into the waters and grab the bottle and bring it to where the rest of my stuff is. Yes, there’s a rolled up piece of paper inside. Oh my gosh! An actual message in a bottle. Is it an SOS from someone stranded at sea or on an island? Is it a last will and testament from someone who has given up on being rescued? Is it a sad goodbye to a loved one or ones? Is it a letter of regret? Is it a confession of a crime or indiscretion? Without much ado, I pop open the top and pull the paper out and unroll it so I can read what it says. And it reads, in plain old English……..

“Whoever picks up this bottle and reads this letter, will die in 7 days!”

Prompt from the Daily Prompt at WordPress.com.

“They sat shoulder to shoulder on the beach, willing the sunset to last just one second longer…”

Having waited for so many years to see each other they still had just until darkness falls to be together. Despite all his efforts and her hoping for the outcome that they both wanted so much, it had all come down to this. She was to leave with her family at noon the next day to a city so far away and so foreign to both of them. She couldn’t say no and stay back; her father having just recovered from a heart attack a few months ago had now got a good job, one that would be less stressful and taxing on him and the money that he would make would be even better than anything he had ever made in his entire life. To support her father’s decision, her mother had decided to uproot her small but successful business and already setup shop in the new city along with a relative of theirs. Her mother had moved most of her belongings in advance and the oldest son had joined her a week earlier. She and her younger sister & brother stayed back with their father. All of the previous month her father would keep saying that this was a bright new start for their family and that they could put all their troubles behind them in this coastal town which had brought a lot of bad things to them as a family. Besides she was only turning 17.

Each time he said that and the two younger children nodded in agreement, unaware of the turmoil that was going through their sister’s mind as the family sat down for dinner and while the other 3 ate with gusto and talked about their day with smiles, she was busy with her thoughts. Yes, it was a great move for her family and her dad in particular. But she didn’t hate the town; in fact she loved the place and she loved the ocean breeze. Leaving the town would mean leaving behind everything she loved including –  him. She remembered the day they both met 2 years ago, in History class. They both shared a passion for the classes and loved to discuss and debate about events from history and the great wars. They argued about kings & queens and civilizations and some where between a debate on The French Revolution and a reading of a new book, they fell in love. It was first love for both of the 15 year olds and they fell hard. Although they didn’t believe it, they would joke that the were lovers from a distant era reincarnated and destined to be together again and will always be together for generations to come. Her favourite time was after school when both of them would say goodbye to their friends and walk to the fast food place near the ocean and order milkshakes and talk to each other for a couple of hours.

But now that was all about to end. She should be back home, the house her family would call home for just a few more hours, and finish her packing. She was almost done and then she’d have to check and see if her younger siblings hadn’t forgotten any of their belongings that needed to be packed and then sit down with them and her father for that last dinner at their home. The mood would be upbeat as her siblings were also very excited for the move and especially the fact that they would each get their own rooms in the new house. Her dad would smile and dote on the kids as they ate dinner and watched tv till 10 pm when he would insist that the kids get a long rest as they had a 2 day car trip ahead of them. And then in the morning after showers & breakfast, they would wait for the men to come and help them load the heavier stuff into the trailer and then their father would hand over the keys to the realtor and they would say their goodbyes to the town. A town which only she liked in her family. She would be saying goodbye to a lot of good friends but especially him. And her heart ached as she & he knew that they might never see each other again.

Just a minute or two more and the sun would have totally set and it would be dark. He held her tight to him and she kissed his cheek and they cried tears of sadness. One final word – Goodbye!

Fiction writers: You’re stuck in an elevator with an intriguing stranger. Write this scene. Non-fiction writers: You’re stuck in an elevator with a person from your past. Write this scene.

It was a dark and deary monsoon day in the city. All around me I could see people scurrying to get inside their homes or shops or buildings or into their cars. Struggling to open an umbrella as the June rains came pouring down and washed the streets, the trees and surrounding vegetation and gave a much needed bath to the strays out on the road. Standing in this downpour I looked all around me and took in the scenes, the sun’s goodbye for the evening almost done and the moon quite not visible yet what with all the clouds providing a veil for the shy bride. I was getting myself a little wet but for the most part I was alright compared to most people on the road, due to my heavy coat that protected my shirt and jeans while my boots gave my feet ample protection. I walked slowly oblivious to the downpour, carrying a leather bag, and lit a cigarette as I walked towards the building that was my destination.

By the time I reached the building my cigarette was down to it’s stub so I flicked it into a puddle and searched my coat pockets for a small packet of strawberry flavoured gum I always keep hand with me. I popped the gum in my mouth and walked into the lobby and looked for an elevator. No sooner as I had pressed the button then – she walked up right next to me. With red hair and red lips, smooth white skin and a figure that could inspire a million painters & sculptors. She seemed to be a 12 on a scale of 10 and then some. She was dressed in a white jacket left open to reveal a tight blouse that accentuated her bosom and a black skirt that was long yet had as slit that showed off some fine leg. Her legs were supported on 5 inch heels that seemed sharper than daggers. She had been shopping I saw from the two bags that had the logos of a couple of the more expensive & chic designer wear. Apparently a resident of this building where as I was just visiting a client on business. The elevator car opened and we both stepped in and I got a whiff of her exquisite perfume while she, I hoped, got nothing more than the smell of the rains and some strawberry and none of the cigarette. She did not, it seemed to me, be bothered by anything. I politely asked her the floor she wanted and she replied “13, please!” Not so much said but breathed it, or so it sounded to me. I pressed 13 and 30,  the floor I was supposed to go to. As the elevator moved, I moved back and admired her body as much as I could without appearing to leer or stare. The view from the back was good as the view from the front.

Suddenly the lights went out in the elevator and we stopped moving. The sudden stop scared her a bit but the emergency lights came back on, almost as bright as it was before the lights went out. In vain I pressed the buttons but nothing changed. “It’s probably a power outage due to the rains” said I in a weak attempt at conversation. But she felt reassured and placed her bags to once corner. I removed my coat and folded it, placing it on top of my bag. She took off her jacket and did the same, conscious of the fact that I was not entranced by her deep chest. We stood there each in our corner and pretending not to look at each other. I didn’t even know her name but that was the least of my concerns. We stood for what seemed like an hour, the sexual tension heavy in the air. And then like two animals in heat, we grabbed at each other and melted into a kiss. My hands went on an exploration of the curves of her body and she had her arms around me and one of her hands plunged into my hair and held my face pressed towards her face. Hot kisses, wet kisses and the touching of tongues. After what seemed like ages we parted for air and then the elevator car started moving again. We composed ourselves and straightened our clothes. We couldn’t have been stuck in there for more than 45 minutes but it felt much longer. As she got off she looked at me with longing in her eyes and mouthed “Apartment number 4”! I grinned and said “60 minutes tops! I’ll be there”. She then smiled and walked away.

As the elevator closed I thought of calling my client and saying I got detained and would see them tomorrow. But I thought, it would just be for an hour or so, what the hell. This was an important client. So I steadied myself and went to my client’s apartment and it was business from then. After 50 minutes I feigned a headache and said goodbye and almost ran into the elevator. I went back to the 13th floor and looked for apartment # 4. I pressed the door bell and waited, pleased with myself and anticipating a night of lust. She opened the door, dressed in a silken dress that was neither covering her nor pretending to do so. “Come in” her voice whispered loudly at me and I stepped into the living room and removed my coat. As I turned around I saw her smiling face looking at me as she said “Finally I have you where I want you” and she pointed a gun to my chest.

Ok, I said to myself  “How are you gonna get out of this one?”

Write a piece of fiction describing the incident that gave rise to the phrase, “third time’s the charm.”

Tim was a young man working in a pub in New York City back in the early 20th century. He had migrated from his native Ireland as a young boy of just 8 years old and had settled down to live in the new country. He liked his job as the bar tender of one of the busiest pubs in all of NYC and he loved the chatter and the regular patrons who came in to drink their ales, lagers & stouts alike. Now 18 years since he had arrived in America he had enough money to get a small home to call his own and the only thing that was missing was a woman to call his own. Tim was usually a shy lad growing up, especially when it came to the women, but now he was more confident that he could convince a nice pretty girl to settle down with him. So he was looking around for his options and looking at the girls that he knew and that lived in the neighbourhood. He finalized his list to 3 of the nicest young women he knew – Betty the butcher’s daughter, Catherine who worked at at the post office and Linda who worked at a gift shop.

Tim went to the butcher shop at 10 the next morning and decided to call on Betty. However when he arrived there he saw Betty cursing and yelling, using a huge butcher knife and cutting pork & beef sausages with such vigour and venom that he got scared. When she saw him Betty stopped what she was doing and greeted him – it was obvious that she liked him but what he had just seen had put him off. Tim asked for two raw steaks, bought & paid for them and left quickly. 1 down and 2 to go, Tim said to himself and decided to go visit the florist shop where Catherine worked. Just as he was about to enter he saw Catherine, who had quite a temper, yelling at an old couple who was holding the line as they couldn’t put their package in order for it to be sent out. Young Catherine was yelling and swearing at them and this scared poor Tim away. This time, he didn’t even bother to go say hi but just beat a hasty retreat. Almost about to give up he saw that he was at the right near the gift shop where Linda worked and thought “what the hell, I might as well try her as well!” and so he went in. He was surprised to see a very neat store with wonderful smelling fragrances coming from inside. Linda had some candles and flowers in every nook & corner. He said hello to Linda and with her help, bought a nice gift for his friend’s wedding the following week. It was obvious that the quiet, gentle and lovely Linda was the kind of woman he was looking for.

Before he left he asked her out to dinner at his place the following Sunday, where he proceeded to cook the steaks for their dinner. Soon the two were in love and when he finally had the courage, Tim asked her to marry him. She said yes and gifted him a bracelet of lucky charms as a wedding gift. At that moment Tim thought to himself “Third times the charm!” Poor Tim, within a month of the getting married Linda would greet him whenever he was late coming home by – yelling & swearing at him!!!

In a nightmare, you’ve encountered three doors. Choose one, and let us know what you find on the other side.

The three doors that face me are equally daunting looking. Broken at places and with the paint chipped in a lot of places yet they each looked unique due to the colours. One red, one green and one blue. I had no idea which one to choose as each could be filled with dangers untold and that could prove fatal for me. Yet I knew I had to get out of this damn corridor and find a way back to my home. I needed to choose one quickly. But which one?

How much time did I have? I don’t know the answer to that one but it is imperative that I make the right choice. My life may well depend upon it. I hesitate, look to all 3 and then rule out the red door. Why? Because the colour itself signals “stop, do not proceed” and “danger”. So now it was down to two – the green or the blue. Green meant good things and to proceed so should I take that one? I reach for the door knob and almost open it but then – wait, blue is so much better. Blue is peaceful and calm. I should pick blue. I take my hand back and move towards the blue door. Yes, just looking at the door has a calming affect on me. The faded blue colour reminded me of a comfortable, old pair of jeans, the blue sky and the ocean water. I must pick blue. And so I did; stepped up and opened the door knob and fully opened the door.

Only to find a big ugly blue monster waiting for me! And it was hungry.

The old man woke up early just as the first rays of light hit his city. These days sleep wasn’t a good friend to him at all despite his advanced years. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a good 5 minutes. For a while he thought about going back to sleep but he knew that it would be in vain. Slowly he pulled himself from his bed and headed to the bathroom. He took his time and washed his face and brushed his teeth. He would then walk slowly past the sleeping form of his wife on their bed and go into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. While the water boiled he stared at the outside world through the kitchen window. A baby cried and was quickly pacified by it’s mother. Instinctively the old man thought back to the years he spent as a young child with his own mother. His mother who passed away a few decades ago and all that remained of her was an old photo.

He took his cup of tea and made his way to the living room where he laid the cup down on the dining table and then went to get the newspaper. Not that he would later recollect much of what he read in the news but it was a sheer force of habit of reading the newspaper along with the day’s first cup of tea – a habit formed when he was in his 20s and  50 years later he was unable to change it. So he sipped his tea; strong, no milk and with very little sugar and he read the papers. He spent a good hour going through the various articles. A war here, an accident there, someone calling out for a ruling head of state to resign – pretty much an normal day of news. He closely watched the obituaries for any news on people he knew and of his age passing away. There were none but he always thought when his day would come and how it would be to read his own obituary. As always, the mere thought of it made his chuckle.

He then put the paper aside, pushed his now empty tea cup to the middle of the table and stared at the outside world from his living room window. He thought of the years when he was full of youth, vigour and worked hard to make his way up the ladder. He thought of all the success he had. He wished in his mind if only he could relive those days. He remember better days, the birth of his children, the achievements and the accolades. He thought of a time when he had it all and now he felt that he had very little. He once had money to spare and now he found it tough to get by. And that’s why at his age he still worked. He knew what some people thought but he pushed the thoughts away from his mind. Isn’t it hard to keep at it after all these years? It didn’t matter. He still had to fight on. There were bills to pay. He wouldn’t give up now.

Just before it was time for him to wash his cup of tea and then take his bath, the old man let his mind drift back to those glory days of his and smiled. He could almost grab onto it. He wished for it again. If he could only stay back and day dream. However his wife would be waking up any minute now. And so the old man picked up his cup and went to wash it. Another day is just beginning.

I found this small, short story that I had created about 6 years ago and had managed to save onto a cd. I had completely forgotten about it and was reading it yesterday as I stumbled upon it.

This really happened to me!!

To preserve my anonymity, let’s just call me James, although that’s not my real name. And no I am not an American, cause people think that this sort of stuff happens only to Americans.

It was about 3 years ago, when I first saw her. I was working in a company that manufactures and exports leather shoes. On a Saturday, I called in sick (I dunno why, just felt like it) and went to look for some stuff to buy for my new apartment. You know some plates and glasses, a small sofa. I saw her at the book store I normally frequent in the evenings after work. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and I mean BEAUTIFUL! Not one of those made up dolls you seen on tv, this was real beauty. I kinda fell in love at first sight. Pretending to browse through the latest John Grisham, I stole many a glance at her. She seemed lost and lonely and I wanted to speak to her. Apparently she was working there, but she must be new as I had not seen her before. I took the novel I was holding in my hand and went up to her and asked her the price. I must have seemed an idiot, as the price was printed on the back. But she smiled and told me the price and I left. I went to the store often and managed to chat with her (let’s call her Anita) once I got the courage. She was an orphan like me ( my parents having passed away the previous year in a car crash) and was new in town. She lived in a tiny apartment quite near my own, but she said that she was moving soon, as a distant aunt was allowing her to house-sit for her while she (the aunt) was taking a trip.

I soon asked her out for dinner and we started going out every 2 or 3 days. I could speak to her for hours and so could she as I gazed into her lovely brown eyes. Finally I invited her to my apartment for a home cooked meal. The evening turned out to be better than the meal, as we made love for the first time and I asked her to marry me. She said yes and I was on top of the world. Since I had only a handful of living relatives and all she had was the aunt, the wedding was planned to be a small quite affair. Two days before the wedding, when I was supposed to meet her aunt, Anita told me that her aunt had passed. It did not spoil our wedding plans as I noticed that Anita was not particularly upset at the recent demise of her only relative. Anyway, she said that her aunt had left the house in her name ( let me tell u at this point that I had never been to the house as yet and Anita had moved back to her apartment when her aunt came back, although I had not met her). So we got married and went on a brief honeymoon to a cottage in the countryside. Soon I was back at work and busier than ever as I had been given a promotion. Anita and I moved to a bigger apartment, and she informed me that she planned to sell her aunt’s house. I said fine. In the third month of our marriage, Anita seemed a little changed. She did not seem to pay much attention to me, and was ill a lot of times. I did not complain or could not as I was up to my elbows in work. Then one day she told me that she was having some remodeling work done at the house before she sold it. I couldn’t offer my help as I had little time free. And then within a few days it was plain to see that Anita was carrying child. She was pregnant and the strange part was that she looked like she was five months pregnant. I couldn’t explain it to myself but she went through her pregnancy in 3 months instead of 9 or 10. When I asked her about it, she refused to tell me until the baby arrived. Was it mine? I asked her and to that she said yes. I told her that she had a lot of explaining to do. She told me to stay in the apartment and that she would move to her aunt’s house. I let her go.

A week later (and it was now 6 months since our wedding vows) she called me to tell me that she had given birth. She was at the house. I screamed on the phone, why she didn’t got to the hospital. She just said that it was a boy. I finally went to the house, the first time that I was there. She help in her arms a baby boy, who looked kinda mature for a newborn. Then she told me the truth. Anita was an alien! She was from a planet of beings very similar to our own but much advanced. Even their babies came out to the world much sooner. That’s not all she said, my son would mature in one year; he would look in age like me. How ? why? Words failed me. Was I chosen as some kind of experiment? She then told me of the war going on in the galaxy where her planet was located. Her people and another race had been fighting for centuries. In their culture women cannot fight battles, their contribution was to bear children who would become soldiers for their war. A few hundred women were sent to Earth, as both our races were rather similar. Her job was to bear a child, teach him their ways and then send him back to her planet to join the battle. The house was actually a spaceship that had been converted to look like an Earth home. She had a smaller spaceship that was in the garage, it would take our son back to the planet. Due to shock and anger at being duped, I left the house in a rage. Anita called out to me that she had never meant to harm or hurt me in any way. Well I went back to me apartment and started drinking. I refused to see Anita or our son and went back to work. Anita would call me and tell me to see them but I could not be persuaded.

A year passed and my anger had withered a lot. I started thinking about Anita quite often. A few days later, Anita called and told me that our son had finished his training and was to leave for Anita’s home planet that night. She asked me to come. Curious, I drove to the house. Anita opened the door and she looked even more beautiful than before. She led me to the basement, which was filled with equipment from her planet, things I did not even begin to recognize. And then I saw him- my son. Fully grown; a year after his birth he could have passed of as being of my age. That’s not all he was the exact replica of me. I looked at him and wondered at the beings of their planet. He greeted me with a hug and said that it was nice of me to see him off. He went back to his preparations. The small spaceship was being readied for departure. As i studied it I realized that it was quite small, only for one. Anita told me that women after giving birth had no importance in their world at this time of war and they could only reproduce once. The small space ship was built by the both of them according to orders from their leaders in their planet – Anita was to stay back on Earth. She had no place in her homeland like all the other women of her planet. Our son readied himself and with our blessings took off for the planet he had never seen, but was raised to fight for. After we could no longer see the small spaceship in the sky, Anita asked me to help her to burn down her house before daylight. That was according to instructions. I did as I was asked and soon the place was burning brightly in the night. All traces of her home planet were now destroyed and she could never go back there again.

I asked her to come with me and we drove back to my apartment that she had left a year ago. I prepared a late dinner for us as Anita set her clothes and belongings in their former places. I could not let her live alone I told her. We would live once again as man and wife – even though we were of different worlds. As we lay down on the bed to sleep, she asked me if she could hold me. I said yes. It took us a few weeks but things went back to normal, we were like any other married couple. Although it seemed to me that she was much stronger than before. She could lift huge heavy things like they were dead flies and once during a fight that we had, I saw that behind her gentle nature was a fierce temper. Another night when we were walking home form a late night movie, a mugger approached us with a knife. Anita almost killed him, she attacked him with her hands and beat the shit outta him. I could not believe my eyes. I pulled her away (and it took all of my strength to do that) before the wretched soul was killed and we ran back to our apartment. Now I knew how strong she was, I was always on the defensive. I avoided arguments and hoped that no one else would make her angry either. Recently Anita accused our new neighbour, a young women, of flirting with me. It wasn’t true; the young lady was just being friendly but no matter what I said, Anita still believed it to be something it was not. My worst fears came true. Our neighbour went missing one weekend – she was found floating in the river two weeks later. She was missing an arm and several toes. She had suffered. When I told Anita the news, she just said that the world was such a dangerous place and smiled and went on with what she was doing. Another time, Anita had an argument with an old lady in a store. The old lady went missing the next day. I am so scared now. I dunno what will happen next. I am doing my best to keep Anita in good humour and hope that there are no more victims. But lately she has been looking at me in a strange way. Like one looks at a small bird or animal that is injured and near death. And then she smiles. Who knows what her intentions are? I hope that I am not the next.

I have to stop now. Anita is back from shopping. She likes me to spend time with her when she comes back. I better not anger her, or u know what could happen!!!