Six Sentence Story #19 | Prompt Word: SIGNAL

Muted mauve cover artwork for Six Sentence Stories, with a raven, faded handwritten excerpts, botanical illustrations, and a textured antique paper background.

Hello everyone! Another week has passed, and it's time to share my six-sentence story for the lovely blog hop hosted by GirlieOnTheEdge. I absolutely love this community and the challenge of having only six sentences while also incorporating a prompt word!

Musically, Return to Earth by The Contortionist is playing—one of my favorite songs and bands...

You can find links to other participants’ work through the link-up.

Six Sentence Story #19

Elise was in the garden, tending the red geraniums, when she heard the sirens and the sky turned black; even the chirping birds were replaced by vultures circling overhead as if waiting for something.

After the initial shock, she ran toward her childhood home—one she hadn’t visited in years—only to discover the door had rusted in place, forcing her to try the window to her parents’ bedroom where, with shaky hands, she pulled herself inside

landing on all fours.

However, she felt a presence in the room, and upon closer inspection saw a figure in the corner:

wearing a tattered,
mud-soaked nightgown,
with hair the colour of potato peels
sticking to her face
and a smile stretched from ear to ear,

not quite touching the floor
as it moved closer,

its eyes like two polished pieces of obsidian.

Elise tried to raise her hand to signal the entity to stay away, but it was as if something had tied rocks to her arms; when the figure was only a fingers' reach away, everything went black.

Trying to plead with the presence, her words got stuck in her throat; she imagined the weight of it on her chest, felt her skin prickle, and tried to speak

again,

and again,

and again.

When Elise was finally able to wake, the blaring sound of her car alarm gave her no time to adjust; she ran out of bed, hitting her toe on God knows what while rummaging through her purse for her car keys and muttering “fuck” loud enough to scare the vulture on her windowsill.

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22 comments on Six Sentence Story #19 | Prompt Word: SIGNAL

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22 Comments

  1. Reena Saxena

    Good one!

    Reply
  2. Chris Hall

    Was it just a dream? Or was it more than that? Either way that was a really good Six!

    Reply
    • of Stardust and the Beasts

      Thank you so much!

      I wonder too, if it was more than just another nightmare and that’s exactly what I wanted to do with this ending.

      Reply
  3. Frank Hubeny

    A nightmare – at least the entity is gone.

    Reply
  4. violet

    Now that is what I would call a lucid dream!

    Reply
    • of Stardust and the Beasts

      Lucid dreams are something else right, especially in a nightmare, knowing it is one and yet you can not make it end…

      Thank you for the comment!

      Reply
  5. clark

    what an enjoyable Six! (Even the presentation/formatting got me, as a Reader, all, “Really?! what’s up with…oh! wait, I see!”)

    ‘specially enjoyed the ending/waking-up ending with a very last minute “to scare the vulture on her windowsill.”

    muy coolito!

    somebody say lucid dreaming?!! damn! haven’t had the pleasure since college days… (the Original ‘What happens in (lucid dreams) stays in lucid dreams’)

    nicely done yo

    Reply
  6. Keith's Ramblings

    Oh my, what a story! The format you employed made it all the more gripping.

    Reply
  7. ms pie

    oh my… the power of a vulture… great six story…. loved the scary

    Reply
  8. GirlieOnTheEdge

    Excellent Six, Reelika. You took this reader down one path, seemingly wrapping it up with “hah! only a dream” but for the the vulture sitting on the windowsill. Creepy nice touch!

    Reply
  9. Misky

    A completely successful Six; I was right there in that dream with you.

    Reply
  10. arty

    excellent! (the description, the story, the format and all of it)

    Reply
  11. messymimi

    Dreams can take us to some terrifying places. I hope she doesn’t have this one again.

    Reply

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