This week’s photo is credited to inactive account – ID 1103997 on Pixabay.
It depicts three girls of different ages/heights dressed in pink and blue aprons and bakers’ caps. They are standing behind a table that displays a wedding cake, cupcakes, and various other baked goods.
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It was time that the girls learned to live and behave like a family. They all came from different homes, and Joni and Sam were trying to create a serene balance in this newly created family!
Coming from foster homes, Joni and Sam thought that instead of having their own children, they’d adopt kids in need of a family and home from foster care.
The only thing standing in their way was the sarcastic attitude of Jane, the eldest girl. She’d endeavor to upset the other two girls perhaps because she felt insecure.
It was Joni who came up with the baking sale idea. The parents promised the kids that they could keep all the money they generated by sales, their only condition being that they wanted happy and smiling faces at the end of the day.
They considered it a success, when no one was hurt or maimed at the end of the day. They could see a few shy smiles passing in between the girls and were hopeful and happy.
Exhausted, I yanked the door handle on my locker and yanked it open. Looking inside my locker at my shoes up on the top shelf and my clothes neatly folded at the bottom, I felt too run-down to even begin to change. I thought about laying down on the bench that ran between the lockers for a short nap when I saw the most hideous face reflected back at me on the little magnetized mirror hanging inside. Just as I registered that this could be trouble, I was shoved forward, hitting my face and shoulders into the locker.
Adrenaline rushed through me, and I was suddenly very awake. If he wanted a fight, I was glad to oblige.
I’m not a professional boxer, but I think he thought he could daze me with a sneak attack, and whatever it was that he had wanted wasn’t worth fighting over. So, he took off after only a few minutes.
I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that he had split my lip and it was bleeding pretty badly. I looked down to see if any droplets hit the floor, and I saw a note that my assailant had most likely dropped. Opening it, I read:
“S 24”
That was the locker number right next to me. He must have thought I was using that locker and attacked me because of it. What would be important enough to start a fight over?
…I plopped back down on the bench and grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding on my lip. Staring at an unlocked locker S 24, my curiosity got the best of me, I opened it. Much to my surprise NOTHING was inside.
“So, what the hell ?!”
I got slammed head first into a locker, why ? I started racking my brain, was I on a machine too long, was I staring at this dude ? I can’t worry about this. I manage to control the bleeding on my lip, but I know I’ll need to get some ice at some point. I got dressed and headed out of the gym to the elevator to the parking garage.
I didn’t see Joe Attitude anywhere. This is not how I wanted to end my day. I got on the elevator and pushed G for the garage, on the descent stopping at floor 5 an older woman got on with me. She scowled in my direction, it was most likely my lip. Stopping again at floor three two young men in black hoodies got on and pushed G. They said something to each other. One of the guys looked back at me and smiled…
The smile on his face sent shivers down my spine. These guys were definitely connected to the guy who attacked me, Joe. The atmosphere in the elevator was so uneasy that I was wishing that it would reach the garage level ASAP and I would escape to the safety of my car.
The elevator stopped at first floor and a girl got in. She had a huge bag with her. My unease increased many fold. And acting on impulse, just before the doors closed again, I dashed out of the elevator. Instead of going down the stairs, I headed toward the apartment of a guy I knew. I was barely inside his apartment when I heard the sound of running feet going past the door.
Nick opened his mouth to ask what was going on but I shushed him. When the commotion outside died I opened the door carefully and peeped out. The corridor was quiet.
I waved goodbye to Nick and stepped outside when suddenly…….
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I’m nominating Robert for the next part of this story. I hope he accepts
This week’s photo is credited to kaboompics on Pixabay.
It depicts an open appointment book/ organizer on a table. Pink flowers in a vase and a glass candy jar are also visible.
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She journaled every day. There was little news that brought her any joy. War, death, famine, and the pestilence brought on by the unhygienic conditions people were forced to live in were what she was forced to record every day.
She dreamed of the day when she would write of the human conquest, its victory over all these hardships but day after day the only news was of these sorrowful events.
If she could, she would quit her job as the recorder of events but she didn’t have that luxury. She was bound to this duty as her ancestors were.
The only solution she saw was that by some miracle, these people would take control of their lives, make drastic changes to their lifestyles and finally overcome the obstacles in their way.
Maybe one day she will write about that glorious day too!
In response to FFFC # 208, hosted this week by Paula
This week’s photo is credited to Jordan_Singh on Pixabay.
It depicts a woman sitting on a bed in the dark with her back to us and a flash of electricity next to her. She faces a window where glowing planets are visible.
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The commander said, “Lock this place down and I need every available unit to look for Rebecca. With her powers, it is vital that she is on our side rather than the enemy’s.
Rebecca was a gifted woman born with the ability to influence time and space. In front of her, the extraordinary seemed insipid, no matter how valiantly others try to underplay her powers. And in addition to her seismic powers, she also had a beautiful heart.
So where was she? And what were her plans? Nobody else knew that she had decided to go underground, for her powers not only put her in danger as the evil people wouldn’t stop at anything to make her do their bidding but it was also putting their world in grave danger.
Today was the day, the day she had been waiting for, a date that she was looking forward to with fear and trepidation, hope and expectation.
12th of February, the date which was seared into her brain; a date that meant either fear or joy.
Her story started a few months back when she discovered a lump in her left breast, after investigation the doctors declared it to be cancerous and advised surgical removal of the lump.
She underwent the standard protocols after the surgery, andthe radiotherapy too, and was given meds to take and get a follow-up after 12 months.
She healed well after the surgery and tolerated the therapy too perhaps because she was still in her thirties, now after one full year, she had her first post-op scan, the results of which were to be given to her on the 12th of March.
With both hope and dread vying for dominance in her heart she entered the doctor’s office and saw her look up with a smile on her face as she was reading her report, her relieved breath left her lungs in a big exhale, and now she could smile back too.
This week’s photo is credited to darksouls1 on Pixabay.
It depicts a seated man staring at a glowing globe. The background is dark and hazy, but you can faintly see wall-to-wall shelves filled with books.
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Going into the private library of the university’s head without permission was technically improper, but Marty felt it was vital for him to find the globe today at all costs.
He entered through the side door, and being careful that his rain-sodden shoes shouldn’t squeak, he took them off and placed them at the side of the colonial-style table with slate-colored top in the center of the reference section of the library.
Ah! There it was! Cleverly hidden behind the thick tomes which nobody ever read. He gently extracted the illuminated globe from the hiding place and held it gently in his hands. The glowing orb was cool to the touch.He tried to look deep into its light as he was told to do.
What he saw in the depths of this was amazing. The past, present, and future all exist there simultaneously. But the future was darkened. And the world seemed to be breaking apart. He took a long look, straightened, and replaced the globe in its hiding place.
He had to do something important now. This message had to reach those who had sent him here. The planet had to be saved by any means necessary.
Camera in hand she looks for landscape and nature to photograph, something that would win the admiration of her friends, and perhaps someone would even pay for it.
The camera was an extravagance and now she needed to justify its purchase, not to others but to herself for she wasn’t happy with the idea of her being a wasteful person.
Shooting pictures from a digital camera shouldn’t be difficult, the guy who sold it to her even showed her how it was done so she followed his advice and just pointed the camera and clicked the button.
Excitedly she viewed the results of her efforts; her smile faded when all she saw one blur after another; these photos were no good at all.
Dejectedly, she stowed the camera in her cupboard thinking that it was another failed effort, an adventure that flopped like a high-billed movie that had no story.
It was her son who discovered her out-of-focus photos were of some use after all when erasing the memory card of the camera, he noticed that they would make great screen savers, and sold them for a good amount to one of his acquaintance who wanted to buy them.
“Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand*”
She finished lacing up her thigh high leather heeled boots. Standing up, she did a once over in the floor length mirror, checking to make sure that her short skirt was short enough that despite the height of her boots, there was plenty of skin between the hem of the skirt and the top of the boots. She did a quick wiggle to make sure the skirt didn’t ride up too high, and that the rest of her stayed where it was supposed to within the confines of her dress. Satisfied, she grabbed her jacket and headed out.
As she walked down the street, she could feel the goosebumps break out all over her body, although she didn’t know why. It was just a normal night, just like any other, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. She pushed the uneasy feeling aside, and took her spot on the side of the street, waiting for her shift to begin.( Marla’s Part)
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My contribution;
Her unease increased as time passed. She had just one passerby ask her for the merchandise which she provided but the payment was still pending.
Suddenly the air was full of loud screams. Someone was in severe agony or frightened out of their wits. She grabbed her bag which had all the merchandise in it and made for the taxi stand. Before she could hail the taxi coming from the other side, she was blinded by the halogen lights of a fast-approaching car towards her.
There, amidst a clearing in the dark woods, stood a well-lighted building, supporting all the amenities of modern life. Anyone who came upon it accidentally was amazed not only at it well-kept condition but also at the fact that it ppl was not on any map or GPS!
It was a mystery. Who had put this in the middle of the woods and why was it there? Many hikers and passersby usedthe small cafe to get coffee, or bottled water, or perhaps bought a snack. The toilets were impeccably clean and functional. There were no employees in the cafe, just the vending machines which were kept fully stocked.
Many months passed and one day the serenity of the woods was disturbed when a full squadron of police vehicles surrounded the area.
The locals were shocked to learn that this place was used for drug trafficking where those in the know could buy whichever drug they wanted by using the secret code.
The place was sealed. The hikers and locals still miss the clean toilets.
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Written for JusJoJan-Amenities, Prompted by Kim, hosted by Linda
“You aren’t a baby to create such a big mess”, her brother shouted when he saw the condition of the living room.
Natalia scowled at her brother and then looked at the things scattered around her, her eyes widening in acknowledgment of all the untidiness around her; did she do it, she wasn’t sure!
She knew that when she became absorbed in a project, she would lose her perspective of time and space resulting in an unholy mess around her, realizing it only when she was finished or if someone, like her brother, pointed it out to her.
Calmly she turned back to her project, leaving her scowling, angry brother speechless.
She picked up her collage and showed it to her brother and his jaw dropped in amazement; “do you think this can be the deserving cause of all this mess?” she asked with a big smile.
“Who can deny your immense talent Nat, but do try to clean up as you go,” he said in a placating manner, secretly proud of his sister’s skills.
Keep it alive 
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