They were coming closer. She could sense it—something she’d been able to do since she was a child. It was a gift. One she cherished and that had served her well over the years. No one was exactly sure where it came from. But she knew. It was from the days when she was one of them herself.
Lately, though, she was becoming weaker. They would arrive and catch her off-guard. Once, last month, she was taken by complete surprise. It was as if they had popped, fully formed, from the earth.
That day, she discovered she was unable to fight them without prior knowledge of their arrival. That day, she lost a battle.
Maybe it was the person she pretended to be during her soul-sucking job. Maybe it was the stress of people constantly looking to her for answers. Maybe it was simply the pressure of trying to force herself to retain the gift. Whatever the cause, she was losing hold of it.
She shushed the creatures clinging to her and peeked out the slit of sheer curtain draped over the dining room window. Yes. There they were. Marching across her lawn.
In all shapes and sizes, but with uniforms that marked them as the enemy, they approached. She would be ready. She would not lose this battle.
Letting the fabric fall over the window, she backed away, shutting lights off as she went. The knock would not startle her. Not this time. And this time, she would not answer the call of the Brownie Troop. She would buy no cookies today.
#Blogbattle is a weekly writing prompt for flash/short stories hosted by Rachael Ritchey
Week 24 Prompt: Troop
HA! That was great! Loved this, Sarah! 😀
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Thanks. It was wicked fun to write. Although, this prompt was a tough one. Who comes up with these?! Evil woman… 😉
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A lot of the words came out of my own twisted brain. At one point in time, I asked for others to contribute a few words. Would you like to add some to the list? I enter them randomly into the “Random Words” Word Doc and then I have my kids give me a number between 1 and whatever the last number is. That is then our word for the week. haha
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That. Is. Awesome. Your kids must love that. I assumed you used a random word generator. Those are fun but I really enjoy seeing what different people do with the same prompt word so these challenges are fantastic.
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I agree. Most of the stories are so different. It’s a great reminder of the diversity of mankind. The kids to enjoy picking the word. I’ll have to have them do it the day before when school starts, so I’m not late getting the word out there! 🙂
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Nice Blog Battle story! Sweet surprise at the end (pun intended. 😉 I love cookies).
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Thanks! This prompt was a challenge but so fun to write. *hands you a cookie*
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*eats cookie* Yummy, thanks!
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Hahaha! Love it Sarah. You’ve gotta love those Brownie’s cookies! Unlike you, I didn’t see them coming. My mind was off in all sorts of directions but I couldn’t predict this one. Well done. All the clues fit and are consistent, but none give it away. I had to be told.
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Yes! This writing is out of my comfort zone so I was really unsure how it would turn out. Glad it you liked it. 😀 Thanks, Norah.
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It worked for me!
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Hahaha no cookies but can you really resist… nice work with the prompt
~B
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Thanks. I can definitely resist the Thin Mints everyone is so crazy about. I’m a sucker for shortbread, though. But. I. Must. Resist.
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pretending no one is home
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Brilliant!
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🙂 Thanks!
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Great work. I read this one to my wife, and she loved it too.
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Thanks. 🙂 To both of you.
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Loved this Sarah!
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Thanks!
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mmm cookies… 🙂 Enjoyed this. The end made me smile.
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I’m glad. *hands you cookie* 🙂
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*eats cookie* ooh this is good! Thank you. 😀
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YOU WON THIS WEEK! Email me at writingraci@gmail.com if you’d like to do a fun little interview? 🙂
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Thank you!
I’m thrilled to have won — there were a lot of great stories this week. Got my shiny, new badge up! ⭐
P.S. You have mail.
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Lol, congratulations!
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Thanks!
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This is hilarious! Congratulations on winning. Absolutely deserved it. 🙂
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Aw, thank you kindly. 🙂 It was a bit of a shocker but a good one.
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This is brilliant! X-D So perfect. 😀
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Thanks! 😀
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I think I know the feeling, too… 😛
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