“The Dream Rock” – Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

smile at carrot ranch

March 22, 2018, Carrot Ranch Literary Community prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story using the theme “follow your dreams.” Bonus points for throwing a badge into the tale. Go where the prompt leads.

  • Respond by March 27, 2018, by leaving a link, pingback or story in the comments.
  • If you want your story published in the weekly collection, also post it at Carrot Ranch on Facebook in the post newsfeed (this is the second posting of your story).
  • Follow the style of the flash fiction that follows.
  • Leave a short link on FB with your story if you want one included in the title.
  • Rules are here.

 

follow your dreams

Abby followed her dream to the edge of a field filled with thorny weeds that twisted like ivy. Dead animals lay scattered, their bloated carcasses rotting beneath the blistering sun. An apocalyptic scent of death hung in the air. A boulder filled with glittery quartz striations moved closer.

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“This is our world without the bees,” said the rock. “The effects of climate change ravage the earth, disrupting the growth patterns. Animals die because their forage can’t mature without pollination.”

Abby swallowed the hard knot of truth. “What can I do?”

“You must save the bees.”

bee-colonies

Image Credit: “Mural Artivist Paints London In Bees To Save Them – 16 Photos”

This has been a sneak peek into “The Meadow Fairy,” book II in my YA paranormal fantasy series, The Heart Stone Chronicles. 16-year-old Abby Forester accepts her legacy to her mother and the fairy nymphs by attempting to find a cure to stop the bees from dying. Can she do it? Stay tuned…

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My dream boulder inspiration

Like Charli Mills, I LOVE rocks and yes, they do talk to my characters. I was so excited to figure out a talking dream rock sequence which was the perfect opportunity to earn my first Carrot Ranch Rocks badge.

carrotranchrocks

GiddyUPand write some flash fiction at CarrotRanch.com

70 thoughts on ““The Dream Rock” – Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction”

    1. Thanks, Erika. I’ve been researching for the bee deaths for months. Putting it all together in a story has been great fun. ❤

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    1. Thank you. That’s a great compliment and since you are one of my writing idols – You made my day! 😀 ❤

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    1. I found this photo on Pixabay and almost fell over. I thought it was Abby too! She has more red in her hair, but oh so close. ❤ Thanks, Sister for your support.

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  8. Wonderful, Colleen. You collected the precious rock. I love the sneak preview of your book. I had an exciting “bee” experience. My plum tree blossom earlier than any flowers in my garden. I pollinated the blossoms by hand. Eventually, I found out that the yellow flowers of the clovers attracted a lot of bees – I had an abundant harvest of plums! ❤

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        1. Oh, yes. I lived in Florida for awhile. I grew a lemon and lime tree. Great fun. That is the only thing I miss – nature. 😀 ❤

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            1. That is one thing that I miss here in Colorado. I do have a pond close by that I can walk to, so that works. I love the birds and feed them in my garden. ❤

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              1. I went to Colorado Springs for a conference. It was dry when I was there. Feeding birds is fun. I’m glad you have birds in your garden. We have a lake close by also.
                Right now I have a pair of red throat hummingbirds coming to the feeder because there aren’t flowers yet. The mourning doves came back to my backyard for the third year. I feed them and the other birds benefit from it. ❤

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                1. It’s always dry here, Miriam. 😀 I do love the location though. So much to see and do. We have perfect summers – no humidity! I have two red Polls, and a house finch that have been giving me the evil eye. We had a couple inches of snow this morning. They want me to fill their feeder. I have it on my list for this weekend. I love hummingbirds. Amazing how much we have in common. ❤

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                2. Redpolls are very cute. The red marks on their heads are darling.
                  Last years the mourning doves built the nest above the window frame outside the kitchen and had babies. They took turns to incubate. When the chicks were ready to fly, they were the size of their parents.
                  Two years ago, a pair of smaller birds built the nest on top of the trellis in the front yard. She laid 3 eggs but hatched four babies – one must be twins. Their colors were not distinctive so I couldn’t find out what kind of birds they were.
                  I’m glad to find you talking about the fun things. ❤

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                3. How cool! We had a nest underneath the porch last year. I know we had the babies for a while in the backyard. I found 5 dead finches last summer in my back. The bigger birds fight so that is always disconcerting. I’ve never seen mourning dove babies. I have see cardinal babies and they are precious. I would love to have finch babies. That would be really cool. Great talking to you about our gardens and birds. As the seasons change, I’ll share pictures of my back garden. Hugs, Miriam. ❤

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  9. Woohoo! You rock, Colleen! I love your piece of inspiration, too. Looks like quartz, pink feldspar, and black hornblende. Bees are necessary to our existence and good that you are writing out their cause in Abby’s next adventure.

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    1. LOL! You knew I had to get my rock badge first! 😂 I’m loving this flash fiction! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🌟

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    1. Thanks, Brigid. I’ve done so much research. The problem is so serious. Europe is much further ahead in preserving the bee populations than we are in the States. It’s a shame, really. My protagonist, Abby Forester, has her hands full figuring out a cure. I have a few twists that will make it a fun read. ❤

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    1. Thanks, Sis. I’m back to it soon. Must get that SOF story finished. That is top of my agenda right now. I needed your excitement. ❤

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    1. LOL! I do remember John’s green thumb. I’m doing much the same, Hugh – planting flowers so the bees come. In Colorado, in the city limits, we are allowed to have a bee gastropod (bee box for the hives). I’m not going to do that but I would love to help them as much as possible. Abby has her hands full trying to figure out how to save them but I’ve got a few twists that will knock people’s socks off! LOL! 😀

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    2. Hugh, that was a lovely bee story. I cried at the end. What an amazing lady. The meadow fairies (they are in charge of taking care of the bees and their honey) must have blessed her greatly. Thanks for thinking of me. ❤ Hugs to John and the boys. 😀

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  17. Pingback: Follow Your Dreams « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

    1. Thank you. Saving the bees is the theme of my second book. Tons of research but oh so, fulfilling. ❤

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