In the Belly of the Beast, #99-word story

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted in99 Word StoriesTags:, , ,

The Carrot Ranch April 10, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about “the old lady and the beast.” What does age have to say about the story? Who is the beast and why? Go where the prompt leads!

Submit by April 15, 2023. Please use the form on the post if you want to be published in the weekly collection. The Collection publishes on the Wednesday following the next Challenge. Stories must be 99 words. Rules & Guidelines.

Photo by Kat Smith on Pexels.com

The old woman crouched in the corner of the room. She felt the hot breath of the beast on the back of her neck.

His pursuit of her never wavered. She’d been running for so long. Nights were the worst. That’s when she understood there was no mercy from the decisions she’d made when she was young. Now, she was tired and desired peace.

“Beast, leave me!”

Silence. She stayed in the safety of the corner.

When the alarm sounded, she relaxed. The heavy barred prison doors rolled open.

“Line up for chow,” yelled the guard.

Another day began.

Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

28 thoughts on “In the Belly of the Beast, #99-word story”

  2. One of my brothers, currently in year 7 of his 25 years-to-life murder sentence could relate to this , I’m sure. I can, too, but not as intently. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. These flash fiction pieces are like poetry to me… they give a quick story that captures a few moments in time. If you’re wondering, I feel like I did a good job. LOL!

      Like

  10. Pingback: Old Lady & the Beast Collection « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

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