A to Z: Short Beginnings Z

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your Z word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

And thank you all who stopped by throughout the month. Z story will be posted tomorrow and don't forget to stop by during May to check in on my short story month progress and, of course, the A to Z wrap up post.

Y Story:

The first rays of light shown over the desert, revealing that Yvonne really was still in the middle of nowhere. She groaned, holding her hand over the gash in her side and again cursed the sign she'd missed about the hairpin turn, she'd also missed. The light of the morning did nothing to improve the sight of her crumpled car. Or the blood, both dried and fresh, on her shirt.

Nothing but empty road, yuccas and prickly bushes bearing yellow flowers in all directions. She wanted to scream, but it would probably just attract those yucky vultures. Instead, she stuffed the bottle of water she'd picked up the night before at a gas station into her purse along with the flashlight and lighter she kept in her glove box and struck out along the road the way she'd come.

A to Z: Short Beginnings Y

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your Y word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

X story: (ugh, X was hard! Thank you for all the suggestions so I could find a few that worked together.)

Ximena cranked up her music, glad the others in the lab had gone home so they couldn't see her singing her favorite Abba song, Xanadu into her microscope. She was just about to belt out the second verse when she caught what sounded like the door closing. Spinning around, she came face to face with Xenophon, her perpetually crotchety boss. Not that she blamed him, if her parents had named her for some ancient Greek historian that everyone had a hard time pronouncing, she'd have a chip on her shoulder too.

His eyes narrowed and his lips drew into a scowl. "What exactly are you doing, Ms. Fischer?"

She scrambled to close her music player on her laptop and return the screen to the chart she was working on. "Sorry, sir, it won't happen again."

"How is the study of the xanthium samples coming along?"

"Quite well." She zoomed in the chart, pointing at the x-axis. "See, I've isolated the genes that cause the burrs. We'll be able to pass them along to Dr. Washington for the trials tomorrow."

Ximena chewed her lip. Her stomach twisted and the muscles in her neck tensed. The few moments of relief from the music gone. "Are we doing the right thing here? I mean, what if the mutated crops get out of control? Starving our enemies is one thing, but we could be talking about an end to farming over the entire world."

A to Z: Short Beginnings X

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your X word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

W story:

Water lapped against the body washing against the beach, never quite finding purchase on the pebbled shore. Nearby, two joggers whispered. Winnie made a note to talk to them after she was done examining the body.

She peered over the windswept sand, hoping for more witnesses, but other than the wake of a speedboat that was quickly disappearing into the distance, and her partner, Pat Wiley, the joggers seemed her best hope for answers.

"Don't let them leave," she said to Pat. The sand worked its way into her shoes and ground against her knees as she bent over the dead willowy girl.

He winked. "Will do."

Winnie gritted her teeth, her new partner was far more interested flirting with her than following orders. She swore he only heard half of what she said every time she opened her mouth. "No, don't. Let. Them. Leave."

"Right." He grinned.

She swore he checked out her ass before he headed up the beach. That he'd made it through the academy was a wonder.

The girl's wooden limbs were a good indication of her time of death. Gauging by the rigor mortis and lack of bloating, she'd died overnight. The bullet hole in her chest seemed to scream that murder was involved. Winnie sighed and pulled out her phone to call for the forensics team, but the wireless signal was nonexistent out here. This was normally such a quiet town, but now she had a true whodunit on her hands.

A to Z: Short Beginnings W

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your W word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

V story (I liked this one so much that I actually finished it, but I'm only posting the opening here. Thanks for the inspiration to warm up for next month, where I attempt to write a short story every day.)

An afternoon of daydreaming amongst the wildflowers seemed the perfect way to forget about Kevin Valentine. The violets were blooming, both purple and white, which were her favorite, but each time her fingers plunged into the mass of heart-shaped leaves, she was reminded of the pain lodged deep in her chest.

She crumpled the delicate stems and threw the flowers to the ground. He thought he could sweet talk her into giving him what he wanted and then toss her aside? That villainous bastard had no idea who he was crossing.

Vanessa raised her face to the sky, gathering the summons to the winds. She rested a single finger on the vein on her neck, timing her words with the beat of her heart she felt there. Once the spell had been cast, she shed her clothes and gave a valedictory wave to the school uniform. The rumbled pile of cloth mocked her and the life she'd so desperately wanted to have, the one she'd begged her father for.

Already she could feel his begrudging gift of a human guise falling away, the soft, brown skin of her hands returning to their usual rough, grey-brown flecked with moss. Leaves sprouted in her long hair as it whipped around her face in the rising wind. Her cousins at the edge of the field swayed, murmuring of her return. Soon her father would hear and he would toss his victory in her face.

A to Z: Short Beginnings V

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your V word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

U story (wow, those were some challenging words!)

Uriah stood in the corner, feeling like an uninvited guest at his own party. The ubiquitous ukelele music Alex insisted upon wherever she went. The princess of the university had deemed his party worthy of her presence, but since the moment she'd arrived, everyone had all but forgotten he existed. His music has come to an abrupt halt as Alex had swapped out her ipod for his. His friends had turned their attention to her, showering her with unctuous conversation as if they were all so honored to be near her.

Minutes dragged into an hour and still not one person acknowledged his existence. He'd turned invisible, the friendly but ugly kid in the shadows.

Having had enough, he went to the door and grabbed his umbrella. They could have the stupid party and his roommates could clean up after Alex and her worshipers. He took one last look at the girls dancing in the living room, their faces flushed from their undulating and alcohol. They guys danced with them, drinks spilling on to couch, the carpet and each other. No one seemed to care that he was leaving. No one seemed to even notice him standing in the doorway.

Uriah slipped out of the apartment and into the hallway. He'd taken all of two steps before a loud crash sounded behind him. He dashed back into the apartment, hoping they'd not broken the couch or the table his parents had bought for him. Instead, a crowd stood still in the middle of the living room. The music sounded hollow in the room devoid of conversation. And then the first girl shrieked and the rest began to ululate.

He couldn't make out their words through all the sobbing. The guys drifted back, eyes wide, white-knuckled grasps on their red party cups.

Alex lay on the floor, face pale, blood trickling from her nose, mouth and ears. She started blankly at the ceiling, her ample chest still.