Five minute free write - Artichoke

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This is not an artichoke

So, was a bit busy this morning and not in the mood to write.

Lot's of stuff was going down. The prompt, ARTICHOKE for @mariannewest's Five minute free write threw me for a bit of a loop. The day progressed, and I let ideas percolate. When I got home tonight from a really busy day I had an unexpected idea. It was a bit of a sidestep to what an artichoke is...but, since it's my free write I decided to run with it :)

Like I said, it's been a long day, so, hope you enjoy my minds meanderings...

The sky shone bright every couple moments.

Pinpoints exploding into stars breaking into the nights darkness. The ratatatat of lead being thrown through the air filling the quiet gaps.

The young man sat, gun cradled in his lap, back to rough muddy earth. indistinguishable from another who sat to his left, and to his right, he held something close to his face.

Smeared with mud, the smile still shone like the sun at him.

His darling love. So cute and so far away. It had all happened so quick and now here he was.

The trench brightened and darkened in the fast cycles of boom and hush, boom and hush. He could hear a few crying, faces hidden by helmets and hands. One man at the end of the line crouched, reaching his face carefully over the edge above.

A brave leader, the young man thought.

Not like him. All he wanted to do was get back home. To his wife. To his life. A job with his dad selling cars at the dealer at the end of the block.

A shout from the crouched man.

Figures in the murky black creeping towards them. The young mans shoulders tensed, fear putting his body into a fierce shiver. It was now! His brain scrambled for what to do.

Then a soft thump and his eyes glanced down. An orange sized artichoke shaped device lay there. Nubby, fuse shortening quickly.

That was a bit of fun for me, and no idea where the idea came from. A young man, at war, wishing he was home, then, a moment where...well, not quite sure. Did he survive? Did he perish? Dang five minute timer on The most dangerous writing app

No deep thoughts on this one or anything. Maybe it's my subconscious thinking about the potential war with North Korea or other coming conflicts...sigh

Hope everyone's having a great day/night!
Michael

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deaconlee (59) · 7 years ago

That's a thump that I'd rather not hear and an object that I don't ever want to see! 😮

$0.00

mikesthoughts (58) · 7 years ago

Soldiers worst nightmare...gotta wonder if he lived or not...

Maybe it was a dud and the enemy thought him to be protected by a powerful god, so they were afraid to try and hurt him and they just let him go. 😎

westley-nash (42) · 7 years ago

That was really awesome stuff :-) I like the analogy of the artichoke to the bomb/grenade. You seem to capture a lot of activity in a short piece, the trench is actually alive :-)

Thanks! Wrote this just before going to bed so wasn't sure if it made sense, hehe.

1 vote

Made perfect sense to me sir :-) A WW1 trench warfare scene down to a T.

Had an episode of I think it was Twilight Zone in my head...or at least that kinda vibe :)

byn (63) · 7 years ago

Holy crap. That was unexpected and left me feeling really stressed about that "artichoke" Great writing! I love it when a writing prompt takes me somewhere unexpected!

Also, I'm here to deliver today's prompt as well Daily Prompt #140

Woohoo! Hehe, thanks for dropping by :) Ready thinking about what to write for the next promos: GROCERY LIST.

leeart (67) · 7 years ago

I hope he woke up from that bad dream. It was all a dream, yes? He was weary and no sleep at all. Now I don't know what's worse - the dream or the nightmare he is in.

Maaayybbeee. Or maybe the next moment of consciousness he had was chatting with a man in front of a pearly gate. Muwuahaha :)

I think that would be better then. Enough will all the bad things happening :)