The Frightening Unmasking

If you missed this morning’s prompts post, I’m responding to Behind the Masks.

For today’s images I made two new mask filters and took them to the mirrorworld. Since the rain has come, I think it’s time to revamp the mirrorworld specifically for the season.

OctPoWriMo 2023: Facing Our Fears

Over at dVerse Poets Pub today’s Poetics prompt is soup. When I opened the post to read the prompt I had just sat down with a hot bowl of lentil and zucchini soup for lunch. Let’s see if I can write a Tongue Twister about what the person I’m afraid of would never say about soup. 🎃

He Never Invites Me for Soup or Says

Soups on!
Come in, sit down
Soup split and spooned
soothes and spreads
but soup spilt sprays
and soon spoils
It’s special: I sprouted the spelt
but speeches spoil soup’s splendor
and the speaker’s spent spleen
Spoon?

Writober 2023

Logline: A man with a splitting headache learns that fantasies aren’t meant to be realities.

Here’s the opening of my flash fiction “Survival of the Species”:

I had had a terrible headache ever since it felt like a bug flew in my ear the other day. I imagined mosquito larvae wriggling around in there, or my brain being turned into a wasp’s nest. I was also having trouble sleeping which didn’t help; every time I closed my eyes I saw other-worldly images with bodies all over rocky landscapes. I woke up sweating and scared. I was out of Advil and about to go to the doctor when I heard the voice.

“Don’t be afraid,” I heard in my own head. “This is only temporary. I am not here to hurt you.”

“Well you are,” I shouted. “Get out of my head.”

“I apologize, and will very soon. But I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course you do. I’m not killing anybody or anything, no matter what you say.”

“No. No. Nothing like that. All I need you to do is imagine the human you would most like to mate with.”

“What? That’s none of your business. And did you say human?”

But of course, the image had already flashed in my mind. Is that why my head hurt so much? Some alien creature had been trying to access certain thoughts, but couldn’t. I guess that’s slightly reassuring in some weird way.  But then, my eyes opened very wide as by remote control.

Time to Take off your Masks!