29 March, 2021

Under the Full Moon

In anticipation of my #AtoZChallenge of Flash Fiction, I am getting myself ready by finding or creating random prompts. In this case I chose last night's "full moon" as a prompt. I hope you'll come back in April to offer a prompt of your own. 

They met under the full moon, the three friends. They did it every month, twice in a lucky month with a Blue Moon.

Each of them, from their separate homes in different parts of town, left quietly out the back door so as not to disturb their sleeping family. Well, maybe not so much "sleeping" as relaxing in front of a TV. The people of the town knew nothing of this small coven that had grown up under their own noses. No one would even guess these three associated with each other, they were so different.

They met under the full moon, between the trees in the nearest thing to a forest that existed in their town. The nature reserve was easily accessible after dark, thanks to some lax fence repair a few years back. Soon after finding the breach in the fence, Adelin had discovered a perfect clearing near the top of the small rise, and used to come here as a respite from home life. She was good at finding herbs, and had even learned to name them in the code of the grimoire she had discovered in a thrift shop before ever moving here.

Now, she led her two unlikely sisters as they chanted under the moon, hoping to imbue their potions with extra power. They were a fledgling coven, still experimenting with what their concoctions would do. After the chanting, each would discuss success or failure in the past moon cycle.

"No dice on that bad luck potion I tried," complained Thea - her coven name, because she thought Tiffany sounded too prosaic. "Laura hasn't so much as stubbed a toe that I know of."

The others made sympathetic noises. The animosity between the two frenemies was palpable at Bridgeton High where the girls all went to school.

"I think my insecurity potion might be working on the step-bitch," was Cat's good news of the night, and she reminded them how she made it, and what made her think her stepmother was being affected. "Can we add it to our grimoire?"

It was the one night all three looked forward to. Was it real? They all acted like it was, and relished the time together more than the regular boring days of high school. Only time would tell whether any of them had what Adelin referred to as "the gift".

During April's #AtoZChallenge, I'll use prompts from readers as much as possible to inspire these flash fiction stories. This prompt came from my own mind last night as I watched the moon rise. I will always give credit where credit is due, with a link to the blogger with the prompt. Hope to see you then! 

(Or now. I am building a repertoire of prompts in advance, too.)

6 comments:

  1. I would love this as a full novel. Those three. Do they know each other at school? Or do they pretend not to know each other? I can picture one as a cheerleader who doesn't quite fit in with the pretty crowd. And one who is brilliant. (You need three for a coven. Two make an argument. Apologies to Terry Pratchett.)

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    1. Yes, I think these three know each other. I think Adelin found the place first and has the grimoire, but I'm not sure how she got Thea and Cat to meet her there. Because they definitely do not run in the same circles at school!

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  2. I like this one. Maybe in the future they could encounter someone who they suspect REALLY DOES have the gift. A teaching intern, perhaps, who will only be there for a few months and they have to convince her to help them.

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    1. I think Adelin has the gift but it's untrained, maybe through an ancestor? There may be a history there, since she's the late arrival to town. Why did her family move in the first place? Hmm...

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  3. Nice one! Makes me want to know more about the three!
    Looking forward to your April posts. I too am there. Take care.

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    1. Thanks Pradeep! I enjoyed your stories last April. I'll be sure to follow you.

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