100 Words Challenge - September

Looks like I'm on a roll - well, I guess I have a little advantage...   

Here is my take on

Eyes

Eyes, wide with fear stared at the masked men robbing her bank. Determined to turn these monsters into people she would not glance at their weapons but looked at their eyes. Brown eyes, sparkling, dancing merrily with excitement still carried a threat of menace. Another set of brown eyes looked angry, commanding and full of expectation, next to happy blue eyes shining with an incongruous mixture of innocence and glee. The last set of eyes glared icy blue daggers, threatening violence to everyone, but she noticed them softening to friendly blue skies whenever looking at the child of her customer.

Looks like nobody is interested - but maybe it's just the holidays?



Anyway, I'll give it another try with a new set of prompts for September:




Hot   (Weather, food/drink, situation, a girl?, fever, pursuit,...)

Water   (Drink, bath, rain, river, "water under a bridge",...)

Hat   (the boy's hats, a lady's hat, hat as disguise, useful object, symbol,...)

Head(s)   (above water, coin flip, as in leader, body part, risking one's,...)

Regret   (looking back, looking forward, musing, message/sign,...)

I've had a bit of a dry spell lately, so I took a crack at this tonight. Maybe this short piece will get my writing juices flowing again. I used "head", as in, keeping a cool head.

I set it all in motion. That’s why I didn’t step in. Bilson shouted insults, hoping to make Kid angry enough to be careless. I knew that wouldn’t work on Kid.  I’ve seen Kid get mad plenty of times, but he wasn’t angry at Bilson. He just wanted Bilson dead, to avenge Seth. I did, too, but I didn’t see how to make it happen. But then, I figured it out. I told Bilson, friendly-like, lay low. Hide till we left. I knew the words to make him angry. Kid kept a cool head. Bilson didn’t. That’s why Kid won.

Meant to play sooner, so here's a catch-up using the ten words.  Hope I did this right.

Cold or hot at this point didn't matter.  The salty taste of perspiration wet his lips, but didn't satisfy.  His hat shielded his head as regret at passing by that last waterhole for a shorter route consumed him.  Days late in meeting his partner, he cursed the short-cut, and himself. 

Shaking off momentary despair before it overtook him, something pulled his eyes toward the barren horizon.  Could it be?  A figure waved.  He raised a hand.  Tired but joyful, mindful of his partner's concern, he'd quiet the questioning before it started, thankful for the imperceptible knowing across time and distance.

Thank you, I was getting really worried nobody would play with me...

There is no right or wrong. It's for playing and having fun.

I see the 100 word challenge mostly as a challenge to write something, even when no plot bunnies jump. It could be viewed as a writing exercise. For me the greatest challenge (apart from writing anything) is to reduce my gushing to 100 words...
You can chose just one prompt, or more.
Play around with one prompt and see if you can come up with completely different takes/atmospheres for it.
Write 5 separate short pieces.
Try to create a short story out of 5 short pieces, each about a different prompt.
And if you manage to combine several prompts into one piece - wow. 
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No comments are necessary, but as a thank you for being the first "takers" here are some of my thoughs.

RosieAnnieUSA: Good addition to "Smiler", even if not quite a missing scene. I like how you show that Heyes helps Kid, even if he keeps out of the conflict. By being a strategist and making sure the dangerous gunman looses his cool, his head, and the gunfight. He is worried about his partner but has full trust in his capabilities. I really like it.

Remuda: Wow - how do you do it? All ten prompts in a mini-story. And you create lots of atmosphere. But then, you are a master of densely packed writing... I particularly love "thankful for the imperceptible knowing across time and space".

I guess I better start on the new prompts myself now.

I guess I am in a bit of a mood today. But at least I got a little bit of writing done. So, here is one take on "Hat".

At first she had wanted to keep it, as a memento, a treasure, a last physical connection to him. As if she could ever forget, as if anything could be more precious than her memories of their time together, short as it had been, far too short. He was gone.
It had been so much a part of him, nobody who knew him could imagine him without it. He had loved it, hole and all. No matter how old and dusty it got, he would never replace it. So she had left his hat where it belonged, with him, forever.

A follow up to "Hat". I know it's not good, but the two pieces belong together. So, here is "Regret":

With him gone, she asked herself again: did she have any regrets? As always her answer was ‘No’. She had known from the start it could not last, not with the kind of man he was, the life he led. So she had made the most of their time together, lived it to the fullest. Others had warned her she would only get her heart broken. As if she had not known this the moment she had seen his smile. The smile that could light up a room. No, she might regret the cruelty of fate, but never loving him.

Mood improved, I tried out putting several prompts into one piece. "Hot", "Water", "Heads"

He had been looking forward to this for a long time. Steam rose from the hot surface, wafting through the small room, beckoning him closer. Gladly he obliged and stepped into the tub. A blissful smile appeared on his face as he slowly, carefully lowered his tired body into the sudsy water. As the heat seeped into his body his muscles started to relax after too many hours in the saddle and too many nights on unforgiving, cold, hard ground. A grateful, satisfied groan escaped his lips and turning his head he shared a grin with his equally submerged partner.

Hat

I gave Clem your hat. When she took it, she cried. She thought I’d want to keep it, but I said no; I’ve got your two-headed coin. Maybe now I’ll win a few bets for a change.

She wanted me to stay, but I told her it was too dangerous for her. I could never return. It was all for the best.

When I left, I looked back. She stood on the porch, clutching your beat-up old hat, tears running down her face.

Good plan, Heyes. She believes you’re dead, and I’m gone forever. She can’t ever blackmail us again.

This section needs to be resurrected.  Maybe with pictures to inspire?  As well as prompt words?