The bloody battle had been raging for hours. The king and queen stood next to their castle and they knew it was hopeless, they knew this war was lost, and their only hope lay in the few brave soldiers they had left at their command. The king ordered his fearless knights to attack. The distraction worked, his castle pounced. Checkmate!
We lie on our backs in the rough hollow we rolled in the sweet smelling fresh hay meadow. We hold hands enjoying the bliss of young love. We gaze upwards challenging each other to see wilder and wilder shapes in the white fluffy clouds. We share our dreams, our expectations, our bodies and our castles in the air.
I once freaked out my bullies when they'd all surrounded me and started teasing me mercilessly - I finally snapped and started screaming all kinds of weird stuff at them like a banshee. They all backed away from me, while one girl muttered, "Oh my God, she's just like Carrie!" I didn't realize it at the time, but Stephen King saved my life... apparently the movie had just come out, but I didn't know because my family couldn't afford movies. One of my friends explained it to me and I must admit that I took great glee in reading the book, once I'd managed to find it. Stephen King is my hero! And once in a while, real life bullies are terrorized... 👹
A great loch lay before the ruins at Lochindorb, stretching its dark waters across the land like a disease. Once sturdy walls kept its frail lord safe from man and beast. But time ground slow, working its cruel hand upon the rock, until it sat abandoned by the world.
"Jess?Jess!" Jessie awoke to see her math tutor scowling at the fanciful doodles on her worksheet. The blissful joy slowly dissipated as her daydreams melted away, dumping her back into boring real life.
"You can't live in your castles in the air forever," her tutor remonstrated.
"But it's always there for a little R&R," Jessie sighed, resuming her math work.
My husband had left two years before on a Crusade to the Holy Land. At nineteen, knowing nothing of battle, it fell to me to defend the castle when Black Robert and his brigands rode up to the gates.
"We are surrounded, m'lady," my steward said. "Shall I hoist the white flag?"
A playful breeze rustled through the fields, carrying scents of roasting meat and baking bread, of wood smoke and animal dung and pine perfume. In the shadow of the castle we were safe. The Bartoleans threatened the Faroff, but never dared approach Marcus’s fortress. He was generous, kind. We were willing to die for him, and the Bartoleans knew it.
“Castling. Actually, it’s called a Kingside Castle. If you go the other way, it’s a Queenside Castle. Just because you don’t know it, doesn't mean it’s not in the rules. It’s the same as en passant. Do you know what that is?”
I haven't played in years, but I remember when my Dad did that to me the first time and I told him he was cheating. I think I might've been ten? Yeah, that didn't go over too well, him having played all his life, and being in chess clubs, being called a cheater by some ten year old brat.
The castle withstood the siege for months. The trebuchets pounded the walls, tossing huge boulders into the ramparts yet they didn’t fall. The sentries on the walls are mysteriously invincible to the attacking archers, seemingly unmoved by the lofted arrows. Finally, a wall is breached, revealing that the Black Death had taken everyone within its walls months earlier.
The bloody battle had been raging for hours. The king and queen stood next to their castle and they knew it was hopeless, they knew this war was lost, and their only hope lay in the few brave soldiers they had left at their command. The king ordered his fearless knights to attack. The distraction worked, his castle pounced. Checkmate!
It's Just a Game, or 60 mg of a castle
“Raise the drawbridge!”
The castle guard calls out in his reedy voice. "Little brat," I growl under my breath as I run towards him, but I’m not fast enough. So I jump.
The river is calm beneath me as I soar, until my knees crash onto the muddy bank. I hold back tears as my brother and his friends laugh.
Another busy day! Just made it
============================================
Castle - 60mg
We lie on our backs in the rough hollow we rolled in the sweet smelling fresh hay meadow. We hold hands enjoying the bliss of young love. We gaze upwards challenging each other to see wilder and wilder shapes in the white fluffy clouds. We share our dreams, our expectations, our bodies and our castles in the air.
Microfiction - 60mg of a Castle
===
‘Have you been to the haunted castle?’ The bullies asked.
She was surrendered in the school's backyard.
Her bag was ransacked, and her diary was seized.
She watched in horror as they opened it.
It's a split second to decide. She must not let her writings be exposed.
'I live there!'
Everybody froze. Her diary was dropped to the ground.
Brilliant retort. I bet there's a few of us wish we'd thought of something like that at some point in our lives :)
In real life, ideas vaporized during critical moments...
I once freaked out my bullies when they'd all surrounded me and started teasing me mercilessly - I finally snapped and started screaming all kinds of weird stuff at them like a banshee. They all backed away from me, while one girl muttered, "Oh my God, she's just like Carrie!" I didn't realize it at the time, but Stephen King saved my life... apparently the movie had just come out, but I didn't know because my family couldn't afford movies. One of my friends explained it to me and I must admit that I took great glee in reading the book, once I'd managed to find it. Stephen King is my hero! And once in a while, real life bullies are terrorized... 👹
Very intriguing story Jeannine. Stephen King would be delighted to know that he helped you scaring away the bullies ;).
Mind Your Language (60mg)
He was irritatingly confident.
“No man is a castle”, he declared.
She bristled. “Island”.
He blustered loudly, turning heads in the quiet restaurant.
“No man is an island”, she offered, a weary edge to her tone.
He was in a huff now, needing to retreat to safety. He got up to leave. “I’m off. An Englishman’s home is his island”.
Made me chuckle
I’m so glad!
Love it!
Can never resist a play on words!
"Shhhhhh, Mommy. The princess is sleeping."
"Okay, sweetheart. But I have to clean the other side of the playroom."
"But that's the other side of the castle. The monsters are there!"
"I'll sweep the monsters away, singing."
Caryn picked up the crayons and cars from the other side of the playroom, smiling at the girl whose imagination made everything magical.
PROMPT: CASTLE
THE CASTLE
The castle was an imposing sight.
Standing tall, with its ramparts and turrets.
But they were confident it could be conquered.
With luck on their side, it’d take two or three strikes.
Four, at the most.
And then they could move on to the next hole on the minigolf course… ⛳😎⛳
60mg of castle.
A great loch lay before the ruins at Lochindorb, stretching its dark waters across the land like a disease. Once sturdy walls kept its frail lord safe from man and beast. But time ground slow, working its cruel hand upon the rock, until it sat abandoned by the world.
No one comes, no one cares.
"Jess?Jess!" Jessie awoke to see her math tutor scowling at the fanciful doodles on her worksheet. The blissful joy slowly dissipated as her daydreams melted away, dumping her back into boring real life.
"You can't live in your castles in the air forever," her tutor remonstrated.
"But it's always there for a little R&R," Jessie sighed, resuming her math work.
An Autobiography of Yesterday:
FREE SANDWICHES screamed corporate.
"Everyone come in early," I texted and texted.
They assailed our walls like sardines. Saw lines an hour on and dove into the breach.
We defended with bread, and mayo. We slung tomato, lettuce, and withstood a hail of complaints that sandwich #99 of 350 was 5 minutes late.
Until sundown. We held the walls.
“That show with the castle.”
“Game of Thrones?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And I liked it.”
“So?”
“So I thought it would suck.”
“It did suck.”
“At the end.”
“Affirmative.”
“What a gyp.”
“You can’t say that. It’s a slur.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.”
“Seriously. The Roma. They’re marginalized.”
“So I shouldn’t name my new dog Gypsy?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“Jesus.”
“Jesus works.”
The last bastion
On the hill above the sea,
its wall rise sheer, and wreathed with gulls,
the castle squats a thousand years.
A thousand years of waves that break
against the cliff where puffins fly,
and no one comes, no friend no foe.
The pikemen dead, the cannons mute,
the keep stands square beneath the sky,
waiting to die.
CASTLE (60)
My husband had left two years before on a Crusade to the Holy Land. At nineteen, knowing nothing of battle, it fell to me to defend the castle when Black Robert and his brigands rode up to the gates.
"We are surrounded, m'lady," my steward said. "Shall I hoist the white flag?"
"Never," I told him. "Prepare the boiling oil!"
Yay! Go girl!
A playful breeze rustled through the fields, carrying scents of roasting meat and baking bread, of wood smoke and animal dung and pine perfume. In the shadow of the castle we were safe. The Bartoleans threatened the Faroff, but never dared approach Marcus’s fortress. He was generous, kind. We were willing to die for him, and the Bartoleans knew it.
Glad to have caught this early.
“You can’t do that! What’s that called?”
“Castling. Actually, it’s called a Kingside Castle. If you go the other way, it’s a Queenside Castle. Just because you don’t know it, doesn't mean it’s not in the rules. It’s the same as en passant. Do you know what that is?”
“Should I?”
“Well, if you want to play chess, you should.”
En passant took me a long time to get 😂 and before I started playing often I had no idea castling is like every game thing that happens.
And also this exact scenario happened with my little nephew when I played chess him once. So thank you for sparking that memory!
I haven't played in years, but I remember when my Dad did that to me the first time and I told him he was cheating. I think I might've been ten? Yeah, that didn't go over too well, him having played all his life, and being in chess clubs, being called a cheater by some ten year old brat.
A 60 Mg of Castle
The castle withstood the siege for months. The trebuchets pounded the walls, tossing huge boulders into the ramparts yet they didn’t fall. The sentries on the walls are mysteriously invincible to the attacking archers, seemingly unmoved by the lofted arrows. Finally, a wall is breached, revealing that the Black Death had taken everyone within its walls months earlier.
Cursed Victory!