George, the miller’s son, waited at the waterfall for the blue sprite to appear. He was sure she would be able to help him, or so the legends said.
As the sun finally crept behind the hill, dusk invited the first fireflies. George watched them with a sense of wonder, yet he also began to feel anxious. The fireflies danced in the air like yellow sparks, entrancing him. He did not know how much time had passed when he finally noticed one of the sparks was blue. He watched intently as the little blue light flashed and weaved about in the air.
With some trepidation, he asked in a soft and respectful tone, “Are you the blue sprite? I need your wisdom.”
A soft, feminine voice, barely audible over the sound of trickling water, answered, “I am she, but I must warn you that the help you seek is not always the help you get. Men are foolish in this way. If you ask anything of me, you must accept that what I advise will be for the best, even if it seems opposite your heart’s desire.”
George bit his lip. How could there be any help but for the money to pay the landlord?
Welcome to the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture and the written prompt above. Do not include the prompt in your entry. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.
Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.
Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. No political or religious entries, please.
On Tuesday night, judges will select the strongest entries, and on Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll so they may choose the winner. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.
On Saturday morning, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Then, at year end, the winners will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!
Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms. Please note the rule changes for 2015.
The Landfall Essay Competition, sponsored by Otago University Press, is now accepting submissions. The purpose of the competition is to encourage New Zealand writers to think aloud about New Zealand culture, and to revive and sustain the tradition of vivid, contentious and creative essay writing. Essays should be unpublished, fully developed, independent works and no more than 6000 words long.