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Carrot Ranch Tales
I am a regular contributor at Carrot Ranch Literary where Charli Mills offers a weekly prompt to anyone who wants to participate. We write 99 words, no more, no less, flash fiction stories. Each October we "Rodeo" meaning the prompts are more challenging, specific, and often have twists to them. They are meant to stretch our writing chops and make us, the authors, get out of our comfort zones to try something different.
Also in 2020, The Loss of Innocence received an honorable mention in the category "Wanted Alive." We were shown a Wanted Poster that looked like the person wanted had been drawn by a child and told to write a 99-word flash based on the poster.
The Loss of Innocence
by Sue Spitulnik
Cleaning out my parents' house I found a poster I had made when I was little. The caption said, "Wanted, Alive Not Dead." It was my Dad I wanted alive. He was a cop, and being too young to understand I thought he was dangerous, not his job. I remember him coming home in uniform and saying, "Reach for it, Mister." I would put both arms up in the air, he would grab me around the middle, swoop me off the floor, and then hug me as if he might never see me again.
Finally, I understand his actions.
In the 2020 Rodeo, Walking the Canal Path received an honorable mention in the category, write a three-act story that includes six words from the song "Git Along Little Doggies." The six words I used are in bold letters.
Walking the Canal Path
by Sue Spitulnik
I was a-walking one morning for pleasure
along the paved canal trail
when in dog poop I stepped
made me madder'n hell
but I scraped off my shoe
continued walking along
admiring gold and rust-colored leaves
wonderin' why so many had changed
and yet some were still green
soon coming towards me
was a man and his dog
the man carried a blue bag full
of the dog's smelly droppings
I stopped them to say thanks
for being so neat and tidy
then I stepped aside
to get out of their way
and went splashing into the canal
Shit
In 2019 He Had Kind Eyes received an honorable mention in the category of Sound and Fury...write a story about something dangerous someone does on purpose… be sure to include the five senses.
He Had Kind Eyes
by Sue Spitulnik
The bartender told the tarted-up woman, "There's a rule; the boss gets first dibs on any strange and then they share?"
She stayed, sipping whiskey a little too fast. The Harleys roared in.
The group entered. The noise level tripled. They eyed her until she ordered another. A man smelling of leather, and aftershave paid; took proprietorship. Soon walked her out.
In the quiet night, he said, "Your perfume smells like fear. What do you want?"
Tears formed. "To prove I'm not a mouse."
He kissed her like no other had. "Go home. You proved it to me."
