In the silken embrace of dusk—a solitary firefly drifted with languid grace; its pulsing glow: a mesmerizing dance against the deepening night... whispering secrets with each deliberate flicker (a gentle reminder to breathe and savor the luxurious stretch of time) perfumed by gardenia, as the weight of unspoken desires lifted in this quiet moment of serene clarity—the firefly's light a beckoning guide to a place where indulgence faded to memory and contentment became a soft, enduring glow; illuminating profound truths and beauty found in life's simplest pleasures—a symphony of light amidst the rush of existence!
When I ponder temperance, intemperance and Aunt Bena (Sabina) comes to mind. Temperance Union leader in Canada during the 1920s, she continued decades beyond U.S. prohibition. Sturdy stern Lutheran, longest serving post-mistress in Canada (ran Outram, SK Post Office for decades), married a Watkins products traveling salesman, Bena had five ‘temperate’ children. One became a Lutheran college president (longest serving college president in Canada.) Her 11 siblings, included my alcoholic dad. He recovered. I became a drunk in my 30s too, now sober 36 years. Temperance has touched our family; it’s good in moderation, but ruins lives, according to Bena.
Thanks - I've had plenty of practice - 100 words is my sweet spot. For 300 weeks I've been publishing a 'Monday Morning Minute' ... a 'thought starter' I began as a marketing tool - it hasn't brought much business, but in 300 weeks it's grown to 31,917 (just checked) currently - so I'm something right; it's been here on Substack since March 2023 (24,200 then) so I think the broader audience on Substack/backend tools have helped. The archive is at: https://markkolke.substack.com/archive?sort=new . Also, of any of your readers are interested, to celebrate the 300th week, I recently published: What became of 100 words? https://markmusing.substack.com/p/what-became-of-100-words / All the best - I enjoy what you do and I'm glad to chip in with a contribution now and then. Cheers, Mark
Ooh, baby! Do I have stories! Kidding. I have a dark microfiction piece that I'll post on Saturday, and I’m working on a women warrior fantasy that I’ll post at the beginning of July.
Two brilliantly contrasting stories, Caro 👍🏼
I’ll need to see what I can come up with 😁
Firefly Reverie
In the silken embrace of dusk—a solitary firefly drifted with languid grace; its pulsing glow: a mesmerizing dance against the deepening night... whispering secrets with each deliberate flicker (a gentle reminder to breathe and savor the luxurious stretch of time) perfumed by gardenia, as the weight of unspoken desires lifted in this quiet moment of serene clarity—the firefly's light a beckoning guide to a place where indulgence faded to memory and contentment became a soft, enduring glow; illuminating profound truths and beauty found in life's simplest pleasures—a symphony of light amidst the rush of existence!
Lovely! …to breathe and savor the luxurious stretch of time. Exquisite!
( ˘ ³˘)♥︎ thank you, Caro
limped languid lascivious lyrical lovely - fiery indeedy!
I hear the tinkling of laughter. Thank you, Mark.
it's spelled tickle
noun
Definition (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : a series of short high ringing or clinking sounds
2 : a jingling effect in verse or prose
When I ponder temperance, intemperance and Aunt Bena (Sabina) comes to mind. Temperance Union leader in Canada during the 1920s, she continued decades beyond U.S. prohibition. Sturdy stern Lutheran, longest serving post-mistress in Canada (ran Outram, SK Post Office for decades), married a Watkins products traveling salesman, Bena had five ‘temperate’ children. One became a Lutheran college president (longest serving college president in Canada.) Her 11 siblings, included my alcoholic dad. He recovered. I became a drunk in my 30s too, now sober 36 years. Temperance has touched our family; it’s good in moderation, but ruins lives, according to Bena.
Lovely. Perfect storytelling.
Great story, Mark!
Thanks - I've had plenty of practice - 100 words is my sweet spot. For 300 weeks I've been publishing a 'Monday Morning Minute' ... a 'thought starter' I began as a marketing tool - it hasn't brought much business, but in 300 weeks it's grown to 31,917 (just checked) currently - so I'm something right; it's been here on Substack since March 2023 (24,200 then) so I think the broader audience on Substack/backend tools have helped. The archive is at: https://markkolke.substack.com/archive?sort=new . Also, of any of your readers are interested, to celebrate the 300th week, I recently published: What became of 100 words? https://markmusing.substack.com/p/what-became-of-100-words / All the best - I enjoy what you do and I'm glad to chip in with a contribution now and then. Cheers, Mark
Caro, your stories leave me craving more.
Ooh, baby! Do I have stories! Kidding. I have a dark microfiction piece that I'll post on Saturday, and I’m working on a women warrior fantasy that I’ll post at the beginning of July.
eeerrrr …. You know I’m into this world BIGTIME
https://open.substack.com/pub/gloriahortonyoung/p/lets-talk-about-sex-faeries-and-thunderbolts?r=a4vn&utm_medium=ios
Can’t hardly wait for July …
Whoa! I have "A Court of Thorns and Roses" on my book list. My little story doesn’t have the romance element, but who knows where I will go with it.