When they sleep at night...

...I sometimes stay awake. And the result of such sleepless nights is what you're about to see. :)
I just realized, during the past few weeks I haven't blogged anything but my weekly writing exercises. Well, today I have something different for you.
The girl in the picture is a playable character (Azure Fang) from the game Naruto Online which I have been playing for a while. And as usual I used SAI to draw and colour the picture.

Writing Exercise 112

This week I started early. So I already have a new exercise for you. :)
This double drabble is another prompt my a member of the Dead Pete Society. Enjoy!

2018/01/29 – “I swear there was a body in this coffin. You have to help me find it!” (double drabble)

“I swear there was a body in this coffin. You have to help me find it!” a protagonist in an old movie exclaims as he agitatedly wrings his hands. How I have ended up watching this movie I'll never know. But these are the wondrous ways of youtube. I remember looking for the stunning soundtrack to an anime I watched a while ago. And as I click through the suggestions at the sidebar I see so many different things. Somewhere in between playthrough videos of games I might want to play and breathtakingly beautiful speed draw recordings, which I can only gape at in awe, I watch an old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing scene and remember how much I liked to dance... And now I'm somehow rapt in a rather comical funeral story about this disappeared corpse. As I watch the characters stumble through the search of the body all the while trying to cover up the mess, I shake my head at myself. That movie is totally not what I had come for and yet I find myself watching it. Indeed, you never know where you end up browsing youtube. It's always a fun, but weird journey.

Writing Exercise 111

Today I have another writing exercise for you. Again I was prompted by a member of the Dead Pete Society, but this time I chose to write a drabble.
Here it is: 

2018/01/28 – You’ve always wondered why your brother was never in your family photos; today you found out why (drabble)

Saya liked to look at photos. They always looked fun, as if the people in them had a good time.

But she had always wondered why her brother Lyr was never in her family photos. There were photos of her parents, of her grandparents, of her aunts and uncles and cousins, but never him. Even in the more recent photos – those of her as a baby – Lyr was never to be seen. But finally today was the day when she found out why!

“Now look into the camera and smile,” Lyr said. It was him who took all the photos.

Writing Exercise 110

110 writing exercises already! Time sure flew by fast.
This week I was prompted by a member of the Dead Pete Society, but it took me all week to complete the prompt. Here it is:

2018/01/21 – Write about someone you hate who is in love with you

On a remote island, far from any civilisation, there lived a savage tribe. Their village was situated at the shore, a neat cluster of stilt houses. Most of the inhabitants were fishermen. Every morning they sailed with their little cockleshells to the nearby reef to fish. Zath was one of them. Even before sunrise he would get up, load his net and sail to his favourite fishing spot.

But he was not alone there. Every day he would try to outdo his neighbour Leann as they squabbled over who caught the biggest or most fish. Their rivalry dated to their youth, and they hated each other with a passion. Not one day passed when they wouldn't at least throw insults. It hadn't always been like that. Zath remembered a time when they had played together as kids, when they were inseparable and the best of friends. But somewhere sometime something had gone terribly awry. Yet Zath couldn't even remember the trigger incident of their broken friendship. He wondered if Leann did. But it mattered not. There was no way back now. Their fronts were hardened, their words bitter and spiteful.

But they wouldn't go as far as messing with their boats or nets; they were honourable fishermen. So Zath trusted Leann when he suddenly shouted: “Sharks! Pull in your net!” And while he hauled in the load of thrashing fish he heard a splash. Zath turned around. Leann's boat rocked back and forth on the waves. But where was Leann?

A shadow glided beneath Zath's boat. Without a second thought Zath grabbed his spear and jumped into the cool water, dove and searched for Leann. He saw three sharks lurking about and circling, and between them there drifted his rival. With two, three strong strokes Zath hurried there and thrust his spear at the sharks to shoo them away from Leann's body. A cloud of red surrounded the body and Zath didn't know how much longer he could fend off the sharks. He had to get the both of them out of there immediately! So he grabbed Leann by the midriff and dragged him to the surface, where he perceive the hulk of his boat. And once they broke through the surface and Zath drew in huge gulps of air he hauled Leann's body into his boat then climbed after him. Panting hard he lay on the planks. Then he remembered the blood.

“Leann! You alright?” He heaved himself up and examined the body. There was so much blood and Zath could see Leann had several bite marks; chunks of meat were missing. “Leann! Stay with me. I'll get you to our shaman as fast as I can,” he promised and was about to trim the sail when Leann grabbed his arm and groaned. “Zath,” he rasped, “never mind. We're too far out, aren't we? You won't make it… I… won't make it.” Zath shook his head, looked back to the small black dots at the horizon where their village lay. Leann was probably right, but he didn't want to acknowledge that.

Leann tugged at his arm until he grasped his hand and squeezed it. “Listen, man, let me...let me say this at least for once in my life,” Leann murmured laboriously, “you know, I never really hated you, Zath. The truth is… the truth is I love you. Always have.” Zath's eyes went wide with disbelief. “What?!” he exclaimed. This couldn't be true, could it? Zath was shocked. Leann closed his eyes, smiling, never to open them again.

As Zath sailed home as fast as he could, the body of his rival tucked between the planks and the net full of fish, his mind was in utter turmoil. There was so much left unsaid, so much said which couldn't be undone. But most of all he was upset and confused by Leann's last words. For years he'd thought Leann hated him. Yet, whatever he would have answered if he ever figured out what he felt for his rival, his long lost friend, it would remain unheard. And there would hardly be any closure to the rift between them.

Writing Exercise 109

This week I wrote a story about something that happened back in 2010 or 2011 -- I don't remember exactly, but it has to be around that time. And I only just remembered it because of something I read the other day. As it is quite unusual, I'm curious what you think of it.

2018/01/13 – supernatural

I once had a panther-black car, which I lovingly called 'my Kitty'. She was a fine, old car and I loved to drive her. She had personality, she really had. I would pat and rub the steering wheel gently and talk to Kitty as if she was a real person when I fired her up, and she would purr in response. If I hadn't done so, she might not have started at all. Kitty was a lady and wanted to be treated as such. And she saved my life.

One slightly misty day I was driving home humming a happy little tune. The radio was switched off as I usually don't like what they played. So I was well surprised when the display of the radio turned on and letters flashed on the screen. 'ATTENTION' it read, and after a while the message changed to 'DANGER', then turned off again as if it never were. The mist was getting thicker. At first I thought this was but my imagination. But it unsettled me. Time and again I blinked at the screen, and after a while it turned on again. 'ATTENTION' and 'DANGER' I read. A little scared and confused I slowed down a little but kept on driving. Another car zinged by on the left lane, much faster than the speed limit. The mist swallowed it within seconds. The message on the radio display flashed a third time. Then suddenly I saw it, and instantly I braked hard. My car slowed down enough so I could swerve. Because there was the other car which had caused an accident and blocked one of the lanes. A little shaken I continued my way home, but the display stayed turned off after that. And had I not slowed down before, I would have crashed right into the other car and might have died. So… was I imagining things, or had Kitty really saved me? I like to think that she had.

Writing Exercise 108

Happy New Year, everyone.
This is the first writing exercise in 2018. At first I wanted to write a drabble, but then I noticed that, if structured differently, it becomes a poem. So here you have my first drabble-poem:

2018/01/05 – good intentions (drabble-poem)

You might have had a bunch of good intentions,

Goals to achieve,

When the old year was on the brink of dawn

And fiery flowers illuminated the sky.

Have you had any opportunity

To make them more

Than just good intentions yet?

Have you taken the first steps

Towards the road you laid out before you

A few days ago?

There's only so many tomorrows and laters.

The time is now

To be true to your word,

And your promises to yourself.

Don't hesitate!

Make the most of today

And keep your intentions in mind,

So they may come true.