Five Words, One Story (Weekly)

[Hannelorian]

Greetings my lovelies and writers alike. As we turn our attention to RPApril, it occurs to me to take some inspiration from a beloved literary figure.

Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!” - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

While Dumbledore perhaps only had for words for the students at Hogwarts to contemplate upon a new year, here at RPA we prefer verbosity and believe a fifth word would be most appropriate. Welcome to the 2024 Edition of the Five Words, One Story challenge.

If like me, you have not participated before and are wondering what this is all about, come closer, take a seat around the fire. Settle in and I'll tell you. It is rather simple in design, deviously so. Each week we will bestow you five words. These words may be connected, they may be random, they may just be words that our ears have found so gloriously euphonious or disturbingly cacophonous that the are begging to shared with our most creative.

All you need to do is take those fives words and create a story, either using these words or simply inspired by them. What you do with this gift is entirely up to you and we cannot wait to see what you come up with!

As the week comes to an end our humble judges will read each work and determine who among the participants has done the best job for that prompt. The best part? The winners get lovely, brand new, shiny badges!

The Rules (Yes, of course there are rules)

1. On Fridays, you'll be given five random items, activities, places, etc. You must include them all in
your submission!
2. Entries must be formatted into short stories!
3. Entries may be anywhere from 500 to 1,500 words!
4. Entries must be submitted to the thread by the deadline! If you're just a little past the deadline, I'll
let it slide if you give me a gif of a pug!
5. To minimise confusion, please spoiler your entry and give it a title. Include your username, and the
week. For example: '"Hannelorian's Meadow of Madness - Week 1. Azazael”'. It doesn't have to follow that exact format, but something along those lines would be perfect!
6. Please keep thread chatter to a minimum.
7. For the sake of lightheartedness and the spirit of RPApril, please keep your entries [PG-13] or under!
8. All RPA rules apply! (Naturally)

Alright! I submitted an entry! Now what?

Entries will be voted upon by judges. They will be rated based on the following:

Grammar, spelling, etc.
How well you made the unrelated 'five things' fit together
General enjoyableness of the story
Good story structure, ie; introduction, presenting, conclusion, etc.
How original your story is (You can write a parody if you like! But the more unique your story is, the better.)


When the voting is complete, the results will be posted in this very thread!
While one week's entries are being voted upon, another week's topics might be added to the first post.

Don't worry! The results will be coming, and we haven't forgotten about you.

The Judges

Scottie

Azazeall649

Hannelorian

Miss Devil

Kiki

Without further ado, let's dive right in!

Week 1-
Deadline: Saturday 6th of April
Midnight EST
Words: Coin, Slide, Piece, Hope, Private

Week 2-
Deadline: Saturday 13th of April
Midnight EST
Words: Population, Possession, Depression, Camera, Apartment

Week 3-
Deadline: Saturday 12th of April
Midnight EST
Words: Calculation, Interrupt, Despair, Live, Bar

Week 3-
Deadline: Saturday 27th of April
Midnight EST
Words: Suffering, Hall, Height, Stale, Printer

[Hannelorian]

The new prompts are up!

Week 2-
Deadline: Saturday 13th of April
Midnight EST
Words: Population, Possession, Depression, Camera, Apartment

[Kiki]

Happy to submit a pug pic if it might help me with the deadline!

Spoiler: Chapter One - Week One - by Kiki 

Coin, Slide, Piece, Hope, Private

As the coin slipped from his hardened fingers and slid across the bar top to the grizzled looking man, Walter knew that his piece in all of this was never going to be complete.

As many nights before, he always returned to this desolate place. It was neither a private nor beautiful vista, but a spot where he always knew he could get what he was looking for - in the midst of trying - against all hope, to forget her: the bar.

Her voice, it caught in his mind, just as it had caught in her throat. To forget her was to lose her, so still her tinkling voice twirled about his mind, dashing his heart over and over and over again. And so the alcohol would be the only thing to quiet her dazzling beauty from him, to allow him just one more night rid of her, knowing that the space beside him in bed was not occupied by her. Even if there was a bedfellow for the evening after he had paid for her, it was not her. It would never be.

His heart was so mangled from when his drunken stupor would end, the hangover begin, the sunlight pricking his eyes like a stabbing that drove his loss even further into his bones. How could she make him so complete and yet so empty at the exact same time?

He would drink until they ran out. Drink until he fell asleep on the worn bar top. Drink until he could not so much as slide from his seat, as he could stumble from it, making it to the bed with the woman of the night who happened to take his money.

It happened for weeks. He never thought he would see her again.

But then, that tinkling laugher.

It could not be.

A soft hand, a quiet whisper, a brush of lips against his ear. Was he dreaming?

An eye half open, the other pinched shut, all concentration on just peering to his left, his vision blurred. The rustle of her long auburn hair. The blue of her eyes. How?

Her fingers drew his coins away from him, just as he was sliding them once again to the bar keep. He’d lost track of hours, days. He subconsciously had just waited, without waiting. He’d not broken his vow for none of the women who had stole up to his bed had actually done anything – he’d been too drunk, and asleep by the time he made it up to the door. He hadn’t intended on even trying to be with anyone else.

She drew his hand to her mouth, kissed his knuckles, hopeful eyes looking up to his, both blurred with tears and longing. “Walter. I’m back.”

He sputtered some kind of shock, unable to form words. It was not even morning and he could hardly stand. His heart immediately trying to knit itself back together, lost in the deepness of her eyes.

Soundlessly, he rose from the chair, and followed her by the hand.

[Kiki]

Spoiler: Tinfoil Hat - Week 2 - by Kiki 

Population, Possession, Depression, Camera, Apartment

I knew they were watching. I always knew.

…What? You think I’m crazy, don’t you?

……Do you seriously think that with a population of this size, they wouldn’t want to see directly in your apartment? That they don’t want to have surveillance on you? Your phone already listens to you. You already get targeted ads. Google knows where you live. What more do you think they’re not capable of? You must be joking.

Listen, whatever. You can make fun all you want, but I guarantee you, there’s a camera somewhere in your apartment. I would bet money on it.

Yeah, ha ha, pal. Get out the tinfoil and make me a hat, I guess. But I’m not the foolish one. I ain’t depressed. I just know what’s going on, and you’re all in denial.

You think the grocery store is set up that way to keep the celery fresh? Get real. They hire people, man. They know the psychology of it. They know how people think. They’d harvest our opinions if they could. Oh wait. HA. They already do!

No man, no no. I haven’t had too much tonight. I’m just tryinna talk to you, y’know whatimsayin’. It’s just a conspiracy, and just because it is, everyone thinks I’m the nutter. I just had to get out of there. I know there’s a camera on me. I know it. I know they’re watching.

What for? Man, I don’t know. I don’t know!

I just know that this life is no longer mine. It doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to them. I’m just a possession to them. I’m theirs. Sounds kinda romantic, don’t it? Psh.

I’m good to drive, yeah, thanks. Thanks for asking. I haven’t been out much but honestly with those kooks watching me, but I’m good now. Sometimes a beer helps calm the hands.

Me? No, I don’t have a plan. I just want to check my place when I get back. I gotta see if there’s any bugs to go with the cameras. I don’t know what’s so interesting about me, but there’s gotta be somethin’.

You know… I wonder if there’s camera here too, man. Have you ever checked into that, my guy? You should really check. You never know what they want, dude. Who knows, right?

Mind if I – no, seriously, just looking around. Yeah! YEAH! Look at that! RIGHT THERE DUDE.

That is definitely a camera! That is definitely a camera! Did you put tha- oh, you didn’t?! That’s so crazy, man! So so crazy!

I’m telling you man, they’re everywhere. We’re just objects to them. Like a purse. Just a possession. They own us. They watch us, like a goddamn goldfish. Like a pet. We’re just nobodies and yet they want to know us. They do their best to know us.

Yeah, well, man, I should get out of here. This is freaking me out. They’re probably tailing me.

What do I owe ya? Yeah, man no problem.

Same time next week.