The Tea – A Flash Fiction

 

“The Dreams In Which I’m Dyin'” by Samantha Aplin 

 

“Soon”, she said to the impatient child, stirring the tea, the clouds of steam rising above the slightly cracked cup, slowly allowing the brew of roots to cool to a consumable temperature.
She tried not to frown, her eyes filled with a sorrowful smile as she nodded reassuringly at the little one.
This would have to make due for now, no breakfast available to fill their empty stomachs, but at least, the heat the tea brought would allow them to move about in the bitter cold.
For a moment, a flicker of despair rushed across her face, but she caught herself, adjusting it back to the well-practiced facade she had worn now far too long.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

The above image is by the talented Samantha Aplin and is available on RedBubble. Please support independent artists, thank you.

The flash fiction was inspired by Lillie McFerrin’s flash fiction prompt “Steam”, and the #1word blog hop prompt “Soon”.

Progress – More Than A Haiku

 

Progress 

 

feels like standing still
yet I am fast enough to
arrive in due time

Sometimes it feels like there is no progress toward our goals, no matter how many actions we take. We wrote a few pages only to find out that we have to revise them all, from the ground up. Or worse, the entire day’s work had to be re-written. Those moments can bring you to the point of wanting to give up, yet we press on.

If we do not, if we allow this moment of defeat, the moment of what feels like a complete stand-still to actually bring us to a complete stop, we will never experience the truth of how close we were to succeed. Success is at the other end of those moments, the moments that feel motionless, and frustrating. We, as writers and artist need to remember that failures and temporary setbacks are not wasted time, they are still motion forward, even if only in lesson and experience. And we are indeed making progress, and it might be faster than we think.

 

The above poster is available on Zazzle. Please support independent artists, thank you!

NEW: Free 5-Piece “Cue in the Color” Beauty Gift when you Join Julep

It’s nearly May and school is almost out – that means summer is just around the corner! Get in the mood for sunshine with this bright Cue in the Color 5-Piece Beauty Gift ($78 value) which is FREE when you join Julep and pay for your first month ($24.99). When you join Julep, you’ll get a box of gorgeous and good-for-you beauty, nail, or skin care products delivered to your door every month. Julep offers the only full-size and fully-customizable beauty box out there, so you get what you want every month!

To redeem your Cue in the Color 5-Piece Beauty Gift, add the gift to cart and use code COLORLOVE at checkout. Then on May 20th, you’ll log into Julep to select the products to include in your first beauty box.

Your free beauty gift includes:

 

• One nectar pink lip crayon
• One fuchsia crème polish
• One mint crème polish
• One electric violet polish
• One electric teal eye pencil

Isn’t that awesome!

Be fierce and beautiful!

Claudia