Today was a relatively free day, so I thought, why not dust off the blog and shake out the cobwebs?

Writing has quietly slipped into the background lately. Life’s been moving fast, and somehow, the one thing that brings me calm kept getting pushed aside. But it’s always there, nudging me now and then. I miss the days when blogging was part of my rhythm, when sharing a story felt like a conversation with myself.

So when I came across this Creative Writing Challenge by Tolentino Teaching, I took it as a sign. The task was to use eight verbs… sparkle, dash, plop, jostle, lurk, rush, yank and zap. I added my own twist and wove them into a 55-word story.

Felt good to write again.

Fireflies sparkle as dusk falls.

Kids dash through the woods, laughing.

A frog plops into the pond.

Shadows jostle between trees.

Something seems to lurk nearby.

They rush ahead, breath quickening.

One yanks another’s sleeve…. look!

A sharp zap of wings, an owl takes flight.

Silence.

Then giggles.

Just a grumpy owl.

Childhood wins again.