Flash Fiction With A Tarantula Twist!

First of all, thanks to Charli Mills and the Carrot Ranch Literary Community for allowing me to participate in a great bit of “flash fiction” – each week, Charli sends out a call for submissions, and the rules are easy: use the prompt word in the story in some way, and make the “flash fiction” 99 worlds on the dot (story title and your name don’t count).

This week’s word is “eminence”, which is defined as “fame or recognized superiority, especially within a particular sphere or profession”.

Which leads me to the “recognized superiority” of a Tarantula that terrorized some friends once.

There is also a hilarious spider story that Charli shares on her blog before she gives out the word challenge, and that reminded me of something that happened to our friends John and Jill – so here is my “flash fiction” challenge:

Eminent Domain (Or, Why I’m Moving Out Of My House) by John Rieber

I was just stepping on the front porch when Jill screamed: “SPIDER!”

I still miss that house.

And that would have been me the next day: finishing packing and moving out of the house forever. Our friends Jill and John, however, fought back and still I’ve in the house to the day.

Over at the Carrot Ranch website, there is the HILARIOUS story that Charli tells about her spider problems, and I am amazed how she has handled their eminent domain:

https://carrotranch.com/2019/03/28/march-28-flash-fiction-challenge/#respond

I love writing these 99-word fiction challenges, and reading all of the other submissions as well.

Here is a recent one I took part in – the prompt being the word “chisel”:

https://carrotranch.com/2019/03/21/to-chisel/

Earlier I took part in another 99-word flash fiction challenge, which I also blogged about – using this selfie as a way into the story:

Intrigued? Well, I was by the prompt word “sign”, and remembering my selfie and that “Thing” sign, I got 99 words out – you can read it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2019/02/09/flash-fiction-challenge-sign-my-fictionalized-encounter-with-the-thing/

Let me know if you have any spider stories to share!

Categories: Books / Media, Memoirs, nature, Pop Culture

Tags: 8 state journeys, 99-word flash fiction challenge, adventure travel USA, Arizona tourist destinations, arizona's The thing exhibit, best Pete Townsend songs, carrot dance literary community, Eminence Front, flash fiction challenge, road trips, roadside attractions in the US, short fiction, short fiction competition, the mystery of the thing, The Thing, the thing exhibit, the thing exhibit in arizona, The Who