Flash 500 by Nicole Pyles, Carrie K Sorensen (children's books read aloud .txt) 📕

I've got just under 90 minutes until my project's due, Jenny thought. That means, as long as I take the pictures in the next 30 minutes, I'll have just enough time to download and photoshop them and hand them in. It'll work. She drove following an internal chart in her mind of where she needed to be in order to accomplish her scholarly goal.

After parking the car (this time safely at a student lot to which she had a parking pass), she headed off across campus. "What the ...?" Jenny said out loud as what appeared to be a modern sculpture caught her attention. That might work.

Jenny snapped a few pictures, checked the results in the small digital viewer attached to the back of the camera and was satisfied with the magazine of pictures she captured. The photos made her smile. "I could do this," Jenny said to herself. "Yeah ... I could be a professional photographer, unless, of course, they have to keep deadlines."

About Scott Taylor

Scott William Taylor lives and writes in Utah. He grew up living on the side of a mountain and lives on that same mountain today, with his family and a dog that loves cheese. Scott is married, with four children. He received his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Utah and a Masters in English from Weber State University. Scott's story Little Boiler Girl was part of the steampunk anthology Mechanized Masterpieces published by Xchyler Publishing in April 2013. Scott is the creator and producer of A Page or Two Podcast. He also wrote the award-winning short film, Wrinkles. When not writing and working, Scott enjoys participating in community theater productions with his children. Follow Scott on Twitter @Hyggeman or at his author site: www.scottwilliamtaylor.com.

Week of 1/9/2013

Photo courtesy of Ian Sane

Words Required

Engineer

Muscle

Spider

Race

Machine

First New Steps by Heather Musk

Eleni's landing was smoother than normal, not the usual drop and bounce that made this kind of travelling so uncomfortable. She glanced down at her feet and noticed the surface she now stood on, glistening and slightly spongy. This seemed to be the reason for the landing and she made a note to mention it to engineering, they could look for this substance in the future. She took her scanner out to record its composition before moving on.

The ground beneath her became noticeably firmer as she walked onto the red and yellow carpet leading away from her landing site. As she walked she glanced around at the tunnel of green surrounding her. She'd never seen a place like it, in all her years of travelling. She came from a race of nomads, always on the move and never spending more than a few centuries in a single place. She bounced lightly on the spot, flexing her knees and testing her muscles. The magnetic pull of the planet seemed to agree with her physiology, she certainly didn't have any discomfort like she had on the last planet. She spent days there just trying to shuffle her feet along the ground. Here she was light of foot and was sure she could've ran if she'd fancied it.

She walked a little further on, scanning the area as she did so, and her fascination was drawn to a strange noise coming out of the air above her. A series of high pitched sounds emanated from somewhere high above her, regular in occurrence and with a second, lower in tone, almost sounding in response. She mused on the sounds for a while until she concluded that they could only be some form of communication. She made a note, certain that life forms were close by.

Continuing on, something caught her eye just behind one of the columns ahead. An odd thing, such that she'd never seen before. A tall creature, very pale in colour but covered mostly in an odd outer skin. Not very much in the way of fur and with only two ocular organs that she could make out. She held up her scanner for a more detailed look, curious as to what kind of machine this could be. She held its gaze for a long time before it seemed to turn and bolt.

************************************************

Jane stayed hidden behind the tree as she tried to comprehend what she'd just witnessed. She was heading down to the river for some water samples when she'd heard the low and the beam of light. It disappeared and in its place was an odd creature, human sized but spider-like with its four legs and wiry arms.

She watched in awe as it studied its surroundings, and almost forgot her footing as it looked right at her. She held its stare for an eternity, before turning as quickly as she could and ran. There was no way the lab guys were going to believe this.

About Heather Musk

I wish I could say that I've been writing ever since I can remember and it's been a part of my life since I've been on the planet, but the truth is I can't.

It has taken the best part of 30 years to find this hidden thing within me, which is the need to write. It's my own kind of therapy, a way to engross myself in something else away from my life, my own bubble of the universe.

I'm still at the very beginning of this journey, learning and honing my skills. On the way I also have my husband and five year old daughter to contend with, as well as working towards an English degree with The Open University and working nearly full time for a science research institute. What can I say? I like to keep myself busy.

To join me on my travels and follow my progress head over to readingwritingeverything-heather.blogspot.co.uk.

Dangerous Pleasure by L.T. Dalin

As an engineer, Sharon rarely got to go outside.

She was crouched by the edge of the water watching a spider hurrying across a log. Everyone had somewhere important to be. Even the spider, which by popular belief was not even sentient.

Sharon stretched to her full length, watching the machine do its magic by the edge of the waterfall. She had spent four years working on it, and this would, hopefully, be the final test before showing it to the board. If it worked she would be able to provide the companies with endless electricity and power. Sure, there had been some glitches along the way. Not to mention the loss of three labs due to unexplainable explosions..

A twig broke behind her and she whirled around, her hand on the hilt of the stunner she was instructed to wear.

"Hello?" she called, feeling cautious.

A shadow moved behind the thicket, and she lifted the stunner accordingly.

"I very rarely see people out here," said a deep voice.

Sharon's eyes widened.

He was tall, tanned, and beautiful. He raised his hands and gave her a wry smile.

"Sorry if I startled you," he said. "Are you going to shoot me?"

"That depends," Sharon replied. "Why are you here?" A muscle in her neck ached from tension.

The man lowered his hands but Sharon indicated he should keep them up.

"I am a surveyor. I came out here to watch the waterfall. It's one of the last ones not tampered with." He shrugged. "In this region, at least."

He turned to the waterfall. "Well," he muttered. "It used to be."

The machine started beeping. It stood out as a monstrosity against the serene background.

"It's temporary," she assured him. "It goes back with me. I'm only borrowing the waterfall for an

experiment."

"What kind?"

The man turned toward her, and she put the stunner away.

"That's classified."

After a moment of silence the man lowered his hands. "The human race has come far," he said. "But sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't have stopped somewhere along the way."

It had been a long time since Sharon interacted with an actual human being. She felt out of practice.

"Advancing is good." She hesitated. "It makes things easier."

"Easier yes, but not at all better," he disagreed.

He regarded her for a moment, then walked toward her at a brisk pace; dipped her back and placed his lips on hers.

Sharon was too stunned to act. His lips melted against hers in a most pleasurable way, and his tongue felt warm and inviting.

He jerked her upright and took a step back. "You can shoot me if you'd like," he said. "But that kiss was worth more than all the technology in the world."

"Who are you?" she whispered, her brain feeling addled.

"I work for Greenpeace."

Four words and everything changed.

They were the enemy.

About L.T. Dalin

L.T. Dalin started writing at a young age. Her favorite thing to do when growing up was handing in essays. She learned a lot about writing, the art of writing and more importantly; how not to write, during her time studying Broadcast Journalism at University in England. She started writing seriously five years ago; four of those dedicated to her Fantasy Trilogy.

http://chessnysilth.blogspot.no/

Week of 1/23/2013

Photo courtesy of Carrie K. Sorensen

Words Required

Flamenco

Spotlight

Mud

Runway

Tragedy

Imaginary Adventures by Cindy Cagle

Michael and Jamie were always on an adventure. The possibilities were endless. Some days they would use their imaginations to sail to an island full of pirates looking to take back stolen treasures to return to the rightful owners. They would put mud on their face to blend in with the terrain. It had been a long day on the mysterious island and Michael's Mom knew it. Milk and cookies brought them back from the South Pacific and into the familiar backyard in their sleepy little town. Days like these were some of the best days of Michael and Jamie's lives. It was a mere tragedy to have to make a day like that come to an end, fortunately there was always tomorrow.

Jamie would always be the first one to wake up. It's almost as if he never slept at all. At least Michael never saw him sleeping, but he never really gave it much thought. Michael slowly raised out of bed and rubbed his sleepy eyes and as the world around him started to come into focus he saw Jamie jumping with excitement.

"Michael wake up! We have to catch a plane out of here. We have to go right now! Pack your bag and let's go!"

Without hesitation Michael was up and dressed. He had his Ninja Turtles backpack filled with a loose change that he found in the couch cushions, Jelly Beans