VSS - 2022-05
Tweeted story snippets using vssCollab and optional #BraveWrite and #vssnature prompts.
1 - In a fortuitous meeting with Dr. Aya, Yukiko traded hops for 2 woodruff seedlings. We remove the mild toxin before using it in a sweet, psychic-abilities enhancer. She planted the sprouts on the top level of our herb terrace. 2 - When Yukiko looked up from her work, the sun was setting behind her. The sky filled with reds and violets. Mud streaked her cheek, but she couldn’t have been more beautiful, even after twenty-five years together. 3 - I plucked a handful of the pervasive daisy-like chamomile flowers for her evening tea. As I handed her the herbal bouquet, I puckered and tapped my mouth. She usually shoved me away playfully. Today, the world melted as her lips met mine. 4 - When we planted herbs, we always whispered a word of magic to add just a bit more flavor and help them stay fresh longer. It made them best sellers at the markets. 5 - Our verdant garden allowed us to produce superior balms. Every mage family requested the recipes, but we refused. Not out of selfishness mind you, but to keep others from charging a fortune. Healing should always be affordable. 6 - Yukiko convinced me to plant boysenberries for their health benefits: vitamins C, B & K, manganese, and lots of folates and polyphenols. Though I growled every time one of the thorn darts bit into my hands as we trellised the brambles. 7 - At least the berries grew with speed, and established only in a year. Our kitchen window was the observatory from which we oversaw the garden’s progress. 8 - Yukiko noticed planting garlic next to the spinach kept the aphids down. So we did this every year, and it produced exquisite results. 9 - Using well-kept secrets of lightly whispered magic produced abundance in our garden. We became the town experts, and they tried to convince us to lead classes. Our quiet yokai medical clinic was priority, so we had to decline. They kept asking. 10 - We refused to give into the pressure. It didn’t gain us favor from the human population. But the yokai we served were grateful we kept a lower profile for the clinic. We’d find offerings of thanks at the doorstep and be reassured of our choice. 11 - Yukiko loved the garden and clinic. I taught her to rotate plantings and let the remnant plants enrich the soil. As our herbal medicine garden grew, she used our planting counter and I would prep the planting plot. Working together was my favorite.
1 - He approached to meet my gaze. Or maybe to search my soul. “It’s good business,” I said. “I’m looking for a partner. Do better than that.” Defiantly, I sipped my gin. I choked. My “No,” came out hoarse, causing injury to my pride. 2 - “Here, I thought we’d hit it off in your club. I’ve done my research. You don’t even take bribes. What kind of host are you, Satou Kazuo?” How long had it been since I’d heard my real name? Ten years? My glass shattered on the floor. 3 - Snapping to, I hunted for towels to mop up the gin. “What kind of game are you playing, Otsuka-san? If that’s your real name?” “A direct one. You have backbone and integrity, for a host.” He deftly plucked the glass from the floor. “You’re not yakuza then?” Yet, I’d seen a hint of the tattoos he sported. 4 - His shrug was so nonchalant, like it didn’t matter one iota. “I live in both the underground and ordinary worlds.” “Undercover.” Now we were making progress. “Tell me more.” 5 - He spoke of difficulties mashing and balancing the demands of being an undercover agent. But that was the best part of the challenge. When he handed me the business card that started this crazy night, I accepted. Where would it lead us? 6 - Over the years and missions together, we grew to trust and rely on each other. I wanted more, but didn’t dare break the rules—the ones that kept Otsuka safe.
1 - I jumped onto the back of my aunt’s tricked out motorcycle that she’d kept pristine from her Peony Tribe bousouzoku biker days. We sped over the highways and through tunnels, wormholes that transported us anywhere but home. 2 - My family hadn’t come to grips with the loss of my brother Taro. And I couldn’t stand another of my parents’ fights. Our destination wasn’t clear, and I didn’t care. Being on the road with the wind rushing past us was a sanctuary. 3 - Aunt Miho knew the best places to let off steam. We pressed southwest for a good hour and a half until we hit the beach. We skidded into the gravel parking lot, dirt spraying behind us. 4 - My grip around her waist tensed as we leaned and slid to a stop. Miho had been her gang’s ace racer and still liked to show off every once in a while. My hands shook as I took off my helmet. 5 - Stomping away from her annoying smirk allowed me a smidgeon of dignity. I snagged shells and driftwood and chucked each into the ocean while I screamed about being powerless to keep my family together. 6 - Taro’s death transformed into a menace that threatened to tear us apart. My parent’s ignorance of the circumstances made it all the worse. I just wanted us to be whole, with my brother back, and have a tranquil life again. 7 - Brilliant rays peeked through the clouds, sparkling on the waves. Each stick I threw made ripples that faded as fast as Taro was torn from our lives. Never again would anyone I knew get involved in the mob, privacy be damned. 8 - I hurled sticks into the water, even after my arm got tired. Plunk. Taro’s death tainted our family with a horrible stigma. Plunk. Finally, Miho tapped my shoulder to point out the golden hour glow behind silhouetted islands. 9 - Miho said, “You can remain stuck in the history and loss, or you can decide to protect and shore up others. It’s your mental war, you choice?” The stick in my hand plummeted to the sand. “But Mom and Dad…” 10 - Miho continued, “They’re coping in their own way, both still with raw volatile wounds. If you need to get out from under the weight of their loss, move in with us. Let life pulse through you again.” Was that what I needed? 11 - It wouldn’t be easy. But Miho, my devoted aunt, was right. If I stayed, the dissociation alternating with anger would break me. “What about helping me move into my own place?” She winked, “As a bonus, I know a place.” 12 - As we sped home under the starlight, a marked hope planted itself inside me. My aunt had given me the helpline I needed to move on, to live, to be myself again. 13 - I’d worried my parents would consider me an outcast for moving. Instead it turned into an elite level choice. The move took the pressure off our relationship, providing eye of the storm we despirately needed. 14 - It was plain they still wanted me to live at home. The peace that settled between us was what gained me their acceptance. Years later, nothing could prepare me for the inclement slap in the face of a yakuza arriving in town.
Yasu's Magical Medical Clinic Garden Journal
(continued from April)1 - In a fortuitous meeting with Dr. Aya, Yukiko traded hops for 2 woodruff seedlings. We remove the mild toxin before using it in a sweet, psychic-abilities enhancer. She planted the sprouts on the top level of our herb terrace. 2 - When Yukiko looked up from her work, the sun was setting behind her. The sky filled with reds and violets. Mud streaked her cheek, but she couldn’t have been more beautiful, even after twenty-five years together. 3 - I plucked a handful of the pervasive daisy-like chamomile flowers for her evening tea. As I handed her the herbal bouquet, I puckered and tapped my mouth. She usually shoved me away playfully. Today, the world melted as her lips met mine. 4 - When we planted herbs, we always whispered a word of magic to add just a bit more flavor and help them stay fresh longer. It made them best sellers at the markets. 5 - Our verdant garden allowed us to produce superior balms. Every mage family requested the recipes, but we refused. Not out of selfishness mind you, but to keep others from charging a fortune. Healing should always be affordable. 6 - Yukiko convinced me to plant boysenberries for their health benefits: vitamins C, B & K, manganese, and lots of folates and polyphenols. Though I growled every time one of the thorn darts bit into my hands as we trellised the brambles. 7 - At least the berries grew with speed, and established only in a year. Our kitchen window was the observatory from which we oversaw the garden’s progress. 8 - Yukiko noticed planting garlic next to the spinach kept the aphids down. So we did this every year, and it produced exquisite results. 9 - Using well-kept secrets of lightly whispered magic produced abundance in our garden. We became the town experts, and they tried to convince us to lead classes. Our quiet yokai medical clinic was priority, so we had to decline. They kept asking. 10 - We refused to give into the pressure. It didn’t gain us favor from the human population. But the yokai we served were grateful we kept a lower profile for the clinic. We’d find offerings of thanks at the doorstep and be reassured of our choice. 11 - Yukiko loved the garden and clinic. I taught her to rotate plantings and let the remnant plants enrich the soil. As our herbal medicine garden grew, she used our planting counter and I would prep the planting plot. Working together was my favorite.
Loss of Self
(continued from April)1 - He approached to meet my gaze. Or maybe to search my soul. “It’s good business,” I said. “I’m looking for a partner. Do better than that.” Defiantly, I sipped my gin. I choked. My “No,” came out hoarse, causing injury to my pride. 2 - “Here, I thought we’d hit it off in your club. I’ve done my research. You don’t even take bribes. What kind of host are you, Satou Kazuo?” How long had it been since I’d heard my real name? Ten years? My glass shattered on the floor. 3 - Snapping to, I hunted for towels to mop up the gin. “What kind of game are you playing, Otsuka-san? If that’s your real name?” “A direct one. You have backbone and integrity, for a host.” He deftly plucked the glass from the floor. “You’re not yakuza then?” Yet, I’d seen a hint of the tattoos he sported. 4 - His shrug was so nonchalant, like it didn’t matter one iota. “I live in both the underground and ordinary worlds.” “Undercover.” Now we were making progress. “Tell me more.” 5 - He spoke of difficulties mashing and balancing the demands of being an undercover agent. But that was the best part of the challenge. When he handed me the business card that started this crazy night, I accepted. Where would it lead us? 6 - Over the years and missions together, we grew to trust and rely on each other. I wanted more, but didn’t dare break the rules—the ones that kept Otsuka safe.
Side of Me No One Knows
1 - I jumped onto the back of my aunt’s tricked out motorcycle that she’d kept pristine from her Peony Tribe bousouzoku biker days. We sped over the highways and through tunnels, wormholes that transported us anywhere but home. 2 - My family hadn’t come to grips with the loss of my brother Taro. And I couldn’t stand another of my parents’ fights. Our destination wasn’t clear, and I didn’t care. Being on the road with the wind rushing past us was a sanctuary. 3 - Aunt Miho knew the best places to let off steam. We pressed southwest for a good hour and a half until we hit the beach. We skidded into the gravel parking lot, dirt spraying behind us. 4 - My grip around her waist tensed as we leaned and slid to a stop. Miho had been her gang’s ace racer and still liked to show off every once in a while. My hands shook as I took off my helmet. 5 - Stomping away from her annoying smirk allowed me a smidgeon of dignity. I snagged shells and driftwood and chucked each into the ocean while I screamed about being powerless to keep my family together. 6 - Taro’s death transformed into a menace that threatened to tear us apart. My parent’s ignorance of the circumstances made it all the worse. I just wanted us to be whole, with my brother back, and have a tranquil life again. 7 - Brilliant rays peeked through the clouds, sparkling on the waves. Each stick I threw made ripples that faded as fast as Taro was torn from our lives. Never again would anyone I knew get involved in the mob, privacy be damned. 8 - I hurled sticks into the water, even after my arm got tired. Plunk. Taro’s death tainted our family with a horrible stigma. Plunk. Finally, Miho tapped my shoulder to point out the golden hour glow behind silhouetted islands. 9 - Miho said, “You can remain stuck in the history and loss, or you can decide to protect and shore up others. It’s your mental war, you choice?” The stick in my hand plummeted to the sand. “But Mom and Dad…” 10 - Miho continued, “They’re coping in their own way, both still with raw volatile wounds. If you need to get out from under the weight of their loss, move in with us. Let life pulse through you again.” Was that what I needed? 11 - It wouldn’t be easy. But Miho, my devoted aunt, was right. If I stayed, the dissociation alternating with anger would break me. “What about helping me move into my own place?” She winked, “As a bonus, I know a place.” 12 - As we sped home under the starlight, a marked hope planted itself inside me. My aunt had given me the helpline I needed to move on, to live, to be myself again. 13 - I’d worried my parents would consider me an outcast for moving. Instead it turned into an elite level choice. The move took the pressure off our relationship, providing eye of the storm we despirately needed. 14 - It was plain they still wanted me to live at home. The peace that settled between us was what gained me their acceptance. Years later, nothing could prepare me for the inclement slap in the face of a yakuza arriving in town.
These Very Short Stories (VSS) posted on Twitter relate to my book series the Liminal Chronicles.
The newest ones are at the bottom. So start at the top. Click here to read the newest vss.
What is #VSS365? Fun daily prompts for tiny stories that fit in tweets. The bolded word is the prompt of the day.
This year I'm also running a VSS challenge called vssCollab. Interested? Check out the link below.
All VSS Stories
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