Gold
Today is Day Seven of the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. Click on the letter picture to the right for more information about this blog hop. Like last year, I’m writing 100-word flash fiction stories/poems/scenes for this year’s challenge. Today’s is:
Gold
Billy Travers didn’t mind that he was a few decades after the great rush. Even though the crowds had long gone, he was still hopeful there was something left for him.
But as he sat beside the lake with a pan full of rocks and sediment, his hope waned. And the blistering sun didn’t help. His hat shaded his eyes, but it did nothing for a poor New Yorker’s red arms and sweat-drenched back.
Billy stood and stretched, looking out over the town below.
“Well,” he said to himself. “If there’s gold left in Hollywood, I ain’t seen it yet.”
Come back tomorrow for H…
Oops! He missed the boat there.
Maybe if he’d invested in that little town… 🙂
Hey Colin!
My father-in-law, wonderful man, lived on a 300-acre ranch in Calaveras County CA [gold country] until he died. Out in the back 40, my husband and I found several crystals which he let us keep. There was an abandoned mine shaft on the property also. Several times he had to chase away folks who were trespassing to find gold or crystals. He was a great guy. Resembled the stereotypical “mountain man”, Grizzly Adams, complete with long scraggy hair. I miss him.
Hey Dena!
Wow–that’s really cool. I daresay those crystals are family heirlooms now.
I guess gold fever can strike at any time. 🙂
They must have been some seriously dedicated folks back then.
Gold for the just the few I imagine.
Gold for those that are willing to look–and maybe not at the obvious. 🙂
Yes, don’t give up! 😉
Indeed. That’s one lesson. Another is, the gold you’re really looking for may be hidden in plain sight! 🙂
Let’s see … Doctor Who? YA Confidential? Good writing? This is a blog I’m going to be happy to have discovered during A to Z.
Nice to meet you, Colin!
2015 A to Z Challenge Co-Host
Matthew MacNish from The QQQE
Hello, Matt–nice to meet you too. There’s flash fiction, Doctor Who, music–all sorts of things happening on this blog. Come back again! 🙂
Thank goodness for flash fiction. With so many bloggers doing the challenge this year, I can hardly keep up. I’m having to skip all the wordy blogs so yours is spot on. Not only that – I really enjoyed the story too. I’m golden!
It took me a few years to catch on to the idea that the key to getting people to stop and read your A-to-Z posts is to keep them brief. 100-300 words is a good length. As many bloggers as there are participating, it has to be an amazingly good blog to hold your attention longer than that. I’m glad I could provide you with an entertaining quick hit! 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement, Fran!
Hello, I’m trying to contact Cath Smith regarding the status of her blog in our April challenge. Can you ask her to contact me so we can discuss this matter?
~Nicole
A to Z Challenge Co-Host
The Madlab Post
Hello, Nicole. I’ve sent her a message on Twitter. Hopefully she’ll see that or check back here. Thanks for your work as a co-host! 🙂
You never know what’s around the corner! Keep looking. Keep digging. 🙂
Absolutely! Thanks for dropping by, Jeanne. 🙂
Gold in Hollywood? That’s why it’s called “Tinseltown”…
ha! Too true, Liz. 🙂
I am thankful I can always visit your blog to get a great read in right about 100 words. Sometimes I am far too lazy to read much more. In college I had a professors that required us to write VERY concise. She said it showed great respect for the readers time.
Thank you, Scarlet. Not all of my posts are usually this short, but especially for the A-to-Z challenge, when people are trying to get through many, many posts in a day, I try to be brief. The 100 word flash format is perfect for this.