Trifextra: Thirty-Eight

This week's entries continued the macabre of the last weekly challenge and brought us closer to the man in black with a variety of vivid depictions of death.  Hopefully not too close.  We enjoyed getting to hear where you were in the early 90's and what kind of impact the forefathers of grunge had on your lives.

Thin Spiral Notebook takes first this week with Dark Matter, a piece packed with imagery about a boy whose physical presence changes to match his insides.

His whole countenance is black. The very air around him dark with foul humor. 

I knew him when he was the golden boy. The sun rose and set on him, there was nothing he could do that dimmed his light. That was until her. 

She blew into his life like an ill wind. Wrapping him in her black drama, leading him in a macabre dressage, making him perform a dance of her making. 

It was easy to break his will, transforming him into a different creature, one who followed where the reins directed him. One who trembled under her guiding hand. 

Gone were his blond tresses, contacts shaded his pale blue eyes. Black lined his eyes and painted his nails. His ensemble black from head to toe. If it weren’t for the change in his demeanor, he would have been a laughable, goth caricature. 

As with many destructive storms, as quickly as she blew in, leaving a wide swath of loss and mayhem, she was gone. No clues to where she went or if she’d return. 

He was left in her wake, drowning in his confusion and malaise, unable to grasp the hands reaching out to save him. 

The black never faded, even as her presence did. The mantle of mourning fell about his shoulders, pulling him down into a depression as dark as his eyes. Gone was any light, any joy swept away as so much flotsam. 

We wait and hope that one day a spark will flash behind those inconsolable eyes. That we will see the sun rise again for our golden boy.

Brain Tomahawk takes second with his piece, A Prickly Feeling.  It's part satire, part science fiction and all about the humor.  Whimsygizmo rounds out our top three this week with Epiphany In Ebony.  She had us at the phrase, "she argues storms."

Congrats to all our winners.  Remember to check them out and give them some comment love if you haven't already.  And, while you're at it, why not jump over to our critique tab and give your fellow Trifectan, Flippa Bird, some feedback she can use.  Remember, your comment and your tweet of the critique link asking for feedback enters you to win Marilynne Robinson's book, Home.  If you haven't already read it, you're in for a luscious experience.

On to the weekend challenge.  The Monkey's Paw, a short story by W.W. Jacobs, is about the strings that come with granted wishes.  We are asking you to write 33 words exactly about three wishes that come at a high price to the wisher.

Good luck and happy weekend!