Hugh J. O'Donnell

The shadows pressed up against the windows of the diner. They were unable to stand the light but hungry for its radiance.
Inside, the surviving humans huddled, exhausted and terrified beneath the buzzing fluorescents. A few tried to nap, pressing their heads against Formica tables. They shut their eyes against the glare and wished for soft darkness.
The two sides stared at one another through the thin glass, each desperately wanting what the other had and knowing it would destroy them.
Either the power would go out, or the sun would rise. They waited to see which would happen first.

Today’s prompt was taken from October #CreativeFest, a month-long challenge. Please share, comment, and try it out yourself!

The black cat sat in the window watched the world outside.
The leaves were changing and falling, and the air was getting chill. Halloween, his time, was coming at last. Evil and misfortune would rule the land, and darkness would rise.
Behind him, he heard the unmistakable sound of a shaking treat bag. He hopped down from the windowsill and trotted into the warm, bright kitchen.
His human was waiting for him. He wove a path through their legs and purred, looking up in anticipation. He forgot his schemes. Evil had its charms, but it had nothing on tuna delights.

Today’s prompt was taken from October #CreativeFest, a month-long challenge. Please share, comment, and try it out yourself!

The hooded figures laid out a circle in salt on the basement floor. Once it was complete, they took their stations and began to chant in a language thought long dead.
There was a crack like space breaking, and a squat, bat-winged figure appeared in the center.
“For what reason have I been summoned?”
“It’s game night,” one of the cultists said, removing his robe.
“Alright! Who’s up for trivia?” The demon stretched and stepped out of the summoning circle.
“Have you ever considered getting a phone?” His friend asked.
“Trust me, the plans where I live are absolute murder.”

Today’s prompt was taken from October #CreativeFest, a month-long challenge. Please share, comment, and try it out yourself!

Every year, the farmer grew a record-breaking pumpkin. Each one was larger than the last.
At the state fair, he would sit beside his creations as the scale listed his achievements. Two thousand pounds, twenty-five hundred, three thousand. But the smile on his face never reached his eyes.
News teams from all over lined up to interview him, hoping to capture a slam-dunk human interest story. They always came away disappointed.
“It needs to be bigger,” the farmer would say and walk off. He would return to his field and start again from scratch.
For some reason, Linus was obsessed.

Today’s prompt was taken from October #CreativeFest, a month-long challenge. Please share, comment, and try it out yourself!

The leaves were changing. Day by day, they cast their green hues aside for red, orange, and gold coats.
Each day on her twenty-minute lunch, she would sit in the courtyard and watch them. She had read somewhere that autumn colors were already inside the leaf when it budded, but you could never tell what color it would turn.
She liked the idea that all her changes were curled up somewhere deep inside and that she was only waiting for the proper moment to reveal them.
By the time the leaves finished falling, she had made her decision and left.

Today’s prompt was taken from October #CreativeFest, a month-long challenge. Please share, comment, and try it out yourself!