PHOTO PROMPT © Lori Wilson

Glenn trudged up the steps of the old hotel. His overcoat covered most of the signs of battle, a scorched jacket and trousers as well as the blood. His face had a few bruises, but it was late and the light was low in the hotel lobby.

He casually nodded at the young night guy who was glued to his smartphone. Thank God for addictions, at least in this case.

He closed and locked the door to his room behind him and then set up his wards. That he defeated a demon tonight didn’t mean there weren’t others out there.

Cover image for my novel “A Wobblegong and His Boy”

It’s Wednesday and time again to participate in this week’s edition of Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image on top as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.

I’m tired. I didn’t mean to get up this early, but that’s life. Being tired is part of what influenced the mood of my tale.

I looked up the hotel and the historic town in which it resides. I considered a few angles and decided my brain wasn’t up to it. I’m both reading and writing fantasy at the moment and so decided to go that route. You’d feel tired and spent after a battle with a demon. The hotel looked like a good place to rest.

Promotional image for my short story “A Monolith in the Regolith”

To read other stories based on the prompt or to submit one of your own, visit inlinkz.

My YA science fiction novel A Wobblegong And His Boy is ON SALE for the month of August in honor of Back to School so it’s a great time to buy a copy for the kid in your life who loves adventure (or the kid at heart). Don’t forget to leave an honest review at Amazon and Goodreads.

My new “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” short story “A Monolith in the Regolith” is now featured in the anthology Tom Corbett, Space Cadet: An Original Short Story Anthology.

Happy Wednesday.