I love writing fiction. I have a WiP on the boil that has elements of magical realism and horror — so all the good stuff! (I also enjoy poetry a bit … !) All words my own © unless they are reposts or I state otherwise.https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3muncr3q66c23#Elixir was like a warm summer’s breeze that kissed away the tears on Bonnie’s ash-soaked cheeks. Only, Elixir replaced the tears with something far more dangerous. Bonnie was only 12 at the time, but she knew what pain was, and Elixir taught her how to use it. #VSS36503 Sep 2026 20:41 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3muncr3q66c23https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3muaahbn7qc2yDeni’s leg no longer felt like a part of her body. Her skin was heavy and light. A hot throb pulsated from deep inside her, like burning needles stabbing muscle. Squinting at the flashing lights, she could hear a man’s voice “degloved” he said. She began to sweat and shake. #VSS365 #glove #amwriting29 Aug 2026 15:55 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3muaahbn7qc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mu55d75yus2oThe sound of the paper, scrunching beneath my hands, like a rustle of crisp, dry leaves on a perfect autumn day, made my stomach churn. Broken legs of frogs and cracked snail shells scattered through my mind. In the bag, a salted slug. One more victim for the pyre. I covered it with #tissue #VSS36528 Aug 2026 10:21 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu55d75yus2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mu2ks2mpes2zThe #pillow looked warm and inviting. It dimpled in the centre, like a head had only moments before rested there. The sun lit up the faded green, velvet, picking out the parts that had faded to brown. Sonja yawned. She’d be awake and be gone before anyone knew she’d been here, she was sure. #VSS36527 Aug 2026 09:44 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2ks2mpes2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mtyix5yays2hBe you a #poster I see by the door? Draped across my windows Hanging down to the floor, Be you a kindly figure Dressed in red? Are your intentions good As you fill my soul with dread? Be you happy When you block out the sun? Are you the point of which My undoing has begun? #VSS365 #poem #writing26 Aug 2026 14:06 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyix5yays2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mtwuupwf7k23Absorb, absorb it all Soak it up Mop it up Clean away the spills Holes appear Bigger and bigger Shrink down Smaller and smaller Run down Ragged out Yet still Absorb it all Until there is nothing left But puddles And fibres The only memories Proof that you ever were… #VSS365 #sponge #poem #amwriting25 Aug 2026 22:34 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwuupwf7k23https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mtltntzr7k2qShe balances her toe, dainty as fine china, on the high wire. The space below gapes like a hungry mouth, waiting for the fall. The wind howls. Her cold body feels the weight of the past pressing in. Balancing on a #razor edge, she moves her feet to the unsteady pulse of her future #VSS365 #amwriting21 Aug 2026 13:13 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtltntzr7k2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mtlg3b4w7s2oThe air is thick as tar and the threat of rain cradles the sky. Condensation trickles down the plastic kitchen window. In the distance, a #kettle whistles like a banshee burning over fire. Ella stops sharpening sticks and spreads her arms out wide, like a scarecrow, and closes her eyes. #VSS36521 Aug 2026 09:10 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtlg3b4w7s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3msykjqd7fk2cA summer’s day Cut. It’s fresh and wrapped Only £9.99 Contained in clear cellophane Clusters of cuttings Chopped and taken: •Buds of cherry •Springs of lavender •Blades of grass All kept in breathless Quarters Buy it quick Before it dies And is lost forever #VSS365 #Cling #poem #writing #prompt13 Aug 2026 21:09 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3msykjqd7fk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3ms4mkxp5gc2aCreator-Destructor Life-Death Balancing On fine wire No net dropped For babies In their nascent ages The storm inside rages From diluted lungs And censored screams What use is a #creator Whose shadowed heart Is twisted Creator-traitor Cover the world And make it A hater #VSS365 #poem #poetry #writer02 Aug 2026 18:31 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms4mkxp5gc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3ms3mrkvkdk2fThis could be fun for anyone who is interested in writing a rhyming story, receiving feedback, and, potentially, winning some cash in the process! I’ve not done it before, but it looks good! @nycmidnight.bsky.social Rhyming Story Challenge on September 15th! Learn more at nycmidnight.com/rhyme02 Aug 2026 09:02 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms3mrkvkdk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mrmakblkms26Buh dum. Buh bum. Buh dum. The sea Beats Against the shore The air Wraps Around mountains The Earth Grows New life The world pulses Like a heartbeat Drumming A steady rhythm Buh dum. Buh bum. Buh dum. Man keep a watch Of its fire For desire Because Nature Always finds a way #VSS365 #Cadence #poem27 Jul 2026 06:13 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrmakblkms26https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqrmqu67fc2fStanding at the airport Empty suitcase packed Sun glimmers through windows I’m behind a wall Plane looms on a runway Anchored to the ground I close my eyes Wondering … what it means where it will take me and only me I don’t know if I’m ready to #depart But it’s a journey I must take #VSS365 #poem16 Jul 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqrmqu67fc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqqm6ds6y222Foolish to think you can #conquer it all When surreptitious people surround you Watching Waiting For you to fall A fool I’ve been To blindly believe The cut runs deep Too deep to grieve But I’m not hanging around anymore One last wrong Now I’m walking out the door #VSS365 #Prompt #Writing16 Jul 2026 06:27 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqqm6ds6y222https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqkq3mwfrc2o"Abash’d the devil stood, and felt how awful goodness is…” (T-Bird (The Crow) reciting Paradise Lost by John Milton) #Abashed #VSS365 #Prompt https://static.klipy.com/ii/4493325008d34b7bf8cd6813cd5c1619/f2/8f/fQin5kOxoJ60I.gif?hh=256&ww=320&mp4=Ly02YamvSQyf3&webm=8FbibLTMlajWieNi13 Jul 2026 22:21 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqkq3mwfrc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqkipz27us2aThunder’s angry roar #Unabashed and relentless Dry sky’s far away #VSS365 #Prompt #Poem #Haiku13 Jul 2026 20:09 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqkipz27us2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqh3hrdxbs26Your #magnetism draws me in An immense gravitational pull Near you, time slows down A singular mystery Keeping all the secrets of the universe An exciting, mysterious ride Into the unknown I reach your event horizon And look back to what I’ve known Too late now There’s no way back home #VSS365 #poem12 Jul 2026 11:34 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqh3hrdxbs26https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqfhhiiguk2rThe tree opens Its naked limbs Outstretched To a dark Cold nothing Soil writhes beneath Its feet Moist and turgid Feeding from fat roots Footsteps crunch It holds its breath A chance for #embrace One touch Against hollow trunk And rotten bark To bring life back From the dark #VSS365 #poem #writing11 Jul 2026 20:03 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqfhhiiguk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mqbuynwdq22tIf I could have risen A #rose I’d have laid petals at your feet If I could have risen A rose I’d use my thorns to keep you safe If I could have risen A rose I’d protect you in my garden Yet I have no petals No thorns Only love And courage And these I freely give to you #VSS365 #Poem #Writing #prompt10 Jul 2026 09:55 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqbuynwdq22thttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mq3n3xfs6k2jShe lay at the water’s edge Looking into the early morning sky Dappled blues and purples Flecked across the velvety dark She tilted her head to face the yawning moon #Revealing something of herself But giving nothing away #VSS365 #Prompt #Writing07 Jul 2026 22:18 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq3n3xfs6k2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mpyhail3nc2vThe heart of art is passion Where the mind runs to In times of need A view transposed To a blank canvas Filling it with emotion Logic drips away Feelings #tenderly find a way To show all those things The heart wants to say #VSS365 #Prompt #Writing06 Jul 2026 15:55 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpyhail3nc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mprn27kmg22sSunlight shimmers across soft waves Sending shards of diamonds Scattering through the sea The sky stretches an endless cerulean and something more A sapphire signalling to the ocean Messaging soil and sea Life is an endless window of wonder Just waiting to show what it can be #VSS365 #Stunning #Poem03 Jul 2026 22:50 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mprn27kmg22shttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mpoj5sau322cThe stare A crisp, sharp #appraisal. Palms sweaty Core cold. Paper scratches Against Formica. Eyes flick up And down In rhythm To a heart’s beat. Feet shuffle Legs locked. Throat clears. It’s time to begin. Words forgotten Mouth runs dry Another interview down the pan #VSS365 #Prompt #Writing #Poem02 Jul 2026 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpoj5sau322chttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mphftfzb6k27#Carrion flock To bare bark. From behind The sun shines- A wire of gold Coiling around the dark. High above they watch the pit Stalking animals as they walk, crawl, and claw through it Studying for weakness They know their prey Before they’re dead Carrion have already flocked their way #VSS365 #Poem29 Jun 2026 21:14 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mphftfzb6k27https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mpcn2k2qrs2vStick the needle in Drain the pot dry Leach life And fill it with something dark Leave the vessel To swirl in confusion Blood lost and dizzy Fire stamped out Ash and soot Smoulders of a person A silhouette Of what happy used to be #VSS365 #Flea #Prompt27 Jun 2026 23:40 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpcn2k2qrs2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mp7jz732v22mMountains peaked Points perfect arch Dark sky brewing Rain sparks Lightening strikes Beauty breaks Enemy torn asunder It drags us all under #Villain of A perfect sky #VSS365 #DailyWordPrompt26 Jun 2026 18:08 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp7jz732v22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mp5c4dz5j224A #grain of sand In my hand Sparkling under Summer rays Washed up On a shore no more Because land Has disbanded, gone away Sparkling like a diamond I watch it twinkle And wish for the days When toes touched Earth Soil, sand But all that’s left Is that grain of sand Glittering in my open hand #VSS36525 Jun 2026 20:41 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp5c4dz5j224https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3movucziccc2dBe hungry for it Dream about it Day and night Night and day Want it Taste it See it Feel it Don’t let anything stand in your way The window of opportunity is open Jump through it Let your savage narrow-mind run free #VSS365 #defenestration #prompt #dailyword22 Jun 2026 21:46 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3movucziccc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mo3fyridck24Blowing thick dust off the tome, his fingers ached with memories. It was #forbidden to touch the secrets inside. The dark corners of the room called him to the shadows. Folding his hulking frame into a ball around the text, he swallowed its pages into his skin. ‘Martha,’ he whispered. #VSS365 #Story12 Jun 2026 09:20 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo3fyridck24https://bsky.app/profile/vickyshell.bsky.social/post/3mnpkmyyyx22nYou should have been shelter Salvation Solitude A place to turn to When all other roads closed A #cradle rocking A lullaby in the dark Lighting the way home You should have been many things But our paths were decided Before we were born Now you’ve got your way And I have mine #VSS365 #prompt07 Jun 2026 16:11 +0000at://did:plc:palbrph5tsinr4eee73duce3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnpkmyyyx22n