The Ink Well Highlights Magazine #5 (April 24, 2021)

_{Image modified using a picture by Becca Clark from Pixabay}

This weekly magazine serves to highlight short stories posted to The Ink Well community that stood out and were awarded a Curie vote.

Important Note

We are showcasing authors who have not only contributed well-written and edited stories, but who also read and comment on the work of other authors and comply with all of the community rules posted on our home page. These activities help our community thrive!

The stories shared in this post represent some of the best creative writing posted to Hive. Please do check out the highlighted authors and show your support.

For those new to Hive, Hive account@curie is one of the major curation guilds that works diligently behind the scenes to ensure exceptional content is rewarded. The Ink Well is part of curie's community support program, allowing us to reward well-crafted stories with higher post payouts. Hive account@curie rewards all categories of high quality content on hive, so if you want to check out the best of the best, they're a good place to start. Visit their homepage here.

All liquid rewards from The Ink Well highlights magazine and the weekly fiction prompt are used for community operational expenses.

The following are some of our top curated stories from April 17-23, 2021.

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Featured Author: Hive account@deeanndmathews
Rain, Thunder, and the Prodigal Son In the Garden of Eden

Image source: André Rau on Pixabay

The barn had a great mulberry tree towering next to it, its ripening berries looking like drops of the dawn dancing in and out of the leaves. Maman Dubois and granddaughter Louisa loved their fruit in the morning and making tarts in the afternoon, and they would have plenty with the mulberries all year, for Jules had also planted fruit trees in the back – apple, peach, plum, and pear – and also watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew vines. -Hive account@deeanndmathews

This is absolutely delightful, Hive account@deeanndmathews. I think it is one of your best yet. I love the many rich details. I could almost smell the food, and wish I could wake up to those amazing aromas and that sound of "thunder." What a clever way to describe the deep resonant voice of Jean-Luc in the imagination of a child - and years later the two men's voices together sounding like triple thunderstorms in Louisa's imagination. It made me feel emotional to think of Jules returning home after all those years away to the full and rich life he had left so many years before.

Wonderful take on the prompt, I must say! You definitely created a world for us to experience, and took us there to experience it. -Hive account@jayna

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Featured Author: Hive account@iamraincrystal
Empath

Image source: Dean Moriarty on Pixabay

I knew it was a dream the moment I couldn't move my body, yet a pair of curious jade-green eyes stared back at me as if I was placed behind a window on display, the faint scent of freshly-cooked bacon starting to cling to me the longer I stayed immobile in this unfamiliar room with this dark-haired boy with his ever-curious eyes... -Hive account@iamraincrystal

You set an intriguing scene.

I could only remember three key things: a villa seen beyond the cloth that barely covered the painting, an argument that soon followed, and the sound of a gunshot that rang true into the night.

It almost plays like a game of 'clue', with surreal elements. I like the tone of this story from the start. Sometimes, things just click when you read them. That happened today when I read your story :) -Hive account@agmoore

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Featured Author: Hive account@bruno-kema
Straight Outta Da' Bank!

Image source Pixabay

The Camry spun out of control, the three other tyres skidding across the tarred road as it slammed into a barricade with a loud bang, flinging Red-Eye through the sunroof. Then, it's rear lifted off the ground completely and landed on it's roof. The tyres rolled lazily in the air. -Hive account@bruno-kema

We all want to see the movie! But, we don't need to because we have 'seen' the action, and characters, already through your excellent description. Even the names in this story are perfect. Red-Eye? Fury? In every step of this narrative you exude energy. The dialogue is spot on.

This story is so well written, it could be a movie script or appear in a professional, mainstream publication. Great job. Thank you for posting your action story in the Ink Well community. -Hive account@theinkwell

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Featured Author: Hive account@seesladen
Clouds on a Clear Day...

Image source: dae jeung kim on Pixabay

That particular thought spoiled my mood even further. Sarah, the girl with the pretty lunch box, and the very pretty smile. I quietly wished I was her best friend rather than that no-good Jack. Funny how he always seems to be closer to the girls than every other boy in class. Plus he always has the better grades too. -Hive account@seesladen

What an enjoyable story, Hive account@seesladen. You really captured the essence of childhood, and all the angst about school and friends and even that morning fog that kids always seem to be fighting off until recess. I love that repeated sentiment that he should have stayed in bed. Well done! -Hive account@jayna

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Thank you for reading our weekly magazine!

Hive account@jayna and Hive account@agmoore

p.s. You can see the past magazines here: #1, #2, #3, #4

We would like to invite lovers of creative writing to visit The Ink Well, a Hive community started by Hive account@raj808 and Hive account@stormlight24 and run by Hive account@jayna and Hive account@agmoore.

We also invite you to follow The Ink Well curation trail on the Hive blockchain, at https://hive.vote/. Simply navigate to the curation trail section and search for theinkwell (all one word with no @ symbol) and our trail will pop up as an option.

Similarly delegations are possible on Hive using the fantastic https://peakd.com/ Hive Blockchain front end. If you wish to delegate to Hive account@theinkwell, you can do this from the wallet section of https://peakd.com/

A big thank you to all of our delegators:
Hive account@jayna, Hive account@agmoore, Hive account@gracielaacevedo, Hive account@iamraincrystal, Hive account@generikat, Hive account@shanibeer, Hive account@marlyncabrera, Hive account@owasco, Hive account@preparedwombat, Hive account@marcybetancourt, Hive account@zeurich, Hive account@barge, Hive account@lacrucita, Hive account@adncabrera, Hive account@vision-of-esca, Hive account@josemalavem, Hive account@morey-lezama, Hive account@sayury, Hive account@rypo01, Hive account@evagavilan2 and Hive account@bertrayo.