Micro Fiction Challenge: Duende
Posted by David Duhr in 
Y’all are in for a treat this week. Not only is our word a versatile one, but it will allow for stories about demons/goblins AND artistic inspiration. And it’s fun as hell to say.
Duende can mean “goblin, demon, or spirit,” and/or “charm and magnetism.” But it can also mean (from the Spanish tener duende, which means “to have duende“) “having soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity.”
More:
“The artistic and especially musical term was derived from the duende, a fairy or goblin-like creature in Spanish and Latin American mythology.”
How cool is this word?!
“I have duende today.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I am feeling inspired, artistically, because of some creepy weirdo goblin.”
Yes, please.
Okay, enough nonsense. As usual, keep your story to 25 words or less, include the word “duende,” write it out in the comments section below, click “Notify” to keep abreast of your competition, and feel free to use a pseudonym if you’re shy. We’ll announce the winner in this space next week (maybe), and we’ll give a shout-out to our favorites on Facebook and Twitter.
The winner of this week’s Micro Fiction Challenge earns: a two-hour block of time at WriteByNight all to his/herself, to be scheduled according to your convenience (and ours, of course). That’s right, gang–free use of our space for two hours with no other writers around to hog any of the WBN duende; not even us! If you choose to be upstairs, we’ll go downstairs, and vice versa. Grab hold of the WBN duende goblin and use him/her to your evil purposes.
And catch up on past Micro Fiction Challenges to see what we’re looking for in a winner.
No hecho menos tu amor o tu abrazos, tu carino o tu besos. Pero tu duende – como chile en mis labios – toda vida los siento.
(I don’t miss your love or your embraces, your affection or your kisses. But your duende – like the chile on my lips – I can still feel it.)
But it was such a small goblin, the Grecian cork capping the bottle it was in sealed with dried blood. Who knew a Duende could gobble up dried blood and devastate the world? It was so little.
“I enjoyed your speech,” he said. “You have a certain … duende about you.” “Oh, no,” I corrected him. “That little man is actually my husband.”
His teacher sent home notes daily — Edward is such a handful. She didn’t have to face bedtime.
“Any monsters in the closet, papa?”
“No,” I said, staring at the duende’s wet snout, “nothing in here.”
“Is that a duende in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?”
“It’s a duende.”
“Oh.”
“Mijo, sleep or the duende will leave the walls and take your toes!”
Gabriel gripped his penknife tighter. “No,” he thought, “tonight, I take theirs.”
Duende is not an apt description. He looked more elf-like. Perhaps Santa let him out for the day.
[…] good competition this time around, though I note that few of you used “duende” in its “heightened creativity/inspiration” form; creepy goblins ruled the […]
“Play it one more time with… duende”
What happened next became legend. Some said demonic possession others angelic, all said: “now that was music.”