Happy Sunday! And Happy Mother's Day to all who are celebrating today. Thank you for all your great stories, Fifty Worders. This post provides highlights from last week’s #fiftywords stories, and a new prompt to fuel our imaginations.

I had a great week, and I hope you did too. Last week’s 50-words challenge post was highlighted on the Steemit Ramble, hosted by the fabulous community builder and Pimp Your Post show host, @shadowspub.

Also, one of my recent flash fiction stories was showcased on the curie blog a few days ago, which was a thrill. If you’re not familiar with @curie, be sure to check them out and support their work. Curie is a community of curators dedicated to finding and supporting quality content on Steemit.

About the 50-word challenge

If you’re new here, welcome! This is a weekly challenge that kicks off on Sundays with a one-word prompt. Participants use the prompt to create a micro-fiction story in just 50 words. For more info and inspiration: check out the recent post about this project, Fifty-word challenge: FAQs, ideas, motivation and showcase.

This is a continuation of the #fiftywords challenge started by @miniature-tiger who has been developing a seafaring strategy game called Archipelago for the Utopian.io open source community. Visit the linked post for the latest update.

(Image credit: Original image by pixel2013, Pixabay)

Last week's 50-word stories

Last week's prompt was “hatch” and the #fiftywords community hatched some wonderful pieces, as usual, employing several meanings of the word. We saw various creatures hatching from eggs, hatched schemes, and tales involving the hatches of planes, submarines, spaceships and trash cans. As always, picking a top story was impossible, so I've chosen "highlights" of the week.

First, here is the complete list of stories inspired by the “hatch” prompt. Be sure to read these lovely gems, and support the authors!

• Dragon Egg -- Part 2, by @therosepatch
• Hatch, by @foxfiction
• Waiting, by @carn
• Chip & Rick, by @anixio
• Beyond the Cracks: After the Hatching - A Mother’s Mission, by @paintingangels
• Overdue and Presumed Lost, by @preparedwombat
• I was hatched, by @theironfelix
• The attic, by @luiskrupaz
• Adrenaline, by @spalatino
• Wanderlust, by @sue-stevenson
• A Dozen Chicks Hatched, by @pyrowngs
• Space part II - A Momentary Lapse, by @ablaze
• Let’s find out, by @lightoj
• A Plot Hatched, by @thatlovechild
• In the end, by @anikekirsten
• Stock Market Analyst Position, by @mgaft1
• The Last Watcher, by @negativer
• Pacific Brood
• The Twofer Roofer, by @creatr
• Going below, by @jayna

Highlights of the week

You guys! Not only do you produce all these great little micro-fiction treasures each week, but you also do an amazing job of supporting each other with comments and upvotes. It is wonderful to see all the activity and community that springs out of these stories.

I’m doing something a little different this week. In honor of Mother’s Day. I am highlighting the stories that celebrate birth, hatching, and mommas. And instead of just linking to the stories, I’m including the stories themselves. A thanks for this theme’s inspiration goes to @aksounder, who not only shared a beautiful story about a momma octopus giving birth to her many eggs, but also wrote an informative post about these incredible creatures and octopi motherhood as an homage to mothers of all kinds.

• Pacific Brood, by @aksounder:

Tucked in a crevice, they hang beside her like chandeliers. Her pulsing breaths keep them clean. Safe. Motherhood keeps her rooted—not even a moment to eat. Gently, she brushes over them.

More than fifty-thousand burst forth and begin their fragile lives. Her final breath propels them into the great deep.

• Hatching Day, by @ravencorinn (with her charming original artwork):

Effort. So much effort. Stretch, poke, strain. Cracks to push, to break apart.
One more, so big. Bright light, warm air. Blink for first time, draw in that sulfur-scented air.
A presence waiting, an eager puff of breath. Someone wanting to see tiny scales and little wings. Mommy loves me!

• Hatch, by @tygertyger:

Never trust a dragon. " I just want to go to the pond and swim a tiny bit" she said "can you watch it pleeeeeaaase" batting her eyes like a french madame. I love Ruby, but I should have known better. Now I am stuck here waiting for junior to hatch.

• Dragon Egg - Part 2 (the continuing saga!), by @therosepatch:

“Do you have the egg?”
The dragon’s voice boomed inside the cavern. Ruby’s heart pounded. She pulled the egg out of her satchel and laid it in the straw. “Where’s my son?”
The egg cracked. Ruby gasped and stepped back. No! She wouldn’t get Jared back if it hatched now!

• The Twofer Roofer, by @creatr:

Beneath lowering sky, drizzling, dripping drops descend,
splashing, sliding along sloping, overlapping layers.
Impermeable leaves, long, slender, narrow and flat,
woven with consummate, artisanal skill.
Their maker dryly dwells below, sheltered by humbly effective thatch.
Under one corner broods the whippoorwill.
Warming them, she waits for her nestlings to hatch.

• Beyond the Cracks: After the Hatching - A Mother’s Mission, by @paintingangels:

Sweet darlings, you can't yet know
the angst which covers my heart
as I watch you grow.
Knowing that you must
fly away from me
is unbearingly harrowing,
but I will prepare you
to decorate
the smiling moon above us
as the giants admire you
from their wingless prison below.

• Chip & Rick, by @anixio:

“Chip, wake up!”
“Rick, I'm awake already.”
“Oh, you are? I still can't see very well. How long are we closed in here?”
“Too long if you ask me. Shall we?”
“Ok, give me your legs, and on three we'll push together.”
Craaaaack… And first chicken siblings have been hatched.

• I was hatched, by @theironfelix:

I was hatched at first
through being birthed out open
and seeing the whole World.

I was then hatched by
through the loving care and
gaze of my loving mother.
I was hatched by then
through the mirror I saw
and I then saw unity.

And hatched I shall be.

• Let’s find out, by @lightoj:

What creature lay such egg, it's big? Arthur questioned his wife, Mary.
She responded, I can't tell but this is too big for a hen or turkey.
Look there's a crack, Mary pointed.
I think it's about to hatch out, Arthur. I'm scared.
Let's see.
What is it?
Ooooooooh! Dragon!!!!!!

• A Dozen Chicks Hatched, by @pyrowngs:

Having chickens free ranging, it’s expected that eventually a hen will go missing. And, when the missing hen appears again a few days later, and you send your daughter to follow her, you may discover her hidden nest, and if ALL the eggs hatch, you might double your flock overnight.

Nice job, everyone!

This week's 50-word story prompt

The prompt for this week is “bank.” I hope you have some fun with this, Fifty Worders!

Guidelines

Please review carefully. Images must not be pulled from any Internet site.

1. Write a story in 50 words. (It's especially cool if you can hit 50 words exactly!)
2. Use the #fiftywords tag, and post the link in the comments of this post.
3. Be sure to read and upvote the work of the other participants. It's all about community!
4. Use only artwork that you have the right to use, and attribute it properly. See the “Proper use of images” topic below.

Proper use of images

Proper use of images means one of the following:

1. It is your image.
2. The image is public domain, or under creative commons licensing rules.
3. If it is not one of the above, you have actual permission.

Be sure to mention that the image is yours, or attribute its source. And if it's not public domain or creative license, be sure to state that you have permission.

I have two resources for you, from my friends at @thewritersblock:

• Image licensing, by @rhondak
• Creative Commons Resource Library, by @therosepatch

And speaking of #thewritersblock, if you would like editing help for your stories before posting them, follow the tag to find them on Discord.

Deadline for this week: Saturday, May 19th.

The 50-word story clan

Welcome new 50-worders!

I'm mentioning you here if have participated in the #fiftywords short story challenge in the past. Please let me know if you would like your tag removed in this or future posts. (Note that I am starting to reduce the list. Those who have not participated for a long time or are not active on Steemit will eventually drop from the mentions.)

@ablaze, @adigitalife, @agmoore, @ahmadmanga, @aksounder, @alheath, @anikekirsten, @anixio
@beginningtoend, @botefarm @brandonsadventur, @bryarose23
@caleblailmusik, @carn, @cheekah, @cizzo, @clacrax, @creatr
@damianjayclay, @deirdyweirdy, @desmoniac, @diebitch, @dirge, @divineinyang, @donnest, @douglasbalmain
@eaglespirit, @elementm, @emwalker, @enjar, @eroticabian, @evgsk
@feebie, @felt.buzz, @ficciones, @fitinfun, @foxfiction
@galactichunter, @godwine
@hope-k
@iamthegray, @ilt-yodith, @intheory, @isa93, @isufbakaj
@jadams2k18, @janine-ariane, @jakeybrown, @jayna, @josecarrasquero
@kaelci, @kimberlylane, @kingernie, @ktfabler
@ldacey-laforge, @lightoj, @lucylin, @luiskrupaz
@Mammasitta, @marie-jay, @mark-dahl, @mgaft1, @mikesthoughts, @mineopoly, @miniature-tiger, @momzillanc, @mydivathings
@naquoya, @naso, @navaneeth, @negativer, @niallon11
@onewithearth
@paintingangels, @photovitamin, @pixiehunter, @poeticnest, @preparedwombat, @prydefoltz, @puppetmaster1111, @purpledaisy57, @pyrowngs
@ravencorinn, @rodrigocabrera
@sciencevienna, @sharoonyasir, @skoolielove, @spalatino, @sue-stevenson, @sukhasanasister
@tanglebranch, @thatlovechild, @theblackcrow, @theironfelix, @therosepatch, @tiatu, @tony-duke, @tuwore, @tygertyger
@vaitelavicius, @vivek-g
@wales, @whitewizard, @wilfredn, @wordsalmighty, @wylde
@yimiipsa, @yomibolo
@zen-art

Thanks so much for reading. As always, your upvote, comment and resteem support is greatly appreciated!