Week 2 Wrap-Up

So, this week the prompt was "The truth behind the smile...", and these are the stories I read throughout the week:

1. Michael's Princess Story, in which a princess proved herself pretty bad-ass, and the assassin sent to kill her proved himself...well, a bit of a moron, really. :D I really enjoy Michael's quirky humour in his writing, and look forward to reading more!
2. Virginia's take on the fake smile people often have to wear in client service. This story spoke to me for sure, and I could really feel the character's desperation to get out of the elevator and into the fresh, smoke-clogged winter air. ;)
3. Griffinclaw's emotive take on those special people who show up in our lives from time to time, sometimes with years at a time in absence. And, more to the point, what it means to lose them. Griffinclaw's character portrait was very strong here.
4. Madeline's seriously creepy mythical account of a people known as Sparrows, who appear to either be half man, half bird creatures, or...just plain birds. I really love Madeline's unique choice of words and the poetical nature of her writing. *
5. Eygló's exploration of probably the world's most famous smile - that worn (or half worn, really :D) by the Mona Lisa. And on the side, two lovers finding each other again after a long separation. Yay! *

I also read a seriously creepy story about a dead guy who's a fan of taking icky pictures of dead people (cheers Jenn :P), and of course Winter's beautiful-but-sad story of the week for Friday. In short, it was a pretty awesome week, with all manner of amazing interpretations of one very short prompt. :D

I can't wait to see how this week has gone too! Woo!!

Addendum: Brooke's answer to prompt two was this twisted dys-utopian about those refuse to put on a happy face.