Wordle #189 – Helminth the Parasitic Worm

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Michael

week-183

This week’s words: Malice Gangly Find Misery Hardhearted Lens Imperative Orbit Inchoate (adj.)) Not yet fully developed, rudimentary, lacking order Helminth (n.)) a worm especially a parasitic worm Mask Glide

Helminth the parasitic worm looked about. It was such a nice looking day, and he felt the malice of his hardhearted kind rising in his slimy throat.

All he needed was to find a gangly, inchoate youth, and there were plenty of them about. He decided to hide under the park seat and wait his chance to impart his brand of misery.

As it was Tuesday, there were many youths of the gangly variety orbiting the park in small groups devising ways to spend their well-earned dole handouts.

It was imperative for Helminth the parasitic worm to give the illusion of harmlessness, to hide behind the mask of respectability.

When the moment was right, he would glide over and secrete himself into the unsuspecting gangly youth and through the only lens on his body head for the succulent and tasty parts of the gangly youths stomach.

Helminth the parasitic worm was good at his trade, if you could call it that and hated when discovered the invasion of the stomach by armour-clad warriors determined to drive him out.

He was always grateful that every gangly youth he invaded had a ready-made escape route. So with malice afore thought he moved on the gangly youth now seated on the park bench.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/03/26/wordle-189/

 

 

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Sunday Writing Prompt “The Tides” – Clara

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Michael

the-tides

When Clara studied the Tides, she decided she was obviously an Indigo. Her decision was based solely on her liking indigo as a colour more than what it represented.

She liked to think she was calm and influential, an upstanding member of her community and moral and trustworthy.

The truth was more reflective of her as being silver. A lying self-serving woman who pretended one thing and acted another.

She always came across well to anyone who met her, and she was always willing to help you out whenever the need arose. But behind your back, she was happy to assassinate you.

She had this belief that it was for your good when she stepped in offer guidance of the sort you couldn’t for fear of retribution ignore.

She did have a concern about the legacy she might leave on the world which is why she tried so hard to combine the two colours, which as we know are not very compatible and in Clara’s case showed up like the proverbial dog’s balls.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/sunday-writing-prompt-the-tides/

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Reena’s Exploration Challenge #Week 29 – The Philosophically Challenged

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Michael

ceilings

Feel free to write whatever comes to mind. (And I did!!)

The annual meeting of the philosophically challenged met to hear the eminent professor, Louis V Socratrees. His visit and expected lecture on the virtues of the placement of ceilings in the modern technological world was anticipated by most as the highlight of the meeting.

“Ceilings,” he began to the hushed room, “are there for a purpose. And that purpose is logical and at the same time baffling and tiresome to those who require a straight answer to most questions.

They are there in most rooms you enter to remind us that we have to continue the struggle to achieve what most would consider the impossible.

Ceilings represent those things in life we crave for but never achieve. The pursuit of happiness is one we occasionally get fleeting glimpses of like when you win a lottery prize, score a goal or take your first wicket in your first test match.

That sense of satisfaction within us is but temporary.

The ceiling in any room you can jump up and touch, but you never cling to it.

As the eminent Dr Vermuri states ceilings are imaginatively designed, they exist in our lives not to make the impossible seem further out of our reach but us to dream of achieving what we might perceive is out of our reach.”

The good professor did live up to his name, and the audience sat riveted to his every word.

To illustrate that what might seem impossible could be achieved he handed out signed pieces of plaster board which he said he had taken from the ceiling in his kitchen as an illustration of the impossible being achievable.

His audience held their piece reverently in their hands, some imagined immediately of mounting their piece, some saw theirs as framed, and one small man in the back row thought the whole thing was a load of rubbish.

He had solved the mystery by putting his ceiling on the floor. As philosophically challenged as he was, in his mind, he had staged a coup.

 

Written for: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/reenas-exploration-challenge-week-29/

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Weekend Writing Prompt #47 – Vibrant

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Michael

brightly-coloured-flowers

When I awoke, I was immediately stunned by the landscape around me. Everywhere, were the brightest colours, each plant and tree was aglow with vibrancy.

My first thought was that I was dead and this was heaven. Then again the colours did begin to hurt my eyes, and I wished I had my sunglasses with me so maybe I was in the other place.

As I acclimatized, I could see in the distance other people milling about in small groups listening to one of their group.

I decided to move towards them, but my way was blocked by a most beautiful woman.

She was only small in size, but her face radiated a most welcoming message. I was instantly entranced by her and looked into her captivating green eyes. She announced a small contest to see if I was eligible to join the others.

She held before a rose of multiple colours.

“What do you see?” she asked.

I looked into the rose and saw to my surprise my whole life, the colours reflecting the good and bad moments. I found myself crying in shame at times when I had fallen to temptation when I had hurt others through my own selfishness, but these were also interspersed with moments of sheer joy when I relived the birth of my children, my working career and the fact I had lived a peaceful and overall generous life.

I found by the end the rose was glowing a vibrant yellow a colour that was calming and setting my mind at ease.

The woman placed her hand on my cheek, and her eyes told me all was well.

“Welcome,” she said as I found myself surrounded by others who took my hand and led me into their vibrant world.

 

Written for: https://sammiscribbles.wordpress.com/2018/03/24/weekend-writing-prompt-47-vibrant/

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March 22: Flash Fiction Challenge – Follow Your Dreams

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Michael

working-template-for-ff-challenges6

March 22, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story using the theme “follow your dreams.” Bonus points for throwing a badge into the tale. Go where the prompt leads.

 

From an early age, he started drawing things. He showed a liking for patterns.

As he grew, he played more and more with line and form.

When his schooling was over, he had decided to become an artist.

He worked on his craft, he was invited to exhibit his work. He found a market, a worldwide one.

He discovered his choice of colour, his blue and white.

Today he follows his dream, lives off his art when he doesn’t need to borrow from his dad.

Soon he will travel the world, firstly to Singapore to display his beautiful work.

Its not exactly a badge but a sample of his work.

basilbangs_dome-rug-lucas-grogam

 

Written for: https://carrotranch.com/2018/03/23/march-22-flash-fiction-challenge/

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Music Challenge #24: Tim McGraw & Faith Hill – “Speak To A Girl” #amwriting #musicchallenge #MLMM

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Michael

How would you have me speak to you?

When I have angered you?

When you criticise me?

When you complain of a lack of affection?

 

Do you expect I will grin and bear it?

When you harangue me over trivia?

When you say I should have known?

When you say I don’t provide?

 

Will you walk away when the time is up?

When there’s nothing more to say.

When there’s no path left to tread.

When the sun sets that one last time.

 

When will you allow me to be me?

After I have gone?

When you know there is no coming back?

When you know you’ve burnt every bridge?

 

There comes a day when I am free

To speak my mind, to tell the truth

When the pain of me no longer there

Will bite you when at last you’ll know

You had a man you could have loved

But chose instead to crush his soul

So you never had to look inside.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/music-challenge-24-tim-mcgraw-faith-hill-speak-to-a-girl-amwriting-musicchallenge-mlmm/

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#SoCS March 24/18 – picture

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Michael

socs-badge-2017-18

My friend Edvard had invited me over to see his latest art works and to ask for my help.

He was a struggling artist, but most people thought he showed promise.

He asked me if I would pose for him. I felt flattered that he would ask and asked him why.

He said he needed an unusual subject and I was as unusual as they came, so he said. I wasn’t all that pleased by that, but in the name of assisting a budding artist I said yes and when would he like to start. He said he just needed to do a few sketches and he’d take it from there.

“Frown,” he said sketching furiously, “now smile, good, can you look horrified?” I did my best and even his request for me looking startled I did my best on.

He thanked me for my assistance and off I went. Weeks later he asked if I’d like to come round to see what he had come up with. Like most people, I was vain enough to know my own curiosity would take me there as quickly as I could.

I stood in front of the canvas and stared at what was his best attempt at capturing the real me as he called it. I looked like a startled rabbit caught in headlights.

“That’s the best you could do?” I asked feeling a bit disappointed.

“It’s the real you,” he replied with a sense of satisfaction in his voice. “I’m putting it the art show next week in the city,” he went on.

“Well,” I said, “good thing you still have your day job. I don’t think it will go very well at all.”

330px-The_Scream

Written for: https://lindaghill.com/2018/03/23/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-24-18/

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Time To Write: A New Place [Creative Writing Prompt]

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Michael

ttw-a-new-place

We drove over the final hill and looked down a steep valley towards a cluster of houses that were to make up our place of residence for the next eight years.

This was our first placement as teachers and our first time away from home.

Everything was new including the six-month-old daughter sleeping in the back seat.

We drove into the town, a sleepy place still in the Christmas holiday mode, the shops with their Christmas decorations still on display.

The first intersection we arrived at had pubs on two corners, a bank and an old furniture store on the other.

We arrived at the place we were to rent only to discover the previous occupant had not yet moved out, as there had been a problem for her in getting a removalist to take her stuff to her new place.

We had no alternative but to find accommodation in one of the towns two motels, a grubby place with a well-meaning hostess who could only offer us a single nights accommodation. The second night was in on of the pubs in beds that sagged so badly in the middle that when you rolled over, you ended up in the same spot.

But we survived and since it was a long weekend we were able to arrive at our place on Monday and help pack the previous tenants belongings before we waited for our removals truck to arrive.

All we had was baby stuff and a roll out sort of mattress for ourselves. We heard during the day that the truck bringing our furniture had been delayed.

On the Monday morning when we should have been up and readying ourselves to start school we were awakened by the truck backing into our place and began the frantic unpacking of the truck, boxes piled into the lounge room to await unpacking at some future time.

And so we started a new life, in a new place surrounded by chaos.

 

Written for: https://rachelpoli.com/2018/03/23/time-to-write-a-new-place-creative-writing-prompt/

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Thursday photo prompt – Carved #writephoto – The Shirkers

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Michael

bowl-on-the-moors

When the battle ended, the shirkers were gathered before the victorious commander.

These were the men who had run, hidden or found something else to do as the battle raged.

As punishment, they were led in chains to the boulder rock on the edge of the stream and put to work.

They were to stay there, day and night each with a piece of course rock and rub the boulder until each man dropped from either exhaustion or death.

Carstairs being the greatest of all shirkers organised the men into teams to rub at certain spots until he saw the shape emerging.

Being artistic of mind, Carstairs saw the pursuit of art as far more engaging activity than running at an enemy and inviting death upon oneself.

Over time the men began to appreciate what was happening. Some men from previous shirking campaigns even praised Carstairs as a man of vision, deluded yes, but a man of vision.

The sculpture took shape, each man took ownership of his section, and by the end of the first year they had something they were proud of, a potential bath when it rained, and let’s be honest they each needed a good wash every so often, and future shirking shelter.

 

Written for: https://scvincent.com/2018/03/22/thursday-photo-prompt-carved-writephoto/

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100 Week Wednesday: Week 63 – Rona Raspberries.

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Michael

100ww_w63

Photo by Cathal Mac an Bheatha

The Sunday market was in full swing, and Rona Raspberries had her stall all set up like a vegetarian installation.

Everything she grew was big. This week she had ventured into the seemingly ridiculous by having her vegetables in wicker baskets inside a metal holder attached to a garden fork.

They attracted a lot of attention, and she was happy to say a good seller though the cropping of the vegetable heads did raise an eyebrow or two.

It wasn’t until it was discovered the onions and carrots still had their Woolworths price tags attached that all hell broke loose.

 

Written for: https://bikurgurl.com/2018/03/21/100-week-wednesday-week-63/

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