#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – January 21st, 2018 – Silence

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Michael

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There were three of us at our first meeting. Me, Susy and silence.

Silence sat between us and looked from one of us to the other.

Susy and I did the obligatory things, warm greetings, the weather, the trip to the café, compliments as to each other looked and then…..

I’m sure silence knew all about us, what we both wanted and sat there with a grin spread across his face basking in the knowledge he was front and centre when so often he was pushed aside for banter and cheer.

The awkwardness continued sprinkled by the occasional word, mumbled, stammered and often from a mouth open with nothing come out.

By the end, there were smiles and she asked if we could try again. I’m sure at that moment silence cringed thinking his days might be coming to an end.

As we departed each other, we laughed at our obvious awkwardness and promised a better time the next time, as we both decided inside to leave silence at home.

Written for: #JusJoJan Daily Prompt – January 21st, 2018

 

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Sunday Writing Prompt #238 “Rant”

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Michael

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The rant started not as a soapbox exhibition but rather as an unexpected consequence of the man’s behaviour.

Whatever it was he did the result was a rant like I’d not seen before and hope to never see again.

He’d obviously said something wrong and she was into him for it. But there was more to it than pointing out the error of his ways. She decided that there and then in the middle of the crowded shopping mall to make her point heard by all and everyone.

There was a very clear point to what she was doing. Her rant was to humiliate the man. You could clearly see the embarrassment in his face. Her tirade of belittlement, in a public place, orchestrated to achieve the maximum effect with little if any consideration of how he might be feeling.

But I think her rant was the result of a lot of pent up anger and she suddenly found a reason to release it and it didn’t matter where.

He was not a big man by any means and seemed to get smaller the longer she went on. It appeared everything about him irritated her and she didn’t hold back telling everyone each of his numerous faults.

His dress was wrong, obviously designed to embarrass her in public, his indifference to how she felt, his callous behaviour towards her, his drinking, neglect of the yard and his failure as a father to support her in disciplining the children, who I was glad were not with them to see their father treated this way.

All this happened outside the Pharmacy and she couldn’t resist the temptation to suggest he go in and buy some Viagra as that might improve his non-existent responses to her sexual advances.

The man shrank further and further with her vitriol raining on him, he had nowhere to go, he was like a fly trapped in her web and she knew it and enjoyed that he was cowering.

He stood in silence, his eyes cast down, praying, I’m sure for the woman to stop and so he could then disappear into a crack in the wall but she didn’t and did everything short of physically assaulting him.

When she was sure her rant had had the desired effect she sneered at him and ordered him to wait in the car for she didn’t want to be seen in public with such a pathetic man.

I watched as he shuffled away, knowing he might not ever again enter the mall for fear of being recognised as the man humiliated in public.

The woman strode off, her head up believing she had done nothing wrong and had in fact demonstrated her ability to take no crap from any man.

I wondered which one we felt most sympathy for.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/sunday-writing-prompt-238-rant/

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Thursday photo prompt – Distant #writephoto

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Michael

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There was movement on the distant snow covered mountains as the Mountain Nymphs began their trek down the mountain to the nearby village.

For them, it was time for rejuvenation and the male population of the village were the source of their rejuvenation.

They came at night while the village slept and from each male took the seed they needed to renew themselves.

The males never knew what it was that caused them to be weak and listless for the next week. They referred to it as the male blight and blamed the season for laying them low.

Back in the mountains the Mountain Nymphs celebrated the period of renewal. Rejuvenated they were once again ready to hunt the mountain cats and store away the food they needed for the coming summer.

 

Written for: https://scvincent.com/2018/01/18/thursday-photo-prompt-distant-writephoto/

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Weekend Writing Prompt #38 – Boundary

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Michael

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Prose Challenge – Write a story in 150 words or less about a boundary that opens with the following:

When I saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  It was all true.

There it was, every story I had been told, as a child was true. The boundary was a wall made solely of liquorice allsorts.

They were packed together in a random fashion, the boundary wall stretching as far as the eye could see.

How it came to be was a mystery but you had the impression it wasn’t a wall to be trifled with. Within a foot of the wall you experienced a magnetic force, not drawing you in but rather repealing you from it.

My mate Charlie fought against it and snatched a delicious looking block, green with rich liquorice layers, it was the last thing he ever did. His look of satisfaction turned to horror in an instant.

I made a cairn of stones to remember where Charlie was now. He replaced the block he stole, and like every other block fitted seamlessly into place.

 

Written for: https://sammiscribbles.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/weekend-writing-prompt-38-boundary/

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#SoCS & #JusJoJan Daily Prompt, Jan. 20th, 2018 – word/s that start with “oc”

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Michael

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There was an occasion when he suffered a rather nasty injury to his occipital bone. For many people it was something you might lose your head over but he was a resilient man and so it was just his occiput that received he most damage and so long as his spinal cord was intact the back of his head could suffer any number of knocks, if it so wished.

Thankfully it didn’t change any of his ambitions to be an Occupational Therapist, an occupation he looked forward to.

He did consult an oculist who suggested he might be more gainfully employed as an oceanographer as his sight was somewhat impaired from the injury to his occipital bone. But he was determined to occupy the seat of an Occupational Therapist and set out to achieve such a goal.

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Written for: https://lindaghill.com/2018/01/19/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-daily-prompt-jan-20th-2018/

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January 18: Flash Fiction Challenge – Uncle Des.

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Michael

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January 18, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes boots. Whose boots are they, where do they go and what is their significance? Go where the prompt leads.

Uncles Des threw his old boots down his back yard. Over the years there were a great number of boots scattered about.

He said his life savings were inside one of them and with the randomness of his boots lying about and his money hungry relos sniffing about looking for his savings he kept an eye on his yard, as did his faithful hound Savage.

You couldn’t get into the yard unless you found a way past the dog.

Des laughed at the methods used by his kin, but Des knew where his loot was and they never would.

 

Written for: https://carrotranch.com/2018/01/19/january-18-flash-fiction-challenge/

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#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – January 19th, 2018 – Darkness

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Michael

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When he thought about it, it did make a lot of sense: you came from darkness and you returned to it. The circle of life.

As sensible and logical as it was that didn’t mean he liked the idea.

As his days wound down he remembered he and his mates joking about the day they wouldn’t be able to run for buses. Well it had arrived and in a big way as he’d tripped and fallen on the footpath, skinned his knee and severely dented his ego.

It sucked getting old and with one thing and another going wrong, and the darkness looming ever closer.

There were plenty of people willing to tell him about the effects of growing old, but no one was willing to tell him if when the darkness did engulf him would there be light on the other side.

 

Written for: https://lindaghill.com/2018/01/19/jusjojan-daily-prompt-january-19th-2018/

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Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – January 19, 2018

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Michael

We haven’t had much rain in the past month and so the creek is drying up.

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But across the way its Saturday morning business as usual.

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For: https://ceenphotography.com/2018/01/19/cees-which-way-photo-challenge-january-19-2018/

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Lyrical Fiction Friday Reveal: “Cocoa Skin Against Mine” #lyricalfictionfriday

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Michael

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I’d noticed her a lot lately. The dark coloured girl on the bus, always sitting a few seats ahead of me.

I was immediately drawn to the silken nature of her skin. Her facial features, smooth and fine lines where her skin caressed her facial outline.

She was one I fantasised about knowing she would never give someone the likes of me a second glance.

We alighted at the same stop and I always stood back to allow her space to disembark. She’d nod her thanks as she moved ahead of me and once off the bus stepped away in the opposite direction to me.

Yesterday she stopped on the pavement and turned to me smiled and waved as she strode off towards her work place.

I was stunned to receive such attention. I thought on it all day. I allowed myself to picture her, long athletic legs, her hair flowing from the ponytail she kept it in order with. But that flashing smile, the twinkle in her eyes and the mischievous way her lips curled when waved at me, had enthralled me.

The next day she sat a seat closer to me and as we alighted she extended a hand announcing her self as Catherine with a ‘C’. I introduced myself, mumbling my name before stumbling after her as the bus came to our stop.

She asked me if I was free that night and if I’d come to dinner.

She was moving much faster than I anticipated but I said yes and we exchanged phone numbers.

I received a message later that day with her address and a request not to be late.

I was a punctual sort of guy and turned up on time. Dinner was amazing, she could cook, she was entertaining and we spoke of our respective lives before the time beckoned me to leave.

As I went to her front door she took my hands and thanked me for a wonderful night. I too was grateful; I had enjoyed being in her company and was sorry the night had to end.

It was then she kissed me and my knees went to jelly.

 

Written for: https://marquessamatthews.com/2018/01/18/lyrical-fiction-friday-reveal-cocoa-skin-against-mine-lyricalfictionfriday/

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#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – January 18th, 2018 – Revolt

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Michael

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Revolt

When the revolt happened it wasn’t surprising as the leaders of the most revolting group you could imagine descended on the village and were responsible for many revolting things most too revolting to mention.

They were a dirty, unkempt and revolting group of men who many thought didn’t deserve to live and who seemed to proudly wear the badge of ‘revolting’ as if it were a symbol of their manhood.

They didn’t possess one single shred of decency and they believed they had every right to behave in the most revolting ways possible.

It came as no surprise when they invaded the home of Suspeena, the village witch, that none of them emerged from her house. It was one of the rare moments in the village history where Suspeena was less revolting than the attackers.

 

Written for: https://lindaghill.com/2018/01/18/jusjojan-daily-prompt-january-18th-2018/

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