Twittering Tale #48 – 5 September 2017

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Michael

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Coffee black, no milk or sugar
Not too hot or my lips will burn
how will she kiss me
with scorched lips
so do your bit
so I can do mine. Yes? (137 characters)

 

Written for: https://katmyrman.com/2017/09/05/twittering-tale-48-5-september-2017/

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Mundane Monday Challenge #125 : Learn Photography

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Michael

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I started digging an old patch of garden to plant tomatoes. Soil is in need of a bit of work as I am encountering the roots of an old tree.

https://trablogger.com/mundane-monday-challenge-125-learn-photography/

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Wordle #170 – Sibling Rivalry

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Michael

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This week’s word/phrases: raspberry jam toast  firing squad  sibling rivalry goldfish (the animal) Starlight rock opera (i.e. the rock band Queen, The Who or Meatloaf composed songs that had elements of story-telling in the tradition of opera – use this as your point of inspiration to get a feeling for the idea) Dungeon Compose Dealings  clamour (n. or v.) Dawn smelter

It had become a tradition within the kingdom to hold an annual rock opera competition between the brother and sister Prince and Princess. The idea had been spawned one Sunday night as they both fought for the raspberry jam to cover the toast they were making against the coals of the fuel stove. Raspberry jam toast was a family favourite, and during the melee that occurred, they made the challenge to each other.

Such was their sibling rivalry that the Princess had named her band Sibling Rivalry and had taken them to the deepest dungeon in the castle and there to compose with them their entry in this year’s challenge.

Her brother had his band, Firing Squad, also in a dungeon but well away from his sister. The bands were each populated by long haired degenerates whose only interest in anything but music was negligible.

The Princess had decided that her rock opera would be called Goldfish, about a lost child who spent her life wandering aimlessly through a forest and as such was prone to spend her days dealing with the same thing over and over. After a while, she developed a means of seeing the new and positive in the things she saw over and over. The Princess took a real goldfish down into the dungeon to watch its movements in assisting them in composing music that reflected its movements.

The Prince was working on a rock opera called Starlight, about a boy who dreamed of the stars and one night his wishes are granted when his fairy godmother allows him to fly through the heavens.

The deadline for each group was the following dawn, and so both groups worked through the night to come up with their compositions.

To an outsider, the clamour that came from the dungeons was a sound sure to raise your blood pressure. No effort was spared, every chord and note exacting the tone and nuance required.

Each lyric was as if extracted from a fine smelter such was their dedication to their respective tasks. In moments of doubt, when it felt the process had been smeltered and all hope was going down the toilet one band member would have an idea that set the smelters of their minds back on track.

As dawn approached the clamour of the previous hours was replaced by the melodic sounds of chords making sense, lyrics that clearly told their respective tales and singers confident they were smeltered no more.

As the morning sun appeared so did plates of raspberry jam toast to be enjoyed by one and all as they looked forward to the concert later that night.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/09/04/wordle-170/

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SoCS Sept. 2/17 – birth/berth

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Michael

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His birthday was celebrated with great aplomb. He was given a berth on the convict ship and set sail for Australia.

As his birth rite had been a life of luxury and privilege the berth, he was given came as a bit of a shock. That was the problem when one’s birth and name was taken from you.

Chained to the most disgusting human beings, whose birth rites he was sure could be questioned, he had little choice but to take his given berth as a place to call home for the months it would take to reach their destination.

Several times he tried to strike up a conversation by mentioning it was his birthday and hoping for a rousing chorus to celebrate the fact, but none was forthcoming apart from curses slung across the floor.

After months of being sick, underfed and unloved they made berth in Sydney Cove, and he disembarked into the hottest place he’d ever been.

When they called his name, they asked him his date of birth, and when he told them, they announced he was wrong and that the date they had was different. According to them, he was two years younger.

So, he acquired a new date of birth, which gave rise to the birth of a new man.

 

Written for: https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-217/

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Sunday Writing Prompt #218 – Night Sounds

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Michael

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What do you hear and how does it influence you? Does it make you content or does it disturb you?

As I live in my family home and for near on 100 years now someone in the family has lived in here. So, at night I often recall the sounds of my childhood. The Sunday nights around the fuel stove, the nights when mum would allow us to make toast by holding the bread on a long fork and against the coals in the fire, smearing the hot toast with butter and munching into the smoky bread.

I can’t say I like the night. I never have, sometimes I find it peaceful and comforting but that’s not the norm for me. As I don’t sleep all that well, I am awake a lot and the night can be very long when that’s happening.

There are moments when I imagine my great grandparents sleeping in one of the rooms of the house. I don’t know which one as the nature of the house has changed so much.

What I find disturbing during the night are the sounds I can’t identify. I’ll be up out of bed looking to discover what it is that has me puzzled. Once I’ve sorted it out, I can get back to bed.

It’s not uncommon around here to have birds active at night, and certainly, at dawn, they all seem to be awake and discussing whatever it is that is so important they all have to talk at once.

Those apart from the sound of traffic going by are the sounds of my night.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/sunday-writing-prompt-218/

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Weekend Writing Prompt #18 – Performance

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Michael

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Image: Labelled for re-use

The small thin girl, inside a bag of nerves, enters the performance space and looks at her audience. Its time she tells herself and becomes Marnie the character she embodies and goes straight into character skipping child like to centre stage.

She wears a flower print dress and is holding a bunch of artificial gerberas.

He loves me, he loves me not… (plucking petals from a flower)

Tonight!

I’m going on a date!

With George.

He’s a real man, and he’s single, and he’s straight, and he’s not a woman.

You see, ever since Toni…

Well, things just got a bit awkward.

It was our third date, and Toni and I were getting a bit hot under the collar, so to speak.

And, uh, when the time came to explore, well it wasn’t quite what I was expecting… I mean it wasn’t …you know… the bits I was hoping for.

I mean socially I was fine with it, but reproductively it was a bit of a cul-de-sac.

Now I just find it better to clear these things up early on in the relationship.

But that’s all in the past.

(A beat.)

Along with Jared.

He was my last boyfriend.

We dated for two and a half years.

Until I found out.

I mean, in hindsight, there probably were clues.

But when you are in love that doesn’t worry you.

All you think about is him coming home and being with him, cleaning the blood off his clothes; all the stuff that makes you feel good.

You just accept the late nights and the long hours and the travelling away, because you’re in love, aren’t you?

I think everyone has a story like that.

He took me on this lovely picnic once, down near where they found that first girl.

I’ll never forget it.

He was so sweet, it was warm, and we lay under the willows and listened to the gurgling of the creek, and we sipped champagne.

He did say that that place was very special to him as well… though later I did find out why.

Apparently, he took a lot of girls there.

(PAUSE)

His arrest did put a bit of a dampener on the whole courting process.

Of course, you can imagine the media had a field day over the whole affair.

Called him the “Cleaver”, said he ate two people.

No, he didn’t.

He ate, a bit, of one of them.

And anyway, it all happened when he when he was a student, which is a time when we’re all experimenting with something, aren’t we?

He was just misunderstood.

(A beat.)

My friends were not supportive in any way shape or form.

At the time, I was adamant about maintaining our relationship.

The way I looked at it was, life’s a journey, and sometimes we make a wrong turning.

As my mum always said, what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.

It’s actually quite amazing how far denial will take you.

My best friend at the time, Eunice Jacobs, said to me, Marnie she said, Marnie you are out of your mind, you are no bright spark on the dullest of days but you do not have to be Alfred Einstein to figure out that this guy is a real looney and you should not be within a bull’s roar of him.

Eunice did have a way with words.

But that is not what tonight is about.

Tonight is about a foxy lady letting her hair down and having a damn good time with her gentleman caller.

And who knows, if it all goes well, maybe we’ll have a little,

You know, a little game of hide the purple parsnip.

Oh! I’ve just gotten a textual message.

It’s from him!

Ooo! He says I better wear something cool cause I’m gonna sweat tonight!

Oh, his air conditioner’s broken.

So yeah, that’s probably good advice.

And so, I’ve had a few bad dates and yes, I have a lot of cats and it’s been a while since I’ve been out, with a man, or a human, and sometimes I call and leave a message for myself just so it looks like someone’s called and I go to bed at 8:30 and okay so I have a pair of shoes specifically for driving, but that doesn’t mean I’m desperate.

I think I’m ready to settle.

There just comes a time in every girl’s life when she realises she’s ready to give up her freewheeling bachelorette ways and settle into the monotonous and never-ending pleasantness that is marriage.

Because contrary to popular belief, there are not plenty of fish in the sea.

At least not ones that are interested in my bait, as it were.

 

Marnie bows enthusiastically to her audience and leaves the stage.

 

 

Written for: https://sammiscribbles.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/weekend-writing-prompt-18-performance/

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Reena’s Exploration Challenge #Week 2

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Michael

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He’d long concluded that life was full of roadblocks. At least his was.

So often when he thought life was being kind to him, in front of him appeared a roadblock designed to make him rethink his whole attitude to life and himself.

Every roadblock challenged his perception of himself.

Had things worked out as he wanted then his life would have been far different. Life’s riches would have been his. Love, prosperity and status would have been his.

But his question was would he be the person he is now.

Roadblocks present us with problems to either give up on or grow from. The problem of overcoming them and moving on in pursuit of a goal fascinated him.

It would be easy to give up. Move on, nurture your disappointment and become a grumpy old man, cultivate the chip on your shoulder and isolate yourself more and more.

The roadblocks had worked to make him the man he was. Around him were the few who knew him, who saw him for the man he was, flawed and fragile but always looking out to learn and reach out to those around him with understanding and kindness.

He knew there were others worse off than him.

But he knew there was no one else like him.

 

Written for: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/reenas-exploration-challenge-week-2/

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August 31: Flash Fiction Challenge – Speller

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Michael

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August 31, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a speller. It can be one who spells or a primer like Lawrence once had. You can deviate from the primary meaning if magic catches your imagination. Go where the prompt leads.

My mother was a witch, and as a witch, she knew about spells. She wanted me to be an ordinary kid so sent me to school where nuns taught me all I needed to know. Trouble was I would be kept in after class because my spelling was so bad. My mother fearing, I would be ostracised concocted a potion to clear my brain and allow me to spell. It worked, and my class teacher happily took the credit for my change of fortune. She then worked on my grammar and mum, and I thought she done real good.

 

Written for: https://carrotranch.com/2017/09/01/august-31-flash-fiction-challenge-2/

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Saturday Mix – Double Take, 2 September 2017 – The Wee Small Girl

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Michael

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Image credit monicore via Pixabay

Homophones

new – not old
knew – past tense of know

wee – very small; a little
we – us

The wee new girl we knew had a past. Everyone had been briefed to expect the unexpected. Even though she was just a wee slip of a thing we knew like one does an acorn that big things can come from wee objects so we knew we had to be on our guard.

It was nothing new in our community to have new folk move in. Some people said it was a tank of petrol from the city to our town and when a family or person was making a break from whatever their situation might have been we knew and they knew refuge was always available in this town.

We welcomed new arrivals, as we knew they were often in need of comfort and friends.

We accepted them as they were and the wee small girl attached to the latest family to arrive we took in immediately as one of us.

We did this because who knew if they knew what we knew or if this could be the start of a new life for the wee small girl.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/saturday-mix-double-take-2-septe%ef%bb%bfmber-2017/

 

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First Line Friday -September 1st 2017 – Sahi’s Plan

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Michael

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Our first line this week: When Sahi returned to The Ridge there was nothing left but charred wood jutting from the snow. 

“This isn’t right.” He was heard to say. As he looked around, there was nothing but bewilderment spread across his face.

The Ridge was a place where tropical plants grew in abundance. The trees were resplendent with the riotous colour of birds. All was silent save for the patter of falling snow.

Snow wasn’t something you’d expect to see at The Ridge. The more immediate issue was the snow and the change in the weather.

Beside Sahi was his right-hand man, Hollings, a small and bald man, dressed as it turned out in the most inappropriate way possible in shorts and singlet.

Both men had been in the resort gym doing their usual Friday workout and hadn’t noticed the weather take a turn for the worst.

“How far Hollings, is K-Mart?” asked Sahi beginning to shiver.

“A good hour from here Sir,” replied Hollings whose teeth were by now beginning to chatter uncontrollably.

“We need to get there sooner rather than later.”

“Why Sir?”

“We need to buy ourselves a warm coat or two.”

“Ah, good thinking Sir, I’ll go get the car.”

 

Once in the car, Sahi began to postulate about the situation.

“Its climate change Hollings. You can see it happening around you.”

“You can Sir?”

“Of course, you can, and I’ve seen it all before.”

“You have?”

“Yes. 30,000 years ago. Same thing happened. One day there were beaches with rolling surf and palm trees, the next we were knee deep in it, and there was no K-Mart then I can assure you.”

Hollings not being the sharpest tack in the box stopped at this point to digest what Sahi had just said. Had he heard it right?

“Are you saying you were alive 30,000 years ago Sir?”

“Yes, I am, and a bloody tough time we had of it. Snow and ice everywhere, no food, no water, cold enough to freeze your balls off and no hope of survival. Everywhere you turned it was white, the oceans turned to ice, the ice then hardened, people starved and the animals froze. Mess everywhere.”

“Then how did you survive?”

“Same way I intend to survive now Hollings. I have a plan, you have to have a plan and as I’ve seen all this before I know just the ticket to get us out of this mess.”

“And what might that be Sir?”

“When we get back Hollings, when we have our warm winter woollies, I want you to get from the charred wood jutting out of the snow any piece of wood that still has a spark within it. Do you hear me, Hollings?”

“Yes Sir, find a spark in the charred wood jutting out of the snow. What if there isn’t a spark there then?”

“Then Hollings you will feel the cold creep up your legs, they and your feet will go numb, and your torso and other bits will then lose feeling. You will find death a disappointment as it will arrive long before you desire it to. I won’t bother burying you as there is no way I can dig a hole for you nor cremate your remains so in a thousand years or so when the ice once again melts some explorer will find your body and make a name for himself claiming he has found the missing link.”

“And what of you Sir?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine Hollings, just behind you where the charred wood juts from the snow there is a portal to take me into another dimension where the grass grows on trees and the leaves from the ground. A fascinating place, I know you’d like it Hollings, but there is only room for one body through the portal. Now get over there find a spark for me or its curtains for you.”

“Yes Sir, immediately sir,” replied Hollings hoping against all hope that a spark might just remain.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/first-line-friday-september-1st-2017/

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