Saturday’s Mix–22 July 2017 – Mabel

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Image: © morpethroad

The challenge today is to write a story or poem using the point of view of an animal. 

My name is Mabel and I’m a black Angus grazing in the back paddock for Farmer Mudd.

It’s a good life, I eat, I chew, I eat, I chew.

Every so often Leo the bull comes sniffing around. He seems to know when my hormones are acting up and if I’m not careful he’s jumped me and I’m pregnant once again.

If I object he reminds me of my purpose, to produce little versions of him. If I don’t he says I’ll end up in the truck and the truck is where you don’t want to go. Its death he says, the humans cut you up and that’s the end of you.

If I want to stay with the herd, enjoy the pastures and enjoy Leo, though there’s not a lot to enjoy about the great lump, I’ll comply.

After all it is a good life. Producing a little one is a joy once you get over the discomfort of it arrival. It all happens doesn’t it, once it starts there it is. Leo couldn’t give a rat’s arse to be honest, in his mind he’s done his bit it up to me to feed and care for the new one.

And new ones are a handful. From the word go they want, want, want. My milk starts running and so do they. It’s all go, go, go, and so exhausting.

Today we are in the lucerne patch, the grass is rich, the pasture expansive, it’s going to be a good day I just have to keep an eye on the little one as he has a tendency to get a bit too close to the zapping fence. He’s been bitten twice, I hope he learns soon.

I’m going to stop for a while now, chew my cud and ponder the meaning of life.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/07/22/saturdays-mix-22-july-2017/

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First Line Friday -July 21st 2017 – The Hunger

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This week’s first line:

Below the city’s cobblestones, it shifted, restless and hungry.

It had been a while, and it hated having to hide away from the public glare.

The last time it had not ended well. There was little to no understanding of its kind in the lit world. Best to avoid when it could the temptations of the world where hunger was not an issue with so much and so many to choose from.

In the world of darkness and shadow, the fare was monotonous, the dirty stinking rats that infested the sewers it grew tired of quickly. It hungered for more tasty morsels.

The best method it had devised was to wait for darkness to swallow the land above. There were drainage points, sewer outlets that it could crawl into and if it timed its raid right dinner could be served on time.

Not that it knew time apart from the rumblings in its stomach.

Tonight, was one of those nights. Dinner awaited. It crawled into a likely space. Above, it could hear, then see the legs of the passing crowds.

The ones with no leg coverings were the best to snare. The less unwrapping, the better.

It was a matter of wait and see. As the darkness grew, less people were about. The more its chances rose.

It slid back the covering just enough to allow a tentacle to protrude. That’s all it took.

As the woman walked towards it, its tentacle rose an inch below the opening. As she stepped closer, it shot out, grabbed her, withdrew, it was all over in seconds.

His dinner was dead before she entered the underground. Her head snapped against the opening in the road. The covering back in place, life went on as normal.

Below the cobblestones it feasted, left nothing to be found save a shoe cast off in the snatching. This would sate it until the next hunger rumbled within it.

 

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/first-line-friday-july-21st-2017/

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Thursday photo prompt – Mask #writephoto – The BBQ

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Cyril Rum was different to all of the people on Bush Street. Cyril was an angel. An angel on sabbatical as fate would have it who wore his human mask so well no one knew his true identity. That was apart from his neighbour Mildred Thrup who having no friends realised Cyril was the only one she was likely to have and so kept mum about him.

Cyril was intrigued by the human practice of the backyard BBQ but as he had an aversion to fire he had resisted all efforts by Mildred to engage in one. To Cyril, fire was a concept rather than a reality and one assigned in his mind to the downstairs department in the building where he worked, nine to five eight days a week.

He was amused by humans sticking to the seven-day week as he realised it was his boss’ little joke to convince the world there were seven days when in fact there were eight. It was he knew a sneaky way in which eternity had two days of rest instead of the earthly one.

But one balmy evening Mildred invited Cyril over and had the BBQ implements laid out, the fire already burning. Cyril sat well back wondering what good could come from this small inferno. As a young apprenticed Angel had his wings singed one day and had been cautious ever since.

He watched Mildred fuss about, chatting endlessly as was her want until she served him a plate of what to Cyril looked like a burnt offering. Being polite he cut himself a piece of the cooked meat and sank his angelic teeth into it.

Never had he tasted anything like it and by evenings end had helped himself to seconds and made Mildred give him the recipes she had used.

Later he thought to himself, upstairs would be intrigued by the evening’s activity. Learning from humanity was always such a novelty.

 

Written for: https://scvincent.com/2017/07/20/thursday-photo-prompt-mask-writephoto/

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July 20: Flash Fiction Challenge – Herb’s Pie.

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July 20, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that features a pie. You can make it any kind of pie, focus on filling or crust, or tell us about the pie-maker. How does pie set a tone in a story? Does it warm the hearth or bring disappointment?

It started every Friday morning at 6am sharp. A steady stream of shoppers knocking on the rear door of the bakery. They were after Herb’s Special Pie. Baked in the early hours, a mixture of meat and secret ingredients.

They were so sought after he couldn’t keep up with demand. Backdoor sales were all he could manage.

At home, you never put your pie in the fridge. You left it out until evening giving the secret ingredients more time to do their thing. Eating your pie gave you the expected tilt in your kilt and smile on your dial.

 

Written for: https://carrotranch.com/2017/07/21/july-20-flash-fiction-challenge-2/

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Tale Weaver #129: Around The House 20.07.17 – Woody’s Story

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Image: © morpethroad

This week’s task: Weave a tale from the perspective of an object, say something around your house, or within the broader world.

The name’s Woody. I’m a wooden spoon in Lucky’s utensil drawer. You know the one with the spoons and graters. My best mate the slotted spoon lives there along with Gyro the bottle opener and Knuckles the nut cracker.

I’ve had my face in more stews and casseroles over the years than you’ve had hot breakfasts.  My face after ten years is showing its age, a bit mottled but with loads of character.

I’ve always been Lucky’s preferred spoon. I think it’s because I’m easy on the eye. Not every wooden spoon is easy on the eye. Some have that hard look about them like they’d rather be anywhere but in your hand stirring the gravy. Other spoons he’s bought over the years just can’t stand the pace of his kitchen. They come to an unhappy end, usually breaking in half, and so out they go. Good riddance I say, if you stand the heat in the kitchen then keep moving on. Though in their case it’s the compost.

Lucky is a simple guy, he cooks simple, but he cooks most nights. Some nights he doesn’t need me, and I get to stay with my friends all clean and tidy.

Other nights it’s a big production number, and I find myself in and out of a few pots and pans. I don’t mind, for me it all about being needed and doing the job.

I have a thing for when he tastes his cooking. He dips me into what he is preparing and when he puts me to his lips, man oh man, but I go all a flutter. I can never get over it, it makes me feel whole like my life’s purpose has just been realised. It’s a buzz every time.

Tonight, he’s doing some spaghetti sauce, I can see he’s chopped up a few vegies to go in the mix, I like a good spaghetti sauce I have to say.

Better be off, time to get to work, he needs me ‘cause these meals don’t cook themselves you know.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/07/20/tale-weaver-129-around-the-house-20-07-17/

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Love Your Writing

Well worth reading as it says so much about what our attitude to writing should be.

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Writespiration #124 52 Weeks in 52 Words Week 29 – Bull in a China Shop

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This week tell your story using dialogue only.

 

“It’s a mess isn’t it.”

“Unbelievable.”

“How did he get in here?”

“Someone left the door open.”

“Well he made a fine job, every piece smashed.”

“Even the Ming, the Ming, the precious Ming

“What will mum say do you think?”

“Mum will say..”

“Never let a bull in a china shop?”

 

Written for: http://sachablack.co.uk/2017/07/19/writespiration-124-52-weeks-in-52-words-week-29/

 

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100 Word Wednesday: Week 28 – Leo

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Image by Bikurgurl

Leo looked through the window and gazed greedily at the array before him.

A china shop.

He’d heard all the stories. Read all the books. Myth and legend, he thought to himself as he let himself through the glass front door.

In the next few minutes, his fantasy became reality as around him disaster befell him.

The confusion he found was overwhelming, the screams only panicked him further as he spun one way and then the next.

There seemed no exit. The noise was deafening. Finally, he did as nature taught him, he bolted.

Head down, ashamed, mortified, he ran.

 

Written for: https://bikurgurl.com/2017/07/19/16492/

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Twittering Tale #41 – 18 July 2017

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Hate driving in rain.
Trucks, cars, spray, visibility limited.
Keep left, don’t stray,
puddles I might drown in if not careful.
Barriers? Help!

Written for: https://katmyrman.com/2017/07/18/twittering-tale-41-18-july-2017/

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FFfAW Challenge-Week of July 18, 2017 – Brand’s Steps

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Image: JS Brand

Part of my exercise routine each day was to run up Brand’s Steps on the far edge of the park. They were sandstone blocks laid by convicts over a hundred years ago and back then the top of the stairs was where the gallows stood.

The convicts referred to the area at the top as Calvary.

Over the years, the stones have weathered and often as I’d run up them, puffing like a steam engine, I’d imagine the poor soul in shackles trudging up the steps his end awaiting him at the top.

There were plenty of stories of ghost sightings, the jangling of chains and all that but the one that I knew first hand was the feeling of voices under my step, that sensation of hearing “Ugh” for step I took. I am sure each stone has its own story connected to the wretches who laboured over the construction never knowing that what they saw as the path to eternity would one day become the path to enjoyment and good health.

 

Written for: https://flashfictionforaspiringwriters.wordpress.com/2017/07/17/fffaw-challenge-week-of-july-18-2017/

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