Twittering Tales #15 – 31 January 2017

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Michael

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Will he be there?
What will I do if he’s not?
I’ve no where to go.
He said he’d be there.
I can’t turn around now.
Please be there.
I love you.

Written for: https://kmmyrman.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/twittering-tales-15-31-january-2017/

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FFfAW Challenge-Week of January 31, 2017 – First Day of School

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Michael

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Image: Jessica Haines

It was the first day of school, it was raining, cold and Jess could think of a thousand things she’d rather be doing than going to boring old school.

So in protest she decided to take the morning off. She wandered around the park, playing in the puddles of water and generally felt justified in her decision to wop the first day back. She thought if she was clever she might be able to avoid going forever.

By lunch time she was thinking she missed her friends. If there was one benefit in attending school, it was her friends and the time she spent with them. By 1pm she was feeling very bored. She walked back towards the school and saw her friends having fun and enjoying the stories they told each other.

Tomorrow, as much as she hated to admit it, she would bite the bullet and front up.

 

Written for: https://flashfictionforaspiringwriters.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/fffaw-challenge-week-of-january-31-2017/

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Wordle #140 “January 30th, 2016” – Aberrant Behaviour

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Michael

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This week’s words: Shaft Kudoclasm (Sometimes it feels like your life is flashing before your eyes, but it’s actually the opposite: you’re thinking forward, to all the things you haven’t done, the places you intend to visit, the goals you’ll get around to…)  Somaticize (Verb- to convert (anxiety) into physical symptoms) Pain Naked Sparrow Tighten Deadbolt Electrify Wait Tooth Aberrant

It was an act of obvious aberrant behaviour. That was the only way to describe it. As it was he had been up since sparrow fart getting himself organised for the day.

There was no doubt he was a bit long in the tooth and the sort of aberrant behaviour we are going to describe was so much out of character or was it?

From his perspective streaking onto the stage naked as the day he was born resulted in a very somaticizing experience. Suddenly aware that he was standing there, his personality dangling in front of that largely female audience, resulted in an anxiety he had never thought possible. Every joint began to ache with a pain that seemed to magnify the longer he stood, frozen to the spot.

As the somaticizing effects took hold he didn’t have to wait long before the kudoclastic effect began to occur as well. He suddenly thought about how vulnerable he was. His bits were on display, his future was in jeopardy and fatherhood until that moment a distant thought emerged from the fog of his brain. All this at the sight of the security guards coming towards him, batons raised and guns on their hips. By now the pain in his joints was about warp speed and his shaft which he wished would tighten, perhaps in some impressive way, sadly did the opposite and he began to panic. Next week he had a date with the beautiful Cloris, what was he going to do? He’d promised his mum he’d put new deadbolts on her front door and his mate Charlie wanted his help to electrify his tomato patch. Kudoclasm was a real bugger at a time like this. As if the immediate wasn’t dire enough the thought of the future only increased the somaticizing going on in his head thereby increasing the already excruciating pain which from the look of the approaching security guys was going to be more physical in nature rather than psychological.

He did the only thing he could at that moment. Shrunk his naked form into a foetal position and hoped for the best.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/wordle-140-january-30th-2016/

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Sunday sin/fun – The European Beaver

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Michael

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He’d sailed the seven seas and had been most places but the one thing that fascinated Ronald Crump was all things European.

He couldn’t get enough of the place. He loved the history, the architecture, the lovely soft furry creatures and had a real penchant for the European beaver.

He found in time that his attachment went beyond the platonic, the touching, the petting, the holding and putting them back where they belonged for he had a narcissistic view of the world that all things he liked to touch and feel should be his.

As a result, he was prepared to make sacrifices to achieve this very goal. He bent over backwards to accommodate the ideas, thoughts and needs of others so long as in the end he received his rightful due reward.

Ronald believed that life was there for the taking and he did a lot of that. He visited the northern cities where the European beaver was at its most prolific and exempt from the stares of those who thought his behaviours unusual. It was his new best friend Vlad the Enhancer who extoled him to do as he wished, who provided him with the means to achieve everything in life he so desired and who in the end convinced him that friendship, true friendship, often went beyond a friendly manly handshake. As a result, their life long relationship was cemented upon the shore line every time they came together with the rush of the wind and the roar of the waves adding to the sheer exhilaration they both felt that they were doing over mankind in the only way that mattered.

 

Written apologetically for: https://janedougherty.wordpress.com/2017/01/29/sunday-sinfun/

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Writing Prompt #193 “Collage 35” – The Locked Door

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Michael

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“There’s a beauty and mystery isn’t there,” she said looking over his recent anthology. “Some words are graceful, you can feel how they move from across the page and into your mind, and they roll around and you get that sense of wanting to be there within the image and experience the grace and beauty of that moment.”

“I like the peacock one,” he said looking over her shoulder. “It’s from my holiday on Rottnest and one afternoon I came around a corner outside the pub and there he was showing off all he had. I was mesmerised, I stood there enthralled by the beauty he had and knew he had.”

She thumbed through more pages smiling every so often at one she knew he had written with her in mind. How he captured her raw essence was always a wonder to her but she never tired of seeing his expressions of love and devotion to her even if at times she felt a little embarrassed he thought so much of her.

Her favourite was ‘The Locked Door’. This one was about her and her phobia for privacy. He had captured her so well and from his words crafted with so much love and attention to detail she had gained an insight into her own behaviour. It had driven her to love him all the more because from his words she knew he understood and that was something the men in her past had been unable to grasp.

Her favourite line: ‘The locked door hides you from the world but never from my heart.’

Such an adorable man she thought, taking his hand, grateful he had come into her life.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/01/29/writing-prompt-189-collage-35/

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Thursday photo prompt – Waiting #writephoto

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Michael

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He had said to meet him at the bottom of the staircase beside the suit of armour and not be confused by waiting at the bottom of the stairway with the knight in shiny armour.

So I have waited and waited. I’m afraid to step away, even to the toilet for fear he comes by and I’m not here.

It’s been several hours now and I know he isn’t coming but I’m hanging on in hope more than anything else.

A very elegant woman descended the stairs, gave me a nod and continued on her way. Only thing is, and dare I say this, but she disappeared through the wall. As if it wasn’t there.

I must be seeing things. My imagination, from standing here so long is playing tricks on me.  I try to settle myself and shift feet ever looking in the direction of the castle entrance in hope he appears.

As the day goes by my heart is saddened by what obviously has been a waste of time, after all I could visit a castle anytime. I begin to think of the long lonely trek home. I’d walked to the castle thinking he would arrive and drive me back. My feet are aching and I’m not looking forward to the walk at all.

There’s a noise on the stairwell and I look up to see a group of children descending, engaged in earnest conversation where one is making a point to the others. They stop when they see me. The tallest one looks at me and says, “You can go now. He’s not coming. Best if you go home.”

Then he and the others hurry away and like the woman I saw earlier they disappear through the same wall still engaged in their conversation.

 

Written for: https://scvincent.com/2017/01/26/thursday-photo-prompt-waiting-writephoto/

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Saturday Mix – Bastet – Mystery Genre

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Michael

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Today we’re going to play around with the mystery genre not using more than 150 words.

A BROKEN VASE

THREE DAISIES

A KNIFE

A MUSSED UP RUG

A SHOPPING BAG

It was the crash of the vase that brought everyone rushing into the living room. The vase lay in a thousand pieces; the three daisies it had housed lying on the mussed up rug.

But it was the knife that immediately drew our attention. It was between Carstair’s shoulder blades. Carstairs’ demise had added to the mussed up nature of the rug.

The fact that no one liked Carstairs and liked him even less in death was inconsequential. The poor guy was dead. His shopping bag and contents scattered to every corner of the room.

We looked about at each other knowing there was only us in the house. In front of us was a killer.

I knew it wasn’t me, I don’t kill people with knives, more your axe murderer these days.

The guilty one was Georgia. It had to be. She had that look about her.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/saturday-mix-bastet/

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#SoCS and #JusJoJan Jan. 28/17 – wood/would

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Michael

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Well I would if I could but I couldn’t so I didn’t.

The wood was so hard I tried and I tried but the wood wouldn’t no matter how hard I tried and I tried.

I’m a little down which wouldn’t happen if I had more resilience and a softer piece of wood, but as I said the wood wouldn’t and there it still stands, smiling I’m sure at my would be efforts to split it and shape it as a piece of wood should be shaped.

What would you do I asked my dear friend.

I wouldn’t give in she said with conviction I’d stick with it, make it bend to my will, that wood wouldn’t get the better of me.

So with renewed enthusiasm I ventured once more took my trusty axe and swung it down hard.

The wood as if expecting this assault merely grimaced and the axe it bounced off nearly hitting my head as it came back at me.

It wouldn’t be so bad, would it? If I gave up and sat in the cold because the wood wouldn’t split the way a block of wood should and I wouldn’t give a damn if the wood wouldn’t split but it’s cold and my friend, my one great love, sits shivering between giggles at my pathetic efforts to get the wood to do as a block of wood should.

I would and I will try all the harder to make the wood do as a block of wood should if I was more forceful then I’m sure it would. I think I’ll give it one last try, see if I can make this block of wood behave as a block of wood should.

jjj-2017

 

Written for:  https://lindaghill.com/2017/01/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-and-jusjojan-jan-2817/

 

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January 26: Flash Fiction Challenge – Women Create

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Michael

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She’s a small woman, not the type you would say stands out in a crowd but within her is a feisty energy.

I was first attracted to her passion and compassion, the way she reached out and touched the lives of so many. I don’t know how we connected as we come from opposite ends of the social and cultural spectrum but we have. She has created network of support, of encouragement and of love.

For me she showed me it is never too late to love again. I’m eternally grateful, this tiny sassy woman, created desire within me.

 

Written for: https://carrotranch.com/2017/01/26/january-26-flash-fiction-challenge/

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Tale Weaver/Fairy Tale # 104 – 26/1/17 – A Magical Place

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Michael

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Image © Adventures in the Wild (Used with permission)

You can’t just walk in like you do a shopping centre or like place. There are gates, locks and people of a sort to suss you out and see if you are legit.

Some days are easier than others. You can front up and ask to come in and they let you. Other days they don’t even answer your knocks.

Just beyond the opening you see in the image above is the entrance. Massive doors with huge locks and magical creatures guarding against the riff raff as they say. Sadly, some days I’m counted among them.

But when they are generous and let you in its a magical place. Words don’t do it justice.

It appears as a medieval village, a market place is centre and commerce is flourishing. There are stalls and wagons from far flung places, with strange and unusual artifacts.

There are stalls that always grab my attention. Mans of Pleasant Valley sells an array of scarves and knitted hats, each one with its own unique brand of magic depending on what you are seeking. My favourite is her invisibility hat. It actually works, well it works within this magic world. Outside I discovered it is just a hat. She’s a little woman with a face that says I’ve seen a lot of life, just ask me and a smile that will have you wanting to buy more than you originally planned. She tells me the Pleasant Valley isn’t called that for nothing and sends me an impish wink as she wraps another scarf for a happy customer.

Next to her is Lois of Largs, a big and boisterous woman selling fruit she has grown herself, apples you’ve never seen the like of and stone fruits ready to melt in your mouth. A little way further down is Johnny’s Light Show, JLS, a never ending display of magical lights and things never seen before in this place. He has them flashing everywhere, beams of light pencil thin streak across your face as if singling you out.

It’s easy to get lost within this wonder land. But it only exists here, I haven’t been able to take anything magical home as outside the entrance as I said what you buy loses its magic.

There is really only one thing I have been able to retain and that is my ability to be allowed back in. It’s a lottery some days and its sometimes weeks before they let me through but when they do there’s this sense that they recognise me as someone they can trust. You see up until today I have never breathed a word of this magic place to a single soul.

 

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/tale-weaverfairy-tale-104-26117-a-magical-place/

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