In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”
The photo.
The Wager by John W. Howell © 2018
“Let me buy you a drink, my man.”
“That is very nice of you given the circumstances.”
“Ah what the heck. Life is too short.”
“But it seems like one would feel a little remorse.”
“Remorse? For what?”
“Well, it seems like a pretty goodly amount of money.”
“Yeah, but you know what they say, ‘easy come, easy go.”’
“I know if it were me, I don’t think I would take it so well.”
“You have to remember who suggested the wager.”
“That’s true. I guess if you hadn’t prepared yourself to lose you never would have suggested going title to title on a boat race.”
“That part is true. You see I really had not too much to lose.”
“What are you talking about? That is a gorgeous five-masted schooner.”
“You know the old saying, ‘one mans trash, another man’s treasure.”‘
“Yeah, I’ve heard that.”
“See, I have been trying to sell that tub for over two years with no takers.”
“That is surprising. It is a classic.”
“Yes, it is. Loaded with barnacles and filled with woodworms.”
“So you are saying you are glad to get rid of it.”
“You tell me. The last salvage estimate I got was over a million.”
“Someone would pay you a million?”
“No, I would have to pay a million to get rid of it. Now, how about that drink?”
“Now it is my problem.”
“Yup and at a leakage rate of one hundred gallons an hour, I think you better figure out what to do with it. Those pumps are pretty old. Maybe tow it beyond the shelf and scuttle it.”
“Gin on the rocks.”
Fiction Favorites 
That’s one way to solve the problem. 🙂
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😀 So true.
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More drinks! You can forget you own a boat!!
I figured in the picture: “All this water and someone always takes my dock space!!”
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That is excellent, GP. 😀
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haha
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😀
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Cheers!
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Thanks, Jill.
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Lol 😂
All I wanna know when I see the picture – who’s living in the woods? King Kong? 🙂
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Ha ha ha. Thanks, Ray
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Congratulations, you’re a winner. Or is that wiener?
Set her adrift with those pumps turned off and this problem migh ttake care of itself. Just be careful not to be in an area where they make you reclaim it. Nice job, John.
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Thanks, Dan. 😀
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Very nicely done, good sir!
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Thank you , John
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I would not want to take a wager against THAT guy, LOL.
It’s always a surprise how you spin your endings.
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Thanks, Mae. Always try for a surprise.
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Insure it heavily and go into the dynamite shipping business.
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And paint over the no smoking sign.
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Exactly.
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😀
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And paint over the no smoking sign. Thanks, Craig
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He could not have taken than wager sober…
Now, what the hell is he going to do…. “Another drink! I need me some solutions!”
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Absolutely. Gotta think. Thanks, Dale.
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🙂
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My goodness, it is such a beautiful photograph. Oh, the minds of thriller writers! 😀 Good job, John.
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I know right? LOL
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Load it with fireworks, set it adrift and remotely detonate them and charge a king’s ransom to watch the spectacle. That’d do it.
But gin? On a ship in the Lesser Antilles? Rum, surely!
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Trying to be English about it. I like the fireworks idea. 😀
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I think a nice cup of tea would do the trick. 🙂
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And a scone with lemon curd.
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As a Devon boy I have to point out that the only valid way to have a scone is with strawberry jam and clotted cream 😋😸
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That too.
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🙂
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Talk about buying a pig in a poke!! I suspect our buyer was so focused on getting his hands on a boat that he failed to read the fine print, more’s the pity. Still, at least the seller was able to unload it.
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Thank you, Debbie. 😀
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John,
This reminds me of the old saying “The two happiest days of a boat owner’s life. The day they buy the boat, and the day they sell it.”
Gin is an excellent problem solving solution. It won’t actually solve the problem, but you will forget there is a problem before too long.
Thanks for rocking the boat, Boss!
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Those two days could apply to horses as well.
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Hahaha!
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😀
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Ooooooo, the perfect solution to the “woodlot ornaments” we inherited when we moved here.
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I would say so. Figure out a wager that you control losing.
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That’s the trick to getting rid of a lemon..lol
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So true, Denise.
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What a twist! Good one.
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Thank you, Jan. 😀
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Need a loan? Nice one! ♥
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Got a spare Mil?
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Fer yr, da wurld! ♥
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😀
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Haha! John, I looked at that beautiful photo. Then I stopped for a second. I couldn’t imagine where you would go with it. Hugs.
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Where no man has gone before. (I hope) Hugs
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Gin on the rocks… make that a double. 🙂
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My way as well. Thanks, Jennie.
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😀
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They’re beautiful! From the outside, it must have looked great! Poor sod.
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Indeed. Thanks, Deborah.
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[…] The Wager by John W. Howell © 2018 […]
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Thanks, Keith.
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