Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Luck

~ John W. Howell

A picture of a string with drops of water- the logo for SoCS

 

I was taking a break during my bike ride and having a sip of water. Then, looking out over the scenic countryside, I spotted a cloud of dust heading in my direction. I thought it strange that a cloud of dust would appear in a neighborhood that was completely paved. But, since I figured it would be another one of those fictional engagements, I decided to go with the flow. Sure enough, coming around the bend was a wagon train being led by Ward Bond on horseback. “Hey, partner,” he yelled down at me.”You know of a place where we can make camp for the night?” As luck would have it, our park was free of weekend activities, so I gave him directions. “Much obliged,” he said. He then gave a sign to the wagons to follow him, which they all did.

It was about four hours before the last wagon came ambling by where I was standing with my bike. A young man walking beside the wagon came over and handed me an oilcloth-wrapped parcel. I tried to tell him I didn’t expect a present, but he insisted I keep the package. Once the wagon was out of sight, I unwrapped the parcel and found two things. The first was a block of pemmican. The second, a piece of parchment paper with a message. The message read, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “luck.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Yes, I did want to follow the train to the park and maybe learn about crossing the plains, but I knew it was just a figment of someone’s imagination and probably would be a waste of time. It sure seemed real, though. I did try the pemmican and can tell you not to bother. The smell alone will get ya.

If you want to enjoy, go to Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2021/08/13/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-14-2021/

Luck by John W. Howell © 2021

“Here we are on Saturday.”

“Yup.”

“So, what’s the prompt?”

“Luck.”

“Luck?”

“Luck.”

“What you got?”

“If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”

“You serious?”

“It’s a song.”

“Oh. For a minute, I thought I was going to be forced to have an interdiction for you.”

“Nope, everything’s okay. I’m going to sing the song.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why?”

“Number one. You can’t sing.”

“Says who?”

“Number two, There’s beer at the pub calling our name.”

“You got a three?”

“Yup.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Our word count allocation is up.”

“It’s that stupid intro. Eats word like they were free.”

“So let’s go.”

“Can I hum the song?”

“Sure, if you want to ride on the roof of the car.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Only you would say that.”

 

 

64 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Luck”

  3. Pingback: Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Luck by John W. Howell – DEEZ – News about Art, Books & more

  6. I really enjoyed the intro, John. I think it was worth the hit on your word count. After four hours waiting and watching wagons, you need a beer. Have a great weekend. Maybe stay away from that park.

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  7. I love your story, but when you mentioned a wagon train and heading west, my mind went directly to “The Miracle Workers: the Oregon Trail” TV show – have you seen it?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I have not seen it. I’ve seen trailers and it looks like my kind of show. The only problem is we don’t watch television except for 45 minutes of a prerecorded series and twenty minutes of news. I suppose I could fit it into the rotation somehow. I really like the concept and think Steve Buscemi is a terrific actor.

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  10. Luck is with you. You made it back from your twilight zone bike ride and no one asked who parked Ward Bond and this wagon train in the park. So did you go for the car buddha riding on the roof ? A good cold brew will usually loosen the bugs from the teeth, ask Ward.

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  13. What in the world made you think of pemmican? Or wagon trains? 😂 Great dialogue, John, and the imagery – well, I’m still on one of those wagons. 😁

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What in the world makes me think of anything? Who the heck knows. I guess you are still on the wagon but you went ahead and bought a little house on the prairie. 😁

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  20. I enjoyed the intro story, and wish the rider on the bike did follow the wagon train into the park and camp out with them to hear more stories. Ah, well, the wagon train got lucky having a writer like you write them a happy ending for the night.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes they spent a comfy night around the campfire singing those old favorites and telling ghost stories. I personally dropped off 450 Hersey bars, 100 pounds of marshmallows, and a pallet of graham crackers. SMORES for everyone. Thanks, Deborah.

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