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 your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before Sunday evening UK time. 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. Thank you for taking part.”
You can go to Keith’s site and check out the prompt. Here is the link. https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2023/10/30/kreative-kue-405/
The photo.
The Show by John W. Howell
“Excuse me, waiter.”
“Yes, sir?”
“We ordered wine quite a while ago.”
“Yes, sir, I know, but the show is running long.”
“Show?”
“Yes, sir. Old Babcock and his Hamburgler show.”
“Hamburgler?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I should explain. You see, Mr. Babcock lives alone. Every year around Halloween, he dresses up like the Hamburgler and puts on a show.”
“What kind of show?”
“Ah. This is where your bottle of wine comes in.”
“I was hoping we’d get there.”
“He selects five bottles of wine from our cellar.”
“That’s a lot to drink.”
“No, he doesn’t drink them all. He has one for himself and then four for the legs of a chair.”
“Legs of a chair?”
“Yes. He balances each leg of a chair on one of the four bottles till all are resting on the wine.”
“Then he sits in the chair and drinks the fifth bottle.”
“No. He then stacks chairs on top of each other with himself on the uppermost chair.”
“Is he nuts?”
“Only a little. Mostly he is very balanced, and people love the performance.”
“So, back to my bottle.”
“Yes, it is one of the bottles holding up a chair.”
“You don’t have another?”
“It was the last.”
“So I wait until the act is over?”
“It won’t be long.”
“How do you know?”
“He’s putting the fifth chair in place now.”
“And.”
“Every year, he crashes while installing the fifth chai—Oops, there he goes.”
“What happened?”
“He was caught by a guy with a cigar. I’ll be right back.”
“Where you going?”
“To get your wine. He won’t be needing it anymore.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, he’s had enough.”
Fiction Favorites 
Yessir, I think you caught the mood of it one hubdred percent!
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Oh good. Thanks, Keith.
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I hope the wine was strong enough to support all that weight 😀
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Was made in France so I would guess it will hold up. 😁
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I think Mr. Babcock needs to get out more.
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Yes, once a year doesn’t cut it. 😁
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This feels like alcohol abuse.
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You could make a strong case for that for sure.😁
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This feels like a “hold my beer” moment, with a wine twist.
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Ha ha ha. I think that’s a perfect description.
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I think that guy needs a new hobby!!
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Maybe something a little more sedate. Thanks, GP. 😁
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LOL! Where in the world do you come up with this stuff, John? 🙂
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Um. I’m just sitting here minding my own business then Keith sends a photo and … well….
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GP’s right. The guy needs a new hobby, or you need to go beck to Voo Doo Ranger, John.
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Either way I think would be a move to the better.
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And to think I was going for the wine assisted launch vehicle. Jump just right and all four corks pop at once and you have take off. If it were not done for science it would be alcohol abuse.
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I think both science and alcohol abuse have an even shot of coming out ahead. Thanks, John
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Here’s a crazy thought… how about they use the cheap grocery store wine for the trick? It’s abuse of good wine, I say!
Excellent take on this crazy picture, John 🙂
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Thank you, Dale. Yeah the grocery wine would do the trick.
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I so hate to see good wine to go to waste!
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Me too.
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“Is he nuts?” Yup. That would have been my question, too. How you think up these stories….🤣
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How do I think them up? They pretty much come to me after I begin writing them. I’ll have a finish in mind but the rest folds in during the conversation.
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Cool response to that crazy photo, John! 😀
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Thank you, Tim 😁
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That is one crraazzy act! Great story, John. You matched the insanity perfectly. 😄
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Thank you so much, Gwen. As Keith says,”We gotta remember the photo was taken in Florida.”
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Yikes, that looks a bit precarious. I thought he was risking a hanging! I’m glad it was only a fall. And I’d need a drink after that performance too. 🙂 Fun story, John.
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Thank you, Diana. I started with an idea about hanging but quickly let it go. Great minds think alike.
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Too funny, John. Thanks for making my morning!
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Thank you for telling me, Grant. 😁
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OMG, what a picture! You could always wait a few days, put some wood around the bottom, and have a great Guy Fawkes celebration! Removing the human of course!
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Ha ha ha. Good one Noelle.
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Lol! This made me chuckle out loud. Great one, John!
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Glad you liked it Jan. 😊
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A recipe for disaster, for sure! Nicely spun, John. Happy Halloween — how’s Miss Twiggy healing?
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Thank you, Debbie. Twiggy is doing very well. Her stitches look great and all else is fine. She is a little restless since she is confined but doing okay. Happy Halloween to you and Monkey.
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Such good news about Twiggy — give her a hug from me. Happy Halloween to all y’all, too!
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Thank you, Debbie. She loves hugs.
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I missed the wine bottles on the bottom until I read your post- crazy!
I remember the Hamburglar. Pippi Longstocking, right? Fun show 😊
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I was thinking McDonalds. 🤣
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Oh, lol. I remember going for a two hour trip to the city with my family as a kid and the highlight was stopping at McDonalds on the way home 🙂
We were totally upset with Dad when he missed our hints and didn’t stop!
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What a bummer, Jacquie.
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It’s finally Wine Time! Funny one, John. Happy Halloween! 🎃
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Than you, Susie. Just more craziness
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Ha ha ha!
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Thanks, Pam.
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Whoa … Mr. Babock needs to learn a new trick! Good one, John 🙂
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Yes tumbling off the top gets old.
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Any trick where a bottle of wine is endangered is not my kind of trick.
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I agree
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Well done on the prompt, John! This was good.
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Thank you, Jennie. thanks for letting me know you liked it.
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You’re welcome!
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😊
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