Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Chill

~ John W. Howell

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

The message on the control pad was clear in its meaning. The lone word, “Chill,” meant coffee would be delayed. Drumming fingers on the kitchen counter does no good whatsoever. An eternity passes until the slow drool of lifesaving elixir begins from the twin spouts.

Finally, I take a first sip, which comes just as the caffeine warning light in my head starts to rotate. The calm after the storm is a relief. Unfortunately, the calm lasts a brief two seconds before the Westminster chimes of the doorbell send the hounds of Baskerville into a frothy barking frenzy at a decibel level that manages to destroy every lightbulb in the place.

The only thing to do is open the bedroom door and toss a jar of peanut butter inside. Once the baying hounds pass the doorjamb in pursuit, the door is slammed, and silence returns. The security system is the next item of attention.

The turret machine guns are set to stand by, the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off, and the automated arrow launching pods are unarmed. In addition, the Trebuchet, ballista, and falling rock device are switched to manual. The claymore mines are set to manual, the mote net rolled back, and the concertina wire retracted. The Iron gate is raised, and the bolts are thrown on the front door.

Standing there is a guy with a chill expression and two massive ears. He is munching a carrot and asks me, “Eh, what’s up Doc?” He hands me an envelope, turns and disappears. Inside the envelope is a message from Linda Hill. It reads:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chill.’” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you want to see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2024/11/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-2-2024/

Chill by John W. Howell © 2024

“Why no time trip?”

“The only news from 1924 was an accident in Chicago and a first time crossword puzzle in London. Pretty boring.”

“You know you don’t have to stick with 1924.”

“Yeah, you are right but that damn doorbell went off and I ran out of time.”

“Was that Bugs Bunny?”

“Hard to say. Since I don’t have a Warner Brothers waver of their copyright I’m saying it was somebody else.”

“You a lawyer?”

“No but I play one on TV.”

“Any thought about Voo Doo Ranger?”

“Do you have an Uber?”

“Right over there.”

Photo by Dan Antion

“A 1968 Dodge Charger. Now we are living.”

“Yes and no riding outside either.”

“I’ll even sit in the back.”

“What a chill gent you are.”

80 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Chill”

  8. My favorite line “before the Westminster chimes of the doorbell send the hounds of Baskerville into a frothy barking frenzy at a decibel level that manages to destroy every lightbulb in the place.”

    You paint some vivid pictures with words, my friend. Awesome post.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. ‘No, but I play one on TV’ reminds me of that commercial (that I’ve not seen in a long time) where Alan Alda says, “Doctor pose” and all the wanna-be TV docs cross their arms and/or have a stethoscope around their neck. Fun quote.

    We are still in the 80’s over here. In November. Killin’ me. 🥵

    Liked by 2 people

  10. What great wordsmithing, John. Does the release of all the security measures mean we will start getting mysterious boxes in the future?

    That is one handsome ride!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I had no idea that the Baskerville ladies liked peanut butter! As for the Uber, we owned a 1967 Dodge Charger hatchback, four on the floor, 0 to 6 in a few seconds, but only 13 miles to the gallon. We drove it across country but gas was cheap then.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. WOW! What a scene these two paragraphs paint!

    Finally, I take a first sip, which comes just as the caffeine warning light in my head starts to rotate. The calm after the storm is a relief. Unfortunately, the calm lasts a brief two seconds before the Westminster chimes of the doorbell send the hounds of Baskerville into a frothy barking frenzy at a decibel level that manages to destroy every lightbulb in the place.

    The only thing to do is open the bedroom door and toss a jar of peanut butter inside. Once the baying hounds pass the doorjamb in pursuit, the door is slammed, and silence returns. The security system is the next item of attention.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. A rollicking introduction before your story, and I enjoyed the bouncing from one vivid image to the next. Glad you got to sip the “lifesaving elixir” and that your terrifying hounds were placated by the tossed jar of peanut butter (that sentence made me chuckle).

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Firstly, a superb opening as per usual. Good thing there was peanut butter handy or it might not have gone so chill.

    As for the story? Chill vibes all around with Bugs Bunny and Voodoo and a ride that is even better than chill. It’s grooooooovy. Very nicely done Boss.

    Liked by 1 person

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