Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Jam.

~ John W. Howell

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

This morning is cappuccino morning. The machine receives its command, and the grinding, whirring sounds bring joy to the heart. There it is—a beautiful 8 oz cup of frothy goodness. One sip and a wipe of the foam mustache prepare one for the clock. The clock is set for April 11, 1925. The location is Moscow, and the duration is half a day. A pull of the plunger has us standing watching two ceremonies.

The Metropolitan (Bishop) Peter of Krutitsy (Pyotr Fyodorovich Polyansky) was installed as the new Patriarch of Moscow and leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, on the same day as the funeral for his predecessor, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow. Tikhon’s funeral in Moscow was the last major public Russian Orthodox Church event and the last major religious event in the Soviet Union for over 60 years. Peter, identified in Tikhon’s will as one of three potential successors, was selected by the council of 59 bishops because “the first two were already in prison.” Peter himself was confined to prison in December 1925  by the Bolsheviks and eventually executed on October 10th, 1937.

Our stay in Moscow is beginning to draw some attention, and the alarm saves us from getting into a jam with the NKVD secret police. We are back on the couch with a text message from Linda Hill. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “jam.’” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/04/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-12-2025/

Jam by John W. Howell © 2025

“Wow, you got out of there at the right time.”

“I should say. In the Bolshevik era, being different wasn’t very good.”

“Well, at least you didn’t get into a jam. What would happen if you were arrested while you ate on a time jaunt/”

“When the alarm goes off, I would disappear.”

“What if they took the clock from you?”

“It would be hard for them to turn off the alarm so it would still go off, and I would still disappear.”

“You make this stuff up as you go along?”

“Yeah, of course. I write fiction, remember.”

“I keep forgetting.”

“Maybe a Voo Doo Ranger will help you remember.”

“Now, there is a down-to-earth suggestion.”

“Give Uber a call.”

“Already did. He’s over there.”

Photo by Dan Antion

“Hey, wait a minute. That’s a meat wagon.”

“Oh, come on. We three will fit in the front.”

“But why a meat truck?”

“He’s making a delivery right by the pub and not charging much.”

“What’s the catch?”

“We have to help with the side of beef at the grocery.”

“How much of a side of beef?”

“Only 250 pounds.”

“Only?”

“Divide that by three, and it’s not so much. Here, put on this white coat and hair net.”

“Gloves?”

“Oh, yeah, they are in the truck.”

“How do I get myself into these messes.”

“You’re a fiction writer, remember. Let’s go.”

 

60 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Jam.”

  2. It’s sure good you left, John. The NKVD might have arrested you for unknown reasons.

    Delivering all of that beef would work. 83 pounds is heavy to me now.

    Voo Doo Ranger helps one’s memory?

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Very inventive and clever, John. A meat wagon. I do have an image in my head of you in a white coat, hairnet and gloves, but each of you would struggle with that amount of meat – 83 plus pounds each? I hope Tiny is the driver!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Monika. Also, I just discoved that your replies to my comments on your posts do not come back to my notifications. I’m going to investigate, but if I missed a comment or didn’t send a “like” on your replies , it was not intentional. Love WP.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. from scary and dangerous atmosphere to riding in a meat waggon dressed like a butcher!

    .You are no ordinary writer John you are an ace writer 👀💜💜💜

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