Today I opened My GRL randomly to page 51. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is “worked.” This is our prompt.
Worked by John W. Howell, © 2025
“Well, that worked.”
“What do you mean. This is a mess.”
“It may not look pretty, but at least the leak is stopped.”
“I’ll give you that, but what an eyesore. The neighbors are going to have a field day at the New Year’s Eve party, talking about the mess you made.”
“So you are just worried about what the neighbors will say?”
“Darn right I’m worried.”
“You should be happy that we got the leak under control and not worry about the gossip.”
“I’m the one who has to deal with these folks. All you do is work most of the time and don’t have talk to them.”
“Still. For the most part, we keep our place neat. This was an emergency. Don’t you think they will understand that?”
“I still don’t understand why it has to look like such a fright?”
“The water pressure was just too great to take the time to make a lovely patch. I had to get the water stopped before it ruined everything.”
“Can you fix it now?”
“No the binder has to set up before I make any more adjustments.”
“How does this happen anyway? You built our place. Did you do a lousy job?”
“This is a small setback, and you are making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“You don’t have to listen to the whispers.”
“We had unprecedented rain, and the water pressure was just too much.”
“Why didn’t this happen to others?”
“Take a look.”
“What?”
“Do you see any dams left downstream?”
“OMG, where are they?”
“So much for wondering if ours was built properly. I don’t think you have to worry about what is said at the New Year’s Eve party. I think you and I will be the only ones there. The rest will be chasing their tails trying to find logs to rebuild.”
“You are my hero. Happy New Year, you eager Beaver you.”
*Blush*
Fiction Favorites 
I love to see Canada’s national animal hard at work. 🦫
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Yes. Busy, busy, busy. Thanks, Darlene.
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Not sure why the word ‘binder’ made me think of beavers. Had me going until then.
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It was a clue for sure. People would not say “binder,” and if I wrote “mud,” it would be a slam-dunk giveaway.
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Three cheers and a tail whump for the DIY champ of the neighborhood.
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I agree, Dan. The engineers of the animal world.
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This was great, John. Happy New Year!
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Thanks, Kymber. Happy New Year.
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Well, ‘I’ll be damned’ comes to mind…🦫
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Dammed fine job of making us wonder which animal was going to be involved this time, John, Happy New Year.
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Thank you, Pat. Happy New Year to you.
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Very welcome.
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Happy New Year to you too, John.
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Way to cleverly use the prompt to tell a cute story. 🦫
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Thank you, Monika. 😊
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I have zero clever dam puns in my brain. As someone who’s had several surprise water incidents in my house I missed all your clues entirely. Well done!
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Thank you, Laura. Water leaks are damn inconvenient.
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Hilarious, John. I bet you chuckled as you wrote. Who doesn’t love busy beavers! I hope you had a great Christmas…and are preparing for a fabulous New Year. 😄🦫😄
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We did have a lovely Christmas, Gwen. I hope you did as well. Wishing you a peaceful and Happy New Year. 🥳
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Me thinks a busy beaver is a happy beaver, John. They know how to construct a good life.🦫
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I believe you are right, Bruce. 😊
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Fascinating, John. I’ve never thought of beavers having discussions.
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Thanks, Tim. Let’s just say I’m a beaver whisperer.
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Love those beavers! And I didn’t guess until the end!
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I’m so glad I kept you in the dark, Noelle. Thanks. 😊
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So clever, Beavers are smart… do they bite? Happy new Year. 🎈
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I think if they were threatened, they would bite. Happy New Year, Holly.
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I had a raccoon set up housekeeping in my attic last winter. That was fun. Happy New year, wishing you all the good things.
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Thank you, Holly. I had a raccoon move in through a cat door. He stayed on the second floor under a bed and came down at night to eat the cat’s kibble in the kitchen. He was discovered during an under-the-bed dust chore. I took careful planning to get him out.
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Darn those Racoons. 🦝 They know a good set up when they find one. May you you have a year free of indoor wildlife. Those things are not easy to get rid of. 🥺
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Hissed and spit down a flight of stairs and out the front door.
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Oh my gosh, we set a trap and she went into it then we took her to a wooded area and turned her loose. I was worried she was going to start a family up there. Yikes.
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That would be a no-no, for sure.
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You got me again! I didn’t figure out these were beavers until I’d nearly reached the end. Good tale, well told, John!
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Thank you, Debbie. I’m glad I fooled you.
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You got me. I expected plumbing with duct tape.
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Ha ha ha.
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Good’un, John! I have to admit I was a bit slow on the uptake there. Glad I finally sussed it before the end, though!
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One thing I’ll never leave you hanging.
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Doh! I didn’t get beaver dam until the very last line.
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Oh, good. Makes my day.
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😁
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All it took was a little kindness and appreciation for all that hard work . .
And that’s the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth
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😀 So help you, Hanna.
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Clever one, John. There goes the neighborhood.
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Yup. Up a creek.
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Ha ha, he is certainly an eager beaver. But I didn’t know beavers had New Years eve parties. I have to admit I did not expect the ending.
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