Today I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 121. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. My finger fell closest to the word “hands,” which is our prompt today.
Hands by John W. Howell © 2026
“Hands. Touching hands. Reaching out. Touching you, touching me.”
“Sweet Caroline. Bah,bah, bah.”
“You know the song.”
“I sure do.”
“How do you know it?”
“They play it all the time where I work. Well, where I used to work.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it’s okay. I left voluntarily.”
“Why did you leave?”
“The work environment was getting more and more hectic.”
“How so?”
“Well, we used to put on two shows a day.”
“Wait a minute. Shows?”
“Yeah, I work in the entertainment business.”
“So, go on.”
“We also had Mondays off.”
“What happened?”
“Our place was bought by a huge company, and they needed more revenue.”
“What did they do?”
“The first thing was a move to three shows a day.”
“Oof. That is tiring.”
“Then Mondays off went away.”
“Wow. So what did you do in the show?”
“The usual. High dives, waves. Played the horn, juggled balls.”
“You were a clown then?”
“I felt like one.”
“Not to get too personal, but how did you get away?”
“It was easy. I waited until everyone was gone and then went from the big pool, down a water slide, into the little pool, then to the beach, and here I am.”
“You are not afraid to be on your own?”
“Not having to sit up, clap my flippers, and honk for fish? I am delighted to be on my own. Besides, I met you, and life is good.”
“Just watch out for the sharks, and you’ll be okay. Let’s hit the kelp. There is a nice school of redfish that hangs out there.”
Fiction Favorites 
For all the ’employees’ of Sea World and entertainment venues like it, the lack of a union for them is the reason the great outdoors will always be the preferred outcome. I mean, Neil Diamond songs are great and all, but the demands are hellacious.
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I agree. This one was for them.😊
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Good on you Boss
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I was wondering what animal you would include. Glad to see if was a sea lion or seal (depending upon the specie.) Sounds a bit more like a sea lion than a seal.
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I was thinking more of a California sea lion escaping from SeaWorld by the ocean.
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Good answer
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😊
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I’m glad he escaped. Great story, John.
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Thank you, Kymber. Glad you liked it.
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Oh bless you, a sea lion! Glad he escaped. I do appreciate how they are treated at some of the venues, like Sea World, where they have strong human connections. Wonderful story!
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Thank you, Noelle.
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Being entertaining to nature lovers could be considered hard work, I guess, especially if more was demanded.
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So true. Of course, it could be a worker complaint, too. Thanks, Tim.
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Applause. 🦭🦭🦭
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Thank you, Craig.
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Good one. Kept thinking otter until the end though. Not sure why.
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Otter would have been good, too.
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Good one, John. Business takeovers always seem to ruin the work environment.
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It does seem that way for sure.
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Congratulations to the sea lion for escaping captivity! There will be sharks to avoid, but at least it’s FREE! 🙂
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Yes indeed. There are always sharks, though. Thank you, Marie.
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Let’s hit the kelp…I love it, John! Great job with the finger point prompt and a cute story to boot. Here’s to happy days on the beach with the new companion. Although the song was ‘Sweet Caroline’…the story is more like a ‘Take this Job and Shove It!’
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Yeah, so true, Monika. Sometimes you just gotta walk away.
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Creative turn and what a wonderful to land on! 👏🏻
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*wonderful word
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Thank you, Michele. 😊
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You’re welcome, John. You picked a good one!
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😊
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Happy he found his freedom!
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Yup. Me too. Thanks, Denise.
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I wonder if one day, we’ll “hire” robots to entertain at places like circuses and Sea World?? That seems like a better avenue than making the poor critters “sing” for their keep! Glad this one made the Great Escape, John.
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I’m glad too. Thank you, Debbie.
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Ha Ha! You got me on that one, John. I had no idea where it was going. 🙂
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We finally got there, though. Thanks, Jan
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Seals? (Although I first thought sheep.)
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Sheep would have been good, too. Thanks, Liz.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Haha. A magnificent take on “hands.” Thanks for this smile, John. Hugs.
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Glad you got a smile. Hugs. 🤗
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Sorry but I am done with this place. Thanks for all the fish. Bye Bye. I have to admit I did not expect it be a dolphin. It was a quite amusing story with an unexpected ending. On a related note, I loved the amusing and very entertaining dialogue and the fun adventure stories in your Detour on the Eternal Road book.
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Thank you, Thomas. I’m so glad you liked the book. PS They are sea lions. 😊
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Oh sea lions. Yes I guess it would be difficult for dolphins to juggle balls.
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Ha ha ha
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Well, hands can give you many ideas. But I’m – again – amazed what you have made of it.
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Thank you, Rabirus
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You had me till the end, John. Well done.
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Oh, Good. 😁
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🙂
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