Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “May your…”

~ John W. Howell

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

“ May your day be wonderful” is the message on the touchscreen of the coffee machine. For the life of me, I can’t imagine why the machine has started to provide motivational messages. The last software download must have led to the idea that we humans can change our emotional state at will. Oh well, it is a nice sentiment, and a touch of the two coffee buttons is a more practical way to alter a mood. The aroma of the magic elixer provides a hopeful sign that the day may, in fact, be wonderful. The first sip quells the 50-story fall climax of the grand piano feeling in my head, brought on by the lack of caffeine.

The second sip, as we have grown accustomed to hearing, is coupled with the cacophony of the Westminster chimes of the doorbell and the instantaneous iPhone unhealthy noise warning sound of Twiggy and Tempeste, believing with all their heart they are doing a good deed in causing eardrum-bleeding mayhem. A quick toss of a handful of kibble into the soundproof room and a slam of the door restores a kind of hush all over the world.

A look at the security monitor confirms the cause of the ruckus. Heckle and Jeckle, the yellow-billed magpies, fill the screen. Knowing that any discussion with these two will be fruitless, the security shutdown process has begun.

The B-2 bomber squadron and the F-35 escort must be called off. One call does it. The tank corps and gunboats are told to stand by. The Apache helicopters are rerouted. The electric shock fence is turned off. The drawbridge over the quicksand is lowered. The robot attack dogs returned to their charging station. The laser-guided machine guns on the roof are set to caution. The nest filled with rattlesnakes was put away. The bucket filled with 1000 marbles is locked down. The tear gas canisters shut off. The electrified welcome mat set to off. The fall-away sidewalk into the pit filled with spikes is locked. The hornet’s nest closed. The water cannons are set to safety. Bear traps are set to off. Peregrine Falcons perched on the roof above the front door were fed. The vat of boiling oil set to warm. The front door is opened.

It’s hard to tell who’s who, but one magpie had the envelope, and the other had the clipboard. Each gave me their item, and the clipboard was returned with a signature where indicated. Both held out wings in an obvious hint for a tip. “You don’t need to wait for permission to succeed, ” was my tip for the day. Stepping back through the front entrance and closing the door, the envelope from Linda Hill is opened. Here is the message:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “may your…” Use the phrase “may your” in your post. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post https://lindaghill.com/2026/05/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-23-2026/.  

May Your . . .  © 2026

“Heckle and Jeckle? I haven’t seen them for years.”

“I know. They made their first appearance in 1946, so they are 80 years old.”

“I can see why you invited them to the post.”

“What do you mean?’

“Old guy like yourself.”

“Well, as a kid, I liked them.”

“Hard to visualize you as a kid. Where did you watch them?”

“On TV and in comics.”

“TV? Was it invented when you were a kid?”

“Of course, it was. We had a black and white 10-inch screen.”

“Hard to imagine.”

“As near as I can remember, we had that thing for about seven or eight years.”

“How could you see anything?”

“It seemed okay to me.”

“May your eyes thank the heavens that you didn’t strain them too much.”

“Yeah, we weren’t allowed to watch TV much, so I guess I survived. You order an Uber?”

“Right over there.”

Photo by Dan Antion

“Just, no.”

“Aw, come on. I’ll ride on the back. You’ll have a seat.”

“Well…. what is the catch?”

“No catch.”

“Come on.”

“Okay, a small one.”

“Hit me.”

“There’s a trailer.”

“Okay, that’s no big deal.”

“With a tree in it.”

“Don’t tell me.”

“Yes, we need to plant it.”

“Oh, man. How long will that take?’

“Will only take an hour, if.”

“If what?”

“If we don’t have to use the jackhammer on hard ground.”

“I’m not dressed for this.”

“Take these overalls and gloves and oh yes, these goggles.”

“Goggles? What for?”

“You are doing the jackhammer.”

“Just shoot me in the face.”

“The goggles will protect you.”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

 

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Published by John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

52 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “May your…””

  1. Indubitably a great take on Linda’s prompt. Now, get that tree in the ground and head to the bar. Hopefully there’s a utility service road through the woods and you can avoid paved roads.

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  2. May your prolific comedic writing continue at least until you’ve exhausted all cartoon characters. Your humor helps kickstart by Saturday mornings, John. Hope the tree planting goes well.

    Have a great day, John

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  5. The prompt delivery by Heckle & Jeckle must have been amusing, John. I hope your buddy doesn’t slip off that vehicle and get smacked by the trailer. It must be a pretty big tree to need a trailer, and it will need a pretty big hole for the planting. I hope the rest of your day goes well.

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  7. Heckle and Jeckle! I haven;t thought of them in ages, and yes, I did see them on TV when I was little. Our first TV was a 12 inch – gotcha! – black and white. Before that, I was a Saturday morning radio listener.

    And that is an Uber I’d jump right into, tree or no!

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  11. Magpies are very common in Sweden, so I’ve seen many. They are less common here but they exist. However, I did not know about yellow billed magpies. I looked them up. Apparently they live in California. Heckel and Jeckel are great magpie names.

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  14. May your friends Heckle and Jeckle visit again, but bring a gift this time. Don’t magpies collect gems, like their cousins the crows?

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  16. I like the Heckle and Jeckle part. I’m not sure where I remember them from, but I do know what you mean about no point arguing or discussing anything with them.

    I’m sure they are still discussing your tip.

    Oddly, I have found Heckle and Jeckle street art. So, they must still be out there!

    🐦‍⬛X 🐦‍⬛X

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