Today, I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 63 and, with my eyes closed, pointed to the page. The word nearest my finger was “responsible.” That is our prompt today.
Responsible by John W. Howell © 2026
“All right. Who do you think is responsible for this mess, Jackson?”
“You think someone is going to own up to this?”
“They’d better, if they know what’s good for them.”
“I think you are dreaming if you think someone will step forward.”
“Well, let’s just see, shall we. Johnson.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What do you know about this mess?”
“Nothing, sir.”
“You sure?”
” Yes, sir. I am.”
“Baker.”
“Yes, sergeant.”
“What do you know?”
“Nothing, sir.”
“Figures. You covering for someone?”
“No,o sir. I just got here, sir.”
“Wier.”
“Ye,s sir.”
“How about you?”
“All I know is the call went out to gather here. By the time I got here, this mess was already made.”
“This was supposed to be our lunch. Johnson.”
“Ye,s sir.”
“Who else was here besides you three?”
“I hate to say this, Sarge, but a few gulls were flying away when I got here.”
“Gulls?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Didn’t I tell you to watch our lunch while I got a few more fish?”
“They were so quick, sir.”
“You are an ospre,y for heaven’s sake. You could have taken them out.”
“Gulls are nasty, sir.”
“I’m not saying eat them. You could have scared them away.”
“Next time, sir.”
“You three go get more fish. I’ll stay here with Jackson and guard the one left. Now go.”
I did not see that one coming! 🤣🤣🤣Nicely done, John. Thanks for the laugh 💖
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So glad you liked it, Harmony. Thanks for letting me know. 😊
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Definitely knows who the Osprey are.
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Yup.😄
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You can NEVER trust a “JOHNSON”…🐳
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😆
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Oh my, James. You little devil you.
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Ha ha ha. 😄
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Please, don’t encourage T🦴… he’s beyond redemption already 🫣🐳
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😄
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In and out quickly worked for the gulls. Good one, John.
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Called an In-and-Out fish dive through. 😄 Thanks, Dan
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I was thinking military from the get go. You got me good on this one John. Well played.
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I’m so pleased. Thanks for letting me know. 😄
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NEVER leave food unattended where gulls are in the vicinity! Hard lesson learned… I never woulda guessed an osprey!
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When we lived on the coast, there were three ospreys that hung around our place. They were magnificent. Thanks, Dale. 😊
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That explains the choice of bird! Love it. They are gorgeous, no doubt about that. 😊
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😄
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This was great! And definitely watch for the herons. They look like they are always standing at attention. Not so!! Fun one, John.
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They do, don’t they? Thanks, Lois
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One of the greatest rivalries around here.
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Yes, I’ll bet.
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You got me again, John! Nice way to handle the prompt.
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Thank you, Monika. 😄
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I love this bit:
“You are an ospre,y for heaven’s sake. You could have taken them out.”
“Gulls are nasty, sir.”
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Thanks, Liz. You made me smile.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😆
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Live and learn they’re sneaky!! 💓
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They certainly are.
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🩷🩷🩷
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😊
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Lol! Good one, John. I did not guess.
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Oh good. Thank you, Jan
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Ah, so you worked my seagulls in this week!
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Yup.
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Glad they got it sorted out and hope rhey get that nice lunch 🙂
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A couple more fish and no seagulls, and I think they will have a nice lunch.
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You completely fooled me with the military squad setup—the Osprey and seagull reveal at the end was so clever and funny! I was right there with tokragly thinking this was a real interrogation. I also loved the line Liz Gauffreau pointed out about an osprey finding gulls too ‘nasty’ to fight off. Such a fun way to use the prompt, John!
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Thank you, Prateek.😊
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Fascinating story, John. It’s amazing to me that they had such a discussion.
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Y ou never know what the animals have to say.
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Yes, John. 😊
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Like Harmony, I did not see that coming! Good one, John! I don’t know how you do it 🙂
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Thank you, Marie. 😊
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Hunger will be a sure teacher!
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So true. 😆
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😄
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I can imagine ospreys in the armed services. Well portrayed. Say, sorry about the poetry challenge, I didn’t explain well enough that G-rating excludes adult habits like smoking and drinking alcohol. Hope there’s another aspect that makes you happy that you’d like to share. Your poem can be any style as long as it’s fewer than 50 words. Gracias.
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Thanks.
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Poor Osprey. Sea gulls are so quick and sneaky. Detour on the Eternal Road is an excellent and very entertaining adventure. I loved it.
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Thank you, Thomas.
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That was good, John. Love the rivalry.
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