Coffee frees the mind and stimulates the soul. It drips from the spout like it has all day, not knowing the quivering mass witnessing the slow process is about to explode. It finally fills the cup, which reaches the lips just in time. One sip and the affirmation of living one more day is assured. The brain thanks the hand for delivering the wake-up medicine critical to jump-start the thinking process.
With a free-basing brain in gear, the memory of the alarm clock comes rushing in like the sea through an open port hole. The memory seems as messy as a ton of seawater on the floor. The clock sits where it was left. Poor me is the thought in my mind as the task of trying to figure out what to do with it bounces around in my head like a marble in a fishbowl.
Looking at the face provides no clue. There is one big face with hands, one little face with hands, and one medium-sized face with just numbers and one hand. The back has three wind-up keys. One marked time, one marked alarm, and the final marked travel. Beside each key is a small dial, which looks like it is used to set the time and alarm. The question is, what could the dial near the travel key be used for? After fiddling, it is found to move the one-hand face. To set the time, you pull out the dial, move the hands, and punch it in. The alarm is set the same way. The travel dial, when pulled out, moves a single hand to any of the twelve numbers. It is discovered that repeated pulling and pushing of the dial makes the numbers appear in a little window that looks like an odometer with room for seven numbers.
Further experiments causes me to enter my birthday in the odometer window. The next stop is Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, the place of my birth. An alarm goes off, and then back home again. Standing in awe before the clock, which is now on the floor, I get a text. It is from Linda Hill. It reads Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “oo.” Find a word with “oo” in it or just use “oo” because why not? Whatever you decide on, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!.
To see what other bloggers have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s blog. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2023/10/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-28-2023/
OO by John W. Howell © 2023
“That is some clock.”
“No kidding.”
“So, is it magic?”
“I have no idea. I looks that way.”
“You need to find out sooner rather than later.”
“It seems that it can be set for any year.”
“What made the alarm go off?’
“You got me there. Maybe Google has an answer.”
“I think you did something goofy before you took off to the place of your birth.”
I think I could set it for any time I want.”
“Just don’t set it for doomsday.”
“When is that?”
“No one knows.”
“I can’t very well set the date if I don’t know it.”
“You could make a mistake, too.”
“Now is the time for a Voo Doo. Did you call Über?”
“He’s parked in the drive.”
“That’s a herse.”
“Think how much room we will have coming home.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We can sack out in the back.”
“Maybe you can. I’ll ride up front, thank you.”
“After enough Voo Doo, the back will be proof I made a good deal.
