Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #174 by Keith Channing

May 15, 2018May 14, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 45 Comments

In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here – pingbacks don’t often work.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The photo.

“We need to make this a good fight, Sasha.”

“Why is that, Pradeep?”

“There’s a guy up in the stands with an iPhone?”

“Should I turn around?”

“No, take my word for it.”

“What about him?”

“He is a Bollywood producer.”

“You’re kidding. How exciting.”

“I think he is videotaping our performance.”

“How cool.”

“So quit dancing around and come at me.”

“Wait a minute. I’m dancing around because I don’t have a sword like you.”

“You are supposed to use your staff like a Ninja and take me out.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Use my sword like a warrior.”

“Like we practiced?”

“More or less.”

“How much more and how much less?”

“That guy up there will want action. It is hard to fake a fight.”

“Are you telling me this is for real?”

“No not for real. Just almost real.”

“Good grief. I’m getting out of here.”

“Stand where you are unbeliever. Defend yourself.”

“Unbeliever? Hey, Pradeep. It’s me Sasha, your brother.”

“Lies all lies.”

“For heaven’s sake. Put that sword down.”

“Okay, Sasha you can relax.”

“Why?”

“The guy is gone.”

“You were going to come at me with that sword, weren’t you?”

“Well, yeah. How would we stage a convincing fight if I didn’t?”

“I would think we would have time to practice.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore—”

“What are you looking at?”

“The guy is back.”

“Does this mean?—”

“Defend yourself, unbeliever.”

“Great.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “On the Farm.”

May 12, 2018May 11, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 34 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again and this weeks prompt is words from on the farm. Here’s the deal. We have to use words that have a farm animal sound in them. For example, sMOOth. There are bonus points for using three or more. If you would like to bend your mind a little go to Linda Hill’s blog and read how to join the party. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2018/05/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-12-18/

“I see you are doing the Hill prompt again.”

“How can you tell?”

“You are sitting by that recorder listening to animal sounds. There can be no other explanation.”

“I know right? I’ve got to come up with words with animal sounds in them.”

“Better you than me. What do you have so far?”

“Honeymoon, peephole, boink, quackery, subwoofer.”

“That’s it?”

“Man this is hard.”

“How about cluck?”

“Okay give me one.”

“Er, clucking?”

“That is the sound not a word with the sound.”

“Okay too tough for me. Now, what do you do?”

“Take a break.”

“Why is that?”

“I have a least three words with animal sounds in them. So, I think I’m done.”

“Don’t you have to use these words in a story?”

“Take a look at them. You think the story with these words would be a good outcome.”

“Now that you mention it. No.”

“Let’s go to lunch.”

“I could use a moon pie.”

“Don’t start with me.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #173 by Keith Channing

May 8, 2018May 7, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 46 Comments

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The Photo.

“Okay, sir. What is it you’re doing today?”

“I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to join the Wildlife Club.”

“This is a tryout, sir. We will determine if you are qualified for the Wildlife membership after your audition.”

“Oh, I know that. You’ll have to excuse me. I’m really excited about becoming a member.”

“Yessir. We are very excited about that prospect as well. Again, what are you doing for your audition?”

“Ah, very good then. Today I’m going to demonstrate various calling techniques.”

“Calling techniques?”

“My first is hawk calling.”

“Excuse me. I missed that. Did you say hog calling.”

“Ha ha ha. I know it sounded like that. No, hawk, that is h-a-w-k calling. C-a-l-l— ”

“I get it. Looks like you already have a hawk.”

“Oh, that is just a decoy.”

“What are the dogs doing?”

“They are ready to go after the groundhog.”

“Groundhog?”

“Yes, see this little puppet on my hand?”

“Hadn’t noticed it before, but now I do.”

“It’s a groundhog lure.”

“Groundhog lure? How does it work?”

“You wiggle it like so while blowing this whistle.”

“Pardon me, but you have a funny smirk on your face. Is this for real?”

“Oh please don’t think I’m not sincere. It’s just when I blow the whistle, so many groundhogs show up it is comical.”

“Okay. You can start any time.”

“First the hawk call. Sooooouuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee. Now the whistle.”

“Mr. Peters?”

“Yes?”

“Where did all these pigs come from?”

“I’m sure I couldn’t tell you. They are in the way of the groundhogs though.”

“Thank you. We’ll be in touch.”

“Did I make it?”

“Don’t call us. we’ll call you.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Letter

May 5, 2018May 4, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 33 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. This weeks prompt is “letter.” Linda Hill says we can use it any way we want.(The horror) If you would like to get involved, it is effortless. Take a big gulp of that margarita and go to Linda’s blog to read all about it. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2018/05/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-5-18/

“This post is brought to you by the Letter C.”

“Hold it.”

“What?”

“This is not Sesame Street.”

“I know. I just thought I would liven up the place a little.”

“By doing what?”

“Adding a little pizzazz with something fun.”

“Okay genius. Go ahead add some pizzazz.”

“Thank you. Hey there reader. Are you anxious, run down, have no energy? Do your friends and neighbors all think you’re a dud? Well if you are not a writer, we have the solution for you. Be the first ten callers, and we will rush a month’s supply of the letter C right to your door.”

“Hold it again.”

“Yes?”

“What does the letter C have to do with being run down?”

“Well, nothing.”

“Then why do an advertisement as if it can help?”

You said to add some pizzazz.”

“You need to tell the truth, though.”

“Uh okay. How’s this? Hey, readers Are you anxious, run down, have no energy? Do your friends and neighbors all think you’re a dud? Well, you probably are a writer, and there is no help for you.”

“Can we drop this now?”

“I’ll need a letter from our legal department.”

“What kind of letter?”

“Where I’m indemnified against the liability of pushing the letter C on an unsuspecting consumer.”

“But it was your idea.”

“All the more reason for a letter.”

“I would be glad to help you out.”

“You would?”

“Yeah. Where did you come in?”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #172 by Keith Channing

May 1, 2018April 30, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 35 Comments

In Keith’s words. “Using this photo as inspiration, (below) write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here – pingbacks don’t often work.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The photo.

“Hold on Reggie.”

“What Sean?”

“I don’t remember a train track in this part of town.”

“How often do you come this way?”

“Not very. Usually to visit the Pig and Whistle.”

“The pub you mean?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“Well, no wonder you don’t remember a track here. You’re usually pissed when you leave a pub.”

“Aw Reggie. You know me so well. So what is with this train anyway?”

“Beats me. It does look a little different. Hey you.”

“Who?”

“You the engineer.”

“What can I do for you mate?”

“Where’s this train bound?”

“To Glory my man.”

“Glory? I never heard of a town named Glory.”

“It’s not a town. It’s a state of mind.”

“Okay, Sean. I get it. This is one of those preach, teach, and reach outfits. They get you on a vehicle, and pretty soon you’re dunked in a tank or river and yelling that you’ve been saved.”

“Not like that at all governor. This is the real deal. You can get on board and ride this train to Glory.”

“Not on your life. Mr. preacher man.”

“I think you may want to think about life for a moment. What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean now?”

“Now that you have passed.”

“Passed? What are you talking about?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Driving Sean here and myself to this town.”

“Did you ever enter the town?”

“Well, let me think.”

“Reggie, we were passing that truck, remember?”

“Yes, I do. The bounder wouldn’t let us back in. . .Oh my gosh. We hit a tree.”

“And so here you are at the first stop of the Glory Train. Hop on board.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 171 By Keith Channing

April 24, 2018April 23, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 49 Comments

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The photo.

“Hey, Archie what are you doing?”

“Oh, man I have this itch that I can’t reach.”

“Itch. You gotta be kidding me.”

“No, I swear. It is driving me crazy.”

“How could that be?”

“I have no idea. There is a spot right in the middle of my back that’s killing me.”

“You better not let the curator see you moving around. You’ll get cashiered. or worse.”

“Any suggestions on getting that spot then?”

“Are you certain you can’t just wait until nighttime.”

“I think I know what the problem is.”

“Do tell.”

“The sun. It is so hot I can feel something dripping down my back.”

“Oh, now that is serious.”

“Who can we call?”

“You can’t let on that you are alive.”

“Why not? I certainly am.”

“You are made of wax. You know that. To be alive and made of wax is the stuff of horror movies.”

“So what do I do?”

“Can you back up slightly into the shade more.”

“I’m going to melt is what you are saying.”

“I don’t think it is that bad. Just hold on till nightfall.”

“It is just so hot.”

“Come on Archie, stay with me. Hush, here comes the curator.”

“Who left this archer out in the sun? Don’t you people know he could melt. Move him in the shade.”

“How’s that feel Archie?”

“I thought I was a goner. Feels better. The itch is gone. I hope tomorrow is a better day.”

“Let’s hope those guys don’t move you into the sun again.”

“Now I’m worried.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Spoke”

April 21, 2018April 20, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 38 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this week’s prompt is “spoke.” Linda Hill says we can use it any way we want and will get bonus points if we don’t use it in the first sentence. (well, that seems easy.) If you would like to join our happy clan visit Linda’s blog and read how. Here is the link.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS April 21/18

“Why are you holding your breath?”

“Immmaaatryntostoppmyselffromsayinaworddd.”

“What? I can’t understand you with your cheeks all puffed out and your mouth closed.”

“Waaaaaaaooooffffffff. I said, ‘I’m trying to stop myself from saying a word.”‘

“Okay, this is pretty normal. What word are you not trying to say?”

“Spoke.”

“Spoke?”

“Yeah Spoke.”

“This is another one of those Saturday Stream nightmares of yours right?”

“It is not a nightmare but a good way to hone writing skills. You could take a lesson.”

“I’ll ignore that. What does holding your breath have to do with writing skills?”

“Look at the beginning of this post.”

“What about it?”

“I started the post without using the word ‘spoke’ in the first sentence.”

“So?”

“I just got bonus points for not doing that. How easy do you think it is to start a prompt post without using the prompt word?”

“In the first sentence? Pretty easy.”

“Well maybe you think so, but I thought that beginning was pretty creative.”

“Let me try one.”

“Yeah, go ahead. Let’s see how you handle it.”

“Hi, how are you?”

“I’m fine. Wait a minute. That’s not fair.”

“Why not? I didn’t use ‘spoke’ in the first sentence.”

“But your story went nowhere.”

“And you think yours is going somewhere?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Show me.”

“You and I have been talking about the prompt for the last three hundred words. I call that flash fiction at it’s finest.”

“You have to find a new hobby. You really do.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #170 by Keith Channing

April 17, 2018April 16, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 45 Comments

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The photo.

“How much air does he have left in there?”

“I would say about ten minutes.”

“Hello out there.”

“Yes, sir what is it?”

“You know I can hear you through the intercom?”

“Yes, we know that. We are trying to figure a way to get you out of there.”

“What do you mean by ten minutes of air.”

“Uh, that is a hermetically sealed capsule. The only air you have is what is inside. The canisters look to have about ten minutes left.”

“Don’t sugar coat it. How much time do I have?”

“My God, Man. I just told you. Ten— excuse me, Nine minutes.”

“Y’all better get humping on that solution then.”

“Well, sir. We thought we would take our lunch break now.”

“Don’t get cute. You know what I mean.”

“Unfortunately we do, sir.”

“I wish my hands weren’t handcuffed I would try to help.”

“Oh, don’t worry sir. We doubt you would be able to do too much to help.”

“Why say something mean like that?”

“Not to point out the obvious but you were the one insisting on the handcuffs.”

“Makes for a better simulation.”

“And I have the key. See it here.”

“I see it. I gave it to you when we closed the hatch.”

“That you did sir. Tell me again what you hoped to accomplish?”

“This is going to be the greatest escape trick ever. An astronaut handcuffed in space does the amazing feat of freeing himself and then gliding to earth.”

“You insisted on locking the hatch as well.”

“Of course. Don’t you see how difficult it will make the trick seem.”

“Not only seem, sir. But in reality almost impossible.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when you grabbed the key just as the hatch slammed shut.”

“Yes, I wanted to be able to open it.”

“Good thinking, sir. Except, the key works from the outside. The hatch automatically locks when shut. Hmm. Six minutes.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Mon.”

April 14, 2018April 13, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 31 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again and this week’s prompt is “mon.” Linda Hill says we can use “mon” as part of a word or by itself. The only word I can think of that is a stand-alone use of mon is a greeting from Jamaica. “Hey mon!” After that, I have a problem. I guess I will soldier on. If you would like to increase your stress level go to Linda’s blog and read how. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2018/04/13/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-14-18/

“Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin´, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin´, Monday mornin´ couldn´t guarantee
That Monday evenin´ you would still be here with me.”

“Okay, what is going on.”

“I have a song in my heart, and it is Monday, Monday.”

“This is Saturday. Why Monday?”

“Hey, mon. I’m an entertainer don’t ya know.”

“Bob Marley, right?”

“You are a monumental genius, mon.”

“You can stop anytime now.”

“You afraid I will monopolize the women at the party tonight?”

“Not really. More like you’ll drive them away with your monotonous one-man act.”

“You want to join in? This could be a moneymaker.”

“Moneymaker how could that be possible?”

“You think my singing is pretty monstrous, right?”

“Um, sort of an understatement.”

“Well then what do you think the people will do when I offer to stop for a monetary consideration?”

“I suppose they will give you money.”

“Right you are. What if I give them a full monte?”

“They will throw the money at you and then throw you out.”

“Perfect plan. Want to join?”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 168 by Keith Channing

April 10, 2018April 9, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 41 Comments

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The photo.

“Okay, you guys. We need to take a break.”

“Gee, dad we just got started.”

“Well, we have been hiking for an hour, so we need to rest.”

“Aw come on Randy. Give pop a break. He’s getting older now and needs his rest.”

“Very funny, Joe. I think we need to conserve our energy is all.”

“You bring any snacks?”

“Yes, Randy. I brought some trail mix to munch on. It’s way too early for that though. We just had breakfast.”

“I was just checking.”

“So, pop what are we going to see today?”

“I’m glad you asked, Joe. Here is a booklet of the kinds of things we should see.”

“Awesome. Are you sure all of these are in this area.”

“Well, I can’t guarantee every one of those, but hopefully we will see a lot of them.”

“Let me look, Joe.”

“Here you go, little guy.”

“Wow. I can’t wait to get going again.”

“You guys know we have to be very quiet if we are going to spot them.”

“We know dad. Trying to keep pipsqueak quiet might be a chore.”

“I’m not a pipsqueak. Did we bring a camera?”

“Yes, Randy. We have a camera. Okay, guys, before we begin, let’s go over a couple of rules.”

“Aw, dad. We don’t need rules.”

“Quiet Randy. Let pop explain.”

“Thank you, Joe. Okay, here they are. Short and simple. Try not to make any noise. Don’t move when we get near them. This one is the most important. Do not run if they come toward us. Just hold still. Any questions?”

“I can’t wait.”

“Which is your favorite Randy?”

“I think I like the Rapters best.”

“I have to go for good old T-Rex. Those teeth. Massive.”

“Okay, boys. Let’s go.”