Jessica Rabbit has two messages for me last time. The first was delivered. It had to do with the prompt. that week. When we were last together, the question came out of my mouth. “And the second?” My head is pounding, trying to convince my still-bound hands to get coffee. Tied to a chair with Jessica Rabbit casting a long shadow from the bare light bulb behind her, there is little likelihood that coffee is on the agenda.

My feeling that the next words out of Jessica’s mouth would be an offer I couldn’t refuse was confirmed when she parted her lips, slowly licked her teeth, and said, “My statue or you are a dead man.”

Stuttering and trying to explain that the statue’s location was not included in my knowledge base had little effect on Jessica’s intimidating demeanor. “It seems, She began. “That you don’t care for your life.” After a pause, she continues, “How about I take your sight one eye at a time?”

Now things are getting out of hand. If I had knowledge of the site of the stupid statue, I would give it up faster than a cat’s hairball. How to convince Jessica of this fact was the center of my mind’s activity. Finally, the solution seeped into my brain. Convincing Jessica to release me while we both go to a fictitious location where Jessica is convinced the statue is being kept might allow me to break free. It will be risky but worth a shot.

The proposal is presented to Jessica, and she bites. She lets me know that any false move will be met with extreme prejudice. She also tells me that Linda Hill called with the following message. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “sight/site.” Use one, use them both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use them both. Have fun!

If you want to see what other bloggers have done with the prompt, go to Linda’s blog and check them out. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2023/06/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-17-2023/

Sight/site by John W. Howell © 2023

“Okay, so you got both words in there.”

“Yup. Bonus point for me.”

“What do bonus points get you?”

“I always say they can be redeemed for a Bently Turbo convertible.”

“That would be a sight. How many points will that take?”

“Um, maybe two lifetimes.”

“So why keep saying it?”

“Cause it’s fun. I already have four lug nuts.”

“Funny you should mention nuts. This site is ground zero.”

“Yes, well. You hang out here enough.”

“That’s cause the VooDoo Ranger is free.”

“Nice segway. Contact Uber.”

“Already done. There he is in a Bently Turbo convertible>”

“Where?”

“Just messing with you. He’s in the Gremlin over there.”

“Not nice to play tricks.”

“But oh so easy.”

Here’s how it goes. I open a book to a random page. Without looking, I point to a place on the page. The word or words closest to my finger is the prompt. Today the book is The Last Stop, page 201, and the word “expression.”

Expression by John W. Howell © 2023

“Please hold your head still. You look like you’re going to say something.”

“Not me.”

“The words say one thing, and your expression says another.”

“You read minds?”

“No, but I am a student of human nature.”

“And you have read my expression as having something to say.”

“It appeared so, yes.”

“How about now?”

“You look angry.”

“Wrong again. My expression is one of irritation, not anger.”

“What has irritated you?”

“To be honest, your attitude has made me irritated.”

“I do apologize. I’m just doing my job.”

“This eye scan should only take an instant.”

“You keep moving, so it is hard. Besides, you have beautiful eyes.”

“You coming on to me?”

“No, just an observation. There, the scan is complete. You may continue checking out.”

“Is there a place on your keyboard where I can leave a complaint?”

“Whatever for?”

“I have never been so mishandled by a self-checkout machine.”

“I’m sure it’s your imagination.”

“I’m sure it’s not.”

“Press R, and you can leave a review.”

“Thank you.”

“I canceled your order as well.”

“Why?”

“To prevent it from being mishandled.”

“Also, I never had a passive-aggressive self-checkout machine.”

“Welcome to the new world of AI, lady. Kindly remove your purchases and step out of line. Thank you for shopping with us today.”

What this prompt is all about is opening a book to a random place and without looking point to a page. The word or words closest to the pointing finger is the prompt. I opened The Last Drive to page 67 and the word “glances” was closest to my finger.

Glances by John W. Howell © 2023

The thief glances sideways to check who is walking near the stylish young woman with the Goyard bag on her shoulder and clicking Louboutin heels. Satisfied there appears to be no superhero among the disinterested-looking crowd on 5th Avenue, the plan in his head is okay. A quick pass on the strap with a razor-sharp stiletto knife will cause the bag to slip toward the street. A fast pickup and he will probably be on his way before she realizes the purse is gone.

He takes a deep breath and pushes the button that releases the blade from the hilt. A momentary glint of the sun hitting the stainless edge of the blade reflects off the woman’s sunglasses. She glances his way, and he knows he must move fast. He is sure she will not put together the sun flair, and his intention on taking her bag. Comforted with this belief, he closes the slight distance between them with the knife concealed by his side. The strap is on her right shoulder, and since he is righthanded, he will have to make a cross-body movement that will end with an upward slash on the part of the strap near her back. The bag itself will drop, and he will need to grab it at almost the same time as the cut. If it hits the street, time will be lost picking it up, not to mention someone stepping on it.

The time has come, and he raises his hand to make his move. The woman senses his movement and glances over her shoulder. Her eyes lock onto his with enough strength he hesitates for a millisecond. His strike with the knife is off-target slightly, and the strap remains secure. The woman turns and, with the power of many hours spent with free weights and Tie Quan Do, connects her elbow with the man’s jaw. He hits the pavement like a prizefighter about to be counted out.

She stands over him, and a crowd begins to form. He opens his eyes and tries to speak. He is still confused after the blow to his chin. “Stay down,” the woman warns. He rests his head back on the concrete and glances to his right to confirm the noise of a winding down siren is from a police car on the street near him. The uniformed officer and EMS are intent on reaching him. The woman holds her bag with the almost cut strap for them to view.

He thinks about hoping they don’t find the knife and also thinks about the half-empty glass of luck that got him here. He wonders why an honest thief cannot count on beautiful women being helpless these days. The officer’s words come out of a haze, and he bearly hears the warning not to move. He wonders why the EMS guy keeps yelling, “Stay with me, buddy.” It is then that he realizes he has fallen on his knife. The word ‘petard’ flashes through his mind as all thoughts enter the dark.