At seven in the morning, no one wants to be forced to fix a coffee machine. This morning is no exception. The hatch is open, and a confusing maze of wires and lights makes me wonder why it’s open in the first place. The machine asks if a song would help calm my nerves. “Yes, Hal, a song would be nice.”
The machine starts singing, ” Daisy, daisy give me your answer true.”
“It was then that the decision is made to go to Starbucks. Before leaving, somebody activated the Westchester Chime sequence of the front doorbell. This, of course, triggers the baying of Igor’s hounds in the form of Twiggy and Tempeste. A ham hock toss into the soundproof room followed by a slam of the door brings peace back to the valley. Looking at the security camera, a very large bear is seen standing on the porch. “What do you want?” is the message through the intercom. “Envelope for Howell,” comes the reply. “Just leave it.”
After a long silence, it is clear the bear is not going to leave the envelope. With a sigh, the standby process is begun.
The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the shutdown process of the security system. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opens.
A bear is wearing a pork pie hat. “Sign here,” he says, and passes me a clipboard. My signature is placed next to my name, and the bear hands me an envelope. “Haven’t we met before?” My question causes the bear to scratch his head. “Have you been to Jellystone Park?” My response is negative. The bear holds out his paw. “Here’s your tip. Not all pick a nick baskets are created equal.”
Before the bear can react, the front door is slammed and the envelope opened. It is from Linda Hill.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “seven.” Use it however you’re inspired to. Have fun!
To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link: https://lindaghill.com/2025/09/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-20-2025/
Seven by John W. Howell © 2025
“Was that Yogi the Bear?”
“If you say so.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t have a use license, so since you are not writing this post, you can say whatever you want without setting me up for a lawsuit.”
“I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
“Well, anyway, I don’t think we could consider this blog a commercial enterprise, so it may be a moot point after all.”
“What side of the law book did you get up on this morning?”
“I’m just saying.”
“I hope we are by that stuff.”
“Yes, we are. What do you want to talk about?”
“Seven.”
“Seven?”
“Yup. Seven VooDoo Rangers.”
“Where’s the Uber?”
“Over there.”
“What is that?”
“It’s a Volvo 122. I would say a 1964.”
“Well, it looks like the driver is ready, so let’s go.”
“We have one stop first.”
“I hope it isn’t a wax job.”
“No, it is a stop at IKEA.”
“IKEA? What for?”
“The car needs a new engine, so we will pick one up.”
“All put together?”
“Are you kidding at IKEA? We have to hurry; it may take a while.”
