Saturday morning coffee is not a simple item that one wants. It is a crucial part of living that one needs to survive. A steaming cup with a bit of half and half is all that is necessary to continue down life’s path. Reaching for the half and half, a strange feeling came over me. The carton was too warm, and one sniff told me that the use of this would curl my hair. Then it hit me. Not only was coffee without half and half a catastrophic event, but something was obviously wrong with the chiller.

Holding my nose and taking the first sip was interrupted by the familiar Westminster chime of the doorbell. The Hounds of Hell took up their ear-bursting refrain and were redirected by a fresh knucklebone tossed into the soundproof room. Slamming the door brought the sound of silence, which spread like a relief wave over the household. Checking the windows for cracks brought me to the security monitor. Sure enough, centered in the view was a big-eared elephant. “You look like Dumbo,” was my greeting through the intercom.

“Letter for Mr. John,” was the reply. To prevent shutting down the security system, the suggestion was made to drop the letter on the porch. The elephant was having none of that. A mouse in his hat held up a sign. We work for tips. Heaving a sigh, the security system shutdown process has 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. 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, the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away.  The Proton torpedoes switched off. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.

“Here’s your tip.” Handing the elephant a bag of peanuts and the mouse a wedge of cheddar, they smiled and, in turn, gave me the letter. The elephant started flapping his ears. Before long, both were airborne and out of sight.

The letter is from Linda Hill and reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “curl.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s blog. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/07/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-12-2025/

Curl by John W. Howell © 2025

“Well, that was a mess.”

“What do you mean?”

“Warm half and half?”

“I just wrote that because then I could use the word curl.”

“Which is the prompt?”

“Correct.”

“A cheap way to do it.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, come on. You made up the story about the half and half. Feels like cheating.”

“Okay, Einstein. Tell me what part of this post is not made up?”

“Um. I think you have me. Time to curl our fingers around a nice cold VooDoo Ranger.”

“Sure, change the subject, why don’t you? Uber?”

“Right over there.”

“Wow, a 1972 Chevy Camaro Z28. Now we are talking.”

“I thought you would like it. I’ll sit in the back.”

“That’s nice of you. So there is always one thing. What is it with this car?”

“Nothing really. All we have to do is pay for gas.”

“Oh, that’s doable.”

“I thought so. Of course, it burns Nitro-methane.”

“How much does that cost?”

“$45.00 a gallon.”

“I almost hate to ask the mileage on this beast.”

“We won’t be going top end, so I would say 5 miles to the gallon.”

“That’s 90 bucks just to get there.”

“But in style, my man, and very quickly.”

“I have a headache.”

“A couple of Voo Doo’s will fix that.”

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Woke to the sound of rain, so a coffee will be quite welcome. A message on the touchscreen leads me to believe the AI inside is seeking entertainment. The message reads, I’m thinking of something that opens. How great is it to have a machine that wants to play games when the low caffeine warning klaxon horn is ready to split the skull. Give up? is the next message. Nodding my head, the machine responds with An application.

I’m not sure if laughing or crying is the correct response, so a smile is all I can offer. The touchscreen comes to life, and the two coffee buttons are quickly pressed. The cup is delivered, and the doorbell delivers a Westminster melody. The hounds of Baskerville want me to know the world is coming to an end. Lucky for me and the glass windows, a knuckle bone is near and tossed into the soundproof room. As the quiet descends, a glance at the security monitor shows someone looking very much like Yogi Bear standing on the porch. Calling out through the intercom verifies that whatever is to be delivered needs a signature.

With a sigh, the security system shutdown process has 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. 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, the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away.  The Proton torpedoes switched off. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.

“A pic a nic basket for Howell. Sign here.”

“A big surprise you didn’t keep it.”

“Don’t think I didn’t think about that. BooBoo kept me honest.”

Looking in the basket, there is a note in sight. It is from Linda Hill. It reads Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “something that opens.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

“Take this basket as a tip.” The bear smiles, and he and the basket disappear down the driveway.

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. https://lindaghill.com/2025/07/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-5-2025/

Something That Opens by John W. Howell © 2025

“That machine is going to be the death of you.”

“Tell me.”

“You know, we could have fun with that prompt.”

“How so?”

“I know of something that opens.”

“Let me guess. VooDoo Ranger bottles.”

“Well, there is that. But I had something else in mind.”

“I find it hard to believe you have anything else in mind.”

“I guess it could be associated with VooDoo Rangers.”

“The pub door?”

“Now that is a good one, but no.”

“My wallet.”

“Ha ha ha. I like that one. No again.”

“Okay, I’m giving up now.”

“Think hard.”

“Still nothing.”

“The Uber car door.”

“Oh my gosh. How did I not think of that? You’re a pain, you know that?”

“He’s right over there.”

“Wait a minute. The something that opens is not that car. Look at the rope holding the passenger door closed.”

“It’s tied with a bow. All you have to do is pull it and untie.”

“Will it get us there?”

“Of course. There is one thing, though.”

“Why is there always one thing?”

“It used to be a chicken coop.”

“What?”

“Yeah, we have to help clean out the back.”

“Why can’t we get a normal car?”

“And pay full price? Here, put on these overalls and gloves. The guy said we could keep the eggs.”

“Be still, my beating heart.”

My need for a direct infusion of caffeine was met with a cold, dark touchscreen on the coffee machine. Puzzled, the haze-filled investigation began. Hitting reset-no help. Checking the line trip – no help. Calling the electric company – no help. Sitting on hold at the manufacturer – no help. Finally, speaking with a customer service representative who asked the definitive question, “Did you check the plug?” The plug? Does this person think they are talking to a moron? The plug? How flipping insulting can one get? Reminds me of talking to a WordPress Happiness Engineer. The plug? For crying out loud, of course I checked . . .the . . .plug. “Thank you for your help, customer Service person. I’ve got it from here.”

WHO UNPLUGGED THE COFFEE MACHINE? was the question heard round the block. Of course, there was no answer. Once plugged in, my 8-oz crema-topped brew was available for the inhaling. The first sip was also accompanied by the reverberations of the Westminster chime from the front doorbell. These were instantly joined by the baying of Egor’s hounds, also known as Twiggy and Tempeste. The toss of a knuckle bone into the soundproof room and a door slam brought the sound of silence to this tortured space. Looking at the front door camera, I see something that looks like an Empire Stormtrooper. “State your business,” was the order through the intercom. “Package for Howell,” came the reply. “Just drop it there.” “Sorry, sir, but it needs a signature.”

With a sigh, the security system shutdown process has 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. The control panel makes the shutdown of the security system process simpler. 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, the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away.  The Proton torpedoes switched off. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.

“What is a Stormtrooper doing delivering packages?”

“A side hustle. Sign here.”

With formalities finished, the stormtrooper jumps on what looks like a motorcycle with no wheels and is gone. The package has a note from Linda Hill and a package of Sweetarts. The note reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “plug.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda Hill’s post. Here’s the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/06/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-28-2025/

Plug by John W. Howell © 2025

“A stormtrooper?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. People like cartoon characters.”

“Well, there wasn’t one there. Your plug for the readers is admirable.”

“I suppose it is funny in a way.”

“Can you imagine seeing one on your porch?”

“Didn’t stay long.”

“You know how those delivery people are. No time for social interaction.”

“I would tell Linda Hill to stop requesting a signature.”

“Maybe some day.”

“We going to the pub?”

“Duh. What do we do every Saturday? Uber?”

“Right over there.”

“Hey, now we are talking.”

“We can put the top down, but there is just one thing.”

“As usual. What is it?”

“We have to go along on a cross-country road race.”

“Road race to where?”

“Not far.”

“How far?”

“Connecticut.”

“We need a different car.”

“Oh, come on. How many road races have you been on?”

“None.”

“Well, it’s time to plug into the sport. Here’s your helmet. Let’s go.”

“It’ll take us a week.”

“Yup, that’s why I have this cooler of VooDoo Rangers. About a week’s supply, I figure.”

“Unless I decide to drink enough to end my misery.”

“I don’t think there are enough VooDoo Rangerson the planet to do that.”

“Alright, I’m in.”