This morning is cappuccino morning. The machine receives its command, and the grinding, whirring sounds bring joy to the heart. There it is—a beautiful 8 oz cup of frothy goodness. One sip and a wipe of the foam mustache prepare one for the clock. The clock is set for April 11, 1925. The location is Moscow, and the duration is half a day. A pull of the plunger has us standing watching two ceremonies.

The Metropolitan (Bishop) Peter of Krutitsy (Pyotr Fyodorovich Polyansky) was installed as the new Patriarch of Moscow and leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, on the same day as the funeral for his predecessor, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow. Tikhon’s funeral in Moscow was the last major public Russian Orthodox Church event and the last major religious event in the Soviet Union for over 60 years. Peter, identified in Tikhon’s will as one of three potential successors, was selected by the council of 59 bishops because “the first two were already in prison.” Peter himself was confined to prison in December 1925  by the Bolsheviks and eventually executed on October 10th, 1937.

Our stay in Moscow is beginning to draw some attention, and the alarm saves us from getting into a jam with the NKVD secret police. We are back on the couch with a text message from Linda Hill. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “jam.’” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/04/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-12-2025/

Jam by John W. Howell © 2025

“Wow, you got out of there at the right time.”

“I should say. In the Bolshevik era, being different wasn’t very good.”

“Well, at least you didn’t get into a jam. What would happen if you were arrested while you ate on a time jaunt/”

“When the alarm goes off, I would disappear.”

“What if they took the clock from you?”

“It would be hard for them to turn off the alarm so it would still go off, and I would still disappear.”

“You make this stuff up as you go along?”

“Yeah, of course. I write fiction, remember.”

“I keep forgetting.”

“Maybe a Voo Doo Ranger will help you remember.”

“Now, there is a down-to-earth suggestion.”

“Give Uber a call.”

“Already did. He’s over there.”

“Hey, wait a minute. That’s a meat wagon.”

“Oh, come on. We three will fit in the front.”

“But why a meat truck?”

“He’s making a delivery right by the pub and not charging much.”

“What’s the catch?”

“We have to help with the side of beef at the grocery.”

“How much of a side of beef?”

“Only 250 pounds.”

“Only?”

“Divide that by three, and it’s not so much. Here, put on this white coat and hair net.”

“Gloves?”

“Oh, yeah, they are in the truck.”

“How do I get myself into these messes.”

“You’re a fiction writer, remember. Let’s go.”

The coffee machine, as has become a familiar pattern, informs me of a malfunction. This time, the cappuccino operation is temporarily disabled for repairs. Since that was not on my mind this morning, the news has no impact on me. The coffee button starts the process. In checking the date for April 5th, 1925, the only thing going on is a tornado striking Dade County, Florida, causing damage of $300,000 ($5,000,000 in today’s dollars). Not wanting to be involved with a tornado, the decision is to relax with a cup of coffee and leave the clock for next week.

One sip and the doorbell goes off. The effect is like a klaxon horn in a submarine. The pups take up their battle stations and get ready to dive while barking in volumes that would cripple normal hearing. Before the windows shatter and the ears explode, a toss of a puppy treats into the soundproof room causes a mass exodus to grab one. A slam of the door ends the Hounds of Baskerville sound effects.

Before opening and addressing the visitor, the security system needs to be deactivated. Before that, though, the SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. The control panel makes the shutdown of the security system process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, the IUDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown. A look at the security camera shows a bird that looks very much like a road runner standing on the porch. Throwing open the door startles the bird, and with a “beep-beep,” it goes off down the driveway. There is an envelope left in the wake of the bird. It is from Linda Hill. Once opened, the message reads:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “contains ‘pat.’” Find a word that contains “pat” or use the word “pat” as your prompt. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

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

Pat by John W. Howell © 2025

“Boy you have that security system deactivation down pat.”

“I’ve been doing it for a while.”

“We didn’t get to see much of the roadrunner.”

“Roadrunner “look alike” you mean.”

“Uh, okay. The point is he didn’t hang around.”

“I think the door scared him.”

“It’s just a door.”

“But that recording of a ghoul scream left over from Halloween might have made the difference.”

“I didn’t hear it.”

“Was meant to be heard by kids only. I guess the bird was on that wave pattern.”

“That doorbell is a pain huh?”

“There is a sign under the bell not to ring it. Most people are good about it. I guess the bird can’t read.”

“Maybe the bird is apathetic to your desires.”

“Okay, you get a bonus point for that.”

“How about something else?”

“Like a Voo Doo Ranger?”

“You order an Uber.”

“Over there.”

“That is a beauty.”

“I like that it says Uber 5000 on the bumper.”

“Let’s just hope it runs.”

“Looks substantial to me.”

“Let’s go then.”

The coffee machine gives me a message that it needs to be cleaned. It is an automated process that only requires me to drop a cleansing tablet into the appropriate hopper when prompted. Knowing full well until the machine is cleaned, there will be no coffee. So the button is pressed, which starts the twenty-minute cycle. What does one do for twenty minutes while a small devil attempts to beat a hole in your head for the lack of caffeine?

Looking at March 29th, 1925, it is one day when nothing much happened. Just as the coffee’s ready, the doorbell rings, sending Twiggy and Tempeste into fits of fur-shedding caterwauling that threatens to shatter the windows. Moving them into a soundproof room with a knuckle bone, the security system needs to be addressed.

Of course, the security system needed to be disengaged before going to the door. The control panel made the process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, and the IUDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown. The final camera check picked up the image of a rabbit chomping on an oversized carrot. “What do you want?” is my greeting through the loudspeaker system . “Hey, Doc. Open the door.”

Heaving the heavy six-inch door open, my first expression was, “Awe, aren’t you cute.”

“Cute smoot, Doc. I’m here on business.”

“What kind of business?”

“I have a message from Linda Hill.”

“Aww, that’s so nice of you.”

“Here, take it.”

The rabbit handed me an envelope and disappeared around the side of the house. Heaving the door closed and resetting the alarm system before opening the envelope. Once done, the message from Linda Hill read: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “awe/aww.” Use one, use both, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points if you fit them both into your post. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-29-2025/

Awe/Aww by John W. Howell © 2025

“Well, you got the bonus points.”

“I sure did. I’m going to have that Bentley Turbo convertible before long.”

“How much of it do you have so far?”

“Twelve lug nuts.”

“Awe, you have a long way to go.”

“Yeah, but I’m determined.”

“Aww, that is so inspiring.”

“Yeah, right. Some would say stupid.”

“Not me.”

“Yeah, ’cause I’m buying the VooDoo Ranger. You call Uber?”

“Right over there.”

“What is that thing?”

“I’m not sure.”

“But what year?”

“Who knows?”

“All I can say is it looks like it has been ridden hard and put up wet.”

“But there are enough seats for both of us.”

“So true. Let’s go.”

The coffee machine detects the reality of being away for a while. She asks about the nature of my coffee drinking for the past week. Hemming and hawing did not forestall the answer long. The confession of drinking coffee brewed elsewhere brings a silent rebuke from the machine. “I hope you have a doctor visit on your calendar soon,” is the message scrolling across the touch screen.

Confirming the appointment date breaks loose a cup of the heavenly brew. On the first sip, the clock comes to mind. The setting is for March 21, 1925, and the location is the state of Tennessee. The duration is one hour, and the plunger is pulled.

We arrive in Dayton, Tennessee, which will be the location of the famous Scopes trial in July 1925. For now, though, we arrive just as the Butler Act takes effect.

In the U.S. state of Tennessee, the Butler Act, prohibiting school teachers from denying the Biblical account of man’s origin, took effect as it was signed by Governor Austin Peay. The Act provided that “it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals,” had been passed by the state House of Representatives, 71 to 5 and by the Tennessee Senate, 24 to 6. The Act would remain on the books until its appeal on May 17, 1967. Maybe we’ll get back for the trial after John Scopes is indicted for teaching evolution, but the alarm goes off, and we fall flat on the couch.

There is a text from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “calendar.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post.Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-22-2025/

Calendar by John W. Howell © 2025

“I love how you sneaked calendar into the early p[art of your story.”

“I wanted to get it out of the way.”

“Well, you did that for sure. What made you pick that destination?”

“I have always been fascinated by the idea of passing a law forbidding the teaching of science. The fact that fundamental extremists could  influence a state legislature to do so has amazed me since school.”

“So the fundamentalists only wanted the bible version of creation taught?”

” Well, they didn’t want evolution taught. The law didn’t say anything about the bible version.”

“I can’t believe anyone was prosecuted under such a law.”

“High school teacher John Scopes was.”

“Yeah. Did he go to jail?”

“No, he was found guilty and fined $100 by the judge, but that was set aside by a higher court ruling that judges cannot assess a fine above $50. That has to be done by the jury.

“I hope someone doesn’t decide Voo Doo Ranger needs to be outlawed.”

“So if they did.”

“Hello, hoosegow.”

“You call Uber?”

“Right over there.”

“Look at that a Camero. At last, a ride in which we can be proud to be seen.”

“We can be proud to be seen.  There’s only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“No engine.”

“What?”

“The guy rebuilt the car and ran out of money.”

“So, how are we supposed to get to the pub.”

“Push.”

“Push?”

“Yup. As you know, the pub is in the valley, so well, just push the car till it gets rolling, hop in, and coast to the pub.”

“Sounds more like a you job than a me job. I’m getting in.”

“Maybe we should call a cab.”

“Up to you. I’m comfortable.”