The idea is to open a book randomly and, without looking, point to the page. The word or words closest to the pointing finger is the prompt.

Today we opened The Eternal Road on page 147. The word closest to the pointing finger is ‘asleep.’

Asleep by John W. Howell © 2023

“Who can tell me what asleep means without using the word sleep. Yes, Johnny.”

“Well, teacher, I believe asleep means that your eyes are closed and you are breathing deeper.”

“Okay, Johnny. That is part of it. Anyone else? Your hand is up, Nancy.”

“How about you are dreaming.”

“That’s good, Nancy. Go ahead, Jerry.”

“And you can’t hear the TV anymore.”

“I see. Asleep while TV watching.”

“Yeah, my dad does it all the time.”

“Thank you, Jerry.”

“After he drinks a lot of beer.”

“That will be fine. Anyone else? Okay, Maureen.”

“Asleep is what you want to be to relax.”

“That’s interesting.”

“You lock your bedroom door and tell the kids to be quiet.”

“Thank you, Maureen. Surely someone else has an idea.”

“I do.”

“Yes, Richard.”

“It’s what happens when you talk about history after lunch.”

“I can see that, Richard. Thank you. Can anyone tell me what part of speech is asleep?”

“I’d say all parts of speech are asleep.”

“Thank you again, Richard. It is an adjective. Does anyone care to try a sentence? I’m holding my breath, but go ahead, Richard.”

“When I sit too long in class, my bum feels asleep.”

“Richard, it is time for you to take a walk. Please take this attendance sheet to the office and try not to hurry.”

“Did I use it right?”

“Yes, Richard, and your reward is to keep your bum awake. Bye now.”

 

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.

The idea of a finger-point prompt is to open a book at a random place and, without looking, point to the page. The word or words closest to the pointing finger becomes the prompt. For example, today, I opened The Last Drive to page 151. The word closest to the pointing finger is “claims.”

Claims by John W. Howell © 2023

“Her father was a no count. Claims he has a bad back.”

“What are you doing?”

“Singing a song.”

“I can’t get the tune, but the words sound familiar.”

“Polk Salad, Annie.”

“Could have fooled me. I thought you were singing “Ring of Fire.”

“The words don’t match.”

“Well, your tune is one I never heard connected to the song.”

“I guess I have a tin ear.”

“The man claims to cover his music ineptitude.”

“By the way. I was very happy here by myself.”

“I’ll bet. I just came from the insurance office.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Had a couple of claims to sign.”

“What kind of claims?”

“Remenber that guy who backed into my car.”

“Yeah. That is one claim.”

“The guy behind me had damage when my car hit his.”

“Oh. I didn’t know. Makes sense there would be two claims.”

“Three.”

“Three? How.”

“The guy behind the guy behind me.”

“You are making my head hurt. Is everything okay?”

“Yup. Everyone is happy.”

“That’s good. Well, I’m off to get lunch.”

“Oh yeah? Where you going?”

“To the clam shack to stake my claims on some clams.”

“”I think we are done here.”

“I hope.”

The drill is to open a book to a random page and then, without looking, point to a place on the page. The word or words nearest the pointing finger becomes the prompt.

Today I opened The Last Drive to page 163, and my finger landed close to “The Beautiful One.”

The Beautiful One by John W. Howell © 2023

“I’m so jealous.”

“Of what, dear sister.”

“You get to go to parties and have a good time.”

“You can do the same if you wish.”

“Not likely.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Look at me.”

“And I see a lovely young woman.”

“You are saying that ’cause you know that I’m plain.”

“I wish you would quit saying that. You are not plain. You have a wonderful body and personality to match.”

“You are such a good sister. You know the right things to say.”

“Why don’t you come out with me tonight.”

“You know I can’t.”

“We’ll get someone to come in.”

“That won’t help. She gets frightened around strangers.”

“You know mom should be put in a home.”

“That is never going to happen.”

“I know I’ll stay home and keep you company.”

“That won’t help. You should go. Your beauty should not be wasted here.”

“I know what I’m about to say you will argue with me about.”

“What’s that?”

“You are the beautiful one.”

“I will argue with you on that.”

“I’ll fix popcorn, and we can argue during a movie.”

So the drill is randomly opening a book and pointing to a page without looking. The word or words closest to the pointing finger is the prompt. Today the book is The Last Drive, opened to page 253. The word closest to the finger is “someone.”

Someone by John W. Howell © 2023

“Why are you sitting here?”

“Excuse me, but what business is it of yours?”

“When I see someone out in the middle of nowhere, I have to ask. Who knows, maybe you are in trouble.”

“I can assure you, I’m not in trouble.”

“Okay, then back to my original question.”

“And back to my question. What business is it of yours?”

“I guess you have enough cheek to make it on your own, no matter the trouble.”

“Okay, you have that Good Samaritan look. If you must know, I’m waiting for someone.”

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Does every question breed a new question?”

“Curious, I guess.”

“If I told you how long, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

“Niney-two years.”

“You are right. You can’t be more than twenty.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“So I’ve been told. Well, I’m going to leave you now. Good luck in your wait.”

“The wait is over.”

“What do you mean.”

“I was waiting for you.”

“That’s a laugh. I don’t know you.”

“We have never met, but you know me.”

“How’s that?”

“My name’s Michael. Ring a bell?”

“I’ve known a lot of Michaels.”

“How about the one you asked to save that little boy?”

“Uh.”

“Or the one you called upon when the hurricane hit.”

“The Angel Michael?”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“So my time is up?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Today is my 92nd birthday, and I have no idea what I’m doing in the middle of nowhere.”

“Well, pops. You are correct. A new adventure is waiting.”

 

The idea is to randomly open a book and, without looking, point to a page. The word or words closest to your pointing figure becomes the prompt. Today we opened The Last Drive to page 31, and the word nearest my finger is “curls.”

Curls by John W. Howell © 2023

Thinking hard today has been difficult. I’m not sure if it is the high humidity or some kind of star alignment. In any case, when I opened my eyes and looked at the word “curls” near my finger, my mind froze. This is not just the momentary fleeting freeze usually associated with panic. No, this is the garden hose washing all the chalk off the driveway kind of freeze. A blank slate of emptiness freeze. (Final metaphor) It is an empty canyon with three echos freeze. In short, I had nothing.

Usually, taking a quick walk around can be done to thaw the mind. So after a three-mile bike ride, the feeling returns to the old mind. So now, let’s talk about curls.

I think the best way to handle the prompt is to tell a little story.

Once upon a time, there was a very strong man. He would work out in the gym building his muscles. He would do curls with heavy weights to develop his arms. His legs were strengthened by running and more weight work. All this exercise had one objective: to allow him to ride the curls of waves with his surfboard. He loved his surfboard and would spend hours waxing it and admiring the curls in the wood. One day while he was sitting on the beach, he couldn’t help but notice a fellow surfer riding the waves. She placed herself on the front of her board, allowing her toes to make curls over the leading edge. The effect was increased speed and control. When she finished and was making her way to the beach, he decided he needed to talk to her about the style she used. Getting closer, he noticed her wet hair hung in curls and framed her beautiful smile. He greeted her with a grin and an upbeat good morning. The two chatted and found much in common and spent the rest of the day together until the dusk curls of the clouds indicated that the day was done.

Well, that is it. But, yes, they developed a relationship and now live in Santa Monica, California, with their two kids and a dog.

I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

So the idea is to open a book randomly and then, without looking, point to a page. The word or words nearest the pointing figure is the prompt. Today I opened The Last Drive to page 201, and my finger landed on “expression.”

Expression by John W. Howell © 2023

“Say that again.”

“Like a duck on a Junebug.”

“What’s that supposed to mean.”

“It’s an expression for someone leaping at opportunity quickly.”

“Where did it come from?”

“I suppose someone watched a duck go after a Junebug and put the expression together.”

“I have another question.”

“Shoot.”

“Will everyone understand the expression?”

“What do you mean?”

“Unless you saw a duck go after a Junebug, it would be hard to visualize.”

“That’s where imagination takes over.”

“You need to explain that.”

“I don’t think someone would have to have seen a duck go after a Junebug to imagine how fast it would be.”

“And the idea that the Junebug is such a tasty treat that the duck would be quick.”

“Now you got it.”

“Horse pucky.”

“Huh?”

“You ever taste a Junebug?”

“Can’t say I ever have.”

“Well, I was doing some gliding, and one hit me in the mouth. The worst thing I ever tasted.”

“So?”

“Using a duck for an expression without consulting a duck takes poetic license too far. ”

“You are now nitpicking the expression.”

“The expression has no nits cause it has no fleas.”

“You are picking fly specs out of pepper.”

“Who does that?”

“Given our conversation, you would be capable, but it’s just an expression.”

“All these expressions are not based on fact.”

“No, but imagine someone doing those things.”

“Beyond my capabilities.”

“Why?”

“Cause I’m a duck. You should know that ’cause you’re one too.”

“I keep forgetting.”

“Gotta stop reading blogs.”

“I think you’re right. So let’s hit the pond.”