Tuesday – A Little Personal – Kreative Kue #331 by Keith Channing

September 28, 2021September 27, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 72 Comments

In Keith’s words:

“Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The Photo

“How do you know?”

“I’m telling you I smelled the shampoo.”

“How can you smell shampoo when it’s not been used?”

“Come on. You know as well as I do that stuff can leave an olfactory trace that can be picked up for miles.”

“Yes, but mom isn’t even home.”

“Which makes our situation all the more precarious.”

“So you think this back-to-back watch scenario is going to help?”

“Look. If we spot the old man coming out of the kitchen door with some sad excuse of a treat, you know he’s got a bath on the brain. I just think early warned is early armed.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

“When we spot him, we run like hell.”

“That’s not very dignified.”

“Who cares? It keeps the suds out of our eyes.”

“Look, here he comes.”

“Treat?”

“Yup. A piece of turkey.”

“Turkey, you sure. Let me look. Damn, you are right. It’s turkey.”

“What does it mean.”

“Worse than I thought.”

“Tell me.”

“A trip to the vet. Let’s take off.”

“Maybe it’s not.”

“Don’t be a fool. If he was holding that pathetic bacon treat bag, it’s a bath. Turkey is a full-on vet trip.”

“Where should we go?”

“I saw something on the path. It’s drawing flies, so a good place to roll. He won’t come near us then.”

“But that will beg a bath.”

“Which would you rather have? Vet or bath.”

“Let’s go.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Near/Far

September 25, 2021September 24, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 54 Comments

Near my house is a beautiful waterfall that is the ideal place to contemplate life’s unanswered questions. There is a bench for sitting and even a table that can be used for a picnic or a great spot for a laptop. After a hectic morning, I decided to head over there and take some time to discover at least one answer to many questions.

The spot is about a fifteen-minute walk from the parking lot. The air was crisp for Texas, which meant it was in the 70s, so I took up a healthy stride and covered the distance in sixteen and a half minutes. (The senior citizen Olympic rate) Upon arriving on-site, I was taken back to see a family of four had taken up the table and the bench. There was no room for contemplation, let alone peace.

I turned to leave when I heard one of the kids yell about something in the sky. My eyes followed his point (his mama needs to talk to him later about pointing), and several opened parachutes were heading for the park. I knew this would not be just a simple skydiving club exercise, so I began my Q-tip shuffle toward the entrance.

Of course, one of the divers landed in front of me, blocking my exit. I decided to get into a Kung Foo stance to let him know I’m not just an over the hill, bag of bones pushover. The level of laughter coming from the diver was infectious. I couldn’t help myself, so I joined in. He then reached out and handed me an envelope. Expecting some kind of trick, I took it with two fingers. He laughed some more, and as he turned to leave, I caught sight of the patch on his shoulder. I initially thought it was a USPS patch, but I was wrong. The blue and gold Navy Seal Team Six patch told me my Kung Foo ruse was indeed laughable.

I opened the letter, and you are right. It was from Linda Hill.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “near/far.” Use “near,” use “far,” use them both if you’d like. In fact, if you start your post with one and end with the other, you get bonus points! Enjoy!

If you would like to enjoy, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2021/09/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-25-2021/

Who knows? That link could get you far.

*The sound of the register racking up those bonus points *

“Near time to hit the bar.”

“What’s the hurry?”

“You almost took the whole morning with that prologue.”

“You like it I can tell.”

“How can you tell?”

“You have a smile on your lips.”

“Maybe it’s gas. You don’t know.”

“Well, anyway, the prompt is done.”

“As are most of your readers.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.”

“Says the guy who has no life whatsoever.”

“That’s not true.”

“What do you do for fun?”

“Write.”

“What do you do to relax?”

“Write.”

“What do you do on vacation?”

“Write.”

“The prosecution rests.”

“Let’s hit the beer garden.”

“Beer garden? Where did that come from?”

“A story I’m writing.”

“Gad.”

“Let’s go. Unless you would rather not. If so, I’ll go myself.”

“Since I’m buying.”

“Yes?”

“Without me, you won’t get far.”

A note from the management. *cha-ching on bonus points.

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #328 by Keith Channing

September 14, 2021September 13, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 61 Comments

In Keith’s words, “Using this photo (below)as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

“Should we bother him?”

“I’m not sure. Looks like his mind is a million miles away.”

“That’s what I thought. If we try to get his attention he might have a heart attack.”

“We will have to interrupt his reverie sooner of later.”

“Why? We can just go somewhere else.”

“I don’t think that’s a great idea. I don’t know where else to go.”

“We could keep driving until we see someone dressed like him.”

“That could be a hundred miles. We need to be home by lunchtime.”

“Why’s that?”

“The guy from the Audubon society is going to meet us there remember?”

“Oh yeah. You are making a big donation.”

“Well, birds are our our friends.”

“What about this one?”

“I think it belongs to that guy.”

“How do you know?”

“He’s got hawk protection for his hands. Look at the symbol on his jacket. It screams hawk.”

“I must say he even looks like a hawk. Okay let’s go tell him his bird is with us.”

“Don’t tell him about the pupachino at Starbucks. Not sure he would like the fact we got one for his bird.”

“I think it would be wise not to mention the blueberry scone either.”

“I think you’re right.”

“What should we say when he asks how we came to have his hawk?”

“I’d go with the bird was hitchhiking and we picked it up.”

“He’s not going to believe that.”

“Maybe the truth then?”

” When you called to it and it flew in the house sounds like a fairy tale.”

“That’s why I like the hitchhike story. Any way it doesn’t matter we will get the hawk back to it’s rightful owner.”

“We hope.”

“Look at the hawk. It’s shaking it’s head.”

“I think he wants to stay with us.”

“He’s nodding.”

“One question.”

“Yeah?”

“Where did this bird learn English?”

“Let’s ask him when we get home.”

“I wonder if he’s potty trained.”

“He’s nodding yes.”

“Does Polly want a cracker?”

“He’s not a parriot.”

“I still think he wants a cracker.”

“And ruin his lunch? No way.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Where

September 11, 2021September 10, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

Today’s prompt. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “where.” Use it any way you’d like.

Thinking of where I was 20 years ago today, the memories came back in waves. The producer and I were helping set up a fundraising dinner and night of entertainment. This was an event put on every year to benefit children’s charities in San Antonio. We had moved to Texas in 2000 and were volunteers for one of the charities.

In the morning, we were in the process of setting up the dining tables, and slowly the recognition that the Twin Towers and the Pentagon had been hit by an airplane became clear. The news was very spotty, but eventually, it was decided to cancel the event. This was no small decision since this one night pretty much supplied additional necessary operating funding for the charities for a year. It was only after returning home did the magnitude of 9/11 become apparent. Even though I was off for the day, I got a call to come into the office for an emergency meeting, so more time was spent away from knowing the total devistation of the situation.

That night all the information came together, and I’ll never forget the feeling of sadness for those at the Twin Towers, the first responders, those at the Pentagon, and the passengers and crews of the four airplanes used as weapons. Since that time, these attacks have taken their toll on the survivors and those tasked with the twenty-year fight that followed. It is sad to see the people who supported and aided this tragedy are now back in control of Afghanistan. I have to hope that our government never recognizes this regime as legitimate. Denial of the recognition that the Taliban desperately wants would be a real way to honor those who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism.

If you want to participate in Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2021/09/10/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-11-2021/

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 328 by Keith Channing

September 7, 2021September 6, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The Photo

“Are you sure we want to do this?”

“You heard the man back there. We need to pass the test of courage.”

“Yeah, but it seems like a risk.”

“Do you really think they would do something to harms us? This is a fake.”

“A fake? It sure looks real to me. What’s that guy doing over there.”

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you ask. You are closer.”

“Yeah, by two feet. Not sure I want to know.”

“Oh, very well. Sir. Yes, you, sir. What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to reach my wife.”

“Your wife?”

“Yes, she took the same steps you are about to take and disappeared.”

“Oh my goodness. Blanch, don’t put your foot down. In fact, don’t move a muscle.”

“Okay. I’m not moving.”

“Did you hear that, man? His wife disappeared doing this stupid test.”

“I heard, and I, for one, am not going to do it. What’s the matter with those people back there anyway?”

“I’m sure I don’t know. You’d think you could trust a greeter, right?”

“I thought something was off the way he cackled after he told us we couldn’t come into the store without passing the courage test.”

“I think it would have been wiser for us just to wear a mask, don’t you?”

“The sign said it is voluntary.”

“Obviously, the greeter doesn’t think so.”

“Let’s go to Target.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Pin

September 4, 2021September 3, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 60 Comments

I opened a nice cold bottle of VooDoo Ranger and poured it into my chilled glass. I whistled for Twiggy and Lucy to follow me to the back patio. We all got comfy on the chaise and kicked back to enjoy the sun and the conversation of the birds. I took a sip of my brew, and something caught my eye in the deep robin’s egg blue sky. A Cessna 172 just came into sight after passing the tree line. I thought the plane was pretty low but didn’t believe there was any cause for concern since the Lakeway airport was less than a mile away.

My mind told me the plane was on a downwind leg of an approach even though he should have been about 500 feet higher. Feeling the draw of the cold, bubbly, hoppy beverage, I brought my glass to my lips while keeping an eye on the plane. To my surprise, just as the craft got overhead, the pilot’s door opened slightly, and a bright red object was jettisoned. Like many Warner Brothers cartoons, the object got bigger and bigger as its trajectory brought it closer and closer to the Earth. It became apparent the red sphere was going to impact the three of us on the chaise. I shouted to the pups to head for cover, and like all good dogs, they obeyed without question.

It was too late for me, and the sphere enveloped the upper half of my body. All I could see was red and felt the wetness that could only have been my life’s fluid splattered the length and breadth of the patio. Trying to breathe was difficult until I pulled the membrane away from my mouth. It was then I discovered I had been hit with a large water balloon. Stuck to my forehead was a soggy piece of paper with the following message. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “pin.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you would like to have, fun visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2021/09/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-4-2021/

Yes, Twiggy and Lucy were fine. Yes, my VooDoo Ranger needed to be replaced. Yes, there was the name ACME Balloon Works on the remnants of the balloon. No, I didn’t get the tail number of the plane.

“So again, you take up half the morning with your prologue.”

“Is that what it was?”

“Well, anyway, what are you going to do with ‘pin?'”

“I thought I would talk about college romance.”

“Huh?”

“You know where boy meets girl and gives her his fraternity pin as a show of his commitment.”

“You sure they still do that?”

“No, but it was an idea. Could be a terrific story.”

“Or maybe like a pin in the eye.”

“Come on. I thought it was unique.”

“If you can pin a date, maybe this could be a nostalgia piece.”

“Didn’t you mean pinpoint a date.”

“Yeah, sure, but that wouldn’t let me use the word ‘pin.'”

“I see. You don’t want me to pin the title of spoilsport on you.”

“Yes indeed. We are really in the swing now, but don’t pin your hopes on scoring bonus points.”

“I didn’t hear anything about bonus points.”

“Yeah, forget it.”

“How about we go to the bowling alley?”

“We don’t bowl.”

“They have beer, and hundreds of things that start with a ‘p.'”

“People?”

“I wonder if the plural of pin counts?”

“Oh, I get it. Each alley has a pin times ten.”

“You are a genius.”

“Which means you are buying.”

“Gladly. I have saved my pin money.”

“We can stop now.”

“The ball is headed for the pin. This could be a hole in one.”

“We can do without the golf tournament impersonation. Whispering Joe Wilson, right?”

“That was bowling. I was thinking of Chris Schkenel.”

“Pin the tail on the donkey.”

“You said it. Not me. Let’s go before they pin us as idiots.”

“Too late.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – My/Yours

August 28, 2021August 27, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 58 Comments

My day started like most. I first went to the Bentley dealer and checked out a new turbo convertible for a test ride. The dealer wanted to make the whole idea more complicated, but I convinced them that as a world-famous influencer, it would be worth their while to let me drive the car. Out I cruised in a spanking clean black Saffire convertible with a fawn interior. I decided to head for the countryside, to open this baby up to see what it could do.

I turned up the Bang & Olufsen, 1500W, 16 speakers, and 16-channel amp so that I could surround myself with concert-level music. I was living the dream with beautiful sound and the wind in my hair until I noticed a huge USPS 18 wheeler was slowly moving over into my lane. It was clear the driver did not see me. If he had seen me,, he would have known it is bad to crowd someone in a Bentley. I decided to apply the ample brakes and let him move over.

Suddenly, his right wheels hit the shoulder, spraying the Bentley with what must have been a thousand rocks. I have never seen so many spiderweb cracks in a windshield before. I was forced to pull over. The USPS driver stopped as well and came walking back to where I sat. He handed me an envelope and a card. The card had a phone number to call to place a claim. The envelope was addressed to me and was from Linda Hill. The driver mentioned I should probably take my Ford to the dealer for an estimate first before making a claim. I thanked him and got out of the Bentley. Given all the dents, the Bentley did indeed look like a Ford Galaxy 500. I sighed and thanked him and opened the envelope. Here is what was inside.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “my.” Start your post with the word “My.” Bonus points if you end your post with “yours.” Enjoy!

I think I was lucky to start the post with “my.”

If you would like to enjoy it as well, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2021/08/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-28-2021/

“My brain just can’t figure out why do you go through all that introduction stuff.”

“I enjoy writing a narrative is the only reason. Talking with you all the time makes me stale.”

“Stale? Boring don’t you mean?”

“Well maybe that too.”

“What’s the prompt?”

“Weren’t you listening?”

“To be frank I think I dozed off when you brought up the sound system in the Bentley.”

“You shoulda been there. It was sweet. The prompt is ‘My/Yours.’ Start the post with ‘my,’ end with ‘yours.'”

“Okay so you nailed the ‘my’ already. Before I ask what you’re going to do with ‘yours,’ what happened when you took that Bentley back to the dealer?”

“You should have seen his face. I have to laugh every time I think of it.”

“Weren’t you nervous?”

“No, as I said while you were taking a nap I had a claim number from the USPS.”

“But still.”

“He did rant and rave a while. Threatened to put the three hundred thou on my credit card.”

“That would have been humorous.”

“Just imagine the folks at VISA when a Bentley dealer calls to charge a Bentley to my account.”

“I’m sure the decline would have burnt his ear hairs.”

“Yeah I just opened the door and walked away. I have to say, sadly that car looked like a golf ball.”

“Well alls well that ends well. How about a beer?”

“Sounds good. Who’s turn to buy?”

“I’m going to answer you with a response that you don’t dare dispute.”

“Why?”

“If you do you won’t get the bonus points.”

“How can that be. Who’s turn?”

“Wait for it. . . .Yours.

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 326 by Keith Channing

August 24, 2021August 23, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

In Keith’s words.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“So here’s the plan. We are going to try and get the tree shot before it gets fully dark.”

“I don’t understand what’s so important about the tree shot.”

“It’s not your job to wonder about anything important. You are the talent. I’m the director.”

“Well, okay. Put that way, I’ll just be quiet.”

“A welcome change of pace. Now I need you to get under the tree.”

“Ew. Things are hanging in the tree.”

“Those are the vampire bats that are going to bite you on the neck in the scene.”

“Wait a minute. SAG rules are no biting.”

“For heaven’s sake. Have you read the script?”

“No. I saw I have no dialogue, so I just skipped it. Besides, you always tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

“Too bad you don’t listen. So here’s the scene. You have run away from the pack of zombies—”

“No way.”

“No way what?”

“I don’t run. It’s in my contract.”

“I know we have a stunt double.”

“So why say I run?”

“Let me rephrase that. In the form of a stunt double, your character runs away from a pack of zombies and comes to this tree. She is all out of breath—”

“Who is out of breath?”

“The character.”

“Go on.”

“She looks up into the tree and then sees the vampires. She falls to the ground screaming, and then we cut. Any questions?”

“I don’t fall. It’s in my contract.”

“We will cut in the stunt double falling. The shot will have you screaming and then a closeup of you on the ground.”

“It’s wet.”

“What?”

“The ground.”

“Let me guess. You don’t get wet. It’s in your contract.”

“Yup.”

“Okay then. Well, put a cover on the ground and make it look like dirt. Then, you’ll be completely dry.”

“What’s the cover made of?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Can’t be latex. I’m allergic.”

“Okay, we’ll use a cotton cloth.”

“Sustainable, organic cotton.”

“It’s in your contract fight?”

“Right.”

“You know if you weren’t my daughter, I would fire you.”

“Oh, come on, Daddy, don’t be a grumpy grump.”

“And if this weren’t your drama class project worth a semester’s grade, I would fire me.”

“You going to keep grumping, or are we going to do this?”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Luck

August 14, 2021August 13, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

I was taking a break during my bike ride and having a sip of water. Then, looking out over the scenic countryside, I spotted a cloud of dust heading in my direction. I thought it strange that a cloud of dust would appear in a neighborhood that was completely paved. But, since I figured it would be another one of those fictional engagements, I decided to go with the flow. Sure enough, coming around the bend was a wagon train being led by Ward Bond on horseback. “Hey, partner,” he yelled down at me.”You know of a place where we can make camp for the night?” As luck would have it, our park was free of weekend activities, so I gave him directions. “Much obliged,” he said. He then gave a sign to the wagons to follow him, which they all did.

It was about four hours before the last wagon came ambling by where I was standing with my bike. A young man walking beside the wagon came over and handed me an oilcloth-wrapped parcel. I tried to tell him I didn’t expect a present, but he insisted I keep the package. Once the wagon was out of sight, I unwrapped the parcel and found two things. The first was a block of pemmican. The second, a piece of parchment paper with a message. The message read, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “luck.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Yes, I did want to follow the train to the park and maybe learn about crossing the plains, but I knew it was just a figment of someone’s imagination and probably would be a waste of time. It sure seemed real, though. I did try the pemmican and can tell you not to bother. The smell alone will get ya.

If you want to enjoy, go to Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2021/08/13/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-14-2021/

“Here we are on Saturday.”

“Yup.”

“So, what’s the prompt?”

“Luck.”

“Luck?”

“Luck.”

“What you got?”

“If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”

“You serious?”

“It’s a song.”

“Oh. For a minute, I thought I was going to be forced to have an interdiction for you.”

“Nope, everything’s okay. I’m going to sing the song.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why?”

“Number one. You can’t sing.”

“Says who?”

“Number two, There’s beer at the pub calling our name.”

“You got a three?”

“Yup.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Our word count allocation is up.”

“It’s that stupid intro. Eats word like they were free.”

“So let’s go.”

“Can I hum the song?”

“Sure, if you want to ride on the roof of the car.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Only you would say that.”

Tuesday Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 324

August 10, 2021August 9, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 57 Comments

In Keith’s words, “Using this photo ( below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“So, mum. What do you call this?”

“I think it is more important to know what you call it.”

“Why is that?”

“This is going to be your new doghouse.”

“New doghouse? I don’t have an old doghouse. So what’s going on?”

“Dad and I feel you should have your own space. You are old enough to take that step.”

“Wait a minute. What’s wrong with me being in the house.”

“Oh, nothing, and you are welcome to come in anytime.”

“But?”

“But we feel its time for a young dog like yourself to have the freedom of your own place. You know, so you can invite your friends over, entertain guests, and that sort of thing.”

“You trying to get rid of me?”

“No, of course not. It’s just now that you are older it doesn’t seem right that you continue to sleep in our bed.”

“I get it. Threes a crowd.”

“Well, something like that. Now tell me, what kind of rugs would you like in there?”

“Rugs? What about heat and A/C? This thing looks like it might be blistering in the summer and freezing in the winter.”

“Come on, Trevor. Aren’t we a little dramatic? This will keep you nice and cool. Look at the huge screens. In the winter, the flaps come down to keep you cozy.”

“Your mind is made up?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m writing a letter to an American congressperson and voice my complaint.”

“But you’re not a citizen.”

“All the better. Non-citizens seem to be heard more over there.”

“Let me know if you need help.”

“Can I borrow your computer?”

“Sure.”

“Could you do the typing?”

“Absolutely.”

“Help me with the phrasing.”

“Of course.”