Tuesday- Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #293 by Keith Channing

January 5, 2021January 4, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 69 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.

Kreative Kue 293

“Okay, Ms. Watson. We need a really nice photo to go on the back of your book.”

“I don’t understand why.”

“Your readers will want to know what you look like. That’s why.”

“I’ve published ten books without a photo. Why now?”

“The publisher has decided.”

“Oh yeah, just like the title, time of publication, and everything else.”

“I have a job to do. I don’t make the rules.”

“Oh, I know that. Excuse the rant. I just feel like I have no control.”

“I can imagine. I know if someone kept telling me what pictures to take, I would feel the same way.”

“You are being told to take a picture of me.”

“I meant my own pictures. My client’s pictures are paid for by them, so they have a say so.”

“Does that make it right? How much are you being paid for this one.”

“Not much. $200.00.”

“Wow. That seems like a little amount.”

“Well, it’s the going rate for a sitting.”

“What if I doubled that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll pay you $400 not to take the photo.”

“I have to send something to the client. They paid in advance.”

“I have an idea. You have any costumes here?”

“Only a dog costume.”

“I’ll put that on. You take my picture and send it along with $200 and make up an excuse. I’ll give you $400 to do that.”

“You have a deal. Here’s the costume.”

“It’s hot for sure.”

“Now smile, Tinkerbell. That’s great.”

“Thank you so much. I feel free.”

“You know they’ll just hire another to take the photo.”

“Yeah, but thinking of the look on the faces over there is well worth it.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “In the Corner”

January 2, 2021January 1, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. If you would like to join this group, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.

The Friday Reminder for #SoCS & #JusJoJan 2021 Daily Prompt – Jan. 2nd

My goodness, Linda Hill, fresh from New Year’s Eve, is here. She is carrying a big envelope, which I assume is the prompt for this week.

“You are right, john. Happy New Year, and here it is.”

“Thanks, Linda. Can I open it?”

“How else are you going to know the prompt?”

“Well, at Christmas, I lost out on a Bentley Convertable.”

“But the note said do not open. There is no note this year.”

“I still feel like I’m in the corner, though.”

“Go ahead, open it.”

“Okay. I’ll read it out loud.”

“Don’t make any mistakes.”

“Gee, whiz. You know how to put someone further in the Corner.”

“My job. Read it.”

“Ahem. Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ‘in the corner.’ Write about whatever the image or thought of ‘in the corner’ brings to mind. Have fun!”

“Would you look at that.”

“I didn’t need an image I had you.”

“There you go. Well, my job is done here. Have a good week.”

“I think my job is done too. Thank you, Linda.”

“Oh, about that Bentley turbo.”

“Yes?”

“You need to work harder.”

“Good advice. Sheesh. Watch that screen door.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Finger Point Prompt – “Compliment”

December 29, 2020December 28, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 51 Comments

Since Keith Channing is on a break, I thought it would be fun to make another finger point prompt. Today I randomly opened Eternal Road – The final stop and eyes wide shut pointed to a page. The word that was closest to my finger was “compliment.” That is the prompt for today.

“My you look nice today, sir.”

“Huh?”

“I said, ‘my you look nice today.'”

“I heard what you said. I’m just a little confused as to why you said it. I don’t even know you.”

“I’m paying you a compliment. My name is Jim.”

“Yeah, okay, Jim. Any reason you are paying me a compliment?”

“I have made a New Year’s resolution to say something nice to everyone I meet.”

“Uh. That sounds like an admirable objective. It is a little offputting, though.”

“How?”

“With no context, when someone says, ‘My you look nice today,’ it is like you want something.”

“I was only paying a compliment, but now that you mention it.”

“What?”

“Could you loan me ten bucks.”

“See. This is exactly what I mean. You give me a compliment only to get what you want.”

‘Well, it is much better to be nice.”

“But the end result is the same.”

“I guess you are right. Okay, then does this make a difference?”

“W-what’s that?”

“Last time I looked a Glock 9mm. How about your wallet?”

“I think we should go back to nice.”

“Nah. You are right. This is a better way. I’m not even going to say thank you. It is the last of 2020. Maybe I’ll try my approach in 2021.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Box”

December 26, 2020December 25, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday, and this week’s prompt is “box.” Linda Hill says we can use it any way we want. If you would like to join this outrageous group of using words any way we want, visit Linda’s blog, and you can read how easy it is. Here is the link.

/https://lindaghill.com/2020/12/25/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-26-2020/

“What are you doing?”

“Merry Christmas to you too.”

“That was yesterday. So what’s up.”

“I’m trying to figure out what to do with this box.”

“It is a big one for sure. Did your present come in this box?”

“I thought it was my present, but when I unwrapped it, there was nothing inside.”

“Not even a piece of coal?”

“Very funny.”

“Who gave you the present?”

“I don’t know it was sitting on my drive Christmas morning.”

“Any note?”

“Nothing. Well, there was one thing.”

“What was that?”

“One of those tags with the “to” and “from” spaces. You know the one with a Santa on it.”

“So who sent the package?”

“There was nothing on the tag.”

“Maybe someone thought they had put a gift in there but didn’t.”

“This is Boxing Day, right?”

“Yeah, in the Commonwealth countries.”

“I think whoever gave me this box intended it as a gift on boxing day.”

“The holiday did start as a way to reward those loyal servants by giving them the day off and a box of goodies.”

“Not just a box.”

“No. In fact, it looks like whoever gave you this was tired of breaking down boxes for recycling. It was easier to move it to your drive.”

“Boy, that’s not nice.”

“You can say that again.”

“Boy, that’s n—”

“Never mind. Well, I guess you’re stuck with it.”

“Unless I regift.”

“Oh please, it’s the middle of the day. How you going to pull it off?”

“I’ll put this label on it.”

“You think a Bentley Turbo label will make the difference.”

“Sure will get the heart rate up.”

“You are a devil.”

“Fo sure.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt Mini/Maxi

December 12, 2020December 11, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 52 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again, and here comes Linda Hill carrying a big and little box. I’ll bet she has a surprise for us as far as a prompt goes.

“Hi, Linda. What’s in the boxes?”

“It’s the Holiday, John. It needs to be a surprise. Put these under the tree and open them Christmas Day.”

“What about the prompt?”

“Man, you are type A, aren’t you. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mini/maxi.” Use “mini” (the smallest of something) or “maxi” (the largest) or both in your post. Have fun!”

“Thanks for the gifts.”

“Where’d you get the boxes?”

“Linda Hill gave them to me.”

“Open them up.”

‘She said to wait until Christmas day.”

“Look around.”

“What?”

“You see Linda here?”

“Well, no.”

“So how will she know if you open them or not?”

“It will ruin the surprise.”

“What surprise is that?”

“You know the surprise you get when you open a present.”

“These don’t look like presents. These are cardboard boxes. One has the printing MAXI on it. The other MINI.”

“I know, but she said—”

“Forget what she said. You have got to break the spell she has over you.”

“She has no spell.”

“Prove it.”

“Fine. I’ll open them. The Maxi first. OMG. There is a gift certificate with all my bonus points. It is for a Bentley Turbo Convertable.”

“Wow. Lucky. What’s in the box marked MINI?”

“It’s a note.”

“What does it say?”

“Since you opened the box before Christmas, you have voided the certificate.”

“Oh, come on. Just close it back up again, and no one will be the wiser.”

“The note goes on to say not to try that.”

“At least you got the prompt written. Besides, what would you do with a Bentley?”

“Drive you to the Emergency room.”

“I don’t need the emergency room.”

“Just hold on for two minutes.”

“Why two minutes?”

“That’s how long it will take me to get my ball bat.”

“Oh, well, time to go.”

“Good move.”

Tuesday – A Little Personal – Kreative Kue # 292 by Keith Channing

December 8, 2020December 7, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 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.

Kreative Kue

“You want to tell me what happened?”

“You would never believe it.”

“Oh, come on.”

“No, you would immediately think it was my fault.”

“Well, that’s not a nice thing to say.”

“But you always take the other side.”

“Only when I think you’re wrong.”

“Which is most of the time.”

“Okay. I promise I’ll hear you out and keep my opinions to myself.”

“Well, if you promise.”

“I do.”

“There I was. Standing on the corner minding my own business.”

“Your stories all start out the same.”

“You asked. Should I continue?”

“Sorry. Go ahead.”

“As I said, I was minding my business when this big bus turned the corner.”

“You didn’t chase the bus, did you?”

“You going to wait or not?”

“Sorry again. Please proceed.”

“On the bus was this picture of a beautiful dog. It was running its heart out.”

“Okay. That would be a Greyhound bus.”

“The dog looked at me, and in an instant, I knew what I had to do.”

“The dog looked at you?”

“I took off and kept stride for stride. I kept asking the dog if it needed help.”

“No response.”

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

“We came to a corner, and the bus stopped.”

“When are we going to get to the paw?”

“The doors opened, so I started to get on.”

“Someone kicked your paw?”

“No, the doors slammed shut on it. Seems they didn’t want a dog on there even though they had one captive on the side.”

“Doesn’t seem like that would do too much damage.”

“Then the bus started moving with my paw in the door. That’s when I knew I had to yank it free.”

“Which caused the hurt.”

“No. The rear tire hitting it caused the hurt.”

“I see.”

“That’s it? Just I see. No critical comments.”

“I think anything I say would just add insult to injury.”

“So you think it is my fault that I got injured trying to help a poor dog in distress?”

“No. That’s not what I think.”

“What then?”

“That you’re an idiot.”

“You were going to keep your opinion to yourself.”

“I lied.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “List”

December 5, 2020December 4, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 49 Comments

Today is Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Linda hill used the e-mail system to transmit our prompt today. Here it is, “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “list.” Make or talk about a list. Enjoy!”

If you would like to join in, visit Linda’s blog and see how easy it is. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2020/12/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-5-2020/

“Well, it’s Saturday, so you must be working on your prompt.”

“Yes, I’m making a list now.”

“List? You are supposed to be working the prompt.”

“list is the prompt/.”

“Ugh, I should have known. What list are you working on?”

“Naughty and nice.”

“You being Santa this year.”

“No, but I got to thinking of some of the people in this world.”

“So now you are judging whether they are naughty or nice?”

“Judging is a harsh term.”

“So give me an example?”

“Judge Judy.”

“Huh. Pretty obscure, I’d say. Naughty or nice?”

“Both.”

“Aw, come on. This is a waste of time.”

“Go ahead, name someone.”

“Okay Me.”

“Low blow.”

“Why?”

“This is not an interdiction session.”

“That bad?”

“Well?”

“What do you mean well?”

“You have a tendency to be naughty.”

“Define naughty.”

“Always teasing me about my prompts.”

“Oh, please. You are wide-open for that. No one takes these prompts as seriously as you. In fact, I would say have the time you are not living up to the terms of the prompt.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Supposed to be a stream of consciousness, not a well-thought-out plan. So what else?”

“Okay. What else? Erm. You spend too much time at the pub.”

“Only because you are my friend.”

“What does that mean?”

“You don’t drink a lot, but you are a carrier.”

“How about now?”

“I could use a gallon.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“That would serve as a stimulus.”

“Speaking of that, I have McConnell, Pelosi, and Schumer on the naughty list.”

“Sounds right.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible -Kreative Kue #291 by Keith Channing

December 1, 2020November 30, 2020 ~ 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.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Can we help you?”

“Are you all friends?”

“Yes, we are. Why do you ask?”

“It is amazing to me that Easterners and Westerners can be friends, is all.”

“Well, we’ve known each other for a long time.”

“Which means you would do anything for each other.”

“Yes, that is true. We are puzzled by your questions.”

“Let me come to the point then.”

“That would be great cause you are starting to concern us.”

“This woman with me has something that I think you need.”

“And what would that be?”

“I see you all are unshod.”

“Unshod? Oh, you mean we have no shoes?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“We are taking advantage of the warm sand. Our shoes are right over there.”

“Where?”

“Oh, my goodness. They were there a minute ago.”

“Shows how fleeting possessions can become. Fear not, for we have the answer. A nice pair of shoes for each of you in your size.”

“Wait a minute. Those are our shoes.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I bought those boots in town.”

“So maybe we have a case of disputed ownership here.”

“Yeah, maybe we need the police.”

“At your service.”

“Huh?”

“In addition to a cobbler, I’m the deputy peace officer for the township.”

“My word.”

“And today, I have a special on both shoes and arrests. Both for only ten dollars each.”

“So if I want to buy an arrest for the woman?”

“Ten dollars.”

“And if I want the shoes?”

“Ten dollars.”

“Both?”

“Twenty dollars.”

“So to buy the shoes is the cheapest option.”

“You have a quick mind, sir.”

“How about my friends?”

“I can arrest them at a special rate.”

“No, I mean their shoes.”

“Two for ten dollars.”

“Fine, you have me. I’ll take the shoes.”

“That will be thirty dollars.”

“Wait, you said ten dollars for my shoes and ten dollars for my friends. That’s twenty dollars.”

“Shipping and handling. A total of ten dollars for the order.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Opt”

November 28, 2020November 27, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 59 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again, and Linda Hill already left the prompt on the front porch. At first, I didn’t know what the envelop contained, so I soaked it in disinfectant. Here it is. “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “opt.” Use it as a word or find a word with “opt” in it and base your post on that. Have fun!”

“No one will ever think of this one.”

“What one.”

“The prompt this week is ‘opt.”‘

“Like in opt-out.”

“Hey. That’s the one I thought no one would think of.”

“Shows how delusional you are. It’s the first thing I thought of.”

“Now I have to think up another.”

“That’s your option.”

“You did it again. That was my next.”

“I guess you will have to optimize your thinking.”

“You are torturing me, aren’t you.”

“You need to be an optimist. Your dark side is not very attractive.”

“Okay, I want you to stop talking and let me think.”

“Sure. I’ll adopt the mannerisms of a mime.”

“When?”

“Just as soon as we are finished with the shoptalk.”

“We are done.”

“M.”

“What? Where did you get that chalkboard. Oh, I see. You are going to communicate by writing. Yes, I will read what you write out loud. You are welcome. Oh, sorry. ‘Thank you.’ Yes, you are welcome. Now what? ‘You have to admit this optical way is still good.‘ That’s it. I quit.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 290 by Keith Channing

November 24, 2020November 23, 2020 ~ John W. Howell ~ 58 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.

Kreative Kue #290

“Well, we are here.”

“Yeah, it looks like it.”

“Shall we go in?”

“What for?”

“The whole idea was to come here and seek sanctuary.”

“I know, but to look at it now, it seems overpowering.”

“It is just a building.”

“You can say that, but to me, it means so much more.”

“How’s that?”

“See those crosses on the steeples?”

“Yeah, hard to miss.”

“It is a sacred place, and we should be respectful.”

“We are respectful.”

“I mean, we should not be going in there just to. escape our fears.”

“Then, why?”

“We should be offering thanks for the blessings we have.”

“I will give thanks for the security the building offers.”

“By the way, how do you know that building is all that safe?”

“Remember when I went on that scouting trip?”

“Yeah.”

“I snuck in there and witnessed the rector having an allergic reaction.”

“What was he allergic to?”

“Get this. Cats.”

“Cats?”

“Yup. One of the parishioners came in with a cat. I can tell you I was scared out of my wits seeing that thing. Lucky, he didn’t see me. I suspected he had my scent the way his nose was twitching.”

“Then what?”

“The rector told her to take the cat out. He was allergic. He then started sneezing his head off.”

“So you are saying there is no cat there.”

“That’s why I chose this place. A mouse can’t be too careful.”

“Well, okay, but you have to promise we will give thanks for our good fortune.”

“Of course we will. Also, you will be glad to know the rector tends to leave a lot of crumbs after his lunch.”

“All the better. Any cheese there?”

“I think somebody moved it.”

“Figures. Oh well, crumbs will do. Let’s go.”