Month: March 2019

Brave New World?

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7B13A2EF-94F8-4E24-A98E-9AB7932BE707“It’s alive!” Dr. Frankenstein shouted when signs of life emerged from his creation. “I have dedicated my life to reanimating life. Do you realize what this means?”

“Not really,” said Igor.

“You idiot,” Dr. Frankenstein yelled. “This is a harbinger of a brave new world. The value of my achievement is beyond comprehension. It’s a scientific spring forward into an almost unimaginable future where death can be beaten.”

“Oh,” said Igor.

“Igor, the biggest inadequacy of humanity is that our lives are limited to decades,” Dr. Frankenstein said, “But my ability to reanimate life opens up a plethora of heretofore unimaginable opportunities for mankind. Can’t you see it?”

“Sure, boss,” Igor said. “If you say so.”

A0030D6E-1F70-48B9-840A-2ED119AF3967

Written for Teresa’s Opposites Attract prompt, where the words are plethora and inadequacy. Also for Teresa’s Story Starter Challenge, where the line is “It’s alive.” And for these daily prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (dedicate), Your Daily Word Prompt (harbinger), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (value), and Ragtag Daily Prompt (spring).

Which Way the Wind Blows

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FB76349B-9E2E-4334-B472-9A8A5B79FAF9“I know a lot about wind. If it doesn’t blow, you can forget about television for that night,” Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Michigan yesterday. “Darling, I want to watch television. I’m sorry! The wind isn’t blowing,” he added.

What our brilliant leader apparently fails to understand is that wind energy can be stored in a variety of ways. Most power grids combine energy provided by different sources. Even the Trump Administration’s Department of Energy website notes that, even though the wind does not always blow, the power grid “can accommodate large penetrations of variable renewable power without sacrificing reliability.”

But I agree with Trump. He must know a lot about wind, given all the hot air he spews out.

I wonder what he thinks about solar power, since the sun doesn’t always shine. So much for Netflix and chill on rainy days, I guess.

What an idiot.

Friday Fictioneer — A Glimpse at the Future

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5A1BE92E-39AF-46D7-AC26-C81BCB026A2FWhen Herschel came down to the shop floor to speak to Mildred and Greta, they assumed the worst.

“Girls,” Herschel said, “I want you to see something remarkable,” and he gestured for them to follow him to another building.

Once there, he showed them the new production line loom machine. “This, girls, is a glimpse at the future for our mill. I’ve laid off all of the other girls,” he said, “but you two are my best and this beauty is just a machine. I need your skills and talent to keep this baby humming. Are you on board?”

(99 words)

Written for this week’s Friday Fictioneers prompt from Rochelle Wysoff-Fields. Photo credit: Sandra Crook

FOWC with Fandango — Value

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FOWCWelcome to March 29, 2019 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “value.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.

Three Line Tales — Falling Behind

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12B6B358-D1FA-4E31-89F8-A0CADD8EDAE7The two women, lifelong best friends, were standing behind the large clock on the mezzanine level of the railway station when Beverly saw tears welling up in her BFF’s eyes.

“Annie, sweetie,” Beverly said, reaching out and grabbing her friend’s hand. “What is the matter, honey?”

Annie sighed. “Standing here, Beverly, I just feel like life is passing us by and we are falling so far behind the times.”

Written for Sonya’s Three Line Tales prompt. Photo credit: Stijn te Strake via Unsplash

3TC — Lost Letters

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FDA4BF2C-155C-4BAA-A426-C22DE097AD8FAnita found the bundle of letters and old photographs inside the desk drawer of her late mother’s desk as she and her husband were preparing for the estate sale.

January 11, 1917

My Dearest Theodore,

I still am having trouble adjusting to the fact that it is summer down here in South Africa while you are probably knee-deep in snow back home. The sail across the Atlantic from New York took forever and I’m so glad to finally be on solid ground. I can’t tell you how many times the ship’s captain offered up a mia culpa for the rough seas we encountered. But otherwise, he was quite amicable and accommodating.

I just checked into the hotel and it’s less primitive than I expected it to be. I’m going to take a bath, then go to the salon to have my hair done, and then will be dining with a few of my traveling companions.

All my love,

Marie

*****

January 31, 1917

My Darling Marie,

It’s still a mystery to me as to why, especially in a time of such global conflict, that you would embark on such a trip, but you’ve always been a free spirit. I miss you so and I’m looking forward to your return to me in March.

Yours forever,

Theodore

*****

February 21, 1917

Dearest Theodore,

I missed being with you on Valentine’s Day, but I have been having the most amazing time here in Africa. This week I went on a safari into the bush lands and I even rode on an elephant. It was an experience I shall never forget. Tonight our safari tour guide is taking us all out to dinner to celebrate our successful adventure. I’m exhausted, my dear, but I feel that it would not be proper of me to weasel out of that dinner, especially after Nigel gave me a beautiful native talisman.

Until next time,

Marie

*****

March 10, 1917

Dear Maria,

Thank you for sending me those beautiful photographs. You look very happy. Was that man standing next to you with his arm around your waist your safari guide? Is that Nigel? Did you get the photographs I sent to you of all the snow blanketing the city? We’ve had an unusually cold and wet winter this year.

On another note, I’m sure you’ve heard about how some passenger ships in the North Atlantic have been sunk by German U-Boats over the past several months. I hope that your journey home at the end of this month will be uneventful. By the time you return, it will be spring here and we can enjoy all the city has to offer.

Love,

Theodore

*****

April 2, 1917

Dear Theodore,

I know you expected me to have arrived home by now, but I have totally fallen in love with Nigel. Much to my surprise, Nigel has invited me to move in with him and I have graciously accepted. I do hope you’ll understand.

Best regards,

Marie

*****

Marie,

You brazen hussy. I hope you and your safari man come down with cholera or some other exotic disease. Should you ever decide to return to the States, may your passenger ship have a close encounter with a German U-Boat.

Theodore.

Written for Paula Light’s Three Things Challenge, where the three things are salon, mystery, and elephant.

Also for Teresa’s Genre Writing Challenge, where the writing genre is Epistolary Fiction, or stories constructed as a series of letters exchanged between characters, based upon the image at the top of this post.

Also for these daily prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (mea culpa), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (amicable), Ragtag Daily Prompt (weasel), and Your Daily Word Prompt (talisman).

FOWC with Fandango — Amicable

Fandango25 Comments

FOWCWelcome to March 28, 2019 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “amicable.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.

#100WW — The Path of Self-Discovery

Fandango3 Comments

3188BFD3-94D4-4EF3-9526-596BADD0FA3FHenry stood on the road watching his father drive away in the old Chevy pickup truck. With tears in his eyes, Henry waved, not knowing whether his father would see his gesture in the truck’s rearview mirror.

They didn’t part ways on good terms. Clarence expected Henry to takeover the family’s feed and grain business. But Henry had different plans. He came back home from state college with the need to discover himself, to set his own path.

What Henry couldn’t see after his father dropped him off at the bus stop were the tears streaming down his father’s cheeks.

(100 words)

Written for this week’s 100 Word Wednesday prompt from Bikurgurl.

The Sense of Smell

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Sprayed air freshener in hand on home interior backgroundEver since Johhny’s release from prison, the petty thief was unable to get the foul smelling reminders of his jail cell out of his nostrils. Try as he may, everywhere he went, the stench was inescapable. His impish friend suggested that Johhny carry a bottle of Febreze air freshener wherever he went so he might be able to cover up the smells redolent of his cell.

While the Febreze would temporarily mask the jail cell odor with a more fragrant aroma, it never lasted very long, transporting poor Johnny back to a place he never wanted to experience again.

So as a desperate move, he finally found a doctor who agreed to disable his olfactory nerves, thereby entirely eliminating Johnny’s sense of smell.

Johnny was thrilled that he could no longer smell anything that might remind him of his incarceration. Well, he was thrilled until he learned that the olfactory nerve is somewhat unusual among cranial nerves because it is capable of regeneration if damaged.

A0030D6E-1F70-48B9-840A-2ED119AF3967Written for Teresa’s Opposites Attract prompt, using the words fragrant and foul. Also for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (release), Ragtag Daily Prompt (thief), Word of the Day Challenge (impish), and Your Daily Word Prompt (redolent).

3-2-1 Quote Me! — Truth

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87DDB886-7B50-4250-A651-0DCB5B7C7C94Sadje, at Keep It Alive, tagged me for the latest round of Rory’s 3-2-1 Quote Me! prompt. The topic for this prompt is TRUTH.

Here are the rules for this prompt.

  1. Thank the selector
  2. Post two quotes on the topic (truth)
  3. Tag three bloggers

So thank you Sadje.

Now here are my two quotes:

“One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Election and power are.”

American columnist Cal Thomas

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”

Albert Einstein

Now I’m supposed to tag three bloggers, but you know what? I’m not going to tag three bloggers. I’m going to tag all bloggers to post two quotes on “truth.”

And that’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me blog.