Stories – willowdot21

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS June 6, 2026. Coincidence.

Ping went my phone it was this week’s prompt from LindaGHill. It said “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “coincidence.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!“

No coincidence

It was no coincidence that Nate was crossing the bridge at dusk . His head was full of what he had planned for that evening.
Meet Emma, dance with her and pop the question.
He felt good about himself, his new boots, buffed up, leather coat and dark glasses. He felt special, proud he had got the new job. Emma would be delighted.
He didn’t see them waiting on the far side of the bridge. It was dark …they had dark clothes on and they were standing in the shadows.
Emma came into view on the tow path on the opposite bank. She was dressed in white, looking ethereal.
Their paths should meet mid bridge where Nate decided to sweep her off of her feet and kiss her.
He checked his pocket for the tenth time that evening. Yes it was still there safe and sound… round and gold… a symbol of love.
Seeing Nate, Emma’s heart started to beat faster, quickening her pace, she called out “NATE”
As Nate looked up he saw something catch the light… immediately he realised it was the flash of a blade. He moved to run, to call out but it was too late they had Emma and she was screaming.. he ran , his feet felt like he was in quick sand. Hands grabbed him from behind…he’d been followed.. something sharp went into his back…. he could not breathe. Falling to his knees he heard Emma screaming his name.
It was going black around him … Emma was being held down on the dirty tow path. The gang of boys like savage wolves clawing at her.
He crawled towards her but heavy boots kicked him. He tried to shout but there was no air in his lungs. It went dark…
In the cold light of day a dog walker found them…. covered in mud and blood. The girl’s dress ripped and torn the boy pale and bloodless he’d bled out.
The police spokesperson said. ” This was no coincidence this was a premeditated double murder. “

THIS IS PART OF LINDAGHILL’S STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS SATURDAY.

All books are by Dan Antion and one written with me are available on Amazon.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS May 30, 2026 Impress

Ping went my phone! It was LindaGHill with our Stream of Consciousness Saturday Prompt. Here’s what she said: “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “impress” Use it as a verb, use it as a noun, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!“

As you all know by now I do love songs and music from the Indian Subcontinent. The song above Impress is Punjabi. The Punjab is divided between Indian and Pakistan. Here is Ranjit Bawa. I believe the song is about a boy who drives different cars every to Impress the girl he’s smitten with. … She’s wondering how he knows where she lives. They do end up happy everafter.

And now an acrostic poem IMPRESS.

Impress me if you can.
Me, why I’m just a simple man.
Prove you love me prove it now!
Really, I shall try but I don’t know how.
Every day bring me flowers
Sing my praises by the hours.
Soon we’ll be man and wife living our best life

This is part of LindaGHill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Cinquain Poetry Prompt 50: THE END is your inspiration.

It came
The light the heat
Bodies melded into one
In a flash all living things gone
Ashes

As it
Began, a bang
Ended with a wimper
Planet Earth obliterated
Our fault

PART OF RONOVANWRITES AMERICAN CINQUAIN CHALLENGE.

Thank you to Jennie and the Aquaroomers.

Hello Aquaroomers and Thank You for being our friends and sending us such lovely letters, cards and presents.

Thank you Aquaroomers and Jennie for being our friends.

Yesterday the post lady arrived with your package!

We were so excited we opened it immediately and looked at what was inside!

So many exciting things 😉look at the fabulous colours and beautiful writing!

Look at my glorious Groton Community School top it’s beautiful. As you can see Earl, Jingles and the Mystery Bears wanted to wave to you all too.

We have put your Thank letter up in our conservatory and we will see it every day.

Olivia isn’t with us at the moment but she asked me to show you this photo of her when she was a baby and just starting training! Isn’t she so cute. Below is one of her all grown up. Olivia has promised that as soon as she visits again she will be in touch with you all.

Ozzie is away at the Teddy Bear’s hospital getting a make over he will be back soon and will be happy to tell you all about his experience.

Well haven’t we all had a wonderful experience together . We have joined hand across the world and it has been the best of times. Lots of love to you all.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS April 25, 2026.

Ping went my phone , it was the prompt from Linda for her SoCs this week. “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “tan/ten/tin/ton/tun.” Use one, use ’em all, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points if you manage to get four of them into your post. Have fun!“

“tan/ten/tin/ton/tun.

Most days the stench from the Tannery got inside your head destroying your olfactory senses. Bob was ten when they moved into a room in the house next door to the tanhouse. At first he thought it was a lucky escape from temperature swings and the blackness of the tin mine where he’d worked on with his Da since he was five. Facing death daily for a pittance. They struggled by until the expected big disaster happened. Small disasters were a daily occurrence… Injury, maiming even death. Finally it happened the corridor he and Da were working in collapsed.Tons of earth and rock fell upon them …he was the only one of twenty five men and boys saved…Da had felt the signs the tun,tun,tun sounds as the area vibrated, he had felt that before. He knew what to do and shoved Bob to the end of the tunnel and laid across him to protect him.
Ma got Bob a job at the tannery …she had five girls all under six and Bob the oldest and only boy had to work.
He missed the walk home from the mine …he missed the fresh air he missed Da. He carried a ton of care on his young shoulders. But he’ll just keep going he must.

This is part of LindaGHill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Thank You !

I was delighted and honoured to receive this email today. I have been blogging for getting on for fifteen years now and to tell you the truth I am totally chuffed to receive this honour.

Your site has been selected for Freshly Pressed!Congrats, we love your writing and want to share it with the world.

Hi willowdot21,

We’ve selected your post (Gloria Has an Egg Hunt.) for Freshly Pressed, a showcase where we feature editors’ picks and community favorites on WordPress.com.

We are thrilled to share your post with our wider audience.

Your post will appear at wordpress.com/discover/, where members of the WordPress.com community can read, comment, like your post, and subscribe to your site to get notified whenever you publish new content.

Thank you for being part of the biggest and best community of bloggers around the world. We’re proud to be the platform that makes your voice heard.

Cheers,

The WordPress.com Team

Get the Jetpack appBring your WordPress site with you everywhere you go.Get answers in the Support Center.Have a question? Contact us.Automattic, Inc. – 60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110

As you can see Miss Gloria has had a hand in this. Thank you wordpress and all the new, to me, bloggers visiting me. Let’s not forget Gloria !

Gloria meets a Real Grenadier Guardsman !

Gloria is from The Aquaroom which is in New England, where she helps Jennie Fitzkee of A Teacher’s Reflections.

Jennie and I came up with the idea that the children in the Aquaroom might like to find out about England..well my part of England. So we hit upon the idea of Gloria coming to stay so I could show her around. The Aquaroomers could follow my blog … And I would fill her Journal with stories and photos, for those who are there in Jennie’s class now and also future Aquaroomers. Jennie and I thought this was a great idea. So did Gloria. Below is a post aimed at The Aquaroomers I hope you and they like it!

Day 14 Gloria meets Ben the Grenadier Guardsman.

Gloria asked Earl if she could go out to willows garden to see the flowers . When she noticed that there was someone at the flag pole next door. They were changing the flag! “What is going on ” she asked Earl ? Earl looked out and replied. ” Ah! that is Ben, Gloria, he lives nextdoor when he is not looking after the King and Queen at either Windsor or Buckingham Palace. He is a Grenadeir Guard. ” “Oh! ” Said Gloria “I see….. What is a Grenadeir Guard Earl?” Earl smiled “let’s ask willow if she will ask us out to ask him.”

Now the picture above is not Ben but that is exactly what Ben dresses like when he is at work it is called a uniform.

willow took Gloria out to meet Ben, who was very pleased to meet Gloria…they shook hands and Gloria asked Ben what a Grenadier Guardsman was. Ben smiled and said . “The Grenadier Guards are one of the British Army’s oldest infantry regiments. It was formed in 1656 in Bruges by King Charles II as part of his bodyguard. Originally the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, they were renamed in 1815 after defeating the French Imperial Guard at Waterloo. Known for their scarlet tunics and bearskins, they serve a dual role of elite frontline fighting and high-profile ceremonial duties protecting the Royals.”

Gloria was very impressed and asked “do you really look after the King and Queen and the other Royals?” “Yes ” said Ben “I do.”

“What are you doing to the Union Jack flag Ben?” Asked Gloria. “I am taking it down and putting up my Regimental Colours to fly while I am at home. ” “What are Regimental Colours when they are at home? Ben? ” Ben laughed ” It’s me at home Gloria…the flag of the Grenadier Guards is formally known as a Regimental Colour, which, unlike the Queen’s Colour, is often based on the Union Flag rather than being a plain crimson field. As the most senior infantry regiment in the British Army, the Grenadier Guard’s flags are steeped in royal history and are heavily laden with battle honours, symbolizing the regiment’s 360-year-old tradition” Ben paused there and Gloria said..” Wow! 360 years.. that is old… Are you that old Ben? ” “No Gloria , I am not! “

After Ben had put up his regimental colours he took a photo of Gloria climbing up to inspect the flag. Then Ben saluted Gloria and said goodbye, he was going off for his run…. A soldier, especially a Grenadeir Guard has to keep fit!

Then Gloria went into the back garden and had a look at some of willow’s flowers.

After all this information about the Grenadier Guard’s Gloria was tired so after she told everyone else about the new flag they all read Goodnight Moon.

Gloria’s Spell

Word Prompt from Sammi

Spell

Challenge

Weekend Writing Prompt #461: This weekend your challenge is to write a poem or a piece of prose in exactly 13 words using the word “Spell”.

Gloria has put a spell on me
Her spirit makes me so happy

all photos © willowdot21

Gloria Visits Windsor and Eton Part 2

Gloria is from The Aquaroom which is in New England, where she helps Jennie Fitzkee of A Teacher’s Reflections.

DAY 10 . Gloria visits Windsor and Eton part2

Do you remember I said Gloria had so much fun that Louise and I decided it was time for lunch! But before we went to Pizza Express Gloria asked about the train that was on display in the station . So we back tracked to look at the train.

We had a close look at the information board and found out that it is a full-size replica steam locomotive named “The Queen,” representing the Great Western Railway (GWR) Achilles class 4-2-2 No. 3041. Built in 1982 for the “[Royalty & Empire]” exhibition, it was designed by Madame Tussauds to depict the train that carried Queen Victoria, who was the first British monarch to travel by rail. Gloria really wanted to drive the train so we had to explain that it was not a real train.

Then we went for Pizza ! We went to Pizza Express just down the hill from the Railway Station opposite the Castle walls. Gloria spent an age choosing what she wanted on the Menu. She finally chose Lazange.

While we were waiting for our food to arrive Gloria asked the Manager if she could see the kitchen. He very kindly said we could as long as she didn’t touch anything hot! So I carried her! As you can see she loved the smell of the cooking food.

When our food arrived we had a feast! Louise had chosen Canaloni and I had Lazange like Gloria and we also had salade. .. After lunch we went for a walk by the River Thames.

We had a look at the Theatre. This is the second theatre to stand on this site and opened on 13 December 1910. Built for Sir William Shipley and Captain Reginald Shipley. The first theatre was there from 1815 and had burnt down in 1908. The present theatre was designed by Frank Verity, the son of the theatre architect Thomas Verity. The building is Grade II listed and is the only unsubsidised producing theatre to operate all year round in the United Kingdom.

Gloria digesting her dinner by the River.

We walked back to the bridge to head to Eton. It’s a gentle 15min walk from the bridge to Eton College.

The Chapel Eton College from the river Thames.

Eton College is a world-renowned, independent boarding school for boys aged 13–18 in Eton, Berkshire, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. As one of England’s most prestigious schools, it features a 1,300+ student body, 25 boarding houses, and a strong history of producing leaders, including numerous Prime Ministers and Royalty.

Originally established to provide free education to 70 poor scholars and prepare them for King’s College, Cambridge. It has evolved into an elite institution for 1,340 boys, known for its historic campus, strict traditional uniform, and prominent alumni.

For the 2024/25 academic year, Eton College fees are £17,583 per term (£52,749 annually). However, due to the addition of VAT from January 2025, fees are expected to rise to approximately £21,099.60 per term, bringing the annual total to over £63,000. There are three terms (Halves) in an academic year.

Gloria decided it was too posh and too expensive for her. Louise and I decided that Gloria had made the correct decision because she would miss the Aquaroomers too much 💜💜

So tired but happy we set off for home. Guess what Gloria did when she got home….

Gloria Has Arrived .

Today Gloria arrived! Yes Gloria from The Aquaroom which is New England, where she helps Jennie Fitzkee of A Teacher’s Reflections.

Jennie and I came up with the idea that the children in the Aquaroom might like to find out about England..well my part of England. So we hit upon the idea of Gloria coming to stay with me and I can show her around. The Aquaroomers can follow my blog … And I will fill her Journal with stories and photos, for those who are there in Jennie’s class now and also future Aquaroomers. Jennie and I think this is a great idea. So does Gloria. Below is a post aimed at The Aquaroomers I hope you and they like it!

GLORIA’S ARRIVAL!

I was out all morning having a pre op assessment for Lazer surgery on a cataract . That went well and I am having the op 30th of this month. I am not looking forward to this so I am delighted it is so soon and I won’t have time to chicken out!

Well I digress when I got home there was a ring at the back door bell. AND IT WAS GLORIA!

After Gloria had had some tea and cake I made sure she felt safe and welcome. I read her, her favourite book. Goodnight Moon. Gloria had to help me because my eyes were still blurry from the drops at the eye clinic!

Then we went to visit my sister who has just moved in to a new house and Gloria was very welcome there too. That’s the thing if you are a nice person people like you. Well Gloria helped unpack on of the boxes and my sister was delighted 😄