Category: Weekly Challenge

Weekly Challenge #1008 – It’s Going Down

The next topic is Advance

LISA

There was a fish in the sky, the sun glinted on its iridescent undersides. Whipped by the breeze it coasted a while on the thermals. We stood in the garden, necks craned, watching it swim through the clouds.
“It’s going down” Sue shouted as we ran to the front of the house.
It sank fast and caught in a neighbour’s oak tree. It was actually a metallic balloon which promptly burst on a conker spine then crinkled in the breeze. A tag dangled from its tail with an address in France: a competition to see whose balloon travelled the furthest.

RICHARD

— Unwise —
“Invest in the stock market he said.”
“What do you have to lose? All you need is a good financial advisor, some spare cash and maybe just a little bit of luck, and by this time next year you could be a millionaire.”
So I took a punt.
After all, I had a little spare cash to invest, and I don’t consider myself particularly unlucky.
Unfortunately, what I didn’t have was a good financial advisor.
He selected the worst stock ever to invest in, and every time I asked him how the market was doing…
He’d say, “It’s going down.”

LIZZIE

“It’s going down…” whispered the radio. The coded message prompted them to grab their guns and take off. Then, they waited. An hour. Two hours. Nothing. Keep radio silence, but… what should they do? One of them decided to stand up and… A shot. Boom. Man down. The others were perplexed. They were the hunters, not the hunted. Another stood up to complain. Boom. Man down. “Wait a second, I didn’t pay a fortune for this. It’s over for me.” Boom. Man down. What they didn’t know was that other men had paid a lot more to hunt the hunters.

SERENDIPIDY

It’s going down to the wire.
The razor wire.
It’s my interpretation of the old fashioned death of a thousand cuts. Updated and improved.
It’s a simple idea: A deep, dark pit, stuffed full of copious strands of razor wire -military grade, of course.
And I’m going to throw you in.
You’ll be torn to shreds. And the more you struggle and writhe in pain, the worse it gets.
Until, slick from blood, screaming in pain, flesh flayed from your bones, you finally succumb to your wounds.
So, now you know your immediate future…
It’s going down, to the wire.

TOM

Fly to close to the sun.

When I was a kid I had a subscription to Youth National Geographic. In one issue was a picture of Alexander Bell’s tetrahedron kites. Big enough to lift a man into the sky. As kid I did not have the materials to build the man lifting kites, but I did build tetrahedron out of drinking straws. Lightest material I could find. Fast forward 60 years 3d printer spitting out nano-tube. Got the cat at about 1000 feet. Looking good, stable, success OH forgot about the load on the string . Too bad. Fluffy, its good down fast. Rethink: need nano-tube string.

NORVAL JOE

Bobbi snatched the phone from Mandi and punched in a text.

Patrick. What are you doing with Sabrina’s phone.

After a long pause, a reply came. Bobbi?

She continued. I came by your house on the way to school. No one was home. Where are you and where is Billbert?

Mind your own business, he sent back.

Bobbie grimaced. “Mom says you are my business. You’re not into more Black Knight crap, are you?”

Just watch, little sister. My crap is going to be powerful, and it’s going down soon.

Bobbie handed Mandi her phone. “The Black Knights have Billbert.”

PLANET Z

Mindy’s fever was finally coming down.
Icepacks and aspirin, and a week in bed.
Her vision was blurry, and she couldn’t read her books, so we read to her.
Or we turned on the radio.
Hauling the television upstairs wasn’t an option.
And she wanted to stay in her room.
We brought up soup and orange juice and ice water, took down the empty trays and bowls and cups.
Replacing her sheets and pillowcases twice a day, soaked with sweat.
She’d lost fifteen, maybe twenty pounds.
Her sister Sally was jealous.
Until the doctor said Mindy had irreversible brain damage.

Weekly Challenge #1007 – Cruising

The next topic is It’s going down…

LISA

Come Fly with Me

It felt good to be out cruising along, feeling the breeze beneath my wings. Endless possibilities for the day lay ahead.
My driver today was old and small. He struggled to see over the dashboard. Our eyes met but I don’t think he saw me stuck to the windscreen. I could hear his music through the glass.
We travelled together as companions for miles until a jet of water unseated me. I had a nauseating lurch back and forth on the wipers before they came to a stop with a screeching judder.
I realised then, my time was nearly up.

RICHARD

— Flight Plan —
There are some things you just don’t want to hear when cruising at twenty thousand feet.
Things like… “Brace for impact!”, “This is a hijack!”, or “Can you smell burning?”
Thankfully, that’s not a situation I’ve ever found myself having to face, but believe me, I’m prepared.
I think I’ve watched every flight disaster movie that’s ever been released. Twice.
I always try to sit over a wing, or next to an emergency exit. Preferably both.
And, unlike you, I always pay attention to the in-flight safety briefing.
Want my advice?
If you ever fly… Sit next to me!

SERENDIPIDY

It’s Friday night, and I’m getting ready to go out, like so many others will be, the world over.
I’ve showered, done my nails and make -up, picked out a killer outfit, and spritzed myself with fragrance.
And, of course, I’ve had a couple of drinks to get me in the mood.
But I’m not meeting up with the girls, hitting a nightclub or even going out with a hot date. My night will be very different.
Tonight, I’ll be cruising the streets; looking for unfortunate victims to feed my craving.
I did say I’d picked out a ‘killer’ outfit.

TOM

Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. Don’t look back you can never look back

When I met my first wife, I was living high in Santa Cruz. She was a Walnut Creek Girl with a Fortune 500 Father. I a proto-hippy. One of the oddest things we share was a love of cursing. In northern California lexicon there is phrase: Cruising the Main. And of course, cruising the boardwalk was understood in 174 different languages. We young poor and in need of cheap entertainment. Oh, what a circle that was. Buckets of pills and clouds of pot. Lot and lot of free Booze. One night I even ran it to Both toms: Waits and Lehrer.

LIZZIE

The pelican flew over the cruise ship. The tourists took their phones out to start lives. Look, look, a bird. Most didn’t even know it was a pelican. Some called him a giant seagull. But the pelican flew over again. After the lives came the photos. Social media is hungry, let’s post some photos and show off our ignorance. The pelican flew back and forth. Suddenly, he pooped on the tourists. Shrieks of amusement and more lives, featuring the pooped deck. Likes, hearts, laughing emojis. Then, the pelican flew away, grunting, “bring fish, next time!” and thinking humans are idiots.

NORVAL JOE

With students cruising past them to class, Mandi realized she had said too much.

“He has what?” Bobbi gasped.

“Gotta go to the bathroom.” Mandi hurried into the girl’s room.

She locked herself in a stall, pulled out her phone, and texted Sabrina. Where are you and Billbert?

She read the reply quickly, opened the stall door, and ran into Bobbi, her phone still in her hand.

“Who did you call?” Bobbi demanded.

Mandi shrugged. “I texted Sabrina, but I don’t think it was her.”

“Why?” Bobbi asked.

Mandi frowned deep in thought. “She called me Linoliumanda and not Lindimindi.”

PLANET Z

At night on every cruise ship when the lights are turned off so you can look up and see the stars. Living in the city a lot of the night sky gets washed out by street lights. Even in the country you still get some light pollution. but out on the deep ocean you can see everything and it’s really mind blowing with everyone looking up. Some people trying to take pictures with their phones, not turning off the flash and running it for everyone. At least when it’s dark, nobody can see that it’s you who pushed them overboard.

Weekly Challenge #1006 – Keep Well

The next topic is Cruising

LISA

True Love is Hard to Kill
Keepwell was nestled in the shadows of Dugyle Castle. Their visitors passed through our town so we thrived. Life was good. Until the falling sickness.
The drawbridge went up and nothing more was heard from the castle. We did the same: shut the gates and sat it out imposing no contact with the rest of the country.
Jack the butcher’s son however, continued to see his beau from a nearby village. They met secretly until she succumbed to the sickness. The rest is really too painful to recount but our numbers dwindled rapidly and the castle soon fell into ruin.

RICHARD

— Explosive Power —
“Keep well clear” said the guide, “they appear pretty lethargic but they can strike with explosive power.”
I figured he was being dramatic, hoping for a bigger tip.
Still, I wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks; I eyed the croc suspiciously. It appeared to be asleep, barely any sign of life. I reckoned I could outrun it, should it come to that.
I moved closer, crouching low to get the perfect shot.
“National Geographic, here I come, I said quietly, raising my camera.”
The attack was over in a flash, as was my life.
Still, it was an amazing photo.

SERENDIPIDY

I’m sorry to say, they don’t keep well.
It’s not long before they start to smell and go bad.
And they do tend to attract flies, which isn’t particularly pleasant.
It’s a shame really. I’d love to be able to put them on display to show to my visitors. After all, there’s really nothing like a set of decapitated human heads as a conversation starter at parties.
Sadly, until I can come up with a way to keep them fresh, that’s just not going to be possible.
So, until then…
I’ll just keep on eating them. They’re really rather tasty!

TOM

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

Last week I got interpolated. In the biz it’s call a Terp or Turp. Sounds like a small Africa bird in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Nup. Think dermel tunneling into a gland. I will fore-go the image of tubing and ballons for the fain of heart. What I can address is a new understanding of the pain chart. Like Spinal Tap is goes from 1 to 11. Well I thought it when from 1 to 11. I discovered a land that leave that silly 11 in the dust. Lot of screaming. Damn near a religious experience. If I don’t move ……

LIZZIE

I knew someone innocent would die. He wanted to clear his name and trampled all over anyone who stood in his way.
I wanted to ask him “why”. But I never did. He would’ve denied it. The images have been doctored. It wasn’t him on the video. “Can’t you see?” And no, I couldn’t. It was him, stealing from his best friend.
When he was arrested, I said “keep well”. He just looked at me. And I knew I’d have to run for my life.
Perhaps I should go to that place in the painting and hide in plain sight.

NORVAL JOE

Mandi shrugged away from the redhead. “You keep well, okay?” She headed to class.

The girl grabbed her by her shoulder. “If you want Billbert to keep well, you’ll tell me where he is.”

Intimidated by the girl’s size and overt beauty, Mandi gritted her teeth and hissed. “I don’t know where he is. When I got up this morning, he was gone.”

The girl frowned. “Listen. My name is Bobbi Yaan. My brother, Patrick, is a Black Knight, and he’s missing too. The Knights know Billbert has magic.”

Mandi interrupted Bobbi. “He doesn’t have magic. He has a superpower.”

PLANET Z

The first module we played was the keep on the borderlands, a castle at the edge of some caves, full of warring tribes of monsters and some kind of evil temple. At some point, our characters tried to rob the jewelry store and ended up getting killed by the castle guards. The new characters we rolled up for the next adventure were looked on with a bit more suspicion. So this time we ended up poisoning the well. After a few years, I stopped playing. I never got good at painting the miniatures, but I did like collecting fancy dice.

Weekly Challenge #1005 – PICK TWO Display, Poem, Background music, 158, Rockfall

The next topic is Keep well

RICHARD

— Festival—

It was one of the weirdest concepts I’d ever come across in my years in the music business.
‘Rockfall 25′ – the world’s first festival of background music.
I can’t say the lineup was impressive, I’d never heard of the headline acts, and the programme wasn’t at all attractive. I couldn’t see myself succumbing to the delights of the ‘Elevator Music Tent’; and the idea of the ‘On-hold Music Stage’ was far from appealing.
I went anyway.
It was great.
A relaxing few days just doing my own thing in a field, to the accompaniment of unobtrusive, quiet background music.

LIZZIE

Discard the old.
Discard the old and frame it. Put it on display so you never forget.
The background music, nagging your memory, doesn’t help. But… Forget it.
Forget it all. Move elsewhere. Do something else. Walk away.
They’ll try to chase you, those cold recollections, they will. But… Forget them.
Forget it all. Sell your house. Buy a new one where no one knows you. Walk away.
Leave your pain behind. Or whatever you call pain. It might be a wave, a word, a doubt and a certainty.
The water is dark and deep. But… forget it.
Save yourself.

TOM

One isn’t the loneliest number

Today number of interest is 158 that can be displayed in number of ways: 3 × 53 it’s prime factorization. In hex-s 0x9F or even binary 10011111. My favorite is 158 displayed as a Lego number 555 222 (some ensemble required) Of course the weirdest quality of 158 is it is the prime celestial. Baron Otto Von Patton in 1827 discovered 158 was the number of angles that could fit on the head on a pin. One may ask how do you get angles to display in a non-celestial realm? Prune juice, well actually the effect of same juice. Snot bad.

LISA

Late For Work

Peter’s turned himself around after the shock of routine blood test results. Diagnosed as pre-diabetic with high cholesterol he swapped crashing with a croissant first thing to an early morning run. Everyone’s noticed the impact of these choices. The background music from his earbuds this morning is Thunder by AC/DC; it’s hard not to think of those cheerleaders coming out onto the pitch.
Ahead & unseen a car is reversing from their driveway. Peter looks like poetry in motion as his feet hit the pavement in time to the music’s thump.
He picks up his speed.
So does the car.

SERENDIPIDY

Blood-curdling screams; wailing and moaning; heart-rending sobs. Not exactly the average person’s idea of background music or chilled ambience, but I love it.
I don’t have to worry about royalties or copyright claims. Every expression of pain is unique and fleeting, meant to be enjoyed just once, and never repeated.
It can get a bit messy of course, but that’s only to be expected – and, if I’m honest, that just adds to the enjoyment.
It’s an acquired taste, which to you may sound vile…
But, I think the sounds of pain are just like a finely-crafted poem.

NORVAL JOE

Mandi didn’t know why this girl wanted to talk to her. She tried not to display any sign of understanding and asked, “What do you want?”

The tall girl rolled her eyes. “I know you know Billbert, and Sabrina, too. I need to talk to them, both.”

Background music for the morning announcements began to play over speakers in the hallway and Mandi said, “Um. It’s almost time for class.” She didn’t move.

The girl put a hand gently on Mandi’s shoulder and stepped close. “I’m Bobbi. I’m a friend of Billbert’s and it’s important that I talk to him.”

PLANET Z

Pro wrestling isn’t fake, but it’s not a sport.
Every corporation states that clearly in their charter to avoid regulation and tax issues.
It’s a scripted performance. It’s art.
It doesn’t mean that it’s completely fake, because the talent and crew still need to build up their skills and bodies.
And they do get hurt. Just like other performers in the arts, like figure skaters and gymnasts.
But just as much as ballroom dancing and ballet isn’t a sport, figure skating and gymnastics and wrestling aren’t either.
Still, it’s fun to watch. Now and then.
If you’re five or six.

Weekly Challenge #1004 – Snot

The next topic is PICK TWO Display, Poem, Background music, 158, Rockfall

RICHARD

— Loser —
I sighed inwardly when the lad walked in, another no-hoper, without prospects.
“Well boy, I understand Miss Jones has thrown you out of art class again. What do you say for yourself?”
“Sorry sir” the boy sniffed, then used his sleeve to wipe the snot from his nose, “I just don’t like art… or sport.”
I rubbed my eyes wearily.
“So, what do you like?”
“Computers, sir.”
Computer games, more like, I thought to myself.
“Well, buck up your ideas, and forget the computers, lad. Detention!
And, I don’t want to see you in my office again, William Gates!”

TOM

Take this Marcel Prouse
I had a childhood friend whom at a very early age had become a superior
wordsmith. He often said the following: Snot bad. If you are 10 years
old this is the height to refined wit. I have not thought about that pun
in 40 years. Fun how stuff lies dormant in your memory. While reflecting
on the lazy summer day we hung out a quip floated back. Don’t go
straight, go forward. It was dawn of the age of hippies when straight
meant married, kids, working in the steel mill. Get the split-level
house in the burbs. Snot bad?

LISA

A Dentist with a Difference
Sam’s newly qualified as a dentist and full of fresh ideas to allay fears of his profession. One of them: to call himself an oral technician. He’s just picking up his new van from the sign writer- he‘s asked for highly decorative initial letters in shades of fresh greens for his fresh new venture.
A mobile dentist. It’s the future. He’s documented his journey on social media and goes live as he collects the van. He zooms in on SNOT Sam Neil Oral Technician and goes viral with the post before he’s tempted anyone into the back of his van.

SERENDIPIDY

“Drowned in snot!”
Inspector Mulligan grimaced, “Rather an unpleasant way to meet your maker. What do we know about the victim?”
Officer Jenkins consulted his notebook. “Works in McDonalds, Sir. It’s the premises downstairs. We don’t know who owns this floor though, or what he was doing here.”
“Or, why there’s a huge vat full of snot up here”, mused Mulligan.
“Well, none of it makes sense. Best get the lads up to remove the body”
“Oh, and while you’re at it, did you say there’s a Maccy D’s downstairs? Grab me one of those extra thick shakes, would you?”

NORVAL JOE

Mandi flowed with the rest of the student traffic to her first period class.

Behind her she heard, “Look. That stuck up snot is finally back in school.”

Mandi kept walking, until the girl said, “Yeah you, Leemoldia. We’re talking about you.”

Mandi turned around to find three girls, two her height, and one redhead, who was much taller. At first, she thought the redhead was a teacher—she was as tall as most, and well built. But then she roughly pushed the other two away.

“Get lost, you two,” she snarled. “I need to have a word with Mandi.”

PLANET Z

I contracted for a company that ran raffles at holiday parties where there were more prizes than partygoers. Everybody came away with cool shit. Not coffee mugs or shirts, but televisions. And everybody got a lava lamp. As a contractor, I wasn’t invited, and the fulltimers would taunt me over it. So I’d nope out and take time off and they’d be up shit creek in a day or two, and beg me to come back and I’d say sure, for all your lava lamps. And I blew the fuse to my closet of an office plugging them all in.

Weekly Challenge #1003 – Pawn

The next topic is Snot

RICHARD

Grandpa

When grandpa retired, he was a rich man. He’d started small as a young man, and over the years, he’d created a mini empire of pawn shops. And the money came rolling in.

He was an expert at valuations – or more accurately, he was an expert at acting. He could convince an expert that a diamond was glass, and gold was brass.

You’d never know it. Such was the calibre of his acting.

And, when he retired, he gleefully shocked all the ladies at the retirement home, telling them that he’d spent his whole life as a pawn actor!

TOM

Grandpa

When grandpa retired, he was a rich man. He’d started small as a young man, and over the years, he’d created a mini empire of pawn shops. And the money came rolling in.

He was an expert at valuations – or more accurately, he was an expert at acting. He could convince an expert that a diamond was glass, and gold was brass.

You’d never know it. Such was the calibre of his acting.

And, when he retired, he gleefully shocked all the ladies at the retirement home, telling them that he’d spent his whole life as a pawn actor!

LISA

We’re not just end of the month poor but nothing left to pawn poor and currently checking down the sofa, at the bottom of bags and in coat pockets for change. We scrape together a pound made up of 24 coins. Deciding it’s our lucky day we buy a scratchcard and win a pound. It’s tense as the winning card is swapped for another. With everything scratched but one tiny square we could win £100 or £100,000 or lose and stay hungry. The penultimate scrape takes off half the silver to reveal a pound sign, a one and two noughts…

SERENDIPIDY

Grandpa

When grandpa retired, he was a rich man. He’d started small as a young man, and over the years, he’d created a mini empire of pawn shops. And the money came rolling in.

He was an expert at valuations – or more accurately, he was an expert at acting. He could convince an expert that a diamond was glass, and gold was brass.

You’d never know it. Such was the calibre of his acting.

And, when he retired, he gleefully shocked all the ladies at the retirement home, telling them that he’d spent his whole life as a pawn actor!

NORVAL JOE

Grandpa

When grandpa retired, he was a rich man. He’d started small as a young man, and over the years, he’d created a mini empire of pawn shops. And the money came rolling in.

He was an expert at valuations – or more accurately, he was an expert at acting. He could convince an expert that a diamond was glass, and gold was brass.

You’d never know it. Such was the calibre of his acting.

And, when he retired, he gleefully shocked all the ladies at the retirement home, telling them that he’d spent his whole life as a pawn actor!

PLANET Z

Grandpa

When grandpa retired, he was a rich man. He’d started small as a young man, and over the years, he’d created a mini empire of pawn shops. And the money came rolling in.

He was an expert at valuations – or more accurately, he was an expert at acting. He could convince an expert that a diamond was glass, and gold was brass.

You’d never know it. Such was the calibre of his acting.

And, when he retired, he gleefully shocked all the ladies at the retirement home, telling them that he’d spent his whole life as a pawn actor!

Weekly Challenge #1002 – You’re not going

The next topic is Pawn

RICHARD

— Something blue —
“You’re not going.”
She meant it. No negotiating. Mind made up.
Still, there was no way I was going down without a fight. I was determined to make a stand.
“C’mon” I pleaded, “it’s a one-off. I won’t get another shot at it. Surely I deserve one. Please?”
It didn’t work.
“No! You’ll spend the night gawking at strippers, get blind drunk and end up naked, tied to a lamppost at the other end of the country! I know what stag nights are like!”
“OK” I countered “then, I guess there’s somewhere else I won’t be going…”
“Our wedding!”

TOM

1001

All things pass through Chicago

Since we’ve passed into a new millennium, seems fitting to regalia all with a story at the dawn of podcasting. When I was doing seven podcasts a week, one of them was interviewing podcast authors. Emboldened by its success and at this point running out of authors I reached out to the author of the sci-fi novel The Sparrow. Mary Russell kindly set aside her morning to talk. I Asked a few questions no one had ever asked her about her work. About caring capacity. When the interview was over she send me limited edition of her book.

1002

Your not going home again.

Phil had worked for the college for 25 years. You would’ve thunk they would have gotten him a gold watch, a service pin, at the least a go away party. Nada, zip, zilch. Phil was cool about it. He would say when its time to go, better go. All the same some place with pull at your memories, such was the tiny college under the oaks. So on random Friday Phil walked the campus. He was pretty much ignored by even former coworkers. Its like Thomas Wolfe say you can’t go home again.

LISA

Short Tale about a short Skirt
Picture the scene. It’s 1986 and there’s a roller disco at the weekend. Wars have taken less planning. We’ve chatted about outfits for weeks. It’s been decided that everyone will get ready at mine & we’ll get the bus from there.
On the night Dad shouts ‘You’re not going out like that!’ from his comfy armchair. I’m equally humiliated and pleased. I say I’ll change. I know I must look amazing. It becomes a useful gauge – if Dad approves of the outfit I know it isn’t working. In time I become an expert at getting changed in small toilet cubicles.

SERENDIPIDY

I see you quivering in the corner, terror written in your eyes.
Both you and I know this can only end one way, and it’s not going to go well for you.
It never would: that’s the way the world works, and we both know that the odds are overwhelmingly in my favour.
It’s just a matter of time before I get bored, and you become paralysed with fear. And then, I make my move.
I’ll pin you down, my claws piercing your flesh, then move in for the kill.
Cat and mouse.
And, little mouse, you’re not going anywhere.

NORVAL JOE

Billbert turned to face the sound of approaching steps. Before he could make out who approached in the darkness, he heard from behind, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Like a gorilla had grabbed him by the neck, a jolt suddenly shook him before he lost consciousness.

The following morning, Mandi walked into the kitchen. “Mrs. Weinerheimer. I think Billbert is gone.”

Billbert’s mother put a hand to her heart and asked, “What makes you say that?”

She shrugged. “I went to ask him a question last night and he wasn’t in bed. This morning, I checked again and he’s not there.”

PLANET Z

Back in school, my mother would never sign permissions slips for fieldtrips.
“You’re being punished,” she said.
But she never said for what.
My friend Bobby faked her signature.
“There,” he said. “Problem solved.”
Except that my mother had called the school to make sure I didn’t go.
At least when I was being beaten for it, I knew what I was being punished for.
Years later, I pushed her wheelchair up to the zoo entrance.
“Ticket for one,” I said.
And I told her “Just for me. Because you’re being punished.”
And I left her at the zoo entrance.

Weekly Challenge #1001 – PICK TWO The sparrow, Waveform, Limited edition, Ouroboros, Broken glass

The next topic is You’re not going

RICHARD

— Glen Talnara —
Sometimes you have to treat yourself, even if it means being extravagant. Everyone deserves to feel special every now and again.
My treat? A forty year old, limited edition single malt.
Lovingly distilled on a remote Scottish island, following a family tradition, centuries old.
It wasn’t cheap. Actually, it was eye- wateringly expensive, but I felt I deserved it.
I was out the day it was delivered.
UPS left a card.
They also tossed the box over my eight -foot fence, where it landed on a pile of rubble.
So, no whisky for me, just a box of broken glass.

LISA

The Start of a Not Normal Day
It felt like the outside was inside and everyone was in a temper. Glass glittered the carpet and Dad was looking for someone to blame. We were shouted at to keep back but the cat didn’t listen and ran through the shards. The glass had gone into my brother’s school shoes.
A speck of blood from the cat’s paw painted red on the carpet. I wanted my breakfast but I didn’t dare say. Dad had something else to shout about as the cat dragged a half alive sparrow from behind the TV.
We were going to be late for school.

LIZZIE

Sparrow, a limited edition of dolls, had everything but sparrows, the symbol of protection and hope. A doll house, doll furniture, doll-everything. It looked dark and gloomy. An adult now, his sister still loved dolls, the pink kind. He hated his sister. When he gifted Sparrow to her, she loved it. Well, that didn’t work, he thought. So, he got another doll, wrapped in a white shawl, a reminder that even when you’re trying to get revenge, there is always a glimmer of hope. OK, great, now he wanted to destroy the damn thing. He smiled. Perhaps that would work!

SERENDIPIDY

Isn’t the birdsong lovely?
Most would agree, but not I.
You see, birdsong is by no means cheerful or joyous. In reality, it is bleak and despairing.
The sparrow sings of pain and anguish, of death and destruction, of such sorrow it would break your heart.
The songthrush sings of shattered dreams, like broken glass shards, harsh and piercing.
The robin, mourns each passing day, cursing life and its misfortunes.
Songs of woe, of loss and melancholy.
But, not the crow.
The crow’s harsh cawing is a joyful, happy sound.
He’s laughing at all the other birds, poor, sad things!

NORVAL JOE

Peering through the broken glass of the small window, Billbert saw that Sabrina was blindfolded and gagged, and wore oversized coveralls with the arms wrapped around and tied in front of her like an ouroboros.

A dot of red light appeared beside Sabrina. A laptop computer sat on a table next to her. Its webcam had just come on. Were her captors in another room watching Sabrina from a distance or was the camera aimed at the window, watching him?

The back porch door burst open and feet pounded down the wooden stairs. Billbert had the answer to his question.

PLANET Z

I don’t know why I collect Pez dispensers, but my closet has dozens of bins of them. They’re all kinds of different designs and colors and characters. If I get one from a series, I have to complete the whole set. I used to have them out on shelves to display. But after we moved, I haven’t taken them out of the bins yet. There’s one that was a limited edition Tiffany glass dispenser, but I think it got broken in the move. So instead, I’ll probably put my Millard Fillmore dispenser on the lit rotating stand on the shelf.

Weekly Challenge #1000 – Narrow

The next topic is PICK TWO The sparrow, Waveform, Limited edition, Ouroboros, Broken glass

RICHARD

— Narrow —
As things go, it was a pretty narrow requirement, some would say overly-restrictive and limiting.
I guess that was the point, really.
It’ll never work, I thought. It’s not sustainable, people aren’t going to like it, and it’s not something I could ever imagine having any real longevity.
I’d give it a few months, maybe a couple of years, at best.
Still, nothing wrong with giving it a shot – what was there to lose?
Anyway, I was wrong.
But, to keep a long story short, I’m sticking to the formula.
I’ll leave it right there, and keep it brief.

LISA

The Straight and Narrow
There was a pleasing symmetry to the fact that it was Michael’s first day at the job centre and Peter’s first day out of prison. They looked equally uncomfortable as they sat either side of the desk. Meanwhile gossip spread round the office quicker than blood on lino.
Michael was oblivious and asked “What experience do you have?” before checking his computer. “Well,” Michael didn’t flinch as he saw **MURDER CONVICTION 2001** capitalised in bold across his screen. “There’s an opening at the Abattoir?”
The office fell deadly quiet as Peter shot Michael a killer stare. “Excuse me. I’m VEGAN.”

LIZZIE

Tea, toast and UFOs. Why not? By then, UFOs were part of everyone’s lives. They had come from a planet with an unpronounceable name, waved a lot of hellos when they landed and everyone was totally smitten. How cute, how nice, how… someone ventured the word cuddly, although no one knew how that conclusion was reached and everyone preferred not to know. When the UFO exploded, everyone rushed to help. Oh… It was a different kind of UFO. Who are these now?! Well, they were certainly not cuddly. “How is your tea, and toast, sir?” The alien waved him away.

SERENDIPIDY

It’s just as well you lot aren’t narrow-minded.
After all, my stories aren’t exactly polite after-dinner conversation. They’re not particularly, fluffy, fun-filled or family-friendly.
Unless, of course, your family happens to be into murder, desecration, body fluids, cannibalism, rot and decay…
And, if that’s the case, perhaps you should invite me around for dinner sometime, and maybe we could some exchange ideas?
You could be featured in my next story!
Or, I could just report you to the cops!
Then again, there’s a good chance I might murder you gruesomely, before feasting on your warm flesh!

TOM

Not still waters

For many years we had a small home in British Columbia. It was on a rather small island wedged against a rather large island. To navigate between the two was a salt water channel named Seymour Narrows. Any one reviewing a Nautical Map would be greeted with a mass of jumbled tide lines. Dozens of reforming whirlpools. For centuries it was considered the most hazardous waters in North America. A graveyard of broke hulls. In the 1950s the largest mass of TNT in history blows a hole in Seymour Narrows. All the same pilots treat the passage with extreme care.

NORVAL JOE

Billbert went back to his room, got dressed, and pulled on his jacket. He pushed up on the wooden window frame, to slip out, but it stuck, leaving only a narrow opening. He squeezed through as quietly as possible and flew straight to the house with the van in the backyard.

The van was there with, ‘It’s a Dirty Job Septic Service’ painted on the side.

“This must be the place,” Billbert muttered and floated from window to window, looking for any sign of Sabrina.

Finally, through a basement window, he saw her, blindfolded, gagged, and chained to a chair.

PLANET Z

The font that I use the most is Arial Narrow. It’s compact, clean, and easy for me to read. In the past few years, My eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. Other fonts like Times New Roman with its serifs look blurry at that size, even that impact font that gets used a lot with memes. For the longest time I was in denial, and I kept getting bigger monitors. Then I stopped using 4K mode so I wouldn’t embarrass myself with magnification and zoom mode. At least the text to speech button is easy to click.

Weekly Challenge #999 – Webcam

The next topic is narrow

LISA

Cleaning Up
Gordon did not trust his cleaner one bit and was desperate for a reason to sack her so put webcams up in every room hoping to catch her out.
Whilst cleaning his office she saw the feed of all the rooms on his laptop and heard Gordon on the phone to a woman that wasn’t his wife. She recorded the rest of the conversation on her phone.
The next week she found an incriminating receipt which she took to Gordon along with her recording ensuring she worked for him for the rest of his life without any bleach being involved.

RICHARD

— Cat-Cam —
The internet runs on cat videos, right?
At least, that’s what they tell me, and judging by the crazy number of clips featuring cats doing outrageous, silly and bizarre things that constantly clutter up my social media feeds it must be true.
My cat, however, just sleeps. Constantly.
So, I thought I’d rig up a webcam to see what she gets up to when I’m not around – for all I know, she might invite all the neighbourhood strays in for poker and partying!
Turns out, she doesn’t.
When I’m out of the house…
All she ever does is sleep. Constantly.

LIZZIE

The Ferris wheel was located in the middle of the park. The owners were warned. That was not safe. If an accident happened, access would be difficult, people would panic, all shown live online. The owners dismissed the warning. That’s why they had contingency plans, they said. One day, the Ferris wheel started spinning out of control. Some people were thrown off from their seats. The contingency plan was activated. It worked perfectly. What didn’t work perfectly was the lawsuit. A revolving door of lawyer after lawyer, fired. Apparently, the contingency plan didn’t include the legal side of the problem.

TOM

999 Webcam

I wonder if it would be in bad tasted to have a webcam on your tombstone? Sure, it would be kind of fun in short run and in the deep long run. But that middle part would be a bit ookie. Need a mess of solar panels to fire the thing up. Would one need speakers or would just an audio jack be sufficient. Bet if you did a YouTube channel you offset production costs. Need a hook to up engagement. RIP TV quality family entertainment. What if the eyes randomly open and shut. We’ll be here all week

SERENDIPIDY

I just got my first webcam. 4K, HD, and with a whole load of technical specs that should, hopefully, justify the ridiculous price I paid for it.
Tomorrow, I’m going to set up my Only Fans account, and then, it’s simply a case of waiting for the money to roll in.
After all, that’s what it’s all about these days, isn’t it?
Home-made porn?
Of course, I’ll be capturing something of a niche market: Weeping sores, putrefying flesh, and discoloured scar tissue aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
But this is the internet.
I just know you can’t resist it!

NORVAL JOE

Billbert lay in his bed, unable to sleep. Sabrina was a captive somewhere close by and supposedly safe, but he could do nothing about it.

He snuck downstairs to his mother’s laptop and pulled up Google maps. He knew the intersection close to Sabrina, but not the specific house. He zoomed in and checked each backyard, not knowing exactly what he was looking for.

The light for the webcam came on.

One backyard caught his eye. Next to a carport was a van that looked remarkably similar to the shooter’s from the meadow.

The light for the webcam turned off.

PLANET Z

It’s amusing to see that political commentator guy on the news occasionally who had been caught jerking off on a department meeting over his WebCam. There are hundreds, if not, thousands of willing sycophants and blowhards that you can point a camera at and fill airtime between commercials and get people watching and snarling along, and yet they keep going back to these scumbags who have shamed themselves and exploited others. The ones that they’d be replaced with are just as vile, the only difference is that they’re far cheaper, need less makeup, and that they haven’t been caught yet.