Happy Birthday @ Small Stories and Stuff

Here I am again, late, very late to Saturday Centus. After missing last week altogether, I did catch up on all the posts from last week, so now I can write my own for this week and begin to read yours.

The rules are simple, but in case you’re new to Jenny Matlock’s brain child, just click on her name in the first paragraph to learn the rules. There is also a button on my sidebar that will take you to her,


This week’s prompt is, "He never dreamed when he blew out the candles on his cake..." After a lengthy shopping trip a few days ago, I am keenly tuned into the obesity in our population. More than half the people I encountered were significantly overweight and many held the hands of rotund kids. These people are killing themselves and creating a legacy of illness and early death for their children, and it worries me. So, forgive my rather moribund take on this prompt. The prompt is in bold italics.


He never dreamed when he blew out the candles on his cake that the room would grow dim, he would feel the weight on an elephant on his chest and collapse into his chair, sucking air and wondering if he where were dying.

“Call 911 and get him an aspirin,” his mother screeched in horror.

He opened his eyes to a circle of concerned faces, wishing he had the breath to tell them to back away and stop stealing his air.

Paramedics moved him to a stretcher, gave him some oxygen and carted him to the bus to stabilize him.

“How many candles on that cake?”

“26.”

“No pulse. Let’s get busy.”

Listening at Small Stories and Stuff

09/23/10

Listen. Now there’s a great prompt for Melissa’s “Six Word Friday’s” blog hop! I’ve been absent but with a good excuse - work with overtime. Things are settling down now, so I am back to try to catch up. I am so sorry to not have been able to read and comment on the wonderful posts that this exercise generates. I have some days off, just maybe I can once more become an interactive member of this group.

So, what is it that I
listen for on these first few
days of fall? The rustle of
leaves, the last chatter of my
summer Hummers as they, busy bulking
up for their winter migration, continue
to empty the feeder almost daily.
The anxious animated sounds of the
paws of my dogs as they
scramble into the morning cool, rushing
to pee so they can come
inside and crunch a treat then
hop again into my soft bed
for an extra hour or two
of sleep in the dreamy coolness
under our fan on these rare
mornings when work does not call.
Honey. Belle. Me. Happy. It’s good.

Grandpa Comes to Visit

Better late that never, as the old cliché goes. I’m late to Jenny Matlock’s Saturday Centus party, but I hope there’s a glass of wine for this tired nurse. This is my favorite meme because it challanges us to distill our words down, which makes them more powerful, gives them more density. Each week Jenny gives us a prompt, and from that prompt we are to write a 100 word story, not including the prompt itself. You will find the Saturday Centus button on my sidebar. Click on over and read some good stuff. (If you're not too late)!

This week’s prompt: it was a dark and stormy night

Here’s what I did with it. The prompt is in italics.




It was a dark and stormy night,
lightening flashing, thunder crashing,
windows rattling, our teeth chattering.
We hid under the bed, clutching
one another like life savers
my brother and I.

The front door flew open, banging
against the foyer wall. Wind swept
through the hall that bisected our
antebellum home just yards from
the rising river.

Afraid to come out of hiding
lest we be swept away by the
howling wind, we clung together
with new energy.

An eerie quiet fell on the
house. We stared into each other’s
eyes, sighing, palpably relieved

“Grandpa’s finally gone.
We can go out now.”

“You sure? I’m still scared.”

reflections lost

APOLOGIES TO EVERYONE WHO HAS LANDED ON THE RED SWEATER. MY BAD. NOW, I'VE MANAGED TO POST THIS LINK TWICE. TO COIN A PHRASE, WORK IS THE CURSE OF THE WRITING CLASS (SORRY)

10/06/10 - late again

work and labor day play have me late to the party once again - here is my contribution to six word fridays, written on tuesday. gad. i must do better.
you will find the url for this great meme/blog hop on my sideboard, so click away and come see what it's all about.


reflections lost

transform yourself if you will but
beware of finding a stranger in
the mirror one morning and wondering
where you went - was it the
new friends you sought to be
included on all the right lists?
was it the little work on your
face to erase the lines you
earned back when you were you
the real you, the one with
certainly of purpose and confidence in
who you were? where did I
go you will ask yourself as
you stare at the stranger in
the mirror, no one staring back.