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Cut To Perfection – Friday Fictioneers

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It is officially Thursday as of 18 minutes ago.  Hey, what’s a girl to do when she works a 12+ hour shift and gets home at 11 pm?  I had been thinking of this wonderful picture by J.Hardy Carroll and trying to come up with something.  I dunno why, but my drive home gave me an a-ha moment so, voilà.

Thank you to Rochelle for hosting our weekly gathering of fellow fiction writers.  I so love how it challenges me to try to come up with something original.  Sometimes I succeed, sometimes, not so much.  However, we keep coming back week after week, don’t we?  Oh?  You don’t yet?  Well, what are you waiting for?  100 words, beginning, middle and end.  Full story.  It’s a challenge, that’s for sure!  If you do want to try, just click on the blue frog below and add your link to your blog.  Easy-peasy.  Not sure what else needs to be done?  Just click on Rochelle‘s name and follow the rules and regs!

©J.Hardy Carroll

 

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Cut to Perfection

Bit by bit you cut away at me.  I don’t really notice it at first:  a chisel here, a cut there, nothing significant.  I’m flattered you care enough to better me.  Over time, more cuts, more changes, all in the name of making me perfect, you say. I protest.  You dismiss my concerns as nonsense.

You say I have a great base to work with as my frame is good but just needs some improvements to make the whole me that much prettier.  “Just think beautiful cut-out objets d’art!”

Outside, I look good.  All that was me has been discarded.

 

 

 

 

 

Joie de Vivre – Friday Fictioneers

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Good Wednesday morning!  Is it as HAWT and HUMID in your neck of the woods?  Lord love a duck… I know, I know… enough about the weather.  Still…  While thanking my lucky stars I have air conditioning and a pool (not that anyone but me wants to venture outside to use it…) I cannot help but feel for those who are melting away in their hot domiciles without it.

Oh!  And to all my American friends, Happy Independence Day!  Enjoy and stay safe!

Thanks as always to Rochelle for hosting this here party weekly (even when she has a houseful of guests!)  And thank you to J. Hardy Carroll for the use of his photo.

Come on, what do you see when you look at the picture?  Does a story come to mind?  Then by all means share it by clicking on the blue frog below!

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Joie de Vivre

Some people just can’t be contained.  Life throws them curve balls that would leave others rolled up in a ball crying on the bathroom floor.

Blair was such a guy.

He believed that life was an adventure filled with wonderful things.  Life was good and what you made of it was your choice.  You could focus on the negative, and no one was exempt, or focus on the good.

“One person’s lost leg is another person’s lost child is another person’s lost puppy,” he’d say. “No one can judge that one person’s pain is worth more than another’s.

“Let’s dance!”

 

 

 

Seeing Things Clearly – What Pegman Saw

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Good Monday, my peeps!  Was “oot and aboot” on Friday and Saturday (as you may know if you read my post…) and yesterday was working the crazy Father’s Day supper at the club.  I hurt. Everywhere.  This schlepping of tables and chairs and stuff… As a result, I’m a tad late in participating in this week’s Pegman (having missed the last two!)

Kept things light this week…  Thanks to both Josh and Karen for hosting this weekly special.

This week Pegman takes us to Taşlıçay, Ağrı, Turkey. You’re welcome to Karen’s street view and photo spheres anywhere within its borders to write your story. The Pegman challenge is to write 150 words or less inspired by the prompt.

Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!

©Vera Haber

Seeing Things Clearly

Scuba diving was their thing, their passion.  It was the reason their relationship still held after all these years.  Whenever they had differences, they would suit up and dive in, letting the water wash away any possible resentments, the bubbles from their tanks capturing all negativity and bringing them up to the surface where they would pop and disperse.

Twenty years into their relationship, they had visited countless masses of water, seen unimaginable species of fauna and flora.

“Hey, wanna try Balik Lake in Turkey?  I know we usually go for salt water, but this one is super clear, 70 metres at its deepest and 2250 metres above sea level.  Would definitely be something new.”

“We’re gonna freeze our buns off!”

“Nah, we’ll go in summer – though the option does exist to dive under the ice.  Wouldn’t that be cool?”

“Cool, eh?  Funny girl.” He gave her a big kiss. “Let’s go!”

 

 

Flee – What Pegman Saw

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This week Pegman takes us to Armenia. You are welcome to use the photo provided in the prompt, or chose from among many photo spheres from across the country.

Will you dig into Armenia’s rich history? Delve into its present? Imagine its future? Or will you conjure your own alternate reality? The only rule is to keep your story, poem, or essay under 150 words.

Once  your piece is polished, share it with others using the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others work is part of the fun!

Thank you to Karen and Josh for hosting this weekly party.

Having Armenian friends, I allowed myself to use a mix-up of their names for authenticity as well as using part of their history to create mine.  Though born in Lebanon, they will always say they are Armenians, then Lebanese… and finally Canadian!

Click on the blue frog to add your link and join in the fun!

Early April, 1915, Kevork and Siran gathered their children.

“Sebouh, Houri, we must leave as soon as it is dark.  It is no longer safe here.”

“But why, Baba?  What have we done?”

“Nothing, my sweet.  War has come to our land and the Ottoman Empire has chosen to destroy us.”

“We’re lucky that it has not reached us here, yet,” Mama added.  “We have a chance to escape this massacre.”

“I still don’t understand why,” Sebouh cried.

“Son, there are no explanations to justify destroying a people.  Men become crazed with power, believing their religion is the only one and others should not exist.  Dominance becomes their religion.

Houri frowned, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand this.”

They packed what they could carry and left, eventually making it to Lebanon to start anew.

Two generations later, civil war erupted and the Arakelian family found itself once more fleeing for safety.

What’s In a Name? – What Pegman Saw

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This week Pegman takes us to Gwynedd, Wales. This week’s location was suggested by regular Pegman storyteller Alicia Jamtaas. Be sure to visit her site and enjoy her flash fiction and poetry over at https://lishwriter.wordpress.com/   Thanks for the great suggestion, Lish!

Your mission is to visit the region via Google Maps, and write (up to) 150 words inspired by the prompt. You can use the photo above, or browse around for your own view anywhere in Gwynedd. There are plenty of photo spheres around Caernarfon Castle, and both street view and photo spheres all over Gwynedd.

Once your piece is polished, you can share it with others using the linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!

I, on the other hand, totally did NOT go to Gwynedd… Because Karen and Josh are not mean and allow us to stray… And because once an idea planted… I could not unplant it.  I am submitting this quickly before work so will be reading the other participants’ versions later this evening.  Hope you enjoy my silly attempt!

What’s in a Name?

Honestly, I know nothing about Wales.  Well, wait a minute, I do know Richard Burton, Tom Jones and Catherine Zeta-Jones come from there.

You DO know that it is part of the United Kingdom, right?

WEll duh!  I know that much.  That, and they have that ridiculously long town name.  What up with that?

You mean:  Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooll-llandus-ilio-gogo-goch)?

Are you kidding me?  You can actually pronouce it?  Why, oh why would they do such a thing? And what the hell does it mean?

It roughly translates to:  “St Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the Red Cave”.  And it was a publicity stunt in the 1860’s

Kinda silly if you ask me.

Don’t worry, though, it goes by the name Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.

Like that’s any easier to pronounce.  You know this, how?

I Saw it on PBS!

Temujin – What Pegman Saw

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Good Sunday night, my peeps.  Between cleaning house, attending 50th birthday parties, opening my house to potential buyers, I have started and re-started this Pegman Post.  I’d leave a few lines, come back…  Nope, have no idea where I was going with this.  Start over, leave again…  This is what you get.  A quickie history lesson!  Thanks, always, to Karen and Josh for hosting this lovely prompt!

This week Pegman goes to the Great Wall of China. Feel free to choose from photospheres you find anywhere along it’s length. This link will get you started, or you can venture off on your own. No need to stay with your tour group on Pegman tours 😉

Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by your tour of the location. You’re welcome to write fiction, essay, poetry, or anything you choose. Once your 150 words is polished, you can share it with other Pegman contributors at the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!

Temujin

Born to poverty, Temujin survived kidnappings, abandonment by his tribe, murder. and yet became the fiercest of warriors and a natural-born leader.

He put strong allies in positions of power instead of family, ignoring tradition. He granted religious freedom, abolished torture, encouraged trade, created an international postal system, abolished inherited aristocratic titles, forbade the selling and kidnapping of women yet caused terror wherever he went.

Temujin grew his army – up to one million soldiers – by killing the leaders of the enemy tribes and incorporating the remaining members. He used those not expert enough with horse and bow as human shields. The Mongolian empire expanded to over 11 million square miles, including parts of China, breaching the Great Wall as none other had ever succeeded in doing, not once but many times.

And yet, Genghis Khan, proclaimed Universal Leader, was no Superman. Thrown from his horse, he died of internal injuries.

 

 

Return to Botswana – What Pegman Saw

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I was totally unsatisfied with my story so did a little re-write – For those of you who did not read it before, the comments may make less sense!

*****

I was going to say, Good Monday Evening… but it’s already past midnight so, officially Tuesday here in my neck of the woods.  I’ve been trying to write this little story since Saturday morning but kept changing it and then life got in the way.   So, I hope you don’t mind my very late entry (again) this week!

This week Pegman takes us deep in the heart of Southern Africa, to Botswana. You’ll find both streetview and photospheres within its borders. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write a 150-word story, poem, essay, article, screenplay, song, or limerick. Bonus points if you can write a 150-word haiku.

Feel free to wander within the borders of Botswana and chose your own slice of inspiration. Or, you can use the photo provided with the prompt.

NOTE: In putting together this post, I wound up browsing the photospheres in the safari country in Northern Botswana. I saw amazing things I’ve never seen anywhere else. So what I’m trying to tell you is the intrepid searcher will be rewarded by poking around up here. It’s a treasure chest of inspiration.

Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun.

All are welcome! Please consider joining this international group of globe-trotting writers.

Return to Botswana

“We’re moving back to Botswana,” Munira told me.

“Why?  We were just starting to get to know each other.  What about the kids?”

“They are staying behind.  They are all in college or university.  They don’t want to be uprooted and neither do I.”

After twenty-five years of living in Canada, her husband felt he needed to return to his home, to his family.  Munira didn’t want to go and leaving her kids behind was pure torture but as a good wife…

“Don’t worry, my friend.  We are here if they need us.  For anything.  Put your worries aside.”

“I know.  It’s one of the only reasons I can allow myself to be dragged away.”

“It’s probably best if you do leave.  I think I may have ended up being a bad influence on you,” I said with a wink.

“Shoot!  That’s an extra reason to not want to leave…”

 

Mistaken Identity – What Pegman Saw

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Good Saturday, my Peeps! What does Saturday mean? Well, if I’m inspired – and I try to be – it’s What Pegman Saw time! Thank you always to Karen and Josh for hosting this. It’s fun to have an extra 50 words for a prompt – and to be able to choose our picture!

This week Pegman is in Billinudgel, New South Wales, Australia. Here you’ll find streetview, or a whole deck of 360 photospheres to chose from. So, take a look around. Maybe you want to enjoy some fresh oysters and kick back with a pint while you’re here.

The Pegman challenge is to write 150 words inspired by the location. Once you’ve created your story/poem/essay, share it with others at the linkup below.

Mistaken Identity

He looked around The Shed with satisfaction. He was quite pleased with all he had accomplished in such a short time. New country, new business, new identity. Life was grand indeed.

“Excuse me, Sir, you the owner?”

“Sure am. What can I do you for?”

“I’m Detective McGraw, from.Canada. Looking for a guy who goes named Stan Simpson.”

“Really? Weird. Never been there. Too bloody cold. My name is Fred Frampton.”

“You sure? You’re a dead ringer!”

“They say we each have our doppelgänger out there. Guess you met mine. Now, would you like to see the menu?”

“Nope… I’d like to see your I.D. I’m not convinced you’re not the guy I’ve been searching the globe for.”

Reaching for his wallet, he asked, “So what’d he do?”

“Killed a cop while robbing a bank.”

“Whoa!” Fred looked McGraw right in the eye. “Here. You see? I’m not him.”

Rage – What Pegman Saw

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I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sneak this Pegman in today, it being Easter and all.  Plus, my son’s birthday yesterday and my niece’s birthday last Saturday means my part of the Easter dinner is two birthday cakes!  One is freezing (key lime pie) and one is baking, so here I am… Thank you, always, to Karen and Josh for hosting this party.

This week Pegman takes us to Nigeria. Feel free to use the location chosen or chose from one of the many photo spheres available throughout the country of Nigeria. if you drift over to Lagos along the southwest shore, you’ll also be able to take a streetview.

The Pegman challenge is to write 150 words inspired by this week’s location. Will it be historical fiction? Fantasy? Contemporary? Or does the location bring out your poetry muse? It’s up to you. When your piece is polished, please share a link to it at the linkup below:

Rage

Divorce is a bitch.  One of the parents has to leave the family nest and, depending on the ages of the children, they get schlepped from one house to another.  In this case, it worked out.  His kids were old enough at the time to decide where to stay.  They chose their mom after he convinced them that she needed them more than he did.  Besides, he could see them whenever he/they wanted.  He was but a phonecall away.

Except he couldn’t be there to protect them.

When Mom got a new boyfriend,  all seemed fine.  Until this guy waited till she went for a shower, to sneak into the daughter’s room.

Luckily the daughter’s scream was enought to fend him off.

The boyfriend was forever banned.

That didn’t stop the rage of emotions from flowing over him at the thought of anyone touching his baby girl without her permission.

Idyll – What Pegman Saw

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Good evening (or morning, depending on where on the globe you be) my Readers.   Pegman leaders Karen and Josh were busy basking in the sun last week and left us to our own devices for a week but are now back with a new challenge.  Thank you both for your efforts.

This week Pegman takes us to Yellowstone National Park in the US. You’ll find both streetview and photo spheres to inspire you. Choose any place within Yellowstone and write 150 words inspired by it. Once your piece is polished, you can share it with others at the link up below:

Idyll

Giselle felt the warmth of the sun through the roof of the tent.  She smiled dreamily as she reminisced on the previous night’s passions.

“You’re so beautiful when you smile like that, Gi.”

“You know, Dany, you saved me and gave me back my smile.”

“And I’ll make sure you never lose it again.  Wasn’t last night’s concert great?  The drum of the falls, the pop and fizz of the geysers…”

“Oh you!  Everything turns to music with you.”

“True dat!   I am a musician, after all.  Check this out…”  He slid the zipper of the tent.  Tzzzzzzzzip.

They laughed and together opened the tent flap, quickly falling silent as they saw the deer grazing right in front of them.

“Could this trip get any better?” whispered Giselle.

“It sure can.”  He nuzzled her neck, pulling her back inside.  “How about we take up where we left off last night?”