Day: September 12, 2018

3TC — Bad Idea

Fandango7 Comments

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“So what takeaway do you have after this,” Brian’s mother said as she sat with him in the bathroom while he was kneeling over the toilet bowl. She held a cool washcloth across his forehead with one hand as she rubbed his back sympathetically with the other.

Brian took a deep breath as he tried to control the spasms in his belly. “I learned that you were right, Mom,” he said, “when you told me that ordering a pizza with potatoes and pancetta on it was a bad idea.”

And then Brian threw up once again.

Written for Teresa’s Three Things Challenge, where the theee things are takeaway, potatoes, and pizza.

#100WW — Take One, Leave One

Fandango9 Comments

4A5DFF10-BE88-4A99-8005-DFA4B8BE2C5AThe public library decided to put bookshelves at several strategic spots around town. The idea was to promote reading by having a “take a book, leave a book” concept. Citizens were encouraged to take a book for free, but to replace it with another book that they had already read. That way, there would be an endless supply of books for the locals to read.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” one member of the library committee said. Unfortunatley, within a few weeks, the bookshelves were empty. Apparently “take a book” worked better than “leave a book.”

(100 words)

Written for Bikurgurl’s 100 Word Wednesday prompt.

Not In Front of the Boy

Fandango11 Comments

0499032C-702B-4E01-9EAC-C35A4F41EF2B“He looks like he’s having a truly rip-roaring good time along the riverbank,” Danny’s father said.

“I don’t know,” Danny’s mother commented. “I think his behavior is a bit erratic, don’t you?”

“Maybe it’s time to ask his doctor to re-formulate Danny’s meds,” his father said.

“Maybe he’s acting that way because you let him feast on all those sweets at lunch,” his mother said.

“Sometimes the things you say are incredible,” Danny’s father said angrily. “Do you really think having two helpings of pie would contribute to his being just a bit hyper?”

“He has special needs and we need to be vigilant and monitor what he eats, especially with the medications he’s taking,” she said.

“Danny!” his father, looking toward the river, called out. His wife looked up and realized in horror that their son was no longer in sight. They both ran down to the riverbank, but Danny was not there. They began shouting his name.

After a few moments, Danny came out from behind a large tree. Tears were running down his cheeks. “Oh Danny, you scared us,” his mother said, hugging him tightly. “Why are you crying, sweetie?”

“Because you and Daddy are always fighting about me,” Danny said.

“Do you see what happens when he has too many sweets, you asshole?” his mother yelled at his father.

“Not in front of the boy, Denise,” his father said.

Written for the following one-word prompts: Word of the Day Challenge (riparian), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (erratic), Scotts Daily Prompt (formulate), Ragtag Daily Prompt (formulate), Your Daily Word Prompt (incredible), Daily Addictions (contribute).

Note: I realize that the Word of the Day Challenge is “riparian.” That’s a word I’d never ever heard (and I think I have a decent vocabulary). It’s also a word I’d be very unlikely to ever use in a conversation or in a flash fiction post. So I substituted the word “rip-roaring” in its place. It almost rhymes, right?

One-Liner Wednesday — Dogs and Fleas

Fandango15 Comments

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“He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas.”

Benjamin Franklin

It is generally agreed that Benjamin Franklin was not literally talking about dogs and fleas. At least I hope he wasn’t. Our dog often sleeps in our bed. So far, we don’t have fleas, but that may be because we treat our dog (and cat) with regular monthly doses of Frontline Plus flea and tick control, which didn’t exist in Ben Franklin’s day.7604A63C-68BB-4E05-B430-5B077EFA0EAFBut I digress. Ben Franklin’s quote is actually a metaphor meaning that one should be cautious about the company he or she keeps.

And this makes me wonder if the people who work with or for Donald Trump understand that one day they, too, will be known by the company they keep. For those who associate with someone with a bad reputation, such as Trump, that association will ultimately lead to their own reputations being sullied.

But as wise, old Ben Franklin said, if you lie down with dogs, you’ll wake up with fleas.

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.

FOWC with Fandango — Erratic

Fandango29 Comments

FOWCWelcome to September 12, 2018 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 “erratic.”

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.