MLMM First Line Friday 9-14-18

Spider silk clung at the doors, over the windows, and over everything she had left behind. Tears came rushing as he entered the room. How long had it been since he watched her there in the light? He always tried to stay out of the way when she was painting. He removed some webs from the easel. The dried oils were still splayed out on the wood. No one must have been in here since she left.

As he looked around the studio he remembered when they first came here, looking for a home, wanting enough space for her art room. They walked up the stairs and entered this room, not much different than it is now, but saw the high ceiling and pulled open the heavy drapes. The light burst in and she looked at him with a please? in her eyes. They scraped together their savings and bought the house.

Every day she spent in the studio, creating works of art that became extremely popular. It was perfection, he writing, her painting. In the evening they would meet in front of the fireplace and snack on bread and cheese.

He was a war correspondent but had come to settle in to writing his own short stories which was profitable. This life was disrupted when he was called away on an assignment for the paper. He thought he would only be gone a few weeks at the most, but it proved more lengthy and dangerous than they thought.

She was a creative soul with a wild imagination. She tried to concentrate on her painting, but the popular visions that were adored now turned into morose works of war and destruction. She grew weary, depressed and failed to eat properly. Her health diminishing, her doctor suggested she write her husband and tell him of her condition.

Her patronage was not accepting the changes and she grew despondent from loneliness. She thought if she could just see him she might get the inspiration she once had and her life would improve. After several letters back and forth she was to meet him at the Naval Base at Lakehurst Field.

She was on the ground, watching as the Hindenburg was about to land. As it burst into flame, thinking he was killed in the explosion, she had a heart attack and died. Her death was not reported as a casualty of the disaster even though it certainly was.

He was unable to get this fateful flight because at the last moment he was not allowed to board, but she would never know this. After he found out what happened, he finally forced himself go back to their home.

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/09/14/first-line-friday-september-14th-2018/

SoCS 9-15-18

To post or not to post, that is a question. Unfortunately for my followers, they never have to worry for a second that I have nothing to post about. You could take that as meaning my life is bursting with activity to write about. That is not the case.

However I may be a bit busier in the coming weeks. I just received notice my rent is increasing which already takes half my income. So I am looking for a job. I’ve been searching for cheaper housing which seems to be filled at the moment. When all you want is a studio or one bedroom you would think it would be easy. Then you add in wheelchair access and you might as well be looking for the Taj Mahal! But then, I probably couldn’t roll into that place either.

🕌🕌🕌🕌 ➡️🏕👀⬅️✔️

http://lindaghill.com/2018/09/14/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-15-18/

Three Line Tales #137

“Come on, give it a chance!” Joe pleaded, wanting Mary to see this house, barely standing on its base. Joe was gung-ho about being a fixerupper on a cable television show. He thought this old wreck would be a fantastic way to impress the producers of “Ten Ways to Lose All Your Money and Get a Divorce”

Joe had heard the chatter, read the Google stories and researched YouTube videos to see exactly how these fixerupper shows worked. He needed money, had basic carpentry skills and thought this would be the solution.

The only thing needing fixing was Joe’s vision.

🚶🏼🚶🏼🚶🏼

http://only100words.xyz/2018/09/13/three-line-tales-week-137/

Putting My Feet in the Dirt September 13 and 14 2018

It was forever repeated as the mystery of Milmomyville because the locals thought that title would bring in more tourists. Heaven knows they needed something to infuse their coffers.

It had been another woeful season for the crops and millers were at their lowest point. The onslaught of headlines declaring wheat products were no longer beneficial and the new “no wheat, low carb” diets were causing the local farmers distress.

In a town meeting newcomer Jules Higgenbotom came up with the idea of changing their income from wheat bearing to fantasy fiction followers. Jules’ idea was magnificent. Being an avid fantasy reader, he realized the new surge in this particular readership could be a solution.

The town as a whole decided to take action to set up the mystery. It was decided there would be contests and costumes every summer. The townspeople were all asked to participate. Then Jules decided there should be a story behind a specific object and he came up with a “violet stone”. The idea was to have the stone, a fake amethyst of course, be the ultimate prize. The stone would hold the mystery and the quest would be to find the stone.

All was well received and the town began preparations for the events. There was a small altercation when older members discussed the validity of having a fake stone as a prize, and wanted to procure a genuine amethyst. Deciding an amethyst was much less expensive than an actual gem stone, the purchase was made. The next problem was where to keep it.

Of course everyone wanted to store it themselves and it was finally decided to keep it hidden from all but one, Jules. Jules was not your average wheat farmer. With his vast knowledge of the fantasy genre, he manufactured an intriguing story for the mystery.

As soon as the festival and mystery was successful, Jules was preparing an adventure for himself. He secretly packed his belongings and hid them along with the violet stone and profits from the mystery festivities.

The final night came where the quest was completed and the prize was awarded in a ceremony. The next morning the town was gathering for cleanup activities and the subsequent meeting to find out the amount of their profits. Jules was missing at the cleanup but they were not worried, assumed he was busily filling out the official reports.

The real mystery of Milmomyville was how the town was fooled by Jules’ scam.

***

September Writing Prompts

FFftPP #37

“What do you make of this?” Mr. Johnson was driving by with his wife on a Saturday afternoon, and spotted this unusual sight. Every Saturday they travelled the same route to market to sell their apples. The orchard was a profitable business and the season almost over. “I don’t see Smith anywhere. I wonder if he’s okay”.

Mr. Smith was definitely not okay. Late yesterday afternoon he was gathering up pumpkins for the market when he was surprised by a lightning bolt. He thought that unusual since there were no clouds, thunder or rain. He looked around and his pumpkins were being moved around by the same lightning. Fearing the afternoon heat had influenced his mind, he went to sit in the cab of his truck.

As he opened the door, he saw pumpkins had filled the cab. He turned to look up at the light source and was drawn into it, pulled up and never seen again.

It seems after careful investigation by the FBI experts in the UFO division, that Mr. Smith was a victim of “Incidents Planetary”. Apparently other planets in our galaxy were harvesting pumpkins and pumpkin farmers to boost their own lacking nutritional fares.

***

199 words

🎃

https://flashfictionforthepracticalpractitioner.wordpress.com/2018/09/12/flash-fiction-for-the-purposeful-practitioner-2018-week-37/

Word of the Day: Peddler

Shoo, shoo, go away

Take your wares, leave this day

Hearts on your wagon

Love you sell

How’s your business, doing well?

How many promises have you sold

To the young or even old

Dreamers, I see them there

Selling to those new, unaware

Peddler, leave them all alone

Broken hearts don’t heal like bone.

***

Peddler – Word of the Day Challenge