The Bag Lady

Just an ordinary dwelling

Small, not compelling

But if you decided to walk by

Certain oddities would catch your eye

The windows were covered by curtains hung low

Holey and shredded, by what you don’t know

They say an old lady lived there alone

No friends, no tv and certainly no phone

But at night you could hear lots of yowls

It became known as the house of howls.

No visitors were ever seen

And no mice were ever keen

On attempting to enter that house, ever

Afraid that cats their throats would sever.

😾😾😾

http://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com/2018/10/01/october-writing-prompts-2/

Chilly Willy here Friday and windy too. The sun is shining and that makes all the difference. Flu shot and grocery shopping in order, neither a thrill a minute.😳 But y’all have a nice weekend, ya heah?

Precious only brings one thing immediately to mind and it’s perfectly October ghoulishness:

http://lindaghill.com/2018/10/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-13-18/

“One for sorrow, two for mirth.” He always said that as he handed out the coins. No one expected anything else. Everyone working for the old miser never thought anything of it as they received their meager pay.

Mister Pennypincher knew he had them right under his thumb and only paid the minimum, in return for whatever he deemed maximum output. The mine had operated this way for over forty years and was the only means of income for the nearby village. Every Saturday after another ten or more hours of labor, the men would line up waiting for him to pull out his purse.

Blackened, dusty and breathing hard, the miners received their coins quietly. No one dared to ask for anything else, as Mr. Pennypincher didn’t take a liking to dissenters. He pulled out the money box from under the wooden table to set up these paydays and never conversed or smiled at the lineup of men. He thought himself clever in his words as he doled out the coins, saying that phrase each time.

The two for mirth was almost laughable in itself, as the total amount was always used for the necessities and each man had no time for mirth. The only mirth they could manage was knowing their family would be fed another week.

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/first-line-friday-october-11th-2018/

Image: https://www.easyglasssplashbacks.co.uk/pricing/starry-sky

🌟🌟🌟

Imagine a day on a freezing fjord

Or on the edge of a deep mountain gorge

An ice cold lake with a mountain backdrop

Warm sandy beach on which you just flop

A jungle excursion with plants galore

Or a desert venue with cactuses and more.

Beauty abides in this world as a dweller

But the sky above is truly stellar.

http://cyranny.com/2018/10/11/stellar-word-of-the-day-challenge/

It was an ordinary day, ordinary life for two ordinary people who happened to be married for an ordinary thirty years. Such was the life of Mr. and Mrs. Jones, at Number 123, in Smithville, USA. Thirty years of hard worked jobs, three well loved, but too spoiled children, and a modest home that was just getting by as it was also thirty years old.

These two people fell in love at the naive age of twenty. Both had hopes and dreams back then, only to see their wants and needs become crushed by the everyday absurdity of ordinary life. Never being able to take a vacation or spend time with each other as a couple, since children arrived shortly after their union, they relied on those children to keep them together.

In doing this, their own lives as a pair diminished and after thirty years of spending anything extra on their children and their education, the couple found themselves alone to face their now empty lives. The twenty year old dreams were now dim desires of the past.

October Writing Prompts

A very small town in Vermont where I grew up had a few places we were not supposed to go, but as a teenager I thought I was actually in one. I used to babysit when asked. On yes, a dark and stormy night, I went to sit with a baby that was already asleep, so no problem, right?

Before the parents left, they put on a record, LP, of some horrible creepy music they apparently thought I should listen to. Maybe it was a lullaby for the baby to remain asleep, I had no idea. As soon as they left I turned it off. I looked around the living room as this home was new to me. There was a baby grand type piano, old. It was strewn with books, record albums, papers, etc and the whole room was quite dark.

The thunderstorm outside was getting louder. To keep myself busy, I went into the kitchen to wash up the supper dishes. It was at this time I was joined by a cat, jumping on the kitchen shelf next to me. Reaching out to pet her, she jumped back down. Coming from a dairy farm, we had plenty of cats, lots of strays left on our drive, so I was used to any type of behavior from them.

As the storm grew louder, there was banging on the door. I wasn’t about to answer since I was in a strange house and had the baby. The cat yowled and the whole atmosphere was getting creepier. I had just finished the dishes when a louder bang was heard and jumping through the door, literally knocking it down, was a huge dog. I barely had time to think, as the dog burst in, and it proceeded to chase the cat.

When I say chase, the dog and cat leapt on the piano, couch, table, all in a huge frenzy. I was trying to get the door back up in place since rain was coming in, so left the pets on their own. The cat must have found a hiding place because the dog gave up and joined me at the broken door, seemingly friendly, I grabbed his collar and put him in the back yard. I never saw the cat again.

Needless to say, I was paid well as when they returned, saw I had cleaned the kitchen and tried to fix the door. They apologized for the dogs escape and intrusion, but I never went back.

https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2018/10/11/daily-writing-challenge-11/

An activity at a retreat causes concern for those below.

https://rugby843.blog

An open door, where would I want to be on the other side?

Of course with you, my love.

Since you stepped through, I sorely miss you.

If you are truly on the other side, I will come.

Though I walk through unknowing, I will search for you.

I promise to keep on, through whatever there is, to find you.

Would I hope there would be beauty and life beyond the now? Yes.

Will you wait and hope to see me too? I believe yes.

I am sure we will meet again.

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/10/11/tale-weaver-192-an-open-door-october-11th/

Deciding to take the boat out on his own, Jack didn’t realize what was in store. His dad told him never to do it, and there were reasons for that. Reason one, it was an old rickety boat and needed repairs. Reason two, Jack wasn’t a great swimmer at thirteen years old, but thought he was too cool for lessons.

Jack snuck out after dinner and rowed out quite a distance. As the clouds gathered and rain poured down, he lost his bearings. The old wood soaked it up quickly and holes needing filled provided the rest of Jack’s demise.

100 Word Wednesday: Week 92

Finish the Story – October #1

OCTOBER 10, 2018

THE HAUNTED WORDSMITH

The Smallest Acorn

Alice loved collecting acorns and chestnuts with her grandfather. They would spend hour after hour walking through the woods beyond their old log cabin collecting and talking about this, that, and nothing in particular. Even though she was only twelve years old, Alice understood time with her grandparents was getting short. She overheard her mother crying one night and telling her father that it had come back. Alice didn’t know what it was that came back, but she was happy when her mother asked if she wanted to visit her grandparents.

On this particular trip through the woods, her grandfather led her down a new trail rather than their usual one that went down by the lake. It didn’t take her long to figure out why. The entire trail was lined with oak trees as tall and as thick as she had ever seen.

“These trees been here as long as I have,” her grandfather said, sitting on a fallen log to catch his breath.

“They’re wonderful,” Alice said, looking at all the colors that blanketed the clear, blue sky.

Alice started looking around along the ground for more acorns while her grandfather began telling her a story about these woods. She was really only half listening, but when the words magic, healing, and acorn reached her ears, she stopped and started listening. However, it didn’t take her very long to become distracted by the smallest acorn she had ever seen.

This acorn was perfect in every way, except it was only a third the size of a normal acorn. When she picked it up, it felt electric. As if some energy flowed out of the acorn and up her arm. It tickled and made her giggle.

“Whatcha giggling about,” her grandfather asked.

“This little acorn,” she said, holding it up so he could see it.

Her grandfather began to shake with joy. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the …

(part 2:) the exact acorn he hoped she would find. He knew she wasn’t listening all that carefully, but finding that particular acorn was the goal. The longstanding oaks surrounding them seemed all at once closer to him. Alice didn’t seem to notice the oaks were closer, almost sheltering them both. She handed the acorn to her grandfather. He closed it in his hand and his smile grew big.

Alice noticed a change in him, it had been a while since she saw that broad smile he used to have when they played together. “Did it make your fingers tingle, grandfather?” She looked more closely at him.

“Yes, my child. Your finding this littlest acorn is the best thing!” He looked around him and up at the trees.

Part 3 – I challenge Fandango, at fivedotoh.com

https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/finish-the-story-october-1/