The Bag Lady

“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

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

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

Select fertile seeds

Handwritten labels in ink

Each mound a promise

Summer sun and evening rains

Complete in autumn harvest

Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 101, “Plan & Finish,” #SynonymsOnly

Marie walked by here often, hoping no one noticed her. Just an old woman perusing the sale of books. She wore no makeup, piled her hair in a bun and wore a large hat, and glasses, to disguise herself. She never wanted anyone to know what she was doing. Buying books was expensive and being an avid reader, she often passed by unnoticed here on the street.

Marie’s large empty bag was much heavier when she left. No one ever suspected she was the culprit who absconded with books each week. Arriving home once again, Marie settled in to read.

100 Word Wednesday: Week 88

https://rugby843.blog

“Let’s order pizza” he said with hope

“Get a delivery? I’m no dope.

Toppings are dry, and the crust is soggy

Isn’t fit to feed the doggy

Before you decide on a takeaway lunch

Check your cash, do you have a bunch?”

His son looked into his wallet bare

“Well? See any money there?”

Shaking his head he said sadly,

“No dad, but I’d like it, badly”.

“Since both of us have no dough

Throw in another baked potato”.

***

https://thehauntedwordsmith.wordpress.com/2018/09/12/three-things-challenge/

I went to war to avenge my brother’s death. But the only person I truly wanted to kill died 17 years ago.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/opinion/911-lessons-veteran.html

I think this is worth your time to read.

https://rugby843.blog

Sneaky and Cheeky

Two boys of ill fate

Decided to wander

Through an old locked gate

Not heeding the sign

“NO SOULS WITHIN!!”

Ignored it’s advice

And walked right in.

Now Sneaky was always up for a dare

And Cheeky’s mischief was beyond compare

As soon as they passed the warning sign

A sudden realization of their being inside “time”

They saw their lives fly by in days

Saw all their actions and horrid ways

Displayed in front of them like a book

They didn’t want to, but

forced to look

They couldn’t remember being so bad

Or the terrible lives they had

They turned to see the gate locked once more

How to escape as they ran ‘cross the floor

Black bony hands grabbed onto their cuffs

Yelling in unison, the boys cried “enough!”

It was then that Sneaky and Cheeky awoke

Changed their ways, of the dream never spoke

Now they’re good boys, kind and true

Perhaps this might be a warning to you?

September Writing Prompts

He had gizmos a plenty

Needing nothing or any

People or friends

Thought he’d be fine till life ends

That’s what he thought as he played with the dials

That’s what he thought till he noticed her smile

All of a sudden things mattered not

Finally he knew of what others’ talked

Seeing her smile, knew he was caught

Turned off his keyboards, his cords and his screens

Went to the girl, found out what life means.

September Writing Prompts

James was searching the hut again. It had to be here. They couldn’t survive without the magic of the Isinglass. Since his early age of two hundred years, the magic had kept them safe, even from the worst dangers of the land. James had to find it before his sister arrived. It was the only talisman that would protect them both from the evil Slithers.

Slithers were the snakelike beings that stayed in their tunnels until the Eve of Autumn. On this date every year, they would search the land looking for food in the form of the elfin tribe, to whom James and his sister belonged.

It had been this way since time began, thankfully only one night every twelve moons. The Elfins were prepared by each sharpening their Isinglass spears. These spears would vanish a slither back to their tunnel with one swift cut. The years since the Isinglass talisman was discovered, the slither population decreased. Future elfin tribes would not have this threat.

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http://secretkeeper.net/2018/09/10/weekly-writing-prompt-158/