Friday Fictioneers

by rugby843, posted in Uncategorized
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“Interesting, isn’t it?” The museum curator asked a board member of the Hallcraft Museum. The Hallcraft was known for its dive into the extraordinary, unusual, often incredible items to display. It was popular because of that, and membership and attendance soared after every new item was displayed. “See how it seems like an endless curl, never able to see where it begins or ends? I must warn you, however, do not get too close or stare too long. It has an almost hypnotic effect. I must add that I think I saw it moving by itself. The visitor stepped away.

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30 August 2024

Benji

by rugby843, posted in Uncategorized
Bob was sitting on the couch, eating potato chips and watching some TV. Then the doorbell rang. He opened the door and there stood a huge black male Great Dane. The dog wanted to come in. “Hey buddy, what’s up? Are you lost? That’s an old collar you have on, mind if I take a look?” Bob approached the dog from the side slowly and Benji nosed his hand. After they greeted each other, Benji came into the house. Bob looked at the collar, no name, but a phone number. He called and a woman answered. “Hello, this is Marie”. “

“Hi, my name is Bob and a dog just came up to my door, is he yours?” The woman started to cry and explained the dog’s name was Benji and belonged to her dad who just passed away. Bob said his condolences, but then asked why the dog came to him. “I swear he rang the doorbell!”
The woman sighed and said, “yes, he’s a very smart dog.”
“Well I could bring him back to you, where do you live?”
“Oh no” she said, “I couldn’t take him, I live in a condo, doesn’t allow pets”.

Bob thought maybe this was fate, he had been so lonely…maybe Benji would be a great companion. He looked into those pleading dark brown eyes and fell in love. “Okay, I’ll take him. Is there anything I need to know? Has he had all his shots and everything?”
“Oh yes my dad was very protective of Benji and he of my dad.”
“Alright then, I’ll take good care of him too.” That night Bob settled a big blanket by his bed and told Benji to hop in. He did. Around midnight Bob was woken by a soft murmur. He looked down to see the figure of an old man squatting down petting Benji. Bob sat up quickly and said, “who are you? What’s going on?”
The fading image of the man stood up and replied, “I’m just telling him goodbye and he is home now.”

***

A new shot at my writing prompt.

Texas AG Paxton’s Raids

by rugby843, posted in Uncategorized

“Lidia Martinez, an 87-year-old activist and LULAC member who has long helped to register voters, told reporters at Monday’s news conference that armed officers with Paxton’s office showed up to her home at the break of dawn August 20 with a search warrant. She said they told her the search was related to fraud and questioned her for three hours. She said they also made her stand outside in her front yard, still in her nightgown.”

“Paxton has been accused of using intimidation tactics before.”

“He took up the voter fraud cause after President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, filing a federal lawsuit to overturn the results in four key swing states. The US Supreme Court threw that suit out and the State Bar of Texas sued Paxton in 2022 for misrepresenting claims of substantial voter fraud.”

“Earlier this year, Paxton took aim at an El Paso nonprofit that helps migrants, accusing it of facilitating illegal entry to the United States, alien harboring and human smuggling, before a judge halted his efforts to “run roughshod” over the group “without regard to due process or fair play,” the judge’s decision said.”

“He’s pursued the medical records of transgender youth – including those that some say are protected by patient privacy laws – seeking gender affirming care at out of state clinics.”

“And under the state’s strict abortion ban, he publicly named both a patient seeking an abortion and her doctor in an open letter threatening potential first degree felony prosecutions and civil penalties of $100,000.”

This is the tip of a very large iceberg.

https://rugby843.blog

The Writer’s Workshop

by rugby843, posted in Uncategorized
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Here are the prompts for this week’s Writer’s Workshop:


Write a post based on the word request.
Write a post in exactly 14 sentences.
Do you believe in destiny, or do you believe that life’s outcome is strictly the result of choice and circumstance? What experiences or evidence has led you to your position on fate versus free will?
Do you read memoir, biographies, or reference books? Which ones are your favorites and what do you get out of them? 
Write about a time when you wanted to escape or run.
Write a critical review of your favorite television show.

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I chose number 5: I enjoy reading memoirs or personal accounts of military personnel very much. Always being safe at home, I want to know what these people went through, and feel so much respect and even awe at their experiences. I also like military fictional accounts and stories. I’ve read many autobiographies and other biographies, some military but also historical figures and more, all just trying to be in their shoes for a bit and learn what they were thinking. One of my favorites was surprising, the book, “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah. This memoir was a learning experience. I liked his YouTube videos, but he is a fascinating man and the audio version of his book was very enjoyable.

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Writer’s Workshop Prompts for August 29, 2024