A Poetic Panic
More than my ten fingers.
More than my ten toes.
Poetry has so many rules.
I think I’ll stick to prose.
Written for FanStory Contests.
A Poetic Panic
COLORADO MOON
COLORADO MOON
Jim Jones
Jared Delaney is now married to the love of his life, Eleanor Delaney- the former school teacher of Cimarron.
Jared has taken to the trail to Colorado to sell his beef cattle, hoping to cash in on a new venture that will saves the Kilpatrick ranch.
While away, a new gang of outlaws sneak into Cimarron and overtake the town and well as Jared’s ranch.
Another fun western read!
Written for The New York Times Best Sellers.
BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL
BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL
William W. Johnstone
A mad doctor, Dr. Jonas Trask- a former Army surgeon, has decided to hunt down Smoke Jensen.
This outlaw seems to be different from the other killers that often are in hunt of Smoke- this one wants Smoke alive?
Dr. Trask takes out the sheriff of Big Rock and controls the town.
It takes all the cunning of Smoke, Matt, and Preacher to try to win against the overflowing odds.
A great western read.
Written for The New York Times Best Sellers.
BOUND FOR MURDER
BOUND FOR MURDER
Victoria Gilbert
“Sunny” Fields, Amy Webber’s best friend, is running for the town’s mayor.
Worst of all luck happens and a skeleton is found on Sunny’s grandparents’’ farm. A skeleton, who according to the sheriff, had been murdered and buried there for many years.
Quite a downer for a political campaign.
Soon murders are piled on top of murders in this small town.
A fun read!
Written for The New York Times Best Sellers.
HELL’S HALF ACRE: COLD-BLOODED
HELL’S HALF ACRE: COLD-BLOODED
William W, Johnstone
Hell’s Half Arce has been invaded my a new, ‘revolutionary’ prisoner release. A local politician is looking to make a name for hiself by showing how to rehabilitate prisoners is by setting tehm free and assisting them to ‘change their ways’.
In the eyes of Sherrif Jess Carey, this is not working out for the town he is supposed to keep safe.
A fun (and insightful to present day happenings) read.
Written for The New York Times Best Sellers.
YOWZER
YOWZER
“Ma’am, is this your dog?”
Standing in front of me, with me clutching my bathrobe slightly more tightly than needed around myself, was a slender, pleasant-faced officer holding a sausage-linked, lackadaisical dog on a stout leather chain. As soon as Yowzer saw me, he started yodeling.
“Shush, Yowzer,” I said immediately, kneeling to give my roommate immediate affection- digging a little extra under his tags and collar. I was hoping to assist in silencing him before his yodels awakened the entire neighborhood. “Yes, officer.” I stood back up. “I had not noticed he was missing. As you can see, I am just getting up. I usually take Yowzer for a morning walk … but not this early.”
“Well, ma’am,” the officer was smiling at my discomfort, I hope as a way to make me feel a little more comfortable. “This morning it looks like Yowzer had the ‘up-and-at-ems’ before you were ready to start the morning.” He paused. “We received a disturbance call about four a.m. this morning. When we arrived, we were surprised the disturbance was being caused by this small dog. We found him howling and a jumping at the dumpster behind McCrainy’s Butcher Shop. We found you by the address on his tags.”
“McCrainy’s,” I said. “We often stop by there on the way home from the park. Mr. McCrainy finds a bone or meat scraping for Yowzer on our visits.”
“How well did you know Mr. McCrainy, ma’am?” Immediately, I noticed the past-tense turning of our conversation. The officer blushed. I suspect that he had just realized he had revealed more information in his question than he had first desired. “Is everything O.K. with Mr. McCrainy?” I asked.
“I’m sorry ma’am. I should have been more careful with the wording of my question.”
“How is Mr. McCrainy?” I asked again.
“He is deceased. Ma’am.” The officer hung his head and ceased making eye contact with me. “We found him … or rather, Yowzer found him lying behind the dumpster behind his establishment.”
“Oh, my.” I knelt once again a stroked around Yowser’s collar. A sight like that should not have to be seen by man or beast.
“May I come in?” the officer handed me the leash holding Yowzer. “There are some questions I hope you can assist us with in our inquiry.”
And with that, Yowzer and I lead Officer Stanford into the back kitchen, clicked on the percolator for a warm cup of coffee to ease the tension, and I began to hear the sordid details that Yowzer had discovered.
Written for FanStory Competitions.
Share Your World – 8-10-2020
Share Your World – 8-10-2020
- Would You Rather Live 120 Years That Are Comfortable But Boring, Or Live Half As Long, But Have An Exciting Adventure Packed Life?
- What’s Something That Overwhelms You?
- What Do or DID You Take For Granted?
Would You Rather Live 120 Years That Are Comfortable But Boring, Or Live Half As Long, But Have An Exciting Adventure Packed Life?
Living 120 years (plus) is a given. How I fill them, that’s up to me and my hobbies. (I wonder if I will still want to ride my motorcycle at 122 years of age? I wonder if there will be motorsysles around when that time comes? Maybe I will have to learn to fly single-engined rockets instead of crotch rockets?
What’s Something That Overwhelms You?
Sports figures and celebrities who think that their opinions have more relevance to today’s world than everyone else’s! (i.e. No one really needs to have a gun for protection … except I get to have an armed body guard or two –or three or four)
What Do or DID You Take For Granted?
I used to think that fresh air was a pure delightful ting from which I could bless my lungs … Now is seems we will soon be selling ‘bottled fresh mountain air’ just like we sell ‘bottled fresh spring water’.
Written for Share Your World – 8-10-2020.
Share Your World Meets Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Thanks, for the opportunity to assist in hosting your fabulous SHARE YOUR WORLD!
Share Your World
Meets Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- Because of the state-wide quarantines many of the local SPCA’s are having an influx of animals. You have decided that you would love to have a new pet. Would you go the normal wizardry route and pick and owl, a cat, or a toad? Or would you become a more eccentric wizard (like Hagrid, the games keeper) and seek out a three-headed dog, a dragon, or a unicorn? Please explain your answer.
- Neville Longbottom was gifted a Remembrall. This was a glass ball that would assist you in maintaining memories of thigs that you often forget. What would you want your Remembrall to help you remember?
- Professor Dumbledore gave Harry Potter an invisibility cloak that Dumbledore said was from Harry’s father. Now, you have inherited a cloak with similar powers. Would you use it? When?
- While cleaning your attic, you have discovered the Mirror of Erised. (“Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards, as if reflected in a mirror) The Mirror of Erised is a magical mirror, which, according to Professor Dumbledore, when you gaze into it, it shows the “deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.” You have chosen to look in the mirror. What do you see?
Because of the state-wide quarantines many of the local SPCA’s are having an influx of animals. You have decided that you would love to have a new pet. Would you go the normal wizardry route and pick and owl, a cat, or a toad? Or would you become a more eccentric wizard (like Hagrid, the games keeper) and seek out a three-headed dog, a dragon, or a unicorn? Please explain your answer.
I would definitely be one of the more eccentric wizards. I would chose a family of dragons to keep in my moot-surrounded specially designed habitat for dragons. They would- of course- be flying dragons. From what I hear- an excellent mode of ecologically friendly transportation. Plus, they are rarely car-jacked, no matter your part of town.
Neville Longbottom was gifted a Remembrall. This was a glass ball that would assist you in maintaining memories of thigs that you often forget. What would you want your Remembrall to help you remember?
I would no longer need a Remembralll for my car-keys – Dragons don’t need a key for revving tier engines. O would use the singing timer (I’m sure it has one) to set for my daily medication regime. It would allow the taking of medicines more standard.
Professor Dumbledore gave Harry Potter an invisibility cloak that Dumbledore said was from Harry’s father. Now, you have inherited a cloak with similar powers. Would you use it? When?
Family reunions. I’ll say no more. (No, I don’t need it for my family reunions. I just thought that that was a great answer.)
While cleaning your attic, you have discovered the Mirror of Erised. (“Erised” is “desire” spelled backwards, as if reflected in a mirror) The Mirror of Erised is a magical mirror, which, according to Professor Dumbledore, when you gaze into it, it shows the “deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.” You have chosen to look in the mirror. What do you see?
The Mirror of Erised would be of great benefit to me at my present point in life. Until now, I have always known my passions and my great passion. Now, since I have retired … I am not sure that reading, cooking, cleaning, and coloring are satisfactory choices?
Written for Share Your World Meets Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
A TRUE MOONLIGHT SERANADE
A TRUE MOONLIGHT SERANADE
“Sweetms, when you said we had a five-story beach-front house with a 360-degree lookout tower, this isn’t exactly what I thought you were talking about.
“She’s beautiful, Darling … Isn’t she? You can sleep to the rhythmic beatin’ of the waves every night. And you ought to see it in the moonlight.”
“There appears to be a lot of stairs. What about when our folks visit?”
“Easy peasy. There’s a lower loft under the first floor. I’ve installed an elevator-lift. It’s complete with its own full bath and master suite along with a kitchenette.”
“Looks like you’ve thought of everything.”
Written for Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner: Week #32: 2020.
AMOS AND JESSE
AMOS AND JESSE
“It’s nothin’ to it.”
“Are you sure, Jesse?”
“You’ve heard Uncle Bo talk about train-hopping to go somewhere-or-nother almost every night we camped.”
“But Ma said half-a-what Uncle Bo said was rose-glassed reminiscing.”
“Ma just said that to keep us home longer. Pa needed us to do the farmin’. Well, there’s no farmin’ left. Pas drunk it all away and the bank got the dirt now. You know Ma is going back East. I ain’t a-goin-be no city dandy. Is that what you want?”
“’Course I don’t”
“Then stop bein’ so fickle-hearted and let’s run.”
“Wyoming, here we’s a come!”
Written for Friday Fictioneers: August 8, 2020
