Bravado

I'm back on Thinking Ten. It's got my creative juices going again, although so far I've not come up with anything that continues from the previous day's creation. But these four lads have appeared before.

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“Well this is a right wash-out if you ask me.”


That was Alan; always the first to complain about anything.

“Well no-one did, so shut it.”

Simmo. Putting an end to Alan’s whinge before it got out of hand; probably protecting Baz from feeling guilty. He was good like that. It had been Baz’s idea to sneak out from home, tell all the parents that we were staying at someone else’s house, but sleep out in the old shed on the allotment. He said it would be a laugh and we were all quick enough to agree, but none of us was quick enough to think it through. We had no food, no drink, no light, not even warm clothes, and it was freezing. Not to mention that we’d broken the shed window two weeks ago trying to get inside the place.

Nigel saved us in the end.

“Let’s go to mine. Mother won’t care if I say you guys are crashing on the floor for the night. You can all say honestly that you’ve got permission.”

Baz didn’t look too keen at first but he perked up at Nigel’s next announcement.

“There’ll be cocoa, and biscuits. And Dad brought that new street fight game home today and I’ve not had chance to try it yet.”

So we all trooped off to Nigel’s place, trying to look like we planned it that way.

Time to go

There was nothing for it. He’d have to go. She was fed up with his moods, his grumpiness, the long, pained sighs. She remembered a cheerful, smiling, kind face that made her fall in love with him in the first place. But where was that now? Their situation had changed, and she was left with someone whose presence was now impossible to tolerate.

She still loved him, and she didn’t want to hurt him, but she had to give him his marching orders. She took a deep breath and brandished the paper as he scowled back at her.

“I’m sorry, but you left me no choice. You're going tomorrow morning. I made the appointment for you, and I found you a dentist who’s good with cowards!”

Is it Friday again already?

There’s something about the eventual arrival of Spring weather after a long and miserable winter that brings out the best and the worst in people. I’ve seen how everyone has a happier expression and they are smiling at each other again. But have you noticed how awful their pasty skin looks in such bright light?

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More words for the G-Man. He likes them in bundles of 55 every Friday. Go check them out.

FFF55. Weekend Father

“Please sit down.”
“No. Mummy doesn’t make us sit down.”
“I’m sure she does. Sit down!”
“Don’t have to.”
“If you don’t sit down you won’t get ice cream.”
“You’re mean.”
“People are getting annoyed with you.”
”Don’t care what people think. Mummy wouldn’t care about people.”
“Mummy never cared about anything much. Including us.”
 

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55 words for the G-Man. Based on something I saw a year or so ago.

February's a nothing time.....

"February's a nothing month isn't it?" she said, "Nothing ever happens in February."

Her boyfriend was quick with an answer: "The guy who inspired the book Robinson Crusoe was rescued in February.
"The first public toilet in London opened in February in the 1850s.
"Al Capone was sent to prison in February.
"Frank Sinatra began his singing career in February........"

As he continued listing off historical dates she thought ruefully to herself: "I was trying to remind you about Valentine's Day you idiot. Trust me to have an anorak for a boyfriend!"

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Not restricted to 55 words for a Friday or being extremely short for a small stone - a microfiction inspired by the date.

FFF55. Helen's dilemma

Helen took a deep breath and prepared to explain it again. Her fiancé was looking at her with a strange expression: slightly confused and slightly annoyed.
“This has nothing to do with women’s lib and equality. I’m just not going to take your name when we’re married. 
“I refuse to be known as Helen Highwater!”

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55 words every Friday for the G-Man!

Friday. Fifty five words.

How did it get to be Friday again? I love Fridays, but it seems that no sooner have I written my 55 words for the G-Man, then I’m trying to think up the next one. I know I tend to wish the weeks away to get to the weekends more quickly. Maybe that’s the problem.

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The weekly challenge is to say something in just 55 words.  I'm sure other people have done much better than me this week.
Happy Friday all!

fff55. A question of tact

It had been a long and tiring hearing. The coroner said it was impossible to tell why the death happened, and so he had to return a verdict of misadventure. The evidence said he’d been cleaning his gun when it went off and shot him in the face.  But we all know what that means.

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55 words for The G Man. I know it's depressing, but it's kind of extracted from a short story I'm working on. It struck me that the paragraph was about the right length - and I edited it accordingly.

FFF55. Do not feed the birds

Do not feed the birds, the sign said. Flying pests are a health hazard and you could face a fine of up to £5000. But the gulls could catch chips in flight. And Mary could not resist watching their aerobatics.  Besides, they would have trouble finding £5000 from her anyway. Let them try to sue!

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It wasn't until after we fed our fish and chips to the gulls that we saw the notices. Ah well. The photos were good.

FFF55 is a weekly challenge set by the G-Man for a 55 word flash fiction story.

FFF55: Bloodstain

It all began with a stain on the bathroom floor. Smeared and ill-defined, but, unmistakeably, it was blood. A trail of gory prints led from the red pool, downstairs and into the kitchen. What kind of horror was I about to find?

Another battered field mouse corpse.
I wish my cats weren’t such keen hunters. 

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FFF55 is the G-Man's weekly challenge to write a story in just 55 words. Take a stroll over to see him at Mr. Knowitall's Blog to see what the rest of the world has written.

fff55:Shoreline

Shoreline.
Unsure line
Lapping waves
Draw a line in the sand:
Here and no further.
Erased by the next tide
High tide
A tide in the affairs of man.
Time and tide wait for none.
A time for change
A change of mind.
Leaving on the new tide.
New journey
New horizons
New shores.
Shoreline.



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FFF55 is a weekly challenge set by the G-Man over at Mr Knowitall's blog. You know the score by now. Go and see everyone else's offerings!

fff55 Dinner at the pub

We set off to the pub in the next village with high hopes, only to find it served no food on Wednesdays. So we walked to the next nearest hostelry and had a wonderful meal of fajitas in wraps, chicken supreme, and beer. We certainly worked up an appetite – it was a four mile walk!

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True story.  It's called Friday Flash Fiction 55 though. And it's hosted by the G-Man. Go see him for more examples.

Another public holiday

Apparently someone’s getting married. It happens every day, but for some reason they’re giving us a day off work for this couple. A William and Kate somebody. Not sure why it’s so special but I’ll enjoy a rest in the sun and a break from the office.
As long as they don’t expect a present!


FFF55 is a weekly challenge to write something in exactly 55 words. If you'd like to see more, hop over to the G-Man's blog at Mr Knowitall, where you'll find lots of goodies!

FFF55 April 15: A memory

Some high streets are full of homes

And others are for shopping.
Some for strolling aimlessly
Or traffic never stopping
This one’s prettier than most,
Its stone-lined walls are blooming
With yellow blossoms piled up high
Their petals are perfuming.
It’s Hastings town, where I’ve just been
And a nicer sight I have never seen!

That's some of the worst poetry I've ever written, but making it an exact number of words and finding rhymes makes it tricky!

You can find better 55s at The G-Man's Blog!



FFF55 April 8. Time flies

Fifty five! I’m sure last time I looked I was thirty-something with a great job, the future all ahead of me and ambitions to meet. And before that I was just 19, setting out expectantly in the world. It doesn’t really seem so long since I was starting high school. Where did the time go?

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Apologies everyone if I don't get to your blogs to comment in the near future. I'm on holiday (vacation) and I might not be able to get to the Internet. The reason I'm away is because Wednesday was my birthday and so this week's 55 has a special significance, because I am now the ripe old age of .......21 again!

You can find more 55s at The G-Man's Blog.

Thanks everyone who's turned up without a reminder - and special thanks to Brian for linking me in my absence! 

FFF55. We are not A-muse-d

My muse has not been striking.

In fact she went on strike.

In spite of all my efforts

I find I can not write.

Blank paper is a barrier

Too high for me to climb.

No sharp, inspired storyline

No breath of poem’s rhyme.

My usually prolific stream

Of words has dried up like …

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Yes folks - I've had a grim week word-wise! I hope next week is more inspirational. 

If you're looking for more (and better) words than these you can find them arranged in 55s over at the G-Man's blog.

FFF55. The pitfalls of a new business venture

When Smith and Hudson decided to set themselves up as art thieves and chose to advertise (in only the right places of course) that they could steal anything to order, it never occurred to them that their first commission would be a half-ton naked marble woman from a fountain in front of the town hall!

FFF55 is a weekly challenge to write a story in exactly 55 words. Take a trip over to see the G Man for more examples of the Flash art!

The photo is of a sculpture in the centre of Birmingham (UK) she's affectionately known as 'the floozie in the jacuzzi' but I think she's actually supposed to be some form of river goddess. As far as I know, nobody has ever tried to steal her!

FFF55: Trade in

It’s just a car, he kept thinking. You’ll get over it. He’d owned the Jaguar a long time and this felt like losing a friend. But it was time for it to go. It had served its purpose. Gloves on, he pushed the car off the bridge with his dead wife in the driver’s seat.

Since the writings's now on the Jobbing Writer Blog Wall I'm moving the Friday Flash Fiction over here from MorningAJ. If you want to know more about this weekly challenge to tell a story in exactly 55 words, call in at the G-Man's blog and see what other people have to offer. They're good!