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KISSING IN KAMACHA

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TUESDAY 1st SEPTEMBER 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

Todays prompt is ~ KISSING IN KAMACHA

September Writing Prompts

KISSING IN KAMACHA

by John Yeo

  The geological survey group were following the Euphrates, the longest river in Western Asia.

   Led by Professor Armitage of Cambridge University, and his wife Elaine the group were exploring the fertile valleys along the riverside. Their guides and erstwhile travelling companions were  Mustafa, Eren, Ahmet and Burak.

   Mustafa, a tall man, with dark penetrating eyes and an eagle’s beak, shaped nose, approached the Professor.

   ‘We will soon arrive in the beautiful valley of Kamacha, Sir. There  is a large tribe there who have been known to be quite violent to strangers. I recommend we follow and respect their customs vigilantly.’

    Burak, his fellow traveller, who was standing beside him nodded his head in agreement.

   ‘Of course;’ responded the Professor, ‘We’re prepared to treat everyone with mutual dignity and respect.’

  Burak, a stocky, medium-height individual with long greasy dark hair, hitched his rifle over his shoulder and silently grinned.

 Professor Armitage then suggested a couple of members of the team should reconnoiter and report back. This idea was greeted with enthusiasm all round and the other members of the team would follow. 

   Morning broke splendidly over the river as the expedition reached Kamacha. They were greeted by a large group of local tribesmen, heavily armed with vicious knives and spears. Suddenly a huge obese man wearing nothing but a loincloth grabbed Elaine and started passionately kissing her. An overweight half naked lady then grabbed hold of the Professor and proceeded to kiss him all over his face. Several tribesmen suddenly were kissing the other male members of the expedition.

  Professor Armitage jumped back in horror and pulled his wife away.

  Mustafa shouted, ‘Have a care Sir, we promised to respect their customs and this is their form of greeting.

© Written by John Yeo

THE MOMENTS BEFORE WE TOUCH

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SUNDAY 30th AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

THE MOMENTS BEFORE WE TOUCH

by John Yeo

  Penelope and Gill were chatting to their Grandma through the magic of Skype over the internet.

    ‘Hey Grandma! When can we come to see you again? Daddy hasn’t been very well and we all have to stay indoors for two weeks.’ Said Gill

    Penelope shouted. ‘Yes we want to come and visit you and give you lots of hugs but Mummy says we’re not allowed to.’

    ‘I know,’ replied Grandma, ‘But your Mummy is absolutely right, you must both have lots of patience. I still have a whole tin full of your favourite cookies and sweets for when we can get together again.’

   ‘Grandma, will we have to wear masks when we come to visit you? I don’t think it will be very nice kissing through a mask. We don’t wear them while we’re staying indoors, but Mummy has to put one on to answer the door.’  Said a worried looking Gill.

   Penelope grimaced, ‘Oh no! I want to give you a proper kiss. We have to keep washing our hands every five minutes. Mummy is very strict especially after our grocery delivery has arrived.’

    Grandma smiled and replied,  ‘Have patience, both of you. How’s your Daddy feeling today? Can I speak to your Mummy now please girls. I promise we will all be together again. I’m sending you both lots of hugs and my best love. I can’t wait, we will always remember the moments before we touch, when this is all over.

© Written by John Yeo

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SAYING NOTHING BUT EVERYTHING

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SATURDAY 29th AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

SAYING NOTHING BUT EVERYTHING 

by John Yeo

   The luxury cruiser was kitted out and packed full with cargo to enable the passengers to lead a life of unadulterated comfort. At this moment the ship was stationary with nothing on the horizon. The view from the bridge was a perfectly calm sea stretching out in all four directions.

 The ship’s security officer, Mr Plumb, a well built gentleman, with long Elvis-style sideburns, sipped a glass of water and sat nodding at the news.  

 There had been a horrible murder on board overnight and Mr Plumb had drawn a picture on a menu of a familiar face to everyone on board. The Chefs face with its distinctive pair of slightly misaligned eyes and sharp beaky nose unmistakably grinned out from the picture.

  Captain Anderson was seated opposite him with a questioning look on his face.

 ‘How can you say you know he did it without even investigating the evidence?’

 Mr Plumb shrugged, saying nothing but everything, he picked up a small video-cassette, and handed it to the Captain. 

 ‘Everywhere on board is under surveillance at all times’.

© Written by John Yeo

UNITED WE FELL

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FRIDAY 28th AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

UNITED WE FELL

by John Yeo

  When the final operation was over Jenny and Jim were both tucked up in separate beds in the high intensive recovery ward. They had been through an intricate operation lasting 16 hours. Their parents, Alison and Arthur Green breathed a sigh of relief. Jenny and Jim were conjoined twins and they had just undergone separation surgery.

Dr. James Goodrich entered the private waiting area where the couple anxiously awaited the outcome of the operation and flopped down on a vacant easy chair.

 ‘Well we did it! We still have some way to go but your babies are now separated.’

 Alison burst into tears at this. 

The children were now two individuals. It was some years later that Jim remarked to his sister Jenny.

‘United we fell, if we ever tried to walk. United and always at one with each other.’

© Written by John Yeo 

COURTESIES AND CHARISMA

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TUESDAY 25th AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

COURTESIES AND CHARISMA 

by John Yeo

Edgar was a reliable butler, an incredibly experienced man 

who had served the family for years.

Sir Richard was extolling his manservant’s virtues in his gentlemen’s club.

   ‘We are lucky to have Edgar working for us, he is the sole of discretion, full of natural courtesy that he’s developed over the years.’

    Sir Richard was an ex guards officer who normally would never leave himself open to criticism. That is the measure of the inbuilt respect the family had for their family retainer.

George Posonby-Smythe was a mischievous member of the club and chided Sir Richard.

     ‘Your courteous butler is invisible to your family and your guests. Always in the background; sadly a man like him has no charisma. He’s a shadow, a robotic nonentity.’

 This was greeted with laughter from all those present.

   Then another member, Charles Peace, an industrialist, chipped in and related a story that shattered the myth.

  ‘Not all butlers and senior members of top people’s staff are the sole of discretion. I have heard of a certain club that caters for some very charismatic transvestites and crossdressers. Now that requires an over abundance of charisma. What your butler does on his time off  should be of no concern to anyone.’

 Sir Richard went red with suppressed anger and left the club in a huff.  

 Oddly, Edgar courteously left his employment with Sir Richard’s household shortly after and became a famous charismatic pantomime dame.

© Written by John Yeo 

THE FLAVOUR OF TRUTH

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MONDAY 24th AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

THE FLAVOUR OF TRUTH

by John Yeo

The Leader has declared the virus is dead!

A cure discovered, but where’s the proof?

The media refute the lies, however widespread

barely contain the flavour of truth.

People are testing positive, rumours are shed.

The opposition has issued a dramatic reproof

Leaving the population with a feeling of dread,

Our future is in the realms of dishonest misuse

of power that corrupts the soul by the head

Words that barely contain the flavour of truth,

Their Leader has declared the virus is dead.

© Written by John Yeo

THE HARMONY CIRCUIT

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SUNDAY 23rd AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

THE HARMONY CIRCUIT 

by John Yeo

  Something had pulled the plug and fused the reliable harmony circuit! The fans were staying at home!

 It was always the same, year after year for Brad and his group, ‘The Strangers.’ These young men had been making the rounds for about ten years. Their music was well liked and their fans would pay good money to follow them around and hear them perform. Brad Wilkins was the lead singer, at six foot tall, he had shoulder-length black hair he usually kept tied back in a ponytail. Onstage he would leave his locks flowing freely as he danced and pranced around the various stages of the different venues on the harmony circuit. Then there was his younger brother on drums, nicknamed Shorty Wilkins he was just 5’.5” tall with a shaved head and an earring in each ear that gleamed brightly under the stage lighting.  James Brown on the lead guitar was a stocky fellow of medium height, a singer with a permanent scowl on his face, who was always referred to as the hard man of the group. Finally, on the bass guitar, there was the nondescript cheeky chappy, Barry Hall; always smiling and having fun, well loved by everyone. Barry was average height and build and always wore his trademark beret, to hide his receding blonde hair.

 The group’s voices harmonised beautifully and they were a popular act on the circuit.

 Then the global pandemic arrived and pulled the plug on everything. This virus took everyone by surprise and the group were locked down and out of work.

After four months of inactivity, Brad took a job as a dustman, his brother Shorty worked on the council as a road sweeper. James and Barry both became ill and recovered to a life of unemployment. Life for The Strangers had become extremely strange indeed.

© Written by John Yeo

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ALTERNATING DEFICIENCIES

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SATURDAY 22nd AUGUST 2020

This is a response to a Flash Fiction prompt from ‘Putting My Feet In the Dirt’, Writing Prompts hosted by ‘M’.
Which can be found by following the link below..

August writing prompts

ALTERNATING DEFICIENCIES

by John Yeo

The car wouldn’t start and the appointment with the solicitor was extremely urgent. Bill and Katy were going through a painful divorce.

‘I want access to the children on Saturdays.’

Katy refused. ‘No Sunday is more convenient.’

There was always this ongoing argument, backwards and forwards.

To stop them coming to blows the solution was agreed by the court.

Visits would be allowed on alternative Saturdays and Sundays.

This proved to be a good temporary arrangement until it was realised there were alternating deficiencies neither partner would agree to be available on the relevant day. Soon a new day was firmly fixed; it was to be Friday or nothing.

When Bill took his car to the garage the mechanic diagnosed a fault with the alternator. The device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy in the form of an alternating current,

consequently the battery wouldn’t charge up.

‘You will certainly need a new alternator.’ said the mechanic.

‘Fine!’ Bill replied, ‘When can you fix it?’

‘Next Friday! Our auto electrician only works on Friday.’

Bill swore and said. ‘My life seems to be full of alternating deficiencies at the moment.’

© Written by John Yeo