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..
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..
Time is moving inexorably, passing almost unnoticeably fast, catching up with us all, unaware of the passing years. It seems just a short while ago I was a young man with a head full of dreams, breaking away from my roots and embarking on my life as a confident, independent young man.
Yet somehow, it seems like centuries ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I have certainly lived through them all. I have memories of how it was and of all my hopes and dreams for the future.
It seems as if the winter of my life has stealthily arrived catching me by surprise.
How did it arrive so fast? Where did the years go and when did my young man’s dreams disappear?
I remember meeting older people through the years and thinking that those people were years older than me and that the later years of my life were so far away I couldn’t understand or fully imagine what it would be like.
Looking back over the various chapters of my life, I realize that as I’ve matured my later years have been a kaleidoscope of contentment. It has been almost two decades since I met and married Margaret. During these 17 contented, love-filled years, we have both matured and gracefully aged together.
Yet here it is! As I enter and accept another season of my life, I’m prepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but I never did! At least I know that my winter has arrived; I’m not sure how long it will last. I accept that when life is over; it’s over.
I certainly have regrets. There are things I wish I’d done. and things I should have done and there are so many things I’m happy to have done. It all goes to living a lifetime. A final reminder if you’re not in your winter yet, let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in life. Do not wait for tomorrow it may never come.
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..
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..
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..
Restivo was an urban rat; the leader of a large rat pack that inhabited the maze of London sewers. Life had been comfortable for everyone in the pack, with the families enjoying gourmet meals, scavenged from numerous restaurant bins and the discarded remains of takeaway meals carelessly dumped on the city streets.
Things began to get strangely difficult when their food supply suddenly dried up. Restivo made enquiries among all the senior members.
It was Bertram, an aggressive fearless brown rat who provided the first clue.
‘The two-legged giants seem to have disappeared overnight and there’s been no food scraps available. Our food-sources are dark and locked up, with nothing to eat anywhere.’
Lady Belle, a handsome brown rat said, ‘How am I going to feed the family? Without the giants we will starve. It’s bad enough losing my friends to vicious poisoning.’
‘Don’t forget it’s the giants who are poisoning us. Now they are staying indoors, locked down so there will be no poison.’ remarked Bertram.
‘Yes; but we will all starve in the city without the two-legged giants,’ cried Lady Belle.
Within a week, food was becoming scarcer and scarcer, during the disappearance of the locked-down two-legged giants. No-one was eating in their restaurants and discarded food was becoming scarcer. Restivo, the leader of the pack, called the rats to a mass meeting.
‘Listen friends, we’re moving out to the green fields of the farms with huge grain stores, and mounds of food growing everywhere. There are vegetables and fruit freely available, growing in orchards. Beautiful wheat-fields with gentle summer breezes and crops of waving winter wheat, ready to be harvested by our families.’
There was a chorus of agreement, then Roberta Rat shouted.
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..
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..
Bill Jones was a happy-go-lucky normal teenager, happy to go through life, dancing at the assorted local dance halls in the small town where he lived and taking part in local five-a-side football games. He was toughly brought-up; as the result of his parents marriage breakdown, he grew up and was schooled in a succession of care homes. That was the beginning of a life full of feverish, frenetic fiascos. Bill would just get settled into a way of life, then fate would intervene and rip his new situation to shreds.
Bill was considered quite good looking, with his black hair, blue eyes and a roman nose, he had little trouble attracting girlfriends at the various dance venues. It was at a local social club he met Maria, a pretty girl, with long dark hair and brown eyes. It was an instant attraction on both sides and after the dance he escorted her home, where he was introduced to her Spanish Mother and Father and her four brothers. The relationship developed and became quite stormy, Maria had inherited her parents’ stormy Latin temperament.
One day, a few months later, Maria frantically called Bill to meet up with her urgently, she was breathless and panting feverishly, almost in a state of shock.
‘I need to see you, NOW! I’ve got something important to tell you. Come to Luigi’s, the local bistro AT ONCE!’
‘OK! ‘ replied Bill.
They were soon seated opposite each other and Maria bluntly said, ‘I’m pregnant!’
‘What! How come? I thought you were on the pill.’
‘I always take it but….’
At this moment, Maria started to shake and became feverish.
Bill was concerned and said, ‘Shall I call a doctor?’
‘No!’ screamed Maria, ‘If my family finds out, there’ll be trouble. My brothers will kill you! What are we going to do?’
Bill said, ‘I don’t know. I think we may have to run away and start a new life together.’
Maria became upset again and Bill called for a glass of water from the waiter.
A new feverish fiasco began as they rapidly made plans to steal away and travel to a large city many miles away. Bill had an old school friend Tony, who had agreed to put them up. Tony even introduced them to a landlord who had some accommodation to rent.
The apartment was in a large Edwardian house set in the centre of a row of rundown properties; one-time well-to-do dwellings for the upper middle classes. They rented a two-roomed furnished apartment on the second floor. The wallpaper featured male peacocks with their tails in full courting display. A mud-coloured threadbare, worn carpet graced the floor. Their bed was a double sized mattress on the floor with four grubby pillows and a heap of assorted coats and blankets for warmth. There were a couple of battered wooden dining chairs with clothes piled on them to take the place of a non-existent wardrobe. The kitchenette comprised a tiny electric cooker in a corner of the living room with a sink for washing and cooking.
They had neighbours, Sarah and Josh on the same landing, who also rented a couple of rooms with a huge number of electronic devices connected to an illegal supply of electricity.
A couple of months later, Bill came home to find Maria in a feverish condition, terribly upset, crying bitterly.
‘What’s the matter, love?
‘Bill! I think I’ve lost the baby.’
Bill called the Doctor who examined her and confirmed she certainly wasn’t pregnant, but she seemed to have frequent feverish spells, which suggested she had a hysterical personality.
Bill swore his life consisted of a series of frenetic fiascos that would blend nicely with this diagnosis.
They made peace with Maria’s family; got married; and they lived and loved through many more frenetic, feverish, fiascos together.
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..
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..
We always knew when the twins were around Lenny would whistle, with a merry tune Louise would talk quietly to herself out loud, Their whole world was built on creative sound.
Twin flames burning, developing together.
~
Lenny became a gifted musician, Hitting the heights with his every note Courting his audience with sounds sublime In many joyful musical compositions
Twin flames burning, together forever.
~
Louise became a writer transforming words Rehearsing poetry and prose unbowed Vocalising and testing words out loud. Testing her thoughts on the listening birds
Twin flames identically developing together.
~
Twins, creating patterns of words with music Together a symphony of mingling works
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..
‘Gerri, the Coronavirus update is just beginning on TV love! It’s the PM, alongside the PROF. outlining the health view and SIR.P., taking the scientific stance’ exclaimed Peter Smith, quite loudly as his wife Geraldine was busy in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. There was a vocal reaction to this, Peter was unsure how this information had been received. Sometimes he felt that his wife’s surface enthusiastic response masked an undercurrent of resignation. They had endured the highs and lows of the worldwide pandemic for almost a year now and the constant flow of facts and figures and graphs had begun to show signs of overkill. They sat down together to listen to the latest stream of data.
The PM opened the proceedings with a long fact-filled description of the latest developments. This inspiring rundown of facts and figures ended with the sentence…..’We are making excellent progress in the fight against this deadly threat to our way of life and I’m sure we will eventually be able to get this virus under control. I will now hand you over to the Prof, who will outline the situation so far.’
The Professor confidently began to interpret the meaning of the figures on several charts and after some health advice finished by saying. ‘If everyone obeys the recommended behavioural instructions, eventually we will certainly beat this virus.’
Next, Sir P, the esteemed head of science outlined the up-to-minute scientific research on the progress of the worldwide attempts to produce an effective vaccine to stem the uncontrolled spread of the virus. His closing words were, ‘Eventually, when the bulk of the population has had a vaccination, herd immunity will develop and we will have the virus on the run.
Eventually after some questions from the media and the public the PM closed the meeting with the words….Stay at home, Protect the NHS, Save lives and eventually we’ll certainly beat this virus.
Geraldine looked at Peter and said, ‘It’s frightening Pete! Whatever are we going to do on the day after eventually?’
Peter grinned and replied, ‘Easy Geri! We’ll invite our friends and family round to enjoy a wild party and celebrate for the whole day!’
‘Ooh Yes Pete! Then we can book a holiday abroad and celebrate with the rest of the family overseas.’
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