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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 

WISDOM TEETH WOES

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WEDNESDAY 26th 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

WISDOM TEETH WOES

by John Yeo

I feel as the time for the operation gets close

The impact of the decision is becoming clear

I’m suffering from dreadful wisdom teeth woes.

~

When I heard the decision my heart just froze

I can imagine the effects with a deepening fear

I feel as the time for the operation gets close.

~

The pain I’m suffering isn’t a psychological pose.

Nothing on earth will bring any lighthearted cheer

I’m suffering from dreadful wisdom teeth woes.

~

The pain fills my mouth and reaches my nose

This horrendous feeling of pain becomes clear

I feel as the time for the operation gets close

~

Painkillers are tempting my head to propose 

Glasses of whiskey with many bottles of beer

I’m suffering from dreadful wisdom teeth woes.

~

I can’t sleep or concentrate, my mind has just froze

I spend hours in continuous pain so severe

I feel as the time for the operation gets close.

I’m suffering from dreadful wisdom teeth woes.

© 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

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

I WAS HIS BUT HE WASN’T MINE

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FRIDAY 21st 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

I WAS HIS BUT HE WASN’T MINE

by John Yeo

Josephine smiled and looked so divine

As she gave the court her explanation.

‘The fact is, I was his but he wasn’t mine.

~

The Judge smiled, his thoughts to confine

How could this girl kill without compunction? 

Josephine smiled and looked so divine

~

The lawyers pleaded a compassionate line 

Pleading a mental state, her sad Iteration 

‘The fact is, I was his but he wasn’t mine.

~

The jury concentrated, she seemed so benign,

The outcome was sure without complication 

Josephine smiled and looked so divine

~

Witnesses drew a portrait of a man so fine

Josephine had killed without rationalisation 

‘The fact is, I was his but he wasn’t mine.’

~

The judge gave his verdict a cell should confine 

Her to a life of internment and sad isolation 

Josephine smiled and looked so divine

‘The fact is, I was his but he wasn’t mine.’

© Written by John Yeo

HE WAS A WHISTLING WONDER

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THURSDAY 20th FEBRUARY 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

HE WAS A WHISTLING WONDER

by John Yeo

  In July 2015, Margaret and I visited La Gomera, a small island in the Canary Islands. This tiny island is extremely mountainous with narrow winding roads leading from valley to valley. The journey from one small village to another could take hours along the narrow, winding roads. 

 In the days before mobile phones arrived, the quickest and most reliable form of communication between the rugged valleys would be a whistling language. This is a historical form of communication the early settlers developed, to pass messages from one high ravine to another. Sadly redundant, in these days of mobile phones, the authorities are trying to preserve this whistling language, through compulsory lessons at school

   Pedro Hernandez was an expert whistler and managed to communicate with the surrounding villages by using this unique whistling language. This was similar to the famous jungle drumbeat form of communication, but this was developed by using the power of breath and the human lips and lungs. Given that whistles can travel much further than normal speech – as far as 8km (5 miles) in open conditions – they are most commonly found in the mountains, where they help shepherds and farmers to pass messages down the valleys. 

  One day a lorry had collided with a car and pushed the car off the road into a deep ravine.

Pedro raised the alarm by whistling the recognised SOS whistle. This was picked up by a farmer in the next valley and passed on to the nearest rescue centre and a rescue helicopter was soon on the way.

Pedro’s whistling abilities were in demand when he was recruited to pass them on to the children in the village schools.

© Written by John Yeo

MANGY MAX

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WEDNESDAY 19th 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

MANGY MAX

by John Yeo

The family pet, went by the name of Mangy Max 

An aloof, predatory thoroughbred cat

A furry feline rebel who preferred to relax.

Sleeping on his cushions eating tasty snacks.

Purring and preening on his favourite mat.

The family pet, went by the name of Mangy Max.

~

At night he would prowl out on hunting attacks

Chasing mice and his enemy the wild black rat

Max, a furry, feline rebel who preferred to relax.

Wild rats usually run together in packs

When meeting a mouse, he hissed and spat.

The family pet, went by the name of Mangy Max.

~

He ruled his territory leaving scent in his tracks

Then arrived home following his nocturnal combat

Max, a furry, feline rebel who preferred to relax.

Max left his calling card next door with a splat

The neighbour rushed out shouting ‘Scat!

Do your business elsewhere you pesky cat.’

~

Dawn arrived with the sun and the preening acts

To procure peace away from the hate-word scat

The family pet, went by the name of Mangy Max.

A furry feline rebel who preferred to relax.

© Written by John Yeo

RAW CAKE REALITIES

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 TUESDAY 18th AUGUST 2020 

This was written in response to a writing prompt from ‘M’ on WordPress. Which can be found by following the link below

August writing prompts
image courtesy of pixabay.com

RAW CAKE REALITIES 

by John Yeo

   Well, the reality is extraordinarily simple. I had never heard about raw cake until today. I mean what is the definition of raw if it’s not uncooked? Every cake I’ve ever eaten in the past has been thoroughly cooked. I was about to call the whole thing off and write about cake in general. Particularly creamy, delicious, high-fat, dangerous to the waistline, gooey, tasty, cream-filled cake. In dietary terminology, ‘forbidden fruit’. 

  Suddenly I had the inspiration to enter raw cake into the Google search engine. 

 ‘What is a raw cake? Often described as “conscious desserts”, raw cakes are free from wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, soy and refined sugar.’ 

 I mean is there anything left? Probably a handful of currants.

I then typed in

Are raw cakes healthy?

 ‘They may look gorgeous and contain healthy ingredients such as fruit and nuts, and may be higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than more orthodox sweets, but because they are usually made with a lot of dried fruit, nuts and seeds (often with a hefty swig of coconut oil) they are very high in calories.’

Then my search engine put me off raw cake altogether. When it came up with this.

  ‘EATING raw cake mixture, dough or batter could land you with a nasty bout of food poisoning, experts have warned. But while you may worry raw eggs are to blame, you would be wrong! … But don’t worry, your cake and cookies are perfectly fine to eat once they are cooked as the cooking process kills the bacteria.’

© Written by John Yeo