This is the Grand Canal Venice with the city of Venice silhouetted in the background.
FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE
This is the latest Picture it and Write prompt from Ermilia’s blog.
http://ermiliablog.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/picture-it-write-40/
As always the image is provided and credited by Ermilia
FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE
By John Yeo
Egyptologists have searched for centuries for the ancient knowledge that has been lost since the pyramids were constructed and erected by primitive peoples with little or no technology. The science of the time passed down orally through the religious leaders over centuries, was never written until various holy men began to write some of the precious knowledge.
Hearsay and legend reported a mysterious, very elderly lady in possession of a magical book of very rare information passed from mouth to mouth, then recorded on papyrus scrolls. An amazing discovery of some surviving scrolls led to the premature deaths of the finders, reportedly from the effects of a very potent curse.
The lady who was the wife of one of these intrepid explorers, came into possession of two of these rare scrolls and she was brave enough to have them published, in the form of a small innocuous black book. The original scrolls mysteriously vanished at the printers.
Now in hiding from mysterious dark forces, keen to gain possession of the forbidden knowledge, the lady lived in a palatial residence, situated on a swampy oasis that was considered very safe from the attentions of the invaders.
A very sad first mistake, one eventful day a rider arrived with a message from friends warning her to be on guard, as a very powerful undercover organisation known as the Society of the Black Scarab was very close to finding her.
Fear spread through her household and three trusted servants vanished never to be seen or heard of again. Fatima remained loyal to her lady, although vulnerable and open to attack from all sides, they remained in the mansion and sent Fatima’s son to get help.
Night fell and silence descended on the oasis. The occasional cry of an animal or a beast on the prowl was all that broke the silence of that lonely hostile place.
Riders were heard approaching fast, the two ladies breathed with relief, help had arrived just in time. A voice interrupted the natural punctuated silence. “Allow us in we are here to help! Open up!”
Realisation set in, this was not help, but the dangerous thugs from the society after the valuable little black book.
The two frightened ladies grabbed the book and ran out into the night through the rear entrance heading silently into the swampy oasis.
Tragedy followed, as the brave lady carrying the book of cursed secrets, stepped directly into a marshy quicksand and began to sink in the sandy mud. Fatima and the bandits could only watch in horror as she was slowly sucked into the earth to her death. The last visible signs of a brave lady was her hand clutching the cursed book until they both disappeared from view, sucked into the bowels of the earth. The curse of the forbidden knowledge had claimed another victim.
Copyright © Written by John Yeo~ All rights reserved
100 word challenge ~ “TALE” ~
THE TWIST IN THE TALE
Jim and his pals sat around the camp fire telling stories until late into the night. Jim started talking about the ghostly fable of a mad wizard who haunted these woods murdering then leaving the dead behind for fun after casting spells over his bloody work. Jim muttered some incomprehensible words, there was a crash of thunder, lightning flashed, then darkness. Four blood-soaked bodies were discovered in the cold light of the following day. One solitary survivor was left to add a twist, and tell his gruesome tale over and over again. Feasting on his magical blood-soaked words of despair.
Copyright © Written by John Yeo All rights reserved.
The Daily Post~Sounds Right
SPLURGE
Splurge is a very descriptive word. Descriptive of what I hear your cry. A splurge of colour on a canvas can begin to represent anything in the artists mind.
The splurge can be anything loose and messy, mud tends to ooze and a splurge of mud oozing over the hands as one begins to wipe the mess away from the surface can be annoying.
A splurge of delicious ice cream left on the lips after enjoying an ice-cream cone can only be dealt with by licking the lips, a universal remedy.
I ask you my discerning fellow daily post followers, what else could a splurge be? Apart from something very messy and inconvenient.
The universally understood splurge, is the retail binge, shopping and spending as if there were no tomorrow. The splurgy mess comes in when the credit cards are maxed and the interest uncontrollably and messily splurges on the monthly statement.
Copyright © Written By John Yeo All rights reserved
Writers Block~ Breaching the Dam
OVERCOMING THE INFERNAL WRITERS BLOCK
By John Yeo
The block is in place and creativity is impossible. Life pressures build, and priorities change, the writing and the creative process have ground to a halt. Tossing and turning in bed at night, seems just to make the block far worse, almost insoluble. How to alleviate the misery and begin to write? The way to deal with a dam is, of course, to puncture it and unleash the contents.
Relaxation is the key and the first step in the process of unblocking, is just to breathe and allow the creative juices to flow. A wide ranging reading session of some very good books will help to generate ideas, and start to puncture the dam, fertile thought tends to generate fertile thought.
The fertility and the greenness of “Mother-Nature” and all things growing and fighting for survival, make up a very very large slice of the creative oeuvre. Walking the lanes or working in the garden, will do wonders to stimulate thought and to germinate the seeds that will turn into wonderful creative ideas.
The puncture of the dam is now well and truly under way a tiny trickle of ideas for creative writing has now become a continual seep.
Never be afraid to ask for help along the way, many people have suffered and overcome the dreaded block, and the road to inspiration is well travelled. Guidance is always available, sometimes in unlikely guises, as well as the obvious leadership that is always available.
Lastly the secret of turning that regular seep of ideas into a flood of inspiration, is to look around you. Take careful note of how others are learning slowly to cope, in a generally uninspiring world, and come to terms with the block through belief in themselves and belief in a far greater inspiration.
Copyright © Written by John Yeo. All rights reserved.
The edge of the frame~ Waterfront, River Mersey Liverpool
Unlikely Pairing~ Curry and Chips~
Written By John Yeo ©
Picture it and Write~THE FOLLY
This is the latest “Picture it and Write” prompt from Ermilia’s blog
The Picture is provided and credited by Ermilia
THE FOLLY
by John Yeo
Mrs Green was odd, she lived alone without any human companionship, just her canary and some goldfish.
The cottage that was her home was a very small cottage with a thatched roof. China ducks flew on the wall, visible through the front room window, behind an aspidistra plant on the window sill.
Mrs Green was very aged, some said she was in her nineties, nobody knew for sure, she always kept herself to herself. We had never seen any visitors to her home except for the doctor or a nurse if ever she was taken poorly, or tradesmen delivering milk, bread or groceries.
Then came the fire that suddenly erupted in the kitchen and burnt the cottage to the ground, Mrs Green, sadly was consumed in the flames and passed away.
The cottage stood derelict for some years until it was explored, with a view to building on the land. There was a brick-built folly in the garden, that looked crumbling and derelict, but somehow had remained intact over the years. When the door was broken down and entry gained a treasure trove of clues to the background and lifestyle of the eminent scientist and author, Felicity Green was revealed. There were many books lining the walls, and piled in heaps on the floor. Many hand-written books of scientific remedies for curing warts to a revolutionary new cure for some forms of cancer. There were notebooks full of her copper-plate handwriting and poetical works with pressed flowers.
On a very dusty ornate antique desk, littered with articles for her work and many dried herbs, lay a handwritten volume of the most beautiful poetry I have ever read.
We preserved her wonderful folly as a permanent memorial to Felicity Green. Many millions of pounds in revenue have been accumulated from her scientific discoveries, and her amazing poetical works will live forever alongside, William Shakespeare and many talented writers down through the ages.
Copyright © Written by John Yeo, All rights reserved
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The Birthday Party
Time for another Odd Trio prompt: write a post about any topic you want, in whatever form or genre, but make sure it features a slice of cake, a pair of flip-flops, and someone old and wise.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
by John Yeo
Granny Annie was 89 years old, full of the practical wisdom, that reflected a life spent taking care of a household during some very austere times of war and rationing. Husband Wilfred was a baker who owned and ran his business while Annie went to do her job as a dental nurse, these days she would have had the respectable title of a dental technician. The wisdom of a life well lived and well experienced by the fluctuations of a topsy-turvy economic climate were very useful in the lives of her ever-growing family.
Then came the day of Granny Annie’s 90th birthday, the family gathered with gifts and many smiles were evident, as presents were unwrapped, and the excited expression on Granny Annie’s face mirrored the smiles and laughter of the younger members of the family. Granny Annie unwrapped a huge parcel that was wrapped and wrapped many times, with lots of colourful birthday gift wrapping paper. So much paper that it took several minutes to reach a very interesting cardboard box in the middle, this was the size of a shoe box and had masses of sticky tape on the edges. This was impossible for her to get into with her elderly hands, and she signalled young William to come and open his present to her. The lid was removed and to everyones delight a pair of flip-flops were revealed, not just any old flip flops, a very comfortable looking pair of flip flops, designed to cushion a pair of 90 year old feet very comfortably. Granny Annie gave William a smile of thanks while wagging her finger at him for the cheeky packaging.
A huge pink iced-cake was wheeled into the lounge with a large candle in the middle. Excitedly everyone urged Granny Annie to blow the candle out and make a wish, she managed this with the able help of William. Then came the cutting of this work of art and Granny Annie was served a modest slice to taste. Delicately she nibbled the cake in her very wise, well brought up, delicate, traditional way. Then to the amazement and horror of all concerned, Granny Annie coughed and spluttered, and breathed her last.
Copyright © Written by John Yeo All rights reserved
Zig zag
ZIG ZAG
by John Yeo
The seagulls flying high above the landscape were free to ride the thermal currents. The powerful eyes of the hunters were ever on the lookout for food, in the waters or on the land below. Food is their universal reason to scour the skies and seas to survive. Marking out the hunting territory, they would zig-zag across the sky-scape, ever vigilant for morsels to consume, or take to their families in the home nests. Guarding their piece of sky to protect the food supply from hungry gull intruders. Zig-zagging backwards and forwards, creating patterns in the sky. The gull heaven.
Copyright © Written by John Yeo All rights reserved
