BENCH LUNCH

This week's photo prompt from Madison Woods for Friday Fictioneers had me stumped unitl 1:00 in the morning when an idea popped into my head.  Here's what I came up with:

Two seagulls:  Gertrude and Heathcliff:

Heathcliff:   “I wonder who will be the first to sit on the bench today?”

Gertrude:     “Oh, I do hope it’s the bag lady.  She always shares her bread with us.”

Heathcliff:     “If that mama brings her two brats to play, I’m leaving.  Those kids like to chase me."

Gertrude (chuckling):  Now, dear, boys will be boys.”

Heathcliff:      “A tweak from my beak in their seat would stop such foolishness.”

Gertrude:       “Maybe that elderly couple will sit in the sunshine and hold hands later. (Sigh) So romantic."

Heathcliff (nuzzling her neck):   “Just like us, me amour.”

Gertrude: (preening her feathers)   “Oh, Heath, you know how I get when you speak French.”

Heathcliff:       “French!  Suzie Secretary likes to sit on the bench and eat lunch from McDonalds.  French  fries today, baby.”

Gertrude: (disgusted)   “Is food all you think about?”

Heathcliff:        “I’m a bird, Gert. Get over it."

DON'T BE A SINNER!

Jean Louise Finch aka Scout

My all time favorite movie, To Kill a Mockingbird is on TV tonight.  I’ll watch it for what must be the 100th time and love the experience as if it were my first.

To Kill a Mockingbird was the first picture show I remember going to.  Mama loved Gregory Peck and since, in those days, kids went everywhere with their parents, she dragged me and my brother with her to see the movie.  I was in grade school and didn’t understand everything that was going on, but there in the darkness of that theater with the scent of popcorn heavy in the air, the first character I wanted to portray someday was Scout.  

A few years later, in Junior High, I read the book and it became my all time favorite novel.  The movie was great, but the book was awesome.  Scout came to life.  I laughed with her, cried with her, and walked that long, dark scary pathway home in that stupid ham outfit with her. 

In High School drama class I did a reading from To Kill a Mockingbird for an assignment.  Of course I was Scout.  I walked in her shoes.  I pulled her skin on and transformed into a spunky little southern tomboy who loved her daddy more than anything in the world.  I got an A+ and was called Scout until I graduated.   I loved it.

To Kill a Mockingbird has so many messages.  It’s the love of a little girl for her daddy, the coming of age story with Jem, the cruelty of poverty, the tragedy of ignorance and racism, the courage to stand for what is right, and above all, compassion and understanding for your fellow man. 



Boo



My all time favorite line in the movie was when Scout said “Hey Boo.”  Those two little words delivered from the lips of an innocent yet wise-beyond -her-years little girl make tears spring to my eyes every time I hear them.

Atticus Finch had it right.  “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

A bigger sin would be not to watch the movie on its 50^th anniversary. 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.   Read it!

DECEPTION AT SUNRISE

Madison's prompt for this week's flash fiction gave me the chills.  Everyone has a dark side. Today I let mine come out to play.

I’m under here.  Can you hear my cries?

Dead.  Murdered.

“Meet me at daybreak,” he said.

Tall.  Dark. Handsome.  I ran away to be with him. To live happier ever after.

But no.

In the dim light of early dawn he held me, not wrapped in his loving arms but under the water instead.

Doomed for eternity to watch the sun rays weave through the trees and spread across the forest floor like warm butter.

I hate butter.

I hate sunrise.  

MOONSHINER'S RUN

This is Madison's picture for this week's Friday Fictioneers. Every thing has heart.  Just ask Ol' Blue.



Ol' Blue

       

           "Step on it, Bobby Lee!  Them Revenuers ain't fur behind. 'Jest one last run,' that's what ya said.

“Hesh up,” Bobby Lee said and patted the dash.   “Ain’t nothing sitting on four tires can catch Ol’ Blue.”

“Why ya always talking like this piece of junk has a heart?”   

“I warning ya, cousin. Don’t talk agin’ Blue like that.  She’s sensitive.”

“It ain’t alive!  It’s just a bucket of bolts.”

The engine died.  Never to run again.  

Deep in the woods Ol’ Blue sits with a broken heart, never to finish the last moonshiner’s run.

KISS

This week's flash fiction promt by Madison Woods streached my imgination.  What kind of story can I write? No words came. Only silence.  And then, in the quiet, came the thought,  "Keep it simple, stupid!"
I love KISS, so here is my story for this week and Madison's magical picture prompt:

          Very few things in life are black and white.  Simple. Mankind loves to complicate the easy, to improve on the basic.   But Mother Nature, in all her wisdom, reminds us that there is great beauty to behold in simple black and white:



The Skunk



Dalmatians.

 

The Moon

The Crow



The Dove

The balance of the positive and the negative working together in harmony, the wisdom in keeping things simple, results in beautiful magic.

BLAME IT ON MERCURY

MERCURY

Ever wonder why computers won’t boot-up?  Data is lost in cyber space? Cell phones drop messages? Appointment times and dates are missed?  The contract signed yesterday is not what is presented today?  Past issues thought to be resolved resurface?   Blame it on Mercury.

Mercury controls communication.

Years ago messages from one ruler to another or between armies were carried by “heralds” who demanded great respect and weren’t to be harmed.  The Roman god, Hermes was the fastest of these messengers.   Because the planet, Mercury is the swiftest moving across the skies, Hermes is otherwise known as Mercury. He wears wings on his cap and sandals.  

Now, the gods like to mess with humans just for the fun of it and to have something to do.  So every once in awhile Mercury shows off and runs backwards.  In the astrology world this is called moving, retro.  When this happens, things connected with communications can get hinky.  It’s advised not to sign contracts or to buy anything having to do with communications such as computers, TV’s, phones, etc. etc. until Mercury decides to behave himself and runs forward or direct.

Often when Mercury is retro, he likes to throw-up things from the past in our faces to take a second look at.  And to make things even more interesting, Mercury likes to run backwards a lot.

Mercury went retro March 12 and will not move direct until April 4^th, give or take a few days.  

There can be advantages to Mercury being in retro, however.   The next time your spouse says, “Honey, you didn’t tell me your mother was coming to stay with us for a week,”  you can smile innocently and say:

"Blame it on Mercury!"

    

SHE LOVED ME

It's been awhile since I've written a story for Madison Wood's Friday Fictioneers.  Sorry about that.  I love this picture and here is my story:

           “Howdy.  My name’s Shep.  That’s my mistress over there playing on the swing.   

She loves me.

When I was a pup, she dressed me up like a doll and put ribbons in my hair.  The cat wondered why I allowed her to degrade me so.  I had three words for that fur ball.

She loves me.

She sneaks table scraps to me at supper time.  And lets me sleep on her bed at night.  Her mom always asks, Why?  She just shrugs.  But I know.

She loves me.

I vow to always watch over her.  To be there waiting when she steps off the school bus.  I’ll let her bury her head in my fur and cry when Tommy McGuire breaks her heart, to lick the tears from her face and wag my tail in understanding.

And, one day, I will die saving her.

Why?

Because she loved me."