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Showing posts with the label storytelling

Short Short Story, # 2022-1

Ten minutes.   He  said it would take them ten minutes to get to to the best view of the valley.     That was two hours ago. She had to stop and photograph every little bug, flower, cloud, and rock she saw on the trail. No way was he going to see her again, thought Walt. He won’t take any of her calls. No text messages, no nothing, damn it.   “That bend is coming up. Just over the rise!” yelled Walt at Agatha’s back ascending even further up the slope. He doubted she would want to see him again either. She could hear his uneven breathing, he figured. That’s why she’s so far ahead. Walt stumbled, falling face down on the rocky trail. As he struggled to get up, he sputtered and coughed and hacked and gagged, and made all sorts of sounds he never knew he could make. “Relax, relax,” said Agatha, stroking Walt’s back with a firm, gentle hand. “Slowly take a deep breath. Now, release slowly. In, out. In, out. Think of your happy place, see it, be there. Breathe deeply, in, out, in, out.” “Wh

Love x 13

i, ii, iii, iv Evolution of Love.  That's what has been happening with the mystery craft project I'm working on for the county fair. I have to use at least four items from this list: bandana, feather,  pillar candle holder, magnet, cake pan, sea shells, wooden spoon, domino, yarn, rocks, paper party hat, and plastic liter bottle. So far, I have rocks, dominoes, and a cake pan in the mix. Yarn, sea shells, and/or a party hat are in consideration. Can you tell what the dominoes spell? v, vi Iago the Iguana is one of my ABC Creatures that I created for Round 22 of ABC Wednesday . The imaginary iguana was named for my dad, Santiago, who was sometimes called Ago (pronounced like Iago). This handsome dude, Iago, is in love with an egret named Edwina. Imagine that. If you want to read his story, click this link: Iago the Iguana and the Invitation . vii "And, love is all that I can give to you," sang Nat King Cole . viii, ix I drew this illustration

Hazel the Hula Dancing Hammerhead Shark

"Hello, Hazel here," said the happy-go-lucky hammerhead shark into her phone. "Winnie! How are you? What's happening?" "Is that Winnie? Is it true about her and Thomas?" called Davey from across the dressing room. She and her brothers Dicky and Danny swam over and hovered closely by. "Hopping high, you say. . .Huh, say that again? The Daffodils are being quite hyper right now. . . "We are not!" said Danny, splashing a bit huffily.   "Shhh," Dicky said to his brother. "Hoooo Hooo Hoooo!" Hazel turned to the triplets. "Winnie and Thomas are getting hitched." "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" Hard pounding knocks on the dressing room door hushed the performers. Through the door, they heard "Five minutes to show time!" "Winnie, we are so very happy for you!. . .Can you hear the Daffodils? They're all heedless with joy. . . Honey, the show is about to start. Let me call . . .Really? You w

Gentle Grousing with Ghandi and Guy

    Note: That's the French pronunciation of Guy, said like ghee, a kind of clarified butter. That said, on with this week's tale for ABC Wednesday. * * * "Guy, you'll tear that guide yet," said Ghandi the Gamekeeper, glancing over at Guy A. Gator the Grill Chef, who was whipping not-so-gladly through Gator Cuisine . Ghandi laid a three of hearts down on his game of solitaire. Guy slapped his hand on a page so vehemently the gin-mill of a bar went silent for a glued second. Guy growled. Or, was it more of a groan? "Look at this!" Ghandi leaned over the gator's shoulder and read aloud, "The Greatest Gator Gumbo!" Ghandi grazed Guy's shoulder lightly and gingerly, so the big guy knew that the giraffe was in his corner. "Humans and their follies," said Ghandi. The two good friends raised their glasses in the air, took a long gulp of martini, gibbered, then sighed. "Today, a human wanted a special order of ga

Filemon the Flying Squirrel's First Flight

Filemon the Flying Squirrel fixed his goggles fairly on his face. He took a few deep breaths to steady his fraught nerves. Really, truly, he repeated to himself, he had nothing to fear. So said his friends Bingo and Bubba Byrd who sat beside him. "Filemon, flying is what you are about," said Bingo, patting his shoulder. What if it isn't?" fretted Filemon. "Dude, you're feeling first-time jitters," Bubba said. "I was awfully fidgety before my first flight. But when I took my first hop into flight, oh my folly golly jolly. I was all fat smiles. My wings flung widely. I floated in sunshine. It was fantastic, Filemon!" Filemon found himself feeling quite calm. "Filemon! Filemon! Filemon!" The flying squirrel searched the ground below for the source of the faint cries. There, near the shoreline were his friends jumping up and down on the beach and waving funny red signs. "Filemon!" cheered Agathe the Aardvark .

Edwina the Ecru Egret

On the 88th floor of the Earhart edifice, Edwina the Ecru Egret pressed the down button to the elevator. She was exhausted. She had spent the last hour consulting with a career expert. "You have enormous empathy for your fellow egrets," the counselor evoked enthusiastically. "You would excel exceedingly well in educational counseling." Edwina sighed. How could she help others when editing her own life was sometimes an elegiac effort? Perhaps she ought to be an eyelet punch operator. The elevator doors opened. "Edwina, my darling girl!" "Agathe!" the ecru egret exulted. "How was Europe?" The two old friends hugged and kissed. "Europe was enchanting," Agathe the Aaardvark exclaimed. "I must go pay this electrical bill. Could you wait for me? Maybe have lunch?" Edwina had no other engagement so Agathe expressed herself down the hall and was back at the elevator in no time at all. "I love your

A Day with the Daffodils

"There are the Daffodils!" Bingo and Bubba darted above the dolphins. How the Byrd siblings love to visit with the triplets—Davey and her brothers Dicky and Danny—who dwell near the docks in the delta in December.  "Yi-haw!"   "Whooo-hooo!" Dicky and Danny dived out of the water in dizzy delight, nearly bumping into Bingo and Bubba. "Watch it, guys," drawled Davey. "You don't want to dump those Byrds into the drink." "We're practicing our disco moves," declared Dicky. Danny divulged how they were pretending to be John Travolta. "Delightful," said Bingo, dipping her wing in the air. "We'll join you." The Daffodils and the Byrds danced, danced, and danced some more. When they were done, they decompressed by the docks, sipping daiquiris and discussing the Byrd siblings' updates on Charlie the Camel and Agathe the Aardvark . As the Byrds departed home, the Daffodils called

Charlie the Cable Car Bell-Ringing Camel

"Caramba! The cable car bell ringing contest has already begun," called Bingo to Bubba . "It looks like Charlie's turn!" Bubba clamored. The Byrd siblings circled to the right, luckily finding an air current to coast quickly to Union Square. Clang! Clang-clang-clang! Clang-ity, clang clang, clang clang! Clllllaaaaangggg! Clang! The crowd roared their approval. Charlie the Camel blushed a crimson red, as he clip-clopped down the cemented sidewalk to the contestants' corner. "That was brilliantly cacophonous, Charlie!" exclaimed Bingo as she landed on his right shoulder. "Awesome, Dude!" said Bubba. "That was mighty crisp and clear. We could hear it from above the Courtyard Hotel." "Thank you, thank you," said Charlie, coyly covering his face with the charming beret that Agathe the Aardvark sent him from France. Bonne chance, mon ami, she wrote. Minutes later the winners of the annual San Francisco

Wicked Sweet

Dear Friends, today I give to you my first fictional story as a retired lady. You're welcome. Giggle.