Friday Fictioneers – My free lawnmower!

July 10, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 58 Comments

goats and graves by randy mazie

The “Free” Lawnmower

When living in Florida, I owned property that included a tiny orange grove of 100 trees. A definite challenge to keep the grass around the trees cut, until the day we bought a goat. The goat very efficiently ate all the grass.

However he also developed a crush on me. Early each morning, he’d be waiting to chase me to the chicken coup. His horns were wicked but he was just being playful. I got my morning exercise and he got a sweet pat on the head. The lips of his mouth would curl back and he’d smile. So a win – win for both of us!

A true story and a part of my life, raising my children. The goat had rather substantial horns that curved and he was young and very frisky. Absolutely a challenge to make it to the chickens each morning with him chasing me.

Hope you enjoyed the story. You should join in the fun. To write a flash fiction (approximately 100 words) for Friday Fictioneers. Just click on the link for all the particulars. Your excellent hostess Rochelle will guide you through the easy to follow steps! Thank you Randy Mazie for the photo prompt for this week.

Thanks for your visit, have a great day and better tomorrow,

~ Penny

Friday Fictioneers – The Smart Get Smarter or do they …

July 3, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 59 Comments

?

“Okay I’ll bite. What’s with the ladder and the people up there?”

“Oh, well that doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t? They don’t?”

“No, just crazy humans being crazy again.”

“Then we’re here, why?”

“Look at those geometric formations, circle of life, ladder to infinity, triangular and linear abstracts, the patterns of biophysics. Humanity looking up to the universe”.

“Ah, I think I’ve got it. You’ve figured out your formula for longevity!”

“Yes, standing here, observing the insanity, I suddenly noticed the relationship to all the various pieces of the puzzle … It finally fell into place … mathematically!”

“Fantastic! And who do you plan to share this secret of longevity with?”

“Them?”

Come and join in the fun. Write a flash fiction for Friday Fictioneers. Thank you David Stewart for the photo prompt for this week. Click on the link for all the particulars. Your gracious hostess Rochelle will guide you through the easy to follow steps!

Having a little fun this week. I think we take ourselves far too seriously some times.

For all my fellow American’s have a most excellent 4th of July (do remember why we celebrate this day) and for everyone else have a wonderful Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by,~ Penny

Join the Writing Fun – Let’s write a book report!

June 17, 2013June 19, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 22 Comments

While a junior in high school (11th grade), My English class was told to write a book report about a book we had recently read. I did well in English (I know, no surprise there) but I had been doing a lot of drawing and other activities (President of the Latin club – hey don’t laugh, I was a geek before it was popular to be one). Anyway I had not read any books recently at all so, I made the book up. A great story too, I might add! Perhaps a little too good as it turned out.

I got an A+ on my book report and the teacher went to the Library to check out the book by the author (which of course neither existed). So I was called upon to explain this discrepancy. And I told the truth. My A+ stayed, I was asked not to do that again and she said she was disappointed because she was looking forward to reading the book.

So today I’d like you to have some fun with me! I’ve created a book cover (below) and I’d like you to write a book report (from just looking at the illustration) or a book review or what the intro (you know the flap inside the cover of the book, might say about the author and the book). Post (publish) on your blog and then link to this post. No deadlines. I’ll place your link below for others to read.

Please be as creative as you’d like. Talk about the fictional author and his or her background, what the story is about, what the reviewers are saying about the book. Anything that might appear in a book report or book review. I want this to be fun! No contest, no prizes, just having fun with imagination and creative writing.

I do hope you decide to join in the fun, If you don’t want to post your creative writing on your main post, create a page for your “book report” and link to it from there!

~ Thanks for taking part in the fun!

Those who have decided to write using my created book cover for inspiration:

Yoshiko Her take was to write a poem about the loneliness of a planet! Just lovely!

RoSy Her words are very moving as her subject is our forgotten soldiers living on the streets today. A truth! Well done Rosy!

Penny

Alastairs Photo Fiction – The time portal!

June 16, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 32 Comments

Time for the delightful writing challenge of Alastairs Photo Fiction, Alastair shares with us one of his photographs to use as a prompt for writing a flash fiction (short-short) story of no more than 150 words. Writing from a photo prompt is fun, give this one a try! Click on his link for more details.

His photograph this week is the following:

Stepping Into The Future

“A picture of a time portal?” She shook her head handing the photo back to him. “I was expecting something – I don’t know – more exciting, a dark luminous tunnel, a pathway ending in a mist.”

He smiled, “I know, completely average looking. But this is it. The portal, between the first and second set of steps. By the time you reach the second set you’re in the future, when you turn and walk back down you’re in the past again.”

“Fascinating, but how do I know you’re not just making this up.”

His smile became broader. “I anticipated your question. So I took this picture before I came. Notice the date in the lower right hand corner.”

She looked at the date in the photograph and then at him.

“You’re from my future?”

“Yes,” he said, “But I couldn’t wait any longer to be with you,

so I came early!”

(150 words)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

To enter your own flash fiction from Alastair’s photo prompt, click here to get started!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week ahead!

~ Penny

Friday Fictioneers – Do the socks match?

June 12, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 62 Comments

I do look forward to Fridays, well actually Wednesdays, unless your in Australia and then it’s Thursday, anyway it’s Friday Fictioneers time! Where a wonderful group of international and talented writers take part in a writing challenge. A “flash fiction” (100 words or less) piece, based on a photo prompt. If you enjoy writing I encourage you to give this one a try. Just click on the link and the hostess, the talented Rochelle will provide all the information needed.

This weeks photo prompt is:

My Offering:

“Do the socks match?”

“Excuse me?”

“I asked if the socks matched!”

“No, I heard you. I don’t get your point of reference.”

I’m a photojournalist. After the police remove his body from your piano … player? She nods and he nods back and continues. “I’ll be doing a piece about the utterly incredible, and totally unbelievable, set of circumstances leading up to his end … in the piano … in that position!

“And the socks?” She asks, confounded.

With great wisdom, he sighs and then replies, “In life, it’s all about the little things. So do the socks match?”

(100 words) so I guess we’ll never know what the utterly incredible, totally unbelievable set of circumstances were, but we do know – the socks matched! No wait! She didn’t answer, so we can’t be sure. I guess we’ll have to use our powers of observation to deduce this. Go ahead I dare you to try not to look at the socks one more time right now!

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for stopping by, be sure and check out the other excellent flash fiction entries for this week.

~ Penny

Alastairs Photo Fiction – Camouflage

June 10, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 40 Comments

It’s Alastairs Photo Fiction time. Write a flash fiction (short short story of 150 words, or less) based on a photo prompt. Shown below. To join in the creative fun, click on the link for directions. You’ll be glad you did. My offering follows.

“Sir, Private Woodly, reporting for duty, SIR!” He saluted with his remaining left limb, standing at attention.

“Which branch are you with?” The sergeant barked at the private. “And put your limb down. Something shady going on in here.”

“Sir, Yes Sir,” Private Woodly yelled. “General Plank sent me over, Sir!”

The sergeant lumbered over to the private until his face was just two inches away from Private Woodly. ” Use your soft voice, soldier, or I’ll whittle you down to size.”

The Sergeant wasn’t through. “Look at you. What’s with the gnarly dead tree look?”

“Sir, camouflage, Sir!”

“No need, if a tree falls in the forest, no one will hear it soldier.”

“But what about an ambush?”

The sound of a snapping twig had them both turning. But it was impossible to see the forest for the trees.

* * *

Thanks for stopping by, have a great Monday,

~ Penny

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Geared to Immortality – Part 2

June 2, 2013June 4, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 30 Comments

Another excellent writing challenge brought to you by Nightlake. The Ligo Haibun Challenge offers writers an opportunity to improve and hone their written skills, I encourage you to give this one a try, just click on the link for more details!

The prompt I chose for this week’s challenge was “Today Ten Years Ago” from those words I went with the theme “Anniversary” and 10 years become 10,000 years! I chose to try something a little different with this challenge. Did you notice the title reads “Part 2”? The first part is in my previous post where I wrote from a photo prompt by Alastair. It was fun teaming the two challenges together. Double the challenge, double the fun!

For your pleasure and enjoyment the finale to “Geared to Immortality“:

The succubus giggled. Sharing a human soul. She was so proud of herself. For too long a tiring and boring process, always sneaking and seducing through dreams, drawing out life essence and then moving on to the next one. Sigh, so many victims, it became exhausting and boring.

And then an excellent idea – what if she were to cohabitate with just one soul, dwelling inside. She could accomplish the same thing through an innocent human. Delightful.

Such rich sensation of horror experienced by this human each time she viewed someone using her inventions – watching them wither away. How sensual and double the fun. Of course it wasn’t the invention – but no one knew that but the succubus.

And she had finessed the process now, so embedded was she within this human’s soul. Now each new invention used by another human stole only some of their living essence. They’d live on in a miserable half life fashion. Oh how delicious. Technology was awesome.

Today, the anniversary of that first day she had entered this being’s soul, indeed a cause for celebration. The inventor knew something happened inside her soul that day, but still didn’t really ‘know’ … The succubus sighed again, happily looking forward to thousands of years, inventions and souls to come.

an evil within

the price of technology

eternal victim

The Dance of love – Friday Fictioneers

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 86 Comments

Welcome to the weekly writer’s challenge Friday Fictioneers. An excellent writing troupe to join. Enjoy traveling the globe, exploring and commenting on other writer’s “100 word” offerings, after entering your own, of course. As always a special thank you to Rochelle for making this wonderful challenge available to us. To enter click on the link above.

The photo and my 100 word offering:

For 100 nights in a row, she came.

Head on pillow, he’d fall asleep. Within minutes she’d arrive, tickling his ear, whispering “let’s dance”. Intoxicated, he’d hold her in his arms experiencing heaven. Her gown caressed his body with each movement. In dreamlike trance, they’d dance the night away.

On the 100^th night she’d kissed him for the first time and said goodbye. In the morning he woke remembering. The gown, with her lingering fragrance, lay on his bed.

It hangs on the balcony now. In hopes one day she’ll return again to dance the dance of love with him.

Thanks for stopping by to read, I hope your week is going well for you!

~ Penny

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Thank you Walt!

May 27, 2013May 27, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 19 Comments

Ligo Badge

Līgo Haībun Challenge is for all writers. Brought to you each week by the talented Nightlake, this is a great opportunity to improve your writing skills. To enter, click on the link! I encourage all writers to give this one a try, after you enter you can proudly display the Līgo Badge on your blog.

This week, several choices for a prompt are offered in the haībun challenge. They are a photo of a Mountain Range (click on link to view) or the word “Cartoon”.

One of my favorite people, that has ever been, is Walt Disney. I’ve studied the man, his career, and his life extensively. For me it was an easy choice to pick the word “Cartoon”.

My written piece this week is nonfiction. A personal tribute:

In Honor of you – Walt!

Born more that a century ago, when you and your brother Roy were young adults, you packed up your bags and in your pickup truck, with everything you owned, drove to Hollywood. You were sure you were going to be a successful entrepreneur. When Roy asked you what you would do (about getting a studio for animation up and running), you said “I’ll create a new character”. And Roy asked you what kind and you said, “I don’t know, how about a mouse?” While this is an anecdotal story, I think it just might be true.

In your life you shaped American culture, became a giant in the movie and theme park industries, and are one of the main people responsible for the origination and evolution of animated cartoons/movies/videos we all watch today. Your imagination, talent and determination to succeed are almost unmatched.

But more than anything else you inspired and brought joy and laughter to hundreds of millions of children and adults around the world. Your legacy lives on. Very few can reach the heights you attained. You were my primary inspiration to draw as a child. When I became an adult you were my inspiration to succeed. You never let me down with your vision and your imagination. Thank you Walt.

inspiring determination

creates magical fantasies

imagination reigns

Thank you for your visit today,

~ Penny

Setting the scene – Alastair’s Photo Fiction

May 26, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 21 Comments

Many of us have noticed that some scenes being viewed are classic when it comes to lending themselves to a mystery setting. The photograph is one of them. You can almost imagine this as a precursor to a Sherlock Holmes setting where something spellbinding is about to happen.

I can do no less:

“It was the second lamppost from the corner, sir … where we stopped.” An extremely nervous cabby stammered; blinking and swallowing, while shaky hands twisted together in agitated motion.

The cabby paused here and the inspector asked, “Then what happened?”

“Well, I had been driving slowly down Wisteria Street to the address he’d given me, 205 North Wisteria when I noticed this figure walking along side the road. My passenger must have seen her too because he tapped sharply on my shoulder and said, ‘Stop, stop right here!’ Then he leaped out of the cab and ran back towards her.”

Gulping, he cleared his throat and continued. “Well sir, it was very foggy, and although it was mostly light out, they both seemed strangely shadowy, so perhaps I … didn’t really see … what I thought … I saw.” His words faded away as he stared directly into the investigator’s eyes. The expression on the cabby’s face, abject fear and terror.

He glanced over the inspector’s shoulder and shook his head, not willing to believe the gruesome carnage near the lamppost.

“Just tell me what you saw!” A terse response from the investigator, intense curiosity as to what this man must have witnessed.

“You won’t believe me … you won’t!” The cabby shuddered, took a deep breath and continued “…but my passenger held out his hand, you know like an apology or something and then the other person raised her arm and pointed and then there was this bright blue light and then, he aimed his palm at her and this red beam shot out and then another figure appeared and then more came and then, oh my god …”

(whoops, sorry way too many words guys, gotta stop now, it would have been a good ending too, oh well maybe next time!) A most excellent photo prompt this week Alastair. For more details on how to be a part of this weekly writing challenge Click on this link Alastairs Photo Fiction .

Have a great day today,

~ Penny