Wednesday's Words on a Friday

On Wednesdays, assorted people have been taking monthly turns at putting up a selection of words which is called “Words for Wednesday”.

This month the meme continues here, at  with words supplied by Carolyn McBride.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.   

Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or images.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  We would really like it if as many people as possible joined in with this fun meme.

If you are posting on your own blog - let us know so that we can come along and read your masterpiece.

It’s a fun challenge…why not join in?

This week's words are:

1. stars

2. rain

3. smell

4. blood

5. moonshadow

and there is a gorgeous picture of a space nebula with blue and red galaxies, which I have not used.

Here is my story:

Years ago, as reckless and slightly drunk teenagers, the hypnotism game had seemed like harmless fun. None of the boys thought it would actually work. And for most of them it didn't. 

But Tom was unknowingly hypnotised when the song "Moonshadow" began playing on the radio. He disliked it because his little sister had been practising it endlessly for a few weeks now on her guitar. Her teacher had said it was one of the easiest songs to learn to play.

When Tom heard it begin playing he declared loudly, "if I ever hear this song again, I'll go out and kill someone".

Unfortunately for Tom, that's exactly what he did and spent several years in prison for manslaughter after the jury heard he'd been hypnotised as a teenager, so wasn't fully accountable for his actions. 

When released from prison, Tom took himself away from civilisation and lived alone in a small cabin near a river where he was able to live in peace.

Ten years later, he decided a little company might be a nice idea and bought a tiny battery operated radio. 

Sitting in the dark, listening to the music one night, the radio began playing "Moonshadow"

Hours later, Tom came out of the induced hypnotic trance and gazed up at the stars as gentle rain began falling, washing away the smell and the blood from his hands and clothes as he silently thanked his isolation. "At least I didn't kill a person", he thought. "Just the rabbit that has been eating my lettuces."

He let the rain wash away most of the evidence, then walked inside and smashed the tiny radio.

It occurred to him then, that perhaps he could somehow become unhypnotised, he'd write some letters to doctors and find out.