Wednesday's Words on a Friday

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write, a story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are supplied by Elephant's Child and can be found here.

This week's words are:

1. ancient
2. bedraggled
3. fortunate
4. cap
5. narrow
6. evaluate

and/or:

1. arouse
2. frail
3. execute
4. herbs
5. unwieldy
6. dusty

and an image which I have included 

Here is my story:


 Kerry Taylor's quick one-two, one-two march slowed as she turned into the narrow lane leading to the cabin, and began to manouver the unwieldy basket between the overgrown bushes on either side.  "Someone really ought to get out here and cut these back," she thought as yet another bramble caught at the wicker basket.  "No wonder none of the others wanted to come, but I wish they'd warned me." She adjusted her cap which had been almost tugged off by a wayward twig from an ancient oak tree and executed a neat sidestep to edge past an unexpected bed of herbs.

Righting herself again, she gasped at her first sight of Harry Rivera's ramshackle abode. Every window was coated in dust, well, really, everything was dusty, from the dry front yard. The porch sagged, holes in the rusted tin roof were patched with something that looked like flattened old jam tins. A rickety ladder propped against the side of the cabin showed how Harry had gotten up there to nail them on.

Kerry's eyes came to a stop at a stolen "STOP" sign nailed to a porch post. Someone had painted "everything" across the sign under the word stop. 

A raspy voice from the shadowed front door inquired if she was "the fortunate young lady whose turn it was this time." Stepping forward, Kerry could make out a frail old man wearing nothing more than a pair of overalls so ancient they were more patches than original fabric. Even the patches had patches and the hems had frayed so high, Harry's grubby, bony ankles could be seen.

"Hello Mr Rivera, my name is Kerry Taylor and yes, it is my turn to evaluate your living conditions this month."

"Better come on in then, I'll open a window for some air. The last young lady seemed to have a bit of trouble breathing in here, kept holding her nose and coughing. What's in the basket this time? hope you brought me some eggs, my hens don't lay anymore."

Kerry followed him inside and watched as he shooed a couple of bedraggled chickens off an armchair so she could sit.