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. Sadly, Delores has now closed her blog forever due to other problems.
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 to read it and add a few encouraging words.
This month the words/prompts are supplied by ME and can be found right here
This week's words/prompts are:
1. study
2. exercise
3. gnome
4. cagier
5. fountain
6. super
7. enigma
8. sludge
and this image: (an aerial view of one of Adelaide's beaches)
Here is my story:
From my upstairs study
window, I could see the refurbished fountain in my front yard, with a newly
purchased Fishing Gnome perched on its rim. The newly installed goldfish were
in no danger of being caught, his line had neither hook nor bait. It had taken
several weeks to clear out the sludge from the pond and it’s drains, an
exercise in endurance for my ‘gone to flab’ muscles. I was still feeling the effects
and making sure to leave my desk a few times a day to walk around swinging my
arms.
Looking further to the
right, I could see the long pier stretching from the beach opposite. In my
Grandfather’s day it had been a bridge connecting my island to the mainland. A
long-ago “super storm” had wrecked a good length of it, although there had been
talk that perhaps a little sabotage had helped. Grandpa had become a hermit
after Grandma had died and some thought he had done something to help the
collapse of the bridge. When I’d asked for details of the storm and collapse,
he had been even cagier than usual with his replies. The truth would remain an enigma for now, maybe forever.
All that was left now
was that long pier on the beach side and a shorter one on my island, just long
enough to sit and fish from, or to moor the boat which carried me to and from
the mainland for supplies each month. I felt no need to go across more often;
perhaps I was also becoming a hermit in this house my grandfather had left to
me in his will.
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I guess a little sabotage is one way to control drop in visitors. Maybe there is a hermit gene.
ReplyDeleteArkansas Patti; I think there is a hermit gene, I know I prefer to live alone, my dad and sister also. I think maybe the grandfather sabotaged the bridge because he blamed the town for not keeping it maintained, his wife drowned when part of the bridge collapsed under her car. (In my mind of course, not a real scenario)
DeleteIntriguing. I would like to know more about this family.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; me too. and I forgot to mention mimi would be providing the prompts next month.
DeleteIt sounds like a nice, quiet life suits this family just fine.
ReplyDeletemessymimi; thank you. A family of one and that's just how he/she likes it. There may be a dog eventually.
DeleteClever story again! I fear I will turn into a hermit, too. I already kinda am, but I do not feel lonely. Also thanks to the bloggy world! Living at the ocean or at a lake will remain a dream for now...
ReplyDeleteAnd again I can enjoy pics and stories from blogger who do and share.
Thank you for this story, my mind was just blank on the words.
Iris; I do not feel lonely on my own either and you have Ingo, while I have Lola. And we have the internet :)
DeleteYes, we are not lonely. I have so many meetings planned and not planned via MS Teams. My Brother, for example, does not understand we are not lonely, he feels "sorry" for me...
DeleteAnd complains about the customers (he has for real) and his loud family, too. What to say? (Apart from: Teach your kids to behave, like our parents taught us!")
You are good at creating a story where we feel like we know the main person and his / her family and so on. Very evocative. I always want to know more.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte; thank you. I try to make them "real" and it seems to work.
DeleteSolid story, writing! I am comfortable in my own company. I grew up in the country, and summers meant working in the garden and canning.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of water or beaches, but the solitude is appealing. Your protagonist has a perfect set-up. Privacy, a great view, and the ability to get to town when necessary. The family history could be intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThe Enigma2 was huge, created by the cagie programmer sent over from the secret agency whose name no one knew. Richard had seen the man by the fountain, called him a gnome. He was hyped as a super wizard in a study performed somewhere secret people created all the secret stuff. Studies of some of these secret programs showed it was a bunch of gray sludge on a computer screen.
ReplyDeleteIt was clear Richard’s investigation was an exercise in futility