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 messymimi and can be found here

This week's words/prompts are:

1.sign  2.omission  3.fall  4.conviction  5.accompany  6.commerce

and/or:

"courage and stupidity were all we had"

Here is my story:

Courage and stupidity were all we had, but we thought we knew enough. True, we hadn’t paid much attention at lessons, but how hard could it be?

We had grown up in the city, learning from the street kids to ignore any and all signage, easy enough since we could barely read, having skipped school often enough. We were not interested in learning the ways of commerce, we valued the freedom to do as we pleased instead.

This omission was to be our downfall, as we trespassed once again into Lord Sotherby’s orchard. Big Trev had requested four oranges and six apples and no one crossed Big Trev willingly.

Besides, the orchard was easy, we had scaled that particular wall many times. Tonight was no different we told each other, and we could get some fruit for ourselves too.

Barney landed lightly while I slipped and tumbled from the stones that topped the wall, almost immediately we heard the growling and snarling of several large dogs who were upon us before we could scramble back up. Lord Sotherby had lost enough fruit to thieves and had hired dogs and guards.

“Hoi there!” shouted a gruff voice as we backed against the fence. A sturdy man with a sturdy walking staff appeared through the mist. He whistled for his mate, equally sturdy who came running and held us by the necks while the dogs were called away and leashed.

“I am Sergeant Petersen of the Constabulary,” he roared into our faces. “You two will accompany me to the Police Station, to await the details of your conviction.” Our egos and hearts deflated. We knew full well what that would be. Transportation on the next ship to the Colonies. Some place called Australia.


 


Comments

  1. Nossa! Em que enrascada foram se meter encontrando esse SR Sargento que os apavorou! Imagina acabar na polícia!rs Adorei! Ótimo texto e participação! beijos, chica

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    1. Chica; thank you. If only the boys had learned to read they would know the new sign said Guard Dogs on Duty.

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  2. At the crossroads, there was a rusty old sign - but I noticed a glaring omission. The finger post that should have pointed westwards was missing. That autumn - or what Americans refer to as fall - I had a strong conviction that good fortune had turned against me. Whatever I did, bad karma seemed to accompany me. Anyway , from that lonely crossroads, I decided to head westwards just for the hell of it. Perhaps the lane would lead me to a centre of industry and commerce where I could rebuild my life. As I walked, I remembered something my father once said to me about his two years in a German prisoner of war camp - "Courage and stupidity were all we had" and at that moment I felt just the same.

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    1. Yorkshire Pudding; I like this and hope the Westward journey brought better luck.

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    2. I enjoyed your story very much, you used the prompts well.

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    3. West is always good, huh... I hope.

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  3. Excellent use of the words! It happens too often with young people now. They want the stability of a good country and economy, so they can run around and do as they please, thinking it will have no consequence.

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    1. messymimi; thank you, I set this in the old days of deportation, but it's true there are still kids and older people who prefer to do as they please without thought for others or the future.

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  4. These words look interesting, will come back.

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    1. Susan Kane; these are messymimi's propmpts this month, she always has good prompts.

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  5. Oh dear me R, that is some story yet a good one, for it tells of such a small crime done by many I'm sure and transported to Australia to help populate the colony.

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    1. Margaret D; thnak you. I really had no idea where this was going, after I typed the first sentence, the rest of it just wrote itself.

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  6. Well, that was luck after all then... well, a bit.
    We got a story told at Freo Prison: An Aborigine-boy of age 8 was in there because he stole an apple out of hunger. He got whipped, too... If I wasn´t in "Lost in Paradise"...

    I´d like to join with "courage and stupidity were all we had" as well, true, of course...
    Though, it´s neither "all" nor is it "stupidity".
    We packed our bikes on top of my roof, a used Holden and, since my then-boyfriend lost his driver´s license due to drink driving (stupid) I had to drive all the way to Calais in France.
    I found a farmer nearby where I could leave my car for free as we wanted too set over to Dover and have a bike tour. I was still a student with little money.
    The farmer invited us to supper, I had a surprisingly nice chat with his Dad - a German and a French man who served in WWII - he asked how the drive was and what we´re up to - not a word about the darn war.
    His Son then wanted the key for in case my car is in the way.
    Was it being stupid or courage... I left key and car there! The farmer said, the main door is always open and the key hangs right there, I can come by anytime, but: being farmers they go to bed early.
    On the boat I thought, "stupidity hit me - there will be no car when I come back!".
    We came back a week later at around 10 p.m.
    My car was.... in another corner, the door was open and my key right there.
    I left a pressie from Britain with a thank you-note. Courage and a gut-feeling paid off.

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    1. Iris; this fits the words well and I remember when you first wrote about this and I worried for your car too.

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  7. It was a dreadful fate at the time, to be ripped away from everything you knew. Now it would be a blessing. I fear those children would not find life easy, though.

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    1. jabblog; i wonder just how the boys do once they are in Australia. They would likely be "farmed out" to a property owner to help with farm chores, not a bad life if they learn quickly.

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  8. Well done! You really got me with the ending. I did not see that coming.

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    1. Val; thank you. I didn't see any of it coming. I wrote the first sentence and then the rest wrote itself, it just ran away from me.

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  9. Oh I hope those rascals will think twice and have an education now.

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    1. Charlotte; most likely they will learn things, but not a formal education. I based this in the past (well, the story went there on its own) and children who were sent out usually went to farms or factories such as breweries, lessons weren't on the agenda.

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  10. Our egos and hearts deflated. We knew full well what that would be...I do like that quote.

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    1. Dora; I like that bit too and honestly have no idea where my mind found it.

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  11. Excellent weaving of the prompts--especially loved the suspense with the dogs and Sergeant Petersen.
    Fantastic storytelling, River!

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  12. Courage and stupidity seems to go together - sometimes that's all anyone had. Australia didn't sound like a bad punishment but I guess it depends on what period this story took place. Good use of the WFW prompts.

    Have a lovely day.

    P.S. The text size for the story seems to have increased from the last time or I could be mistaken. If you don't know how to change that, try selecting the large text and click on the symbol with a capital T with a slash over it (clear formatting is the name of the tool - you can see the name when you hover your mouse over it) - that should reset the text size to a smaller one. I hope that is useful.

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    1. lissa; I made a mistake with the text size in "Word" where I type all my stories then copy/paste onto the blogger "new post" page. I know how to change the text size, but left it large anyway. A lot of readers are older now and I think a larger font is easier for them to read.
      The story is set in the days of Colonialism, when convicts were still being sent to Australia, I think late1800s.

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  13. Your story is very good. Thank you for sharing it.

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    1. DVArtist; thank you, I enjoyed writing it, though truthfully it wrote itself this time.

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  14. True story;;;
    It was a sign that life was about to change, a conviction that accompanied by both fear and joy. When an omission of vital equipment and supplies caused a plethora of confusion, time was falling like grains of sand through an hourglass. It was clear that no amount of commerce would help.
    They weren’t ready, not ready at all. No bit of info could be purchased to save them. Jim and Linda carried their newborn girl Jessica out of the hospital and headed home. They told their friends years afterward that “courage and stupidity was all we had”.
    Little Jessica survived it all somehow.

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