Wednesday's Words on a Friday
Charlotte's colour of the month is Steel Blue. I wonder what next month's colour will be?
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 as well as on my blog
This week's words/prompts are:
1.attention 2.vague 3.orbit 4.game 5.think 6.insistence
and/or:
1.single 2.brand 3.barrel 4.bless 5.stake 6.cap
Here is my very-short-written-in-a-hurry story:
My attention had been scattered all day, my mind had been off in its own orbit for several hours at a time. When Mr Creek slammed his hand on my desk and demanded an answer, I blurted out "Cracker-Barrel Brand Cheese." I saw his mouth twitch as several classmates giggled helplessly. He glanced around and the giggles subsided.
"Have you heard even a single word I've been saying?" he asked. My answer was vague. "I think I heard something about a stake," I said. "Joan of Arc?" I asked. "History is not a game," Mr Creek said. "Get your thinking cap on and pay attention!"
The insistence in his voice might have been harsh, but there was a gentleness beneath it. He'd seen me at the funeral last week, sobbing helplessly, a complete wreck, as Father Mark uttered the words "Bless this soul Dear Lord" as the casket with my best friend was lowered into the ground.
The rest of the class had been there too, but none had been as close to "Smitty Blacksmith" as I had. Mr Creek's steel blue eyes gentled as he quietly said, "pay attention, stay with us now."
Al final no era tan dur com semblava. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMolt bona història.
Paula; thank you. I really had no idea what to write.
Deletethat was excellent. I did not know the reasons until the last sentence.
DeleteNice story R. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMargaret D; thank you.
DeleteGreat, if sad story, I love that teacher.
ReplyDeleteIris; thank you. I had a couple of good teachers that really understood kids.
DeleteI had one, too, my English teacher.
DeleteSteel Blue suits the teacher’s eyes perfectly -- what a touching detail.
ReplyDeleteVeronica Lee; thank you. My highschool Math teacher had blue eyes.
DeleteLinda história com todas palavras bem empregadas! beijos, chica
ReplyDeletechica; thank you.
DeleteAt the book launch of her latest steamy novel, Elsie River's attention started to wander. Her thoughts were vague like those of a cosmonaut in orbit. To be truthful she could not think straight. The writing of "Insistence" had taken a lot out of her this time round - about a single Australian woman called Sheila who had an affair with the lascivious TV personality Russell Brand. They even made love on a wooden barrel in the cellar of their local pub which was oddly called, "Bless This House". In fact Brand had a stake in the business and that's why he always wore a baseball cap with the pub's logo on it. It was in a shade of blue - steel blue.
ReplyDelete"At least take it off while you are rogering me!" screamed Sheila in Chapter 4.
Yorkshire Pudding; good use of the words, thank you.
DeleteExcellent use of the words.
DeleteGood, sad, well written story. You always do well! Thanks for using my colour.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte; thank you, I had no idea what to write and typed it out just before midnight on Thursday.
DeleteI’m thankful for good teachers like this one. It’s hard on students when such things happen. This is a good story, I wouldn’t mind hearing more about this teacher.
ReplyDeletemessymimi; the teacher is fictional, though based on a couple of understanding teachers in my highschool.
DeleteI like that you start this story with a bit of humor, even it's sad.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.
lissa; thank you, humor does sometimes help when things are sad.
Deleteevery comment was so spot on and reflected the humor, the problem, and the surprise ending.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane; thank you. I didn't know what to write and did this in a hurry and hoped it would be okay.
DeleteThere are worse things to shout when startled. Cracker Barrel Brand Cheese wasn't so bad. Mr. Creek seems like a good guy. He had to put on a show of authority, but didn't belittle.
ReplyDeleteVal; we used to have Cracker-Barrel Cheese available in Australia but not for many yeras now. It was a very sharp cheese and I remember not liking it, as it was too "bitey". I added that because it was the only way I could use barrel and brand.
DeleteI haven't thought of Cracker Barrel cheese for years. Now I have a yen for some.
ReplyDeletejabblog; I had forgotten Cracker-Barrel Cheese was also in the UK. Can you still get it there? It has been gone from our stores for a very long time.
DeleteAt a planning meeting to solve a problem, Pam cleared her throat and spoke, “It has come to my attention that this meeting must single out the one problem that we must think about. This is rather vague in its scope. So much is at stake.”
ReplyDeletePam chuckled, “Bless your hearts. Paying attention to the details is the single most important action we must do!” She waited for clapping, but there was none. “Any questions?”
At this insistence, the leader asked, “What the hell are you talking about?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Aren’t we here to plan and organize games for tomorrow’s luncheon?”
Pam realized something very important. She was in the wrong meeting. If there was a barrel nearby Pam would have jumped in it and rolled away. Instead, she replied, “Absolutely! Let’s address that problem.”
For a moment, some giggled and clapped. When Pam was asked to do something simple, she was never bored.
Susan Kane; oh no! The wrong meeting. I hope the other meeting carried on well enough without her.
Delete