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 Sean Jeating and can be found here

This week's words/prompts are:

1.contemporaries  2.easily  3.life  4.met  5.never

and/or:

1.one  2.say  3.sentence  4.who  5.within

Here is my story, continuing from last week:

"Guess I’ll have to make do with whatever we have brought with us,” thought Alan as the catch was put into an esky with ice and carried away. Turning to one of the older fishermen, he sat down beside him and asked, “how long have you and your mates been fishing here?” The old man was a bit confused and muttered something about “since dawn”, so Alan clarified and asked, “how many years? Do you come every week? Every day?  Always the same people?”

“Why you want to know?” asked the older man, “you from Bureau? Check fishing licence?” “No, no,” said Alan, “just making conversation.” “You move on now,” said the older man, "you make too loud noise, scare the fish away.” Alan rose to his feet, “say no more, I’ll move on.” Walking with Doug back to the others, Alan said, “I used to be able join others easily, all my life, when I met a new bunch of people, I’d say hello, maybe one more sentence, then I’d be in, you know? Never got a cold shoulder, didn’t matter who I spoke with.”

“Things change as we get older,” said Doug. “Do you always accept strangers yourself these days as you expected the old man to accept you?” Alan searched within his mind the few times he had come on outings with his nursing home contemporaries and remembered the few times “outsiders” had spoken to him and he had ignored or snubbed them. “Guess I haven’t been as outgoing lately,” he admitted to Doug. “Living in the home is different from independence, I think it changes us.”

“It’s good that you realise that now,” said Doug as they stopped to admire Cassie’s sandcastle. She had positioned her little redheaded dolls to look as if one were attaching decorative shells while another scooped a moat and a third was planting a small flag. The fourth little doll was setting out a miniature picnic on a tiny blanket, but kept falling over in the soft sand. Sally brought Marjorie and Lucy over and asked everyone if they were ready for lunch. “I can go up to the kiosk and get fish and chips for everyone, while you all move to the shady area under those trees beyond the sand. “And icecreams?” asked Denise. “After we eat the fish and chips,” promised Sally.

Gordon helped Cassie take photos of the dolls and castle, then helped her pack away the castle building implements and the dolls before helping her walk back up to the picnic area.