The Speakeasy #137 ~ COINS

COINS

The lights dim and the white screen comes to life. You mute your cell and settle back with your bag of buttered popcorn. The only day of the year you go to the movies. It has become a tradition now. Oh, plenty of friends invite you over… some feel sorry, some want to fix you up with their girlfriends, and then there’s her folks. You politely decline.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel sorry for myself, I just like to be alone, and watch the latest holiday movie about fictional families doing what real families do, just maybe a little more outrageously. I’ll go home and have a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce later, I picked one up at Katz’s Delicatessen yesterday.”

You had both been in a pretty bad place when you met. The church basement at Seventh and Pine was a comforting place, you started sitting together. You were told it wasn’t a good idea to form relationships within the group, you thought it was helping.

“I remember when I got my ninety day coin. She got her two month. We celebrated at Katz’s with coffee, pastrami sandwiches, and cheesecake. We kept collecting coins and fell in love.”

You watch the film and cringe when the drinking starts. You still don’t know what made her think she could have just one, and after three years sober. You never saw her again after that Thanksgiving. Everyone was at a loss. Occasionally you hear that someone has caught sight of her.

“Maybe I’ll go tonight. I go to my meetings at the YMCA now, I just couldn’t go back to 7th and Pine. From that day forward, every time I drove past that street corner, I thought of her.”

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THE SPEAKEASY… Check out the other writers… Write something yourself!

Here are the Editor’s instructions: This week our sentence prompt, provided by last week’s winner Courtney at IASoupMama, must be used as the LAST line in your piece. And in honour of the coming holiday, our media prompt this week is a video, which you will find below.  As with all our media prompts, your post shouldn’t be about the video, but you must make some sort of reference to it in your submission.

“From that day forward, every time I drove past that street corner, I thought of her.”

UNPUBLISHED TRIFEXTRA GEM UNEARTHED! The Wall of Water!

Walter took the stage to perform the deadliest feat of his career… The Wall of Water!  

The audience gasped as he started to drown, but the ring of his bedside alarm saved him.

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The Editors at The Trifectra Writing Challenge gave us 3 words this week..ring, water, andstage… “Add 30 more, for a total of 33″ they said.”

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Yesterday I came across this story written last July.  I was in the mountains and was not able to publish by the Trifextra deadline due to spotty internet.  I was ticked, since I thought this was a good one.  I decided to let it see the light of day and add to The Trifectra Writing Challenge, even thought it is a little late.  Maybe they won’t notice it’s not following this week’s prompt.

The illustration is a still from the 1953 film ‘Houdini’, starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

The Speakeasy #136 ~ SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES…

 

The smell of smoke lingered in the air. The shrieking was deafening. The fanning of air with a magazine was frantic. The front door opens…

“Just what the hell were you thinking, Ethel. How many times have I said… ‘You have to open the flue before you start the fire’?”
“What!!!”
“Oh, for God’s sake, turn off the smoke detector!!!”
“I don’t know how, that’s why I called you!!!! Here’s the instructions!!!!!”

Cheryl took the manual outside. This was not the first time this had happened. This was, however, the first time under the watch of Ethel’s new smoke detector, and this time it was not as easy as pushing a button or taking out the battery. The pounding on the ceiling in Betty’s flat below was only adding to the consternation.  As Ethel chased the smoke out, Cheryl quickly scanned the instruction book for answers.

“Thank you, Cheryl.”
“You’re welcome. Why in Heaven’s name do you think you need such a fancy system?”
“You know me, Cheryl, I like to be on top of the latest technology.”
“Oh please, give me a break! I suppose that’s why you still get your People in the mail, while I subscribe online. You think you’re so ‘green’, look at all the trees I’m saving, Ethel. And speaking of trees, the next time you start a fire open the damn damper. I know you think it lets cold air in, but you are starting a fire. Don’t be such a stubborn ass!”

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THE SPEAKEASY… #136 …More stories here…

Here are the Editor’s instructions for this week’s submission… Welcome back, dearest bootleggers, to the third week of November here at the Speakeasy! This week, our sentence prompt, provided by last week’s popular vote winner Stacie, must be used as the FIRST line in your piece. And our media prompt this week is a painting, which you will find below. As with all our media prompts, your post shouldn’t be about the painting, but you must make some sort of reference to it in your submission.

 

“The smell of smoke lingered in the air.” by Stacie at  Snaps and Bits 

The painting is by William Blake and is titled The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy… 1795 

Trifecta: Week 104 ~ AT THE MERCY OF HIS COMPANION

AT THE MERCY OF HIS COMPANION

He had been at odds with his companion for some time now.  After all, here she sits; eating his food, drinking his wine and watching his TV.  Isn’t she the one hired to take care of him? Not being able to speak has hampered his ability to express his concern.  When family visits, he tries to convey his dismay with his eyes, like they do in the movies, but to no avail. They just don’t get it.  What’s worse, they think she is doing this wonderful job tending to his needs.  The accident had left him in such sorry state.  He guessed he should feel lucky, since without her he would die.  Actually, death might be preferable to another episode of Jerry or Maury.  He had forgotten about Judge Judy, but at 4 o’clock he will be reminded.

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The editor’s prompt for this week…COMPANION (noun)

1

:  one that accompanies another :  comrade, associate; also:  one that keeps company with another

2

obsolete :  rascal

3

a :  one that is closely connected with something similar

b :  one employed to live with and serve another

Remember:

• Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.

• You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.

• The word itself needs to be included in your response.

- See more at:http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/2013_11_01_archive.html#sthash.Gry3lrf7.dpuf

Friday Fictioneers: ALAS…

ALAS… A Drabble for FriFic

The Globe Theatre had been awash with excitement for a fortnight. Shouts of “The Queen is coming!” could be heard as workers scurried about applying a dab of fresh paint here, a bit of new carpet there, and of course the Royal Box had to be completely redone. And now, the night had finally come.

In his dressing room, the great Sir Michael Fitzpatrick was beside himself. In two hours, he would be giving the most important performance of his career, restoring the luster to his crown that a series of B movies had dimmed.  Alas, poor Yorick was missing.

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I like photos like this one by my friend Sean Fallon, who lives in Istanbul, has a new hot wife and is writing an exciting political thriller.  Rochelle chose it for this week’s Friday Fictioneers prompt. Look at the photo… find inspiration… write a 100 word story.

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This week’s bonus is a photo of noted Shakespearean actor Daniel Mayes demonstrating his best “Alas poor Yorick” moves to Ula and her friend.

HOW MAY I HELP YOU? ~ Speakeasy #135

A telephone rings in a three-story walkup somewhere in Chicago…
‘Cook County Jail’… what the hell???  “Hello?”
“Cheryl, I need your help.”

Front Desk at the Cook County Jail…
“Hi, I’m here to bail Ethel out.”

Corner booth at the Blue Line Lounge & Grill…
Cheryl had taken her friend to Damen and North Streets under the El, a new restaurant they had been wanting to try.  Cheryl could tell Ethel was upset, she had been silent on the way, most unlike Ethel.  As curious as she was, she would bite her tongue and wait for her friend to explain why she had to ruin a perfectly good evening of watching Survivor.  Ethel knew it was her favorite show, why couldn’t she get arrested on a different day.

“We haven’t been here since it was the Busy Bee.  Remember the pierogis Sophie made?”
“Boy, it’s changed. Just like all of Wicker Park. Yuppiefied!  I guess you are wondering…?”
“Of course I’m ‘wondering’ Ethel! What the hell did you do?  They said you beat up an old man at Walmart.”
“Oh for crying out loud, I didn’t hurt him.  Just a little slap and he makes such a big deal.”
“The blue vest you’re wearing wouldn’t have anything to do with why you were there?” 
“I guess I won’t need it anymore.  I should have told you, Cheryl, but I thought you’d laugh at me.” 
“So this is why you’ve been so busy, nothing to do with your sister I’m thinking?  The one you don’t like, remember?  Start at the beginning, I’m dying to know.”
“At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea.  I wanted to earn some extra money, so I went looking thru the want ads in the Reader, circling jobs I thought I would like.  Then I saw the perfect one, you know how good I am with people, I could work as a greeter!  Well, of course they loved me, the manager wanted me to start at once.”
“Get to the old man, Ethel.”
“I’d been there two days. Most of the people were nice, but some I could do without. I was having fun, helping people by giving directions to the different parts of the store. I was greeting a woman when I got poked in the back.  A little old man, who I had directed to sporting goods, was furious because he could not find sporting goods and he called me a ‘bitch’.  So I slapped him! End of story.”
“End of story?  What about Cook County?”
“Oh. Well he got all uppity, found a cop and pressed charges.  The store had to go along with it, as employees aren’t allowed to hit the customers.  It’s in the handbook they said.”

Walmart Superstore ~ North and Cicero…
“Hi,Welcome to Walmart!”
“Hi.  I’m here to return Ethel’s vest.  Remember Her?”

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This is my response to The Speakeasy #135 prompt… This week’s sentence prompt, provided by last week’s winner Janna, can be used ANYWHERE in your piece. And our media prompt this week is a song, which you will find below. As with all our media prompts, your post shouldn’t be about the song, but you must make some sort of reference to it in your submission.  The song is by Sarah McLachlan ‘I Will Remember You’; and the sentence by Janna is “At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea.”  

I’d read stories from Speakeasy prompts by some writers I like.  I thought I’d give it a try. Here is where to find The Speakeasy!

TedBook: Trifextra #93: DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY!

TedBook: Trifextra #93: DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY!: DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY…  “What’s this Ethel?” “My new motto, Cheryl. Meher Baba, he’s a god.” “No he’s not, there’s only one.” “We al...

Trifextra #93: DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY!

DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY… “What’s this Ethel?”

“My new motto, Cheryl. Meher Baba, he’s a god.”

“No he’s not, there’s only one.”

“We all are, Cheryl, we just haven’t learned how to live it.”

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This was a card my sister Mariya gave me many years ago.  I may not have done the Trifextra Prompt correctly, but it’s the first thing I thought of… and I have always found comfort in his words.  Meher Baba created controversy in the early 20th Century saying he was God.  It is accepted by many that we all are and have not yet learned how to live it.

Buddhist cosmology tells of Trāyastriṃśa, or the Heaven of Thirty-Three gods, which rule over the human realm.  This weekend we’re asking for exactly 33 of your own words about a god of your own devising that shares heaven with the other thirty-two gods.  Make it yours and have fun with it. – See more at: http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/2013/11/trifextra-week-ninety-three.html?