If there's one thing I've learnt over a decade of writing to prompts, it is that there is no single 'right' way of doing so, and that what I used to fear was my boringly predictable offering (because it was me that thought it) is not – cannot be – any such thing. So, thank you, Terrie for your elegantly-expressed note as to why you didn't; well done all of you who picked up and ran with last week's words, and congratulations to Jim whose extended finger in 'A glass of milk' reached the winning tape fractionally before the jostling rest.
This week I've behaved myself and used volume 1 of the Shorter OED, A-M, to choose:
Words for the coming week, erudite holly meander
Entries by midnight Thursday 15th
April, new words posted Friday 16th
Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or
poetry using all three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science
fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and
uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories
on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.
I so enjoy reading all the weekly submissions to The Prediction. Well done Jim on taking top choice this week with 'Glass of milk'.
ReplyDeleteWell done Jim - the cream floats.
DeleteOMEN
ReplyDeleteA world and fifteen yards away from the shamelessly erudite Caolin, the one known as Una halted mid-step, head fluidly turning even before she flawlessly alighted, as only a wild animal’s can.
The company ducked in staggered unison, but no – though her attention had shifted in their direction, her focus was off to the left.
Joanie, the nimblest, meandered forward and westward to discern what had so captured the child’s interest as to interrupt her instinctual choreography.
Just out of the line of sight from their position was a small cairn-like formation … from which holly grew like an augur.
Such an opening ... and such an ending too.
DeleteThanking you.
Deletethat's how to start and finish something, for sure. Perry, you have such a way of doing that!
DeleteA world and fifteen yards... so close but so far. Well done, Perry.
DeleteChange of focus [421]
ReplyDeleteDI John Pettinger looked down from the cliff to the tight-packed roofs of the once Roman port, Iarum, tight-held in the U-bend of the meandering Tees. Beside him, DC Henry Moth, un-showered and faintly female-perfumed.
Unlike himself. His phone's vibrations woke him at 5am. Philly, other side of the wall, stayed asleep.
Eventually, SIO Edwin Rudd, whose experience further justified his nickname of Erudite, summoned them. As white-suited SOCOs continued with their business he gestured, smiling.
'We're lucky! A holly hedge is excellent for holding evidence!'
Pettinger grimaced, 'Less so for the poor sod stuffed head-first into it. Stark naked.'
Oh such a wonderfully descriptive piece ending with a definite ouch factor.
DeleteI loved that last line, Sandra... stuffed headfirst and naked, no less!
Deletehow nasty can you get...
DeleteI like it when a new case begins. While hard at it, Pettinger had an inner thought of Stepcart on the other side of his wall. Interesting... could she be the one?
DeleteTime, in Quaaludes and Red Wine
ReplyDeleteIt’s discombobulating to give a eulogy for one who simultaneously died last week - and 62 years ago.
Some scurrilously decry him for being so erudite, yet squandering the potential of his Hallucinogenic Engine. Friends, he didn’t meander aimlessly through time. His visits to 1950’s Lubbock, Texas had purpose. Buddy Holly was the subject of an audacious experiment. Might altering a single event alter history itself? Lucky he boarded that flight, you say? Saved from the ripple of butterfly wings.
But are we sure of that?
Perhaps our present is no longer the future it once was in his past?
Thank you for the quaaludes (I lead a sheltered life!) and subsequent ponderings.
DeleteMuch interesting to ponder here, David.It would be nice if Buddy Holly came back, but That Will be the Day.
Deletesome interesting thoughts there, David, I will go pondering. An aside, on Youtuve there's a series of clips on how songs came about. Don McLean was asked and he said, among other things, it was going to school and telling someone 'Buddy Holly's dead' and the person saying 'so what?'
DeleteTime travel does bring up some tricky situations.
DeleteThe Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 139
ReplyDeleteAs daylight meandered into dusk, scouting ‘Dillos reported a group of rats, gerbils, and two least-weasels setting up camp the other side of a dry river-bed half a day’s march away.
Tosca immediately retreated into his camouflage headfirst. Rustling and snapping heralded the emergence of sharp, dried, holly leaves on the exterior.
The ‘Dillo platoon were impressed.
‘Neat trick, mate,’ grinned Nigel as he and Mossy gathered the Varks and pangolins together to issue tactical advice.
With an erudite look of concentration, Cinereus chose a packet from his pouch, ‘I’ll have your ragwort-syrup Armi.’
Armi’s eyes widened. ‘How the feck …’
Love the holly camouflage, as well as the indignation in Armi's voice.
DeleteYou'd best get used to surprises from Cinereus, Armi.
Deletecraftiness going on here - of course - it's dillo time. Love it.
DeleteI found it humorous the potemtial ememy was half a days march away, on the other side of the dried river bed. But then, armadillos abd aardvarks aren't know for their speed. A very entertaining episode, Terrie.
DeleteCHEEKY INDULGENCE
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Rudd was a paragon of anarchy, if such can be contrived in the meanderings of modern logic.
There she was, in the streets protesting the banning of indoor smoking – though she’d never partake herself – and the current Covid restrictions which kept Holly from her favourite lunchtime treat: Banoffe Pie and Irish coffee at the Gnome Arms, a delightful pub near the canal moorings, with rustic benches outside for the better weather.
On a day like this there’d be a crackling fire encouraging the blood back to extremities, with the locals debating the latest ERuddite campaign, as they’d call it.
Great minds think alike, Perry? (or spot a too-obvious cop-out>)
DeleteYes to both. LOL. I hadn't even read yours yet. Bugger. But there's not much movement in the meaning of Erudite and holly.
Deletelove
Deleteencouraging the blood back to extremities, much more interssting than just getting warm!
Imagine protesting banning indoor smoking when you don't smoke yourself. Definately a paragon of anarchy. Nice one.
DeleteThe Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 140
ReplyDeleteAtlas turned to Pink-Fairy, ‘Never guessed he wuz yer bruvver. I told ‘im I’d get word t’ yu’. He’s wiv Cinereus, Nigel, someone called Tosca, an’ a bluddy strange contraption on the other side of the dry-river bed that meanders by Rat-Bottom-Gully.
I gotta tell yu’ Mr Pink they wuz ‘eaded right at wot ever’s cumin.’
Pink-Fairy’s usually erudite expression crumpled into a worried frown. ‘Little time for digging then?’
Atlas shook his head, ‘nope, but them holly and bramble bushes round your place’ll help if yu stop up the main-entrance and open one under em afore yu’ start tunnellin’.’
Practicalities never sounded so entertaining before.
Deletethe dialogue comes alive and it's almost - almost human...
DeleteRat-Bottom-Gully, what a great name. There's that contraption again. I'm dying to know what it is.
DeletePolitics as usual
ReplyDeleteErudite he was not. Sure, he could string a sentence or two together without meandering into oblivion, but the unpopular mayor often floundered in matters of proficiency.
One day, the council met to decide on a name for the City’s new Christmas tram that would provide festive rides for visitors to the downtown area during the holidays. With nary a clever idea, the council prepared to adjourn.
“Call it the Holly Jolly Trolley,” the mayor called out from his office.
The council raised their collective brows. One by one, they voted no. The mayor was very unpopular.
Good reason to avoid committees
DeleteBurl Ives must be turning in his grave, John.
Deleteyes, but it's funny. What a straight faced bunch!
DeleteTime for celestial intervention? [Threshold 344]
ReplyDeleteThere are no straight roads in the desert. I discovered that when Silent Man uplifted me from solitude after Raven abandoned me. With more instinct than erudition, he'd steered his SUV along nigh-on invisible tracks meandering across the tobacco-tinted sand. For all the unexplained coincidence of his arrival; his lack of speech and of demonstrable emotion, I never felt so much as a Christmas holly-prick of fear.
Not like I have at times with Raven.
Not like I did now.
Because that single flash of headlight had alerted more than the man it was intended for. And I'd become prey.
That last line, Sandra, perfectly illuminates the danger lurking about.
Deleteit always turns nasty or even nasterier, depending on who's doing it, when 'prey' is selected.
DeleteThe tobacco tinted sand, brilliant. A nice offering this week, Sandra.
DeleteA BENEFIT OF PAIN
ReplyDeleteLike most humans, Linda Gonzalez disliked pain. But her dislike produced a curiosity that prompted her to study myriad erudite pain-related maxims. From them she learned that pain usually abates once its cause is removed. She also learned that pain persists if the pain-producing instrument is regularly applied.
Linda learned a lot about inflicting pain.
Not to herself of course, but to her husband Rudy and to Holly Roman, his slutty mistress. Both were in the basement, blanketed in blood and hanging from rafters like meat in a slaughterhouse.
Holly was dead. But not Rudy.
She approached him. He screamed.
Can you not revive Holly Roman? Definitely a name to conjure with.-
Deletethis is altogether soaked in blood and suffering, just what horror writers need...
DeleteWhat a hobby Linda has. Rudy likely wishes he hadn't strayed.
DeleteThe Joys of Mediumnship no 50
ReplyDeleteThe death of the Duke of Edinburgh, that most erudite of men, has sent the spirit world into a tizzy of ‘welcome back’ celebrations whilst pushing me to edit, which I am. I have time to meander through the stories coming in, accepting, rejecting – wrote a long critique earlier, full of holly barbs but I know what my writers can do and it’s disappointing when it doesn’t come through. I had a call the other night, a medium friend asking for advice. She’s been doing this more and more and I feel – inadequate, she has been working longer than me.
It's both flattering and annoying when repeatedly asked for advice. I'd lean toward flattering. The Duke was my favorite character on The Crown.
DeleteStop The Week; I Want To Get Off (151)
ReplyDeleteWe opened but the initial rush, one day, quickly died off. Some want more stock to have a meander round, others only want to conduct an erudite conversation on when, where and what side effects came with the vaccine… who would have thought this would be the major topic of conversation? I packed some more Christmas bits in boxes, avoiding the holly leaves, wondering how I missed them up to now. Shaun went buying today, filler, wood filler, glue… we are going to do this long drawn out painting job two days a week every week…
Painting walls can be very therapeutic ... under the right circumstances, i.e. preparation done and good music to listen to.
DeleteYeah, the preparation is the worst part about painting. If only you could just start out with the roller.
DeleteThe Mad Italian 197
ReplyDeleteThe death of a man of great erudition comes in the centre of the tornado of exposés, sorrow, arguments, complaints, every person thinking it is their God given right to have the TV they want without considering the greater good. There are things to do, take a meander through local parks and gardens which you have ignored for years, and surely right now these missed opportunities prickle like holly leaves. There are always things to do but few actually do them. All they ask now is the chance to drink. I am grateful this channel does not drink…
He wouldn't like me. I have a whiskey on the rocks at my elbow now. I do like the idea of considering lost oportunities.
ReplyDelete