Jim being the only Predictioneer (apart from me) to respond to this week’s words, I was extremely pleased he rectified his omission of one prompt word and thus I wasn’t put to the embarrassment of disqualifying him.
As we approach Christmas
and all the time-consuming tasks that encompasses, I anticipate a few similarly
quiet weeks to come, but as it’s no effort to think up prompt words, I suggest for
the coming week: berry stock tantalise
Entries by midnight Thursday December 16th, new words Friday 17th. After which I might suggest a couple of week's break.
A Berry Christmas
ReplyDeleteIn the facility of IBFITA (International Bureau for the Investigation of Time Anomalies) agent Yildrim was scanning stock newsreel stills, marking out tantalising glimpses of what may or may not have been the fugitive Rama Saavendra.
Something caught his eye. A benefit concert by the 1950’s artist Chuck Berry. A grinning face near the front of the stage. He felt it was him. He ran the newsreel. Facial recognition began to scan the crowd. A claxon sounded in the mainframe.
Saavendra materialised, gun in hand, grinning. ‘If you had a chimney I’d have come down it,’ he said.
So clever! And smoothly told.
DeleteHmm... not such a Merry Christmas. Very cool, David!
DeleteAnna Dobson’s research informed her that nightshade berries can be deadly to humans. Taking stock, she was confident her problem was now solved.
ReplyDeleteShe had just mixed the lethal concoction when Randy walked in the kitchen. “You’re home early tonight, Dear.”
“Am I, Honey?”
“I fixed you a tantalizing cocktail. I’ll take it to the den.”
Alone, Randy mixed crushed deadly moonseed berries to Anna’s favorite drink then took it to the den. The two exchanged glasses, toasted each other, and drank.
In minutes, both were writhing in agony on the floor. They embraced then died while kissing through each other’s vomit.
Superbly-crafted gruesomeness is defiinitely your metier Jim!
Deleteoh what can anyone say about these two entries??? Some of the best horror writing I see!
ReplyDeleteSorry, there should be Antonia on there -
ReplyDeletemore rats ...
ReplyDeleteThere was little to be seen in the shattered laboratory, most of the bodies had made their way out of the permanently open door. Eric floated pat, samples from the shelves stacked on his grossly bloated back. Time past he would have fought for such a tantalizing gift, now it was nothing but deadly nightshade berries still on their branches. No one had commented on the fact ‘modern’ scientists had gone back and found the traditional remedies far stronger than those of today.
'grossly bloated' - such hideous poetry.
DeleteThis ripples with nastiness.
Delete[Threshold 417]
ReplyDeleteIt did not please me to be proved right.
Frustration clouded the indigo eyes of the non-mechanic like bloom on blueberries, and although they seemed to rest more on me than Raven I refused to believe I’d tantalised him to that degree – he badly wanted the skills he knew he lacked: to comprehend what he believed an inherent stock of mechanical abilities possessed by all males.
Question was, what did he consider his strong points?
The answer, I feared, from the increasingly avid focus on my good points involved his dealings with women. How easily he overpowered them.
Change of focus [495] berry stock tantalise
ReplyDeleteThe Petzinek torso – skin the blue of skimmed milk, apparently spilt onto a stew of plum-coloured bruises; and, continuing his small stock of fruity metaphors, the ink used for the tattooed name could’ve been distilled from elderberries – had little else to tell him. There was something tantalising about the shape of the mouth – eyes gone so no help there – its femininity – then he had it – Gunita Dubnovaski! Twin sister of Goren. A depraved couple from his teenage past. Who’d ability to escape justice had come nigh to ending his police career.
Did he want to resurrect their wicked past?
What a great opening sentence... it just pulls the reader so comfortably along! Well done, Sandra!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim.
Delete