Time Again For Looney Andy

 Photo by Jonathan Sebastiao on Unsplash

Prompts = Collection, Omen, Transparent

The power went out for about five minutes while I was on the train today. Someone murmured it was an omen of a bad day.

I don’t care if you try to see into the future — let’s face it, it’s far from transparent — but power outages happen so often that, if true, no regular rider would ever have a good day.

And what about the word itself: omen. Sounds like there’s a bunch of them. You’d expect one alone would be an “oman” but no, that’d be too easy.

My producer is gesturing; it’s an omen of me being done.

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

Stillness Before The Day + Introverted Dating (Throwback Thursday)

Prompts = Today, Once, Together

Story New = Stillness Before The Day

Photo by Marcelo Ferreira on Unsplash

Today is done and tomorrow’s not yet come.

Thomas murmurs this saying when the day’s errands are finished but prior to sleep; in his opinion, going to bed is the start of a new day, not the end of a full one.

Once the last task is completed and the day ends, he sits in the dark, alone yet together with his thoughts, in a timeless space. The prior day’s events float off into the night while the new day only arrives when he’s ready to welcome it.

Sometimes a yawn breaks the silence; the new day is waiting impatiently.

Story Old = Introverted Dating

 Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash

“Today was a really great day. Thank you for everything.”

“I really had a great time too. I don’t think we should do this just once, but instead we should do something together again soon.”

“You know, I think we should. It feels good to expand connections this way.”

“I agree totally. So what do you think, maybe next week? And not in the library but instead at the coffee shop?”

“Um… sure… ok!”

And so that next week, the two severe introverts sat quietly together in the coffee shop, reading, giving each other plenty of space.

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

Destiny Calling

 

Photo by Courtney Corlew on Unsplash

Prompts = Recreation, Vehicle, Destiny

‘Knock knock’

‘Who’s in my head?’

‘Destiny’

‘Destiny who?’

‘Just destiny, dear.’

‘That’s great, but I’m trying to relax. Work’s been murder, so I’m going to sit comfortably in my vehicle, listen to the radio, wait for the ferry to dock, then drive off for a week’s recreation on a beautiful island.’

‘And that’s fine dear. Keep listening to the radio. The lyric that will change your life forever is in five…’

‘Yes, but…’

‘…four…’

‘…I don’t…’

‘…three…’

‘…believe in…’

‘…two…’

‘…that kind…’

‘…one…’

‘…of thing.’

Two minutes later…

‘Wow. That was…’

‘Drive safely, dearie. And have a good time.’

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

The Ups And Downs Of Life + Uneven Glazing (2 Fer Tuesday)

Prompts = Twitch, Uplifting, Glaze

Story 1 — The Ups And Downs Of Life

Photo by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash

As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, think of the possible miscommunications.

Imagine, for instance, someone commenting to an elevator “you must know all about the ups and downs of life”. How might that statement be interpreted?

Riders might be given uplifting messages when heading upwards (“Dream big and you’ll go far”) but also depressing ones when headed the other way (“I checked your social media, Bob, and discovered, with 113.2% certainty, no one likes you”).

Riders would be smart to not grimace or twitch and instead hold a glazed expression; the AI would know when it’s getting inside your head.

Story 2 — Uneven Glazing

 Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

‘I’m Julie and this is Cooking With Julie on Savanah, Georgia Public Access TV. Call me with your cooking quandaries. Hello, who’s on the line?’

‘Hi Julie. I’m trying to put a glaze on a bundt cake I’m making for a friend who needs a bit of uplifting and it’s all uneven and looks just horrible.’

‘Caller, I find the only reason for the cake to be there is to hold more sugary glazed goodness. Put enough on there and between the eye twitches and heart palpitations (just joking, sweetie), your friend will only see confectionary delight!

‘Thanks for calling!’

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

Lurchin' Urchin

 Photo by rigel on Unsplash

Prompts = Curse, Shelf, Plant

Near the edge of the continental shelf, a small unassuming creature had an idea. What if, instead of moving along the seabed, you could fling yourself through the water.

Its first attempts were awkward and drew the laughter of its community. ‘Hey! Lurchin’ Urchin! Swimming’s for fish! Stop goofing off and plant yourself on the ground!’

‘Why should we crawl when instead we could swim! Why accept the curse of our tiny feet when we could jet through the water like eels! Why… ah…ah… ah… choo!!!’

The sneeze shot it backwards three metres.

‘Ooooh — cool’, said his former detractors.

I mentioned another story in the video below. It was “FauxKea”. Here’s the link.

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

Finding Pi

Prompts = Circumference, Share, Store

Stuart couldn’t sit still in a classroom setting. Which is why, when learning about the ratio pi (the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter), he decided to calculate it himself. If some ancient guys could get it to 3.14 using ancient tools, he could do at least as well.

It’s why, when he shared his story with his local community, all the hardware stores donated supplies to form and measure the biggest circle they could.

Stuart didn’t care they ended up in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was happy to accurately calculate pi to six digits.

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

The Bones Of A Khan

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Prompts = Exhume, Malinger, Steppe

From a distance, four figures lazed around a campfire near the Onon river, relaxing.

But malingering was merely pretence. In truth, these descendants of Genghis Khan had gathered to exhume the great king’s bones. Mongolia would soon reclaim a piece of her heritage.

Despite the tomb’s location being lost to history, the first of the four had had a vision of a magnificent stallion riding across the steppes, then resting here.

The second had brought shovels.

The third was cooking.

The fourth’s car was parked a few minutes away.

They were waiting for nightfall.

But no one had brought flashlights. 

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

An Unusual Career

 Photo by Taras Chernus on Unsplash

Prompts = Misanthrope, Genteel, Problematic

‘Hi Bradly, take a seat. As your high school guidance counsellor, I like to start these meetings by asking if you’ve given any thought towards what post-graduation will look like?’

‘I want to be a misanthrope.’

‘You want to avoid human society?’

‘Professionally. I want to get paid for not attending events.’

‘Why would anyone pay you for not doing something?’

‘Out of gratitude. See, I’m too genteel for my own good and everyone knows it. Me trying to be social is problematic. Thus, pay for my absence.’

‘That’ll be quite the advertising campaign.’

‘I’m already working on it!’

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

(Stories for more mature readers below) Clyde To The Rescue + Bunny Ranch (Throwback Thursday)

Prompts = Yule, Celebration, Naked

Story New — Clyde To The Rescue

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

‘Santa? You’ll never guess what!’

‘Don’t you knock, Clyde? It’s 3am.’

‘More like 2:30. Anyway, guess!’

‘I don’t know. What is it?’

‘Bezos and Rudolph are in bed together.’

‘Yeah. I told you they’re in cahoots.’

‘No — I mean “in bed”. As in “bedroom” and “sheets” and “pillows” and…’

‘What?’

‘Better yet, I have footage! The elves let me in! They’re unhappy with the new work hours and elimination of bathroom breaks.’

‘The elves let you film their “naked celebration”?’

‘Yule logs and other things an innocent reindeer shouldn’t have to see!’

‘Blackmail material? It’s perfect. Well done, Clyde!’

Story Old — Bunny Ranch

 

Photo by REX WAY on Unsplash

“Here at the Bunny Ranch, the finest whorehouse in Nevada, ‘Yule’ be naked and in the celebration spirit in no time!”

Times had changed in the Puritan States, as owner Nic Dictacular (not his given name) liked to call the United States. It was amazing how little it took, in the form of a campaign contribution to his representative’s re-election campaign, to see a law passed allowing commercials to be run, in prime time, on cable TV. National advertising! Only a few years ago, he’d had problems simply opening a bank account. And now he was on cable! Amazing!

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

FauxKea

 

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Prompts = Fragrance, Sarong, Stapler

‘Hey Cal. What’re you doing?’

‘Assembling a cabinet with plans I bought from FauxKea. You can build furniture using dollar store materials. I’m saving money by replacing that stuff with scraps of things I’ve got here.’

‘Ok?’

‘Grab that broom handle. Here’s a scrap of two by four and an old rake. Let’s lash them together with one of my wife’s sarongs. To make sure it’s secure, I’ll take a stapler to the entire thing.’

‘What’s that smell?’

‘That fragrance is homemade shellac I’m cooking, scented with some cheap perfume I got at 7–11.’

‘I’m going to be sick.’

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess

Odd Science Theories - Black Holes + Household Item Wrangler Talks Household Appetites (2 Fer Tuesday)

Prompts = Digest, Stone, Multiple

Story 1 — Odd Science Theories — Black Holes

Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

In the field of astrophysics, nothing holds as much mystery as black holes. While there are countless theories regarding the warping of space-time, event horizons, and other mathematical constructions, I am in possession of the truth.

Have you ever tried sucking the last drops of something in a glass with a straw? Now imagine our world is the stuff in the glass and very thirsty aliens are on the other end of that straw. It’s obvious.

To summarize, there are multiple straws sucking stardust and cosmic gas. And I guess stones and stuff, but they’re probably harder to digest.

*****

Story 2 — Household Item Wrangler Talks Household Appetites

 Photo by Sieuwert Otterloo on Unsplash

G’day. Normally we talk about manmade items within the home and the measures needed to keep them in line. Not today. Today we talk about the home itself and its appetite.

You’re probably thinking homes don’t eat anything. So let me ask you this — have you ever cleaned a space, such as a floor, and a day or two later found little pieces of gravel on it? That’s the remains of the house digesting the surrounding territory.

To keep your house healthy, supply it with a steady supply of bitesized stone, preferably in the basement.

Household Item Wrangler, signing off.

Links to other sites where I publish:

Blogger = https://onehundredwordsbyparz.blogspot.com
Medium = https://medium.com/100-word-or-less-stories
YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/user/parzivalsattva

And a link to where my Lovely Lady Love (who also operates the camera) posts her art: https://www.youtube.com/user/recyclinggoddess