This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Week after week she
provided us with challenging prompts. Computer issues led her to bow
out for a while and I took
over. When Delores' absence looked like being more permanent I begged
and cajoled for other volunteers to share providing the prompts, and
Words for
Wednesday became a movable feast. Delores discontinued her blog for a while, but she has returned. Her new blog can be found here.
Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts.
Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
This month the prompts were to be provided by Vest at his blog. Life has got in his way (as it does), so this month I will provide the prompts.
If he does put up a post, then we will just have more words to play with.
This week's prompts are:
Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts.
Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
This month the prompts were to be provided by Vest at his blog. Life has got in his way (as it does), so this month I will provide the prompts.
If he does put up a post, then we will just have more words to play with.
This week's prompts are:
- root
- fortuneteller
- funeral
- gushing
- carriage
- bake
And/or
- mobster
- chart
- melody
- major
- foot
- limousine
root
ReplyDeletebake
Lilly pushed the baby in his carriage down the lovely tree covered road stopping only to let a small funeral procession . As she always did when she saw the hearse, she wondered about that life once lived. Was the occupant a male or female? Old, young, or middle aged? A school teacher, a scientist, an electrician, a fortune teller, a carpenter, an artist?
Did they live life to the fullest or did life beat them down? Were they happy or sad or did they just muddle through days without true emotion? Would there be a eulogy with someone gushing praises about the persons character and life's work,or would there be impersonal words said as a formality? But mostly she wondered why she wondered at all. What was the root of her fascination with the lives of the deceased? Maybe living across the street from Serenity Chapel Memorial Home and Gardens had something to do with it since just about every afternoon when she took Fletcher out for his walk there was some sort of service in progress or about to happen.
She thought maybe it was time for them to move, but them what would there be for her to wonder about?
Maybe she just needed to finish her walk and go home and bake cookies. Then she wondered, chocolate chip or snickerdoodles? Crispy or soft? Rolled and cut or dropped? Wafers or squares?
This is good. I think I'd be doing the same wondering if I lived across from a Chapel. I'm also thinking I should bake snickerdoodles today.
DeleteI would definitely be thinking along similar lines. Baking sounds like a wonderful antidote though.
DeleteLovely use of the words. I always wonder the same about a funeral procession. Great job!
DeleteEC funeral - it reminds me about my aunt who died on 20th December 2014
ReplyDeleteGosia k: I hope that happier memories soon replace that one.
DeleteHave fun? Definitely. Although I'm going to have to do some thinking as well this time. Such a varied collection of words!
ReplyDeleteRiver: I am definitely looking forward to seeing where they take you.
Deletemy story will be on my blog on Friday 23rd December. It was easier than I thought it would be.
Delete'You want to know whether Peter will come back to you? You should go to my fortuneteller. She is amazing. Lots of major celebrities swear by her, and consult her before doing anything. Only yesterday she told me that death would cross my path, and going home the funeral cortege for a mobster forced me to make a detour. It was huge. A carriage drawn by black horses held the coffin and the number of black limousines with shaded windows was incredible. The police were out in force too - perhaps seeing whether his death meant that the problem had been cut off at the root...'
ReplyDelete'I dont' know. I think their predictions are half-baked. They tell us what they think we want to hear, gushing about love and money'
'Give her a chance. Let her chart your destiny. Will he come back to you, or are you finally footloose and free to sing a melody of your own.'
I like this a lot :)
DeleteI love this story EC and often wonder when I will be free to sing a melody of my own. Wonderful use of the words.
DeleteOh Boy...fortunetellers and mobsters. I can't wait to get started on this one.
ReplyDeleteonly slightly confused: I can't wait to read where the words take you.
DeleteOkay, here we go.....
Delete"Let's get to the root of the problem Big Andy. You got yourself a major crush on that little fortuneteller over on Maple St."
The old mobster leaned back into the velvet cushions of the limousine and poured himself another whiskey.
"You gonna be attending your own funeral Mickey if you keep talkin' like that. Ain't gonna be no fancy carriage taking you to the cemetery neither. I'll get Fat Eddie to tow your pine box behind his bike."
"C'mon boss. You been gushing over that little lady for weeks now. What's her name....Melody? She ain't but four foot tall. You got kids bigger'n that. Heck you got grandkids biggern'n that."
"Frankie, pull over. Mickeys gonna get out here and swim home. Oh, yeah, don't forget that cement swim suit I had made for him. Ain't nobody talks about my girl like that."
Uh-oh, Mickey needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut :)
Deleteonly slightly confused: Mickey's last mistake... I love this, and wonder what that says about me.
DeleteOSC, you did a very entertaining story and if you know me, you know it was right up my alley. Loved the "cement swim suit". LOL
Deletethe fortuneteller baked a wonderful dish with a secret root she hoped no one could recognize the flavor of. Later that afternoon she set off in her carriage rushing to make the party she was helping to cater. As fate would have it a funeral was passing by and she grew increasingly agitated waiting for them to pass. Finally she jumped out of her carriage and started gushing compliments to the police man directing traffic. Again fate stepped in the police man let her carriage pass by quickly assuring her a timely arrival to her catered party soon to begin.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the secret root ingredient. Love potion? Sleeping potion?
DeleteLinda Starr: I am with River. I do want to know what that special ingredient does.
DeleteNever knew a policeman who could be wooed to allow someone to pass through a funeral procession. Don't know if he is a good cop or a bad cop. Fun story. Thank Linda!
DeleteSnickerdoodles is a funny word!
ReplyDeleteCloudia: It is. And while I have heard of them, I have never seen or tried them.
DeleteThe root of my dilemma
ReplyDeletewas a fortuneteller
who told of my funeral
My laughter came gushing
until I heard a carriage
hit its brake
Short, sweet and to the point! Well done :)
DeleteMartin Kloess: Oops. Great use of the prompts.
DeleteBake...brake...who cares. Good short story and I loved it.
DeleteI'm afraid I have nothing except well wishes for you. Kudos to Martin for a succinct and creative entry.
ReplyDeleteRawknrobyn: Your well wishes are gift enough. And yes, Martin's entry was pithy and wonderful.
DeleteI like to post little stories with these prompts, but I think I need to save that first bit and work on it later. It gives me a very cool, voodoo/hoodoo vibe.
ReplyDeleteRobert Bennett: In the fullness of time. No rush - though I am intrigued to see what you make of them.
DeleteThey are good to read, well done all.
ReplyDeleteMargaret-whiteangel: Thank you. It is a fun meme.
DeleteGreat prompts and interesting stories. I'm afraid my brain is half baked this morning and nothing comes to mind. Will just enjoy reading everyone else take this week. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to all!
Mason Canyon: I hope that your brain baked (or unbakes) completely - but I so understand. Have fun reading.
DeleteI am eager to have the time to get started on these 12 exciting words. Lots going on this week with family and other pre-Christmas gatherings.
ReplyDeleteGranny Annie: Looking forward to seeing where they take you.
DeleteThe root of my problems started with that visit to Madam Magda, the gypsy fortuneteller next to the funeral home down the street. She was so comforting that I found myself gushing about my sorry love life. My wife had not been interested in a physical relationship with me for twenty years and I did not know what to do anymore. “The days of horse and carriage are gone, now” she said. “There are modern ways to approach your problem that were unknown or not acceptable in earlier times.” She then handed me a sheet of paper with a hand-written recipe. “Bake these brownies,” she said. “Eat one and your problems will disappear for most of the day.”
ReplyDeleteJono: I love it. And hope that Madam Madga is trustworthy. I have to say that brownies make a lot of my problems disappear temporarily too.
DeleteI am pretty sure what was in the brownie recipe that would make all the problems disappear. Loved your story Jono.
DeleteHi EC - the first six:
ReplyDeleteThe fortune teller had foretold his death … she was taken aback and said nothing – a difficult situation. Would he die and how … his ancestral roots stretched back to pagan days.
Should he have a funeral … his children will want a proper East End funeral cortege … a calvacade of cars, with weeping friends and relatives, behind the funeral carriage … yugh she thought – but no she would not have that choice.
Yet knowing him he would want a woodland ceremony out in the open with a select few in attendance … confirming his roots: no gushing family.
For now she would bake … bake to remember recipes that could be offered at the wake or reception afterwards … but which her dearly beloved could enjoy while alive.
Cheers and thanks for putting these up - Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: It sounds to me as if there is a Druid in his family tree. At least one Druid. Loved this - and thank you.
DeleteWay to go Hillary. You always do a good job,.
DeleteFun crop of words - fortune teller is particularly yum! I am going to mull them over and come back here if anything interesting happens...
ReplyDeleteAnd here is what happened :)
DeleteThe fortuneteller faced a dilemma
“Should I bake some cookies or take the ball?”
“There’ll be lots of time to fill, Emma,
I think both should do the trick overall.
Don’t fill those cookies with some gushing notes -
put in a few that no-one can decipher,
and a funeral is the right antidote
when things get too syrupy and hyper.
Take the carriage or the black limousine,
what matters is the entry must be grand
a foot more of metal and mystery’s seen
as proof of wisdom to read stars and hands.”
“That’s really the root of all our trouble
that mare’s an unpredictable diva,
the carriage is out, she’ll just take double
the time, trot off-route, not a high achiever.
Okay, I’ll need to make a chart, write down
Buddha- like maxims, and make triple sure
they apply to everyone all around
from the slick mobster to the village boor,
And mark the funeral ones with an f
don’t want glum ones to get a major shot
an overdose of morose isn’t safe
don’t want to make them completely distraught.
Oh, must choose a suitable melody
for the right ambiance and background score
and some mood lighting and see-through drapery
and I’ll be quite ready to take the floor.”
Nilanjana Bose: As always I am awed at the way that you make words dance...
DeleteAnd so the fortune teller led you down a entertaining and interesting path. Wonderful as always.
DeleteI'm going to have to roll this around in the brain for a bit. It's amazing how the same set of words can inspire such a variety of stories!
ReplyDeleteLuAnn Braley: Welcome. The very different directions the words take people always amazes (and awes) me.
DeleteI'm running a day late...spent yesterday preparing some food for a Christmas party...and then last night attending it! So here is my late addition to this week's fun and games..
ReplyDelete"Katie should’ve listened instead of being so sceptical. As it eventuated, what The FORTUNE-TELLER at the local fair predicted came true.
In the soothsayer’s CHART still sitting on Katie’s dressing table the ugly, heartbreaking truth was there for all to see. No names had been given, but the ROOT of the forecast was that a death within her rather large, very rich family was imminent.
Katie looked around her. The elaborate horse-drawn, gilded CARRIAGE that would carry the mahogany coffin bearing her father’s body to the family cemetery crypt stood ominously on the grass verge to the side of the church’s entrance.
Gathered at the FUNERAL were MAJOR political figures, corporate giants and many other leading community and business dignitaries; many unfamiliar faces in a sea of mourners; some sincere; some not.
To Katie’s dismay, even that MOBSTER Guiliano was amongst them. He had the audacity to arrive by LIMOUSINE! Had he no shame or conscience? Aunt Felicity, as usual, was GUSHING over him like star-struck teenager.
Katie wouldn’t give him the time of the day. He’d not set FOOT in her home if she had any say in it, she mumbled to herself.
She sought shelter under a tree, out of the hot noon day sun, and away from the crowd. If she stood out in the sun any long she would BAKE. Not only was she hot from the mid-summer heat, but her anger was simmering just beneath the surface, threatening to erupt.
She couldn’t rid Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Going to Take It” from her mind. The MELODY spun around in her brain continuously and tortuously!"
Lee: Never too late - and I love this story. I hope Katie manages not to explode, and hope even more that she DOESN'T take it.
DeleteOnce again amazing use of all the words and now I've got "We're not going to take it" running through my head. LOL
DeleteIt is so fun to see the wide variety of thoughts these words conjure up in each person. Love reading the responses! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
DMS ~ Jess: So do I.
DeleteOkay here's mine all words in one telling sentence!
ReplyDeleteThe town's major stepped one foot out of his limousine just as a carriage procession for a funeral of an old mobster (recently warned by a fortune teller) to chart a new course or he'd be at the root of danger (possibly baked to a gushing crisp) as told by her tell-all trusty chart of signs and a melody of doom would play woefully on his last days on earth.
Karen S.: Wow, twelve words in one sentence is impressive. I hope the major has no connections with the mobster.
DeleteGreat. All the words and so succinctly:-)
DeleteThank you both, these given word stories are fun!
DeleteIt's funny how reading the list can sometimes work in my brain as a kind of a word association game. I read 'foot' and think of how I have to see a dermatologist. :(
ReplyDeleteBea: You could have had MUCH worse associations this week. Dermatologist is fairly mild...
DeleteFuneral ?
ReplyDeleteyes i have one sentence story to tell about this word.
i was informed after tow days and this is why i could not attend the funeral of my own father .it will hurt me till my last breath .
bailli: I am so sorry. That was cruel.
DeleteI know a gal named Melody...but that would entail a capital 'M.' :) Sounds like a good set to spark creativity. I'm here to wish you a Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeletemail4rosey: If ever you want to play, capitalising is fine. And a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.
DeleteMy WFW is posted on my blog but I really had to stretch to turn it into a Christmas poem. Hope you can enjoy it.
ReplyDeletehttp://granan10.blogspot.com/2016/12/wfw-tis-season.html
Granny Annie: I will be over to check it out when time permits today. And am looking forward to it.
DeleteI love reading the comments on this thread! Last couple of times I played along I felt soooo self conscious! I am not terribly good at these things... :-( - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
ReplyDeleteGingi Freeman: Never, ever feel self conscious here. Please. We are all friends, and most of us are amateurs. Join the fun.
DeleteBest wishes for Christmas and the New Year. And thank you for the lovely photos that you have shared over the year.
ReplyDeleteJ Cosmo Newbery: Thank you. I hope that Christmas and the New Year are good to you and yours too.
DeleteHappy 2017!
ReplyDeleteThe Happy Whisk: It is almost here too. Where did 2016 go?
DeleteI dunno. Too fast. Way too fast.
DeleteThe Happy Whisk: And in about thirty five minutes time it will be Christmas 2017
Delete