This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Computer issues led her
to bow out for a while. The meme was too much fun to let go, and now
Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a
movable feast.
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, and mixing and matching is encouraged.
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, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
Huge thanks to River for providing the prompts last month. The prompts will be here again this month and are provided by Sean Jeating.
This week's prompts are:
- consider,
- rather,
- superstitious,
- paraskevidekatriaphobia,
- table
- bigots,
- different,
- gender,
- hyperbolise,
- teeth,
Charlotte (MotherOwl) has given us Pebble Grey as the colour of the month. If you can also incorporate it into your stories she (and I) will be grateful.
Have fun.
Oh this was fun. Well done on the unusual words, EC and thanks Charlotte for the colour. All words and colour used.
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like you to consider, he said, leaning heavily on the table, his plate pushed aside, his finger wagging importantly. We groaned inwardly, Another lecture from elderly Uncle Arthur. His big teeth glistened, a pebble grey from smoking his endless supply of cigars.
There are those, he intoned to the twelve of us sitting around the dining room table, who would rather not call it superstition but I speak to you now of paraskevidekatriaphobia, a condition that is fearful of Friday the 13th. The genders are not different in this regards. It affects all.
I do not hyperbolise. I do not believe in such nonsense. For today is Friday the 13th and here we all are. Lucky. Not unlucky, as some would have us believe.
And with that he took in an enormous breath, groaned a little and died right in front of our shocked eyes.
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I see I'm first. Will come back to read all of yours.
XO
WWW
Wiswebwoman: And of course he was right. Friday the 13th was lucky for the other people at the table...
DeleteWell done.
A very lucky day, indeed, if he remembered them all in his will.
DeleteWell, for the surviving twelve that was obviously an occasion for paraskavedekatriaphilia.
DeleteStill chuckling here. Glorious, Mary!
I'm wondering if they will ALL start fearing Friday 13th from now on in case they are the next "victim".
DeleteHi WWW - that scuppered that meal ... though ending up with an inheritance might have made it worthwhile ... I did laugh though ... it'd make a good tv programme - cheers Hilary
DeleteEchoing Hilary Melton-Butcher I saw this as a short movie for TV in my mind's eye, complete with old, stained oaken panels, curtains, lamps and bookcases heavy with years' worth of tobacco smoke. I liked it very much.
DeleteExceptionally well done!
DeletePoor Uncle Arthur. LOL. Outstanding job!
DeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
This is great, especially the twist at the end!
DeleteHa! Love it! :-)
DeleteSorry. This is long and dark and sparked by a comment Sean made last week.
ReplyDeleteDr. Donald Dossey said that if you could pronounce paraskevidekatriaphobia you were cured. Trent wouldn’t even make the attempt but didn’t see the need. Friday the 13th had no fears for him. He didn’t consider himself superstitious. Superstitions were for women and other weak minded people.
He had rather different concerns and was happy to lay them on the table. He was sick, sorry and tired of women thinking that they were better than him. ‘Didn’t they realise that their gender made them the weaker and yes, inferior, sex?
A few of them had hyperbolised when someone called them into line forcibly and now there were armies of the ball busters about. And they had the hide to call him a bigot.
Good use of the words and may such people be marginalized until their opinions no longer matter.
DeleteHerewith I dedicate my curse to dear Trent as well. ;-)
DeleteTrent has a few lessons coming his way I think.
DeleteGosh I'd like to confront him on these major issues he has, I call these fellows "titty babies" needing their binkies.
DeleteXO
WWW
Hi EC - what an interesting take ... and so true for many - people can be 'thick' and unthinking - or realising how completely crass they are. Though I'd probably hide when I called him a bigot - cheers Hilary
DeleteThe ablilty to pronounce paraskevidekatriaphobia actually curing the phobia sounds like an interesting theory. I wonder if this goes for some of the other phobias as well? My preferred one to be cured like this would be the fear of long words, the name of which phobia is a very long word indeed.
DeleteWoot. Woot. Well done.
DeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Elephant's Child: I can't prounounce that P word and I had a little fear of Friday the 13th sometimes so I guess I'll never be cured.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
SInce I am from the deep south all I can say bout Trent is "Bless his heart"
Delete("Bless your heart" is a phrase common to the Southern United States. The phrase has multiple meanings and is used to express genuine sympathy but often as an insult that conveys condescension, derision, or contempt. )
Anne in the kitchen: I knew that usage - and have even sometimes used the phrase in just that way.
DeleteI'm working on it. Reading through his prompts from last year, he used similar words and I wonder if there's a way to continue what I wrote then.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, i just checked and these are the exact prompts provided by him on October 11, 2023. Interesting, and I'll go with it.
DeleteWhen it posts, it will be over here.
Deletemessymimi: You are right. My bad. I republished last years prompts instead of the new. Unless anyone has objections I will leave them up. And now we have extra prompts for the coming weeks.
DeleteI thought they looked familiar. I'll have to check back and see what I wrote so I don't write the same thing.
DeleteOoooh I never realised ... I can't remember a year ago! Cheers Hilary
DeleteOh, you noticed too, River.
DeleteSorry to EC for troubling you twice on this, but I never read others' comments before writing my own story ;) The decision to keep the words was the only sensible one.
;-))))
ReplyDeleteLast year October 13th happened to fall on a Friday. And? Did I suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia? Nah. Rather than being supersticious I consider the day a lucky day, and was looking forward to quite a few excellent books on my birthday table.
And now for something completely different.
Those bigots hyperbolising gender speak and thus excessively maltreating the language I sucked from my mother's breast, I wish they grow very, very old and that tomorrow all their teeth fall out, but one pebble grey ... for permanent toothache.
Nicely done!
DeleteSean Jeating: And last year your birthday fell on a Friday 13th and from memory you got lots of books.
DeleteThat curse is a particularly nasty ones and I can think of a few appropriate recipients.
Only the colour of the teeth changed, Mimi. ;-)
DeleteHaving recently had most of my own teeth removed, I feel sorry for whoever falls victim to this curse.
DeleteThe dung of a thousand camels fall upon their houses.
DeleteWell said, Sean.
WWW
Hi Sean - my goddaughters have the same birthday as you, and mine is a January one ... so the 13th birthdays I'm happy ... fun to read the comments - happy recent birthday last Sunday - cheers Hilary
DeleteGrats on your recent birthday, I'm happy to learn that you do not suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia (tough one to spell!) ... maybe because you were born on one such day?
DeleteJean your story is great in two parts plus you sure give us some challenging prompts. Thanks!
DeleteGreat prompts and great use of them. Belated Happy, Sean. Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
DeleteI never want to be the recipient of one of your curses!
DeleteDear all: Thank you.
DeleteMary: Thank you. Your curse is hereby saved.
Hilary: Next year you and I will celebrate our 13th on a Monday, and thus Blog Fodders Churchie la Femme gets her will: "Friday the 13th come on a Monday."
Charlotte: Thank you. And you are right about the spelling: Paraskevidekatriaphobia in the German Wikepedia entry spells paraskavedekatriaphobia. ;-)
Annie: My heart soars like a falcon in the air. Thank you. ;-)
Sandra: Thank you.
Anne: What curses? I don't swear. ... ;-)))
Hi Sean - I'll attempt to remember?! Birthdays are ok ... I preferred mine in sunny South Africa ... too cold in January!! But a glass of vino vicariously with you will do me well ... cheers H
DeleteEveryone is using paraskevidekatriaphobia - well done!
ReplyDeleteKind of Groundhog Day, Alex, hm? ;-)
DeleteAlex J. Cavanaugh: The participants always do step up to the party. Which is lovely.
DeletePara what?? off to google....
ReplyDeleteRiver: I feel sure you will remember it when Captain Google gives you the answer.
DeleteThat's a big word, paraskevidekatriaphobia but I do know what it means. Have fun and the tales so far are good.
ReplyDeleteMargaret D: Thank you.
DeleteHi EC and Sean …
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous … did Sean think about setting the table with that word beginning with 'P' – it's too long for me to type out and I am superstitious … so no more nods needed to those days when they occur -albeit I occasionally have birthdays on those particular days . Rather let us consider rather more interesting subjects … like pebble grey fog - that's coming on Friday but not the 13th.
Bigots with teeth tend to hyperbolise about different genders …
Thanks Sean – challenging words to put it mildly – and I've no idea if I've interpreted them anywhere near correctly!! Cheers - Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: Pebble grey fog? If you don't have to drive in it, it is beautiful. And I don't think that bigots need teeth to hyperbolise...
DeleteHilary you used the words in a very interesting way. Good story as always.
DeleteHm, as your birthday last year fell on a Friday , it won't happen again in this decade. ;-)
DeleteAs always, interesting use of the prompts, dear Hilary.
Great use of the prompts Hillary, especially loved the pebble gray fog.
DeleteDear EC, I think either you or Sean Jeatings made an oopsie. Those are the same words as October 11th last year.
ReplyDeleteI remembered paraskevidekatriaphobia, because I knew it beforehand, and it fit my ghost story perfectly, I then looked up the story to finaly put an end to it and found the prompts to be the same.
Charlotte (MotherOwl): My mistake, not Sean's. I have decided to leave them up though - and now we have additional prompts for the remaining weeks of this month.
DeleteGood decision, so many already used them or put their brains in motion over them. I might pass, as the wind was taken out of my idea so to say ... but maybe something will happen.
DeleteI learned a new word, always a plus in my book.
ReplyDeleteDeniseinVA: And in mine. And a bigger plus if I remember the new word.
DeleteI have three English dictionaries, two different thesauruses, three English-French dictionaries, and one very large and very substantial Spanish-English dictionary. CONSIDER this – in not one of them is this truly stupid word PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIA included. No one has ever heard of it, and having been exposed to it today will RATHER forget it. It’s off the TABLE. One may HYPERBOLISE about it but no one can even pronounce it, and if used in a conversational sense would simply ensure that one participant in the chat wouldn’t have a clue. I grind my TEETH just thinking about it. Perhaps linguistic BIGOTS might use it, but like all bigots – of either GENDER – they would be obnoxious, offensive and irrelevant. DIFFERENT strokes for different folks, I suppose. But put aside your SUPERSITIOUS inclinations anyway. I met Miriam on Friday the 13th, we got married on Friday the 13th and bought our house on Friday the 13th. And that didn’t turn out too badly.
ReplyDeleteHehe, being one of those linguistic bigots, that knew, can pronounce, and even have used paraskevidekatriaphobia in conversation, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I love that you married and so on on that 'unlucky' day/date combination.
DeleteWell done David. Yes Friday the 13th is definitely your day of each year. Good luck instead of bad.
DeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: I love this. And will admit to having several dictionaries and thesaureses of my own.
DeleteEchoing Charlotte.
DeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: I guess if you're not superstitious, any day is a good luck day. Good use of the prompts.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
You also brought to mind in your funny take the absence of 13th floors in buildings. I see no writer has mentioned that.
DeleteXO
WWW
Excellent David ... Friday 13th a lucky day for you both and for me too ... delightful tale - well done. I've lived in a number of number 13 houses ... I enjoy life! Cheers Hilary
DeleteThis was a wonderful journey through the word prompts!
DeleteMy story for today is written and on my page. Please visit if you have time.
ReplyDeleteGranny Annie: I will head off and read it shortly.
DeleteI'm on time, well, kind of. I had used last week's prompts and some of this week's prompts - all interesting words since I don't use them all that much. Thanks for the prompts.
ReplyDeleteMy take on the prompts is here: Fiction: Petrify.
Have a lovely day.
lissa: I have read and enjoyed your contribution. Your main protagonist has a skill I would very much like to have...
DeleteDont know if Walt Kelly's Pogo ever made it to OZ but the turtle, Churchie la Femme had a thing about Friday the 13th. "Friday the 13th come on a Monday this week".
ReplyDeleteThe Blog Fodder: I don't think Pogo did make it here. I like that phrase though - and totally understand it.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThey sat around the table holding hands. They must consider the upcoming Friday the 13th known as paraskevidekatriaphobia. It was a day for these superstitious family members to avoid. They would each rather stay home all that day.
Their teeth rattled at the thought. The family members hated and disagreed with each other constantly. Each of the bigots would hyperbolise different events of that day in the past. Regardless of their gender, they came up with exciting and unbelievable tales of that day in their lives.
They reached the day together and looked around the room. Finally they noticed the unknown, pebble grey, character in their midst totally unknown to any of them.
Granny Annie: Thank you for posting it here as well as your own site.
DeleteI can only repeat, Annie: What a scary tale you've made with my innocent words! ... ;-)
DeleteHi Grannie Annie - scary ... who is next?! I'm glad it's still daytime here ... cheers Hilary
DeleteClaudia was always what I would consider a rather superstitious. Take for instance, her severe paraskevidekatriaphobia. While I was busy wondering if that was even a true affliction, she was busy making plans to avoid Friday the 13th, even though I had told her previously the 13th was on Sunday this October. Go figure! Fear of nothing was ruining her month.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile I was busy getting the table ready for the upcoming holiday. I celebrate Halloween with great joy, and always have a wide selection of treats for even the biggest candy bigots.
In addition to different chocolate confections, I also have individually wrapped packets of candy corn, animal crackers, lollipops, neco wafers, and popcorn. And as any good trick or treater knows, good treats are universal and there is nothing gender specific about mini snickers, bubblegum, or any of the other delicious Halloween goodies.
Of course once they get their candy haul home they have to listen to a parent who always spoils digging into their collected booty by hyperbolizing the dangers of excessive sugar to their teeth. What kid wants to hear about restraint when a candy bounty lives inside their plastic pumpkin?
Anne in the kitchen: Big smiles. I am quite certain that IF we had celebrated Halloween here our loot would have been confiscated and doled out (miserly) over the coming weeks and possibly months.
Delete"What kid wants to hear about restraint when a candy bounty lives inside their plastic pumpkin?" You know my grandchildren well. ;-)
DeleteThanks for another enjoyable read, Anne.
Hi Anne in the kitchen ... I hope she made a great many of those treats ... sounds good - cheers Hilary
DeleteRoses are red,
ReplyDeleteViolets are blue,
I thought I had done,
One of these too...not.
Hi Mike ... Hydrangeas can be either ... cheers Hilary
DeleteMike: And we have lots of white violets too. And roses... No hydrangeas though.
DeleteWow, Mike! Congratulations!! All prompts used!!!
DeleteHay muy buenas historias, en algunos comentarios. Hay buenos escritores en potencia.
ReplyDeleteFeliz domingo de descanso.
Mirada desde mi lente: Thank you. There are some excellent writers who participate.
DeleteParaskevidekatriaphobia caught my eye! I'd never heard of it before today, so a little research was in order. I'm sorry I won't be participating today, but I loved reading all the creative comments!
ReplyDeleteDamyanti Biswas: Thank you. I would love it if you are able to participate some week.
DeleteLoved reading these and learning a new word (though I am not sure if I am pronouncing it at all correctly). Paraskevidekatriaphobia was brand new to me! Not a fear of mine. :)
ReplyDeleteDMS: Thank you - it isn't a fear of mine either. Nor are black cats.
Delete