Grandmas Goulash

Deluged with snide comments, Harriet decided to leave Pelicanville. She was tired of having everyone look down their noses at her. “Denzel’s leaving the nude bathing area.” “Quick, Julia, bring him some Pelican Briefs!” Forget about the one that got away, Nigel. There’s plenty more fish in the sea.   Succinctly Yours offers a weekly photo and word as inspiration for your microfiction. How low can you go? Choose the 140 character or 140 word option. This week’s word was  deluge .

“I’ve had lots of experience with cars.” Please let me get this job, so I can stop using my car as my homestead.  “It’s a beauty.” I’ll stare for a few more seconds, then kick the tires. Hopefully my kid won’t realize how clueless I am about cars.   “Awesome” I’d hate to hurt Dad’s his feelings, but if we don’t leave soon, I’m going to miss my theatre audition.   “Time to leave, guys.” I’ve got far less mileage. Why doesn’t anyone look at me like that?   This week’s word was  homestead . Just for smiles, an old cartoon about a car that grows old.

Men! Frosty really should have asked for directions.   They remembered gaining speed as they flew down the icy slope. How they got here was nebulous, but their fate was crystal clear.  Frosty had always been a bit of a risk taker, but he’d never done anything this flaky. 

  He’d failed math and couldn’t parse a sentence, but even James Bond couldn’t compete with Agent Racoon’s stealthy ways.  

  Light shot into the sky and leaves performed a glorious dance. She’d never guessed a single crank of her hand could produce such magic.

Mama couldn’t make an autonomous decision, so the family stoically endured another shopping trip.

The trees could see what had happened to their leaves.  His rider, however, had simply evaporatd.

He’d smelled so nice, when Mama packed him away. How to tell her old friend that he’d developed a musty odor? Do scarecrows bathe?

Ratty, an expert maze negotiator, quickly sensed something fraudulent. He was unprepared, however, for total pixel disintegration.

Facing croc-infested waters, Joe knew his death would symbolize his failure to heed Mom’s oft repeated warning: “Look before you leap.“

Their prototype “Jesus Bike” was going to need a lot more work.   Q. How many boys does it take to rescue a submerging bike? A. It’s difficult to quantify, but obviously more than three.

Accentuate the Positive   After years of carrying heavy loads, it was wonderful to be relaxing at the beach.   Eliminate the Negative   He might not have a home, but at least he had an ocean view.   Don’t mess with Mister In-Between   Some folks lived between a rock and a hard place. He was stuck between a sand ridge and a clam shell.

“Watch your posture.” Little Celly wished someone could stuff Granny in a pocketbook and see how straight she could stand.

Long empty halls, cleaned with ease.  No paper, gum or tidbit of cheese.  He lays down a mop, sits for a while.  Summer vacation makes him smile.

The greenhouse manager arrived at work one glorious spring morning to find hundreds of seedlings splattered on the doorstep. Potting the unidentifiable sprouts, he offered them for free to shoppers who purchased other items. Before the week was over, the plants had disappeared and sales had boomed.  Gloria leaned back with a sigh of relief. She’d had to work late, but the boss’s last minute assignment wouldn’t ruin her plans for the weekend. Maybe she’d even trim her plant. Hard to believe the freebie seedling had grown so big in two years.   The latest strangling victim was found by coworkers on Monday morning. Police suspect a serial killer.   Two years before, they escaped their dying planet, churned through space and made a crash landing. Now the green aliens felt their power return. Soon they would control this new world.

Her starving children swarmed like birds of prey.   “What’s for dinner?”   “Vulture Stew.”   “Isn’t our brother coming?”  “He’ll be there, children.”

Eyes locked and spirits meshed. As a man, he would fondly recall the friendship kindled that day and mourn the passing of a kindred soul.  Sorry that I can’t read you a story. Next time, I won’t forget my Kindle. 

Had that been a boat sinking beneath the waves? If only they had their computer – they could just scroll down to sea.

Once they’d been the yardstick for transportation. Now they belonged to the pawn broker and the horse next door had the last laugh.

Eyes glowing with fear, pointy-headed aliens watched the smoking beasts charge. What cruel muse had directed them to this strange planet?  Some laughed, when they saw the hospital sign before the rails’ intersection. Passengers on the colliding trains, however, were not amused.