Cedar Sanderson

Week 47 of Odd Prompts

Welcome to the rest of 2020. It’s not all bad. Really, it’s not! It’s just that we’ve been living under an overcast sky. But maybe it’s time to focus on what you can change. Divert your mind to the good stuff in life, and there is good stuff.

Relax. Grab a prompt. Create something beautiful, or macabre, but whatever it is… it’s all yours. You can choose to step into the sunlight and leave all the cares behind for a little while.

PrompterPromptPromptee
Cedar SandersonThe puppies jockeyed for position, finally ending up whirling around the bowl like a small furry turbine.Fiona Grey
nother MikeIt was a long winter when the elves came out of the hills…Leigh Kimmel
Fiona GreyThe unusual uses of a wooden spoonnother Mike
Leigh KimmelYou go to the state fair, and while you’re looking at the displays by the various tractor and implement companies, you spy an antique tractor, in perfect condition. As you look closer, you realize it’s not a meticulous restoration. It’s brand new.Cedar Sanderson

Don’t have the time to commit to a prompt response this week? One of the spares speaking your name in seductive tones? Don’t forget to come back to the comments and show off what you hath wrought!

SpareTo the tune of “Material Girl”… “I’m an ethereal girl, living in an ethereal world.”
SpareWho listens to the prayers of an atheist?
SpareThe robot firemen weren’t bothered by fire, but they did have a tendency to spray water over anything that even looked as if it might be burning…
SpareAfter a long night at the bar, you arrive home, and realize there’s an extra key on your keychain…
Spare“Yoohoo!” You look up, and there’s a skydiver about to crash into you…
SpareThe real reason Renaissance festivals sell cheesecake on a stick

If you’d like to send in a prompt for next week, address it to oddprompts at gmail dot com and if you don’t want to join the challenge, make sure you put ‘spare’ in the subject line.

See you in Week 48!

Header image is “winedark” by Cedar Sanderson

14 comments

  2. Fiona Grey prompted…

    The unusual uses of a wooden spoon…

    Wooden y’a like to know? Cat skiing? Or maybe… (running in circles, but I got this done…)

    Drumsticks (600 words)
    By Mike Barker

    Hank looked around the small kitchen behind the bar. He shook his head. He’d already done everything that needed doing, so… He picked up one of the wooden spoons, and spun it in his hand. Man, they balanced so nicely, better than his old drumsticks, really. He settled it in one hand, with the bowl over his hand and the long handle sticking out, then picked up another in his other hand, and looked around.

    Ting! That was the pot, sitting on the stove.

    Ping, ping, ping. Three glasses, set along the edge of the counter, with water to set the tone. He picked up the middle one, and drank a small sip. Then set it back down, and ticked it with the handle of the wooden spoon again. Pinggggg. Yes, that got the tone right.

    Then he settled into a real session. Ting, ping, ping, pong… the door of the stove made a great sound. He whacked away, enjoying his impromptu drum set.

    When he paused, he jumped as someone clapped. He turned, and blushed. The bar owner was standing there, in the kitchen door. And some other guy, too.

    “Hank, I didn’t know you played drums,” the owner said.

    Hank shrugged. “I used to. But… I don’t know, somehow the drums never felt right. This is just fooling around, you know?”

    Then the other guy chuckled. “I tell you what. If we set up your dishes out on the stage, would you jam with me? I’d like to see what we can do together.”

    Hank laughed. “Well, sure, but…”

    The owner and the other guy walked into the kitchen, and Hank found himself telling them what to pick up and carry out. They set up his pots, pans, dishes, and glasses on a table on the stage, and the other guy grabbed a guitar and stood up there. The lights were bright, and the guy said, “Hey, y’all listen up now. I’ve been looking for someone to jam with, and Hank here plays drums, so we’re going to play for you. Put your hands together, and let’s go!”

    He looked over at Hank, and started to strum on the guitar. Hank picked up the rhythm easily, and the guy riffed on the guitar. Then he settled down, and waved at Hank. Hank recognized the signs, and took over the lead. Bang! Ping, ping, ping. Bammm…. Oh, the table added a nice bass tone when he whacked it with the spoon. Then he spun the spoon again, and had the handles, those sticks, ready to go again. He laughed, and passed the lead back to the guitar.

    When they stopped, the audience went wild. Clapping like they were never going to stop. The guitarist walked over and grinned at Hank.

    “There you go! Hey, I’ve been looking for someone to play drums with me. Are you interested in a regular job playing?”

    Hank looked at the spoons, and laughed.

    “I guess. But you’ll have to loan me some money to buy spoons.”

    Now the guy laughed, too.

    “I can do that.”

    Later, as they were putting things away, Hank asked the owner who the guitarist was. The owner smiled.

    “That was Wild Willy, the country singer? He’s been prowling through the local bars, claiming that he needed someone to play with. And I guess he found what he was looking for tonight. At least, he told me he offered you a job?”

    Hank nodded. Then the owner clapped Hank on the shoulder and said, “Tell you what, you take those wooden spoons you were using for drumsticks with you. I think they brought you luck. And you remember to visit us when you’re famous, okay?”

    The End

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    • The photos are up! A wolf sanctuary about 90 minutes from my house lets you go in with the wolves. You learn a lot about wolf and pack behaviors once you get over the giant teeth in your face. They had multiple packs of puppies a number of years ago – which did indeed form a vortex of 18 wolf puppies over hot dog pieces and marshmallows.

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