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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

words for wednesday

I have been reading Elephant's Child blog for quite a while and was always intrigued with her Words for Wednesday post. A group of words or some other writing prompt is gives and people write what said words or pictures evoke. A little while back instead of being the constant voyeur I started participating, and find it fun because it challenges me to use language in a different way. This month the word prompts can be found Mumblings. I honestly felt like an intruder leaving my submission there, because I have only left them on E.C's page before, but I did leave my comfort zone and post it. Now I am going way, way out of my comfort zone and leaving it here.
From Mumblings blog these are the prompts:

crashing, valve, spotlight, postage, resonate, spastic
and/or
branded, organic, bargain, designate, amplify, blase
OR
you could use this phrase to 'set you off'
LAVENDER LIES

Please feel free (compelled?) to play along and leave your poems,  essays, tales, whatever inspires you.

This is where the words lead me this week.


Molly managed to answer the phone on the fourth ring right before the message began. She had no idea who was calling because her glasses were in the bedroom and the caller i.d. just looked like chicken scratch .
'Hello" she said, with forced pleasantness, she hated unplanned phone calls, especially when she was busy.
"Hi dear, it's Lucy" the quivering voice on the other end of the phone began, "Lavender just called me to let me know she will not be able to help at all this month. You know all that tunny trouble because of her spastic colon. She said she would love to help when and if her health allows. With her feeling so bad, I can't ask her to do anything, but I am overwhelmed. There is so much to do and right this minute I feel like I am in a pressure cooker with no release valve.  I need some help and I need it quickly.
"Lavender lie's and she always has"Molly said emphatically (so much for tact)  The only thing wrong with her colon is that is is attached to the rest of her conceited self. She is perfectly healthy! She just doesn't want you to designate specific tasks to her because it might interfere with her spa days, consignment shop bargain hunting, or whatever other self indulgent events she has planned"
"Oh my, I'm stunned. I had no idea ."
Molly continued "She uses the lies to keep from doing any true labor but is always happy to maintain her title. As long as she gets an occasional picture in the society pages so she can be branded as a patron of various arts and charities she is happy. She wants the spotlight on her and to have someone else to  so all the grunt work. As she spoke Molly noticed her voice seemed to amplify on its' own "Reel it back in, girl' she thought, "You know Lavender always brings out the worst in you"
She continued in a calmer voice, "So, Lucy, now that your co-chair is ill, what do we need to do to get plans back on track ? Just tell me and I'll be happy to help. I don't want you to feel like everything is crashing down on you and you have no backup"
"Thank you Molly. The most immediate thing is postage. I need all the envelopes stamped so they can go out in the mail this evening. Are you available around lunchtime? We could meet somewhere and strategize . There are only 5 weeks left before the Gala and I really do need a lot of  help."
"Sure, How about meeting at Organic Harvest? They have great salads and the tables are large enough that we could do the stamping while we eat."
"Perfect. I'll see you in an hour?"
 "I'll be the one wearing worker bee clothes"
"I need a worker bee, "
Molly hung up the phone and thought about this unexpected turn of events. She would help make this the best Gala ever, and when it came time to fill the upcoming Junior Board seat, hopefully tales of her hard and selfless work would resonate throughout the Executive Committee, and any thoughts of Lavender would be, at best, blasé.
Poor Lavender, life only allowed for one Queen, and the worker bee had just landed the first sting


20 comments:

  1. I really, really like your use of the prompts Delores provided. Intruder? Very welcome guest is a better description.
    Thank you so much for joining the fun.

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    1. Thanks for introducing me to this concept, I think.

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  2. This reminds of Natalia's Write and Link ups. I'll need to check this out.

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    1. It is a fun way to try and make something somewhat cohesive from totally unconnected words.

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  3. Anne! This sounds like the beginning of a ladies club murder mystery, with added internal backstabbing. I love it. :)

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    1. Thanks, I just look at the prompts to see where it leads me. Each week whatever my first inclination when I see the words is the direction I follow. It's fun___Come join the party!

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  4. I have seen these kinds of blogs for years. While I do like writing, these just do not interest me. I rarely even read the things written from the prompts. I did read yours--good job. I have heard comments in real life that do prompt me to write short stories. So, it is not like I averse to writing something based off an off comment.

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  5. I write all the time, but this is deliberate writing to try and fit specific words into a short piece. It is a stretch for me to do it and certainly a stretch to put it out there.

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  6. cool! I found a story I'd written back in highschool about my life for the next 20 years. My daughter thinks it's a hoot and mocks me. I'll share it some time on my blog.

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    1. I wish you would. I still have one from when I was in the 7th grade. It is about me becoming an A.P. line reporter in Kabul. I have no clue where the idea for living in Kabul came from but it was in a time and place where there would have been no danger living there. Yes I am old!

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  7. That was a great short story you wrote!

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    1. It's just an exercise to try and fit the given words into something that makes sense,

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  8. I think you did a tremendous job! I LOVE your final sentence--it makes me wish there was a next page!

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    1. I haven't even thought beyond anything other than that Molly and Lavender must have some ongoing mom competition.

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  9. This tickled me today!
    Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage!
    Laura

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  10. I love E.C.'s Words for Wednesdays...but I got nothing for this set. :/

    I'll brainstorm and come back if I've got something.

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    1. Meanwhile I am wondering what is going to happen after "Happy Birthday"

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  11. What fun! I used to do something similar years ago but now can't even remember which blog it was :( I have to tell you this - on Saturday night when I was at a music festival I saw a woman who had obviously had a tough life. Across her chest was tattooed the word "Bitchy" in huge letters. Boy that sent my mind spinning in a number of directions and I thought I should write her story!

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