tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996679476368835656.post4644569380805319524..comments2024-01-22T07:38:36.759-05:00Comments on Musings of Alissa Leonard: FINISH THAT THOUGHT #3-24lissajeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10530061516614280887noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996679476368835656.post-25810362542356671862015-12-15T23:48:15.930-05:002015-12-15T23:48:15.930-05:00@GeoffHolme
#FlashDogs
Word Count: 392
Special Cha...@GeoffHolme<br />#FlashDogs<br />Word Count: 392<br />Special Challenge Accepted<br /><br /><b>Festive Spirit</b><br /><br />“There was a clatter of tambourines, Carol, a blare of trumpets and the raucous <i>rat-tat-tat</i> of <b>The Little Drummer Boy</b> from next door. Then a choir started singing. Well, I <i>say</i> singing… it sounded more like a bunch of tom cats caterwauling on the roof. And a loud cacophony it was too!”<br /><br />“Not exactly <b>Angels From The Realms Of Glory</b> then?”<br /><br />“Far from it! I said to our Vera, ‘<b>Do You Hear What I Hear?</b>’ But she was too engrossed watching <i>‘Strictly’</i> on TV - Anton du Beke and Katie Derham dancing a foxtrot to a calypso tune... A <b><i>Calypso</i>, Carol</b>!<br /><br />“Then there was an amplified voice saying they were from The Lions Club, collecting for charity. Shortly after that there was a rap on the door.”<br /><br />“<i>Christmas</i> rapping! Eh? Eh?”<br /><br />“Mm-mmm. When I opened it, I couldn't believe what I saw.“<br /><br />“Ooh, I know this one - got it out of a cracker last Christmas. You looked out and the pavement was covered in Black Forest gateaux and the road in sherry trifle… The street was <i>desserted</i>!”<br /><br />“Oh, ha, ha! Very funny!”<br /><br />“Come on, lighten up. I’m only trying to bring a little <b>Joy To The World</b>.”<br /><br />“If you’ll let me finish… It was my friends, Barney and Charlie.”<br /><br />“Do I know them?”<br /><br />“I don’t think so. We all support Leyton Orient Football Club, we all come from the same town in the Midlands and we’ve all got the same surname.”<br /><br />“That’s quite a string of coincidences.”<br /><br />“Yes. And to top it all, <b>We Three Kings Of Orient Are</b> all <b>Driving Home For Christmas</b>!”<br /><br />“Where is home, Alan?”<br /><br />“<b>Coventry, Carol</b>.”<br /><br />“So, what did they want?”<br /><br />“They'd come to discuss the best route to take. So, I invited them in, and I got the malt whisky out… It was <b>Past Three O’clock</b> before Vera got a <b>Silent Night</b>.”<br /><br />“You know they’re forecasting bad weather next week, don’t you? A lot of the white stuff.”<br /><br />“I’m not worried, as long as we can get there safely. After that… <b>Let It Snow</b>.”<br /><br />“<b>Let It Snow</b>?”<br /><br />“<b>Let It Snow</b>! Why not? Indoors, we’ll have everything we need: turkey and mince pies, <b>Mistletoe and Wine</b>, <b>The Holly and The Ivy</b>. You doing anything special?”<br /><br />“Jack and I are off to Scotland on a hiking holiday.”<br /><br />“The Cairngorms again?”<br /><br />“No. This time, <b>We’re Walking In The Ayr</b> region.”<br /><br />####<br /><br /><i>13 Christmas carols / songs (14 if you allow the pun in the last line!)</i>Geoff Holmehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14112172621177733025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996679476368835656.post-9255205506558889072015-12-15T15:40:43.754-05:002015-12-15T15:40:43.754-05:00Hearing Things
By Audrey Weinberg
@studyleaks
word...Hearing Things<br />By Audrey Weinberg<br />@studyleaks<br />word count: 485<br />Special Challenge accepted.<br /><br />There was a clatter of hooves on the roof and a loud ‘Ho Ho Ho.’ <br /><br />I looked over at Joe. His hand was posed just above his strawberry blond curls, a short quick movement into them, a quick scratch and out again. <br />“Joe,” I said loudly, competing with the ‘Driving home for Christmas’ booming out of the stereo. <br />“Did you hear that?” I asked.<br />“Sorry, what?” he asked, looking up from his phone.<br />“That Ho Ho Ho. I hear it again.”<br />“Hmmm…” Joe said and went back to his texting. <br /><br />I had read once that Oliver Sacks said that auditory hallucinations didn’t just happen to people who were crazy. I got up and got on my running shoes. This time I would find out for sure.<br /><br />The streets were deserted; a silent night. I jogged around the block. I was a dragon puffing out clouds of steamy breath. My chest and thighs burned but I kept on running, into the forest near the house. I heard the crunch of ice under my feet. <br /><br />In the clearing, I shouted loudly, “Ho Ho Ho!” And then I heard it ripple back. My heart was pounding visibly through my running jacket.<br />I took some deep slow breaths, and swallowed a few drops of Rescue Remedy. The crisis center said that running, fresh air and staying calm would work.<br /><br />Running back through the tunnel next to my house, I shouted again, “Ho Ho Ho!” Again, the sound echoed back to me. I wondered if Joe was already in bed, and if he’d shut off the lights downstairs. Did he think I was losing it? Or was he just busy doing his work and texting his beer buddies? There was a good chance he hadn’t even noticed I was gone.<br /><br />As I neared home again, I noticed how most of the neighbors had already put up their decorations. It was starting to look a lot like Christmas. I breathed the night air in and swung my arms back and forth. Raising my serotonin levels did help, I realized.<br /><br />As I entered the house, I realized how cold it was inside. The heat was off and the room dark and empty. I ran upstairs, looking for Joe. He was nowhere to be seen. <br /><br />I called his number, wondering if he’d gone out, but the voice message said the number had been disconnected. <br /><br />I sat down on the floor, next to my bed. Something fuzzy peeked out from underneath it. I reached in and pulled out a dusty Santa costume. And a dustier card. ‘Fire the cleaning lady,’ I said to myself, as I tore open the envelope. <br /><br />“My dearest, what a tragedy to befall you on Christmas Day! Joe will be sorely missed!, Love, …”<br /><br />“Ho Ho Ho!” I heard it again, and the clatter, not of hooves, but of glass shattering. <br />I wasn’t crazy after all. <br /><br /><br />Study Leaks Amsterdamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05046398568648428849noreply@blogger.com