Today’s Music: V V Brown – Shark In The Water
Note on Today’s Music: The rest of her album is good, and not near as pop-ie as this. But the chorus got stuck in my head, so hear it is.
This is a response to this weeks Trifecta Challenge. It plays with a theme that keeps rattling around in my head, but I haven’t figured out how to develop it. Yet.
Oh, and to the judges, I used the definition for the challenge almost exactly. hehehe.
Hope y’all enjoy it.
Wait – What?!?
Everything – every piece of fiction, even an inkling of an idea – that’s written creates a world. Bright sunny spaces, dark foreboding places, and everything in between.
I like the ideas best. It leaves us, those that populate these worlds, a lot more leeway to interpret and develop them.
Sometimes, magic can happen.
And sometimes…not.
“Dude, what the hell are you doing?”
I wore my gardening apron that says “Dig It!” in bright letters. I had my toolbelt – mini-spade, a bottle of plant food in water, and a short stake to hold the bloom off the ground until she got settled.
My compatriot was not dressed for gardening.
The boots weren’t flashy. They were tough, well worn. The motorcycle jacket fit like a coat of armor, the leather of his waist holster matching the leather of the twin shoulder holsters he wore.
The twilight reflected off the long knife strapped to his hip.
“Man”, I said, “That metal’s gonna rust while we’re planting in the valley”.
He looked confused. “What valley?”
“Didn’t you read the challenge idea he wrote?” I’m going to plant a Lily.”
His palm smacked his forehead. “Can’t. You. Read?” he asked slowly, through clenched teeth. “This isn’t a fun summer outing. We’re going to be dodging bullets, hiding behind dumpsters in cramped spaces.”
“But we agreed”, I answered. “We both said we should go with Lily for the challenge”. I held up my potted plant. “I took Lily, the word and came up with Lily of the Valley!”, I finished, grinning.
He sighed, squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he whipped out his smart phone, tapped the screen and held it up to me.
http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/
ALLEY
3: a narrow street through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings
“Nooo”, he said even slower. “We’re rescuing Lily from the ALLEY!”
I looked down at my plant, my apron.
“Dumpsters?”
He nodded.
“Rats too?”
“Yep.”
Oops.
Nice twist! I absolutely love the gardening outfit! HA ha! What a great contrast with the biker. I love the ending too. Nicely Done El Guapo! 😀
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Thanks Linda! You’re still the Queen of the hilarious twist though.
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Well done, dude. I can just see you sitting naively in your gardening apron when the swarthy one enters the scene. Lily sure is lucky to have a rescuer like you. I just hope you take the apron off before the blood starts to flow. It would be a shame to mess it up.
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Please refrain from that kind of language, WG. This is a family blog.
Swarthy indeed. You may as well have said Jowly and Hirsute while you were at it.
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I love me a good pun!
Is the “Dig It’ apron in any way autobiographical? My grandma used to have a bumper sticker that read ‘I Dig Flowers.’
Of VVB’s work, I’ve only heard ‘Shark In The Water.’ I liked it.
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Sorry Smak. My gardening experience consists of buying fresh vegetables at the store.
You should check out some more V V on you tube, and if you like that, look up Imelda May. Great stuff!
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Only you El Guapo, only you..excellent!
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Thank you zannyro. Thank goodness it’s only me, or all our insurance rates would go up!
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Hahahahahahahaha!
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Nice job sir. Good tune to. Hadn’t heard her before.
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Why thank you!
I’m surprised. A lot of her stuff is also in a similar vein to Imelda May if you know her.
If not, you;ll probably enjoy looking her up.
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I was thinking a more poppy American version of Eliza Doolittle.
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Yes – an even better comparison.
Maybe it’s because I heard V V and Imelda about the same time…
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Love Imelda and Eliza, so V V is definitely worth a research junket
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Pure brilliance. So clever!!
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Thanks Mel. I had no story for “alley”, so I sort of cheated.
Glad you liked it!
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When I first read your title I thought of Ball of Confusion by the Temptations so I truly expected to see that as your song choice, but no matter. I really like this piece. It opens very strongly and pulls you in. I love the imagery of every written work being its own world. I also think you did an excellent job of giving us a sense of the two characters’ personalities simply by the way you described their attire. Very well done, my friend!
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That would have been a great song, sandylikeabeach!
Thanks. The hardest part of these challenges is paring everything down to fit. I’m glad it still worked!
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Forgive me for babbling…but that was really cool. I haven’t been able to do the Trifecta thing yet (not good at writing on demand) but you have popped a few ideas in my little brain for further reference.
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That’s great Suzanna! The trifecta communtiy (and blogosphere in general) is really supportive for this kind of thing. At least the part I find myself in.
Have at it and enjoy yourself, and thank you!
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Hi,
Love it, biker outfit and an apron, you have out done yourself, I thought the story was hilarious, well thought out and with a twist as well, brilliant. 😀
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Thanks so much, Magsx2!
Gotta say, I’m surprised how popular the apron is…
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Guap..Dude, I loved this. Really truly. perfect amount of silliness and wordplay.. I could picture the scene… NICELY done! 🙂
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Thanks, LizzieC. I was laughing picturing their conversation as I wrote it.
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Laugh-out-loud funny, Guap. Exposes your wit quite nicely, and in a family-friendly way. ❤
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Thank you Stacy! I think the ‘sphere is the only place where I try to behave with a minimum of decorum…
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LOL! I’ll have an image of your garden apron in my head all day now….
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Wait – you realize I’m wearing clothes under it, right Nicky? 😉
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Nice job, Guap! Enjoyed it immensely!!
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Thanks Kayjai! This was a fun write for me!
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The need for flashy gardening boots gave my a gift idea for Christmas. Meanwhile, as soon as I read “valley” … lily went off in my head … and then bingo!
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Several years ago, I got my Mom a gift of mini garden implements – mini rake, shovel, etc. I pictured this guy with the whole rack on his belt.
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Oh really nice! it’s sort of fiction within fiction within fiction – VERY creative!
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Thanks Beautiful. That idea of the characters visibly deciding how the story will go fascinates me for some reason…
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As usual–creative and funny! LOVE THE OUTFITS!
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Thank you, Jenn. I’m going to have to find twin children to costume like this for Halloween…
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nice! I loved this one. read it with my cup of tea and bran muffin
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Thanks SnB!
(did I make either of them pass through your nose?)
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OMG Hahahaha you actually made me really LAUGH. Not just the usual lol *maybe smiled a little* x
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Highest praise there is, Hyper, and thanks!
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I liked the humor element in this. I totally didn’t see where it was going at first.
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Jen, I just reread it and still don’t know where it’s going. Ah well…glad you liked it!
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I’ll babble, Baby! This is great! So funny! It is a world inside this world that we’re all responding to. So creative! Loved it.
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I loves the babbles, Swirls!!!
Thank you, and I’m really glad the “worlds” came through clearly enough!
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Congratulations on the placment! Well deserved!
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Thanks so much, Swirls!
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What an awesome opening paragraph! You rock, Guapo!
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thank you very much, whitelady! I can’t tell you how many personal stories that start with “Well, this perfectly normal thing could have happened. Or not…”
And most of them start in a bar.
hehehe
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That made me laugh — great take on the prompt.
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Laughter is all I could hope for.
Thanks Annabelle!
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I found a Jeff Beck tribute to Les Paul DVD at walmart. Great tunes, and guess who the guest vocalist was? That’s right, Imelda May. Great artist with a powerful voice. check it out
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Cool, SnB. I knew she had toured with Jeff Beck, didn’t realize they were doing Les Paul. I’ll see if I can’t find a copy of that…
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Snap Snap :+) That was really really great! Nice read and great pictures that it conjoured up in my mind. Well done.
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Thank you Starla – glad you came along for the ride!
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I just wanted to tell you that I am ignoring you because you don’t want to hear from me. Nice post though…
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Thank you and thank you!
Have a great time away Hobs.
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Thanks for linking up with Trifecta this week. I dig this post. And the apron. Fantastic response to the prompt, really. I love the idea of two characters meeting to play out the prompt. I can see the whole thing go down. It’s all very meta. Very high brow. 🙂 Thanks for playing, El Guapo. See you back soon.
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Congrats on your second place finish in the competition, though I thought you should have won the gold!
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Thanks, sandylikeabeach! Wow, I didn’t even check to see the winners.
At last, I’m somebody! I wonder who…
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Congratulations El Guapo on coming in second place this week! You are a winner! Every week in my book! 😀
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Thank you Linda! You warm the cockles of my heart. In fact, my heart now has the warmest cockles in all the sphere!
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It’s comments like this that pierce the ears of my soul!
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a wonderfully played out scene, Guapo… like everyone, I love the fiction w/in fiction (recursive = fractal like) w/in fiction… I was a little lost at first trying to get the logistics of it all, but you pulled an elephant outta that hat, sir!!! congrats on placing!!! I’m wondering which fella was really you?
🙂
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I think I was the guy that misunderstood the prompt, Starla.
Again…
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Your writing is so visual, I can PICTURE him holding up the cell phone and this entire conversation taking place. I love it. I hope you are also writing a novel. 🙂
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Thanks Asplenia. Half this story was taken from real life.
I’m not saying which half though. 😉
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Got me at the end with the pun – the gardening get up I found arousing – time for a cup of tea and stern talking to myself. Loved it!
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Perhaps a nice cold shower with your tea?
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This is a lot of fun! Love this playful take on the prompt. 🙂
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Thank you, gizmo! I’m glad I could get the story to work.
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