Welcome to the end of another week. Or is it the beginning. It’s getting harder and harder to tell.
I actually got to leave the house this week for something other than my weekly trip to the grocery store, which I’ve been treating like a game show. Can I get in, get what I need, and get out this week faster than I did last week?
Wednesday included a trip to my actual office. I needed some books and files that I hadn’t initially brought when we all were sent home and thought it was just going to be a temporary thing. I’d forgotten what I nice view my office window provided (though all of those people out there without masks, what were they thinking?).
It was a little weird being the only one in my part of the building, not to mention strange to have to have my temperature taken before I could get to the elevators, but I appreciate the care they are taking. I was also able to pickup my allotment of masks, so now I have a backup stash. My computer apparently appreciated being attached to the network after such a long time; it took almost two hours for it to do all of the updating it needed to do (which was another reason I was in the office). I was on conference calls most of that time, so it wasn’t too much of a problem. I should have made a list of what I needed before I left home though. I managed to forget one of the main things I stopped in to get. In my defense, I got distracted just as I went to pick it up by the package of batteries in my drawer that had gone on an acid-trip in my absence. I seem to have that effect on batteries these days.
Anyway, now that I’m back home–having survived the crazy drivers on the road who seem to consider both speed limits and turn signals to be for “other people”–I’m ready to get back to sheltering in place. Seems like a good time to pick up a favorite book or maybe pop a good romcom caper movie into the DVD player. Before that though I think I’ll see what I can to with today’s writing prompt and random words.
Care to join me?
For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), if you’re not feeling random, we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.
If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, I hope either today’s random words or writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.
Ready?
What if: “Your character is involved in a caper?
Feel free to interpret the “What if” any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
alligator diplomat finishing egg
french simple finale jar
balcony fashion clock belt
hoist drumbeat guide sun
I look forward to seeing your stories in the comments. If you’re not feeling in the writing mood today, or don’t have time, feel free to post suggestions you might have for future “what-if” prompts. Ideas are always welcome.
Happy writing to all!
Eight Ladies Writing 
Congratulations, I guess, on getting back to your office, getting your stuff, getting your computer updated, and all that! It’s good to hear that there’s good health monitoring going on there.
I got all the words except for “drumbeat” used up. As always, it was a hoot. And as always, I wonder at the end of these, could I really write a story with an alligator in a moat?
The End of the Line
“So, whaddaya think?” Dulcie Gribble smeared some Dijon mustard on her hard-boiled egg, contemplating the alligator in the moat.
“Who the hell ever put an alligator in a moat?” her partner in crime, Milo Atchley, said.
“Only the French,” Dulcie said. She stuck two fingers in the jar of garlic dill pickles and pulled out the biggest, finishing it in two bites.
They were standing on a low balcony overlooking the moat. The sun sparkled on the water, almost blinding her. The mansion sat just over there, on the other side of the moat and the alligator. Dulcie was willing to bet that where there was one alligator, there would be two. And probably more.
The plan had been simple. The speedboat would pull up to the balcony. They’d get in it. They’d go to the mansion, break in, and hoist the safe out the window into the boat. And drive away.
It was a great plan if you didn’t weaken, as her father, the ex-diplomat, now permanent resident of Leavenworth federal penitentiary, would say. It was supposed to have been the finale of their career, hers and Milo’s, two of the best thieves this side of Outer Mongolia. She was getting married, and she wanted to start with a clean slate.
The plan didn’t look like such a slam-dunk now. They hadn’t counted on the alligators. The weather wasn’t cooperating. And the speedboat was late. They were on the clock here, and a late speedboat was an oxymoron that Dulcie just didn’t appreciate.
“We should bail,” she told Milo. Knowing when to quit had been one reason they’d been able to work for so long.
“We can’t afford it,” Milo said.
“We can tighten our belts,” Dulcie said.
“I don’t have a belt,” Milo said. “I’m not the fashion plate you are. Belts for all seasons.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling,” Dulcie said. Bad feelings had been her guide for more than ten years now; she didn’t intend to ignore this one.
“Well, damn,” Milo said.
They closed up shop quickly, packing their gear and exiting the hotel in less than three minutes, just before the gendarmes pulled up, sirens blazing. They looked out the back window of the cab as the police swarmed the hotel.
“Thank god for feelings,” Milo said, and kissed her.
I loved that, Kay. What a fun use of the words and prompt!
Thank goodness Dulcie listened to those feelings. No one wants to end their career in the slammer.
That’s what I thought. I wanted Dulcie and Milo to get away clean. 🙂 Sort of like The Italian Job, only without stealing anything.
The Italian Job, only French, and with alligators. Fabulous. Thanks, Kay 😀