Happy Friday. Has it only been a week since last Friday? It seems like it has been a lifetime. To say we are living in interesting times would be a massive understatement.
Though there is a focus on what is going on in the broader society, our own personal lives need attention too. There are meals to cook, dishes to wash, laundry to fold, not to mention a that day job that seems to want eight hours of focused productive time each day. Somewhere in there is worry about whether or not it is safe to be going out and about again, and conjecture regarding what “normal” life will look like in the coming months. And don’t get me started about the wasp and mosquito who have taken up residence in my living room!
Pandemic-wise, things are starting to loosen up around here, though it sounds as though I and my co-workers will be working remotely for much of the summer. Funny, when I used to envy those who were able to work remotely all the time, this isn’t quite what I had expected.
My cat, at least, is thrilled with the my working from home. He is free to wander in and out of the house all day long and get “on demand” attention. I’m still wishing I had paid for faster internet. While it was amusing at first to attend virtual video meetings where the video and the audio were out-of-sync, it has long since lost its charm. Ah well, in the grand scheme of things, I’m lucky and I know it.
This past week I managed to fix my dishwasher, thanks to assistance from several random people via YouTube videos. With that success under my belt, I’m thinking of tackling the leaking sprinkler system next. Or maybe I’ll just read. What I definitely plan to do is give today’s writing prompt and random words a try after work today.
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 learns to do something new?
Feel free to interpret the “What” any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
imaginary chilly pretend dirty
gamble skyline genetic lollipop
contagious ballroom arm featherweight
corrosion fossil cage blindness
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 
I’m wondering about “normal” life, too. I’m thinking about going to the farmers market on Sunday because I don’t want to buy produce in plastic boxes anymore. I don’t see how you can social distance there. But I’m willing to find out!
I’m still sadly out of practice on the sprints, and I couldn’t work in “cage,” and this one is sadly more disjointed than most, but hey—it’s a sprint, right? Doesn’t have to be perfect. At least, I fulfilled that part of the exercise. 🙂
The Party
Lollipop MacIntyre couldn’t pretend any more: the window was still dirty.
“You can’t even see the skyline through that grime,” her friend Jacinta Berry said, squinting out the offending glass. “It’s so nasty, it’s probably contagious.”
“No, it’s not,” Lollipop scoffed. “Anyway, it’ll be dark. None of the guests will see.”
“They will unless they’re all struck by blindness.”
Lollipop moved her arm listlessly across the window. The ballroom they were cleaning had thirty-six windows. At this rate, she’d be a fossil before they finished.
“And then we have to do out the outside,” Jacinta announced. Lollipop pivoted on the ladder to stare at her in shock.
“We can’t!” she said. “It’s chilly outside! And we’re three stories up! And we don’t have a tall enough ladder! And I won’t do it!”
“Don’t be such a featherweight,” Jacinta said. “That’s what this mechanism is for.” She unlatched something and pulled, and the window squeaked forward on a hinge, essentially bringing the outside in. Little flakes of corrosive material drifted to the floor.
“There’s no need for name-calling.” Lollipop dumped the dirty water from her pail into the ballroom’s toilet. “I’m working, right? Although by using all these cleaning products, I’m probably gambling with my genetic material.”
Jacinta laughed. “I’ve never heard someone complain so much about their own engagement party,” she said.
Lollipop staggered back to the windows with a fresh pail of clean water.
“Don’t say that,” she hissed. “I told you. The fiancé is imaginary.”
Oh, well now I need to know about this imaginary fiancé and the engagement party too, for that matter.
As for going to the farmer’s market – the ones locally seem to be handling social distancing okay. Everyone wears masks and they request that no one hang around the vendors chatting. I think it can be done; everyone just needs to be careful and remain aware. Access to fresh fruits and veggies is a strong motivation to give it a try.
I’ve been shopping at TJs, and all the produce is boxed in plastic. It drives me crazy, because of course, plastic is going straight to landfills. Good to know about the farmers markets. I was planning to mask up, and I can usually be pretty quick, so hopefully all will be well. It’ll be cash, I assume, like always. At least I have some! 🙂