Blossom

Carl and Linda had followed the instructions precisely, and sure enough the blossom was just where the instructions said. Now it was just a matter of getting back to the checkpoint before the time ran out on the scavenger hunt.

“Fifteen minutes,” Carl warned.

“Don’t get too far ahead, the rules say we need to arrive together,” Linda reminded him.

“Then hurry, Sweetie. Fourteen and half minutes and a hundred thousand is ours.”

“I’m doing my best,” she said as he tugged her along.

Little did they know that the production company had another couple of surprises for them before they could get back to the checkpoint.

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Padre

Photo Challenge #354

Darker Than The Fog

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The damp fog refused to burn away, eating up their street until the suburb became still and their house an island. This was no tropical paradise, however, but a bleak craggy isle buffeted by waves. Fog or no, the island home had its own issues, and marital discord and strife made for an unpleasant existence. I say existence, as it was no life. Living always on a knife-edge, perpetually walking on proverbial eggshells, had taken its toll. Now with the creeping fog making escape from the island home difficult, it would only be a matter of time until the damp of the surrounding fog would be the least of their problems.

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Padre

First Line Friday

Ginger

Pinterest

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Ginger Rogers

A gingerbread bear

A tangy spice

Or long read hair

Home of witches

The scent of food Chinese

A cake from Jamaica

And such things as these

And ginger itself

A root most ugly

Warted and sprawling

But as tasty as can be

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Padre

Sunday Writing Prompt – Ginger

Leverage

“Leave me alone,” she snapped, juking around around him on the sidewalk and hurrying away with a quick clack of heels.

“Missy, you really should listen to what I have to say,” Harold called after her.

Turning, she spat, “And why should I? You’re just a servant.”

“Exactly, a servant. Your father’s servant, and he said that you need to come with me now back to the house, or he is going to cut off your allowance again.”

Missy sighed, and then crossed her arms and pulled an exaggerated pout, before slowly following him back to the limo. Sometimes she hated being a billionaire’s daughter.

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Padre

Tycoon

Photo by Flo Dahm on Pexels.com

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Peter Carlson stepped lightly from the Paris hotel where he had just had an important business meeting. He tucked a document securely into his inside jacket pocket, and tapped it twice for good measure before hailing a taxi.

The real estate deal he had just completed brought back memories of his first so long ago in New York. He had been a young man then with only his college tuition money to his name, but he risked it all on that first big buy. He had never looked back.

Now he was on his way back home to the Jiffy Lube, of which he was franchise holder. This Paris deal was going to complete his portfolio. He couldn’t wait to hang the deed to the Eiffel Tower next to his certificates for the Brooklyn Bridge, Mount Rushmore, and the Leaning Tower.

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Padre

Photo Challenge #351

Loggerheads

Sunday Writing Prompt 

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“Let’s have pizza,” Rich suggested, knowing fully that she hated anything that even hinted at cheese or Italian.

“We could do Chinese. I could really fancy some kung pao prawns,” Sarah said.

I bet that’s not the only thing she’s fancying right now, Rich said snidely in his own mind. “No, we had Chinese last week,” he said allowed.

“Well, I really can’t face pizza, it’s always too greasy and you know I hate basil and oregano.”

Well to bad, Rich thought. You can’t possibly hate it any more than you throwing yourself at Will Dayton at the party last night. “Hmm, let’s just stay in and have sandwiches then.”

“But there’s nothing here for sandwiches except cheese, and I already said I don’t want cheese or pizza,” she replied. “Besides it’s date night. We really should go out.”

“Where then if not Pizza or Chinese?”

“We could just go clubbing and snack as we go,” she suggested.

Just so you can chat up more guys, Rich thought. “Okay, sounds good,” he said after a pause. Two can play at this flirting game, he thought with aflush of excitement.

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Padre

Sunday Writing Prompt

Distance Learning

Pixabay

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Gigi assembled her planners, her calendars, her pens, pouches, and post-its before her on the desk and stood over them like a general surveying maps. Useless, she thought to herself. If she were indeed a general she would have called a retreat. What good was all this stationery in a world of e-Learning?

Pushing it all to one side, she opened her laptop and scrolled to find the tutorials for Google Classroom and Google Forms. She also cleared away some clutter from behind her desk to give a more professional background to Monday’s upcoming “live” lesson. It was going to be a long weekend, and General Gigi now knew how Napoleon must have felt at Waterloo.

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Padre

First Line Friday

Nest

AlexandraSophie on Deviantart

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Amid the fields as quail I did seek

I chanced upon a fairy – fast asleep

She was wrapped quite snuggly within her nest

So I skirted round to give her rest

My compassionate action did not go unobserved

I was spied by her mother as I swerved

Suddenly a flock of plump quail did rise

And my net was filled before my eyes

My gesture thus rewarded I headed for home

Though I never again saw fairies as I did roam

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Padre

Photo Challenge #348

January Greeting

Pixabay

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The festival annual has come and gone

With wishes of well-being and joy

May this annum from the start

Find you secure and of good-heart

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Padre

Fan Favourite Challenge #1 – SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT
Your ‘Same Same But Different’ task is to take the five challenge words and NOT use them in your writing. That’s right, you need to dig out your thesaurus and find a synonym for each word instead. Your words for the fan favourite challenge are:

• year x x
• health x
• happy x x
• safe x
• beginning x

Keeping With The Times

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“What, were you expecting a cauldron?” Peggy asked with a chuckle as she and her neighbour Helen walked into her immaculately kept stainless steel kitchen. Helen had moved in about a month before and the pair had chatted over the fence a couple of times. Helen had been struck by her new neighbour’s dress sense, really Gothic she had thought. But now for the first time Peggy had invited her into her home.

“I really wasn’t sure what to expect,” Helen mumbled.

“No worries, have a look around if you like, while I feed Mr Tibbles,” Peggy replied.

Helen looked at the shelf of alphabetically-arranged bottles bearing labels such as Bat Wings and Choke Weed. Each one was in a familiar shaped glass container with industrially printed labels with the logo and branding – Mccormick Speciality Spices.

“Do you mean you get this from Tesco’s next to the cinnamon?” Helen asked astonished at the sight.

“No, no, they have to be ordered from a catalogue. I think there’s one in the top drawer next to you if you want to have a look. And there’s the cat taken care of, so do you want me to brew something up for you?”

“Um – like a love potion or something?” Helen asked unsurely.

Peggy laughed. “I guess that could be arranged, but I was thinking more along the lines of a tea or a coffee.”

“Oh, sorry. Tea please. White and one sugar.”

“Coming right up,” Peggy said with a smile. “A love potion? So tell me about him?” Peggy teased.

Helen flushed and then said, “Just some guy at my new job.”

“Uuuh, tell me more,” Peggy said placing a steaming mug next to her new friend.

“He’s cute, and oh, you know,” Helen said blushing again.

Peggy walked back into the kitchen and took four of the bottles from the rack and set them on the counter. She then took the cover of a Ninja Multi Cooker.

“What are you doing?” Helen asked.

“Getting you that love potion,” Peggy said with a mischievous grin. “With the super cooker it will be ready in no time.”

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Padre

First Line Friday: “What, were you expecting a cauldron?”