About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.
A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.
I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing a new prompt. And if for some reason I missed your entry in the Roundup, as I have occasionally done, please let me know. I want to be sure to include your tale.
Finally, have fun!
Twittering Tales #158 – 15 October 2019
This week’s photo prompt by Mikechie Esparagoza at Pexels.com offers a wall full of possibilities. Use one of the sayings as your title and build a tale around it, or incorporate several sayings in your tale. Have fun! I’ll see you at the roundup next week!
Photo by Mikechie Esparagoza at Pexels.com
Wish It, Do It
Judith dreamed of being an artist, her paintings featured in galleries, drawing critical acclaim far and wide. But she had bills to pay. Her little shop’s walls were filled with her creations. One day she’d be a real artist she sighed. Too bad she didn’t realize, she already was.
~kat
280 Characters
Before we get into this week’s Roundup, a throw-back to Lorraine’s at Lorrraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip. Her tale “bearly” made it…well, not really, but I couldn’t resist. It posted just hours after I posted.
Teddy Bear’s Picnic
After the last incident, the park rangers put up warning signs:
Keep your distance. Please don’t feed their addiction to selfies.
(130)
Twittering Tales #147 – The Round-Up
Photo by noelsch at Pixabay.com
Starting us off…
“Coffee, I need coffee,” Marcus grumbled as his head bobbed, smacking the metal desk.
As the java brewed, monitors in the observation room started flashing. The alarm system blared. The sprinkler system busted loose. The lights popped to dark.
“Shoulda made tea,” Marcus hissed.
~kat
280 Characters
By Reena at ReInventions:
Transgression
The security checks are stringent, yet I put up with it to reach that building.
I don’t know a soul there, but the windows it opens to other worlds are refreshing. Bodies become insignificant, as the vastness of the universe engulfs.
I hope now to transgress my smallness someday.
(279 characters)
By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Watching the Universe
“This is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, the largest telescope on earth,” the tour guide said.
“What are those men looking at?” a boy asked.
“They’re astronomers. They’re looking at the universe.”
Looking at a monitor, the boy said, “No, they’re watching Stranger Things on Netflix.”
(278 characters)
By Jim at Mindescapes.net:
Galactic Golf Emporium
Welcome to Galactic Golf Emporium! You’ll find all of your golfing gear for all of your golfing needs!
Hurry in today for our astronomically great deals. Low low prices you have to observe with your own eyes!
Tee off to greatness, improve your game. Your black hole in one awaits!
280 characters
By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
Trying Something New
I wouldn’t mind dancing all day, a visit to the observatory wouldn’t excite me, I grumbled to my friend.
Getting to know how the universe evolved, I dance to my heart’s content near the clouds.
Coming out of one’s comfort zone hurt none, my friend chided.
253 characters
By Hayley at The Story Files:
Ghost Research
The lab had been built in an old observatory, in the middle of nowhere which was perfect for the holding and research of ghosts.
The only problem was so far they had been unsuccessful in actually capturing and keeping the spirits!
By Angie at Angie Trafford:
Heavens Above!
“Touch nothing,” the head astronomer warned as the left the room.
The new technician’s chair collapsed and he landed on the controls. “Ow and Oops.”
Returning, the head astronomer stared in disbelief at moving machinery. “I told you not… Wait, what’s that?”
Character count: 270
By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
It was true! Now they had seen it with their own eyes. The building which was heavily guarded in the sector 51 was where the aliens were being kept. The plan was to let the drone cameras take pictures to prove their authenticity. Too bad they never got to see those pictures.
Character count: 275
By Suzette at Suzette B’s Blog:
A lens to the heavens
The observatory, a beacon to the search for visitors.
But, we are visitors, too. The earth is our temporary home.
The shiny island dome, a working human monument exploring the Divine canvas created by –the Author of all life.
In Whom we are all truly “at home”
Total characters: 280
By Regina at Help From Heaven:
So Many Stars!
Janna was bored! What’s the big deal about an observatory? She could look at the night sky at home. But when the roof opened, her jaw dropped! “So many stars,” she screamed. She had never seen anything so beautiful! They were like diamonds spread on dark satin!
(264 characters)
By Jan at Jaquintinwriter:
First glance
Interesting
First thought
What is it?
An Astronomical Observatory
Location
Canary Islands
Spain
Atlantic Ocean
Day visit
Stargazing
No thanks
Pass this vacation
No desire holiday travel
Sorry this gal
Science little interest
Passing thought
Excellent topic
Research paper
CC: 268
By Graham at Graham is Just my Name:
In the back of the van, his chest tightened, and his breathing was harsh and laboured.
Were they near the summit?
The cable ties savaged his wrists.
The grubby blindfold rendered him sightless.
“When do we get to the observatory?”
“We passed it 5 minutes ago.”
Not long know he thought.
By Rugby at The Bag Lady:
Look at that! Thinking they’re smart, trying to see us from some lame observatory telescope, way down there. If we could be seen that easily there would be no more science fiction movies!
Don’t knock it Joe, if they knew we looked and acted like them, they’d be so disappointed!
By Lisa at Tao Talk:
It had lain asleep in the earth for millenia. Arcturans left it here as a fail-save device should their experimental subjects threaten planet viability. Made of osmium, it was armed with neutron blasters. When fracking began at the north pole, the giant awoke to save earth.
[277 characters]
By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
“bet vos non scitis; cognitionem stellarum”
betcha didn’t know:
Wallace, Idaho is the center of the universe and
La Palma, Canary Islands, is the site of the secret Starbucks’ taste testing facility.
(132)
By Di at Pensitivity101:
How do you like your eggs?
Boiled, fried, poached, scrambled or tinned?
70 characters
By Joe at Does Writing Excuse Watching?:
Canary Islands
The world’s largest telescope was built in the Canary Islands. King Juan Carlos I of Spain officially inaugurated the telescope July 24, 2009.
With the King and his guests in attendance, the first object photographed, due to an error in the declination setting, was this canary.
By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
Such a Friendly Debate
Jim and Sue were sky diving. To pass time on the way down, they gossiped about the round building below. “I think it looks like roll on deodorant,” he said. “I think it looks like a pinky ring,” she insisted. “At least they’re happy this way,” their friends all agreed.
(272 characters)
By Lauren at LSS Attitude of Gratitude:
Money ant Privilege Know No Boundaries
What do you mean I can’t purchase that? It is on prime beach front land. I want it. Get it for me.
But madam, do you not realize that it is owned and operated by the scientific community?
I have never let that stop me before. My last name means money. I WILL get what I want.
(280 characters)
By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
The crime had remained unsolved for 40 years.
Someone had stolen the largest ballpen, as verified in the Guinness Book of World Records.
They’d left the shaft and ink sleeve propped against the Eiffel tower.
Now the giant ball had been found. Hidden in plain sight all these years!
(279 characters)
By Mike at The Bookish Recovering Know-It-All:
Popcorn Up!!
Ok sir, just so I can get this for my report, can you go thru the story one more time please?
“It’s like I was saying officer. We were just sitting down to watch the movie after putting the Jiffy Pop on the stove. It was one of those MCU movies that everyone’s watching, when…”
(280 characters)
By Tien at From the Window Seat:
Into Space
Everyone believed that building the observatory on the mountain was a good idea.
The mountain was very tall and that was about as close to the stars as the astrophysicists could get.
That was until Earth lost its gravitational force and the mountain began to float into space.
(274 characters)
By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It:
Caught Again!
As they pulled the car around to the back of the shed, they noticed a car was following them. Not sure where it came from or if it was a danger, they pulled around the shed and went out the other side, which they soon found was blocked and they were hauled back to headquarters.
279 characters
By John at Broadsides:
A unique configuration of solar panels adorns the new extinction refuge, designed not just to catch the sunlight but also reflections from the deep winter snows. Ideally located to re-fuel electric cars using the nearby roads, the refuge was opened by Greta and named, “ Hus of bolde”*
*House of Balls”
By Neel at Neel Writes Blog:
CELESTIAL SIGHTS
“I look up. Study stars. Search for answers.”
“Interesting!”, replied Karishma as she stared out from the upper deck of the all metal dome shaped structure.
“Will you’ve time?”
“For what?”, replied her fiancee Akash.
“For us. For more mundane earthly matters?”
By Prathiba at Prat’s Corner:
Tourists
“We asked for a place people would not note at all”
“You asked for a place to hide the spaceship”
“Not a tourist place like this”
“You only need it the night, why waste it in the day”
“How does attracting people help?”
“Are you kidding? Don’t you know the earning from tourists”
By Deb at Twenty Four:
She sighed deeply, “Well I suppose it has possibilities, the view is excellent.”
“And there’s space if relatives want to visit.”
“I guess so,” She murmured, “But you do know its an observatory?”
“Oh is it?”
Perfect for hunting aliens, he thought with a smile.
(255 characters)
By Shweta at My Random Ramblings:
Pride Goes Before a Fall
They were extremely proud of the new observatory.
One-of-a-kind, unparalleled technology.
They had every reason to be proud.
But the shiny, silver dome proved to be their Achilles heel.
What was meant to monitor their extra-terrestrial neighbours had ended up attracting them instead!
(280 characters)
By Kristian at Tales From the Mind of Kristian:
Among Us
It was the largest telescope, built to find extra-terrestrial life.
A waste of money, in my humble opinion.
Why bother trying to find aliens, when they’d already found us?
They were already walking shoulder to shoulder among us, their kindred had infiltrated the White House.
[275 Characters]
Nice round up everyone. I loved your impressions of this photograph. Jiffy Pop? I have to admit it looks like that novelty from the past. I remember watching the bladder on these little aluminum popcorn poppers expand like a balloon. It was like magic. Then, there were a few aliens, a ghost, golf, a few frightful tales, inspiration and a chuckle or two. Thank you to everyone who participated! I hope you’ll give this week’s photo prompt a try. See you at next week’s round up!
About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.
