Monthly Archives: June 2017

Checkmate Baby


Charlotte was a ‘checkers’ kind of girl. Occasionally she entertained a game of backgammon or tic-tac-toe, but chess? That was his thing. Strategy was not Charlotte’s strong suit.

She didn’t mind at all that Stuart invited friends to the house when he got in a mood for a game. But tonight was different. His guest for the evening was Claire, an attractive woman he’d met at work. Stuart was quite oblivious to this femme fatale, but Charlotte read right through her fake smile and polite nod. Charlotte found a corner in the adjoining room and waited.

It wasn’t long before Claire made her move. Charlotte’s instincts had been spot on. Claire had slipped between the game table and Stuart’s chair and was leaning in toward him, to his horror, when Charlotte rushed into the parlor to thwart her advances.

“I believe this is what you call a ‘Checkmate’. Am I right Stuart?”

Recovering from his initial shock, Stuart sputtered, “Uh…Right you are Charlotte.” He turned to Claire and declared, “you heard the Queen. This game is over.”

As Claire let herself out, Stuart winked at his wife, “and you said you were no good at playing chess!”

~kat

(198 Words)

For the Sunday Photo Fiction Challenge inspired by this photo by our host Al.


Expostulate – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

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Today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day is Expostulate. It means “to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate: His father expostulated with him about the evils of gambling.” 

The Etymology Dictionary tells us this about the origin of this word:

“1530s, “to demand, to claim,” from Latin expostulatus, past participle of expostulare “to demand urgently, remonstrate, find fault, dispute, complain of, demand the reason (for someone’s conduct),” from ex- “from” (see ex-) + postulare “to demand” (see postulate (v.)). Friendlier sense of “to reason earnestly (with someone) against a course of action, etc.” is first recorded in English 1570s. Related: Expostulated; expostulating.”

I did find a reference to the word as featured in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”:  “The circle closed up again with a running murmur of expostulation.” It seems that “The Great Gatsby’s” rich vocabulary has become the source of many vocabulary studies. You can find expostulation as well as many other wonderful words on vocabulary “flash cards” online. Of course there are a few other mentions of the word used in other literature, but it does not seem to have any surprising history attached to it.

That being said, I must say that there has been quite a bit of expostulating going on in recent times…and the divide grows deeper and wider.

Here’s my haiku for today’s word. Have a great weekend!

opinionated
expostulators may rant
for naught, to closed minds

~kat


Complicity

complicity proves
no one can steal a soul
that’s freely given

~kat

For Haiku Horizon’s weekly challenge inspired by the prompt word: Steal.


Black Hole

supernova bloom
sucked into oblivion
swan song of a star

~kat

For Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge inspired by the prompt words: Star and Bloom.


Where the Heart Is

dale-rogerson4

photo by  © Dale Rogerson.


Kim learned not to become attached to things, like a favorite toy or friends. At age 12 she understood that nothing is permanent.

“Kim,” her mother whispered urgently, “get your sister up and packed. We need to move right now. Don’t dawdle!”

It was the dead of night; it was always the dead of night, when Kim, her mother and younger sister would flee, slipping into the shadows until the next time they heard that “he” was getting too close.

“It’s for the best,” Kim told her tired, grumpy self, “but I miss home, wherever, whatever that is.”

~kat
(98 Words)

For Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Friday Fictioneer flash fiction challenge based on this
photo by  © Dale Rogerson.