August 20, 2019

Twittering Tales #150 – 20 August 2019

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 #149 -The Roundup

Photo by Wal_172619 @ picabay.com

Starting us off:

After years behind a desk, Ellie decided to make a change. Sure, she could’ve gone Uber or Lyft, but her old clunker was a wreck. At “Checkered” they provided the wheels and a paycheck.
She had some wild stories. Like that time she delivered twins. Too bad I’m out of characters…
~kat
280 characters…darn!

By Reena at ReInventions:
End of Hope
Fifty thousand vehicles are in queue to enter the flooded town. Some carry relief material. Some carry mothers wanting to reach their children.
Sounds from the radio are ominous “Two gates of the overflowing dam to be opened”.
The motorists see water gushing their way. End of hope.
(280 characters)

By Tien at From the Window Seat:
Traffic Problems
John decided the worst thing about driving was not getting stuck in traffic, neither was it getting stuck in traffic with a garrulous taxi driver.
It was getting stuck in traffic with a garrulous driver live streaming your wife, complete with commentary, after her water broke.
(276 characters)

By Graham at Graham Is Just My Name:
Bangkok 11.25 pm
Pandemonium at the airport.
All flights are cancelled.
Bundled to a nearby cheap hotel.
Awoken at 3.23 am.
No coffee.
No breakfast.
No buses.
Crammed into 55 taxis and driven in cavalcade back to the chaos.
Too tired to think.
Was it just a bad dream?
I’m afraid not.
(269 characters)

By Di at Pensitivity101:
‘Honey? Our taxi might be a bit late.’
38 characters

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Bad Timing
In 2009, Ramesh paid nearly a million dollars to purchase a taxi medallion. He thought he was set for life and he could pass the medallion on to his children, giving them a valuable inheritance.
Then Uber and Lyft came along and now that damn taxi medallion is close to worthless.
(279 characters)

By Naonato at Honing Skills and Loving the Ride:
Podcast
Breath in
Exhale
Good
Bre- I can’t do this! Screw it all!
What if I abandon my taxi right here? I mean, I’m already at the airport. I could just leave.
Damn it.
Wife’s got the passport in the safe. What good’s it there? I’ll ask her for it when I get home.
And then I’ll leave.
character count: 279

By Bear at Jellico’s Writing Nook:
Taxi
“Uh, dear, I know you sent a taxi for me, but…”
cc: 49

By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
Rest In Peace, Fred
All roads leading to St. Gabriel’s were packed with traffic. Fred’s funeral was the biggest event the townsfolk had ever seen. Accolades were incessantly pouring in, even from Washington. Living presidents. were there. “He was one hell of a cab driver,” Bush 43 told Carter.
(280 characters.)

By Shweta at My Random Ramblings:
Bumper to Bumper!
Google Maps casually alerted her that the usual 15 min ride to work would now be much longer, all thanks to the damn traffic. She took a look at the gridlock that showed no sign of resolving any time soon. Good thing she rode a bicycle to work. The cycle lane wasn’t so congested!
(280 characters)

By Willow at WillowDot21:
The taxi drivers were dropping like flies, suffering from stress! The queue was from purgatory to the gates.
St. Peter was hot and bothered, Michael and Gabriel had a good idea who had who had called every taxi in the city to
Battery Park. Adriel looked confused, Satan chuckled.
(278 Characters)

By John at The Magic Shop:
Holt finally found the cab he had been looking for. It had no no way out, being stuck in traffic. “Pop the trunk” Wills ordered one driver. “On who’s authority?” the driver said as Holt flashed his badge. The trunk opened. Wills found it filled with skulls and shackles. Holt got his man at last.
(299 characters)

By Enzo at Travel, Good Food, Arts and More:
Return Home
Exiting the station David got welcomed by huge queues of people trying to get a taxi to their destination. A Bank Holiday and the Notting Hill Carnival meant there was only controlled road traffic in the area. It seemed his return home was more adventurous than his holiday.
(275 characters)

By Jan at Strange Goings on in the Shed:
Conga Line
The line of taxis stretched beyond the horizon. If they were to win this dance marathon they had to keep in rhythm. The cup was taken from them last year, they had to reclaim it.
Zorba shouted encouragement over the radio, his heart almost bursting with pride. Go you Spartans!

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
The long line of taxis outside the airport was a familiar sight for John. It meant he was home at last. Ah! Home after ten long years away. Now to get into one of those taxis to get to his hotel.
Character count: 196

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It!:
Caught?
“Linda, grab the boy and follow me quickly.”
“Ron where are we going?”
“Get in the cab’s back seat and lay down! Both of you! The cab’s been here for days so they won’t expect it to be our getaway car.”
Ron grabs the cap and puts it on and he drives off with Linda and their son.
277 characters

By Lisa at Tao Talk:
Why, Jimmy?
Jimmy and I had been friends forever; someone I could trust – or so I thought. When I showed him my replicating machine he promised he wouldn’t say anything – and he didn’t; but that morning as I drove up to the lab, I couldn’t believe what was driving out out of it. Why, Jimmy?
The End. [281 characters]

By Anurag at Jagahdilmein:
Just Jammin’
The jam stretched on for miles, but there was no honking of horns, no loud grumblings of frustrated drivers or impatient passengers.
Everyone was just staring out of their windows, mouths wide open.
You would think that they’d never seen giant sloths crossing the road before.
279 characters

By Neel at Neel Writes Blog:
TAKE ME AWAY
“Sir, welcome aboard. Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere”.
“Sir, the apps demands a destination. I’m sorry Sir, without you telling me where you want to go I won’t be able to drive.”
“Anywhere, man, just go any goddam place as long as it takes me away from my wife.”
273 characters

By Ron at Read 4 Fun:
Medallion fees and Uber meant bankruptcy. Culik purchased taxis and permits cheap; they allowed access to airports. Instant communication app WA made sure he met assigned drugged passengers. Culik’s contract was for comatose bodies returned home to prove family honor restored.
277

By Kristian at Tales from the Mind of Kristian:
A Dangerous Lady
The lady stepped out of her spacious hotel and hailed a cab. Instantly they lined up for her custom. People called her Aphrodite. She always appeared kind but she was on the prowl for someone to manipulate. Who shall it be this time, a Chief Exec or maybe a President?
[263 Characters]

By Hayley at The Story Files:
Everyone thought the job was easy; drive people from A to B but Dec knew there was more to it. With twelve years under his belt, he found the waiting boring, nervous still collecting customers and traffic stressful.
That’s why he’d decided to give up and move to the coast to work on a boat.

By Diane at Ladies Who Lunch Reviews, etc.:
Inching towards O’Hare as construction funneled traffic to one lane, Liz squinted and tapped “in 149” on her cell.
The reply was immediate. “Leave it.” Complying, she jumped out and fixed her contact lens. Too late she saw it was Taxi #159 where she had left the device…
276 characters

By Deb at Twenty Four:
“Some people would think the obvious when they looked at that lot?”
“Food, drinks, bathroom stops?”
“Exactly, but as I’ve tried to explain to that mob in there, that’s not how you get rich.”
“No?”
“No, I’m not here for a loan so I can feed that lot, I want to make a car that flies.”
(279 characters)

By Namitha at The Dame Writes:
Traffic Jam!
“Tom, look at the traffic jam on other side of the road”.
“Wow! Good that we decided to take this route, now its time to make fun of these losers”.
Just then the navigation device beeps ‘Your route has been recalculated, take a U-turn to reach your destination!’
Character count: 260

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
“Be your own boss.” they said.
“Choose your own hours.” they said.
“Meet lots of interesting people.” they said.
“Your earnings will double from the word go.” they said.
What they didn’t say was that I would spend the greater part of every damned day stuck in downtown traffic!
(273 characters)

By John at Broadsides:
Soon ve vill get rid of zem. Uber alles! Ve own ze cars, ve own ze technology, ve hav ze electricity, ve hav ze streets. Ve don’t need all zees drivers. Zey can to ze welfare go, to ze foodbanks go. Driverless cars! Zay vill all be unemployed, uber alles, Ve vill be rich.

By Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
See You Soon!
Sniff! Sniff! Bye, bye granny! Please don’t go.
Tears rolling down the eyes.
Turning around, dad was nowhere to be found.
Panicky grandma, granddaughter clutching each other’s hands.
A candy for you, my brave girl! Cheer up! Let’s wave to your grandmother with a smile.
See you soon!
278 characters.

Wonderful roundup everyone! Such creativity! Thanking for taking time to join the challenge! I truly do look forward to reading your tales every week! This week, I give you this intriguing photo by Felipe Ribeiro at Pexels.com. I’m not sure what it is, but it has a post-modern, other-worldly feel to it. Or maybe it’s an everyday object through the eyes of an insect! Ha! Whatever it is, if you’re up for the challenge, tell me the story here, in 280 characters or less, and I’ll see you next week! Happy writing! 😊