October 8, 2019

Twittering Tales #157 – 8 October 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 #157 – 8 October 2013
Photo Prompt by noelsch at Pixabay.com

Photo by noelsch at Pixabay.com

“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

Twittering Tales #156 – The Roundup

Photo by David Cardinez@ pixabay.com

Starting us off…

Don’t Feed The Bears…
Where are the keys?!
I thought you had them.
Why would I have them? It’s your car!
Because you said you were driving when the bear showed up. Oh god! They’re in my
purse…out there! Now what?!
I guess we wait.
Do you think he knows we’re here?
Don’t look behind you! He knows!
~kat
275 Characters

By Lady Lee at Lady Lee Manila:
Flash news, there’s a bear
By the road I swear
Stamp his paws with a grunt
I could hear his wail
Crossing the rail
I might have a stroke with this stunt

I’ve got a phobia
Bear and zoophobia
Start the car, here’s the key
Then I heard a shot
Went down on the spot
Carry bear back to the zoo*
(277 characters)

By Graham at Graham is Just My Name:
A family trip
Family outings to the zoo were fun, but we preferred, by far, the wildlife park.
We always headed straight to the bears.
We saw one approaching.
I turned to the children in the back seat.
“Isn’t he majestic!”
I heard the click of the back door as it opened.
I screamed.
“The kids lock!”
(279 chars)

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
Fig Newtons
Look, Dad, a bear is coming toward our car.
Wait, why are you closing the windows, Dad? I was going to give the bear some of my Fig Newtons. I bet he’s hungry.
Why aren’t you supposed to feed the bears, Dad? I’m getting out of the car so I can feed him some Fig Newtons.
Dad, HELP!
(279 characters)

By Reena at ReInventions:
Mmm…
“Isn’t he cute, Mama?”
“Yes. He is. But you can’t cuddle him like a soft toy. Keep your hands in.”
Click. Click….
Humans…. They never understand we’re a friendly lot treated well. Their interest ends after
a few click sounds. I fancy the cute kid, though .. soft, must be yummy…. mmm
(280 characters)

By Jim at Mindscapes.net:
Not Your Typical Watchdog
“What’s the deal with your uncle anyway? He always has to over do everything!”
“NORMAL people have a watch DOG, not a bear!”
“The least he could do is call that thing off now that he knows we are here.”
“I know we should have called before driving out here but really?”
266 characters

By Mike at The Bookish Recovering Know-It-All:
Two Juniors
We had only really wanted just to see them in their Natural Habitat, outside of the cruel and seemingly unnecessary bars of the jail like zoo. Surely, we thought, they weren’t actually as dangerous and wild as we’ve been told on those Nature Shows. “Honey, where is junior?”
(274 characters)

By Jaq at JaquintinWriter:
Morning commute
Yepp!
Running late
Detour ahead
Back roads sign
Drivers beware
Black bears crossing
Phew!
Glove compartment spare
Trail mix fruit and nut bars
Bear’s toll cross road one nature bar
Picture transaction captured for souvenir.
cc: 228

By Angie at The World of Words:
By The Roadside
“Daddy, what’s that?”
“Dangerous son, stay out of sight… Wait, where are you going?”
The bigger bear could only look on as his cub walked out the bush and up to the metal thing.
The humans inside reacted by screaming.
Daddy bear smiled, “at least they weren’t hunters!”
Character count: 264

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
The trip to the Yellow Stone park would stay forever in my memory. The cub who had wandered on the road in the park looked so cute and innocent. I got out of the car to take a picture of it despite a warning from my husband. I saw the mama bear coming just in time to escape.
Character count: 273

By Tien at From the Window Seat:
Hitchhiker
“No time to explain, get in and drive!” the black bear growled.
Surprised by the talking bear rather than startled, the man instinctively obeyed. “Where are we going?” he asked politely.
“The Rockies. My friends are having a potluck dinner so I’m bringing you!” the bear replied.
(277 characters)

By Suzette at Suzette B’s Blog:
The other side
No time for photo opportunity today. I just want to get to the other side–To my special summer place. There, the cool waters bear plenty of salmon at this time of day. I pause, give a respectful glance, get my bearings, then tip toe around, to the other side.
Total characters: 277

By Rugby at The Bag Lady:
Aftermath at the hospital—
I’m telling you, I read the badge!
What badge?
The one he was wearing! Joe winced as the nurse was finishing up the lengthy stitches in his arm.
I read it – “feed me!”.
The park ranger snorted. “Bears are a lot smarter than you think—scratched off “Don’t”.
280 characters

By Di at Pensitivity101:
Ah, the Meals on Wheels service has arrived. I’ll just call the gang!
69 characters.

By Joem at Does Writing Excuse Watching?:
New Staff
notice: due to tight budget we are forced to reduce park staff and rely on volunteers for cleanup and security. please be patient as they settle in, and observe the following rules: do not feed staff. staff accepts cash only. do not fraternize with staff. thank you.

By Larry at East Elmhurst A Go Go:
Truly A Legendary Story
Goldilocks’, and the Three Bears’, descendants are awfully posh. They’ve taken to staging an annual reenactment of their famous moment. Tickets are prohibitively expensive. To have seen it live is to be a part of the elite in their world. I wish I could.
(258 characters)

By Regina at Help From Heaven:
Giving the Forest Back to the Animals
“Look, Mama, a bear!” declared young Jonathan from the backseat! I cried, as I watched the animal roaming free in his natural habitat. Cutting down trees for houses and strip malls has ended. Giving the forest back to the animals is the most humane gesture we have ever made.
(276 characters)

By Tessa at Tessa Can Do It:
Bear In The Road
“Found a bum and an old car that runs. We could go back to the amusement park and camp out in the shed again,” Ron says. Linda agreed and they piled in the car and headed out. No one seemed to be following them. “Is that a bear in the road?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Well drive around it.”
276 characters

By Lisa at Tao Talk:
Kitty
Yes, I remember when we took the kids to Yellowstone, back when black bears roamed freely across the road; often blocking cars for handouts. Timmy was only 3 at the time. I recall looking back and seeing Timmy roll down the window, pointing and crying out, “Kitty! Kitty!”
[275 characters]

By Deb at Twenty Four:
“Can we go to Canada?”
“Why?”
“I want to see the bears.”
“They’re not like Yogi, you know?”
“I know, can we go?”
“Only if you promise not to do something stupid.”
“Like what?”
“Like trying to get out the car when you see one so you can get the perfect picture.”
“Who me?”
“Who else?”

By Kristian at Tales From the Mind of Kristian:
Barely Believable
As they drove along the quiet forest road, Dorothy was startled to see something waving ahead. She’d seen hitch-hikers before but not like this one.
A huge bear was waving her down!
She considered herself a nature lover so she decided to stop.
What’s the worst that could happen?
[280 Characters]

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Bruno was really very pleased with his new SUV.
It wasn’t the precise colour he’d wanted, but the layout was superb, and the extras far surpassed any other make.
It was the first car to be fitted with a bathroom.
Bruno could now answer the age old question with “No, in the car!”
(276 characters)

By John at Broadsides:
“Ohh, goldilocks, what lovely seat covers, they remind me of my mother. She disappeared about a year ago. She told me to run and there were some loud bangs, haven’t seen her since, those covers look very familiar. “
Why are you crying now?

By Lorraine at Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:
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)

Excellent tales this week everyone. Thank you for joining the challenge! I am a bit scarce here on WordPress right now. I’m in the middle of insane hours at work, tending to my menagerie, and trying to find a new home (required by my partner’s health who can no longer manage the stairs and requiring some major downsizing, and getting our current house ready for market). It’s a little stressful and words are elusive right now. But have no fear, I will keep this challenge going. I hope to sit down with the Muse soon for a tete-a-tete. Until then, peace and kindness to you. And I will see YOU at the roundup next week! 🙂