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. Wait….WHAT?! YES! You read that correctly. Recently, the sages at Twitter announced that they were doubling the character limit. So, of course, I am passing this gift on to you! When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale.

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!

And REMEMBER…you now have 280 characters (spaces and punctuation included), to tell your tales. I can’t wait to see what you do this week.

Twittering Tale #60 – The Round-Up

A Creative Commons Photo from Pixabay.com

Starting us off…

The park had been Roberto’s territory for decades, like his father before him, and his father’s father. Oh, the stories he could tell you about the passengers who hired his carriage over the years. And tell you he would except, you might not understand his whinnies and brays.
(276 Characters)

From Reena at ReInventions:
The handsome horse with a red mane and hoofs was surprisingly unpopular. Business was low, thanks to the message displayed,
“Ride with us, and we take you to places you have never been before, across the skies.”
The owner happened to be a fiction-writer, with no head for business.
(279 characters)

From Di at Pensitivity101:
Pat’s taxi service was going from strength to strength.
His mates had laughed when he said he was ditching the car for something different. Weddings proved extremely popular in the Summer.
One horse power and no emissions so the hike in road duty on diesels didn’t affect him.
274 characters

From Martin at Martin Cororan:
As Cinderella changed from a pauper into a princess, Siraj transformed from a wealthy socialite on the verge of getting laid into a lowly coachman.
‘This is magical,’ signed Cinderella.
‘Son of a bitch!’ said Siraj.
213 Characters

From Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
It was quite a romantic gesture on his part. He reserved one of those hansom cabs. It’s a horse-drawn carriage thing that they have at Central Park. It was a sweet thing for him to do, but it was so damn cold that I was freezing my ass off. That sorta took the romance out of it.
(279 characters)

From Michael at Morpethroad:
Biting winds, icy roads
Sluggish could think of better places to be
Pulling a carriage in this weather was crazy
he longed for his blanket and a bucket of oats.
Behind him, George swore at kids throwing snowballs at them.
Sluggish slowed, turned and gave them a dirty look.

From Deepika at Deepika’s Ramblings:
“Peace, calm and serene surroundings of the park pump in a fresh lease of life in me”, said Anna, as she visited the park in the carriage after a few decades. “The unprocessed, crisp, chill breeze rejuvenates my inner being. Am so glad to be back here, I can now live.”
269 Characters

From Jan at Strange Goings In the Head:
Armand relished the hunt, it filled his dead heart with fire. She was a worthy prize in this dark netherworld. The carriage stopped as their tryst commenced. Black eyes gleamed with hunger and crimson lips parted to kiss his throat. Ivory fangs sank deep, accepting his sacrifice.
(280 characters)

From Francine at Woman Walking Dog:
Night shift over, home for some sleep. See that horse-drawn calash in the rain – takes me straight back to Riga at Christmas.
The square made magic, with lights like diamonds horses stamping in the cold. Big city visit for  a boy’s treat
Wonder if it’s changed?  In this other country, city life is my living now.  Will I ever go home again? 

From Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Hector decided he could no longer tolerate the smell. He just had to confront the culprit and put an end to it.
“I won’t tell you again”, he said. “If you can’t control all that gas, you and I must go our separate ways!”
“I promise you, I’ll see the doc tomorrow”, the driver said.
(280 characters)

From Leena at Soul Connection:
Rmtc Mrng,Isn’t It?Snowfall,Wet Road n Victoria Al Truly Amzng
Yes Swtheart.I Can Feel Rmnce In D Air n Victoria Ride On Picturique Location Mkng Dis Trip Mre Spcl.
I Love Ur Surprse Darling.Same Date,Same Destinatn Aftr 25Yrs
Lets Relive Old Moment Once Agn On Our 2nd Honeymoon.

From Kirst at Kirst Writes:
Look – a carriage ride round the park! Can we darling?
You’ve spent enough today. That present for your mother, and then lunch…
But it’s our honeymoon. New York, once in a lifetime! Please?
Her voice falters as he turns away scowling. She hurries after, head down, lesson learned.
277 characters

Wonderful tales this week! Magical, whimsical, mysterious, romantic, heartbreaking and wild! I think that about sums it up.

This week…a twist. The photo below by MorningbirdPhoto at Pixabay.com features someone holding a stack of books. Now, you can write a tale about this book lover…or if you’re up for a challenge, pick one of the books and write your tale based on the title. And let’s take it up a notch if you’re really up for a challenge…choose several titles and incorporate them into your story! The possibilities are endless! I’ll see you at the roundup next week! 😊

Photo by MorningbirdPhoto at Pixabay.com

“Doctor in Rags”
I r’member first time I met Doc. He had this wild hair and raggedy clothes. My mom was real sick an we couldn’t afford no fancy doctor, but the neighbors said, “We’ll call Doc. He’ll fix her up.” He didn’t look like no doctor, but he did what they said. Mom called him her angel.
(280 Characters)

~kat