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.

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 have 280 characters (spaces and punctuation included), to tell your tale…and a week to do it. I can’t wait to see what you create this week.

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Twittering Tales #117 – The Roundup

Starting us off…
My humans love to repeat some silly words. ‘Hello, bye bye, nite-nite.’ Lame! Sometimes I give ‘em a ‘good boy’ or ‘hello’. The old guy is my favorite. He taught me a few new words. 
Whenever I get tired of the one they call mom I give her a loud SHIT. I like to hear her scream!
~kat
(278 Characters)

By Deepa at Sync With Deep:
Free Bird
Me to my son : know what, to be free is like being a bird.. How I wish I were… 
I heard my pet parrot in the cage laugh the first time..

By Reena at ReInventions:
Loaded Silence
Let them hear their voices echo against the walls, on a chilled night. Let it induce terror in their cruel hearts, and freeze their dirty hands.
I have vowed to remain silent today. The robbers are in. I will play back the sounds tomorrow, when my people return.
(261 characters)

By Ramya at And Miles to Go Before I Sleep:
Diet Resolution
Few days before New Year :
I have become fat. I think I should go on a diet just like my humans. This will be my new year resolution.
After New Year:
My favourite snack!! Let me just take a bite.. Yummy!!
There is always a new year for resolution. Let me just eat now..
Character Count : 265

By Piyali at Piyali’s Blogs:
A New Companion
You’re experiencing Empty Nest Syndrome.
How’s that even possible? I’ve tried to keep myself busy after Dave left for college.
Have you thought about pets? They help in alleviating loneliness.
I am not an animal lover. Dogs and cats are too high-maintenance. 
How about a bird then? 
277 Characters

By Fandango at This, That, and the Other:
A Cracker, Dammit
I’m a pretty boy.
Squawk, squawk.
Polly wants a cracker.
Squawk, squawk.
Hello, hello.
Squawk, squawk.
Polly wants a cracker.
You’re a babe.
Squawk, squawk.
Hello, hello.
You’re a babe.
I’m a pretty boy.
Polly wants a cracker, dammit.
Not a goddam walnut.
Are you fucking stupid or something?
(279 characters)

By Di at Pensitivity101:
What the hell is this?
I am a parrot,  a blue and gold macaw actually, from South America no less.
I need nutritious food such as nuts and fruit, not this manufactured puffed up popcorn!
184 characters

By Michael at Morpethroad:
Polly wanted a cracker.
Polly was insistent she get that cracker there and then.
Her screeching was deafening.
Mum screamed at us the shut Polly up.
We found her a cracker, and she greedily ate.
Crumbs fell everywhere.
Polly got a cracker, and we got peace.
(249 Characters)

By Teresa at The Haunted Wordsmith:
What the Parrot Saw
“Speak, you crummy bird.” Sammy shook the bird viciously.
Tommy put his hand on Sammy’s shoulder. “Told ya, it ain’t one of them talkin’ birds.”
Sammy stared at Tommy and threw the bird out the open window.
Minutes later, police arrived. 
“That’s them officer,” the parrot squawked. 
This 280-character 

By Peter at Peter’s Pondering:
Polly dream
I’m sick of this cabbage and carrot diet. Look, it’s turning my tail feathers green!
Thank goodness it’s Christmas. 
Maybe I’ll get some plum pudding, and there’s bound to be some nuts and fruit going spare.
I’m hoping there may be stilton and port left over too.
Now we’re talking!
(279 characters)

By Anurag at Jagahdilmein:
Crushing the Revolution
I looked inside the cage and said, “Repeat after me, I will not try to flee again.”
But the insolent cad chewed on a nut silently, ignoring me completely.
“Open the cage,” I ordered the guard.
It was time to remind these pathetic humans not to mess with their owners.
266 characters.

By The Dark Netizen:
Parrot
Parrots can be trained well, this I knew.
My parrot though, was a genius. It learned to mimic the human voice in no time at all. Soon, it had learned to ask for crackers. It did not take long for it to start taking all the crackers for itself.
I guess it mimicked human greed too..
Character Count: 280

By Sadje at Keep It Alive:
Peter, bought a Macaw, beautiful yellow and blue. It was the envy of his friends. 
He wanted a singing bird but only got loud squawks instead. In desperation he took him to a bird trainer,expert in this art. 
The guy looked at Peter and shook his head sadly, sorry my friend, your Macaw has no talent in talking or singing. 
Word count: 280

By JP at the Wide-Eyed Wanderer:
Extortion
“It’s extortion you know,” Bill scowled at the blue Macaw, “those bloody nuts are expensive.”
The Macaw turned and eyed his owner, “Squawk … ‘What are you doing with that ax Bill? No Bill, NO! AHHHHHHH’ squawk”
Bill handed the bird another nut.
Character count: 245

By Kirst at Kirst Writes:
Repetition
This time it’ll work out. Sure, she’s my “usual type” – crazy, party girl – but she’s not like the rest. She’ll want to settle down, I’m sure.
Can’t wait for her to meet Dad. My new girlfriend! Poor Dad, never did find the right woman.
Funny how neither of us have had much luck.
(279 characters)

By Hélène at Willow Poetry:
Magic Cookies
My parrot, Edgar, doesn’t like his Christmas treat.
He looks at me, then at his little bowl.
What’s this? he asks me.
Christmas cookies, Edgar, a special treat.
Them no quackers! You think me a dog?
Edgar, I know you are a parrot just taste the cookies.
Cookies magic turn me into dog?
280 characters.

By Ponnz at The Swan Song:
Your Colours Aren’t Mine
Blue and yellow hues collide
Colourful palette to the eyes
I hear them say everyday
With me their selfies play
Mirroring them I wink back
How beautiful it feels!
I see myself, my feathers
I find nothing to praise
For it’s not the same eyes
I am sitting behind bars
Your colours aren’t mine

By John at Broadsides:
A parrot, a parrot, a parrot, this could become repetitive but parrots are repeaters, a parrot, a parrot, a parrot my kingdom for a horse.

By Dave at Dave M Madden:
Finding Success as a Parrot
Peacocking in an outfit far too colorful for the occasion, it was hard not to feel bad for the guy: an ugly duckling with a voice that squawked like a crow.
His popularity perched on an ability to repeat others.
He could fly with the flock as long as he wasn’t a dodo.
Character count: 278

By Willow at WillowDot21:
Trouble in Heaven
George the parrot was back. Michael and Azriel fed the errant bird.
Gabriel arrived, delighted to see his pet. “I wander where he has been” he asked. George looked him in the eye and said. “Gabe’s a twit Gabe’s a twit”Gabriel was furious.In the distance Satan cackled. God coughed.
(280 Characters)

By Ron at Read 4 Fun:
Hold the (Party) Line!
Let’s start the show. Come to order! It has come to our attention some of you are expressing independence in a message. Your only job is to parrot the party line. We give you the talking points, you repeat over and over. Are you Democrats? Can you hear me? Is this thing on?

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You all cracked me up with your twittering tales last week. Brilliant! What a great start to the new year! Thank you to everyone who participated! This week…yes it’s been a week…how is everyone doing with your new year’s resolution. Or maybe you don’t do resolutions. Too much pressure. It ain’t easy bein’ green, or for that matter downing that healthy Jamba Juice you promised yourself you would drink every day for a month because it takes a month for anything to become a habit. Read my green rimmed lips. Drinking kale juice will never become a habit for me. But enough about my failed attempts at being healthy! For your challenge this week a photo of a nice tall glass of healthy brew by Anasegota at Pixabay.com. Maybe you’re a fan of the stuff. If so, my apologies if I have offended you. To each their own! Remember, you have one week and 280 characters or less to tell your tale. See you at next week’s roundup!

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Norm loved his wife. He would do anything for his beloved Sadie.

When she asked for a VitaVeggieMatic, he thought, “Sure. Why not?”

Next day, he stared at the glass she served him. “It’s bubbling.”

“Just try it Norm,” Sadie pleaded.

When she looked away he fed the orchid.

It died.

~kat 😉

(279 Characters)