In April, Elephant's Child is supplying the prompts for Words for Wednesday.
Word for Wednesday is a challenge that was started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable event with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.
The
general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories,
subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your
creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.
It is also a challenge, where the old saying "
The more the merrier" holds true. So
Please,
remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples'
stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this
one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need
encouragement. - - A - - B - - C - -
This Wednesday's prompts:
Brand
Veered
Afternoon
Impromptu
Holiday And/or
UnawareCompanion
History
Paintings
Solace
I did not use all of the words, as I ran out of steam, I now can see the ending of this strange tale of Bill, Sue, Fred Thompson, the unwitting seventh son of a seventh son, and hope to end it next Wednesday. "I'll take two of the whelps along as well," Sue said to the dog handler. "Please hand me the spotted one, and the potato coloured one."
"Those are the best of the litter," the dog handler readily agreed. "Good hunting."
"I found it!" Bill proclaimed, as Sue entered the room with Eryn and her whelps, Hue and Rynn, in tow.
"Fred Thompson's late father was a Mormon of the old
brand," Bill explained, seeing Sue's vacant expression. "He had more wives. But it seems that because it was already illegal by then, the wives lived separately, and the children were left
unaware of the other families."
"How on earth did he pull that one off?" Sue exclaimed.
"It might have helped that the wives knew and approved of the other wives' existence. There were three in all. And they lived in a place where three borders met, living close to one another, yet each family in another state." Bill continued. "Fred's mother was the last of the marriages, he has exactly six elder brothers, they are all still alive and at least fourteen sisters, some of those have since died. It seems all the elder ones were girls, it is like that in some families, but I'm rambling." He
veered away from the subject and suggested that they took the dogs out on a search.
"Fine with me," Sue said. "Fred should be out for the rest of the
afternoon."
Sue, Bill and the three ghost dogs returned home late in the afternoon to find a groggy, scared Fred sitting at the couch. "Why did you leave me all alone?" Fred asked, in a shaky voice. "I did not dare go outside, I felt, more than saw the ghosts."
"You did right," Sue said. "I'll let Bill fill you in while I make a pot of tea, then I take over with Bill making us a round of sandwiches."
"Our
impromptu search led us to an old shipwreck down the coast from here." Bill began, then shook his head. "I have to start somewhere else. Your father was a very peculiar man. He was indeed the seventh son of old Fred Thompson, but from his fourth marriage. Your grandfather was a Mormon of the old school and had four wives. More of the sons were called Frederic, among those your father, who - even if polygamy is not legal any more - had three wives. You are his seventh son, not your mother's. At least two of your half brothers are also called Frederic. And from this stems your trouble ... Ahh, here's Sue with the tea. I'll see to the sandwiches."
Fred looked at Sue with confusion obvious in his face. "My father had more wives? How was he not found out?" He shook his head. And that's why he left us so often. He was a travelling salesman, often away during the
holidays ... he shared his time between his families?"
"Luckily the Mormon archives are the very best," Sue said. "And Bill is fabulous at digging out the facts. Yes he had three families, in three different states, that's probably why he was never found out. All your half-brothers are still alive, unlike all your half-sisters. But what happened at his burial?" Sue asked. "Did the other wives show up, and your half-siblings too?"
Fred looked a Sue, shook his head and took a large gulp of his tea. "Actually yes, they did," he said slowly. "Of course I did not then know who they were, and they were just presented as "family". Of course that's exactly what they were."
Bill came in, carrying a loaded tray of sandwiches. They took a break while appetites were sated and thirst stilled. Then Fred asked: "But the ghosts, what about the ghosts?"
... to be continued and, I hope finished soon.
This
year I choose an easy way out. Each day I'm going to solve the Wordle
of the day, using as starter a word beginning with the letter of
the day. I post every day at 6 pm. my time (GMT +2. Dang you DST!)
