Wasn’t his name something like Aaron Chello?

Back in December, I won a contest I hadn’t even entered. I was one of two winners actually, who were the I think 10,000th commenters over at Andra Watkins’ kickass blog The Accidental Cootchie Mama. Good thing Andra and I both live in the South, because my prize was a darling little bottle of her Aroncello. (I’m proofreading. I now have NO IDEA what living in the South has to do with ANYTHING, but the sentence stands as a testament to the weird things I say.)

 

See it there? So adorable?

 

That’s Andra with her dashing beau, the enigmatically named MTM.… Read the rest

Nestlings

Susannah’s fingers sought purchase in the cliff face.

Chris asked, “Are the eggs safe?”

Trying not to disturb the silence, she nodded. Then, squinting into the grotto, Susannah gasped. “Oh look! They’re hatching!”

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This is my submission for this weekend’s Trifextra prompt, which asks us to submit a 33 word story with a justifiable exclamation point.

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Friday Fluff, March 9, 2012

Until about ten minutes ago, my day was slow, and it was looking like I might have to go deal with the disgusting mess that is my bathroom. I watched a bug die on my desk.

He’s a Mayfly or some other thing, not a giant mosquito. They only live about 24 hours, and he appeared to be nearing the end of his time. He pulled himself along the mess, shakily sticking out one feeler like an old man with a cane, then pulling himself forward. I didn’t have the heart to scoop him up and pitch him out in the rain while he was still alive.… Read the rest

Trust issues

“Consider the avocado. Its disproportionate half-moon shell is even shaped like an ovary. The creamy flesh shelters a single seed. This is the very definition of ‘fruit’.”

Obdurate and nine, he replies, “Get off your high horse, Mom. Fruit is sweet.”

Mom protests, “Not all fruit. Not tomatoes…”

“Tomatoes aren’t fruit.”

“Yes they … look, we’ll Google it together.”

He says, “I don’t want to Google it.”

“Look at this page,” she says. “It explains vegetables can be fruits, but fruits can’t be vegetables.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Just eat your lunch, Jeremy.”

“I don’t like avocados.”

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I don’t think that this Mom is going to get her son to have faith that avocados are tasty.… Read the rest

What the Hell Is This Meme Called Again

Amanda over at The Last Mom on Earth is one of the best writers I know. Or don’t know. I don’t know how the fuck cyber relationships work. And it’s more that I admire her. Not that I know her in the first place. ANYWAY. She routinely wins first prize over at the Trifecta writing challenge (and she should – dear JESUS the woman can write).

The point here is that she got tagged in a meme, and she, in turn, tagged everyone. I’ve been resisting this meme for awhile, though I don’t know why since I’m a huge quiz fan.… Read the rest

Ella’s Gun: Fiction

In the first rehearsal with the real gun, Ella screamed and raced over to make sure Aaron Meddins, who played the Gestapo Kriminal Assistent, hadn’t really been hit. It didn’t matter that she fired blanks.

But she had to control that fear, because Demons at the Door’s success hinged on creating Sister Edmund as a plausibly faith conflicted nun. She disarmed Daniel and his pregnant wife Freda when they first begged for shelter, but at the climax herself shot the Nazi who stumbled onto the convent’s hidden Jews.

“I’m fine,” Aaron said, then offered, “I’ll wink when you cross left.… Read the rest

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross: A Prosaic Response to John Ashbery’s Poem “The Ecclesiast”

The man left oilslick footprints, bright, then dark, mottled sometimes, variegated and unexpected. He was homeless certainly, under his burden of layered clothing and multiple grocery bags, followed by the rank decay of life. And yet, every step forward made a new color on the pavement.  He gave the impression of someone from an earlier time, a medieval peddler or Christ under the cross, no Simon to bear his burden.

He walked with a staggering gait, as if the unevenly distributed grocery bags pulled him constantly off balance.… Read the rest

Hair of the dog

The phone rang at 4AM. “Jesus, Richard!” groaned Patricia, “How many have you had?” Richard’s silence suggested quite a lot.

“Please,” he said.

Grinding her teeth, she growled, “This time only and then no more. This time only.”

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This weekend, Trifextra is asking us to finish the story launched by the words “The phone rang at 4am”. Not counting those four, we have 33 words to tell the whole tale.

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Friday Fluff, March 2, 2012

If you’re new to the Jester Queen, every week, I participate in a meme in which grown women tackle absurd teenager issues, as phrased by the presumed teens themselves over on Quizopolis. Men can play, too, so Lance, get on board man. This week’s questions come from here. I link up with Lisa over at Seeking Elevation and if you head that way, you can pick up her answers, follow through to other fluffers’ links, and find out about her feral-haired daughter.

Normally, my quiz answers aim only to make you laugh yourself out of your chair. However, this week’s quiz is a little more serious, and I know I’ve acquired a couple of new readers since I migrated last week.… Read the rest