Times 10 challenge, Sapphires Short story Options

[Psyche]

This guy in his underwear grabbed a pair of scissors and cut down the curtains as well as trimming his mustache. He'd downed a tall glass of scotch with pomegranate, so he'd totally lost perspective and used duct tape to hang his Graphics Diploma in the back shed.

Sylvia's words (in order of their appearance in the story)

duct tape
scotch
juggle
pomegranates
candy
ocean
perspective
graphics
arrow
rhetoric


Can you believe that Sylvia's friend Eric actually duct taped the legs of his underwear and then filled them up with scotch to increase his attention while he juggled pomegranates and candy canes standing at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean? He felt that it would give him a better perspective for developing the necessary graphics for his coming exhibition, where he hoped to plant his rhetorical arrow in the bull's eye with his brilliant presentation.

New Word List (replacing 5 of Sylvia's words):



juggle
candy
ocean
perspective
arrow
sun dial
repercussions
abacus
speedometer
coronavirus

Don't like using coronavirus, Daniel. Hope I can get rid of it asap. Otherwise, you made me laugh, as usual.
Now I'm going to have a power nap, then walk down our deserted earth road, with my daughter and wearing mask and gloves. This slow internet drives me crazy. Are you completely recovered from your surgeries and therapies? Bless you and all of your family, especially your granddaughter, how is she doing?

[Psyche]

This guy in his underwear grabbed a pair of scissors and cut down the curtains as well as trimming his mustache. He'd downed a tall glass of scotch with pomegranate, so he'd totally lost perspective and used duct tape to hang his Graphics Diploma in the back shed.

Sylvia's words (in order of their appearance in the story)

duct tape
scotch
juggle
pomegranates
candy
ocean
perspective
graphics
arrow
rhetoric


Can you believe that Sylvia's friend Eric actually duct taped the legs of his underwear and then filled them up with scotch to increase his attention while he juggled pomegranates and candy canes standing at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean? He felt that it would give him a better perspective for developing the necessary graphics for his coming exhibition, where he hoped to plant his rhetorical arrow in the bull's eye with his brilliant presentation.

New Word List (replacing 5 of Sylvia's words):



juggle
candy
ocean
perspective
arrow
sun dial
repercussions
abacus
speedometer
coronavirus

Don't like using coronavirus, Daniel. Hope I can get rid of it asap. Otherwise, you made me laugh, as usual.
Now I'm going to have a power nap, then walk down our deserted earth road, with my daughter and wearing mask and gloves. This slow internet drives me crazy. Are you completely recovered from your surgeries and therapies? Bless you and all of your family, especially your granddaughter, how is she doing?

As kids, our parents took us on holiday to the ocean. We used to watch the speedometer, cuz my Dad loved racing, he had no perspective of distances.
There was a sun dial and a cupid with an arrow peeing into the pool of the hotel's garden, as well as an abacus in the playroom. We used to juggle oranges, throw the peel out the window. We ate candy by the ton. The repercussions were being sick and put in punishment. Not as bad as the coronavirus pandemic.

I'll continue later, Daniel, going for a walk now.

[Psyche]

This guy in his underwear grabbed a pair of scissors and cut down the curtains as well as trimming his mustache. He'd downed a tall glass of scotch with pomegranate, so he'd totally lost perspective and used duct tape to hang his Graphics Diploma in the back shed.

Sylvia's words (in order of their appearance in the story)

duct tape
scotch
juggle
pomegranates
candy
ocean
perspective
graphics
arrow
rhetoric


Can you believe that Sylvia's friend Eric actually duct taped the legs of his underwear and then filled them up with scotch to increase his attention while he juggled pomegranates and candy canes standing at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean? He felt that it would give him a better perspective for developing the necessary graphics for his coming exhibition, where he hoped to plant his rhetorical arrow in the bull's eye with his brilliant presentation.

New Word List (replacing 5 of Sylvia's words):



juggle
candy
ocean
perspective
arrow
sun dial
repercussions
abacus
speedometer
coronavirus

Don't like using coronavirus, Daniel. Hope I can get rid of it asap. Otherwise, you made me laugh, as usual.
Now I'm going to have a power nap, then walk down our deserted earth road, with my daughter and wearing mask and gloves. This slow internet drives me crazy. Are you completely recovered from your surgeries and therapies? Bless you and all of your family, especially your granddaughter, how is she doing?

As kids, our parents took us on holiday to the ocean. We used to watch the speedometer, cuz my Dad loved racing, he had no perspective of distances.
There was a sun dial and a cupid with an arrow peeing into the pool of the hotel's garden, as well as an abacus in the playroom. We used to juggle oranges, throw the peel out the window. We ate candy by the ton. The repercussions were being sick and put in punishment. Not as bad as the coronavirus pandemic.

I'll continue later, Daniel, going for a walk now.

Juggle
candy
ocean
arrow
sun dial
marching
jeans
fasting
lip balm
drawbridge

There you are, Daniel, 5 new ones.

[JustDaniel]

Juggle
candy
ocean
arrow
sun dial
marching
jeans
fasting
lip balm
drawbridge


I'm like a sun dial as I go marching to the beach as if an arrow, tossing my jeans onto the sand, eating candy when I should be fasting because of how heavy I am. The ocean would be much more inviting if it were warmer, but I love the sound. I juggle my lip balm because it's all I have in my hand. I should have left my jeans on, since someone is coming down the beach, and I forgot that I was not wearing underwear! Unfortunately, there is no drawbridge between us, and I can't walk fast enough to get away! Oh how embarrassing! Fortunately I have a long shirt on, and it's a very old woman who did not try to pinch me.


ocean
marching
jeans
lip balm
draw bridge
apple cider
drawstring
sudoku
pencil
jig saw puzzle

(five new words for you)

[Psyche]

Very good, Daniel. I've just finished the word challlenges, so I'll leave this for another day. Another laugh, as always.
Take care and be a good boy. Forget about underwear and ... nightgowns.

[JustDaniel]

You mean I shouldn't wear EITHER??

[Psyche]

You mean I shouldn't wear EITHER??

I mean stop writing about them, especially mine! lol...you can wear whatever you like, or nothing.

[JustDaniel]

Not that you asked, but I prefer nothing when I sleep. lol Sorry if I offended you. Will lay off the subject. Looking forward to your story!!!

covering Lightly, Daniel

[Psyche]

Juggle
candy
ocean
arrow
sun dial
marching
jeans
fasting
lip balm
drawbridge


I'm like a sun dial as I go marching to the beach as if an arrow, tossing my jeans onto the sand, eating candy when I should be fasting because of how heavy I am. The ocean would be much more inviting if it were warmer, but I love the sound. I juggle my lip balm because it's all I have in my hand. I should have left my jeans on, since someone is coming down the beach, and I forgot that I was not wearing underwear! Unfortunately, there is no drawbridge between us, and I can't walk fast enough to get away! Oh how embarrassing! Fortunately I have a long shirt on, and it's a very old woman who did not try to pinch me.


ocean
marching
jeans
lip balm
draw bridge
apple cider
drawstring
sudoku
pencil
jig saw puzzle

(five new words for you)

ocean
marching
jeans
apple cider
pencil
atril
boots
toast
frothy
artist

The artist put on his jeans and boots, then loaded bottles of apple cider into a bag. He marched over to the ocean with his atril and pencils. He drank up all the cider and painted frothy waves pink.

atril
boots
toast
frothy
artist
urdo
ice caps
mosaic
preliminary
toggle

There 'tis, Daniel. Enjoy.

[JustDaniel]

Now THAT is a VERY short story, Sylvia! I think the shortest so far in our little challenge!

urdu
toggle
artist
mosaic
boots
atril
preliminary
frothy
ice caps
toast

The itinerant poet packed up his travel bag for a trip to Pakistan, having stowed his Urdu dictionary in the vest pocket of his coat and fastening it closed with the toggle. This would be his first trip to the far east and his first attempt also at doing a little painting, as he is no artist. He'd been invited to visit by a fellow writer on Mosaic Musings, who like himself had not written there for some time. Soon his boots were walking, much to his surprise, in snow, and he set up his atril to act as a kind of easel for his preliminary painting... of one of the beautiful, frothy ice caps of this mountainous, glacial region. Taking out his grape juice he offers a toast to this region, previously unknown to him.

Now for YOUR new word list (five additional words)

urdu
toggle
boggle
preliminary
ice caps
log jam
nightgown (LOL)
precipitous
vomit
frothy

[Psyche]

Now THAT is a VERY short story, Sylvia! I think the shortest so far in our little challenge!

urdu
toggle
artist
mosaic
boots
atril
preliminary
frothy
ice caps
toast

The itinerant poet packed up his travel bag for a trip to Pakistan, having stowed his Urdu dictionary in the vest pocket of his coat and fastening it closed with the toggle. This would be his first trip to the far east and his first attempt also at doing a little painting, as he is no artist. He'd been invited to visit by a fellow writer on Mosaic Musings, who like himself had not written there for some time. Soon his boots were walking, much to his surprise, in snow, and he set up his atril to act as a kind of easel for his preliminary painting... of one of the beautiful, frothy ice caps of this mountainous, glacial region. Taking out his grape juice he offers a toast to this region, previously unknown to him.

Now for YOUR new word list (five additional words)

urdu
toggle
boggle
preliminary
ice caps
log jam
nightgown (LOL)
precipitous
vomit
frothy

Yes, I wrote mine after midnight and was half asleep. Try to do better next time. I've got my cat on my lap, so it's difficult to type. I'll see when I can do my piece here.
BTW, you've got region twice following at the end...lol. No imagination? Nice story, I wonder who from MM invited you? Not I, we have our own mountains, glacial lakes and rivers. So beautiful, no need to go to the far East. Although I do miss travelling, thank goodness I did a lot of it during several decades. I've been about 5 times to the USA, including Hawaii and American Samoa.
Till soon, look after yourself and family.

[JustDaniel]

I had to travel to Pakistan! Where else was I gonna use "urdu" ?! Sorry about the region thing!

Get that cat off you lap and write your next story! lol

[Psyche]

I had to travel to Pakistan! Where else was I gonna use "urdu" ?! Sorry about the region thing!

Get that cat off you lap and write your next story! lol

Glad you enjoyed your virtual trip to Pakistan. Hope you learned some urdu. My darling baby cat has top priority in my house, so you'll have to wait your turn. Nah, I'm tired and going to have supper with daughter Diana. It's the only place I can visit because she lives next door.
Hope to be inspired tomorrow.

[Psyche]

ocean
marching
jeans
apple cider
pencil
laundry
thin
fresh
sunlight
bikini

A very thin lassie flew to Paris in the summer. She visited some famous galleries and bought herself loads of fashionable garments. The took ages to pick out a bikini because they were all to large. Later, to celebrate her nifty purchases, she went off to Montmarte and sat down in an artists' cafe to drink apple cider with some interesting characters.
She went back to her hotel and ordered the maid to do her laundry. Back home in Mar del Plata, a famous seaside resort in Argentina, she put on her bikini, but it was all floppy around her breasts. She went out in the fresh air to buy synthetic fillers for the cups.
Satisfied, she slipped into her skinny jeans and went marching off to the ocean, not forgetting to slip several pencils into a bag. She found a shady spot and drew profiles of the people around her, babies, children, adults and especially of the svelt life-saver up on his high seat. He was glad to come down and pose for her, though half way through the session, he rushed off to help an elderly lady having trouble with a small wave.
Over the following years, she became a famous artist and eventually her pencil portraits were exhibited in the Museo del Arte Contemporaneo of Buenos Aires. These portraits were shared with museums all over the world. So, from being a skinny brat, she became world famous.
The End.

ocean
marching
jeans
apple cider
pencil
reverie
vegetarian
skipping
tundra
politician

There 'tis, Daniel. Somehow, I seem to have already done a similar one. MM is a bit muddling, other poets say they can't find their way around in this labyrinth, but I love it. I wish it would start up again, but it doesn't seem likely. All the best.
I'm off for my daily walk along our earth road, always with daughter Diana and wearing our masks. The police come around fairly often. There have been no new cases of corona in the town of Bariloche, so perhaps we'll be allowed to walk further, down to our shops lining the main highway. I long for a coffee and brownnies in our local cafe. Hope so!

[JustDaniel]

ocean
marching
jeans
apple cider
pencil
reverie
skipping
tundra
politician
vegetarian

There I sat staring out over the ocean last summer in Ocean City while crowds of people were marching by, mostly wearing skimpy bathing suits, but a few in skinny jeans. I was content just to watch drinking my iced apple cider, solving sudoku with my pen or writing poetry with my pencil, sometimes getting lost in a reverie, falling to sleep dreaming.

I was skipping along the tundra in Alaska during the summer when I encountered a politician running for office who wanted to engage me about becoming a vegetarian! Suddenly a polar bear approached and I decided that I could run faster than the politician, who found out that the pretty white creature was not a vegetarian.... and I woke up with pencil scrawling all over my tablet!

reverie
skipping
tundra
politician
vegetarian
boomerang
archery
duck blind
anchorman
distancing

In your story, somehow I was expecting that the skinny artist would have had a bikini accident (after all the detail that you provided regarding the purchase!) when the lifeguard was posing for her! lol

[Psyche]

Great story, Daniel, a good laugh, as usual. Yes, her fillers should have fallen out of her bra! Maybe I'll stick in your suggestion. Hey, we have a good collection of short stories here. Must think about what we can do with them.

I've just completed the challenges, you're a scoundrel, hardly ever using a word from the previous sentense.

It rained most of the day, even some snow. Our Winter started very early, so goodness knows when isolation will end. Glad we have these challenges to fill in the time. Bye for now.

[JustDaniel]

Always glad to give you a laugh, Sylvia... and yes, it's good to pad our stories! lol

I'm looking forward to your next addition to our collection of unlikely events

... and I'm not sure what you mean that I don't follow the pattern of using a word from my sentence to give to you as the word to work off of. In my thinking, I do it consistently. What am I missing?! I'm a bit confused.

[Psyche]

Always glad to give you a laugh, Sylvia... and yes, it's good to pad our stories! lol

I'm looking forward to your next addition to our collection of unlikely events

... and I'm not sure what you mean that I don't follow the pattern of using a word from my sentence to give to you as the word to work off of. In my thinking, I do it consistently. What am I missing?! I'm a bit confused.

Well, quite often you go off on a limb, without including a previous word. So then I get confused and use the same one you offered me...lol.
It's been raining hard all day, no walks. I might have supper with my daughter and her husband, but only if the rain stops. It's already below zero temps in the morning. Tomorrow I'll try to do the story. Bye!

[JustDaniel]

Don't be freezin' you butt off walkin'!!

[Psyche]

Don't be freezin' you butt off walkin'!!

I nearly did, today. Wrapped up in anorak, headgear, etc., it was so windy and cold that we only walked for about 15 minutes.
Just did the word challenges, no energy left for this. Bye and keep safe!