March Writing Challenge - How to Communicate with Horses, 2nd Edition

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

How to Communicate with Horses, 2nd Edition

Word count: 350

Genre: Adventure

Character: A daydreamer

Material: A cowboy hat

Sentence: “Never.”

Bonus: Your character has a world-changing idea.

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Jeb removed his cowboy hat to scratch his earlobe. Where would his dad leave the book? He had a vague memory of what it might look like. His dad read the same book every evening when he was younger, but he never knew what book it was. Usually if he had come down after he was supposed to be sleeping, his dad would tuck it into the couch so he couldn't see it. It had to be the same book. But where would it be?

A task he had been putting off was to clean out his dad's pick-up so he could sell it. He would keep it for nostalgia's sake, but he had just gotten a new truck last year and having two seemed excessive. Besides, his dad's old pick-up with parked next to the horse barn. The white pick-up with the orange stripe was straight out of his childhood. The Colonel would be something he'd never part with. After clearing out the newer one, a thought dawned on him.

He went over to the Colonel, peering through her dirty window. Something seemed jammed down next to the clutch. Rubbing the window with his thumb and spit, he peered closer. It was a book! He popped open the door and reached in. Blowing the dust off the book, he saw the title:

“How to Communicate with Horses, 2^nd Edition”

He couldn't believe it! Running back into the house, he sat down with a cup of coffee and began to pour over the book. The day passed with a blur. Night fell. On he read straight through till morning.

“Well, I...” he paused speechless, “...never!”

He decided to put the theories and lessons into practice. Sure enough, his best mare began to discuss her world with him.

Ecstatic, he took her for a ride. She described the colors, the sky, what she heard, how it felt to canter. In awe, he considered the ways that he could use this to better his horse-handlers. Rehabilitating these horses was his life's passion. Right here was the opportunity of a lifetime.

March Writing Challenge - Farmer Smitty and the Big Snow

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

Farmer Smitty and the Big Snow

Word count: 300
Genre: Comedy
Character: A lonely farmer
Material: A very small television
Sentence: "I've been in love with you since years"
Bonus: There seems to be no one left on the planet

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Farmer Smitty sat on a bale of hay. Snow swirled outside. The TV in his barn played a sappy romance movie. He cringed.

“I've been in love with you since years.” said a voice in the voice-over.

He shook his head and snapped the TV off.

“Humans, what's with them and love?” he drawled to a nearby cow.

Typically his barn TV was solely for weather as they were prone to freak snowstorms. Although ever since the last one, he had been holed up with the cows and chickens. He sighed. It had been several days since he had gone out into the world. Other than the sheep, he didn't mind being with the animals. He was reminded how teachable they could be.

Time passed. Days followed by nights followed by more days. He was grateful that he had thought to stock up pantry items in the barn. Teaching the chickens to cluck on command, or the cow to play dead kept him busy. Finally one day, the wind went silent. Poking his head out of the barn, he saw an expanse of white. It was like the great flood, but with snow.

Slowly, it began to melt. Time was a foreign concept. A happy day came when his house was finally visible and accessible. Soon after, the trusty pickup truck was as well. And then, the roads were clear. He decided to drive down to the diner to get a hot cup of joe. No one was there. No one was at the post office. No one was at the supermarket. Aside from him and his farm, life had seemed to vanished.

He drove home.

“Well guys, it's just us.”

Popping some popcorn, he settled into his hay bale recliner for a sappy TV romance movie.

March Writing Challenge - The Daring Dwarf

(This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

The Daring Dwarf

Word count: 550

Genre: Magical Realism

Character: A superhero

Material: A spoon

Sentence:"You don't have to love me."

Bonus: Your story involves a damsel in distress.

The Daring Dwarf awoke. Sunshine flooded his humble abode.

“Snickerdoodle!” he griped as he climbed out of bed. “Overslept again. I need to get me a sidekick!”

He fumbled with his superhero suit. No capes for this poor dwarf. Once he was dressed and ready for the day, he plodded downstairs for his daily cup of dandelion coffee and corn flakes. He grabbed a spoon from his cupboard and stirred his coffee slowly. He didn't need a sidekick, he needed a good swift kick in the pants. Or maybe an alarm clock. Or maybe both. Business would be good as well. He sighed and stared at his window while his cornflakes sat soggy in the bowl.

The faerie princess dwelt nearby. She was a quiet sort of lass. Usually kept to herself unless something was needing her personal attention. She knew of the Daring Dwarf, albeit never met him. Solitude was her preference and everyone respected that. She went into the garden, and then vanished.

The Daring Dwarf lounged in his recliner. Why go out, save people, and do good if there was never anything of merit to do? Radio blasted country rock.

“You don't have to love me.” twanged a soulful voice.

“No one loves me either.” said the Daring Dwarf grumpily. “Hence I'm here.”

His doorbell rang.

Five minutes later, he hopped on his dirt bike, and raced to the scene. Finally some business for a superhero! He arrived at her home, a modest dwelling for such a prestigious individual, and began his investigation. Clue searching could be relegated to a sidekick if he was someone like the Omega Ogre or the Equable Elf. They each had sidekick. Maybe he should seriously consider this for the future. Back to the matter at hand. The faerie princess had gone into the garden and vanished. Where could she have vanished to?

The investigation took the better part of the afternoon. He had begun to question the neighbors after finding nothing in the garden. One of her advisors went into her home to search again through her papers in case she left a note. The advisor heard a noise. A scream pierced the air. The Daring Dwarf fled back to the abode to discover that the faerie princess had returned? He couldn't believe his eyes!

“Where have you been!” exclaimed the startled advisor.

“Off and about adventuring.” came her nonchalant reply.

“We were worried sick....” said the advisor trying to regain his composure.

The Daring Dwarf stuck out his hand, “Pleased to meet you, ma'am.”

She eyed him curiously. Here was a man who had adventures everyday, and no one worried where he was or what he was doing. She shook his hand. Then shooed the advisor from the room.

“I'm sorry for putting you through all this trouble.” she said, “Sometimes, I just want to get away. So today I did.”

“No worries, ma'am. Just was doing my job.”

“Can I do anything to make it up to you?” she asked in earnest.

“Know anyone who'd be a good sidekick?” he asked.

“Me?”

The Daring Dwarf thought this over for a moment.

“You're hired!”

She smiled as he hopped on his dirt bike riding into the sunset.

Country Roads

When it came to picking a song for the first dance at our wedding, I had a couple ideas. Eventually we decided on "What a Wonderful World" played by our good friend on the piano. You can see him in the second picture. The first time I heard him play it, I just about cried during a Christmas show we were doing. The song has traveled with me through life, showing up during important times, such as my first dance on pointe shoes!

It was a beautiful song! We didn't have a song that was "ours", so it was a great choice! Sometime around then, we began to listen to the song by John Denver, "Country Roads". I had watched an episode of "Love Boat" in which Donny Osmond's character sings this song to honor his mama. It's the most beautiful 2-part episode in the series that I've seen to date. I related this story to John, and went to find the song again, and it was gone! 

We began to listen to the version by John Denver. Quickly, it became "our song"! We listen to it several times a week, usually in the car. When we went camping in August, I was in an antique store when I found the record album above! I was ecstatic! Of course, I had to buy it so we had our own copy to play on a good ole fashioned record player. 😊