Welcome to the World of Prompts
Promptville
Promptly
****

WRITING TIPS   STORYTELLING   MEET THE TEAM
*****
Multiple prompts in one post – Good reader, I married them

CONTENTS
For Friday Fictioneers – One Act Play
For The Sunday Muse – The Music of Love
Eye On the World -loud mouthed columnists have their say
For Poets & Storytellers United – A  Selction of Delicious Red Fruits
For dVerse – All of them

ONE ACT PLAY

One by one they appear – like a montage.
All the world’s a stage, so it is good the backdrop is a theatre.
And they are all actors – As I am (was) …
… except … I can’t say it … except …
… I had to eventually accept I was not very good.
My fellow actors all told me so!
That’s when I began the one act play.
After I learnt new skills, that is.
The play begins by photographing them …
… continues by slitting their throats.
Stuffing them.
Placing them on timber stands upon the stage.
Then I act.
Who’s wooden now?!

THE MUSIC OF LOVE

The music of love can be a symphony of emotion, she knew.
It can range from sultry adagio to the crescendo of wild passion.
Cathy – or ‘C’, as he called her – knew this.
She had recently had a crescendo – and not the nice kind.
He had taken a vow of celibacy, whereas she was a passionate concert pianist …
… and she wanted more than love – she wanted sex. As the nearly dress she wore, made clear.
‘I can’t go on like this!’ she had screamed.
His reply included his usual silly language of anagrams and word games.
‘Sex is just ex s,’ he had replied.
She stormed out. Went home. Sat at her piano and played a dirge all night long …
… until …
She answered the door to the courier.
Took the envelope.
Opened it. Viewed the picture of him in bed.
(hateful?)
And the music sheet for one of Chopin’s Nocturnes.
Music of the night? His bed? Could it be … ?
She placed the music on the piano. Stared. Then she remembered his word games:
… hop in C …
The music of love played long.

Philip Osophy says: ‘Poisonous’ atmosphere throughout UK govt? I doubt it. It is a typical excuse when a new regime moves in and begins a U turn. unCivil Servcie don’t like change.
Politics Page

Techie Without a Clue says: AI finds a super compound that could fight many medical conditions? Great! But it’s still dumb – does only what it’s told. Then human intelligence takes over.
Technology Page

Dr Illya Ness says: Life expectancy has ground to a halt in UK. Austerity blamed. No! Austerity was an excuse for the Tory Cameron Regime to purposely destroy the Welfare State.
Illness Page

Major de Ranger says: Staff at UK Houses of Parliament find door dating back to 1660? Am I alone in thinking this not knowing could have had dire security implications?
Warfare Page

Polly Ticks says: UK EU trade talks sabre rattling begins. The EU can’t afford to let UK go without a deal. The Commonwealth has a third of world population and the Queen is head.
Economics Page

Guru Tony says: UK court ruled Heathrow 3rd runway illegal on environmental grounds. Not over yet. Heathrow appealing but not govt. Big Boris didn’t want it anyway.
Environment Page

A SELECTION OF DELICIOUS RED FRUITS

It had been the strangest of job interviews.
Was he merely eccentric, or could he really be a vampire?
Regardless, after my interview he invited me back to his flat for dinner.
‘We share so many interests,’ he said, as he poured the wine.
It was blood red in colour – as for its constituency and taste?
I gagged.
There was only one course – what he called, ‘a delectable dish of steamed red fruits.’
He continued, dribbling as he forked one piece after another:
‘This piece is like a breath of fresh air; and this?
‘So good for the blood.’
Now a bigger piece – a delightful smile as it slithered down his throat.
‘Ah, the fruit of love.’
I thought it was horrendous and far too fleshy.
After dinner I said: ‘I’ll take the job.’
He was elated. But of course, he wasn’t a vampire.
No, like me, he’s a fellow cannibal – though a lousy cook.
And tomorrow?
I begin work at the organ transplant distribution centre.

Book 27 of 68, Mysteries of the Bible, out 27 March

MORE THAN A BLOG
A microcosm of knowledge and literature from the inner muses of thinker & storyteller Anthony North

Writing Tips   Storytelling   Meet the Team   General Fiction   Science Fiction   Horror Fiction   Crime Fiction   Essays Page   Twitter PopLitChallenge

Pop Lit (literature for social networks) & P-ology, or Rational Holism –  Anthony North’s new way of thinking … and writing. Join his mind.

Meet the Team
More new poetry/fiction after the Loud Mouth Columnists have their say
*****

DOG DAY MORN

It was a chance encounter one foggy morning.
They’d never met before – the lady sat on a bench, the dog stopping to her front.
She thought, how beautiful; which brought back memories …
Of better days, when loneliness was unknown;
When she was part of a crowd;
When relationships seemed never ending;
When fun was had;
When she realized anything was possible …
but now … ?
Age
Oh, to be young again. But …
… memories are such wonderful things.
They invigorate – make young again.
And for a while, she was.
And armed with her thoughts, she took one last look at the lady and walked off.

Poets & Storytellers United
The Sunday Muse
dVerse – Poets Pub

Dr Illya Ness says: Covid-19 means End Times? There has never been a time when Revelation prophecy could not be applied, and never a time when it happened.

Pappa Razzi says: I like Harry & Meghan but they’re being foolish. Royal isn’t just a brand. You can’t have wildcards playing with 1,000 years of history.

Guru Tony says: Average Brit wage reaches pre-downturn levels? This is an average wage that includes the rich, thus perpetuating the lie that the poor aren’t still poorer.

Prof Isaac Galistein says: House coal and wet wood to be phased out in UK by 2023. Good! As long as those who can’t afford the changeover are helped, of course.

Polly Ticks says: Brexit trade deal: Macron says he won’t let French fisherman down. He’ll bait the UK with that line – he is the master of fishy business.

Techie Without a Clue says: A message in a bottle has washed up on the same shore as it was sent 82 years ago. Marvellous! But should have waited for Twitter.

RAW INTELLIGENCE

They looked at raw intelligence – studied it – but couldn’t understand it.
‘Maybe it’s a hardware problem,’ said the leader.
The others agreed and popped it back in the head. But still it didn’t work – couldn’t figure out he was dead.
So the robots took it out again, and again and again in an eternal loop …
… which was the problem with artificial intelligence.
It’s dumb.
Which is why they had to try to understand the real thing.
But they were running out of humans.

Book 27 of 68, Mysteries of the Bible, out 27 March

Meet the Team
Scroll down for poetry from the Archives
*****
The one and only
Fame, Fortune, Followers
The one and lonely

TIME FLIES

‘Time flies,’ said the skipper as I turned off the hyper drive.
‘You can say that again,’ I said.
‘Time flies,’ repeated the skipper.
Then I got it.
Damned hyper drive, going so fast it messes with …
I swatted them. Those damned time flies.

Poets & Storytellers United

Guru Tony says: The 2nd major storm to hit the UK in a week is unleashing its fury with flood warnings aplenty. Meanwhile, the coastline is eroding as the sea gets hungry. No one dare mention the 2 feared words – water table … rising!

Polly Ticks says: So Boris has made the youngster Rishi Sunak Chancellor of the Exchequer. He doesn’t look like a puppet, but Boris is increasing his power grab. As long as his self-interest agrees with mine, fine. But Big Boris, I’m watching you.

Endurance of old
When different thought led to stake
For the love of God

SUNSET: As the sun goes down the dark veil rises. There will be agony tonight; fear, violence, greed & corruption. And the criminals are even worse.

Such a recipe
Food of all kinds served daily
Best dished up for thought

 Taken from Bermuda Triangle. See Essays page, above
*****
Gas hydrates on the seabed could also play a part, releasing methane in large quantities. Rising to the surface, water would go frothy, buoyancy would fail and a boat would sink. Rising into the air, methane could ignite a plane engine. Wreckage hits the bottom, water disturbance eases and silt covers the evidence.

Book 27 of 68, Mysteries of the Bible, out 27 March