Month: July 2016

mass murderer

It’s late July,1966, in Chicago.

Muriel and Gloria spot a terrifying sight.

“I know they’ve got Richard Speck already,” cried Gloria, “but I still can’t help losing control!”

“He’s that moron who tortured eight young nursing students to death,” replied Muriel. “He was high as a kite.”

“You have to admit that is one odd sight!” stammered the former. “Do you think it’s some copycat bastard?”

“Do you have to bring that up?” Muriel went on. “That always happens.”

Trembling uncontrollably they go home and try not to dwell on their fear.

“Let’s stick together all day,” Gloria suggests.

Thanks to Janet M Webb for the photo prompt and to Rochelle Wisoff~Fields for her help each week in Friday Fictioneers.

his ultimate fantasy fulfilled at last

“Honey,” Leo begged Sylvia, “for my birthday, can we please go to Staten Island?”

“STATEN ISLAND?!?” she screamed. “What in the hell kind of complete LUNATIC begs for STATEN ISLAND?!”

He explained, “Until my twelfth birthday I lived in Queens. I’ve been to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan a brazilian times. What am I, cursed, I can’t spend one day on Staten Island?!”

Gazing at him dumbfounded she whined, “Wow! If I’d a known I was marrying such a hardship case, I’d a listened to my parents and married Orville Kruger~”

“Never been to Staten Island~such a heartache!!”

Thank you to Jan Wayne Fields for this week’s photo prompt. Rochelle Wisoff~Fields guides us weekly in Friday Fictioneers, an attempt at hundred~word storytelling.

carmelite feasts

I’ve been a lay Carmelite ever since October 2001. The Order is quite ancient and has its origins well before the eleventh century, traditionally hearkening back to before the Birth of Christ.

The Order, since the days of Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila in Counter-Reformation Spain, has been divided into two main branches, the Discalced, and the Calced (or Ancient Observance).  Although they have much in common, each branch has its own separate customs, rules, and traditions. Each month of the liturgical year has at least one Carmelite feast day.

July is quite an important month for Carmel since it’s the month during which we honor both St. Elijah, the Prophet and our Father, on the twentieth; and the Virgin Mary.  Mary gets two days.  The first is the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on the sixteenth. Her other feast day is the Mother of Divine Grace, on the twenty third. It’s on the nineteenth in Europe.  Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Virgin Mary, are also honored on July 26 as the protectors of the Order.

Carmelite Feast Days

Feast

Feast ~Christmas

Feast

Feast

Midnight In the Pantry

coming down fast but I’m miles above you

look up

dancing in infinite cerulean blue

look up

allison’s written words

the everyday photographer

hopeful boy

I spent a few hours this past weekend at the Long Beach, New York, annual Arts and Crafts Fair on the boardwalk.  Yesterday I wanted to try to take a picture of a plane with either a banner or skywriting. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite fast enough.

harvey in hell

“Mr. Faffner,”  Satan explained to Harvey, “On this day in 1812, Beethoven began writing a famous love letter to his Immortal Beloved.”

“Did you also know,” he continued, ‘that on July 7, 1940, Ringo Starr was  born?”

Harvey cringed, begging helplessly for an explanation.

“As Lucifer, my good man,” The Father of Lies continued, “I was in charge of music.”

“Little do you know how easily I deceive and destroy people with it.”

“People warned you not to join that band. Don’t you remember what I did to John Lennon?”

 

This week’s photo prompt is from Jan Morrill. Rochell Wisoff~Fields is our weekly Friday Fictioneers moderator.