Monthly Archives: April 2019

They Came from the Sea

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Photo is the property of Sandra Crook

Here we are again and this week we’re gathered near the sea. We’ve come together to discuss our original stories for the week. This is the Friday Fictioneer’s group. Our hostess for the gathering is the talented and gracious author and artist, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. The challenge for each of us this week and every week is to write a story with no more than 100 words, not counting the title. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and be inspired by the picture prompt for the week. This week’s prompt was provided by Sandra Crook. Thanks, Sandra.

To read the other stories by group members, just click on the link given below, then on the smiling blue frog. Next, follow the given directions. The link for this week’s stories is as follows:

26 April 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Word Count: 97 Words

They Came from the Sea by P.S. Joshi

It was a dark, quiet night. A sizeable flying ship glided onto the water near the beach.

A door slid open on the side, and tall, thin beings stepped out. Special suits protected them from the salt water and contaminated air.

In their Deluvian language, the commander reminded them.

“Remember, drape the Deluvian plant on the fence so it can rapidly spread and purify the Earth’s atmosphere, soaking up all harmful substances. We need to save this planet as a universal water source. Ours is drying up, and other inhabited planets won’t share. Let’s hope Earth will.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping at Sakes

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First, an interesting, exciting, and humorous tale of a dress shop owner who made good. Next, other adventurous tales by Tallis Steelyard in a book by Jim Webster. A review by a satisfied reader is included.

Tallis Steelyard

Shopping at Sakes

Sakes was one of those lady’s dress shops which nobody really talked about. No lady in Port Naain ever swept into a room in a new gown and announced, “This is what I got from Sakes.” On the other hand many ladies would whisper to a friend, “Nip into Sakes with that, he’ll get it right.”

One wet and miserable day, Sakes appeared in the city and started his shop. He came from nowhere, knew nobody, and just purchased a shop on Ropewalk, cash down, and opened it as a dress shop. I always felt that there had to be a story behind this. Sakes himself was impossible to place. He affected a somewhat superior Port Naain accent. He was in some ways rather effete in his manner but this seemed to be designed to reassure his clientele that he wasn’t lusting after them. Certainly he and his wife had…

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Good People Doing Good Things — Vincent Dadzie

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More good young people who are doing good things for others.

Filosofa's Word

Today’s good people post is shorter than usual, not because I couldn’t find any, but because my own heart is lacking today, burdened by a number of things.  I apologize in advance, but it is 2:00 a.m. and I’ve been struggling to write this post for about 4-5 hours, with no success.  However, I know how much we all need to see these ‘good people’ to help restore our faith in humanity, and just as I was about to give it up, a voice in my head said, “You owe it to them.  You have a responsibility.”  And so, I dug around a bit, put my own ill-humour on hold for a while and gave it one more try.

Meet Vincent Dadzie …

Vincent-Dadzie.jpg

Vincent is 24 years of age and lives in Tamale, Ghana.  He is also the co-founder of an organization, Motivation2Learn, which he established to end…

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Islas Ballestas~

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These are marvelous photos taken by Cindy Knoke of the islands of the Paracas National Reserve.

Islas Ballestas, an island group off the coast of Paracas, are often referred to as Peru’s Galapagos. They are a group of uninhabited islands that are part of the wildlife rich, Paracas National Reserve. This is a colony of Guanay Cormorants native to Peru and Chile.

You cannot visit the islands without passing the giant Candelabra carved into the rock face and carbon dated to 200 BCE.

The islands shelter an incredible variety of fauna. There are literally millions of birds and their feathers float and fill the air like lazy drifting snowflakes.

There are fur seals, Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, blue footed boobies and so many more amazing wild creatures here. I will show you them in my next few posts.

But for now, let’s just look at these unusual islands.

They are volcanic, and riddled with arches and ancient sea caves. The layers in the caves show the…

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Get your free copy now…

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Get your FREE copy of Jack Eason’s AUTUMN 1066 from 22nd April to 26th April.

Have We Had Help?

1066

From today Monday 22nd April until next Friday 26th you can get your very own free copy of the shortest, some might say most concise, book I have ever written. At fractionally over seven thousand words, it concerns the last days of England under Anglo-Saxon rule. Below is a typical example of how it was received when I published it back in 2017:

Bob Van Laerhoven – Belgian novelist
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding equilibrium between a passionate story and historical facts

6 July 2017

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
As a Fleming, I knew that my knowledge of Britain’s entry into the Middle Ages was sketchy before I started reading Jack Eason’s Autumn 1066, but, after having read his novella, I must admit that it was also based on clichés and vague concepts. Autumn 1066 remedied this thoroughly. Eason has the gift of condensing and presenting historical facts in…

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Vegetating?… ~ Tallis Steelyard (and a new book or two by Jim Webster)

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Another humorous and exciting story by Tallis Steelyard, this one again taking place in his home city of Port Naain. Also, two novellas by Jim Webster featuring adventures of Tallis, equally enjoyable.

Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

The Arcade Market in the Commercial district is not the most prestigious of the markets in Port Naain. One will not find the truly exotic, but there again one will not find the grossly overpriced either. It provides decent quality produce. The price is higher than I would expect to pay, but if one uses a poet as one’s reference, one can easily be led astray.

I know one of the stallholders reasonably well. Jilliane Lanwaster is a regular at the market, selling vegetables. Now it has to be admitted that vegetables lack glamour. Spices and exotic fruit stalls hint at exotic places, with mysterious merchants passing hastily through fear shadowed lands to bring us their wares. Vegetables are somehow ordinary.

To be asked to write without blushing
On the romance of the carrot
The dark mystery of the parsnip
The wonder of the skirret
Shows that your patron knows…

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