Category: Prose

Short prose

Six Sentence Story: Don’t Rush Through Paradise

Sometimes it is best to slow down, I told a tall, thin gentleman who was sitting at a table with me at the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro.

Usually it is the fastest way to get anything done right, the gentleman said in agreement.

Of course, those who like to go fast would object, but what do they know? I added.

They know nothing, the gentleman said adding the fourth sentence to our marvelous tale.

After drinking our coffees and eating the croissants I asked him, What should the title of our story be?

He said, Let’s call it: Don’t Rush Through Paradise.

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Denise offers the prompt word “table” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: Golden Setting Sun

The wind moves mysteriously like the Spirit holding all together at the table of love.

They met in spring and were married in June. It is autumn when leaves turn. The children and the grandchildren run their many ways.

Right now for one of them the sun is setting. Years from now in splashing golden light it will set for the other.

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Denise offers the prompt word “table” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

John 3:8 KJV – 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Six Sentence Story: Daily Bread

Joe did his best to save his pennies, but considering that pennies weren’t made anymore, he saved his nickels with interest. He didn’t mind inflation as long as he could still buy his daily bread.

But enough of this babbling about pennies (or nickels), because this is supposed to be a story about something real. However, Joe couldn’t think of any story to tell.

He asked his muse to please, pretty please, pretty pretty pretty please, include a story once in a while with his daily bread. His muse, a malnourished pixie, demigod or whatever it might have been, told him to ask Someone who actually had a clue.

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Denise offers the prompt word “interest” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: Books

While browsing through a book store Joe realized that no one in his right mind buys a real book made out of ink on paper anymore since computers have stored everything and they can even regurgitate anything of value in that book in a few seconds. He left the store empty handed.

His next stop was a new restaurant in a new mall where he planned to meet a friend realizing that no computer (no matter how steam-powered quantum it was) could regurgitate for him the food he was about to eat. Unfortunately, his friend called saying he would be an hour late which left Joe to wander the strange mall till his friend arrived.

Just behind the restaurant Joe found a huge book store which also sold t-shirts, toys and coffee mugs (just in case you realized that no one in his right mind buys books anymore). As he glanced through the shelves there it was, a book, a real book with ink on paper which seemed to say Buy Me! Buy Me! Buy Me!, and so, rejoicing like one watching the dawning of a new morning, Joe bought it.

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Denise offers the prompt word “steam” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: Touched

Taking things for granted was no puzzle for Tim. He had been doing it all his life.

One day he got touched.

His friends told him that he’d get over it. As years passed Tim realized he’d never get over it. As even more years passed he was glad he never did.

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Denise offers the prompt word “puzzle” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: Whisperer

I got an earful when I hired a therapist – a “cat whisperer” as he advertised himself – for my crazy cat. He picked up Nutty, the name I gave her, and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. At first Nutty looked at him with her usual suspicion thinking he might be one of my friends, but after a while Nutty began cuddling and snuggling up to him.

After the session the therapist signaled me aside out of Nutty’s hearing to whisper in my ear that he agreed with her about me. Agreed about what? was all I could say.

That’s when I got an earful.

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Denise offers the prompt word “signal” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Moral of the story (in case you need the earful version): Don’t call your crazy cat Nutty (or even say she’s “crazy”); her name’s Madeleine.

PARAPHRASE OF FIRST STANZA – If I’d ever write the story of my life, I’d write about my friend, Madeleine. When she left one morning I saw her laugh and cry at the same time. What she told me I’ll never forget: “How God has blessed your home!”

Six Sentence Story: Up To Something

We were curious enough to ask Gregory what he was up to, but he was smart enough to run his mouth without giving us any real information. Every time we got in the mood to pester him with questions he’d send us on a wild goose chase.

As the years went by he became very good at whatever it was he was doing. We kept chasing geese.

Eventually Gregory moved away not needing our help, I guess, which was fine with me. Like, I mean, who needs him anyway, but I do miss trying to catch those tasty geese.

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Denise offers the prompt word “help” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: The Cookie

People at work said there was something odd about the cafe on the ground floor of the building where our heroine rented her apartment. However, as far as she could tell, nothing seemed at all “odd” about it and the food was delicious.

Today as she entered the cafe the breakup with her boyfriend made her forget what others said about this mom-and-pop Chinese noodle shop. She ordered the same spicy noodles she always did when her mind flagged her with doubts.

After the meal she paid the bill, hesitated before opening the homemade fortune cookie, but then read its message.

The love of God for YOU is the greatest story ever told.

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Denise offers the prompt word “flag” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Proverbial Fairy Tales: Wolf! Wolf! – The End

Once upon a time there was a wolf who loved to eat and a lad who loved crying “Wolf! Wolf!” even when there was no wolf. When people realized after a month or so that the lad was nowhere to be seen they figured the wolf must have eaten him. So, they erected a statue in the lad’s honor even though they couldn’t remember his name and barbecued the wolf.

Pigeons loved the statue. So did the tourists who couldn’t believe that anyone in his right mind would have erected it.

After all of that everyone realized that there were no good reasons, no matter how many times they shuffled them, for anyone not to live happily ever after – which meant there were no good reasons for me not to either – and so we all did.

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Denise offers the prompt word “shuffle” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Proverbial Fairy Tale: Wolf! Wolf! – Ladville

Once upon a time there was a tiny town that became recklessly prosperous when it erected a statue to a lad who was eaten by a wolf and then found to be uneaten. The town grew and grew and grew to the point that the authorities of Middleuh Noware decided it was time to put it on the map.

Everyone agreed that the town should be called after the lad, but no one knew the lad’s name. Fortunately, when the lad returned they had the opportunity to ask him just what his name was hoping it would be something catchy like Tom, Dick or Harry. The lad was only too delighted to relay to them that his full name was Gregorio Gregoritos Gregorino Pretentious the Third, but his friends called him simply Daturd.

Given those circumstances, they named the town Ladville and everyone lived happily ever after.

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Denise offers the prompt word “relay” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.