This week’s prompts are at the bottom. Feel free to seize the prompts, twist them, form them, play with them as you will. All comers are welcome. The words below are just practice for me. I had a lot of fun writing them, and you know what I always say, “Practice makes perfect.”
Here’s how to play along, if you are unsure.
Hanna was feeding the dog and watering the plants at her parent’s house while they were vacationing. She was poking around, waiting for Cricket to finish eating, when she came across the blanket covered trunk on the high shelf in the garage. How had I never noticed this before? She wondered as she pulled the blanket off and raised the lid to peek inside.
Books, magazines, letters, and postcards filled the inside. She grabbed a book and looked at the worn printing on the broken spine. D.H. Lawrence, it read, the title was illegible. Next to that book was a paperback titled “Sabbath’s Theatre” by Philip Roth; and “Bad Behaviour” by a writer named Gaitskill. Others by Dennis Cooper, Salter, Winterson, and Yuknavitch.
Tucked in with the books were lots of old, vintage postcards. Some displayed pictures of nude women and others showed naked men. Sometimes, they were full-frontal depictions; sometimes, the models were turned or strategically draped. Others showed men and women on the same card, entangled together, arms and legs akimbo. Hannah felt her face getting warm.
The magazines ran the gamut, with one exception. There were copies of Penthouse, Parade, and Mayfair. Conspicuous by their absence were the Playboys. There were some older ones that she had never heard of with names like “Titter,” “Wink,” and “Whisper.” There was a short stack, maybe eight or nine issues, of a magazine called “Filament,” and several issues of one called “Viva” that featured photos of men.
Had she stumbled on her parent’s private porn collection? Is that what this was? Why was it hidden in the garage? Why not under their bed? She’d have to ask them when they got home from the islands. She wanted to have a long discussion with her mom, maybe with her dad, too.
This week’s prompts are:
- street dogs
- old shoes
- imaginary Arizona
You can start writing whenever you want, just write, get the words down – and have fun!
The New, Unofficial, On-line Writer's Guild 
“Grandpa!? Really?” Hanna said, astonished.
“Well, that kinda stuff paid. Really well. And he was just starting out. Already had three kids,” Hanna’s father said.
“What about the books?”
Hanna’s father looked at his wife for the answer.
Hanna’s mother scratched the top of the head, then replied, “Ummm…they were probably your Granny’s? She was always reading, but only kept a small collection of books. Those were probably them. She liked to read banned books. If these were ever banned?”
Hanna’s father shook his head. “No, don’t think so. Anyway, they’re too recent. Look. This one’s published 10, 12 years ago. Not hers. Where did you say you found this trunk?”
“When we cleared out their house. After Dad died.” Hanna’s mother’s brow was furrowed as she picked up one of the books to read the back.
“OK, OK, but…” Hanna interrupted, “I never saw any of these kind of photos in Grandpa’s portfolios. I mean, whatever, I guess you don’t just keep that sort of thing around, but…”
Her parents were smiling. Hanna’s father turned again to his wife.
“Can you imagine?,” he said. “Ha! I can just see it: They’re having one of their little get togethers and your Dad says to Aunt Martha… no, no! He says to Becky Ann and that stick-in-the-mud asshole, her first husband, ‘Have you seen some of my early work?’ HA!”
Both were laughing. Hanna starred, not getting the joke.
Hanna’s mother stopped laughing and addressed her daughter, “Dad would never have kept prints or even the negatives of any job. His portfolios were the unpublished stuff. Those days, only the publishers had the rights and creatives like Grandpa didn’t get residuals, or whatever. I bet he kept the magazines and cards because….well, because he was proud of his work! Whatever it was. Remember how their bookshelves were loaded with magazines? This stuff had to be put away. ”
“So, why no Playboy?”
“Oh, well,” her mother said, “that’s a whole other story, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. And, for another time. Come on, let’s go inside and we’ll show you some very nice, decent photos from our trip, OK?”
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😀 right-on!
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I had to reason out your post. I’m guessing you simply meant it to be a little titillating thing, but I find that nothing is as it appears to be. So, I always ask, what would be the logical conclusion? Couldn’t reconcile the vintage photos with the contemporary publications, so I left it an open question. Fun! Just when I thought too much of what I’ve got goin’ on these days would allow me any creative juices, this thing shows up!
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I had come up with the phrase “hidden library” and was going to add it to my list of prompts (’cause i thought it would be a good one). But, my addled brain wouldn’t let it go. I kept chewing on it, lifting it up and looking underneath, rolling it into tiny balls and mushing it back together again.
I thought about an archaeological find, but figured I hadn’t the ambition for that. I pondered on why one would hide a library and thought:
1. to protect it from harm? or
2. to conceal it from prying eyes? or maybe,
3. to hoard it, avoid sharing it with others?
I came up with this – it almost addressed all three!
I got the added bonus of reading new work from Ms Rose! Win Win, all around!
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Fun to have insight into your thinking! Thanks for sharing 👍 😊
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Wow. TN and LRose… I enjoyed the story and the continuation. I’m reading a murder mystery series set in the 1800’s and oh.. boy are there secrets! Some more shocking than what was in the box in the garage.
(33)
I just added to my little slow moving story. It took me all morning and most of the afternoon to catch up on my ‘visits’ and I was determined to do so before scripting to prompts!
This is what I came up with: #13 Empathetic Enigma?
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