Don’t Count On It – Stream Of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

“Marjorie?” Miles called as he stepped into the bedroom. “Have you seen my-” He stopped when he saw her standing by the bed, packing a suitcase. “What’s going on?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“What does it look like, Miles?” she replied, zipping the suitcase closed. “I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? Are you going on a trip or something? You didn’t mention one to me.”

She turned and glared at him. She held up a cell phone. “I found your little text messages, Miles. Who’s Gina? And Amanda? And Iris?”

His eyes widened and he took a step back. “Uh, I, uh…”

With a yell, she tossed his cell phone at him. He ducked it and stammered, “Marjorie, listen…”

“No Miles, you listen. I’ve had enough. For a while now, I’ve suspected something was going on, but I shrugged it off, naively believing you were working late at the office, like you claimed you had been. I should have known better. And now I’ve seen the proof, right there on your phone – the text messages, and the photos!”

Miles took a deep breath. “Marjorie, I’m sorry. I really am. There’s no excuse for what I did. But I promise…”

Majorie shook her head and grabbed the suitcase from the bed. “No, Miles,” she said, taking a step towards the door. “No promises. It’s gone on long enough. And now I’m gone.”

She stalked from the room and through the house towards the front door.

Miles called after her. “You’ll be back, Marjorie! You’ll be back!”

“Don’t count on it!” she called back, and slammed the door behind her.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday post, “count on it”:

https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/20/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2023-daily-prompt-jan-21st/

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The New Year – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Time marches on

And one year

Will turn

Into a new year.

The inevitable change

Brings both mystery

And hope with it

As we move into the future.

Will the new year be good?

Or will it be bad?

Like starting a new chapter

In a book,

We can’t really know

For certain

What will happen

Until we turn the page.

All we can do

Is follow the path

The new year lays out

And do what we can

To make it a good year.

And maybe change ourselves

For the better

Along the way.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “new/knew”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/12/30/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-31-2022/

Not So Excellent – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

He sat at his desk, studying a map on which some tiny figurines had been strategically set. With a chuckle, he moved one figurine off the map and moved another figurine so that it replaced it. Then he leaned back in his seat and grinned as he put his hands together in front of his face and tapped his forefingers together. “Excellent,” he muttered. He closed his eyes to savor the moment.

A knock on his door interrupted him. “Come,” he called, sitting up straight.

The door opened and a uniformed young man entered. “Sir,” he said with a brisk salute. “We’ve just been notified that he’s been captured and placed in a holding cell, as you requested.”

“Excellent, excellent. You may go now. I’ll let you know when I am ready to go see him.”

“Very good, sir.” The young man bowed and left.

Leaning back in his chair, he grinned. “Excellent, indeed. With his capture, my plan for world domination is one step closer to fruition.”

He sat up and punched a button on his desk. On the computer monitor to his right, a live video feed popped up, showing the prison area. He punched another button and the video zoomed in on a cell where a man in a torn suit paced back and forth. An armed guard stood next to the cell.

He cackled, then got up from his chair and did a little dance. Then he walked over to the mini bar and fixed a drink. He took a sip and returned to his desk. He raised his glass to the video of the prisoner in a salute, laughed, and took another sip. Then he turned his attention back to the map on the desk.

After studying the map for a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his drink. He grinned and turned his attention back to the video feed of the prisoner. The glass slipped from his hand as he screamed, “No! Impossible!”

In the video, the guard lay unconscious in the cell. There was no sign of the prisoner.

He slammed a button on his desk. A moment later, the young uniformed man entered, and before the young man could say anything, he yelled, “Don’t just stand there! The prisoner has escaped! Find him! Now!”

Startled, the young man bowed and hurried from the room.

With a furious growl, he swept the map and figurines from the desk. “Dammit!” he cried. “Evans! You haven’t won yet!”

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “cel”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/11/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-12-2022/

Bored Game – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

“I’m bored,” complained Nick with a sigh as he slumped in his chair.

“How about we play a game, then?” suggested Jan as she came into the room with some snacks from the kitchen.

“What sort of game?” Nick replied sullenly.

“Well, we can make room on the coffee table and play a board game.”

Nick shrugged. “I guess we can do that.”

They cleared the coffee table and Jan set up a board game. However, it wasn’t long before Nick was complaining again.

As he noticed he was trailing far behind Jan in the game, he huffed and slumped back in his chair. “This is boring! You call this a board game? Ha! It’s more like a bored game!”

Jan frowned. “Fine! Stay bored then!” And with a huff she stalked from the room.

Nick stared after her for a moment, then turned and looked out the window. “I’m bored,” he muttered to himself.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “board/bored”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/08/26/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-27-2022/

The Key – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

She sat in the chair and stared at the fire crackling in the fireplace. A letter lay in her lap. Slowly, a tear trickled down her cheek.

Memories of her argument with Mitch replayed in her mind as she watched the flames dance. The scene of her best friend – her only friend – storming out the door repeated itself, and she felt tears hit her hand.

She picked up the letter she’d found slipped under her front door not long after Mitch had left, and read it again.

“I hate seeing you so alone. I hate seeing how unhappy you are, though you try to hide it. I know you’re afraid of being hurt, but you need to stop shutting people out. You need to unlock your heart and let people in, Anya. I can help you, if you will let me. Let me be the key that unlocks your heart.”

The letter wasn’t signed, but she recognized the handwriting.

She grasped the letter and inwardly berated herself for being such a fool. She’d had no idea how Mitch had truly felt about her. And she knew he was right about everything – about hiding being unhappy and about shutting people out. She’d been pushing people away for so long, afraid to let anyone get close to her, but she couldn’t continue to do that now.

Mitch had already unlocked her heart.

Anya jumped from her chair and ran out of the house, letter in hand, to find Mitch.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “key”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/08/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-20-2022/

I’ll Remember It – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Jen sat at the table in the little coffee shop, her laptop sitting open in front of her, the colorful ribbons of its screensaver dancing across the monitor. She sipped her cappuccino as she watched the people sitting around her for a minute. Then she sat the mug down and tapped a key on the laptop to wake it up.

She opened a Word document and sat staring at it, her fingers poised to write something. But her fingers never moved. She just stared at the blank document and the blinking cursor patiently waiting for her.

She sat like that for a few minutes until she finally released a groan, slid her hands from the laptop and slumped back in her chair.

Her friend Riley came into the coffee shop at just that moment and spotted her. She called out to Jen and joined her at table.

“What’s up?” Riley asked. “You sounded so chipper on the phone the morning. Now you look…defeated.”

“I could just kick myself,” Jen muttered.

Riley raised a questioning eyebrow.

Jen sat up and grabbed her cappuccino. “I told you woke up with a great story idea, right?” Riley nodded and Jen took a sip before continuing. “Well, I was rushing around this morning, and I didn’t bother to make a note of the idea. I thought it was such a great idea that I’d be sure to remember it.”

Jen paused and Riley picked up the tale. “And when you got here and tried to start writing, you couldn’t remember the idea.”

Jen nodded.

Riley gave her head a small shake. “That’s why I keep telling you to make a note when you have a good idea, Jen. We’re just lying to ourselves if we think we don’t need to write it down.” Jen heaved a sigh and Riley continued. “But don’t feel so bad, Jen. It happens to us all. Even me. That’s why I keep reminding you.”

Jen gave her a small smile. “Thanks, Riley. Keep on reminding me, will you?” She raised her hand to signal to a waitress as she asked Riley, “Can I get you a cappuccino?”

(This meme is from Pinterest)

This relatable post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “make a note”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/07/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-9-2022/

Zero, Zip, Zilch – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

As I’m sitting here, sipping on my Coke Zero Sugar, I’m trying to think of something creative, some sort of short little story to write for this prompt like I usually do. But I’m having trouble thinking of anything. No good ideas are coming to me.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Maybe just a brief flash of a possible scene. But not enough to build something on.

I think my tank of creative juices must be sitting close to zero right now. Looks like I’m going to have to try to do something to refill it.

Maybe I’ll try to take care of something around the house to see if I can get the creative juices flowing that way.

Or maybe if I try writing on my work in progress, I’ll have better luck coming up with something.

Or maybe I’ll just read a book instead to try to get the juices going.

I don’t know. But I’ll think of something.

Having zero creative ideas sure does stink sometimes when you’re a writer.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “zip, zero, zilch”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/04/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-30-2022/

Is Your Cat Plotting To Kill You? – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

“How do you tell if your cat is plotting to kill you?” Sherri asked Mitch as she set her cup down on the coffee table.

Mitch gave her a quizzical look from the recliner across the table from her seat on the couch. “What do you mean?” he asked before taking a sip of coffee.

Behind the couch, a black and white cat crouched unseen and listened silently.

“Well, it’s just, you know. Things. Things Tux has been doing lately.”

Mitch set the coffee cup on the table. He thought she was probably overreacting, being a new cat owner and all, but he felt he should humor her, so he asked, “Like what?”

“Well, he always seems to be underfoot. I have to constantly watch where I’m walking for fear of tripping over him. Even on the stairs. I can be walking down the stairs when suddenly, as if from out of nowhere, he’ll be crouched on step, almost like he was trying to trip me.”

Behind the couch, the cat’s ears perked up and he turned his head slightly towards the spot where Sherri’s voice was coming from.

“Cats being underfoot is pretty normal, Sherri. Is that all he’s doing?”

Sherri shook her head. “I’ll wake up at night, suddenly unable to breathe, and find Tux has draped himself over my face.”

Behind the couch, Tux’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like what he was hearing from Sherri.

“I’ve heard of some cats doing that, Sherri. They’ll lay there or near your head, or even on your chest. They like to feel your pulse. It’s comforting to them. It’s nothing to get too concerned over. Is there anything else?”

“Well, actually, …”

Tux didn’t wait to hear whatever else Sherri related. He padded quietly out of the room and into the spare bedroom. Crawling under the bed, he dragged out a book he had carefully hidden. “How can she be on to me already?” he muttered as he licked a paw and started turning pages. “I can’t believe it! I wonder what the book recommends I should do now…”

(images are from Pinterest)

(And I recommend the How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You book, by The Oatmeal. It’s hilarious :D)

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “how”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/04/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-9-2022/

Let Go – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Let go.

Let go of Fear.

Let go of Doubt.

Let go of Anxiety.

Let go of Anger.

Let go of Pain.

Let go of the feelings

That keep you

Holding onto the Darkness,

And instead Trust.

Trust that I will be there

To catch you

And help you

Hold onto the Light.

This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “let go”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/01/28/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2022-daily-prompt-jan-29th/

Yummy Yum Yum – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

I suppose you could consider me a “foodie”. I enjoy yummy, delicious foods and am usually willing to try new dishes (as long as they’re not too spicy, since spicy doesn’t agree with me much anymore). And I do enjoy cooking and baking and trying out new recipes. When I started using a crock pot and an air fryer (both of which I really enjoy using) I went looking for recipes and came across the website and app Yummly, and I really like it. I have found so many recipes on there that I have saved, and many that I have used frequently, like a crock pot lasagna, air fryer pork chops, air fryer chicken breasts, easy Korean ground beef, chicken parmesan, ….. I don’t know if I will be able to get through and try all the recipes I have saved, though. And there are so many other recipes on the site to look through and being added every day, that I’m sure the number of saved recipes I have will keep growing. And since I don’t have a big family to cook for, I’m always looking for simple, easy recipes, and Yummly hasn’t disappointed me yet.

Because I do have a sweet tooth, I like to bake, and frequently make brownies, cakes, pies, and cookies (but not from scratch – I’m not that good!) And because I’m a chocoholic, often the cakes, cookies, and pies are chocolate. For Christmas, I made sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, which of course were yummy. I would have made more things, but I didn’t have the time.

I fixed my first glazed spiral sliced ham yesterday for Christmas. I’ve fixed hams before, but had never glazed one before. Thankfully it turned out well and the brown sugar glaze was quite yummy.

I hope everyone enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner and yummy Christmas desserts yesterday, too.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “yum”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/12/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socss-dec-25-26-2021