Fascinating prompt

Started by Greg MD, July 06, 2009, 09:36:12 PM

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Greg MD

I came across this a few minutes ago and thought it would make a great game:

Tell a story (Any length), involving a man and a woman arguing about a photograph found by the woman of the man and a former girlfriend of his, with a note written on the back of it by the former girlfriend. Do so without making any mention of the arguement, the photograph, the note, the former girlfriend, the woman or the man.

country

#1
'Harold, is that you dear'?

'I’m so glad you’re home.  Do join me.  I’ve so much to tell you.  You haven't been at the pub have you’?

'Now you know that flat next door?  Well, a new couple moved in today.  The removalist was here just after you left for work, moving all their stuff in'. 

'After the removalists were gone, the couple got into the most astounding argument.  I could hear them screeching, and shouting and throwing things.  Heavens, they made the most frightful din'. 

'You are listening now aren’t you dear'? 

‘Yes, well, I thought I might have to call the police, it sounded like things were so violent.  Some very heavy objects seemed to be thrown against our wall, and the noise!  Heavens!  It was all very frightening’.

‘They must have been fighting over something that they found while they were unpacking.  I can’t imagine what, but I did hear her shrieking ‘where was this taken’? ‘when was this taken’? and ‘How long has this been going on’? 

‘What do you suppose it was’?

‘And then she started screaming ‘Pootchy-koo’ ‘When in the hell were you a Pootchy Koo’?   ‘What were you two up too?’

‘He must have been fairly calm at that point because I couldn’t hear his answers.  But she just kept shrieking at him, calling him all sorts of names.  Telling him her mother had warned her’.

You know, I heard words today I’ve never heard before.  I don’t even know what some of them mean.  I don’t think they are the kind of people we want as friends.  Don’t you agree?’

‘Harold!  Where are you going?  Come back here!  I’m not finished yet’ 

‘Now eventually he did start yelling back at her.  Calling her a ‘nosy parker’ and how she was always looking for something.  He even called her a ‘fantasist; and I don’t know what all.  I heard him say something about ‘skeletons in the closet’.

‘You don’t think they’ve got skeletons over there do you Harold’?

‘I’m sure I heard the sounds of someone being hit, and some pretty frightening screams.  Do you think we should go look and make sure everything is all right?  Maybe he killed her.  Things like that do happen you know.  They say that we’d be surprised at the incidence of domestic violence’. 

‘Harold!  Are you listening?  I’ll start your tea soon dear, after Neighbours finishes on the tele.  How about some bangers and mash... maybe I'll open a tin of peas?   I just want to tell you about the fight.  Oh dear!  You know they say … Harold?  Harold’?

Greg MD

Very cool, country!  :-) You succeeded. However after I read through your post and went back to my openning post, I realized I made an error. The actual assignment as I read it where I'd found it, also specified that the arguement not be mentioned either. I've corrected the original post. Yeah...I know, it's hard--I haven't even figured out how I'd do it personally.

country

#3
Ok, S..t, bloody goal posts have been moved.  But, I can't get the topic out of my head now.  This isn't as good as the first go, (according to me and I suspect anyone else) and it probably wouldn't make sense if I hadn't put up the first attempt.

Today was not going to be an easy day.  Sure I had visited this flat often, but still, I hadn’t ever lived here.  I’d lived with my Nan ever since the split.  Now, I had been tasked to clean out this flat. 

I’d never really understood the cause of the split.  No one had talked of it. And Nan? Well, just mention the subject and you could feel the deep freeze door open.  I don’t think anyone ever accepted what had happened.

Lately, my Nan had been getting a bit softer.  Maybe she was getting dementia?   Of course the Port probably didn't help.  When she pulled the cork out of the bottle, that was it.  The cork was tossed and she would suck on that stuff until it was gone.  She could get a bit maudlin on those occasions.  Well, perhaps I should say she got a lot maudlin.  Quite soppy.  Some times, she even ended up crying quietly to herself.  She would just sit there, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks.  At times like that I would hear her mumble about Kootchy-Poo and lambkins.  Then ...

‘Why didn’t she listen’?

‘So what if it wasn’t his writing’?

‘The damn thing was dated. … Way before her time. … She just wouldn’t listen.  … I don’t even know how it ended up with the rest of his stuff.  … You would think he would have gotten rid of all that stuff from before her.  … If only they hadn’t moved.’

Sometimes, her arguments, though one sided, seemed to be directed to me so I might understand.  But I never did.  Well, how could I?  I still didn't know what happened.

Kootchy-poo?  Sounded like a kid’s teddy bear.  Lambkins?  Maybe that was the television character Lambchops?  I’d seen re-runs of that program when I was a kid, so it was possibly popular back when her kids were growing up.

I did know about the move, cause that was when I was shifted onto Nan’s.  We all had been excited about moving into the new house down by the beach.   On the day, I had been taken to my new school, and I got to meet all the new classmates.  Talk about being the lowest on the pecking order.  But, before the day was half over, Nan came to collect me from the school. 

We never got back together.  Nan’s became home and I went on to another school.  Sometimes there was the occasional visit, but only years later when I had finished my apprenticeship.  By then I was looking after my Nan.  And now, I wonder if I will ever know?

Greg MD