I don't usually preface my freewrites, but this one needs a bit of that.
I've been trying to hardwire my new house to the internet. This is proving to be nearly impossible to do, mostly because the cable company techies have had their memories erased or something; they do not know that the internet enters the house via their own cables. More on that in a later post.
This freewrite took me back to the good old earlier days of my life, when computer games were a brand new thing, my kids were nearly brand new, there was no such thing as WiFi, and smoking pot, even in your own home, was quite illegal.
"Click the clown icon. Clink the clown icon!! CLICK THE CLOWN ICON!!"
My 4 year old was yelling at me. My dogs had been walked, watered and fed. My cats had been watered and fed. The washing machine was whirling, the dishwasher was whirring, I hadn't yet had a single sip of the coffee I'd brewed an hour earlier, and now The Child was desperately trying to convey something that I did not understand.
Icon? What icon? Was Burt Reynolds standing in the corner?
What better time than this for the doorbell to ring.
As I walked toward the door, I remembered the blunt. The evening before, I'd stepped outside for my before-bed smoke, and I forgot to bring the ashtray of paraphernalia back inside. Whoever was out there, couldn't have missed it.
"Oh, uh, hi. Officer." A sheriff no less.
I sidled out the door, hoping to block his view of what he had already no doubt seen.
He grinned.
This is my entry to @mariannewest's daily freewrite challenge. Today's prompt is icon.
If anyone would like to finish my story, I've got a prize for you.
The rules:
Leave a link or your story in a comment on this post
Doesn't have to be a freewrite
Under 500 words
@carolkean, @mgaft1, @cliffagreen, @zeleiracordero-2, @erh.germany, @riverflows, @felt.buzz
... He grinned.
"Don't even worry about that, ma'am," the sheriff's deputy said gently. "Bigger problems -- there's a thief that resembles Burt Reynolds wearing a clown suit running through the neighborhood, and he's trying to get through your back door."
Oh. So, that's why my four-year-old was trying to get me to click the clown off.
It was a long story I didn't even know was going on, because at this time in my life I couldn't afford to have big birthday parties for my children -- sort of a parable about how the other half of society lives and what they pay for the privilege -- this particular thief did Burt Reynolds impersonations and also offered a clown service for parties, all for the purpose of getting into homes with money for birthday parties and casing them.
It had all come apart because a child like mine had recognized him: "Oh yeah, you're the clown who was taking presents out of the house next door -- did you bring me one?"
The chase had commenced there, and had been going block to block for hours. This clown had robbed a lot of folks.
The mob in pursuit of this man had grown to lynch mob proportions. I could hear them coming now, the angry voices and the demand for blood.
"He's just trying to find a place to get in and hide at this point -- even holding hostages wouldn't help at this point," said the deputy, "but I need you and your child out of harm's way, and you see I am speaking very quietly to not tip that off."
"Hey -- let's go to the candy store, sweetheart!"
And I walked away with my child, away from the mob and the sheriff's deputy, and went to the candy store. When we got back, it was all over. The home was quiet, and someone had left a note.
"Next time, don't try to get over by the ash tray, because unless I know have a reason to bend over and smell what brand of cigarettes you smoke, I won't, ma'am."
Oh my gosh I didn't tag you!!! Of all the people to miss...
GREAT continuation of my freewrite! You always go a completely different, but very loving, direction from anything I could dream up myself. Thank you so much!!! There'll be a prize coming your way one of these days...
No hurry ... it was an honor to be able to finish yet another fine beginning!
Ah, I actually couldn't figure how to work the clown into mine. You completed every thread she started. I'm glad the sheriff turned out to be kind.
I just couldn't bring myself to create ANOTHER messed-up law enforcement officer ... the world has enough of them...
Lol, right! I think creating the world we want to live in starts with telling the story of that world. Nice job.
Thank you!
@deeanndmathews is really good at continuing my stories!! It's always a marvel.
Nice one @owasco
Reminds me of the time I opened the door while blowing out a giant cloud of pot smoke right in an officers face.. I thought it was my neighbor who liked to smoke with me.
He laughed his ass off while I stood there choking and coughing and giving him the universal (just a second) hand signal and told me he was there for loud music while looking at a half ounce on the table.
I told him I would turn the music down. He kindly left and never took my weed. This was years ago. Any other cop in that town would have ticketed me or arrested me and he reiterated this in telling me to consider my music volumes while having weed smoking parties lol.
I always love your freewrites my friend, many of them remind me of the old world. Have a good day!
Thank you!
I recently had a sheriff show up at my door (before our liberation in NYS) within a few minutes of my having smoked out there. When I stepped in front of the paraphernalia, he said "I'm getting high just standing here." I giggled, like the very high little old lady I was.
I just had to dive into this. Check out the continuation here
https://peakd.com/hive-150329/@doziekash/where-did-she-go-or-dark-days
Dang, I'm slow. "Autumn leaves," brilliant against a black background, so artsy, so Owasco.
Um, those leaves didn't fall from no tree. :)
Love the image, and love the prompt!
(Only I would be so slow to recognize them leaves.)
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I pretty much had this experience with one of my kids in the 90's. I did not know as much as he did about computers, and did not know what an icon was. Funny thing, as I was writing, the only two icons I could think of were Burt, and Buckminster Fuller!
Maybe this betrays my age too, but I knew exactly what you meant about that icon known as Burt. Thanks for tagging me. My first thought was, "But the story is already finished! He sees the incriminating evidence, and he's smiling!" but then....