One Lumdog-Hold the Relish

I'm of two minds about Trifecta prompts.  Sometimes, I relish the confining structure; sometimes, I bristle under the constraints. Today, my first reaction is to bristle, my second: bristle and my third: bristle.
_________

 

I wrote this for the Week 74 Trifextra Writing Challenge where we are to write an up to 33 word composition following the same general structure of the quote, below:

 Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And  the third is to be kind.
--Henry James

Despite my bristling protests, I suppose the joke is on me since I entered anyway!

Your comments are appreciated.    

 

Cerro del Muerto

Santiago had a half hectare plot at the base of a mountain called “Cerro del Muerto” in central Mexico.  He raised a few cows and grew corn.  He married Carmen when he was 23 and she was 18 and they had eight children.  Since the income from his land was not enough to support the family, Santiago took extra work in a factory and did other odd jobs.  But he continued to work the land and managed to save a little, here and there.  Carmen worked hard too, cooking all the meals, cleaning the house and hand washing all the clothes.   

Santiago was a humble man, but he knew he could make more money if he could expand his farm, and so, when he could, he bought an extra piece of land:  One little parcel after another, eventually enough to support his family and his grandchildren too.  But, for Santiago, nothing ever changed, he just worked on his farm.  Oddly, very few people in town knew that Santiago, with his worn sombrero and faded overalls, had become the largest land owner in town.  Santiago probably didn’t know that either.

While he never indulged in himself, Santiago finally had to retire his old, rusty pick-up truck and he bought a new one.  This was hardly a luxury, but a real prize for a simple man like Santiago.  On his way into town one day, the new truck stalled on the railroad tracks.  Instead of jumping clear of the oncoming train, he stayed with the truck, trying to get it restarted. The impact was swift and severe.  The truck was unrecognizably mangled.  But Santiago managed to get out of the truck and say, “Yo estoy bien.”  He collapsed a moment later and died where he fell.  

Santiago never really enjoyed his wealth, but he provided very well for his family.  Much of his land has been donated for schools, parks and churches and, ironically, some of the land was sold to build more factories.         

I wrote this for the Week 83 Trifecta Writing Challenge where we are to write a 33-333 word composition using the word “rusty” in the context of something which is a rusty color.

Your comments are appreciated.    

Making the Cut

"Diamond cutting is an art and a science. Not for amateurs.  My first cut, slightly off. My second, a miss. Well... here goes:  'The third time is the charm'...oh shit, pixie dust!"

I wrote this for the Week 73 Trifextra Writing Challenge where we are to write 33 words dealing with the adage, "The third time is the charm."

I have been jammed with a lot of stuff this week and thus, this late entry.  I will try to see as many entires as I can.  I'm glad to have made it though. 

Thank you for your comments.

You Don't Have to Hit Me with a Club

Old timer:  “Hey man, you not in the club?”

Newbie:  “No, I don’t think so.  What club?

OT:  “Jeez man, don’t you know anything? If you want to make it in this town, you got to be in the club.”

N:  “Well, who’s in the club?”

OT:  “Anybody who is anybody.”

N:  O.k., but what does the club do?”

OT:  “Ahh…what do you mean, ‘do’”?

N:  “Like, what activities to you do? Do you raise money for sick kids, sing to people in the hospital, the usual stuff?”

OT:  “Well not exactly, we mainly just sit around and hang out.”

N:  "If I'm understanding you correctly, you're telling me you don't do anything?”

OT:  “Well…shit, that would require work, we just like to drink a lot and smoke cigars.”

N:  “So, it’s really just about being able to say that you hang with the cool people.”

OT:  “Yeah, well…now that you put it that way, that’s pretty much it.”

N:  Ok, how do I get in?”  

I wrote this for the Week 82 Trifecta Writing Challenge where we are to write a 33-333 word composition using the word “club” in the context of an association of persons.

Your  comments are appreciated. 

Jack Did It

"Oh yeah, I remember, I'm in this fleabag hotel reaking of Lysol, wearing nothing but the polyester bedspread around my waist. Ok, I know I had way too much Jack last night, but jeez, I know how to hold my liquor, right?"

"Right darling, my folks will be so happy to hear they have a new son-in-law, shall we call them now?

I wrote this for the Week 71 Trifextra Writing Challenge where we are to write a complete story in three sentences.