The kids are back to school, there is a slight nip to the air, and we are barely finished with the first week of September. Guess that means I have new victims, um, I mean volunteers for the new prompts. As usual I hope I have something fresh and tempting to get you to write again.

Prompt 260 – Creative
Tag – list of words
Use the following words in a story – plane ticket, watch, broken shoe, flash light, nude statue

Prompt 261 – Creative
Tag – The Changeling
One look and you knew the child wasn’t the same one the parents had left the hospital with. How do you explain to the two worried parents that their child isn’t really sick, but that the iron cross that they put on to protect the child is killing it, and that their baby isn’t the one they are crying over. Cursed as you are to see all of reality for what it really is, how do you tell them that their beloved child is a changeling?

It seems that there are three authors who just seem to attempt the prompts regularly lately, for which I am eternally grateful. This time the prompt story chosen dealt with the author using the first line - “So you decided to tell me that now?” We had two authors attempt it and both went for weddings, but Kitt had a more comedic take on it which sort of reminded me of some weddings I've been to. Curious? Well here is part of Kitt's story, Two Weddings and a Nervous Breakdown.

“So you decided to tell me that now?” Susan looked at her best friend like he had suddenly grown horns and a tail.
“Well, I just sort of thought you should know. Come on, it isn’t like I am the groom telling you I’m gay the night before the wedding!”
Sue took a deep breath, earning her a dirty look from the seamstress. The wedding gown fittings had been stressful enough. Every time she tried the silly thing on some other little chunk of it hung wrong. This was the third fitting in two weeks, the wedding was less than two weeks off and still it wasn't even close to right.
The entire wedding seemed to be cursed.
First there was trouble with the hall. The idiot manager had booked two weddings into the same ballroom. Top that with the fact the other couple had paid not only a deposit but the full projected cost. Sue and her fiance were out in the cold. Quite literally. The only alternative the place could offer was a garden venue. Not what would be called ideal for a February wedding? The icing on the cake was they tried to refuse to return the deposit. Since they were offering the garden at a “considerable discount” they seemed to think it unreasonable not to want to freeze the guests.
A round of frantic calls and visits were split up between the bride, groom, and both sets of parents. Finally a new location was found, and everyone rushed over there together to do the paperwork and work out the best routes to send the guests along to get there. The new place was so far out in the Pennsylvania countryside anyone without Sat-Nav ran a real risk of getting lost.
The caterer had gone out of business with just two months left to find and book a new one. Again the family split up for a round of frantic shopping and tasting. Having found a new caterer didn’t seem to be much help though. The caterer and the hall manager seemed to have a history. A bad one! It took extended pleading and cajoling to get things moving again, with both the hall and the caterer promising dire consequences if the other steps out of line.
Finding a florist has proven close to impossible. Who knew so many people would want to get married on the same weekend?
Finally the details were finalized (again) and the invitations sent. Surprisingly the guest list didn't balloon out of control the way they can at times. Everyone respected the idea if someone was not specifically mentioned, they were not included in the invitation and there were no instances of “Mr. & Mrs. J. Smith and children” responding for 8, sighting companions for the three children mentioned. Sue and her fiance were blessed with some of the best family out there. Now if only this woman could get the gown to fit properly…….
Now here she was with yet another gown fitting being scheduled, a case of nervous exhaustion threatening, and now her best friend in the world tells her he is running off to New York State to get married. This weekend, the weekend before her wedding.

The attempts at the other prompt last week can be found here - http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/37571-prompt-259-creative/

Remember - All entries for the Fall Anthology - Pandora's Box are due by September 8th. If you are still working on yours, hurry!

In the meantime remember to read, write, and review. Have a good week everyone.

- Wayne