Saturday Centus - Haunted House?

My favorite day of the week is Saturday. Even when I have to work! Why? Because that means it's time for another edition of Saturday Centus. Jenny Matlock at Off On My Tangent hosts this fun event every week. I don't know that I've ever thanked Jenny for letting my muse run free. Sure, I've been writing since I was in high school (back in the dark ages. You know, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and all that) but I never, ever let anyone read my work. Until I met Jenny. She gives us a prompt. We then write a short (and I do mean short) story of 100 words or less. This has been so much fun, and it's given me the kick in the pants I needed to start writing again. And my fellow Centusians? The greatest group of people you will ever meet. I don't think I have ever read a nasty comment from any of them. Well, except when Tom gets going on the South. But I know he says those things out of love. Really. I think he is a closet Reb. "Me thinks he doth protest too much" and all that jazz. HA! Seriously though, join us! It's so much fun, and it's a great outlet for pent up creativity. Jenny leaves the link live for the entire week, so what are you waiting for? This week Jenny has given us a nice little prompt, beautiful in it's simplicity. Can't wait to see what everyone does with it. The prompt is in bold italics. Enjoy!

The decrepit old Victorian stood sentinel on it's hill, daring anyone to come near. Greg and Bill crept up the crumbling brick walk, determined to get into the old Sawyer place. Frankie had bet them 5 bucks they couldn't stay the night. "That place is full of haints, you won't last a minute!" With the moon lighting their way, they walked up sagging porch steps. Hearts pounding, they glanced up at the second floor window, where old man Sawyer went nuts and chopped his family to pieces. The curtain parted. Their screams echoed all the way down Catfish Alley as they ran home.

Saturday Centus - Slick Rick

Good morning fellow Centusians! It's a beautiful day and I'm getting ready to march on the Capitol. But first things first, it's time for Saturday Centus, so graciously hosted every week by the lovely Jenny Matlock at Off on my Tangent. If you don't know the drill by now, Jenny provides us with a prompt and we write a short story of 100 words or less, exclusive of the prompt. I've had an idea for today's Centus in mind all week. I worried that I might have a problem working the prompt into the story, but Jenny must have read my mind. The prompt is PERFECT! Perfect, I tell you. I try very hard to keep politics and rants out of my posts. But our State is in a crisis, and the people who will suffer are the most vulnerable, our children. So I hope you forgive me if I indulge in a bit of a rant this week. The prompt is in bold italics.

"The lieutenant governor, the speaker, their colleagues aren’t going to hire or fire one teacher, as best I can tell,” Perry said. “That is a local decision that will be made at the local districts.” The Senator shook his head in disbelief. Why had the Governor made that statement? He had never been accused of being intelligent, but the Governor was a political animal who knew better than to throw gasoline onto an already explosive situation. What had started as a small rally protesting education cuts had blossomed into a massive public relations nightmare. He turned back to his reading. Texas Constitution, Article 15. Impeachment.

Saturday Centus - Blue Note

It's time to visit Jenny Matlock at Off On My Tangent for Saturday Centus. Give Jenny some extra love this week, she's had a rough time with some dental work. Yet she still manages to host this fun event! The rules are simple. Jenny provides us with a prompt. We let our imaginations run wild and write a short story of up to 100 words, exclusive of the prompt. No pictures, no vulgarity and the prompt must be used intact in the the story. Simple, right? Jenny even leaves the link live for a full week, so you have plenty of time to pen a tale and join this merry band of Centusians. Join us! I promise you'll have fun. The prompt for this week's story is in bold italics.

Blue Note

Friday night. The place was hoppin'! Jake heard the clink of bottles, the low hum of the crowd, an occasional burst of raucous laughter cutting through the din. Layers of smoke hung in the air, thick as cotton. Jake looked down at his horn, his faithful companion, the finish worn from years of jamming in joints like this. She'd earned her keep tonight, drawing the attention of the sharp dressed man at the back table. Minnie, grinning from ear to ear, slipped him the card between sets. Jake stared in disbelief at the words. Eli Slaughter - Blue Note Records. Everything depended upon this single card.