A Story a Day May: May 17th – 10 keywords ‘The big game’

My first thought when I saw today’s prompt from http://storyaday.org was “fantastic”. 10 words to weave into today’s story. I love things like this (see May 13^th) and was glad of something ‘easy’ as I have another packed day today. The words given to us are in bold.

Joe was a regular kind of guy. Regular name, job (and therefore income), stature, looks.

Like anyone he loved holidays and preferred sun, sand and Sangria to exploring the deepest outbacks, a wildlife trek or climbing mountains. He and his three mates Tom, Rick and Bill would have the same week off every year, the first week in August, go to the travel agent, look in their window and pick something from the top row. As long as it was hot and had a beach they were happy. They could muck around anywhere.

During that week their wives would do their own things; a sun holiday elsewhere, a spa pamper packages or shopping trips to out-of-town retail outlet villages. These breaks would give them all time to remember their single lives for just long enough to have fun but then they’d start missing their partners and make up for being apart when they were reunited.

With the girls already booked in at a Scottish castle, the guys stood outside their local travel agents.

“I can’t see anything beachy,” Rick said.

“Me neither,” Tom agreed.

“Do we have to stick with the top row?” Bill asked.

“That’s the rule,” Joe reminded them.

“I’m going inside,” Rick said, Tom following him.

“But there’s nothing there,” Bill moaned to Joe as they continued to stare at the cards in the window.

“There’s plenty.”

“Yeah, on the second, third…”

“We always stick to the top.”

“Well, maybe this year…”

“And it’s worked out, hasn’t it? Maybe it’s time to do something different.” Joe pointed to the middle card on the top row. “There’s a shooting trip to Kenya.”

“You know Tom’s a vegetarian.”

“I don’t think it’s that kind of shoot. Photography I’d say. They wouldn’t let you kill…”

“No, you’re right, Joe, they wouldn’t.”

“And the animals are in their natural habitat.”

“I suppose so.”

“But it would work out some of Rick’s frustration,” Joe conceded.

“About what?”

“He’s not told you?”

Bill shook his head.

“Mandy’s had an affair.”

“No!” Bill slapped his right hand over his mouth.

“Yeah, last summer. The only year you… When we were in…”

“Malaga. And he’s coming away with us this year?”

“She said it was a one-off.”

“She’s always been a bit… When did he find out?”

“Last week.”

“Last week! How?”

“He got her suitcase down from the loft and found some incriminating evidence.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure he knows who the guy is but…”

“And let’s hope he never finds out.”

“Why?”

“Well…” Bill hesitated. “It might be someone he knows.”

“His friends wouldn’t do that to him.”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“If he did something first.”

“What?”

“OK, let’s take that trip then,” Bill said, changing the subject, then lead the way, pulling at the shop door.

“It says ‘push’, Bill.”

The two men walked into the travel agent and headed for Tom and Rick.

Tom beamed at them. “We’ve found the perfect holiday.”

“Oh yes?” Joe smiled weakly.

“Yeah!” Tom grinned. “Trip to Kenya. Big hulking animals…” Then he turned to Bill. “And even bigger hulking guns.”

 

So, the words we were given (by the wonderful guys at http://www.creativecopychallenge.com do check them out) were: regular, sun, wild, muck, shoot, frustration, hand, take, push, trip and unlike usual exercises like this I decided to include them in that exact order. A couple of times I was tempted to deviate but it was more fun not to. The hardest one turned out to be ‘frustration’ as I wanted to put ‘frustrated’ or ‘frustrate’ and as I’d sort of cheated with wild/wildlife, I was determined to use the full word and I got there. And the best thing was that it took me about half an hour so had it done before I walked the dog, had a shower and headed off for my Red Cross stint (see yesterday’s ditty (part one) – http://wp.me/p18Ztn-9H).

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