Written for Esther’s “Can You Tell A Story In” – #312,
exactly 77 words using these 7 prompt words:
wishy-washy’, ‘marshmallow’, ‘impound’,
‘eagle’, ‘violin’, ‘balcony’, and ‘roster’.
Here’s my flash in 77 words.
Tag: Robbery
Death and Taxes
Written for Song Lyric Sunday
where the challenge is to write
about a song dealing with taxes
and/or money. Here’s my response.
And The Band Played On
Today I have reprised a story from 2018.
Rewritten for The Unicorn Challenge where
we are urged to get creative in 250 words or less.
The photo below is our inspiration; this is my story.
TIS THE SEASON
We headed out last night to buy our Christmas tree. It’s not like me to wait this long to decorate; it was just one thing after the other this year and before I knew it, Christmas was one week away and we still didn’t have a tree.
There’s one place in town we always go to; it’s run by the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and I’d rather give them my money than some fancy nursery. At least I know all proceeds go to an excellent cause.
Right after Thanksgiving the VFW starts selling Christmas trees. A certain number of trees are immediately sent to our forces stationed overseas and others are donated to hospitals, nursing homes and other groups in need of trees to decorate. There’s a home for mentally challenged adults in my town as well as a religious retreat house run by Franciscan friars; both places receive multiple trees from the VFW.
We arrived at the tree lot around 3:30, just after the kids got home from school, and I was shocked to see some mighty slim pickings. Just the other day when I drove by there were hundreds of gorgeous trees – Blue Spruce, Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir and others. Where the heck had they all gone?
That’s exactly what I asked Phil, one of the volunteers who was working the lot last night. He told me that many of the trees were sold already, which was completely understandable; then he recounted something that just blew my mind.
The lot had been robbed the night before! Some clowns with a metal cutter snipped their way through the fence and in the middle of the night made off with about 150 trees! They were obviously organized and came with the manpower as well as the horsepower to make off with that many trees. They probably headed over to New Jersey or Connecticut to sell the trees at a huge profit.
Only despicable trash, the lowest of the low, would steal Christmas trees from the veterans! That’s like snatching a kid’s candy cane or taking an old man’s walker. It’s a real cheap shot and now the VFW was out thousands of dollars!
So, there we were on December 19th, standing in the middle of the VFW tree lot staring at a bunch of Charlie Brown Christmas trees. I actually thought about going home, climbing up to the attic and dragging down my mother’s old silver aluminum tree she used years ago when they were all the rage. But then Phil said something that brought me back down to earth.
“Sorry for the measly selection. If you head over to Redwood Nursery, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of beautiful trees to choose from.”
This guy and the VFW had just lost a ton of money and he was willing to sacrifice another sale just so I could have a gorgeous Christmas tree in my house. Wow, talk about the “Spirit of Christmas”!
We walked around the lot until we found a tree that was practically begging for us to take it home. Phil tied it onto the top of my car and we headed home.
We placed our new tree in a stand full of water and sat down for dinner. When we returned to the living room to decorate, that wonky tree looked a little fuller and stood a bit prouder and I knew it wasn’t my imagination playing tricks on me.
One little tree was all it took to remind me of the true meaning of Christmas.
NAR © 2023
This is “One Little Christmas Tree” by Stevie Wonder.
I hope you’ll join me today
as we continue with
In The Groove:
Sounds Of The Season.
It’s going to be a joyous week!
https://rhythmsection.blog/
POOR ALTHEA’S BOY
Sirens tore through the silence of the crisp fall night as police responded to a robbery on Corsa Avenue, a quiet street of middle class two story homes in The Bronx, NY.
Police officers Ralph Taylor and Mario DeMarco were the first to arrive at the scene. Jasper Gardner, an eye witness, told the officers he was out walking his dog when two guys came running down the front steps of the house in such a hurry, they practically knocked him over. When asked for a description, Mr. Gardener said it happened so fast, he didn’t get a good look at them, just that they were wearing dark hooded sweatshirts.
The homeowners, Drew and Chloe Bennett, apparently arrived home from work while the intruders were still inside their house. Tenant Albert Farrell who occupies the first floor of the Bennetts’ house was home at the time. When questioned, Mr. Farrell stated that he was playing video games all evening with his headphones on and didn’t hear anything. The police speculated that the rumbling noise of the Bennetts’ electric garage door scared off the intruders.
The police determined that the perps didn’t have much time; only the bedroom had been ransacked. They probably knew the Bennetts’ regular work schedule and got spooked when the couple came home early. There were also muddy footprints in the backyard and on the fire escape leading to the second floor. No doubt the intruders gained access through a bedroom window.
When police asked the Bennetts what was missing, Chloe Bennett pointed to her suede coat on the floor. “Look at this” she told the police. “They left my expensive suede coat behind but ripped off the faux fur collar and took it with them, probably thinking it was real fur.”
When asked if any valuables were missing, Drew Bennett said that other than the jewelry his wife was wearing, everything was in an armoire in their bedroom. “These guy are idiots and have no idea of the value of things!” he exclaimed. “My wife’s collection of Lenox and Lladro figurines hasn’t been touched. And my original John Lennon drawing is hanging right there. I’ll bet this was all done by those no good, lousy punks Chucky Green and Bobo Bulfamente! What a couple of losers!”
The police were well acquainted with Charles “Chucky” Green and Roberto “Bobo” Bulfamente, small time thieves who grew up in the neighborhood. Bobo was currently staying with his sister and brother-in-law; Chucky lived with his mother, Althea. Both had been picked up several times for petty thefts but were always released. Police never found anything on them; they couldn’t even charge them with breaking and entering.
Chucky and Bobo worked as a team, entering houses and apartments when the homeowners were out; they scored a few items which Bobo stashed in the trunk of a rusted-out car in his brother-in-law’s garage. When they collected enough stuff to hawk, Chucky and Bobo were going to take off for Miami to try their luck in new turf. The one thing Bobo never told Chucky about was the pair of diamond earrings he pocketed one night. Bobo figured if Chucky ever got nabbed, those earrings would be his ticket out of The Bronx, even if it meant turning his back on Chucky.
By now a crowd of people had gathered near The Bennetts’ house. One man quickly walked over to the cops to report seeing Bobo racing down Given Avenue. Officers Taylor and DeMarco jumped into their car and sped to Given where they came upon an accident. Getting out to investigate, they spotted Bobo craning his neck for a better look. Bobo wasn’t even aware of Officer DeMarco until he was right on top of him. DeMarco nabbed Bobo, handcuffed him, tossed him into the back of the police car and locked the doors. It was only a matter of time before the cops would discover Bobo’s stash in the rusted-out car, including the diamond earrings. His string of breaking and entering would be over and he’d be shipped off to the slammer … if only temporarily.
Meanwhile Officer Taylor approached the accident scene. A bus and a truck had collided; pinned between the two vehicles was a very unfortunate Chucky Green. His run of small time thefts had come to an end … permanently. On the ground lay a pillowcase containing a few items, including Chloe Bennett’s faux fur collar. Charles “Chucky” Green got pinned last night but not the way the police expected and certainly not the way they hoped.
“Alright folks. The excitement is over. Go on home now” announced Officer Taylor. “Ok, Mario, let’s bring Bozo Bobo down to the station. And get a squad car over to Chucky’s house; someone’s gotta break the news to his mother. No matter what a screw up Chucky was, he’s still her son. Poor woman.”
NAR © 2023
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The Elephant's Trunk 