Wordy Wednesday: Camping Candle

Today's picture prompt is attributed to B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member, writer, and blogger Parul Kashyap Thakur.

I met Parul online via the April A to Z challenge where I was impressed by her fervent writings on pressing women's issues that I could tell were dear to her heart (and wish were on everyone's heart).

Parul writes about "Everything about my idea of happiness, food and a lot of food for thought!" according to her site's home page (https://happinessandfood.wordpress.com/).

Her recent post, a tribute to fathers on Father's Day is an easy-to-read post mostly made up of infographics with some rather interesting statistics about fathers: https://happinessandfood.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/for-fathers-on-this-day/

I find Parul to be a kind, warm, compassionate being expressed through her writings in terms of what she blogs about. I highly recommend you consider reading her blog: I doubt you will regret it as you will probably learn something new at least!

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The Kampers loved to camp (and not just because of their name). Their favourite pastime was lighting a fire to sing campfire songs, tell stories (especially ghost stories), and roast marshmallows.

Sometimes they would camp afar, sometimes closer to home, and even at times in the event of inclement weather on their house deck.

It was this one impending storm that drove the Kampers to their deck. They gathered round in their cozy hoodies and blanets, hot drinks in hand, not around their usual campfire unfortunately.

Instead, one lit candle stood tall and glowed, sheltered by glass as if from potential harm. It occasionally flickered at first, and eventually more fervently where the flame tossed mercilessly as the wind gathered force.

The wind howled picking pace and along with it anything on its path. The Kampers fled to their basement in fear, forgetting the lone candle standing there, at least for now.

Wordy Wednesday: The Tomato Family

Today's picture prompt was submitted by B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member, Aparna George who blogs about being a parent and learning to live in the moment: http://apster.blogspot.in/.

How appropriate! My immediate thought of this photo was Tomato family. I kid you not! And yes, I am writing this impromptu!
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It was time. Yes, time for Tomato family to get their weekly photo taken. I know, I know it sounds silly, but hey wait a minute, let me explain.

You see the upcoming fair is coming to town and there are prizes to be awarded. And this includes tomatoes. But wait a minute, NOT just tomatoes. These here are heirloom tomatoes!

Meanwhile preparing for the shot, Ma Tomato was becoming quite hot and flustered, thus looking rather red and ripe, more so than Pa Tomato beside her and other members of her family: four grownup children and two young stepchildren, babies in fact. They sure were a sight for the eyes as they were such a large family!

However, would they be a sight for the judges in a few weeks time? That was the question!


I am linking this to Wordy Wednesday at Blog-A-Rhythm (https://blogarhythmblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/wordy-wednesday-2-may-2015-pictureprompt/).

Wordy Wednesday: Masked!

Picture prompt by Shailaja

He couldn't sleep. In fact, he was so scared, he couldn't move. He was paralyzed with fear!

Jimmy, age 12 looked to the wall opposite his bed. What he saw scared him out of his wits! He wanted to scream, but his tongue was frozen in fear.

It was his first day at the cabin where three other campers his age were sleeping, all in bunkbeds, Jimmy on the bottom of one. He was in unfamiliar surroundings. Oh, how he wished to be in the comfort of his room, in his own bed.

An image of the side of a face painted with three bright orange circles at the bridge of the nose upwards was staring Jimmy in the face, and grinning! It wasn't a normal-looking face, though he thought it might be a dead spirit of some kind.

It certainly didn't help that one of the boys taunted him by reading part of a spooky story just before bedtime. And it certainly didn't help matters that it was a mystery based in Africa with cannibals.

Did this 'man' hold some magical power which made Jimmy's tongue stuck so he couldn't speak? Who was he? And more importantly, what did he want?!

Jimmy squeezed his eyes tight for a few seconds and opened them only to find the big eye still looking at him. He decided he needed to do something 'cause he was so tired from travelling and playing that day.

Jimmy started to concentrate on his breathing, slowing it down as he learned during yoga class at camp that very morning. He started to relax a bit (not looking at the face) and counted to 10 in his head, a pace equivalent to saying "Abracadabra" at least twice at a slower speed, before running to the light switch, a bunk bed away from his.

With the light on, Jimmy looked immediately at the man and noticed it looked different. In fact, it wasn't scary at all!

He walked to the window, noticed the curtain slightly ajar, and peered outside in the dark.

Looking through the window and then to the 'mask' back and forth, back and forth, Jimmy came to realize what happened. What he saw - it took a few moments to register - made sense!

The partially crescent moon formed an oval eye, the nose and mouth shaped by the moon whose light struck part of a sailboat moored at the dock, reflecting through the cabin's window to the former masked image.

The three circles were already on this unusual, ancient-looking instrument, an old drum that was hanging on the wall. The long rod beside it was its companion. It essentially helped to secure the drum steadfastly against the wall.

While the other cabin mates were sleeping soundly, Jimmy drew the curtains shut, turned off the cabin light, crawled into bed, and closed his eyes. He was so ready for a good night's sleep, and hoped his much-deserved sleep would awaken him with pleasant dreams.

This post is written as a picture prompt from Shailaja V. for Wordy Wednesday at the "BAR" (Blog-A-Rhythm). ;)