Microcosms 18

29 April 2016

All right, ladies and gents, today is Arbor Day! It also happens to be Greenery Day. “What’s Greenery Day?” you ask. “Japanese Greenery Day celebrates the birthday of Japanese Emperor Hirohito. In Japanese culture, Greenery day is a time to commune with nature and to be thankful and appreciative of it’s abundance.” – holidayinsights.com

So, I thought we’d celebrate both holidays this week and use characters and places associated with nature and/or conservation.

As usual, our contest will begin with three things: character, setting, and genre.

We spun, and our three elements are character: celebrity, setting: zoo, and genre: comedy. Okay. Let’s see what you do with that. lol

Feel free to write a story using those or spin a new set of your own. Be sure to include which three elements you’re using.

conservationist
vegetarian
zookeeper
explorer
camper
farmer
Gaia/Mother Earth
Japanese Emperor
gardener
tree trimmer
landscaper
climatologist
celebrity
politician
meteorologist
animal rights activist
animal (your choice)

restaurant
zoo
jungle
forest
tent
palace
garden
meeting room
ship
TV show
arctic/antarctic
desert
ocean
boat/ship
newsroom
computer lab

horror
sci-fi
steam punk
mystery
fantasy
romance
drama
comedy
poem

Spin!

Optional Special Challenge: use one of the following terms – “waldeinsamkeit”, “mångata”, or “komorebi” – somewhere in your story. (More info.)

Judging this week is yours truly, along with one of last week’s winners, CR Smith. 🙂

All submissions should be 100 words in length, give or take 10 words (90 – 110 words). You have until 5 a.m. Saturday, New York time to submit. (This is a deviation from our normal time, due to the delayed posting.)

Winners will receive a copy of the Kindle version of Walden (Illustrated by Clifton Johnson)

(currently available in the US, the UK, Australia, and other territories), or a similarly priced book of their choosing; alternatively, winners may elect to have the monetary equivalent donated to World Reader or another literacy-related charity.

If you like, you may incorporate the following photo prompt (not required).

a path surrounded by tall trees, with a bridge overhead — Japanese Tea Gardens by Laura Shreck

48 responses to “Microcosms 18”

D. E. Park

29 April 2016

“celebrity, zoo, and comedy. Okay. Let’s see what you do with that.”

I saw that movie, Kevin James. Ewww wasn’t that a stinker. Extra points this week for not replicating it? Or embrace the parody and run like the wind?

Reply
Ashley Gardana

29 April 2016

Prime Ape

The apes part as he walks through the Valley (or, what passed as a valley in this shit-hole of a zoo.) Once, he had a pack of thousands. Now, he had five idiots and a two-way mirror. “They” didn’t think he’d notice the people on the other side. “They” were idiots.

Ugh, people; smelly, fleshy, people. The humans no longer threw peanuts as tokens of admiration in this new cage-like Valley. It was a weak token, but it was something.

He sits on his boulder and waits; no tokens, no gifts. Just his youngest descendant coming forward to pick flees out of his hair. At least someone knew their place.

—

@agardana09
110 Words
Zoo, Celebrity, Comedy

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  29 April 2016
  
  See comment below, Ashley.
  
  Reply
Holly Geely

29 April 2016

The Next Big Thing
@hollygeely
110 words
Celebrity, zoo, comedy

Starpop’s agent assured him the park was “the next big thing” in the zoo world, and cutting the ribbon would put him back on the “map.”

Starpop hadn’t done a paying gig in months and his label was threatening to drop him.

“You tricked me,” Starpop said.

Two burly security guards took him by the arms. Struggling was useless, but he couldn’t give up without a fight.

“What else could I do?”

“I topped the charts for ten years!” Starpop said.

“I know, but you’re old now, and nobody loves you anymore. They want to see you in your natural habitat.”

Sour Celebrity Menagerie

Spoiled Rotten, but Not Forgotten!
.

Reply
Geoff

29 April 2016

Big beasts
@geofflepard
108 words celebrity, zoo, comedy

‘You have to be creative in insurance, right.’
Gene nodded. ‘But why a zoo?’
Abraham rubbed his beard. ‘Daft to shut them away in a vault when they can make money. We’ve paid out so we subrogate ourselves and we own whatever’s left.’
Two large eyeless blobs bounced past which Gene dodged. ‘What was that?’
‘A Kardashian buttock and Parton breast. They’re inseparable. After the tragedies we only get to keep the insured bits. The rest of the body belongs to the estate.’ Abraham opened a door. ‘Come on. Let’s try the snake pen. Bill Clinton and Donald Trump’s ongoing contest for bragging rights always draws the punters.’

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  29 April 2016
  
  This had me chuckling, Geoff!
  A Kardashian buttock and Parton breast being inseparable was a surreal image, though it helped to explain the title…
  
  Reply
Bill Engleson

29 April 2016

The Menagerie of Lost Dreamers

“I WANNA SEE ‘UM!”

“Shush, Clementine. Be a proper lady…”

“Oh Momma, you promised…”

“I know I did, sweetie. Mommy always keeps her promise. It’s just…I don’t want you to be disappointed…”

“Momma, I’ve wanted this…like forever.”

“You’re only six, my darling. When you get to be my age, you will understand that they’re not all that important…”

“I’ll never be as old as you are, Mommy.”

“Of course you will, Clemmie. But you’ll always be my little girl.”

“I WANNA SEE ‘UM.”

“And here we are. Can you read the sign?”

“The Donald Trump Greatest Ever Celebrity Petting Zoo.”

“Excellent! Remember Clemmie, don’t get too close. They sometimes bite!”

110 really exciting, one of a kind moments
@billmelaterplea
character: celebrity, setting: zoo, and genre: comedy

Reply
Geoff Holme

29 April 2016

Nice take, Ashley.

(You might want to change ‘flees’ to ‘fleas’ in the penultimate sentence though.)

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  29 April 2016
  
  Oops! “The biter bit” seems an aporopriate metaphor, in tne circumstances. 🙂
  
  Reply
2. Bill Engleson
  
  29 April 2016
  
  A slight distraction from more serious renderings
  
  Flea-Bit
  
  A flea may bite
  but not in flight;
  so flee the sight
  when fleas alight.
  
  When writers fleece
  The reader’s peace
  of mind, then cease
  your reading feast.
  
  When writers tell
  their tales well,
  they do not dwell
  on slight misspells.
  
  An edit flea
  might bite their knee:
  their muse might flee
  their poetry.
  
  Reply
  1. Geoff Holme
    
    29 April 2016
    
    A nice piece of whimsy, Bill, on the flee v flea dichotomy! I found myself favouriting it, even though it isn’t meant to meet this week’s criteria.
    
    (But in the third stanza, ‘their tales well,’ does not follow the strict four syllable metre. Why not ‘stories’ for ‘tales’?)
  2. Bill Engleson
    
    29 April 2016
    
    I suppose, with my ever so slightly diminished hearing, (a bi-product of singing too loudly in the shower,) I hear tay-els. Stories would work a tad better, I agree.
3. Ashley Gardana
  
  29 April 2016
  
  Thanks! I’m not quite sure how to edit though…
  
  Reply
  1. Geoff Holme
    
    30 April 2016
    
    I think you need to ask Kristen to amend it for you 🙂
Stephanie Ellis

29 April 2016

Reclamation

107 words
Elements: conservationist, restaurant, horror
Special challenge: komorebi

@el_Stevie
#FlashDog

Flynn nursed his morning coffee, enjoying the komorebi as it danced across his face. The view from the restaurant balcony was breathtaking. Today he could rest, celebrate the business venture that would draw tourists and not poachers. Land once polluted by hazardous toxins had been returned to nature.

He idly scratched at his arm, flicked something small and white from his skin. It wriggled briefly on the floor and then squirmed back towards him. Irritated, Flynn ground it into a pulp with his heel and walked away. He did not see the maggot flesh reform, inflate, into a heaving mass and crawl blindly, determinedly in his footsteps.

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  29 April 2016
  
  Wow! An idyllic early morning scene, with dappled light through foliage, transformed into a dark and menacing mutant maggot dénouement! I found the theme from Jaws echoing in my head at the end. Great stuff, Steph.
  
  Reply
  1. Stephanie Ellis
    
    29 April 2016
    
    Thanks Geoff. Inspired by the Congo Floor Maggot – http://bogleech.com/bio-flies.html 🙂
  2. Geoff Holme
    
    5 May 2016
    
    Do you have a “Big Book of Horror Story Elements”, Steph? 🙂
Emily Clayton

29 April 2016

Emily Clayton
@emilyiswriting
farmer/tv show/mystery
108 words

Francine’s Wrath

The documentary was a bad idea, but Betsy didn’t think her dairy farm would be raided by authorities on the second day of taping. “Top dog alert” swept through the camera crew, until it reached Betsy as she clamped the last milking cup onto Francine, her favourite Holstein.

Camera crew three alleged they heard a kerfuffle, and a scream.

Betsy was led away in handcuffs on suspicion of second-degree murder. She claimed it was Francine, in response to Agent Nabi’s inappropriately placed hand—Hey, top dog! Mind your hot dog!—but the authorities wouldn’t budge.

She still cited Francine’s influence as the cruiser slammed into the nearest tree.

Reply
Brady Koch

29 April 2016

Featured Exhibits

It was bad enough Marla had to sneak chicken nuggets at the school cafeteria, now she had to look at the elephant with no trunk. The other exhibits at the zoo were as depressing: the fox looked like it’d crawled from under a running lawnmower, the lions had three eyes between them and someone had flipped the alligators on their backs.

“Isn’t this beautiful?” Dad asked.

“Sure,” Marla sulked, looking at what had become of her college fund.

“At least smile for the cameras.”

She refused. He’d replaced every zoo animals he’d liberated with taxidermies from bankrupt museums; an obsession to become the leading vegan activist on the talk show circuit.

110 words
celebrity/zoo/comedy
@BradyTheWriter

Reply
D. E. Park

29 April 2016

Johnny Appalling
Dave @ParkInkSpot
100 words, Celebrity/TV Show/Sci-Fi
—
Tonight on Criminals At Large: Johnny Appalling.

Carduus sanguinem hunts by surprise, launching neurotoxic needles with astonishing accuracy when it detects ground tremors made by animals, or people, moving nearby. Carcasses often surround the thistles and decompose into fertilizer.

The blood thistles first appeared in the summer of 2027, reported in sixteen American states simultaneously. Seventy Americans have lost their lives to date.

John Aperlo is the molecular geneticist who gene spliced the species in 2025. His exact methods are unknown, but authorities believe he backpacked across the country in 2026, planting thousands of seeds of this invasive predatory plant.

Reply
1. Daisy Warwick
  
  30 April 2016
  
  Creepy and well written. Are plants really innocent? Great stuff Dave!
  
  Reply
2. Geoff Holme
  
  30 April 2016
  
  Johnny Appleseed in reverse, eh, Dave? Clever take.
  [ Your Latin seems a little awry though- Carduus sanguineus might be a better bet. 🙂 ]
  
  Reply
  1. Geoff Holme
    
    5 May 2016
    
    I forgot to say what a triffid… er… I mean teriffic story this is, Dave. 🙂
Leara Morris-Clark

29 April 2016

Epicurean
Celebrity/Zoo/Comedy
WC 110

I arrived at the zoo, incognito, and followed signs to the aviary. The staff escorted me into the enclosure for the Arbor Day event. A conservation group organized it to raise awareness about humanity’s impact on Earth.

The itchy wig was necessary. My favorite diva-shades helped disguise large almond-shaped eyes, and the “Keep the planet clean, it’s not Uranus!” t-shirt was sure to avert suspicion.

A lecture about responsibility to the planet and its animal inhabitants preceded a meditative time to commune with nature, during which I snacked on Parakeets and stuffed a Macaw in my knapsack.

Being a celebrity on my planet afforded me exotic experiences, including cosmic delicacies.

Leara Morris-Clark
@learavoice
https://learawrites.wordpress.com/

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  30 April 2016
  
  Where can I buy a “Keep the planet clean, it’s not Uranus!” t-shirt? 🙂
  
  The ending had me thinking of the Monty Python “Albatross! Gannet on a stick!” sketch.
  
  Well done!
  
  Reply
  1. Leara Morris-Clark
    
    30 April 2016
    
    Thanks! If you Google it, you will find some t-shirt options 🙂
  2. Geoff Holme
    
    3 May 2016
    
    Oh, and I thought you’d dreamed that up yourself, Leara! 🙁
  3. Leara Morris-Clark
    
    3 May 2016
    
    I wish I had! I was cracking up at it. Came across it when I was reading about conservationism.
Epicurean – LearaWrites

29 April 2016

[…] Written for Microcosms 18 weekly contest. Related to Arbor Day with prompts celebrity/zoo/comedy. WC 110. Photo by Eric […]

Reply
Daisy Warwick

29 April 2016

@WarwickDaisy
Zookeeper/ Meeting room/ Fantasy
105 Words
Minutes of meeting 77: Negotiations between the Carpenter’s Guild and the National Tree Party

“Mr Beech, I assure you, our carpenters won’t hurt the seedlings one bit,” said Larry Swanson, tapping his pen on the large oak conference table.
“I want a better deal than two seedlings for every trunk,” said Mr Birch.
“That’s quite reasonable I assure you. For every life taken you receive an extra in return,” said Larry.
“Oh no! I don’t think so. Willows can out-live humans, so two for one is not enough,” said Mr Willow.
“Agreed,” chorused Mr Birch, Mr Elm and Mr Oak.
“Three for one,” sighed Larry.
“Four,” said Mr Birch, holding out his bark-covered hand for confirmation.
“Deal,” muttered Larry.

Reply
1. Daisy Warwick
  
  29 April 2016
  
  I just realised I got into the Arbor day bit of the prompt and forgot about the Zookeeper =/ Oh well, I had fun with that one, I’ll have a think and see if I can come up with another one!
  
  Reply
Voima Oy

29 April 2016

Forbidden Love
@voimaoy
107 words
animal rights activist/jungle/romance

There was a lady who married a tiger. She was an animal rights activist named Julie Daniels-Midland, and she was shooting a documentary on the tigers of Sumatra when they met. He was called Felix by the people at the animal sanctuary, but his tiger name was Silent Razor because of his razor-sharp claws.

It was forbidden love at first sight.

Their daughter was named Gloria. Both human and feline, where was her place in this world? She took the tiger name of Light through Leaves and vanished in the jungles of Sumatra.

How wild are the hearts of tigers! How mysterious the minds of men!

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  30 April 2016
  
  You pack so much detail into this brief story, Voima. A wonderful fairy tale feel to it.
  
  Reply
  1. Voima Oy
    
    30 April 2016
    
    Thank you Geoff. Much appreciated. 🙂
Daisy Warwick

29 April 2016

2nd Try!

@WarwickDaisy
Zookeeper/ Meeting Room/ Fantasy
110 Words
Going Up In the World

Archie Hemming approached the meeting room cautiously. His hands tingled with excitement and his face felt hot as he led Tyrion, his pet lion, behind him.
Today was the big day. At least he hoped it was the big day that the head zookeeper would give him his own office. He’d written all of his reports on time, despite being hassled by chimps throwing poo at his desk. He could have sat closer to the reptiles, but they were too quiet.
Ten minutes later and Archie had been given a tree-house office in the giraffe enclosure. It wasn’t exactly as he’d hoped, but he supposed they might be better company.

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  30 April 2016
  
  Tree-house office? Sounds like there will be scope for komorebi! Lovely story, Daisy.
  
  Reply
  1. Daisy Warwick
    
    30 April 2016
    
    Thanks Geoff! Imagine sitting down to get some writing done and finding a black tongue snaking over your shoulder to get at your cuppa, or snacking on your desk plant. =)
Firdaus Parvez

29 April 2016

@firdausp
(110 words)
Make believe

The large screen displayed multiple small windows, one for every cage in the zoo. He sat there with a smug smile on his face.
He watched the faces of people on other screens as they stood in awe and some in delight outside the various cages.
It had been a difficult job sneaking out all the animals to the forest. The chimpanzees just wouldn’t stop chattering. He hated using the tranquilizer.
Now he watched the holograms of the animals he’d created with pride. No one could guess.
He pressed a button and the Bengal Tiger roared. The crowd gasped.
That is when he noticed that its stripes were all wrong.

Zookeeper/Computer lab/ fantasy

Reply
1. Geoff Holme
  
  30 April 2016
  
  The best laid plans… What a wonderful idea, Firdaus.
  [ I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to spot an incorrect bar-code on a Bengal tiger… 🙂 ]
  
  Reply
  1. Firdaus Parvez
    
    30 April 2016
    
    Thankyou Geoff. I think I wouldn’t either unless they were horizontal. 🙂
Geoff Holme

30 April 2016

@GeoffHolme
#FlashDogs
Word Count: 110
Conservationist / Zoo / Romance
Special Challenge accepted: all three – hidden!

Rara Avis

“Sally! Come in.”

“Happy birthday, Ed. Oh… you’re packing.”

“Yeah. I’m… leaving the zoo. Finally got another conservation job. Don’t want to end up just a footnote: OSWALD, E. in Sam Keithley’s ‘Ornithological Crises’.”

“Where are you going?”

“New Zealand. Two endangered forest birds, same genus – one North Island, the other South. The latter is recently data deficient.”

“Uh?”

“They haven’t been spotted for a while; possibly extinct.”

“What are they called?”

“Kōkako: more birds are needed to take them off the critical list.”

“Looks like this is a farewell present: one of your favourite Japanese comic books.”

“Manga? Ta!”

“I’ll… miss you.”

“Hey, don’t cry, Sally… Come with me!”

Reply
1. Firdaus Parvez
  
  30 April 2016
  
  Ahh! Very clever. I see what you did there. 🙂 well done!
  
  Reply
  1. Geoff Holme
    
    3 May 2016
    
    Thank you so very much!
2. Voima Oy
  
  2 May 2016
  
  Wonderful story, Geoff! I wish i could vote for it over and over 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. Geoff Holme
    
    3 May 2016
    
    Thank you, Voima. I wish you could vote for it over and over too! (Perhaps marks out of 10 could be a suggestion for Kristen 🙂 )
rustic invitations wedding

21 August 2016

I agree with every word you write, and I can prove this in no better way than by taking your advice from beginning to end.

Reply

Microcosms 18

Share this:

48 responses to “Microcosms 18”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply