Ergo, the Ogre

Author: Ergo, the Ogre

  • 3TC #MM61 | The Mantra

    3TC #MM61 | The Mantra

    Welcome to the daily Three Things Challenge.
    Use your imagination and creativity using one, two or all three words that may or may not be related. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre, though please keep it family friendly.

    Tag your responses with 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC, and you can add Di’s logo if you wish.


    pink rose

    Looking forward to reading your responses.

    Your final three words this week are:
    HOORAY
    CHEER
    CHANT

    Joan hadn’t done the laundry in a couple of weeks. The family was running out of jeans, shirts, towels, and most importantly, underwear.

    Today was the day and Joan tackled it with gusto! It was early afternoon, and she’d done ten loads of laundry. Only one to go — lucky number eleven.

    She grabbed the box of Cheer®, and it was unusually light. She shook it but there was nothing to shake.

    Oh, no! Am I out of laundry soap?

    Joan was out of laundry soap. She looked everywhere for an extra box but there was nothing.

    Then Joan had an idea: Dish soap! She’d started using Dawn® dish soap and figured if it was gentle enough for baby ducks, it’s probably okay for her family.

    She loaded up the washer and squirted a decent amount of Dawn® on top of the clothes and turned the machine on.

    Hooray! The last load is underway!

    When the cycle ended, Joan went to put the wet clothes in the dryer.

    “Holy, frijole!” The laundry room was inundated with soap suds. Knee deep! Joan opened the washer lid to find more suds covering the clothes She’d have to rinse at least two more times. She didn’t know what to do first, mop or rinse. She decided to mop.

    Two hours later the laundry room floor was cleaner than it had ever been — and probably ever would be again. It had been so long that Joan had forgotten the floor was white, rather than ochre.

    Humph! Who knew?

    Joan then turned the washer on rinse and spin. Again, the laundry room flooded, but only with about half the suds as before.

    Okay, one more time.

    She quickly mopped up the suds and turned the washer to rinse and spin.

    Joan sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of chamomile tea. She closed her eyes and began chanting:

    No more suds

    No more suds

    No more suds ...

    The buzzer went off and she went to check on the clothes and laundry room.

    No more suds

    No more suds

    No more suds …

    Joan’s mantra had worked. There laundry room and the clothes were both suds-free.

    Yes! Clean underwear all around!

    Joan learned a valuable lesson that day: Dawn® is for dishes and baby ducks, not laundry.

  • 3TC #MM60 | The Life of Joe

    3TC #MM60 | The Life of Joe

    Welcome to the daily Three Things Challenge.
    Use your imagination and creativity using one, two or all three words that may or may not be related. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre, though please keep it family friendly.

    Tag your responses with 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC, and you can add Di’s logo if you wish.

    pink rose

    Looking forward to reading your responses.

    Your three words today are:
    HUMDRUM
    DULL

    BORING

    Joe was disappointed in nearly every aspect of his life. His MBA had landed him a mid-level management job in a prestigious company, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t at all what he thought it would be. The first part of the day consisted of Joe fighting to stay awake as he endured humdrum meetings about nothing. After lunch, which he ate alone, he had the task of looking busy when there was nothing to do. That part was exhausting.

    Eventually, it was time to go home. When he arrived, the house was always empty. His son and daughter were at soccer and cheerleading practice, respectively. His wife was usually at some sort of meeting or playing Mahjong with her friends. His dinner was always in the freezer waiting for him to stick in the microwave.

    Yep! I am living the dream, alright!

    As Joe ate his boring dinner alone — macaroni & cheese, usually — he thought about the choices he’d made and what he should’ve done differently.

    First off, he should’ve stayed in Art school. That’s where his interest lies, not in business. He hated business. Then, he should’ve waited until he met someone with whom he fell in love to get married. They were both too young, and she’d gotten pregnant with his child. So that was that.

    And now what to do?

    The kids were nearly grown, and Joe and his wife barely saw each other. When they did spend time together, it was awkward; neither had much to say. They had nothing in common.

    That night, Joe fell asleep on the sofa, as usual, and woke up there also. He didn’t hear his wife, or the kids come home. In fact, everything looked the same as it did before he fell asleep.

    That’s weird…

    So, Joe decided to investigate. He looked in their bedroom and the bed hadn’t been slept in. He opened the closet door and all of his wife’s clothes were gone. Same thing with his daughter and son. They were gone. His family had left him.

    All’s well that ends well; whatever that means. Joe smiled.

  • Ace of Pentacles | In Trouble

    Ace of Pentacles | In Trouble

    Tina was filled with a jealous rage as she watched her neighbor, Shawna, going out on yet another date. This time it was a swarthy yet handsome young man driving one of those new low-rider chariots. He had too much grease in his hair. Even his horses looked greasy.

    Yeah. Shawna and her bad boys. One of these days she’s gonna pick the wrong one. Then she’ll be sorry.

    The young man helped Shawna into the Chariot and kissed her hand. He then ran around to the other side, hopped in, and away they went. Tina could hear his music blasting all the way down the street.

    Gag me with a gyro. Kissing her hand? What a dork.

    Tina threw herself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

    Another crappy Saturday night at home with the family. What is it about Shawna that makes her so popular‽ She isn’t that much prettier than me. Is she? It must be that wavy blonde hair. And those cute dimples in her cheeks.

    Tina rolled off her bed and went downstairs to see what’s for dinner. Her mother was standing at the stove sautéing some lamb ribs.

    “Yum! Lamb ribs. My favorite!”

    “Yes, I know dear.” Her mother, Anita, smiled. “That’s why I’m making them.”

    Tina hugged her mom’s shoulders. “Mom? Am I pretty?”

    She stopped stirring the ribs and looked at her daughter. “What a silly question, Tina. You’re beautiful. Just look in the mirror if you don’t believe me!” Her mother shook her head. “Why would you question that?”

    “How come Shawna is so popular? The guys are crazy about her.”

    “Ahhh! Shawna…” Anita smiled knowingly.

    “May I dye my hair blonde?”

    “Blonde?! Eísai trelós?“*

    “Well… Shawna’s got blonde hair. Maybe that’s what guys like now.”

    Anita turned the flame down under the ribs. “Sit down, Tina. Let me explain something.”

    Tina and her mom sat down at the kitchen table.

    “What, Mom?”

    Anita sighed. “I am trusting you to keep your mouth shut. It’s going to be difficult, but you cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you.”

    “Okay, I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”

    “Promise me?”

    “I promise. Mom, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

    “You know I’m friendly with Shawna’s mother, Angelina.”

    “Yeah, so?”

    “So, we confide in one another.”

    Tina sensed some epic gossip coming her way. “Yeah?”

    “Remember, you promised me you wouldn’t say anything.”

    “I know, Mom. I promise. You’re freaking me out!”

    “Shawna’s pregnant.” Anita said it quickly and quietly. “About three months. She’s going to start showing soon.”

    Tina’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “No way!” This was even more epic than she thought.

    “Yes way, my dear.”

    “Who’s is it?”

    Anita’s face flushed. “I was afraid you’d ask me that.”

    “Why? What’s wrong?”

    “We don’t know. Shawna doesn’t know.”

    Tina was silent for a few moments as she let this news sink in. Nothing like this has ever happened in her circle of friends. “Wow.”

    “Yeah, wow.” Anita echoed. “The reason I told you about Shawna is because I don’t want you thinking you have to do anything to get a boy to like you. He should like you for who you are, not for what you put out.”

    “Mom, geez!” It was Tina’s turn to blush.

    “Tina, you’re my daughter and I love you more than baklava. I want only the best for you. Don’t be fooled like Shawna was. Please?”

    “I won’t Mom. I feel sorry for Shawna but I’m glad you told me. At least now I know there’s nothing wrong with me.”

    “And you’re not going to say anything, right?”

    “I promised, didn’t I?”

    Tina never told a soul.

    *Are you crazy?

  • 3TC #MM59 | A Family

    3TC #MM59 | A Family

    Welcome to the daily Three Things Challenge.
    Use your imagination and creativity using one, two or all three words that may or may not be related. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre, though please keep it family friendly.

    Tag your responses with 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC, and you can add Di’s logo if you wish.

    pink rose

    Looking forward to reading your responses.

    Your three words today are:
    PERHAPS
    PETTY
    PRIMAL

    Norman was a loner. He was the only child of an only child. His father abandoned him and his mother shortly after Norman was born. His mother had no children before or after Norman.

    Norman wasn’t curious about his father and had no desire to search for him. His mother claimed she didn’t know his father’s last name, so even if he wanted to find dear ol’ Dad, he couldn’t.

    He grew up in South Dakota in a rural town with a population of 34. They lived on the money his mother’s parents left when they passed away. Their closest neighbor lived about 2 miles away. Out of necessity, Norman learned to make his own fun. His friends were the animals in the area; dogs, cats, horses, cows, snakes and whatever other animals wandered around.

    Eventually it was time (way past time) for Norman to start school, and he was ill-prepared at best. For whatever reason, it never occurred to his mother to explain the rest of the world to him. They didn’t have a television, let alone an internet connection. The biggest clue she gave him was that Norman would be starting school and there would be lots of kids there. Oh, and he should mind the teacher. Imagine his shock when the school bus pulled up in front of his house on the first day of school. Through the windows of the bus, Norman could see countless other children.

    Where’d they come from? How many more are there out there? Forget it!

    Norman didn’t get on the bus that day, nor did he any other day. Perhaps it was a primal response that Norman chose flight over fight. He could think of no reason to fight but found plenty of reasons for flight.

    Either way, Norman ran. He ran fast and hard and eventually collapsed under a pine tree. He was out of breath and his legs were cramping. He was getting hungry, but didn’t want to go home. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to go home ever again. Not even to see his mom. He felt no connection to her or anything else.

    Finally, Norman fell asleep beneath the pine tree. When he awakened, there were a couple of wolves standing maybe six feet away, staring at him. He wasn’t afraid, as the wolves didn’t seem to want to do him harm.

    “Hi, guys,” Norman greeted them carefully and didn’t move. “I’m Norman.” One wolf walked in a small circle, sat down & made a kind of whining sound. The other one wagged his tail, sort of. So, Norman and the two wolves stared at each other for quite a while. Finally, they got up to leave but kept turning around and looking at Norman. It was like they wanted him to come with them, but he wasn’t sure.

    Norman got up slowly and watched carefully for any sort of reaction. The wolves waited. Norman took a few steps forward and the wolves did the same. They stopped when he stopped.

    So, Norman began to follow them in earnest. Every so often they’d turn around to make sure he was still with them.

    He was.

    Norman stayed right with them.

  • Roger

    Roger

    It’s time for Fandango’s Story Starter. Click here to join in. This week our story starter is:

    When the detective pulled back the sheet, he knew immediately that…

    When the detective pulled back the sheet, he knew immediately that it was time to look for a new job. He couldn’t take it anymore and threw up in a nearby wastebasket. Unlike his peers. Roger never did get used to seeing mangled, tortured and ultimately dead, bodies. Especially kids. Those are the worst but they’re all bad.

    After 30+ years you’d think, he’d long been used to it. But no. It broke his heart and made him sick to his stomach every time. He never should’ve stayed in this profession. But months turn into years turn into decades. The pay was decent, and he didn’t have to be home all that much, which is a huge plus and another story.

    What Roger would have liked to become was a Forensic Anthropologist, like on the TV show Bones. That’s what he was studying for in college, until someone had talked him out of it. Oh yeah, his then girlfriend and future wife — Simona. She pointed out that it was a highly competitive field, and most people ended up as coroners or in academia. Back then, he would’ve done anything for Simona. They were crazy about each other. That was a long time ago.

    Roger had maybe five years until he could retire, a little late in the game for a big career move. But the thought of doing this for another five years seemed like a death sentence. Life without parole, sort of like marriage.

    Then, Roger had an idea. Why not take early retirement, divorce Simona and move to Costa Rica? Better yet, Liechtenstein. He liked cuckoo clocks and could speak German so that might work. It’s expensive to live there, but what else is he going to spend his money on aside from the divorce lawyer‽

    Maybe I should get the divorce first and see what’s left before I go anywhere. Yeah, that’s the smart thing to do.

    For the first time in many years, Roger felt hopeful about the future. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. He had a plan, sort of, and he no longer felt stuck.

    He finished up at the morgue and stopped at Ye Olde Tavern for a few drinks. He felt like talking and there was always plenty of people to talk to.

    People like Roger.