
As you can imagine, I was outraged. Finger pointing at the pile of trash dumped on the sidewalk, I tried to summon words: “Who? Who? Who?”
Henry, who liked to think of himself as something of a wit, jibed “What are you? An owl?”
I tried again. “What? What kind,” my lip curled, “… of person … does this?”
“Pretty ugly,” he agreed. “A real eyesore.”
And then it came to me, a chance to out-Henry Henry. “Help keep America beautiful. Throw away something lovely today.”
We strolled on, laughing.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Nice one, Neil, but keep it quiet, or the (off)White House might use it as a campaign slogan
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We can only hope
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I like the last line 🙂
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It’s all about the last line
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That’s true!
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Brilliant. Making the best of a grumpy moment with resounding humour.
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Thanks so much, James
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Dear Neil,
Humour in the best and worst of times.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle
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The rage is beautifully articulated.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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Sometimes laughing is all one can do. Keep America Beautiful what a catchphrase. 😀
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I adapted it from a well-known leader
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Out-Henry Henry. I like that 🙂 My like button still isn’t working, so consider. yourself liked.
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Thanks so much, Linda
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I love the tone of this piece
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Thanks so much, Joshua
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I like the characterisation of this story. You give a very clear picture of the two men. Wonderful take on the prompt, too.
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Thanks so much, Penny
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LOL … a bit of tongue in cheek for the White House guy.
We just can’t keep up with it all so we might as well laugh.
Have a great day … Be Safe
Isadora 😎
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Even with a clown in charge, satire is still possible
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😆😎
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Though I don’t understand the reference, being English, I like the voices in this.
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Thanks, Liz. By the way, I’m Scots
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Biting political commentary, Neil. It does represent the current demented mindset of American leadership. When I watched and listened to his comments about the current wildfires consuming the West Coast, I wasn’t laughing.
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Thanks so much, Jade
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You’re welcome.
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Nice turn of a phrase! I enjoyed this story 🙂
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Thanks so much, Sue
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Laughter is all that’s left really, everything else has been thrown away. Nice relationship in this story Neil.
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Thanks so much, Iain
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One needs humour some times. My dog picks up plastic bottles and drops them next to litter bins. If only he would drop them into the bin.🙂
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Sometimes it’s hard to maintain a sense of humour
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When sputtering your anger leaves you empty, laugh…
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Thanks, Dale
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I see this as a strong and comfortable friendship between two people who can be totally relaxed with each other. Great dialogue.
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I like the generosity of that reading, Jilly
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Not a bad idea!
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Thanks
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Great commentary, this could be read in many ways, keeps the reader guessing as to what the author actually wanted to convey, so in my book thats mighty fine. Good stuff Neil
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Stories are like kaleidoscopes. The reader will always see in it the things they bring to it
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Ha! Out Henry Henry
A great line.
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Thanks so much, Laurie
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I like the portrayal of camaraderie between the characters. Laughter just sustains the bond.
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Thanks so much
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Thanks for the laugh, Neil.
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My pleasure
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I believe that you did out Henry Henry! I like that you left the reader to interpret this on many levels. And the last line was a great way to end.
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Thanks so much
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Oh yes. The value of humor. Well done, Neil.
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Thanks so much, Bill
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LOL. That’s one way to make America a little prettier, I guess. I feel like it might be a bad idea in the long term, not that this matters to our current administration. By the way, are you a natural-born U.S. citizen over 35? Just wondering. I find myself asking random people this question lately. No reason.
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Thanks so much. Natural born? As apposed to made in a petri dish?
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God!! People and their garbage. What ever made people think they could just leave their garbage anywhere?
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A bizarre forrm of social distancing
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“Help keep America beautiful. Throw away something lovely today.” Love that line.
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Thanks so much
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