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Week One, Week Two

2. Cause/Effect

“Can it be different colors?”
“…Yes.”
“Can it be bigger than a person?”
“No,” he said. “That’s your nineteenth question.”
Jay and I were sitting in a cruiser being a “police presence” on Main Street. It was three o’ clock on a Tuesday afternoon and it was boring. I leaned forward on the steering wheel, yawning.
“So, it lives in the sea, smaller than a person, can’t swim, doesn’t have scales…is it a sea anemone?”
“No. One more question.”
I bit my lip. No idea. I watched a group of kids stumble out of a convince store. They all thought they were so gangster, doing their little swagger down the sidewalk. One of them paused and glanced around before turning around. He stared at our car. I straightened up, squinting at him.
He flipped us the bird and then scurried of.
I grunted, “Is it a barnacle?”
“Sea urchin—You recognize that kid?”
“No.”
“Big Bubba, the raid…”
“Oh.”
A few months ago we raided Big Bubba. He had been in the kitchen of his two bedroom home, sitting at the table and counting cash. There had to have been half a dozen kids in the living room, four in diapers, three of those in dirty diapers. The minute we busted in the screams and tears started along with that lovely hate of every man in blue.
Big Bubba had tried to run, but, he was big. When we were finally able to drag him out the tallest kid was hanging onto Big Bubba’s waist. Jay had pried the kid off and left him sobbing on the couch as we squished Big Bubba into the back of a cruiser.
I looked at Jay. “Couldn't be helped.”
“Yeah, well.”
Dispatch came on the radio.”10-50, Ernie’s at it again. Ever’s Pub"
Jay responded, “Car three , on route.”

Thank you.^^

Today's prompt just sort of reminded me of all the weird things I thought as a kid. I would get an idea about something and then it was just a fact.

4. Childhood Memories

There’s something in my grandpa’s attic. It may or may not be red with orange eyes. It may or may not wear a black cloak. It may or may not have spikes in its head. It may or may not have black tattoos. We’re not allowed in the attic.
We may or may not hear it as we’re running in and out, in and out, in and out to the backyard.
It may or may not come down at night.
It may or may not want to eat us. It may or may not want to crush our bones and poke out our eyes. It may or may not have made our basketball flat. It may or may not have stolen our cat.
I may have heard it come down last night.
The steeps creaking as we slept on the floor.
I may have heard it answer the phone.
I may have hid under the blanket, frozen and barely breathing.
It may or may not have come into the living room.
There’s something in my grandpa’s attic.

I love your affinity for dialogue. I have a hard time capturing it myself. I envy your style and your ability to set the mood. All of the words chosen, fit into the scene like its playing inside my head. Brilliant. I don't quite like your storyline. I'm not into cops and dogs though so its nothing to do with your skill whatsoever. Also, I don't see where your heading with these excerpts. Is it intentional or do i have the idea of a storyline all wrong? It's my personal taste that disagrees. Although, I do wish to read more, which totally says something about it. The eerie vibe and mystery behind the attic post is intense. Good luck with your challenge. I cannot wait to see where its headed. I really like it. Your sense voice is awesome.

I like the Childhood Memories entry. It really captures that feeling where your imagination starts to get away from you. ninja And I like how it even gets a little silly, with the creature answering the phone. Reminds me how, as a kid, the 'monsters' were scary but also sometimes exciting and funny. X3

I'm posting this very latish.
I think I am going to try and make a short-ish connected story with the prompts.

6. Mayhem

Ty adjusted his backpack, squinting his green eyes at me.
“Whatever they tell you is a lie.”
“Of course it is.”
I looked at my watch. It was 3:24 and my lunch break had been over at 3: 20. I looked at time.
“I wish you would just tell me what I’m here for.”
“All I did,” he said. “Was be innocent.”
Right. My nephew was capable of doing a lot of things and ‘being innocent’ wasn’t one of them. At least, that's what's been going on recently.
“Clyde.”
I rocked back on my heels. This was ridiculous. The office wasn’t even attended to. There was the large front desk with no one behind it and two smaller desks behind that one with no one seated there. I glanced around at the posters. They were motivational, anti-drugs, anti-smoking, anti-STD, anti-bullying. The basic crap.
“Hey--Clyde.”
“Hey!" I said. "When did you get here?”
“Do you know what it means when you’re convicted of mayhem?”
Ty had said that a minute before I got here the receptionist had told him to sit down, she’d be right back and then she had dashed off. That was twenty-five minutes ago.
I looked back at him.“Do I know what what is?”
“Mayhem in, like, legal terms.”
I sighed. He continued. “It means to maim or cripple someone intentionally.”
“….Ty, you didn’t commit ‘mayhem’, did you?”
“The key word is intentionally.”
I tried not to smile. The receptionist came rushing back in. She adjusted her shirt, face flushed, her eyes widened when she saw me. She swallowed. “What can I do for you, detective?”
I didn’t say anything for a moment, searching her face. She clutched her hands in front of her.
“Is it one of the students?” she asked, her eyes landing on Ty.
I pulled Ty behind me by his backpack. “Is something going on, miss?”
“No,” she stepped behind the big desk, creating a barrier between us. She plastered a smile on her face. “What can I help you with?”
I waited a beat before saying, “I came here to speak to the principal. We had a conference scheduled.”
Her whole body tensed up, becoming rigid and her smile more strained.
“Oh, we can’t find him.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I’m sure it can be rescheduled.”
“You lost the principal?”
“I’m not his keeper, sir.”
Though everything in me made me want to stay there and question her Ty was there. He was so focused I hadn’t seen him check his phone for the entire time. I thanked her for her time left with Ty in tow.
***
The next morning they would fin the principal under a desk, alive, his spin broken in two and a half places.