TWO PENNY SAGA: Hiding

 
My friend, Mel P., suggested this first line to me.  I wrote for five minutes.  This is what I got.  (If you have any suggestions for prompts let me know.)  


"Henry knew it was only a matter of time before they found him."

Holding his breath, he peeked out of the cupboard beneath the sink.  There were footsteps.  Henry pulled back.

He heard the boys run into the kitchen.  Brandon growled, "Where is that little snot?"

Henry clutched his bottle and prayed that the boys would go away.

One of the other boys said, "I'll look out back, you guys check out the rest of the house."  He heard their footsteps running away.  

Henry pulled himself out of the cupboard and stood in the middle of the kitchen.  He was trapped.  One of them was in the backyard.  The others would hear him if he tried to unlock the back door.  Becomming desperate, Henry spun around and almost crashed into Billy, Brandon's brother.

Billy was clutching his teddy bear and sucking his thumb.  Henry crouched down in front of Billy and whispered, "Hey you know what would be really cool?  If there was a door right there leading outside!"  He shoved the bottle into the boy's arm.  "Why don't you wish there was a door right there in that wall?"

"Hey butt face!"  Brandon shouted running into the room.  He grabbed Henry by the collar and shoved him into the refrigerator.  "You stupid genie!  When my sister wished that she was the greatest music entertainer in the world she didn't want you to turn her into Michael Jackson!   Now turn her back!"   

TWO PENNY SAGA: Emperor of the Basement

My friend, Chris C., suggested this first line to me.  I wrote for five minutes.  This is what I got.  (If you have any suggestions for prompts let me know.)  

“Pliny had never had any objections about defying emperors.”  Especially since most of the emperors in his house only ruled over rooms or cupboards.  While Pliny got dressed for school the emperor of his closet would hold up his scepter and bellow, “I demand you pay taxes for entering my domain!”  Pliny would just roll his eyes while the Emperor ordered his socks to attack him. 

There was one emperor Pliny did fear, though, the emperor of the basement.

“He’s not that bad!”  Pliny’s mom said one afternoon.

“He orders the mice to bite me and makes the furnace breath fire and he’s read all the National Geographics Dad put down there so he’s really smart!”  Pliny whined. 

“I am tired of your excuses, Pliney.  Now, go downstairs and dust that basement!” 

Before Pliney had even reached the bottom of the basement steps the emperor leapt out of the box of toys they kept in the corner  “Who dares trespass?”

“It’s just me,” Pliney sighed.  “My mom wants me to dust down here.”

The emperor pointed at the boy.  “A spy!  Who sent you?”

“I told you!  My-.”  He stopped, thought about his answer for a moment and then said, “The attic emperor sent me to spy on you.  He’s thinking about declaring war and said you’re too stupid and fat to do anything about it!” 

“We’ll see about that!”  The emperor snarled and gathered his advisors together.  Pliney dusted and listened to them plot.  Then he went over to his friend’s house (which only had a prime minister of the garage).

When Pliney returned that evening he discovered that the sparrows and armies of old clothes from the attic were fighting the mice and baby toy armies from the basement.  Alliances had been made so the bathroom navy was now involved along with the bed covers from the spare bedroom.  By dinnertime it was a full out house war.    

Pliney’s father groaned, “I have to wear the same tie to work tomorrow because the rest of mine were drafted.”

His mother complained, “We were going to have steak but my frying pan has been taken a political prisoner.”

His big sister grumbled, “The TV room’s developed nuclear capabilities and Brad’s coming over tonight!”   

  

Pliney slumped in his chair, ate his green beans and thought about how much better things would be if his Mom hadn’t made him dust the basement.  

“Pliny had never had any objections about defying emperors.”  Especially since most of the emperors in his house only ruled over rooms or cupboards.  While Pliny got dressed for school the emperor of his closet would hold up his scepter and bellow, “I demand you pay taxes for entering my domain!”  Pliny would just roll his eyes while the Emperor ordered his socks to attack him. 

There was one emperor Pliny did fear, though, the emperor of the basement.

“He’s not that bad!”  Pliny’s mom said one afternoon.

“He orders the mice to bite me and makes the furnace breath fire and he’s read all the National Geographics Dad put down there so he’s really smart!”  Pliny whined. 

“I am tired of your excuses, Pliney.  Now, go downstairs and dust that basement!” 

Before Pliney had even reached the bottom of the basement steps the emperor leapt out of the box of toys they kept in the corner  “Who dares trespass?”

“It’s just me,” Pliney sighed.  “My mom wants me to dust down here.”

The emperor pointed at the boy.  “A spy!  Who sent you?”

“I told you!  My-.”  He stopped, thought about his answer for a moment and then said, “The attic emperor sent me to spy on you.  He’s thinking about declaring war and said you’re too stupid and fat to do anything about it!” 

“We’ll see about that!”  The emperor snarled and gathered his advisors together.  Pliney dusted and listened to them plot.  Then he went over to his friend’s house (which only had a prime minister of the garage).

When Pliney returned that evening he discovered that the sparrows and armies of old clothes from the attic were fighting the mice and baby toy armies from the basement.  Alliances had been made so the bathroom navy was now involved along with the bed covers from the spare bedroom.  By dinnertime it was a full out house war.    

Pliney’s father groaned, “I have to wear the same tie to work tomorrow because the rest of mine were drafted.”

His mother complained, “We were going to have steak but my frying pan has been taken a political prisoner.”

His big sister grumbled, “The TV room’s developed nuclear capabilities and Brad’s coming over tonight!”   

  

Pliney slumped in his chair, ate his green beans and thought about how much better things would be if his Mom hadn’t made him dust the basement.  

TWO PENNY SAGA: Night Horrors

I took a random sentence, used it as the first line in a story and wrote for five minutes. This is what I got.

Rosalie stifled her scream and cowered under the blanket.

The purple monster with spiked tentacles and twenty eyes slid across the floor toward her.  The creature put its horned snout on the foot of the bed.  “You know Rosalie, I’m really not that bad!”

“Yes you are!”  Rosalie cried.  “You live in my closet and eat the feet of little girls!”

“True, but there are much worse things in the world.  Like, HIGH SCHOOL!”

Rosalie was quivering.  “What’s that?”

“In high school they will teach you algebra and make you take showers in gym!  You’ll grow acne and have to wear braces.  All of your friends will stab you in the back.  Everyone else will have a boyfriend, even Alicia McDermit!”

“That’s not true!”  Rosalie whimpered.

“Then you’ll go to college and waste your time studying drama and philosophy!  After that you’ll have to spend the rest of your life paying student loans.  In this economy you won’t be able to find a job with decent benefits much less a 401K.  You’ll spend the rest of your life in a miserable little cubicle listening to your co-workers complain about the weather while dreaming of someday getting your poetry published.”

Rosalie clenched her fists.  “Oh, yeah?  Well, what about this?”  The little girl grabbed a crumpled sheet of paper off her bedside table.

The monster snarled, “Where did you get that?”

“My mommy made me clean out my closet, and I found this comedy routine written by you!  It’s boring, trite and not nearly as cutting edge as you think!” 

“It’s a satire!”  The monster burst into tears.  “Why doesn’t anyone understand that?  People would get the jokes if they bothered to open a newspaper!  But no I guess it’s more fun to boo the new guy at armature night!”  Sobbing, the monster turned and slithered back into the closet, leaving Rosalie to sleep in peace.