Wednesday March 30th, 2011

The exercise:

Today we meet: the new neighbours.

Went up to Penticton today to run some errands - which included sitting in a bank for far too long. Oh well, tomorrow is guaranteed to be better.

Because it's Kat's birthday.

Mine:

After spending the winter months somewhere warmer than here, our neighbours across the street have returned. They're pretty ideal, to be honest. They never complain, they don't make much noise, and all four of them are nice to look at.

Here are some pictures to prove it:




Kat tells me they're racehorses. I say it's only a matter of time before I make up ridiculous names for all of them.

8 comments:

Greg said...

Kat's birthday is April Fool's Day? That must be a temptation every year... ;-)
The horses are, indeed, beautiful. I recommend naming one of them 'Unnamed Favourite' just to upset the bookies. (I also like 'Born to be glue' and 'Guided by Noises'.)
Oh, and very nice pun with neigh-bours!

the new neighbours
"N is for Neighbour," said Mummy, "and this is our neighbour, Mr. Cumblethud." Toddler gurgled, and so did Mr. Cumblethud.
"O is for 'Oh dear!'" Another one of Mr. Cumblethud's fingers broke in Mummy's vice-like grip.
"P is for Please, which is what Mr. Cumblethud would be saying right now if I took the dirty sock out of his mouth. Isn't it, Mr. Cumblethud?" Their neighbour nodded, his eyes wide with pain and expressing desperation in a way that could inspire artists to works of majesty.
"Q is for Quicksand, which is in the back garden." Toddler giggled and picked up a fork and waved it.
"And R is for Refresh, which is what we're going to do with our neighbours. Some new ones will be much better."
Mr. Cumblethud somehow managed to get a thin, faint high-pitched scream out from around the sock, but it didn't last long. Mummy should have just left Q for Quick.

morganna said...

New faces move in
Where'd they come from? The others
Haven't moved out yet.
----------------
Mine isn't meant to be creepy. It's just I saw new neighbors down the street move in, but I never saw the first family move out (although I'm sure they're gone -- I haven't seen them in weeks) and the house never had a rent or for sale sign in front.

Watermark said...

Marc - Amazing neighbours you have!!! Oh my goodness they're gorgeous horses!

-------
The neighbours were screaming at each other again. It was yet another start to a glorious day. This time, I was getting an involuntary education on the importance of washing dishes the night before. I made a mental note to check the kitchen sink as I rolled over and snuggled further under the sheets. Sleep, although not becoming, was a much more attractive option at this point and I tried to block out their screeching voices. But the battle continued. Apparently, the use of hot water could instantly melt away any residue. Evidently, his point was not getting through as a rather furiously muffled voice responded. Perhaps there could be a way to melt away this argument instead? Background noise, my brain kept signalling to me, that's all what it is, as I drifted away into a muddled sleep filled with scenes of dirty particles and soap spuds engaging in a war.

Marc said...

Greg - my tomorrow, not your tomorrow. Or did you forget that March has 31 days? :P

I like Mummy even more now. Not that I'd want to get anywhere near her. But I do enjoy reading about her :)

Morganna - well, even though it's very likely a perfectly harmless situation, that's still a bit creepy.

Watermark - I really like that final line. It really wraps the piece up nicely :)

Greg said...

I forgot that I'm usually a day ahead when I'm reading your posts, but in my defence, you usually put the post up close to midnight your time too :) You should totally have one year where your April Fool's prank to is repeat everything you did the previous morning to make Kat think she's living in the Groundhog Day movie!

Oh, and Mummy says she likes you too ;-)

morganna said...

Marc: I just keep repeating to myself: 'I'm sure it's a perfectly harmless situation,' and then I can ignore all the creepy aspects. :)

Heather said...

I would totally be making up ludicrous names for the horses.

My first attempt went rather poorly on this prompt. This one is far better, but still lacking. Darn time constraints!
------

Joanna peaked from between her blinds, the friction of tires against the broken pavement having woken her up from a long sleep. Rubbing hard at the crick in her neck as the truck turned into the driveway next to hers. She looked at her alarm clock. It was early in the morning, just before sunrise. New neighbors was exactly the kind of thing that brought a little life to an otherwise dead neighborhood. Dragging herself back to bed, she pulled the covers over her head. She needed more sleep if she was going to host a dinner party the next night.

While she slept, her new neighbors moved their belongings into the house. Their laughs and grunts entered her dreams making her feel almost joyful. She opened her eyes when the sung hung high in the air. Having been more of a night person for the last several years, she didn't welcome the brightness of it. She kept her blinds closed as she hurriedly made preparations for the following evening.

Invitations were scrawled and sent to her family. Her daughter, her son, her husband who opted to travel, they would all come, she had no doubt. She cleared off the table, set out the cutlery and glasses. She chose clothes for the occasion having decided on a formal affair when she wrote the invitation. Everything was set, she would wait for her family to arrive.

The next day, near the dinner hour, they gathered together. The son, the daughter, the father, and Joanna dressed in her best. Slowly they walked to the neighbor's house. They stood on the stoop, excited to bring the neighbors back for dinner. Joanna rung the bell. Running could be heard inside. Steps moving down the stairs and toward them. A joyous sound for the Zombie family, but not nearly as pleasant as the screams and silence that followed after dinner.

Marc said...

Greg - fair enough. And I'm not sure, but I suppose it's a good thing that she likes me too.

Morganna - good plan :)

Heather - haha, I was not expecting that ending at all. Nicely done :)