Raven's Challenge 60

Today's Link
Dancing With the Waves of the Sea

Today's Saying
The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard

Today's Pictures
Ella at the Hairdresser

It is Saturday and time to play with words supplied by Raven's Wordzzle

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: preparation, tic-tac-toe, splurge, auction block, the bitter end, milk, papyrus, when the parade passes by, bill of lading, stone wall
Mini Challenge: polar bear, 20 seconds, get it together, spasmodic, antiquity

The Mega Challenge as
The Ongoing Adventures of Agent 012

Agent 012 was on duty at the Antiquity Auction House even though he had what he called a spasmodic stomach. The chief insisted that he was the only one for the job because he had fought demons before and it was rumored that demons were somehow connected to the old papyrus coming up on the auction block today. It was a long wait so he passed the time playing tic-tac-toe with himself and losing. Finally he thought he would splurge and get some milk for his stomach. They wanted five dollars for a tiny little bottle but he would try charging it to the Agency since they made him come.
Then the auctioneer announced that the papyrus was the next item up for bids. It was described as an ancient bill of lading in Egyptian that gave the owner full control of the slave. The slave was described in great detail but that part was left without being translated. Having waited to the bitter end Agent 012 just wanted this to be over.
The bidding began and it was soon obvious that it was going to be won by one of two men. Both of them looked like villains from an old melodrama with big mustaches. Each one had done his preparation for this moment and the bidding was fast and furious. That is it was fast and furious until the man in the gray sweater asked for another look at the parchment to be sure it was genuine. Once he had it in his hand he said some words in a strange language and his opponent disappeared. He just disappeared. There was no puff of smoke, no fire, no blinding light, he just disappeared. The auctioneer reached out for the parchment when the man said some different words and the auctioneer became a polar bear.
Agent 012 panicked. He hated polar bears. He hated polar bears more than any other animal. In his nightmares when the parade passes by he would be chased by polar bears. Now as he ran toward the stone wall he kept telling himself to get it together. But he wasn’t listening. He was sure he had like 20 seconds before the polar bear ripped him to shreds.
This was not going to be his day.

The Ten word challenge-The New Budget

Fredrick Stone Wall Jackson was working at the preparation of a new budget that would allow him to bid on the electronic tic-tac-toe machine when it came up on the auction block at The Bitter End auction house. Ordinarily he was not one to splurge but he wanted this more than he had wanted the milk white papyrus which contained an original bill of lading for Hebrew slaves in Egypt. He had lost that bid. When the parade passes by you seldom get another opportunity to succeed. This time he would not lose. The very first electronic tic-tac-toe machine ever made would be his.
His wife took one look at the budget , did her own figuring, and it became obvious the parade was about to pass him by again.

The mini challenge-Saving George

At first the activity of the polar bear had been spasmodic, going one way then another. But now it was heading straight for George and he figured he had 20 seconds to get it together, load the cross bow from the antiquity collection, and defend himself.
He failed.

All fifteen words in one sentence

Thomas Splurge, or Polar Bear as he was called, had 20 seconds left in his spasmodic preparation of the tic-tac-toe , stone wall , milk white papyrus from antiquity for the auction block and then he had to get it together with a bill of lading so that when the parade passes by The Bitter End restaurant he would be ready.

News from Pigeon Falls

The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal
It is Saturday and time to look back on the week in Pigeon Falls.
Tuesday-Fred Slovinsky went to Iron Mountain when he heard that the contents of the Polar Bear Hardware Store were being auctioned off because the store was in bankruptcy. The two owners had held on to the bitter end but economic reality was against them. He bid on some stone wall tile when it came up on the auction block and thinks he got a really great buy at least according to the original bill of lading. He certainly didn’t splurge. Nobody pinches a nickel tighter than Fred.
Wednesday– The school is in an uproar over speedy tic-tac-toe. Each player has only 20 seconds to put their x or o . If they go over the time limit they lose. It’s played at lunch time with screaming, shouting, and betting. Some kids have lost their milk money. Parents are so upset they are saying that if the school doesn’t get it together there will be changes next school board election.
Thursday– The Pigeon Falls Day Committee has begun its preperation for the parade. They have blocked out where they will need crowd control when the parade passes by to avoid what happened last year.
Friday– Nancy Silo complained to Nancy at the Coffee Shop that the Bishop was hostile to her. She is willing to bet if you found a papyrus from antiquity concerning bats and the church the Bishop then would favor the pastor. Despite her somewhat spasmodic campaign to get rid of the bats she maintains she has nothing against Pastor Joan.” She is just to pregnant to think straight.” Nancy says.

Wrap UP

Of course the dragons were busy today you can see them HERE.
Pennie took Ella to the Hairdresser with her. They liked Ella so much they gave her the whole treatment and didn't even charge her.
Another marvelous day. My oxygen level held steady. Used only one small tank all day. Went with two of the boys, Melli, "Mom" and Betty to the train show in Green Bay. I got a great bargain. Went from there to Pete's house for lunch and then played two games of canasta. Melli and I against Betty and Lori while everybody else went to the Packer draft. We won one and lost one. Now I'm home and need a breathing treatment. I promise that once Melli leaves I will catch up on my blog visits.
GBYA

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