Tuesday 1 May 2012

100 words week 40


This week the challenge is the prompt “RUBY” See details at http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week-40/  Can't believe this is the 40th one of these! 

Here are some interesting facts about Rubies that I came across while procrastinating and waiting for inspiration to kick in...
July Birthstone poem
“The gleaming Ruby should adorn,
All those who in July are born,
For thus they’ll be exempt and free,
From lover’s doubts and anxiety.”
(Traditional)
Hmmm, I’m not so sure if that can be accredited to a stone, but who am I to argue with tradition?!

The word, ruby, is derived from the Latin, ruber, meaning red- reflecting the colour of the stone. A precious stone which can be found in a wide range of shades  from violet tones to deepest red. It is a red crystallised variety of corundum, and is extremely hard, second only to diamonds! (Diamond is 10 on the Mohr scale, rubies 9) Interestingly, sapphires are made of corundum also- it is the amount of chromium present which causes the redness. I never knew that!

Anyway, enough procrastination, here is my effort at this week’s challenge. I especially enjoyed those from last week which used stories to inspire them; no prizes (sorry) for guessing my inspiration this week!




You gotta go when you gotta go
Dare she? She hadn’t for years. Not since...ah, that hideous afternoon at Frank’s (such a dear boy, unfortunately, the man endlessly disappointed).
 Back to the present. The thrill of writing her memoirs had been quashed by the succession of “meet the author” sessions she’d attended. This one was particularly galling. “It’ll be reflected in the sales dahling!” gushed her publisher.
How many of the Q.M.A. would be interested in her life story? She slipped behind a photo of her childhood home.
 “There’s no place like home!”
***
Returning the precious slippers to their box she blew a kiss towards the sky, “Thanks Glenda!”





(Note to reader- Q.M.A. Quantum Mechanics Association-not sure if there is a real one of those but it seemed like the type of place that she would SO not want to be!)

38 comments:

  1. Nice! Was tempted to go that route too. But don't think I would have done quite as well :)

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    1. Thank you :O) Enjoyed writing this one.

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  2. How funny that we (once again) had the same inspiration!! I really do feel for her - thank goodness she had those ruby slippers to get her out of there. I really want some of those!

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    1. Haha, me too; I actually do have a pair of red patent shoes that I call my ruby slippers- often wear them for parent evenings ;)

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    2. Not so 'trivial' I would say :P I've noticed a number of references to movies, books and history in recent weeks - its great when you suddenly realise who they're on about, Dorothy ...

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  3. Very good. Really enjoyed reading this. Very imaginative.

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    1. Thanks for reading and commenting. Was going to go down the name route to start with but thought that this would be more fun ;)

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  4. A super piece. I love the Q.M.A.! An interesting take on the prompt.

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    1. Thanks..was trying to come up with something techy and geeky that needed to be escaped from :-D

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  5. Convincing voice in this one. Nice work.

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    1. Thankyou. I know she's an imaginary character...but I'd so love a pair of those slippers!

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  6. This is lovely writing. A story that brings me/us back to a well loved one I think we are all familiar with by now.

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    1. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. :-)

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  7. Very clever - I always wondered what became of her.

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    1. Thank you...and thanks to Julia for the prompt...I'd have SUCH fun with those slippers :-D

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    1. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment :)

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  9. Very creative, I can tell you enjoyed writing this one! re the lovers doubts, I would happily finger test a couple to find out :-)

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    1. Ahh, thanks for that :O)
      Re the doubts; LOL ; wonder what that would uncover...

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  10. DancingInTheRain2 May 2012 at 04:48

    Loved the writing style but had to google Glenda and ruby slippers to understand the ending, So now that I can fully appreciate the story I just want to say Absolutely Well Done. (Saw Wicked recently - but it still didn't click - oh dear!!)

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    1. Oh thank you, glad you enjoyed it. I think the wizard of Oz is one of those films it is easy to assume everyone has seen it! I've heard lots of good reviews about Wicked, but not sure if I will see. I adore the original Judy Garland film.
      ( I had to google to double check that I got the name of the witch right, so am jolly glad that I did ;) )

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  11. How are so many authors - like you - able to condense such lush story into 100 words? I struggle every time!

    The ruby slippers are a very nice jumping point (no pun intended). And I liked the way you introduced the QMA into it! :D

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    1. That's very kind of you to say. I have just had a quick look at your blog- wow; what a lot you write!!
      I'd love to be able to write more; in the meantime I love these challenges and am hoping they will help me develop and improve as a writer :)

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  12. Oh, those magical ruby slippers. Very nice write ... enjoyed it.
    Hope you'll stop by my blog and read my entry.
    Thanks,
    Isadora
    http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/ruby/

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for commenting.

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  13. A lovely take on it, and it now makes me feel a bit slow on the uptake for not thinking of it myself

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    1. Thankyou. Wasn't my first idea, but glad I went with this one.

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  14. Fantastic piece, loved the imagery and pictures. Great use of the prompt x

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    1. Thank you; really pleased that you enjoyed it.
      Am using these to try and find "my style"- still searching ...

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  15. Really interesting...I got the reference but got lost in the first bit about Frank...makes me want to read more of the story. :)

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    1. Thanks for reading,glad you enjoyed. Hoping to hsve a go at continuing some over the summer.

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  16. Had a giggle over, "...such a dear boy, unfortunately, the man endlessly disappointed." Also, I sooooo want a pair of those red slippers! Thanks for all the information on rubies beforehand, really interesting.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed..thank you for taking the time tocomment.

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  17. One of my favourite films and I have always wanted a pair of those! Beautifully written. :)

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    1. Thank yo for visiting, reading and commenting..glad you enjoyed :-)

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  18. Love it! You always give us so much information Anna. You are truly a teacher!!

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    1. Thanks Julia, I think I am quite hooked by these challenges :-):-)

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