Wednesday's Words on a Friday

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write, a story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are supplied by Elephant's Child and can be found here.

This week's words are actually last week's words, in a further chapter of Tom's story

The new this week's words will appear here on Saturday with their story. Hope I haven't confused you all.

Here are last weeks words again:

1. agile
2. blast
3. cacophany
4. desire
5. eager
6. flirt


1. ground
2. hidden
3. injury
4. jealous
5. kindliness
6. lament 

and here is my story: 

 Tom's Memories Chapter Nine (and possibly Chapter Ten)

Ed watched as Tom took photos and wondered just how much Tom remembered. "There must be an awful lot buried in his mind," he thought. "Not just from his time here either. His awakening might be as traumatic as Stephanie's."

They turned towards the house and heard a cacophany of crashing metal that made them both start running. Tom reached the kitchen first and saw Sara sitting on the floor surrounded by pots and lids, with baking trays strewn across the floor. 

"Sara! Are you alright? What happened?" 
Ed stepped in to help her up as she answered. "I was carrying the cookie sheets to put away and bumped the saucepan stand with the toe of my shoe. The whole thing just came down around me." 

"Are you hurt?" asked Tom and Ed together. 

"I don't think so, everything seems to be working, but I think I'll sit in my chair for a while, it was a bit of a shock to find myself suddenly on the floor like that." 
Ed helped Sara to her chair while Tom picked up trays and pots, then put the kettle on for a cup of tea. "I'll get you into a nice warm bath a bit later and I'll rub some Arnica on any bruises that show up." said Ed. "Can't have you looking like you went five rounds with Mike Tyson, can we?"                       
"Oh I hope I don't bruise," said Sara. "Not with Tom's parents arriving soon. I'm so eager to meet them." "They're just as eager to meet you too," said Tom, handing Sara a cup of tea. "Do you need anything else?" "Just pass me that notebook over by the sink please Tom, I'm checking the shopping list. I think I need more ground cinnamon after that last batch of snickerdoodles. Ed likes them with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top."

"Why don't I go and get that shoebox again, we haven't had a look through that yet, now seems like a good time." said Ed. 

 "Could we wait on that until mum and dad get here? There's something else I'd like to clear up," said Tom. "Well alright, let's all sit here in the kitchen and talk. What is it you want to know?" 

"It's the time difference." said Tom. "You said Frank's been gone almost twenty years and that's about right, it's been sixteen years, close to twenty,  but then you said Stephanie must be forty-two soon, in July, and was twenty-two when she was my babysitter, that's twenty years, but since it has only been sixteen, Stephanie should be thirty-eight next July. Where has the time difference come from? why the confusion?" 

"That's all our fault," said Sara. "Stephanie has suffered a lot of confusion and the passing of visible time seemed to make things hard for her, so we removed clocks and calendars and just sort of avoided telling her what the date was and the seasons all sort of ran together for her." 

Ed said, "You see, what happened the night you disappeared wasn't her first head injury." "She was injured?" said Tom. "Knocked out cold," said Ed, "had a huge bump on her head, and we don't know how long she was out before she woke up and found your mother." 

"Her first head injury was a few years before that," said Sara. "She lived here with her parents, they'd bought the place to run as a bed and breakfast, Jim and Melissa Hammer they were. The Scenic Retreat used to belong to us,  but we were getting on a bit, so we sold it to them and they kept us on to help out." 

"That was part of the deal," said Ed. "We have no desire to live anywhere else, we love this clifftop, it's been our home almost since our honeymoon. We wouldn't have sold it to anyone who would ask us to leave." 

"Anyway," said Sara, "Melissa heard about a tour of a ceramics factory over in the next town and thought maybe they could buy some pieces to put around here, on side tables and in the dining room. They all went together and there was an accident, the kiln exploded." 

Tears came to Sara's eyes and Ed continued the story. "A lot of people were hurt, Jim and Melissa were killed by the blast and Stephanie got a few cuts and bruises as well as a large cut above her ear. She was unconscious when they took her to hospital and went into shock when she woke to find her parents had died at the scene."

"Dr Jones wasn't here then, he didn't treat Stephanie that time, but he got all the records from old Dr Wurtzel, so he knows the whole history. Stephanie's trouble with accepting time began back then." said Ed. 

"But she recovered?" asked Tom. "You said she'd been to an audition the night my mother was killed?" 
"So she did," said Sara, "and it's getting late now, why don't I serve dinner and we can talk while we eat. There's been a lot happening since you showed up and it's only your first day." "I am getting hungry," said Tom. "Let me help you. Is dinner that wonderful stew I smell on the stove there?"

"That is our dinner for sure," said Ed with a big grin. "Sara makes the best beef stew for miles. We'll get out a loaf of her homemade bread too, and eat right here in the kitchen where the light is brightest." 

They all settled at the table with bowls of stew and chunks of bread torn right off the loaf. No one spoke for a few minutes as the first mouthfuls of stew were savoured. At Ed's direction, Tom got up and poured glasses of apple cider for all of them. 

"The audition was for a part in a Christmas play," said Sara. "The program is over there on that wall by the window. Stephanie co-wrote the play and wanted to be in it too. It was to be "The Lament of the Elves" and all about Santa's Elves being grumpy because Christmas was always all about Santa and the reindeer, while the elves got hardly any recognition." "Sounds like a great play," said Tom. "Did it still go on?" 
"It had to," said Ed, "all the tickets were pre-sold, it was a school production and the kids had sold tickets to their families." "We don't know who took Stephanie's part or if she even had a part," said Sara. 

"How about we leave the rest of the story until tomorrow. When your parents get here, we'll have to go over it all again too." said Ed. "We're all a bit tired I think and I'd like to get Sara bathed and in bed after that fall." 

"I think that's a good idea," said Tom. "Why don't you go ahead with that and I'll clean up the kitchen. Do you want the stew leftovers put in the fridge?"

**now I have a request for all you readers: Tom's Memories needs a better title and I'd like you all to suggest something that doesn't sound quite so dull. Feel free to change your suggestions as the story evolves and when/if it gets finished I'll select one of them if I can't think of one myself. Thank you.


  1. Not knowing exactly what happened the best I can come up with at this time is "Mystery at the Retreat".

    1. only slightly confused; I'll write that down with the other suggestions.

  2. I'm sorry; I have no ideas for you!!

    1. fishducky; perhaps something will come to you. Or to me.

  3. I am still loving this story - and looking forward to knowing more about Stephanie too.
    Still thinking about a new title. It is more than Tom's memories...

    1. Elephant's Child; Stephanie is going to be tricky to work out and still keep things believable. They are still believable, right?

  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    1. "Tom's Answer Is in the Tom-Toms" - or "The Tom-Toms' Secret! (I'm just kidding around, River)! I'm sure you will find the title you're seeking. :)

      Your story-line is emerging very well and you are holding the reader's interest. Good on you! :)

    2. Lee; I've written down your suggestions, I'm keeping a list. I'm glad the story is still holding attention. Let me know if that changes okay?

  5. .. this story is so interesting ...... looking forward to the shoebox reveal ...

    my suggested title is ... Times Past at Clifftop House ..... I know the house is called Scenic Retreat... but Clifftop House sounds sinister to me .... ... lol ... xxxxxx Barb xxxxx

    1. Barbara; the shoebox holds a secret or two, surprises for more than Tom.
      Clifftop House does sound sinister, but the Scenic Retreat isn't. It's just a romantic getaway often used by honeymooners.

  6. Replies
    1. Margaret-whiteangel; some chapters are longer than others. If this becomes a book I'll have to try and even things out a bit.

  7. How about using the word Flashback in the title? Sorry I can't come up with anything else. Looking forward to more. I could hear the deafening sound of the clattering pans.

    1. Granny Annie; the clattering pans came to me right after I hauled out a saucepan and others got dragged out with it and all crashed to the floor.
      I'll add Flashback to the list.

  8. This story is really so enjoyable.
    I can't think of a title at the moment ...

    All the best Jan

    1. Lowcarb team member; I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm enjoying writing it, mostly. There's been a few "aaargh!" moments (*~*)


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