One Hundred Word Stories

Keith's Ramblings

Post 1617. Wednesday January 17

 

*The observant among you may have noticed that after 12 years at Blogger I’ve switched Keith’s Ramblings to WordPress. I’m still learning so please excuse any mistakes I may make!

 

charlatan-demo.regular

 

“A ghost train” shouted Billy”

“Oh no!” shouted Molly.

“Coward!” he yelled climbing into car twenty-two. With a jerk, it entered the unknown.

Molly ate a burger whilst waiting for an ashen face Billy to emerged but there was no sign of car twenty-two or any other cars.

An anxious-looking ghost ran from the tunnel. “What’s happened?” Molly asked.

“Something terrible Miss” he replied.

“Where’s Billy?”

There was a tap on her shoulder; she spun around and there he was. His biggest fright of the day was seeing blood-red tomato sauce dribbling from Molly’s open mouth!

“It broke down and we had to walk out the back. Fancy a ride in a teacup?”

 

 

Thanks to Rochelle at Friday Fictioneers for hosting and  J Hardy Carroll for the photo prompt


amusement-park-jhardy

106 thoughts on “One Hundred Word Stories”

  2. Iain Kelly Jan 17, 2018 / 12:24

    A not so spooky explanation that managed to give her a fright! Nice chuckle Keith.

    Like

    Reply
  3. rochellewisoff Jan 17, 2018 / 12:30

    Dear Keith,

    Billy’s a prankster, isn’t he? Loved this one with the misdirect.
    Welcome to WordPress. I made the switch 5 years ago and never regretted it. Personally I think it’s more user friendly.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 17, 2018 / 12:45

      I was up most of last night to make sure my new site was ready for my favourite prompt of the week! Thanks, Rochelle.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      • rochellewisoff Jan 17, 2018 / 12:50

        I’ve never regretted the move, Keith. I don’t think you will, either, Keith. 😉 There is a learning curve for sure. I once spent hours with the background.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. granonine Jan 17, 2018 / 13:30

    Oh, you had me going on that one! So glad Billy didn’t come back as a ghost 🙂 And welcome to WordPress. You’ll love it.

    Like

    Reply
  6. Anita Jan 17, 2018 / 14:21

    Phew! Suspense till the end! All’s well that ends well 🙂
    Burger & tomato sauce make great company!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. pennygadd51 Jan 17, 2018 / 14:51

    You left me with a smile on my face, Keith. I could just see the ketchup dribbling down Molly’s chin!

    Like

    Reply
  8. James Jan 17, 2018 / 14:57

    Glad it had a happy ending. Welcome to WordPress. I think you’ll find it a better experience than Blogger in most ways.

    Like

    Reply
  9. Denise Hammond Jan 17, 2018 / 15:08

    WordPress does not want to let me comment. This is another try.

    Like

    Reply
  10. michael1148humphris Jan 17, 2018 / 16:34

    I enjoyed the image, of the ghost running. I feared the worst.🙂

    Like

    Reply
  13. Sandra Jan 17, 2018 / 18:25

    Snappy little ghost story. And congrats on the transition to WordPress.

    Like

    Reply
  15. Christine Goodnough Jan 17, 2018 / 19:09

    What a fright! Thankfully you’ve given us a false alarm. i was holding my breath.

    Selfishly speaking, I’m really glad you’ve switched. It’s always been a pain to leave comments on Blogger/ Blogspot sites and I can never get automatic feedback.

    Like

    Reply
  18. Annalisa Crawford Jan 17, 2018 / 20:39

    Definitely the teacups for me!

    It’s nice over here, I like what you’ve done with the place 🙂

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 18, 2018 / 09:18

      I’d rather a wine glass. but they do rides in them! I’m pleased you like my new home Annalisa.

      Like

      Reply
  20. k rawson Jan 17, 2018 / 23:21

    Welcome to wordpress! Boy the tension rackets up on this one–and then whew!!

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 18, 2018 / 09:24

      Rather a nice one than the alternative! Thanks, Mimi – be over at yours later.

      Like

      Reply
  22. Dale Jan 18, 2018 / 03:17

    Welcome to WordPress! It is so easy to use…
    As for the story, that was fantastic!

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 18, 2018 / 09:28

      I’ve been putting off moving across for years – if only I had done it sooner! Delighted you enjoyed my yarn Dale.

      Like

      Reply
      • Dale Jan 18, 2018 / 09:30

        I hear ya! And Yes, I did!

        Liked by 1 person

  23. plaridel Jan 18, 2018 / 03:33

    well, well… i was led astray again. great ending, though.

    Like

    Reply
  24. anuragbakhshi Jan 18, 2018 / 06:11

    Ha ha ha ha ha. What a brilliantly crafted work of misdirection! Loved it.

    Like

    Reply
  26. Moon Jan 18, 2018 / 09:16

    Lovely story, Keith.
    Welcome to WordPress. I am happy, I would have to type the comments only once, now on.

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 18, 2018 / 09:33

      …which is exactly why I made the move! Suddenly I’m receiving comments from people I regularly visit but have never commented on mine!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  27. Tina Sequeira Jan 18, 2018 / 12:31

    Billy sounds a lot like my husband and Molly like me. Such a prankster and clever clever writing again, Keith! Loved the tension in this story and the happy ending at the last. Phew..all´s well that ends well 🙂 Cheers!

    Like

    Reply
  29. Elizabeth Young Jan 18, 2018 / 15:12

    A scary story that ends happily – nice one! Why did you switch to WordPress?

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 18, 2018 / 17:46

      Thanks, Elizabeth. I changed because I was becoming increasingly aware that WordPress users were experiencing difficulty leaving comments. That is borne out by the fact that after just 36 hours or so on board I’m receiving comments from people whose sites I’d visited regularly but they’d previously never commented back. On the negative side, Blogger was far more flexible than WP when writing new posts but I’ll just have to accept that!

      Like

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Young Jan 19, 2018 / 13:11

        Ah – I wondered if it was because the speed on Blogger had dropped. I use Blogspot and when I press Publish ton my reply to comments it now takes ages to work.

        Like

      • Keith's Ramblings Jan 19, 2018 / 13:44

        That was the very thing that srurred me to make the move. I can thoroughly recommend it.

        Like

  30. Alice Audrey Jan 18, 2018 / 16:51

    LOL. I had to read twice to see that is was red from her mouth rather than his.POV shift threw me, but only for a minute.

    Welcome to off-site WordPress. I’ve had Blogger, on site WordPress and off site WordPress. I like off site the best, but reading their FAQ id pretty rough. Let me know if you get stuck on anything.

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 19, 2018 / 01:48

      I’m pleased it only took a minute Alice! Thanks for your thoughts on WordPress. It’s beginning to make sense, but I’ll take up your offer if I find myself in a jam!

      Like

      Reply
  31. Woman walking Max Jan 18, 2018 / 18:22

    An entertaining story- for me – about the thrills and the Wizard of Ozedry of fairgrounds – the mechanics and the magic side by side. Nice one.

    Like

    Reply
  32. rgayer55 Jan 18, 2018 / 22:51

    I too started on Blogger. Moving to WordPress was the best thing I ever did. It took a while to get used to it, but like Rochelle said it’s much more user friendly, both for the blogger and those who wish to leave comments.

    As for your story, I really got a kick out of it. Good one, Keith.

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 19, 2018 / 01:55

      I’m already reaping the rewards of moving! After 12 years at Blogger such a move was bound to prove a bit of a challenge, but I now think I should have done it ages ago. I’m delighted you enjoyed the story, thank you.

      Like

      Reply
  33. Joy Pixley Jan 19, 2018 / 01:43

    Well, you totally had me anxious and fooled, right up to the end — nicely done! Hope you like WordPress. Being selfish here, but I certainly like being able to comment normally on your page for the first time!

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 19, 2018 / 13:56

      Not selfish at all! I knew commenting on Blogger was becoming a nightmare and it cost me dearly. This was the main reason for the move. Better late than never! I’m really pleased you liked the story Joy. Thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Joy Pixley Jan 19, 2018 / 13:59

        I’m surprised Blogger hasn’t made it easier to comment, given all the people I know who complain about it and those who have, like you, moved from the platform for that reason.

        Liked by 1 person

  34. tedstrutz Jan 19, 2018 / 06:30

    Nice surprise, Keith.

    Smart move to WP. I started on Blogger too and made the same move.

    Like

    Reply
  35. Kelvin M. Knight's blog Jan 19, 2018 / 11:25

    Haha what a riot. I was never brave enough to go on the ghost train as a nipper. I do now though, all the time, those other sky leaping rides are far scarier! Great story, Keith.

    Like

    Reply
  36. Keith's Ramblings Jan 19, 2018 / 13:54

    Not selfish at all! I knew commenting on Blogger was becoming a nightmare and it cost me dearly. This was the main reason for the move. Better late than never! I’m really pleased you liked the story Joy. Thanks.

    Like

    Reply
  37. Brenda's Thoughts Jan 19, 2018 / 15:20

    Suspenseful for sure! I enjoyed reading your story, well-written. So much said in only 100 words. =)

    Like

    Reply
  38. Meena Jan 19, 2018 / 15:35

    Great story Keith. I enjoyed a lot. Molly is such a scaredy cat!

    Like

    Reply
  39. Dan Bohn Jan 19, 2018 / 16:23

    That was great Keith. Loved the ending. I’m still smiling.

    Like

    Reply
  40. subroto Jan 20, 2018 / 00:24

    Ha! Ha! I think you tricked everyone, great twist in the end.
    I’ve been thinking of changing over to the dark side too, as it seems many people just don’t post comments in a blogger site. Some misplaced loyalty is keeping me from doing it. Can you really get all your blog across?

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 20, 2018 / 01:49

      I felt exactly the same after 12 years at Blogger. All I will say is, the number of comments I’ve received on this FF post is my highest ever by far! I chose not to transfer all my stuff across, instead I’ve put a link back to Blogger in my new sidebar, but to answer your question, yes you can and it is simple. Go to ‘settings>other>back up content’ and you’ll get a file in your documents folder to import to WordPress. QED! It’s not as dark over here as you’d think!

      Like

      Reply
  41. patriciaruthsusan Jan 20, 2018 / 13:14

    There was tension in this story, Keith but a happy ending. I liked the parts about the anxious-looking ghost and dribbling tomato sauce. 😀 — Suzanne

    Like

    Reply
  42. Fandango Jan 20, 2018 / 13:54

    Whenever you commented on my posts you’ve kindly put a link to yours on Blogger, which I appreciated. But I rarely commented because it was such a pain in the butt. Very happy you’ve moved to WordPress. Once you get used to it, I think you’ll really like it.

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 20, 2018 / 17:50

      Without question, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done blog-wise. The proof is in the numbers – never before have I received the quantity of comments this post has attracted. Blogger folk, follow me follow…! Cheers Fandango.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  43. Sascha Darlington Jan 20, 2018 / 22:20

    Good one, Keith. You had me afraid that he’d come out a ghost!
    Welcome to WordPress! If you ever need help, give a shout-out, but I think, for the most part it’s pretty user friendly.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 20, 2018 / 23:21

      Now that would have been scary! Thanks your offer to assist. .So far I’ve managed with trial and error but if I get stuck I’ll take you upon it. Cheers Sascha

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  44. Barbara Torris Jan 21, 2018 / 03:28

    #1…I am impressed with the number of comments. Way to go Keith!
    The blog looks great. Good luck. I always have such a problem commenting on WordPress so I will see how this goes.

    Have a great week!

    Like

    Reply
    • Keith's Ramblings Jan 21, 2018 / 09:07

      It the greatest number of comments I’ve ever had, so I’ve clearly made the right move! Some WordPress user don’t allow Blogger comments which is why I came up with this link insert after my comment –

      Click to visit Keith’s Ramblings

      Thanks for dropping by Barbara.

      Like

      Reply
  45. Sarah Ann Jan 21, 2018 / 19:20

    Lovely. Billy’s matter-of-fact explanation is such a contrast to his earlier enthusiasm.

    Like

    Reply
  46. ahtdoucette Jan 21, 2018 / 23:41

    Uh-oh, if a teacup were to break down that could be really scary. Cute story!

    Like

    Reply
  48. Lynn Love Jan 22, 2018 / 17:16

    Had us fooled there, thinking something awful had happened! Nice tale Keith

    Like

    Reply
  49. Rosey Pinkerton Jan 22, 2018 / 17:18

    I dared you to go on a ghost train with me once and you wouldn’t!

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment