…for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt.
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‘I say Hector, what a splendid beast’
‘It is Arthur. The latest thing, a motor car. Before long, everybody will own one’
Hector swung the starting handle round-and-round. As the engine spluttered into life, Arthur disappeared in a cloud of oily smoke. He coughed, gasped, then wiped his streaming eyes. He resembled a startled panda.
‘Perish the thought, Hector. The countryside will be annihalated by this begrimed exhaust’.
Ned stopped his horse and cart to observe the scene. A wry smile spread across his face as the beast dumped a pile of steaming excrement beside Hector’s car, then trotted off.
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PHOTO PROMPT © Alicia Jamtaas
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Click Froggie to visit the squares!
Great take Keith.
Thank you so much, Sadje
You’re most welcome 🙏🏼
Great storytelling, Keith, as always. I like how you characterized the “vehicle,” and your delightful metaphor of “a startled panda” was the perfect visual!!!
Love your artwork illustrations too!
That’s so kind of you. Thanks, times four, Suzette!
If only Ned and Arthur had won the day. Unfortunately it is Hector who was right.
So true, Iain!
Ha! Excellent take, Keith. Talk about horse-sense!
Absolutely! Cheers, Nancy.
At least the horse manure is recyclable. My Dad was always first out there with a shovel. For his roses… 🙂
I bet his roses benefited! I was brought up in a livestock market town where every Wednesday blokes would compete in the battle to collect as much dung as possible as cattle were led off the trucks!
Nah. I can’t see it catching on. Travel at more than 15 miles per hour and the G-forces would squish the rider’s insides
That’s true, Neil! what next, aeroplanes?
Like a boss
Indeed!
Dear Keith,
Guess that showed Hector a thing or two about horse power. 😀 Entertaining as always.
Shalom,
Rochelle
That hadn’t occurred to me! Thanks, Rochelle.
What fun! And often exactly the way it was in the early days of the “horeless carriage.” We’ve come a long way, Baby 🙂
We certainly have, Linda. What will they think of next?
Ah, the horse didn’t know he’d soon be outpaced by the newcomer.
Beaten but not defeated!
You always have an excellent take at these prompts, Keith.
That’s so nice of you, thanks, Maria.
It’s true. You’re welcome 🙂
Fantastic contrast here, and Hector was right, of course, but it took a while.
…but there’s still nothing as nice as a ride with a horse and cart!
i suppose to each his own. :)
Indeed! Thanks, plaridel.
It would take a while, but he was right. Well done.
So true! But still they rate a car’s engine by its horsepower!
This made me smile, thank you.
Mission accomplished! Thanks, Alicia.
The horse gets the last …, well, you know what. 😂
I know what … I can smell it from here!
I especially enjoyed the contrast between the “waste matter” of the two beasts. There’s always a trade off, eh? -Angela
Indeed there is, I’m not sure what is worse!
Tell Arthur not to worry… it’ll never take. People won’t want those messy things….
The sale of those messy things comes to an end in the UK in 2030, all electric then! I’d rather have a gee-gee.
Supposedly here, too. But I’m not convinced about electric in this cold clime… What’s a gee-gee?
Steaming excrement also exudes gases – there’s no winning unless we return to simply walking!
…being very careful not to step on any of it!
Both comical and entertaining; A good, the bad and ugly (motor car) kind of story.
I like that! Cheers, James.
One of those moments none of them will ever forget. LMAO!
Very true! Thanks, Lisa.
You’re welcome, Keith.
Ah, so now we have a lot less horse manure to contend with, yet a lot more gas to stink up the world (and a lot more oil to fight over). One mess begets another, mayhaps?
A no-win situation!
Indeed! We humans are pretty messy and make bigger masses than we should…
I meant “messes” not “masses” but, you know, Freud. So who knows …
I loved this!
I’m pleased, thanks so much!
Did you just write a poop story?
Always good for laugh, that.
I do believe I did! Thanks, Dawn.
what a fun take on the prompt!