Friday, May 28, 2010

CLAUDE ~ By Absolutely*Kate of Harbinger*33 in a #FridayFlash spark


CLAUDE
~ By Absolutely*Kate

In a stream-lined valley of a shallow gorge lived a little man named Claude who hunkered down his days, thinking small thoughts, feeling low opinions, worrying a tiny bit that he wasn't living up to his highest potentials. One day Claude met a girl -- yes he did -- Ms Anne Thrope. He pondered though, in a puny fit of perplexity if they got along all that well --  she never really smiled nor played any cheerful tunes on the harmonica she kept tight in her back ass pocket. 

Spring came to Claude's valley, and along with it the way a plain man's heart turns to fancy with intense awareness that the clamour of tents, elephants, clowns and fire-eaters meant the circus had come to town. Claude raised his aspirations, expectations and high-as-the-tightrope hopes, deciding he could lift rather than quell what had always held him down. Yes, things were looking up. Claude sensed a false bravado to be a step up from the sham of a meager life lived with no intuitions -- and he took Ms Anne's hand -- yes he did --  and made a short loop about midway around the Midway, still wondering if he could ever whistle up a happy tune . . . as he really did want to. Turning to Ms Anne Thrope, in a small voice he did not wish to sound petty, Claude asked if she would finally let the music play with him, so to speak. 

Tough night, that night. She soured faster than a vendor could shake lemonade into a paper cup, turned him flat down. So Claude, in a pique of exasperation, joined the circus . . . and under the Big Top, peaked in his career after discovering he had a surprising aptitude for apprenticing under the man who walked on stilts.
(c) 2010 ~ Author Absolutely*Kate


And do trip some lights fantastic at the humble Mad Utopia home of Jon M Strother, not just any other, but a fella who brings folks together ... fast as Friday can Flash its Fiction.
Jon posted a LIST and everyone's checkin' it more than twice ~ For stories and glories from debut to what's new. Enjoy it too, won't you? Thanks Jon for how you prominentize in the Writing Worlds we know ... and for welcomin' me in, this new kid in Flash-town, AT THE BIJOU just as your one year birthday lights up.

Now, make a wish.
Now make it come true.

~ Absolutely*Kate
  ... rooting for you
*AT THE BIJOU*
~ Writers' Theatre ... under warm lights

" We're poppin'! "
Thanks for comin' by! 


NOW PLAYING ~
~ KEVIN MICHAELS BITTER EMOTIONS 


MURDER*MYSTERY MATINEE SUNDAY
~ By Absolutely*Kate and Harry B Sanderford
with AT THE BIJOU "characters"

RETURNING NEXT THURSDAY 
~ BARRY J NORTHERN'S MYSTI-SERIAL

20 comments:

Paul D Brazill said...

Goal!

Kate Pilarcik ~ absolutely said...

Dziekuje!

Laurita said...

Nicely done, A*K. So many twists and turns of phrase. Miss Anne Thrope - that was a nice touch. :)

Harry said...

You never go flimsy on the whimsy Katie*Girl! I love this!

Kevin Michaels said...

Very cool! As Laurita said, nice touch with the turns of phrase.

Lydia said...

Very beautiful story dear Kate,I love this one!

Cat Russell said...

The sing-song quality of the language in this was great. Perfect.

Unknown said...

I pretty much agree with everyone... Your language in this is spot on. I loved "She soured faster than a vendor could shake lemonade into a paper cup..."

And who doesn't love a circus tale? They're both sad and oddly uplifting at the same time.

Kate Pilarcik ~ absolutely said...

ANTHONY since your sync-style knows its way out of paper cups and around all the worlds a circus really presents under more than just tents, your comment to me is a big topper. THANKS...much

GANYMEDER ~ Super great to see you here AT THE BIJOU and see you 'feel' the voice. APPRECI'KATE

LOVELY LYDIA across our seas ~ Ever a delight you are to sharing readings with me. THANK*YOU

KEVIN and LAURITA ~ I dig that you dug the phrases' ups and downs, and snickered that the crafty lass would catch the gloomy "Miss Anne Thrope". YOU CLASSY WRITERS MAKE MY DAY

HARRY ~ "no flimsy on the whimsy"? A 33-pointer Pard. You're the cowpoke of detection ... no matter how many directions a tale is taking. MUCHAS GRACIAS SENOR SANDERFORD

~ Absolutely*Kate - thinkin' CLAUDE got to smile today

J. M. Strother said...

It fun to see you play with language and rhythm in your pieces. And this one was a funny piece. Apprenticing under a man on stilts. Snort!

Thanks so much for the shout out. Very kind of you.
~jon

Matthew S. Magda said...

Poor Claude for a time. Once stilted, however, he can see that Miss Ann Thrope was destined to meet Mr. Masson Ginnest and boy would those two tangle. Kate, you captured exactly that alluring yet unncomfortable sense of the circus in life. Marvelous use of language.

Pamila Payne said...

Short, sweet and funny - the tale and the character.

Eric J. Krause said...

Entertaining read. Fun twists and turns throughout. Good story!

Anonymous said...

Great little story. I love the way you play with language. Ms. Ann Thrope was too funny.

Very enjoyable.

Kate Pilarcik ~ absolutely said...

Wow! Some more grand minds have come to play ~ THANK*YOU, THANK*YOU Sir JON the founding #FFFather ~ I so loved it that you caught the "apprenticing under the man on stilts."

WELCOME and deep appreci'kation, ERIC and GRACIE. I've grooved to your great #FF'ing tales and loved to feel the fun you had with Claude goin' midway around the Midway.

JON - You are most welcome. Tis a grand thing you do, and I see you've now pulled in the illustrious Pamila Payne as well. More FLASH for an #FF'world!

Kate Pilarcik ~ absolutely said...

PAMILA ~ You're both heroine of writers'worlds and barometer to my 'beat'. THANKS for your perceptions.

And then there's that one'up'manship of a Prof named MATT comin' to bat -- from 'stilted' to Mr Masson Ginnest and "the sense of the circus in life", you read an author's central flow and then ... man oh man, do you let go.

Touched I was with how so many of you remarked on my love*play with language. I adore what wordsmithery has to offer, wants to be ... love the more how we all let it speak its best parts.

~ Absolutely*Kate
AT THE BIJOU (with a curtsey)

Anonymous said...

This was delightful to read, and more to reflect on after this Memorial Weekend 2010.
When it comes to wordspinnery--you are the humdingery.

Anne Tyler Lord said...

Ah, what a clever tale and perfect descriptions and hopping wordsmithing for Claude.

I'm so glad to see Claude find his hidden talent - and thank goodness you don't hide your talent!

Kate Pilarcik ~ absolutely said...

JEANETTE and ANNE ~ I ever mention I love you both ~ your savvy styles have perked up my eyes (to mix a metaphor) so very many times. To bring wordsmithery glee to thee is all the cats' meows on all the streets around all the gin joints I know.

I think Claude woulda been real pleased in takin' the pleasure of a walk more than midway around the Midway with either (or both) of you great dames. THANKS most kindly for your words ... and lady oh lady J - *humdingery* is a 33-pointer for sure!

~ Absolutely*Kate, still at the circus I think

Carrie Clevenger said...

You crack me up Kate. Good to see you here with us!