The Unicorn Challenge.
A magical new weekly writing opportunity from her – Jenne Gray – and me.
Visit her blog every Friday to see the photo prompt, and post your amazing story in her comments section.
Or on your own blog, and stick the link down in her comments.
The rules are:
Maximum of 250 words.
Based on photo prompt.
That’s it.
To hear me read my story, just click here:
Jocky-E
‘C’est quoi ça?’
‘Naw, naw, I’m no speaking ze French now, I’m speaking ze Scotteesh. Ask your question again, s’il te plaît.’
‘Whit’s that there then, eh?’
Monsieur Jean-Étienne Moustiquier proudly draws himself up to his full height of 1.62 metres, about £5 30 pence in real measure, and proclaims – once again – his genius.
‘Eet ees ma latest invention, which will change ze world as we know heem.’
(I should explain here that ‘ ze world as we know heem’ is a small town on the Côte d’Azur at about half-past fin de siècle. Or, as Meatloaf once said, it was long ago, it was far away (unless, of course, like me, you happen to live here, in which case it was only long ago)).
‘I tell you, Jean-Étienne, it doesn’t look much like something which will change ze world as we know heem,’ mutters his friend Wee Tam, doubtfully.
(Did you spot that neat wee biblical reference there? Pas mal, eh, no bad for the likes o me!)
‘Zat eez because you ave no imagination, ya numpty. And I now say my name in Scotteesh, so I’m called Jocky-E. Whit dae ye think, pretty cool, aye?’
‘Aye, whitever. So whit is it?’
‘Eet eez ze humanitarian way to protect us from ze bites of ze mosquitoes and ze midges. No noise, no smell, and it does not ’arm the wee beasties.’
‘Ow does eet – slap! – work, mon ami?’
‘Apparemment – smack! – eet doesn’t!’






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You have such a playfulness about you! This was a joy to hear and read.
Thanks again, Bridgette!
Sometimes it’s all about having fun!
Great dialogue, even I understood it! I might have a go at writing something in Cockney and Chinese about bleed’n mos-key-ohs 和蠓 !
Careful, Keith, or you might turn into Benny Hill!
Rubbery comment!
Damn!*
(Content to sit just beyond the penumbra of frenetic-sparkling repartee and smoke a well-deserved Player cigarette **)
** reward (courtesy of the virtual reality this place offers) for not even considering attempting to jump in, much less engage the writer of a rather biblio-eclectic*** story.
*** not a ‘real’ word
* compliment on writing that is fun on multiple levels.
Thanks, Clark.
I think that when writing stops being fun, it’s time to hang up the keyboard!
C.E., we had a similar idea but got to it in a very different way. The dialogue is priceless especially when listening to you read it.
Glad you enjoyed, Li!
Smells like Eau de Caledonian (part empty whisky bottle and part frog spawn). Talk about Nirvana meets Captain Numpty in the Land of the Goons. 🙂
J’ai read ton histoire, Doug, and you have no room to parler!
PS Numpty is one of my favourite (untranslatable) Scottish words.
Sadly, ze moskeetose don’t scare so ee-salee.
May I recommend Deep Woods Off and several yards of netting?
Zey are, ow you zay, unscareable, les p’tites ordures!
And nous don’t ave zees DWO ou netting in 19e siècle France, hélas!
You hhav ze Amazahn? Dey wood hav ze personal protecteev netting for se floppy- brimmed chapeau!
My friend and her husband use them for summer ventures at the cabin in northern MN. Uffda!
I want a hit of whatever it is you’re smoking.
I haven’t seen you produce anything more sensible!
🤣 🤣
Maybe it just needs a squirt from the oil can!
Wot ees zees oil can, ma chère madame? I ave only zee oil can’t…
maybe a bit of spit?
Utterly wonderful.
Such word fun!
Did you hear me laughing?
Well it is a particularly surreal prompt photo, Jenne, I had no idea what it was or what to say about it!
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