Can You Tell A Story In…

How’s your week going to far? Hasn’t Thursday come round quickly?! Here’s a new story challenge for you:

Can you tell a story in 40 words? You must use the following words somewhere in the story:

  • HAMMOCK
  • PLAYBOY
  • ALLIGATOR
  • BASSOON
  • TENDER

The previous prompt was to tell a story in 24 words using the following words in it somewhere:

  • MINIBAR
  • SQUEAMISH
  • ANAGRAM

Here are your super stories:

Niki Daly:

‘Get me another vodka from the minibar. These muddled up words make me all squeamish.’

‘They’re anagrams.’

‘Like I said – muddled up words. Cheers.’

Frank Hubney:

At the minibar, Greg listened while squeamish Ken pontificated: “‘Dog’ is an anagram of ‘God’.”

“Your point?”

“Well, you know … maybe … yeah!” Ken explained.

Murray Clarke:

Esther struggled with her latest anagram puzzle. The word “minibar” hurt her BRAIN; and “squeamish” sent her rushing to fetch a glass of SQUASH!

Richmond Road:

Ravi feeling squeamish
Caused by horrid stink
Paused Sitar. Found minibar
Poured himself a drink
Shankar was a Raga Man
(An anagram I think)

Kim Smyth:

The cryptic anagram made me a bit squeamish, yet I was bound to it. Go to the minibar and order a shot of Fireball.

Christopher Farley:

I pulled a face in disgust.

‘Don’t be so squeamish, it’s Beamish. There’s nothing else in the minibar.’

Minibar? Mi brain. There’s an anagram.

Treehugger:

Solving anagrams is a skill.I only found amiss out of squeamish.My anagram talents are minimal,but my brain was useful for minibar.

Christine Mallaband-Brown:

Theft from the minibar was prohibited. But though I was squeamish I still needed a drink of reeb to get over anagramitis! Yerv dod!

Gypsie’s Wonderful World of Words:

An anagram is not a monogram
and never a squeamish telegram.
But beware that fully stocked minibar
your favorite red-rum may become a murder!

Pensivity101:

Hotel minibars are OK, but prices are not for the squeamish.
Pete installed his own as he pondered his anagram puzzles on the throne.

Therapy Bits:

Squeamish about the minibar choices, Jess discovered an anagram for “drink.” With a sigh, she mixed a cocktail, embracing her fears and laughter.

The Bag Lady:

Walking into the minibar, she saw a challenge on the chalkboard: Free drinks to anyone who can make an anagram of the word squeamish!

Ann Edall-Robson:

Writer’s buzz word: MINIBAR – Mind Is Numb, It’s Beyond All Repair. Blurry eyes, headache, feeling squeamish. The anagram reminder to let the body recharge.

Teleportingweena:

Saloon door sign: Don’t be squeamish – enter anagram contest – win a minibar for your home. I said I just wanted a ragaman. I won!

Lisa A Paul:

In the hotel restaurant, I got squeamish over a diner’s escargot. Minibar bourbon and writing anagrams of the names of booze improved my night.

Shazascribe:

Staggering, my scrambled brain unscrambles that anagram: gonastishin… yes, astonishing! I open the minibar door and wretch squeamish. My pungent prawn sandwich wins. Blech!

The Elephant’s Trunk:

Squinting and squeamish, I try to decipher the anagram:

“I’M BRIAN”.

Haha! Now I know! It’s where I spend most of my time:

“MINIBAR”!

Here are a couple of stories inside or outside the word limit but using all the prompts:

John W. Howell:

Feeling squeamish after a long night at the minibar, my thoughts ran to the anagram which spelled relief.

Utahan15:

it is was or near or far

some kind of ale from the minibar!

a call lush squeamish i

and the anagram 8 ball anna anna!

***

62 responses to “Can You Tell A Story In…”

  1. tender was such a dark night

    the cause of coma rem could not make it right

    do you know a game where anyone can win

    name it gonna salve mundo

    put on revolution

    and dig on the solution

    and remove the pollution

    rinse and foment the moment

    to resist and become an intelligent dissident!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. You’re so quick with your responses!

      Liked by 2 people

  2. yes i can. but allude solitude and lovin solitaire i did not use but one of ya words requird there.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. nikidaly70 Avatar
    nikidaly70

    Alisdair the alligator languished in a hammock teasing tender notes of a love song from his bass bassoon.

    ‘Where were you last night?’ Annabel screamed, smashing her saxophone over his scaly chest. ‘You stood me up again – you slimy playboy!’

    Liked by 6 people

    1. That made me laugh out loud!

      Liked by 3 people

      1. nikidaly70 Avatar
        nikidaly70

        Me too! 😆

        Liked by 3 people

    2. 😆😆👏👏 nice one

      Liked by 4 people

      1. nikidaly70 Avatar
        nikidaly70

        Thanks! 🙂

        Liked by 4 people

  4. The aging playboy lounged in his hammock, rearranging thinning hair to disguise his alligator skin. Ruing the lack of women, but grateful for the new bassoon to occupy his hands, even if the constant practice had made his fingers tender.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Great story. Looks like you had a lot of fun with that.

      Liked by 4 people

    2. This is good..very creative. 😊

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you 😊

        Liked by 4 people

  5. The playboy rested in his hammock like a tender alligator ready to pounce.

    He wished he had the time to do more constructive stuff like learning how to play the bassoon.

    However, playing around took up all of his time.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Thank you for your story, Frank. Nicely done.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Well done on this Micro, Frank.

      Liked by 4 people

  6. I was down by the swamp in my hammock and swatting mosquitoes with my Playboy when I saw bubbles appear on the surface of the water, some weird noise then an alligator appeared, playing Love Me Tender on his bassoon.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. That made me laugh. So funny, Chris 🤣

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you, Ess. I can’t wait for your Thursday posts.😊🤗

        Liked by 3 people

    2. I live on South FL. I won’t be surprised if I came across a gator playing the bassoon. Lol. Nice one, Chris.

      Liked by 5 people

      1. Thanks Nigel!😁

        Liked by 3 people

  7. This was fun! Thanks for the word list! Here’s my entry: https://wp.me/p3RE1e-kZ6

    Liked by 3 people

  8. The shop, Playboy Alligator, was filled with conflicting wares. Shouldn’t that be comfortable wares? A hammock, tender to the touch, played soothing sounds from a baboon. Surely they meant bassoon? The twist of words throughout the advertisement brought in throngs.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. You’ve made a great story out of those words, Ann.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you. Your challenges are always enjoyable to play with.

        Liked by 2 people

  9. A bassoon player had overstayed his visit in my hammock. Although he was a member of the Playboy magazine all-stars, my tender hearted alligator, Ralph and I, both thought he should leave. A big hug from Ralph was all it took to gain back what was ours.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I love the idea of an alligator called Ralph! Thank you so much for this, John.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you, Esther. Was fun (as usual)

        Liked by 2 people

  10. The hammock shook as the bassoon player climbed aboard. In reality he was a playboy with a tender heart for a beautiful woman. But unbeknownst to him she had vacated the hanging bed because an alligator had taken up residence!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. That’s funny. Thank you for joining in, Christine.

      Liked by 3 people

  11. These are all so great. Here’s my shot at it.

    “Mr. Alligator, see my grandpa in the hammock?”

    “Ahem, why is he wearing short shorts?”

    “He says he’s a playboy. Can you play any Grandpa songs on your bassoon?” 

    “How ‘bout “Love Me Tender?”

    “Never heard of it. Sounds good.”

    Liked by 3 people

    1. You’ve done so well with the word prompts. Hope you enjoyed it 🥰

      Liked by 3 people

      1. I did. I enjoyed the first one the most, though! Slapping his scaly chest – what a picture!

        Liked by 2 people

  12. […] for Esther Chilton’s “Can You Tell a Story In…? prompt, 40 words, hammock, playboy, alligator, bassoon, and tender. Image credit: […]

    Liked by 1 person

  13. […] for Esther Chilton’s “Can You Tell a Story In…?” prompt, 40 words, hammock, playboy, alligator, bassoon, and tender. Image credit: […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for joining in.

      Like

  14. She played the oboe with a lovely tender tone and looked like a playboy bunny. When he found a photo of her and her bassoonist boyfriend dressed in an alligator suit lying in a hammock , he lost interest. Too weird.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. This is so good. Thank you for joining in.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Phil was a playboy with a tender heart. When he spied the injured alligator, he carefully laid him in his hammock, then regaled him with soft bassoon music to sooth the savage beast. The healed up alligator became his friend.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That’s really funny. Thank you for that, Kim 🥰

      Liked by 1 person

  16. […] Written for my flash fiction challenge; and for Esther’s Can You Tell A Story In… […]

    Like

  17. The playboy lay dozing in his hammock .Suddenly ,his wife struck up ‘Tender is the Night’ on her bassoon.He shot bolt upright and groaned .His pet alligator awoke from her afternoon nap and slid into the pool in disgust .

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Very funny. Thank you for the laugh 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  18. […] Can You Tell A Story In… […]

    Liked by 1 person

  19. […] for Esther’s “Can You Tell A Story In…..? #277”Exactly 40 words including the five required prompts:‘hammock’, ‘playboy’, […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I loved it. Thank you, Nancy 🥰

      Liked by 2 people

  20. Tried to add you here to favorites but only get your new site? Can you give me what I should try for this one? Thanks a lot. 💓

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hi Cindy, I’m not sure, I’m afraid. That seems strange. WordPress seems to do strange things!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I know.. for sure it does.. I’ll try again! 💕

        Liked by 1 person

  21. SexagenarianScribbler Avatar
    SexagenarianScribbler

    Relaxing by the lake with her toy-boy, a bassoon playing Vivaldi in the background, the tender scene was suddenly interrupted by a hungry alligator emerging from the water. They were out of that hammock like bats out of hell.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Excellent story, Val. Thank you for that 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  22. […] Esther Chilton – “What an amazing story and Robbie’s creations accompany it perfectly. The baby cookie monster was delightful, with his snout: For this job his nose was perfect With its flat and saw-like edge And when he’d finished the walls He cut out each window ledge […]

    Liked by 1 person

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