Can You Tell A Story In…

Hello there. How are you? Having a good week? I hope so. Here’s your new story challenge:

Can you tell a story in 45 words using the following words in it somewhere:

  • DOODLE
  • TEMPER
  • GIN
  • WART
  • RUBY

Last week’s challenge was to write a story in 15 words using the following words in it somewhere:

  • EXERCISE
  • NEIGHBOUR
  • TROLL

Here are your entertaining stories:

Trent’s World:

My neighbor never exercised in his life became a health influencer. Me a troll? Never…

***

The local bridge has a troll.  Not too scary – my neighbor exercises with him.

Graeme Sandford:

‘The Troll-Exercise Book’ was hot. In our neighborhood, under-abridged copies fetched fifty dollars!

Nicola Daly:

‘So, a troll stole your exercise bike while you were watching “Neighbours”, madame?’

‘Yes, officer.’

‘Oh Grandma!’

Richmond Road:

My fat neighbour’s life was a wreck. He had trouble controlling even his exercise bike.

Tony:

My neighbor was doing his daily exercise, until a troll came out of the composter, screaming.

En Français :

Mon voisin faisait son exercice quotidien, jusqu’à ce qu’un troll surgisse du composteur, hurlant.

L Wie:

His neighbours could not help with the math exercise. As trolls they only ate books.

My Word(s):

My neighbour Tom is an exercise fanatic. He also owns a turquoise Troll, called Norman. 

Sarah W:

“Who cares about being neighbourly?” bellowed Troll. “I’m not having goats exercising on my bridge.”

Pete:

I exercise my troll neighbour daily. He chases me across the bridge to a train.

Kim Smyth:

That troll neighbor got his while exercising. He dropped the weights on his big toe!

Ann Edall-Robson:

I once saw a troll exercise. A terrifying neighbour vision I don’t want to repeat.

Frank Hubney:

My neighbor, a troll, loves to exercise. I only wish he’d put some clothes on.

Christopher Farley:

My neighbour, who’s a bit of a troll

for exercise, likes to take a stroll

Teleportingweena:

Walking for exercise in the neighborhood made me paranoid, because garden troll’s eyes followed me.

Christine Mallaband-Brown:

Exercise wisely. If you walk very quickly you can avoid bumping into your neighbourhood troll!

Murray Clarke:

My neighbour needed to exercise more, so she hunted for a troll under the bridge.

My Mind Mappings:

My fat, hairy, troll-like neighbor does his morning exercises almost naked at his bay window.

John W. Howell:

My neighbor the bridge troll has a new exercise. He stands on his head and collects tolls with his feet.

Dazemindfully:

The goats decided to exercise caution when asking their troll neighbour for their ball back.

Pensititivy101:

Our neighbour was a troll and stood on a box to watch us exercise outside.

Heidi Dare:

Exercise while walking

Overhear my neighbor

Gossip, l believe?

And think, I am a troll.

Lisa A Paul:

I look like a troll, but hate to exercise while my neighbor watches with disdain.

Margaret G. Hanna:

Every day my neighbour trolls for fish. “Good exercise,” he claims. “For whom?” I retort.

Squirreljan:

My neighbour liked to exercise his pet trolls off a lead. Luckily, they didn’t bite.

The Elephant’s Trunk:

“You still expect me to exercise outside knowing our neighbor is a giant flesh-eating troll?!”

Treehugger:

The troll beneath the bridge, terrified my neighbour, as she took her daily leisurely walk.

Therapy Bits:

My neighbour met a troll during morning exercise; now they jog together, terrifying everyone else.

***

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

  1. […] To Esther’s site for lots of Challenges! […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very good, Graeme. I like what you’ve done with the words.

      Like

  2. My art teacher, Mrs Van der Vaart,

    was a spectacle herself

    with a big brown wart

    which hung under her ruby lips.

    She was known as a drinker

    who liked her gin.

    She lost her temper

    when I made a doodle 

    of her warted chin.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. That made me laugh out loud 😂 Thanks, Chris.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks Esther.

        You will keep giving me the material… 😁

        Liked by 1 person

  3. nikidaly70 Avatar
    nikidaly70

    Whatever you do, don’t pass out at the Gin Palace. If Ruby’s there she’ll steal all your clothes. Did it to me once. Put my wife in a right temper when I arrived home with no clothes and warts doodled in every nook and cranny.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Fantastic! 🤣🤣🤣

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Kate in Cornwall Avatar
      Kate in Cornwall

      Love it!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. nikidaly70 Avatar
        nikidaly70

        Thanks! 🥰

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Ruby wandered over to my place at the bar. Smelling like gin and her nose wart in place she asks for a light. Blowing smoke in my face she asks,”You still got that temper?” No reply from me while returning to my bar napkin doodle.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. I like the scene you’ve created there, John.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you, Esther.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Kate in Cornwall Avatar
    Kate in Cornwall

    That ‘post-modern exploration of the depravity of man’ that sold for £10k? It was actually my granddaughter Ruby’s post-temper tantrum doodle of Granny’s hairy wart (not mine, her other Grandma’s). I’d had a drop of gin and sent the wrong painting to the gallery. Ooops. 

    Liked by 8 people

    1. That’s so funny. It’s great to have you back with that one, Kate 😊

      Like

  6. Surviving on the forgiveness of others, Ruby, unlovingly called the Wart, began a doodle on the napkin supporting his gin. That didn’t quite hide the temper tantrum in his head.

    He wanted so much to see the light, but wouldn’t leave the bar.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. That makes an excellent story. Frank.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. The cigarette smoke made doodles as I downed my gin.

    “Come in.”

    The dame wasn’t pretty, the wart on her nose bigger than her huge temper.  Though black and white, I swear she was green.

    “Some brat stole my ruby slippers.”

    I took the case.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. I love the reveal. Very good story. Trent.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. When noir (maybe Sam Spade) meets The Wizard of Oz… Thanks, Esther.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. […] her “Can You Tell a Story In…” prompt today, Esther Chilton has challenged us to tell a 45-word story using the words doodle, […]

    Liked by 1 person

  9. The doctor drew a little doodle of how he’d remove Ellen’s wart. She tried to temper her nervous system with a nip of gin before the procedure.

    After the procedure, Ellen went to the jewelry store to have the stone tightened in her ruby ring.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Great story, Kim 😊

      Liked by 1 person

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

    Liked by 1 person

  11. […] her “Can You Tell a Story In…” prompt today, Esther Chilton has challenged us to tell a 45-word story using the […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for joining in, Mark.

      Like

  12. […] Can You Tell A Story In… This Week’s Writer’s Workshop Prompts – June 5, […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for joining in. I love to see what you come up with 😊

      Like

  13. My humble offering (first time participant)

     The feisty Labradoodle they called Ruby, had some crazy temper. Most blamed the wart protruding from her butt as the root of the problem. In reality, it was the lack of competent bartenders at the local pub who never stocked her favorite brand of gin.

    ©2025 Annette Rochelle Aben 6/5/25 An Unhappy Tail

    An Unhappy Tail | Annette Rochelle Aben

    Liked by 6 people

    1. That’s brilliant! Thank you for joining in, Annette.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. A really good story, Di 🥰

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks Esther.

        Liked by 1 person

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

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your super story 😊

      Liked by 2 people

  15. When Ruby got into a temper she would drink gin and ginger ale. She also used to soak her finger in the glass to try and dissolve her warts. Then she would doodle and paint using the leftover gin as a painting medium. Very odd!

    Liked by 6 people

    1. That’s funny! I like the spin you’ve put on this.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Well it was asking for it!

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Sanny M Avatar
    Sanny M

    John loved to doodle flowers
    Ruby petals in beautiful showers
    The wart on his nose
    With the gin how it grows
    Then his temper would last for hours

    🤣🤣🤣

    Liked by 4 people

    1. That’s hilarious! I love that 😄

      Liked by 1 person

  17. SexagenarianScribbler Avatar
    SexagenarianScribbler

    ‘Freddie, stop that doodling’, scolded Miss Lane, sounding like she’d been on the gin again.

    Ruby, sitting next to him, who had a huge wart on her thumb, was really annoying.

    Freddie had a terrible temper.

    Thwack went his ruler down on Ruby’s thumb.

    ‘Freddie!’

    Liked by 4 people

    1. What a great story. You’ve clearly had fun with that.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. squirreljan Avatar
    squirreljan

    I sip a ruby gin cocktail, doodle in my notebook, and slowly control my temper. How dare that old wart-faced bitch say I can’t take my class on a school trip because I drink. I mean, she smokes weed. The ‘one rule’ rule rules again.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. That’s hilarious – wasn’t expecting that!

      Like

      1. squirreljan Avatar
        squirreljan

        Nor was I, Esther! No idea where it came from either but I really enjoyed writing it.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. Bonsoir Esther,

    In the language of Shakespeare :

    Ruby, with a volcanic temperament, drank gin scribbling an incomprehensible doodle. Her therapist said that every word was a wart of the soul. She laughed. She wrote to survive, and every crooked line on the page was a truth that could not be censored.

    In the language of Molière, now :

    Ruby, au tempérament volcanique, buvait du gin en griffonnant un gribouillage incompréhensible. Son psy disait que chaque mot était une verrue de l’âme. Elle riait. Elle écrivait pour survivre, et chaque trait tordu sur la page était une vérité qu’on ne pouvait censurer.

    Bon weekend Esther, et prends soin de toi !

    Liked by 2 people

    1. J’ai adoré ton histoire. Tu as si bien utilisé ces mots. Bon weekend, Tony.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. He twisted the ruby ring around on his little finger, then angrily drew a doodle on the letter in front of him .His temper was rising ,his face becoming purple ,the wart on his chin stood out like a beacon .He reached for the gin .

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That’s really funny, Sheila.

      Like

  21. thankyou Esther

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Glasses resting against the wart at the end of his nose, his temper bubbled. Hand shaking, gin sloshed out of the tumbler. His apprentice assumed the doodle drawings were the instructions to cut the ruby. Two careers ruined. The empty glass flew across the room.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What a gripping story. Well done, Ann.

      Like

  23. […] Can You Tell A Story In… – Esther Chilton […]

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Wart offered his gin

    Expecting they’d welcome him in.

    It was December

    They were in a temper

    The gin ended up in the bin

    Wart decided to doodle

    Because it helped him canoodle.

    Ruby, the dog,

    Said, “Such a hog!

    Draw me, a beautiful poodle.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s a brilliant poem! Love it 😊

      Like

  25. During her interview, Ruby became fixated by the wart on the manager, Gin Gersnap’s nose. The CEO, Mr Gordons, had a foul temper, asking entirely inappropriate questions. 

    “Enough,” said Ruby. “I don’t like Gordons, Gin, and I don’t want to work at Doodle Days. Goodbye.”

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s an excellent story!

      Like

  26. […] for Esther’s “Can You Tell A Story In…..?#290” – exactly 45 words using the five requiredprompts: ‘doodle’, ‘temper’, […]

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Hi Esther! Here’s mine:

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your fab story.

      Liked by 1 person

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