Can You Tell A Story In…

It seems we’re actually starting to have a summer here in the UK. I hope it’s sunny with you wherever you are. Here’s your new story challenge:

Can you tell a story in 55 words using the following words in it somewhere:

  • WHEEL
  • CRUEL
  • SOAK
  • LABYRINTH
  • YELLOW
  • CRAB

Last week’s challenge was to write a story in 45 words using the following words in it somewhere:

  • DOODLE
  • TEMPER
  • GIN
  • WART
  • RUBY

Here are your very funny stories:

Graeme Sandford:

The swarthy man looked like trouble; his ginger labradoodle, on the other hand, seemed a sweetie.

How wrong were we? The one that had a hot and cold temper was RubyRubyDu the Labradoodle; and Fagin, his owner, was beginning to lose any temperature control whatsoever. 

Christopher Farley:

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.

Nicola Daly:

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.

John W. Howell:

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.

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. 

Frank Hubeny:

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.

Trent’s World:

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.

My Mind Mappings:

In a smoky bar, Ruby nursed her gin, drawing hearts on a napkin. A man with a wart and a temper slammed her table. “Give me that doodle,” he growled. She smiled sweetly, slid the sketch over, and whispered, “Only if you can handle heartbreak.”

Kim Smyth:

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.

The Bag Lady:

Joe’s upset mother wanted an explanation, seeing her son showing off his gross arm. “It’s not a wart, it’s just a doodle Ruby drew on me. I think you’ve drunk too much gin! Now, calm that temper of yours…see? I can wash it right off.”

Mark Fraidenburg:

Ruby nursed her gin, tracing a doodle on the napkin. Her temper flared as she spotted the wart on his chin—her ex, grinning. With a sigh, she toasted solitude, letting the bar’s laughter swallow her regrets. Tonight, she chose her own company.

Dawgy Daddy Responds:

Another day networking online

Disappointed with my temper again

I need a gin and tonic

An address doodled on paper

I stay until the break of day

Enjoying drink and chronic

Tracy plays blues guitar

Bending the strings tonight

Her wart making it sound demonic

Annette Rochelle Aben:

 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.

Pensitivity101:

The doctors did nothing to relieve Ruby’s wart problem. She felt like a toad as they covered her entire body. In a fit of temper, she drew a doodle of herself and downing a gin, set fire to it. Next day, they were all gone.

Lisa A Paul:

A woman with ruby hair walked into the bar, ordered a gin martini and grabbed the bartender’s hand. She doodled a heart around a wart on his finger and he yanked his hand away. “Watch out, honey, I got a temper,” she said.

Christine Mallaband-Brown:

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!

Murray Clarke:

Bertie, an adorable Cockapoo with an even temper, is a doodle dog – his father a Spaniel, and his mother a poodle. On the end of his nose there’s a wart as red as a ruby – the result of consuming too much of his Master’s gin.

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

Sexagenarian Scribbler:

‘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!’

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.

Tony:

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.

Treehugger:

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.

Ann Edall-Robson:

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.

Therapy Bits:

Ruby sipped gin under the moonlight, doodling stars in her journal. Her temper flared when a stranger mocked her wart, mistaking it for weakness. With a glare and a grin, she whispered a curse—by dawn, he was drawing stars too, unable to stop.

Margaret G. Hanna:

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.”

my word (s):

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.”

The Elephant’s Trunk:

Ruby was a beautiful young woman except for a big wart on her forehead. Her temper flared whenever people teased. She’d doodle happy faces and flowers to distract herself. Now she’s on a quest to find shaman Gin Lee to rid her of this blight.

***

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

  1. nikidaly70 Avatar
    nikidaly70

    The crab grabbed the steering wheel from the screaming cabbie.

    ‘You yellow livered idiot,’ he yelled. ‘What kind of cruel joke is this telling me to get out? I don’t want to get lost in this labyrinth of London streets. It’s raining and I don’t want my costume to get soaked. ‘

    ‘It’s a c-c-costume?’

    Liked by 5 people

    1. A great last line 😂😂

      Liked by 2 people

  2. […] is a challenge initiated by Esther Chilton. Then let’s find 49 other words […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your fun story.

      Like

  3. Kate in Cornwall Avatar
    Kate in Cornwall

    I was stumbling around like an old soak on a bender and blamed the ride on the Big Wheel.

    Someone suggested we share a Yellow Crab. 

    “Between seven? We’ll need fries with that!” I cried.

    “Yellow CAB! Are you deaf?”

    How cruel.

    Turns out I had an infected membranous labyrinth. Vertigo and deafness. So there.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. So there indeed! Very funny, Kate 😊

      Like

  4. Ignoring the minotaur myths I entered the wheel of the cruel labyrinth.

    Why? I guess I had to prove I was an idiot.

    I thought it was rain. Then I realized it was yellow minotaur slime that soaked me. It looked like a crab. A big, ugly crab.

    Gotcha! I prepared the feast.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Great last line. Thank you for your story, Frank.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Deep inside the Labyrinth my yellow twine ran out.  Damn.

    Just then I found a giant crying over his torn, soaked bull outfit.  How cruel the world was to him!  Right.

    We made a deal.  Giving my spare crab cakes to the big guy, we wheeled out the costume, pretending it was dead bull-man.

    Win-win.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. That’s a very gripping story, Trent! You’ve done well with that 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks, Esther! Fun to try to rewrite Theseus in 55 words 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  6. […] Mark in challenge, Daily Writing Prompt, Uncategorized Can You Tell A Story In… […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your story 😊

      Like

  7. Although it seemed cruel, my duty was to wheel the underwater craft through the submerged labyrinth and soak the yellow crab with green dye. It seems someone ordered blue crab for lunch.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Very clever and nicely constructed.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you, Esther. 😊

        Liked by 1 person

  8. […] Can You Tell A Story In… […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very entertaining.

      Like

  9. Bonsoir Esther,
    J’espère que tu vas bien.

    In a yellow maze,
    a lame crab is looking for fortune.
    The wheel of the spell creaks,
    cruel merry-go-round without a way out.
    He wants to soak his claws
    in the ink of an ancient dream.
    But the sand laughs,
    the wind extinguishes it.
    The world is a trap
    which is written without a witness.

    En Français cette fois :

    Dans un labyrinthe jaune,
    un crab boiteux cherche fortune.
    La roue du sort grince,
    cruel manège sans issue.
    Il veut faire tremper ses griffes
    dans l’encre d’un rêve ancien.
    Mais le sable rit,
    le vent l’éteint.
    Le monde est un piège
    qui s’écrit sans témoin.

    Bonne soirée Esther et prends soin de toi.
    Tony

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Waouh! Quel beau poème avec ces mots. Bravo, Tony!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Merci Esther, c’est très gentil.
        🙏☺

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Here’s my entry for today: https://wp.me/p3RE1e-lHk

    Liked by 1 person

  11. […] Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com Can You Tell A Story In… […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Great story, Lisa 🥰

      Liked by 1 person

  12. The priesthood of the red robed Lobster cult in charge of the Inquisition said, “It wasn’t cruel to break someone on the wheel.” With a labyrinth of pious accusations and rationalizations they would soak the ground with the blood of the yellow robed Crab cult. This ushered in the rocking age of Blue Oyster cult.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Good to know where the Blue Oyster Cult hailed from! Very entertaining story, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you. I’m just a fountain of historical misinformation 🤓

        Liked by 1 person

  13. […] her “Can You Tell a Story In…” prompt today, Esther Chilton has challenged us to tell a 55-word story using the words wheel, […]

    Liked by 1 person

  14. The yellow crab walked, sideways, around the labyrinth in what seemed like circles. His shell began to soak with sweat. He looked down at the black shredded rubber and wondered if it was some cruel joke. He needed the wheel to get out, but he hadn’t known about the tyre and he only had claws.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Poor crab! Fun story, Chris 🥰

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Prisoners now, within a subterranean nightmare. Shuffling, stumbling, circling the cave through this cruel wheel of darkness. The abyss below echoing cold fear. Backs to the wall. Crabbing their way deeper into the labyrinth, everywhere the dank odour of moisture seeping through fissures in the rock and forming slippery yellow rivulets beneath bare blistered feet.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I like the use of the senses in this. Very atmospheric.

      Like

      1. Here’s another one (also not making much sense) …..

        Ocean. Labyrinth of blue
        Sun? Kinda yellow
        Love …. deep, love … true
        Also kinda mellow
        Me? A fool
        You, so cruel
        Hearts churning, can you feel?
        Feeling blame. Soaking shame
        Love turning like a wheel
        On the slab, like a crab
        Crawling back to you
        Feel regret? Don’t forget
        Crabs have claws (just two)

        Liked by 2 people

      2. I like this stream of consciousness flow to this. There’s meaning there and it does comes through strongly.

        Like

  16. […] Here is my second 55-words story for Esther’s challenge. […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’ve thought outside the box with this one.

      Like

  17. […] PROSE – CAN YOU TELL A STORY […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. A cracking story.

      Like

  18. We decided to enter a competition race to drive to the seaside. The labyrinth on the map was highlighted in yellow. When we arrived I turned the wheel slowly to park the car, accidentally squashing a crab.

    ‘You are so cruel’ my friend yelled

    ‘You deserve a soak’ and promptly pushed me into the water

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I don’t blame your friend 😂 Very entertaining.

      Like

      1. Thankyou Esther

        Liked by 1 person

  19. Sanny M Avatar
    Sanny M

    It was a cruel joke putting a crab in the bath. He’d planned for a relaxing soak.
    He grabbed the yellow towel and headed down the labyrinth of corridors.
    “I suppose you think that’s funny?” He asked. She didn’t reply, the sun reflecting on the frame of her wheelchair. Was that a wry smile on her face?

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Really entertaining. Thanks, Sanny.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. […] Can You Tell a Story In […]

    Liked by 1 person

  21. My offering: Creature Features for this week’s challenge…

    How cruel that the labyrinth at the fair wasn’t wide enough to accommodate the Crab family. They only planned their vacation for a year. Oh, what the shell, there was still a bright, yellow Ferris Wheel, the lets-get-drenched Super Soak flume and so many side show attractions. Plenty of other ways to stretch their legs.  ©2025 Annette Rochelle Aben

    Creature Features | Annette Rochelle Aben

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Loved your story 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  22. squirreljan Avatar
    squirreljan

    I wheel my chair around the labyrinth path of yellow daffodils and soak up the atmosphere. My crab-like limbs creak as I rise to lean against my old friend, Mr Oak. I embrace the scents, sounds, and warmth of the April day. The world feels less cruel when nature permeates my body, mind, and soul.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That’s really lovely, Janice. Hopeful.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. (This was quite tricky, but here you go. 😁)

    Fighting Crabs

    “Take the wheel!” barked Dad.
    I let the trust soak in; first time steering the boat. Youngest of 4.
    “Don’t be cruel! Throw the crabs overboard.” Dad eyed the yellow bucket’s rocky labyrinth. “Let animals be,” he scolded.
    My brothers dumped each crab gently into the sea.
    That’s when I knew: Marine biology was calling.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I think that’s a great story. Cleverly done 😄

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks Esther. This challenge was fun, even if a little tricky. 💚

        Liked by 1 person

  24. A crab shaped labyrinth transformed into an ambiguous wagon wheel configuration. Paths without direction sent explorers in a cruel search for yellow treasure. The gift shop’s maze map rendered useless. Ending the day with a soak in a creek that meandered through golden grain waiving in the breeze, they now understood what was the treasure. 

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I love the shape of the labyrinth!

      Like

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

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Morning on the reef. A yellow crab skittered through the labyrinth of coral. It was headed to its feeding ground on the other side of the bay. But the cruel sea washed over and soaked everything in a deluge. Waves like great wheels curved up and back. In a moment the crab was washed away.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. That’s a lovely, atmospheric story.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. “Beware the Yellow Crab in the labyrinth!”

    He entered. The maze twisted and turned into dead ends, forcing him to backtrack. A rumbling noise, like a wheel bumping over cobblestones, lured him deeper. He turned a final corner.

    “Surprise!” The crab heaved a bucket of water at him. He was soaked!

    “That’s a cruel joke!”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s excellent, Margaret 😊

      Like

  28. […] for Esther’s “Can You Tell A Story In…..?#291” – exactly 55 words using the six requiredprompts: ‘wheel’, ‘cruel’, ‘soak’, […]

    Liked by 1 person

    1. A fab story, Nancy 😍

      Like

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