Can You Tell A Story In…

You have two weeks to complete the latest story challenge so I thought I’d go for a bumper one. Can you tell a story in 100 words using the following words in it somewhere:

  • EXPIRE
  • SQUINT
  • CULT
  • LEMON
  • GRANDPA
  • STAMPEDE
  • HELICOPTER
  • MARKET
  • POMPOM
  • WOOF

The previous challenge was to write a story in 57 words using the following six words in it somewhere:

  • CAT
  • PIES
  • TRAVESTY
  • DIAMONDS
  • CHAIR
  • STATIONERY

Here are your fantastic stories:

Lou by the Sea:

Bloody cat

We hid the stolen diamonds in the chicken pies baked for tea, supposedly. No-one would suspect. Just pies on a counter top. The cat ate the pies. The police found the evidence later covered in poo. Invitations to view the electric chair event were sent on headed stationery. Such a travesty. Iโ€™ve always hated litter trays.

Sillyfrogโ€™s Blog:

Who’s the Boss?

Power and privilege had intoxicated her!

Carlaโ€™s deranged spending, after winning the lottery, was a travesty. Diamonds, 24-karat gold embossed stationery, even caviar pies, werenโ€™t part of her once imagined plan for charitable causes. Reality had escaped her until her cat refused to allow her a seat on an $8,000.00 chair. Nothing, at all, had actually changed.

Christopher Farley:

Diamonds are a girlโ€™s best friend, she thought, as she sat on the chair looking at her left hand. It would be a travesty if he didnโ€™t present her with more than just a bunch of flowers this evening, especially after the last time when they found his cat in the stationery cupboard eating her freshly-baked pies.

Life Lessons:

Spoilage of Rain

Glistening raindrop diamonds settle on the fur
of the chairbound sleeping cat, but it does not stir.
Pies upon the window ledge grow soggy in the mist
of that travesty of moisture with which they have been kissed.
My stationery soggy, I find my words wonโ€™t stay,
so I give up on this poetry fast fading away.

Mark Fraidenburg:

The Cracks

His composure cracked like shatteredย diamonds. He gripped the metalย chair, knuckles white.

โ€œAย travesty,โ€ he hissed. โ€œShe was my masterpiece.โ€

Torres pulled photos from theย stationeryย folder: the nurse safe, holding her orangeย cat.

โ€œWe found your recipes too,โ€ she said, dropping evidence photos of poisonedย piesย on the table.

His immortal facade finally crumbled completely.

Teleportingweena:

My favorite stop while riding the train, is the Station Ery. Itโ€™s a magical place, where cats wear diamond tiaras, chairs play music when you sit in them, and we are served tasty travesty fruit pies whenever we want. I make sure to send letters home on stationery from Station Ery, sealed with a diamond shaped stamp.

Kim Smyth:

Cheryl was sitting in her favorite chair writing a letter on the cat stationary we gave her. She was writing about the travesty of having her diamonds stolen out of her jewelry box. On top of that, her Thanksgiving pies were ruined because she left out the sugar! Once she was done with the letter, sheโ€™d try again..

Graeme Sandford:

โ€œSuggestions for karaoke?โ€

โ€œโ€˜Diamonds are foreverโ€™ by Shirley Bassey.โ€ messaged the spies.ย 

โ€œ โ€˜Love Catsโ€™ by The Cure.โ€ prayed the Cataholics.

โ€œ โ€˜Travestyโ€™ by the BeeGees.โ€ boarded the illiterate pirates.

โ€œ โ€˜Empty Chairs at Empty Tablesโ€™ from Les Misโ€™ voiced the actors.

โ€œ โ€˜Stationery to Stationeryโ€™ by David Bowie.โ€ punned the comedians.

Anyway, a truly great evening was had by all.

John W. Howell:

I am telling this tale on my finest stationary suitable for framing. Yesterday, the cat used a chair to boost up to the counter, and walk through all my cooling pies. The travesty of the situation was only surpassed by her scattering my diamonds drying on the sink into the drain. Iโ€™m glad she didnโ€™t eat anything.

Pictures Imperfect Blog:

Betrayal

Henry the eighth cat of Frederick York lounged in his diamond studded chair (which the staff considered a travesty but nobody asked them). He dictated a carefully worded letter about the declining quality of the local bakeryโ€™s mouse pies. Every meow was taken down on Henryโ€™s private stationery before it was burned to ashes by his secretary.

Pensitivity101:

The Will was written on officialย stationeryย but the family declared it aย travesty.

They knew their Aunt was eccentric, but to leave her estate to herย CAT?
The beast glared at them from its paddedย chair,ย theย diamondsย in its collar taunting them.

They were offeredย piesย and sandwiches for lunch whilst the cat had caviar.

Murray Clarke:

It was a glorious day for the Women’s Institute A.G.M. The chair, Lady Isobel Farquare – who had her own stationery and seven cats – wore her favourite diamond brooch. Especially for the auspicious occasion, Isobel baked some of her award-winning vegan pies. However, the lack of a transparent voting procedure made a total travesty of the whole event.

iMartist:

The Burglar

I smellย piesย and am drawn to this house where they have left the window open. I walk the floor with grace.

Sitting atop aย chair, near a table that is covered inย diamondsย with a note of some sort onย stationery. The diamonds glisten, begging to be batted around.

I am aย cat-burglar after all, felineย travesty.

The Afterlove Voice:

The cat slept on the chair while I wrote on borrowed stationery, calling it a travesty that life wasnโ€™t sweeter than pies and promises.

Yet in the margins, I found diamondsโ€”small truths glittering between crumbs and quiet.

By morning, even the cat approved, purring over the pages like a soft editor of ordinary magic, reminding me nothing is wasted when we notice.

Dawgy Daddy Responds:

The official police report called it an unsolvedย travesty. On the opening night ofย Catsย the star Edna McKern was struck in the face with two crรจmeย pies. Her studdedย diamondย choker was stolen and they found a note on N.Y.P.D.ย stationaryย lying on aย chair. It implicated the police chief as the one who orchestrated the heist.

Christine Mallaband-brown:

I bought a cat at the weekend along with two meat pies for our tea. Unfortunately it turned into a chaotic travesty of a meal. The cat escaped. It was hungry and scoffed one of the pies. Then it grabbed my diamond necklace to play with, lay down on a chair to sleepโ€ฆ Claws out. Which would rip through stationery they were so sharp!

Lilyโ€™s Corner:

Surprise

The mouse wasย stationary, but theย catย saw it sitting beside theย piesย on the counter. Intrigued, the cat moved closer. Suddenly, the mouse squeaked and jumped onto the table, it slid wildly across, sending a necklace of diamondsย onto the floor.ย The cat meowed and ran straight into the chair before turning around. What aย travesty.

poetisinta:

Petulant Pussy

A cat with diamonds sat on the chair,

Declared that pies were so unfair,

‘A travesty,’ she cried in a state,

Got so cross began to gyrate,

I’ll write a letter of complaint!

And headed for the stationery – no restraint,

She scribbled and scribbled until she could write no more,

Finally, exasperation sauntered out the door!

Ann Edall-Robson:

Leaning forward in the chair, the detective scrutinized two faded picturesโ€”pies sitting on an open windowโ€™s sill and a cat stretched out beside its empty dish. No mention of diamonds in the report was a travesty.ย 

No wonder it became a cold case.ย 

The detective reached for a blank piece of stationery and wrote SHABBY INVESTIGATING!

Rall:

the cat sat

on the chair

taking a break

from ripping the stationery

to shreds on the desk

there she was

all dressed to the nines

wearing diamonds

baking pies in the kitchen

trying to present a picture

of normalcy for the interview

What a traversty!

The Elephantโ€™s Trunk:

C’est La Vie

Rich, eccentric Farley Beauchamp left everything in his will to his daughter, Felicia: the cat, his rickety rocking chair, a box of monogrammed stationery, and a case of frozen pies. The diamonds, however, went entirely to the maid, Simone.

Felicia read the lawyerโ€™s letter twice.

โ€œThis,โ€ย she said quietly, setting the paper down, โ€œis an absolute travesty.โ€

Treehugger:

The privileged cat seemed bored. Her diamond studded collar sparkled as she lay sprawled out on a cushioned chair, waiting for something to excite her.

Suddenly, her owner ,swearing, dropped a tray of hot pies onto the table, spilling gravy all over the stationery, prepared earlier for her husbandโ€™s speech.

That will liven things up, purred Monty.

Brazanne Muse:

Unemcumbered

The officeย chairย was tucked neatly under the desk,ย stationeryย order complete,ย catย fed and contentedly sleeping. The trusted assistantโ€™s diligence rewarded with increasingly more tasks.

The safe door was left open, all the little brifka packets ofย diamonds; gone. What aย travestyย no one had time to notice her finger was in far too manyย pies!

Susan Batten:

The Chair of the University used a diamond-encrusted cat as a logo on his personal stationery, as if he were nobility or something, but it was a total travesty because far from being a renowned patron of a cat protection society, he was merely a manufacturer of tasty pork pies.

Richmond Road:

The Story of Stationary Cat (Shrodingerโ€™s ?)

My cat has diamonds in her ears
And sits upon her chair
She purrs so loud the neighbour hears
She preens her ginger hair
She dines on mice and salmon pies
But what a travesty
Imagination has no eyes
So my cat you cannot see

Jaideep Khanduja:

The Cat Who Kept the Peace

The cat guarded a box of diamonds atop a rickety chair, a silent protest against the travesty unfolding downstairs. Pies burned, tempers rose, and apologies were scribbled on borrowed stationery no one would send. By dawn, the house cooled, the jewels untouched, and the cat, satisfied, finally slept while memories of chaos lingered in every quiet corner.

Utahan15:

the cat was always ever there

sitting in the bird watching chair

and the diamonds of her eyes

noticed and reflected on the hyprocrits that make

travesties of the urgent urban tangent sanguine situations

with and in which they lay and live too

so the pie was the gem and jewel of her aye

and stationery messed moving

and going nowheres too!

***

Image credit: Pinterest

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

  1. I was about to Expire on my hike when I Squinted because of the bright sunshine and that’s when I saw Cult group peeling a Lemon & teasing Bulls and that when the Stampede started so Grandpa flew the Helicopter in to get me out of danger then afterward we went to the PomPom Market with my dog Woof.

    Liked by 9 people

      1. Thank you

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Fun story, Crystal! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 3 people

  2. Oh my! This will be fun!

    Liked by 4 people

  3. A squint at the small date on the lemon sticker that I brought home from the market yesterday determines it will expire today. I promised grandpa some tea, and as if he were in a cult, he won’t drink it without lemon. Since it is Friday, shoppers will be in a stampede, getting ready for the weekend. The traffic is horrible, according to station WOOF’s Traffic helicopter. My only choice is to bake a coconut pompom and hope the old guy won’t miss the lemon. If he does and complains, then he gets the expired juice. Sounds like a plan.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Sounds like a great plan! Fun story, John.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you, Esther. Notice I’m taking off the same time you are. Not from my blog but from yours

        Liked by 2 people

  4. Lots of fun words! Here is my story: https://wp.me/p3RE1e-ohC

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Hi, at first I thought maybe I couldn’t do it, but I did, here is mine, https://tblcorner.wordpress.com/2026/05/07/a-story-in-100-words-farmers-market/ ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Your story is such fun!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you. Glad I made you smile (I hope).

        Liked by 2 people

      2. You certainly did ๐Ÿ˜Š

        Liked by 2 people

  6. Here’s my entry Esther ๐Ÿ’œ

    Can you tell a story in…

    Liked by 4 people

  7. Your 48 hours EXPIRE on Wednesday morning said Mr
    SQUINT.
    I need to find out if this is really a CULT. He sipped his LEMON tea and smiled.
    Grandpa chuckled, why should I care, cult or not, it won’t last long whan they find out about the STAMPEDE the HELICOPTER started. Mr SQUINT was taken aback. How did you get your information? At the MARKET at the POMPOM stall. And the death of Mrs WOOF won’t help their case…
    The people will see it was a deliberate attempt to mislead his followers. You just need the gumption to understand. You see?

    Liked by 4 people

    1. What a super story, Christine! Hope you had fun with it.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. […] finished the last story about the cat and the stationery, so they have a short appearance today, in Esther Chilton’s current challenge […]

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Here’s mine Esther.

    The Lemon Cult

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Cressida de Nova Avatar
    Cressida de Nova

    i could EXPIRE in this heat

    develop a SQUINT from the burning sun

    should have joined that CULT

    they make great LEMON drinks

    laced with vodka

    GRANDPA of course said no

    there was a STAMPEDE to join up

    you get to ride in a HELICOPTER as well

    and get free food at the MARKET

    the followers all wear POMPOM outfits

    and instead of saying hi they say WOOF to each other

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Very good, Rall! You’ve made it look easy.

      Like

  11. Loubythesea61 Avatar
    Loubythesea61

    Here’s mine Esther. Enjoy your time away from the desk!

    An unexpected arrival

    Grandpa took shelter from the heat in the covered market. About to expire, he refreshed himself with a lemon tea. Just then a stampede of people rushed to the exit. Little PomPom, his Pomeranian, gave a woof. Ineffective.Grandpa had to squint through the sun to see what the commotion was about. The whirring sound from the sky increased and a whirl of dusty wind blew into his face. The helicopter landed. A man in a sequined, high collared white suit exited the helicopter – possibly from a religious cult? No. โ€œYour time has come Grandpa. Come, join me,โ€œ beckoned Elvis.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love that it turned out to be Elvis! Bless, Grandpa. Thank you for your kind words. I’m looking forward to the break.

      Like

    1. They are so good, aren’t they?!

      Like

  12. The setting sunโ€™s lemon colour made him squint. Closing his eyes, the rocking chair lulled him back to before he was called Grandpa. 

    She was captain of the cheer squad. A pompom in each hand, leading the other girls onto the field in a stampede of rousing cheers. Marrying her had been a no-brainer. 

    They had experienced a lot together. The Beatles and their cult of followers invading the music market. His helicopter training. Children. Grandchildren.

    His eyes opened to the sounds of youngsters coming from the barn. He smiled, knowing that their love for their family would never expire.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What a heartwarming story โค๏ธ

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Great challenge!

        Liked by 1 person

  13. And when you realize you have submitted the copy without all of the prompt words, you send another. Let’s try this one more time.

    The setting sunโ€™s lemon colour made him squint. Closing his eyes, the rocking chair lulled him back to before he was called Grandpa. 

    She was captain of the cheer squad. A pompom in each hand, leading the other girls onto the field in a stampede of rousing cheers. Marrying her had been a no-brainer. 

    They had experienced a lot together. The Beatles and their cult of followers invading the music market. His helicopter training. Children. Grandchildren.

    The dogโ€™s woof and youngsters voices coming from the barn opened his eyes. The love for family and where they lived would never expire.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I didn’t realise – I was so engrossed in the story!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Hi Martha I hope by the time you read this you will be fully rested ๐Ÿ˜€ https://poetisatinta.wordpress.com/2026/05/13/can-you-tell-2/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s absolutely hilarious! I love it ๐Ÿฅฐ

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Do happy you liked it Martha ๐Ÿ˜€

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Hi Esther. Hoping you’re enjoying your time away! Here’s my story:

    https://theelephantstrunk.org/2026/05/18/shopping-day/

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Whoops, I am sure I posted this somewhere – But I can’t find it – and I thought it was just Grandpa who couldnt see LOL https://brazannemuse.com/2026/05/12/can-you-tell-a-story-in/ obviously not here ๐Ÿ˜‚ Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad I was able to read it ๐Ÿ˜Š

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you Esther ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ’ž

        Liked by 1 person

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