#TimeManager Part 26
#wss366 #TimeTravelAuthors 07/17

Light broke through the cloud cover and rain as they left the croft. Poe was the first to react. “Gorgeous. The colors are like Evangeline’s smile.”

TM spoke next, “Tis a bonny sight.”

Looking out over the moor, they saw a thrice-arched rainbow, its colors crisp as a midwinter frost. And as if coming through a divine gate, a flock of polled sheep walked under its arch, attended by shepherds in sunshine yellow mackintoshes and dancing dogs.

“Amazing. Truly remarkable,” Holmes said.

“Of all God’s creations, the rainbow is among the most wondrous,” said Watson, “but I never expected to hear you marvel at one.”

“The refraction of light through water droplets is scientifically interesting,” Holmes replied, “and while rare triple arches are not unheard of. But that’s not what I meant. Look there, note the shepherd in the well-worn light-green slouch hat. Oxford man. Theology, if I’m not mistaken. Dropped out in his third year to marry a local girl he met on holiday. A truly unexpected sight on Dartmoor.”

"Creeky cracck caw crickty crack... light my britches on fire... creky crak caw…

#TimeManager Part 25
#wss366 #TimeTravelAuthors 07/15

“We’re done here,” Holmes said to Watson.

Watson looked pointedly at us. “What about them?”

“Yeah, what about us?” Raven said.

“Totally irrelevant. They’re innocent bystanders.”

“Bystanders, but hardly innocent. Crackky Crak cacacacaw,” Raven cackled at its own joke.

“I’d like to tag along,” Poe said, speaking up.

“Just don’t get in the way,” Sherlock said, turning and leaving the croft.

“If you’re after the #bounty, it goes to the widow,” Watson added.

“Come, Watson. Time is wasting. They’re time travelers and have no use for English pounds.”

“Time wasting. Time wasting. TM arrest them for time wasting. Crawky cawcacaw.”

#TimeManager Part 24: Blacking

#wss366 #TimeTravelAuthors 07/05

“That’s Sherlock Holmes,” Raven said in a stage whisper.

“Do tell,” muttered Poe, dryly.

Raven stretched, smoothing her feathers. “Autograph, please, Mr. Holmes?”

Watson blinked, his eyes as round as TM’s. Holmes regarded her, faintly amused. “Remarkable. A talking raven. American, by the timbre. Bright, yet prone to absurdity.”

“The criminal,” Watson prompted, redirecting anxiously.

“Disguised as a gentleman, officer, constable, or valet; yet unmistakably of inferior stock.”

“How #can you be sure?”

“The blacking tin. Smears on the chair betray a clumsy hand. One polishes with precision or not at all. The details, Watson; details always betray the breeding.”

Note 1: A tin is a can .
Note 2: As you watch Basil Rathbone on the screen canned ** music is playing #around you.

#wss366 06/29
#TimeManager Part 23: File under Gruesome

“The main event.” Castaneda waved at a colorful procession. At the end was a single-#file line of people in wooden yokes. “Allies or enemies, they all get eaten.”

“Enough.” Poe picked up the comatose Raven.

TM agreed and grabbed a random timeline. Castaneda’s sun-bleached house faded, replaced by a mist-enshrouded moor and a crude stone croft.

Raven woke, shook her feathers, and screamed, “Wet!”

The croft looked warmly inviting, so they entered.

Inside, on the table, were bacon, biscuits, handcuffs, and the file used on them.

Poe selected the file and, making sawing motions, said, “File that adventure under gruesome.”

#wss366 06/21 #Punch #TimeManager Part 22
#TimeTravelAuthors #Safe

A short Mayan arrived with fruity drinks in pottery bowls for each guest and a dish of fried mealy worms for Raven.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Castaneda said. The man lightly punched his shoulder and flashed a smile full of white teeth.

“Punch,” Casting said, waving at the drinks. “Sorry, ice is a luxury.”

Raven checked for a drunk worms, and finding none, pecked at his dish. “Crakkeee, Holy Hot Tamales!” He practically immersed his head in a drink, gulping it down. “Krackers, what kind of God-forsaken unsafe chiles did you use?”

“Their local, quite the punch.”

Poe and TM watched, amazed.

#wss366 06/05 #league #TimeManager Part 21
#TimeTravelingAuthors 6/05 Meeting yourself

Castaneda sipped his drink and tossed Raven a worm.

Poe glared but was silent.

“I’ve always wondered what happens if you meet yourself time-traveling,” Castaneda said.

“Depends on how,” the Raven said, hoping for another drunk worm reward.

“How so?”

“You can’t; don’t listen to Raven,” TM interrupted.

“Can too,” Crow squawked. “Ask Poe. Lass did it.”

“That’s different. It’s done using a razor-sharp pendulum,” Poe said.

“That’s leagues different,” TM finished.

“And they say Aztecs are barbarous,” Castaneda said.

“Poe’s a barber, has a sharp razor. Crockidy,” a drunk Raven screamed. “Worm!”

Castaneda fished a worm from his mezcal.
#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #Drabble #NMTTA #TimeTravelingWriters

#wss366 06/04 #jubilee #TimeManager Part 20
#TimeTravelAuthors 6/13 Oldest character (This post originated in the future and has time-traveled to appear here.)

“Why the JUBILATION?” Poe asked.

“Thousandth jubilee of Xiuhtecuhtli’s birth,” Castaneda said.

“Thousand years, spring chicken,” TM jumped in.

“No, 52,000. The thousandth JUBILEE.” Trap sprung, Castaneda’s smirk told a story.

TM mentally calculated (50X1,000=50,000), “Clever, but JUBILEE are 50-year celebrations.

“I figure you wouldn’t know, Xiuhmolpilli, the binding of years, which is 52 years.”

“You got us, trickster,” Raven said.

“Raven, how old are you?” Castaneda asked.

“Not created yet in 1500AD. Born 1845. Ccreee—see—cree.” Raven’s equivalent to a smirk. Trap sprung.

“TM?” Castaneda asked.

“Old as poetry in the hills.” His eye dials jiggled in mirth.

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #Drabble #NMTTA #Crow
@ixtlidekami

#wss366 06/03 #Retire #MastoPrompt #Carnival #TimeManager Part 19

“Pweese can I have a worm?” Raven pleaded.

“Just one,” Poe said.

“You’re no fun.” Raven flew to TM’s shoulder. “Pretty pweese.”

TM shook his head. “Remember the CARNIVAL. After one, you talked about retiring. Two, you sang Margarita Town over and over. Third, you passed out.”

“Pweeese.”

“Sometimes I wish you would RETIRE,” Poe said.

“Awk. Crek. It’s that two-timing, blushing, retiring dove. Cerrek Fake modesty! Fallen dove. Creky.”

“Here’s my house.” Castaneda waved his arm at a limestone block building on the central square. “If we RETIRE to the roof, we can drink and safely watch the festival.”

#wss366 06/02 Holiday 065/0127 #Heaven #TimeManager Part 18

“You’re in luck. Today’s a HOLIDAY festival,” Castaneda said.

“Danger. Danger. Will Robinson,” Raven shrieked. “Aren’t you going to warn us not to accept invitations to play sports?”

“Why would I do that?” Castaneda asked.

“You might end up in HEAVEN. Zeroed, if you get my meaning.”

“Well, that’s not quite where you end up if you lose.”

“Don’t trust this guy!” Crow said.

“We haven’t taken a HOLIDAY from our reason. We won’t,” Poe said.

A short, dark woman ran up, presenting them with flowers and a cloudy, strong-smelling drink.

“Creek. Crickey. Craw. I want the worm!” Crow yelled.

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #Drabble #NMTTA #TimeTravelAuthors #Crow #Poll
@ixtlidekami

#wss366 5/27 #Bush #TimeManager Part 16

“I see your friends with Tigeress,” a smoke-shadowed man with an antler headdress said.

Poe looked dubious, immune to his charms, a trait not shared by TM.

“Why yes? Who might you be?” TM asked.

“Call me ‘Castaneda.’ Come, I’ll show you something interesting.” The man’s smile, inscrutable.

Too late, Raven shrieked, “Don’t!” TM had taken Poe’s hand, and they were off to a new time/space location.

Before them, on a barren hill, was a bush decorated with bright black, yellow, and orange strips of cloth, jaguar skulls beneath — and human hearts.

“You’ve done it now,” Crow shrieked, feathers ruffled.

Note: 32% for 15th-century Aztec.

#wss366 5/26 An unnamed president. #TimeManager Part 15

“There you are, sweety,” Tigeress said. Coming over. I’m off to a 23rd-century demon summoning. We have business with Hitler, Stalin, and an unnamed early 21st-century president.

“I think not,” Poe said quickly.

“Too bad. The priestess is a real TRUMP, a great gal.”

She pulled out a deck of cards, separated the TRUMP cards, and made a pattern on the ground with them. Before going, she winked at Poe, saying, “If you’re ever in the neighborhood of the 28th-century, look me up. You’re just my type.”

“Watch out, boy, she’ll chew you up,”* Raven sang.

“Thanks,” Poe said.
(Puff)

* Curtesy of Daryl Hall & John Oates

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #Drabble #NMTTA #NMV366 #TimeTravelAuthors
#HallAndOates

#wss366 5/25 #Brown #TimeManager Part 14

“There’s the woman we came with,” Raven’s beak pointed toward a woman with long, black-streaked, tawny-brown hair, sweeping down her back.

TM called, “Miss, we’ve been looking for you.”

She turned, revealing a tiger-face.

Gnarly Bad Things dog-whistled and sang:

          Eya, yma hi ow tos
          Hi yw lonchyer an den

Raven thoughtfully translated:

          Oh-oh, here she comes*
          She’s a maneater

“Crap,” Raven said.

“That’s who we came with?!” Poe asked.

“We’d had a wee bit to drink,” TM replied.

Raven croaked, singing (badly),

          She’ll only come out at night
          The lean — and hun-gry type

“You don’t say,” Poe said dryly.

* Curtesy of Daryl Hall & John Oates

Note: The next part, Part 15, might be filtered because of a word that sounds like an unnamed president.

#wss366 #Legion 5/22 (#TimeManager Part 12)

Unsigned contract in hand, Poe looked around. The light from the bonfire cast a ruddy glow over the LEGION of odd creatures doing a line dance around it.

Breaking away from the dance, a giant humanoid with gnarled knees and elbows approached. It was wearing a t-shirt reading “LEGION of the Damned.”

“Ty ow kelwel ama?” he said. “Dynnergh dhis.”

Poe looked up at him, and TM’s eyes spun with astonishment.

Unastonished Raven replied, “My hanow yw Nara Moore; yma Poe gans me. Hag an tus hav owelyow a ‘ros hag eur yw Mergh-Tyams. Yma ni ow kelwel ev TM.”

****

“Me a veu Tra Drôk Gamm,” Giant said.

“What’d he say?” Poe tapped Raven with the contract.

““Welcome. My name is “Gnarly Bad Thing.” — And I forgith your signature on that contract if you hit me again.”

Raven escaped to TM’s shoulder.

TM greeted Raven. “Ah, now, ‘Man, who’s got the eyes of wheel an’ hour,’ is it? Well, thank ye kindly. I’ve a fondness for that sort o’ talk. You’ve a grand way with the Cornish.”

“My head hurts,” Poe said, pulling out an empty laudanum bottle, then clutched his head.

“Crarrrk crrak crek,” Raven chortled.

TM translated “Raspberry.”

#MiddleCornish #Cornish
#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 Double #Drabble #TimeTravelAuthors #NMTTA

#TimeTravelAuthors 6/15 Character who's least likely to time travel.
#TimeTravelAuthors 6/17 Excerpt: #Justice
#wss366 #Easy 6/17 (#TimeTravelingGhost Part 1)

That’d be me, the “Wee Lass,” from the beginning of #TimeManager.

(Call that pantsing, rambling, toot, drabble fiction, even a story? It’s EASILY the worst story on the Fedi.)

I got my wish to be in two places simultaneously, but not the way I expected. No time travel involved.

Now invested with the power of the TimeTravelAuthors prompt, I summon a time-traveling ghost. I’ll get JUSTICE (revenge) from Poe and the Time (Project) Manager.

Consider this a prologue to another terrible, pantsing, etc., fiction. If you’ve a low nonsense-tolerance, filter on #TimeTravelingGhost. Twofer filter #NMTTA

Muahahaha, Hehaw, cough, cough, cough.

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Drabble #TimeTravel
@QuasiTemporal

#wss366 #Lick 5/16 #Easy 6/17 (#TimeManager Part 10)

Poe awoke, clutching his head, thinking, “EASY on the cocktails next time.”

Around a bonfire pranced lizards, toads, stags, and creatures more grotesque.

“Where the hell!?”

TM answered, “A smal wicche bad us hoom, 1150.”

Poe’s bedraggled raven added, “Þis is BYFAR þe wierdeste þing þat ich evere seye.”

“You’re not making a LICK of sense,” Poe said. “Translate!”

Raven obliged. “A wee witch invited us home to 1150.” I said, “This is EASILY the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“A witches’ Sabbath!!!” Poe exclaimed.

“Nay, a fest of disgisynges,” a goat-footed man explained.

Raven translated, “Nay, a costume party.”

#MiddleEnglish

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Drabble #TimeTravel #TimeTravelAuthors #NMTTA @QuasiTemporal