‘A Christmas Carol’ – Where Are They Now? # 5

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Here’s the 5th and final story in the series that takes a light-hearted look at Dickens’ lovable characters somewhere beyond the pages of that delightful novel.

Merry Christmas, World!'s avatarMerry Christmas, World!

book_52-trquis-christmas-talesWith continued apologies to Mr. Dickens, I offer my fifth story in the series of futuristic peeks into the characters of his lovely novel. Although I wrote these stories a couple years ago, I’m enjoying re-posting them for a fresh reading this season.

# 5  The Spirit of Christmas Future: Christmas Planet

“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. KTZY-TV is here at the 2025 Christmas Market Preview to interview The Spirit of Christmas Future and learn what’s in store this coming holiday season. Future is currently sitting atop one of the newest creations this year – the Infused Light Christmas Tree.  Christmas Future, can you hear me all right?”

“I can hear you fine, Tom. And as you explained, I am atop one of the smartest Christmas decorating ideas to come out in centuries. These gold, silver, and multi-colored trees come in several sizes – as you can see I’m sitting in the top branches…

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Daily Post Prompt: Fishing

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

WISHIN’

two-black-fish-lightened

Just sittin’ here wishin’
That I could go fishin’
That way I’d be missin’
Doin’ all this here work.

But iffen’ I was fishin’,
There’d be no commission;
Room and board I’d be missin’;
So this work I can’t shirk.

 

To participate in today’s prompt, visit here.

The Christ Is Born and All Is Well

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

madonna-child-color-negative

Man walked in light – God’s light of life –
And joy beyond the words to tell,
With his Creator, fellowshipping;
Peace and harmony excelled.

But then a shadow breached that light,
And two lies did the serpent tell:
“You can’t trust God,” his sly suggestion.
“Eat, and you’ll be god yourself.”

So from his God man turned his love –
Obeyed the enemy: rebelled –
Turned from the heart of his Creator
And ate. Then sounded his death knell.

Alas, the Father’s heart was saddened,
But knowing far ahead, full well,
That Satan’s ploy would hit its mark,
And man against Him would rebel,

He’d strategized before all time
A perfect plan that would dispel
That sin and all its evil fruit,
And see the serpent bound in hell.

He then revealed His mystery
To prophets so they would foretell:
“The time will come when God Himself
Will pay the price sin to dispel.”

Then came the day of grace unbounded.
Choirs of angels’ anthems swelled:
“The Babe has come; the ransom tendered.
The Christ is born, and all is well.”

Still today we shout the message.
Gospel words tell and retell:
He’s come to give His blood to save us.
The Christ is born, and all is well.

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Daily Post Prompt: Flee

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

I’ve shared this particular poem previously. Nevertheless, I’m serving it up again because as soon as I saw today’s prompt from the “Daily Post,” this poem popped into my mind.  There’s no way I could write something new today that would fit the theme better than this collection of limerick lines.

TRAIN FROM BACK - OLD GOLD

ESCAPE

Well, my journey by train has begun.
As for tickets, I don’t have a one.
With police pressing in,
And this shackle ’round my shin,
All I packed was my trusty old gun.

In the baggage compartment I’ll hide,
And my time I will patiently bide.
When we make the next stop,
From this train I will hop
To the next and continue my ride.

It’s a journey to freedom I take.
And I can’t stop; there’s too much at stake.
Since I’m guilty as sin,
In a court, I can’t win,
But I’ve vowed future crime to forsake.

~~~

‘A Christmas Carol’ – Where Are They Now? #4

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Here’s # 4. Only one more to go.

Merry Christmas, World!'s avatarMerry Christmas, World!

book_52-trquis-christmas-talesWith continued apologies to Mr. Dickens, I offer my third story in the series of futuristic peeks into the characters of his lovely novel. Although I wrote these stories a couple years ago, I’m enjoying re-posting them for a fresh reading this season.

# 4 The Spirit of Christmas Present: Living in the Here and Now

Reggie sat slumped in his chair, his right leg carelessly propped over the chair arm, gloom written all over him. He’d been this way for weeks, and hitting the bottle wasn’t helping him any. It just gave him a horrible headache the next morning. So tonight, he’d left off the booze, but he sat in a stupor anyway.

“Well, what a pretty picture you make tonight, Reginald, old boy!” The voice jolted him upright; he looked around.

“Who’s there?”

The voice took shape: on the sofa to his right, a well-tailored man gradually came…

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‘A Christmas Carol’ – Where Are They Now? # 3

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

The next installment in the fun series I’m posting on my Christmas blog. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, World!'s avatarMerry Christmas, World!

book_52-trquis-christmas-talesWith continued apologies to Mr. Dickens, I offer my third story in the series of futuristic peeks into the characters of his lovely novel. Although I wrote these stories a couple years ago, I’m enjoying reposting them for a fresh reading this season.

# 3 The Spirit of Christmas Past: Request For Transfer

“Mr. Alexander, the Spirit of Christmas Past is here for his 2:00 appointment.”

“Send him in.”

As the door opened, his boss could see that Past was unhappy.

“Good to see you, Past. We haven’t had a talk in – what – three or four years?”

“Four years, Sir,” Past said, taking a seat.

“I get a lot of good reports about your work. But you look unhappy. Is something wrong?”

“Yes, Sir. Something’s very wrong!”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Can I help?”

“Well, Sir, I was wondering if I couldn’t trade places with Christmas Present…

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Prompt Nights # 37: Winter and Warm Memories

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

blue-blue-spruce-tree-smaller-for-blog

SNOWCHILD

When I was a child, I thought as a child,
And snow was a thing so delightful.
From school we were free; we got wet to the knees,
And our mom’s day was thrown all off schedule.

But now that I’m grown, I must do on my own
All the chores Mom and Dad used to dread:
Stock up food by the loads, drive on slippery roads,
Shovel snow, and repair that old sled.

Now I look with dismay at the skies leaden gray
As I trudge to the store for supplies.
De-icer and salt sell out fast with no halt.
I need new boots to tread on the ice.

The wind from the north is bitter and harsh,
But my temperature, still it is rising;
I am in a foul mood, for I see nothing good
That can come from a snowstorm arriving.

But then the flakes start, and I feel in my heart –
Watching white, fluffy, wonderful, wild
Filling all of my world with such beauty unfurled –
That in truth I am still just a child!

***

To participate in the challenge, visit Sanaa at “A Dash of Sunny.”

 

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WordPress, WHERE Is My Snow???????

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

SAD SMILEY - FLESH COLORI don’t have snow!!!  And I don’t understand.  I have the box checked on my settings. I even unchecked it and re-checked it, then saved the settings again — just to make sure. I have snow on my other blogs, but not on my main one — this one. Two of my readers tell me they can see it snowing on this site, but I still can’t see any snow. I even checked the site in a different browser, and that made no difference. Is anyone else out there having trouble seeing your snow?????

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A Christmas Carol – Where Are They Now # 2

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Second story in the series: “A Christmas Carol — Where Are They Now?”
Just a little more fun from my Christmas website.

Merry Christmas, World!'s avatarMerry Christmas, World!

With my sincere apologies to Mr. Charles Dickens, I’m offering a series of futuristic vignettes that take a look at a few of the characters of his heart-warming novel and what their lives may have been like decades  beyond the words “The End” at the close of his masterpiece. These tales are simply the result of my imagination being given free rein, but I offer them in the spirit of the season, hoping you’ll enjoy them. You can also find them in my Christmas anthologyStocking Full of Stories, which is for sale at the Amazon Kindle Store all year long.

book_52-trquis-christmas-tales

# 2 Tiny Tim???

“Excuse me, Mr. Alexander. You wanted to see me?”

“Oh, yes, Christmas Past. I’ve called for Present and Future as well. Oh … here they are now. Come in, gentlemen.”

“Is there a problem, sir?” Present asked.

Mr. Alexander sighed deeply. “Indeed there is!…

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Share Your World 2016, week 49

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Visit Cee’s site to find out how to participate in ‘Share Your World.’

Question # 1: What do you value most in a friendship?

The only TRUE friends are those people who continually draw out the highest and the best in me. They value me for the good they see in me — in spite of my flaws — and my interacting with them helps me focus on and grow in what is good. I try to be that same kind of friend to those I care about.

Question # 2: Do you prefer eating the frosting of the cake or cupcake first? Do you have a favorite flavor?

HECK NO!  Who would want to eat just the frosting first?  What makes a cake delicious is the combination of cake and frosting together. In fact, I try to eat so that I get some frosting with every single bite of cake.  Favorites?  I naturally prefer chocolate, but orange and buttercream are close seconds. And I have to admit that as long as it’s smooth and full of sugar, I like any frosting.

Question # 3:  Have you ever been in a submarine? If you haven’t, would you want to?

No.  And NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!  There — that should be clear enough.

Question # 4: If 100 people your age were chosen at random, how many do you think you’d find leading a more satisfying life than yours?

Very few — if any.
I don’t have a perfect life, but I spend most of my time using my God-given abilities and gifts doing things that make other people’s lives better, healthier, and happier. I can’t imagine anything being more satisfying.

 

 

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Daily Post Prompt: Panoply

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

IRKSOME ASSIGNMENT

MAN'S FACE, FINGER ON CHINI must write a post using “panoply.”
But I’m stuck and a little confused.
For it isn’t a world I use commonly,
For with snobb’ry I feel it’s infused.

I did look up its definition
Just to make sure I wasn’t quite wrong.
Now I’m even more sure it’s pretentious,
For it’s synonym list is quite long.

Now, I’m likely to use the word “trappings,”
Or “collection,” or even “array.”
And in reference to a suit of armor,
Well – “armor” is just what I’d say.

I find this prompt most aggravating.
It offers no useful rewards.
To describe just how irksome I find it
Takes a literal panoply of words.

 

To take part in the prompt, visit Daily Post.

 

 

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Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Relax (with Cinquain)

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

Exif JPEG

Relax
And read a book.
Release your mind from toil.
Let soul take flight on words with wings.
Renewed.

 

Visit Daily Post to participate.

 

 

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Christmas E-Book – $0.99 Today Through December 24.

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

stocking-full-promo-2

My Christmas short-story anthology, Stocking Full of Stories, is on a special holiday sale at the Amazon Kindle Store.  It will be only $0.99 until midnight December 24.

Christmas is about love – and laughter – and hope – and second chances. This collection of 11 original Christmas stories covers all those subjects and then some. From poignant to funny to heart-warming and faith-inspiring – you’ll find a little bit of everything in this Stocking Full of Stories. Read the book straight through for an evening of well-rounded Christmas pleasure. Or pick and choose, one story at a time, depending on your mood.

Give yourself a gift this Christmas: fill your stocking with these stories of the season. And while you’re ordering, go ahead and send one to someone you love.

Amazon also provides a free download for a Kindle app so you can read on any of your devices.

 

 

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Friday Fictioneers 12/2/16: Solitary Confinement

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

I’m determined to participate in this week’s Friday Fictioneers. The prompt for the 100-word story is the picture below, compliments of Jan Wayne Fields.

PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields
Copyright Jan Wayne Fields

 

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

He crossed out the date. Two years now – and only a little crazy. The symptoms had abated, but government doctors weren’t negotiating about his exile.

“Sorry, Nigel,” they’d said at the last visit, looking through the visors of their protective headgear and patting his arm with their sterile gloves. “Lessening symptoms don’t mean anything. The disease won’t die out – until you do. There’s still no cure. Total isolation is still mandatory to avoid spreading. We appreciate your obedience in staying strictly within the circle painted around your camp. The cameras show you’ve been diligent about it.”

He sat now staring at those cameras. He’d rigged them to cover for him, and so far no one suspected a thing.

 

 

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