What? No one got hurt, except the people who don’t like puns.
It’s time to whip(pet) up another flash fiction story, compliments of Rochelle and her merry band of Friday Fictioneers.
Unlike my other posts in response to her challenge, I’m not going to embellish this one with my usual zany Lorna shenaniganigans.
Well.
Wait a little minute. This is my 550th blog post.
Shyeah. 550 blog posts and I still look this smokin’ hot in a red dress. How do I do it? I don’t even know the secret to my mediocrity, but I’ll come up with an answer if you give me enough time. Check back for my 1,000th blog post. It’ll be a doozy.
Doesn’t this auspicious occasion deserve a little of the old dizzy blondifciation you’ve all come to know and love?
Sure it does.
Here’s a little something for you, then I’ll get down to business…
Good to know. I bet menopause complaints are way down among both women and men between the ages of 90 and 100. And zero complaints of insomnia (or anything else) from the new admissions to the morgue. Finally, some good news in the health field.
Well, good. That’s out of my system.
Today’s flash fiction photo prompt comes to us from Santoshwriter. Thanks so much!
The genre for this photo prompt is historical fiction. Alrighty then. Done this before. Can do this again. No dead bodies. Promise!
Give Peace a Chance
“How long do we have to sit out here?”
“As long as it takes.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the best I got. History’s happening, man, and I’m not missing it.”
“Miss what? We’ve been sitting in these shrubs all night waiting for them to do something…anything. Hell, my camera’s all wet from the freakin’ dew.”
“Stop complaining. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
“How do you know? They do weird crap all the time.”
“Nah, my pal knows their NYC doorman. He overheard them talking with their publicist. They’re doing this for peace, man.”
“Yeah, this’ll end the war.”
(99 words)
In case you haven’t guessed, the 1969 anniversary of John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s 10-day Bed-In at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal is coming up at the end of May. They orchestrated this event in protest of the Vietnam War. During that event, they and some other peace radicals sang their peace anthem, “Give Peace a Chance.” Recordings were made and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation conducted interviews in the hotel room. Reviews were mixed. I’m sure many fans sat outside and waited to get photos and glimpses of the former Beatle (and the woman who broke up the Fab Four–just kidding–not really). I’m sure a few of them also got wet in the process.
Well, it’s more comfortable than a sit-in…for them at least.
Lorna's Voice 
Jun 01, 2015 @ 19:02:13
Yes, I do, too. This was fiction, after all! 🙂
Jun 01, 2015 @ 19:01:02
Total sarcasm! And that’s what I keep wondering–where are the greats like Lennon in today’s world?
Jun 01, 2015 @ 18:58:12
What’s the point of having an adventure if you don’t get wet, right?
Jun 01, 2015 @ 18:53:50
Yeah, me, too. He was such a creative, peace-loving, unique soul. And to die so violently…
Jun 01, 2015 @ 18:45:50
Yes, that day and the nine that followed! 😉
Jun 01, 2015 @ 18:45:24
Thanks so much! I must admit that I have a lot of fun blogging! 🙂
May 26, 2015 @ 12:33:03
The surrounding blog post is just as much fun as your story, I had a good laugh. Where, o where have the days of sit-ins and bed-ins gone? We could need a bit of that rebellious craziness these days. I like Yoko, she’s so creative. Great post. 🙂
May 26, 2015 @ 07:47:22
Nice dialogue, there must have been quite a few people waiting that day.
May 23, 2015 @ 17:28:18
Those were the days my friend… Thanks for reminding us.
Maybe it didn’t stop any wars but still wish John had made it until he was old enough to need a hairpiece, a nice cup of tea and a bit of bed peace with the lovely Yoko.
May 23, 2015 @ 09:50:36
As an old Devo fan, I always wished that I had a hat like that… Getting wet is part of being a fan I guess.
May 23, 2015 @ 08:30:25
all we are saying…
I liked the dialogue… especially what I perceived as the sarcasm in the last line:
Yeah, this’ll end the war.
Where are our John Lennons today!
Randy
May 23, 2015 @ 02:06:42
That was the year I graduated from high school. It was an incredible summer…I actually like Yoko.
Ellespeth
May 22, 2015 @ 18:44:32
You are such an optimist. 😉
May 22, 2015 @ 17:15:25
I’ve got some undies with racing stripes. Maybe I’ll put ’em on eBay.
May 22, 2015 @ 17:14:21
Me, too. 🙂
May 22, 2015 @ 17:13:41
I suppose the best stories shouldn’t give everything away to the reader… 😉
May 22, 2015 @ 17:13:04
Thanks so much for dropping in, Amy. Yeah. 550 posts, and I still have stuff to say. I better watch myself, lest I start repeating things. 😐 This one was fun to research and write. I thought about all those people protesting for peace, and good old John and Yoko lounging around in the comfort of the Queen Elizabeth hotel…some protest!
May 22, 2015 @ 17:08:33
I’m sure it was! Thanks, this one was fun to right. Just poured out with hardly any editing. That never happens!
May 22, 2015 @ 17:06:49
If she had any smarts, she kept those sheets and sold pieces of them! Yuck, I know, but people have been known to buy ickier things from celebs…
May 22, 2015 @ 17:04:36
I’ll say! We never seem to learn from all this history of violence, do we?
May 22, 2015 @ 17:03:55
Yeah, and it was such a senseless loss. They look so happy together, doing their peace thing, huh? Thanks for popping in and commenting!
May 22, 2015 @ 16:22:53
Somewhere between the title and NYC doorman I figured it had something to do with John Lennon. Made me sad. Sad that the world had to lose him too quickly. He and Yoko stood for so many wonderful things. Great flash.
May 22, 2015 @ 16:14:10
Your story could take place now as well as then. Cool.
May 22, 2015 @ 14:50:32
I bet their bed pans got plenty full after 10 days, and the sheets were stinky too. The hotel maid was heard singing, “Give me a break!”
May 22, 2015 @ 14:08:33
I’m sure it was worth getting a little wet for! Great dialogue.
May 22, 2015 @ 12:05:09
Wow, Lorna! You really are cooking. 550 blog posts!! Yeah, that’s something to celebrate. Congrats. Great bit of history here you captured. I imagine many fans got damp waiting. I guess doing from the comfort of their hotel room is the way celebrities do it. Very unique story. Well done.
May 22, 2015 @ 11:56:41
Fab. It took me a while to work it out but..
May 22, 2015 @ 11:50:45
I’d rather have too many people than too much violence!
May 22, 2015 @ 10:48:44
I knew you’d like that one. I laughed when I saw it… 🙂
May 22, 2015 @ 10:48:12
Oh, I know! I was just teasing you! It’s all about fun around here. 🙂
May 22, 2015 @ 10:44:29
Happy to oblige!
May 22, 2015 @ 10:44:08
The Friday Fictioneers are a great group and new people are popping in all the time. I think you should give it a whirl. It’s fun and it exercises your creative muscles!
May 22, 2015 @ 10:41:04
Yes, he changed the world in more ways then he would ever know…
May 22, 2015 @ 10:40:19
Thanks so much!
May 22, 2015 @ 10:38:33
Thanks Rochelle! This one was fun to write. Well, they all are…
May 22, 2015 @ 10:37:17
I agree. If more people made love and not war, we might have to deal with over population, but not violence! 😉
May 22, 2015 @ 09:09:33
I so remember the event! I was living in Canada, and it was a big thing. Love your story — I thought of John Lennon right away, but not the bed-in.
“Give Peace a Chance” still resonates today. There are lots of places that need peace.
May 22, 2015 @ 06:26:14
Dear Lorna,
Thank you for the trip down Memory Lane. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS Congrats on 550 posts.
May 22, 2015 @ 02:03:37
That certainly takes me back. Nice one.
May 22, 2015 @ 00:49:39
It is still amazing the affect they have even today… if still alive he would have been a powerful man… enjoyed your little flash as well.
May 21, 2015 @ 22:45:48
Whippet good. OMG, how funny, and the pun took me back three decades. “We are Devo. D-E-V-O.” It seems like just yesterday.
I like reading your flash fiction – I really ought to try it some time.
May 21, 2015 @ 22:31:41
That’s a snippet of history I haven’t thought about in years. I remember trying to understand what sleeping in a storefront window had to do with peace. I asked my mom about it and she said, “Don’t try to understand them, dear. They’re on drugs.”
May 21, 2015 @ 22:27:27
I’m glad you reminded me of John and Yoko’s big anniversary, I might have forgotten it otherwise.
May 21, 2015 @ 21:25:23
I do remember Skipper. I didn’t mean it as a slight. It’s just the way I remember when that happened.
May 21, 2015 @ 20:35:38
I love the John and Yoko peace sit in. Great whippet pun. Of course I like doggy puns, lol. 😉
May 21, 2015 @ 19:51:48
Ouch! Double ouch! Tripple ouch! Okay, I was only 11 then myself. Okay, 11 and a half. Big deal. Puberty hadn’t hit yet and I was playing with my Skipper doll. What? You don’t remember Skipper? 😉
May 21, 2015 @ 19:36:27
Thanks for the reminder of this auspicious occasion. Although i remember it from hearing about it from my mother while i was playing Barbies; “damn hippies” lol
May 21, 2015 @ 18:58:20
I remember when that song came out. I was doing archaeology and we danced to The Talking Heads late into the night.
May 21, 2015 @ 18:49:33
Thanks so much. And I liked the Whippet thing, too. Then again, I love puns! 🙂
May 21, 2015 @ 18:46:12
Always, lol 😉
May 21, 2015 @ 18:45:39
Acumen? That might be overstating what’s happening here. Doggedness, for sure!
May 21, 2015 @ 18:44:22
Happy to be of ticklish service. 🙂
May 21, 2015 @ 18:39:08
Love your funniness, Lorna, thanks for tickling my funny bone yet again ❤
May 21, 2015 @ 17:41:53
Great write, Lorna–and congrats on your posting acumen!
I responded to your comment on my Widow post.
May 21, 2015 @ 16:16:35
I love the last line. So many crazy things – that don’t pan out – are done in the name of peace (and war). Thanks for the snippet of history.
P.S. Enjoy “Whippet” and “Whippet Good”