Thank you @mariannewest for another fabulous #freewrite challenge.
And its the weekend!
Hurrah for the weekend freewrite challenge! This challenge involves three prompts. So each part of the story is informed by the next prompt.
To learn more and take part visit @mariannewest/weekend-freewrite-6-23-2018-part-1-the-first-sentence
If you don't know what a freewrite is visit @mariannewest, here is a link to the introduction post: @mariannewest/writers-or-wanna-be-writers-wanted-be-free-freewrite
She felt compelled to pick up the pencil. When she did it started to shout, "Help! Help! Thief! Stop her!"
I stood behind the counter and smiled. "Do you like it?" I asked. She looked kind of pale, like she might faint or something. My shouting pencils do that to people. I walked round and pulled up a chair and sat her down in it. "Sorry," I said. "I know it can be a bit of a shock. But it does warn you!" I pointed to the sign by the pencil. "Pick me up if you dare! But be warned I might make you jump."
She smiled weakly as I took the pencil off her. The pencil stopped shouting and started to purr instead.
"It likes you," she said. I smiled.
"Yes, well it knows me. I think it would probably get to like you too, once it had been around you for a while." I put the pencil back with the others, there was a little bit of arguing as it settled back into the pot.
"Hey budge up, fatty!" "Who are you calling fatty!" "Now, can we have a bit of peace, some of us are trying to meditate here..."
...
"Did you hear that Mike called the company president an asshole?" he said, as he walked into the shop.
"Excuse me?" I said, turning away from the young woman to the man who had stepped in through the door, the bell ting-tinged softly to announce his presence - seemingly unaware he had already done so (albeit in a rather unconventional manner). He was not talking to me, it seemed. Beside him a was a dog, dressed in high heals and a mini skirt. It was the dog who had spoken.
"Really?" said the man. "I never thought Mike would have the balls to tell it how it is."
The dog nodded.
"The president wasn't impressed."
The man shrugged. "What did he do? Fire him?"
"No," said the dog. "He promoted him to vice president."
The man looked a little confused and then seeing that his conversation was being listened to by myself, the young lady and a pot full of pencils...
...
... coughed, and said, "Oh excuse, me. I didn't see you there. Good day to you, sir, madam."
If the pencils were annoyed at being left out of the greeting they didn't say anything. The dog looked up at me and winked.
"Hello again," he said. "I've brought this human back."
"Okay," I said. "Is there something wrong?" "Well," the dog said. "He talks too much. And doesn't like walking."
I walked over to the man, and flicked the switch on the back of his neck, the man's head flopped forward and the access panel flicked open.
"Mmmm," I said looking at the mechanism within. "Maintenance is required, clearly. Did you bring him in for his annual check up."
The dog looked a little bit shifty.
"Well," he said scratching his his balls with his stiletto-ed foot.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" he said as the sharp heel made contact with his swinging bollocks.
The pencils thought that was very funny.