Has everyone’s WordPress changed? It’s taken me ages to work out how to post this. I suppose I’ll have to get used to it.
PHOTO PROMPT © Todd Foltz
Old Harry hailed me outside the village shop, “Your kitchen window’s ajar, so I left them eggs on’t sill. You wanna be careful you’ll get burgled.”
“Not round here, surely,” I replied.
“Not locals, they comes from the town to rob us. Soft touch see, with people leavin’ everything wide open.”
I hastened home, Harry had me worried.
Sure enough, the kitchen resembled a war zone. Smashed crockery, dislodged cooking implements and on the windowsill, broken eggs.
I shooed two screeching magpies back outside. Bloody security conscious Harry! Those eggs were the surest invitation to thieves and locals to boot.
Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here
Michael Wynn 
Harry, like many of us, hastened what he feared most
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He was loooking for trouble coming from one way and it came from elsewhere. Thanks Neil
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the egg on his face for sure. 🙂
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Certainly was, thanks Plaridel
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Don’t get me started on the magpies around here – every morning a complete din!
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Ha, we’ve had a load fledge round here and they fight constantly like mods and rockers on the beach.
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The ending caught me off guard. Thank you! Around here it would mainly be the crows and ravens. Magpies are on the eastern side of the state ~ Washington.
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Magpies are all over the place here it being fledging season. They terrorise the other birds and nick everything off the bird table. Thanks Alicia
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A great representation of irony. And yes, WordPress seems to change things from one week to the next. I usually figure it out, after much cursing (under my breath, there are impressionable people in the house). I try to write everything down — how to put up an image, include a link, etc. But I either lose my notes or WP changes something again so the notes are meaningless. The only reason I stay is because I like the different looks you can get — for free!
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Actually, I sometimes wonder if they do it deliberately, to make us desperate enough to buy a better system.
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That’s made me feel better, that it’s not just me, although obviously I’m sorry you have to go through it too. I do wish they’d leave it be for us who take forever to adapt to change, especially IT change. Thanks Eugenia.
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Never trust a magpie. Nice one.
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Thanks Anthony
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I like how you created expectations but then surprised us with the identity of the thieves.
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Yep, definitely Harry’s fault…
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Exactly, daft bugger
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Dear Michael,
This does seem to cast a little suspicion on Harry. 😉 Love the dialogue.
As for Word Press, there is an option to use Classic Editor. I hate the new editor and refuse to use it. I find that if I put my title in the box and save the draft I can go back to “posts” and open it in classic editor. I don’t know why they think the new way is better. I hate it.
Loved your story, though.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I’m glad someone feels the same way about the new WP as I do. I’ll take your advice and try classic. thanks again.
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I enjoyed the conversational nature of this, and guess the Magpies enjoyed making a mess. As for WordPress, like others they seem to love giving use challenges, which sometimes drive me up the wall
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Thanks Mike, they can cause havoc. That’s you and me up the same wall. Incidently did you write an FF this week as I can’t find it to comment.
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You can’t be too careful these days. Nice thriller of a sort.
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Thank you
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You’re welcome.
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I’ve got wind chimes on front and back porches to keep the birds at bay! No magpies but plenty of other varieties. Those Carolina Wrens will nest anywhere, and don’t get me started on the vicious blue jays…yikes!
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Only having heard of Blue Jays from afar, I never realised they were vicious. Sound like our Magpies then. Thanks for commenting, Dawn.
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Oh darn it! Pesky birds
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Thanks for the comment Laurie
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Kudos to you, Michael, for not only attempting, but succeeding in using the new block editor. I for one, shall never succumb. I use the classic editor (and have since the very beginning) from the admin page. Everyone I know who has tried it, has cursed it.
Now, to your story! Excellent take on the prompt. I guess I don’t have problems with any birds as I leave nothing on windowsills!
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Thanks for the tip Dale. If my son hadn’t been around I don’t think I would have managed, I’ll try classic next time. And thanks for your comment, Magpies around here are a nuisance.
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If Harry wants to help, he should start by cleaning up the mess in the kitchen! A good twist ending… maybe a lesson for some of us.
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Nice surprise–those birds sound mischievous!
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