"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?"
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
3WW #32
Welcome to Three Word Wednesday.
Each week, I will post three (or more) random words. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write something using all of those words. It can be a few lines, a story, a poem, anything. This is a writing exercise. It doesn't have to be perfect. The idea is to let your mind wander and write what it will. I'll also attempt to write something using the same three words.
Leave a comment if you participate.
This week's words are:
Pitch
Exit
Low
Keith stopped his late 70's model lime green Ford truck beside the campground office and looked over at me.
"You got any money?" he asked.
"How much?" I said, reaching for my wallet.
"Well, it's ten dollars per night."
"Here's my half." I held out a five.
"Uh. Do you have anymore? I'm kinda low on cash."
I rolled my eyes and handed him a twenty. Short on cash. That was so Keith. I was just thankful we were at a place with few opportunities to spend money. He went in to pay.
He was donning a white safari hat and had been talking up this camping trip all week. The bed of the truck was loaded to the top with every imaginable supply, snack food, and piece of camping equipment. Or so I thought. Even though we were only staying one night.
"Lot seventeen," he said smiling as he climbed back into the truck. We found our lot about three-quarters of a mile around the loop. The last rays of sunlight were filtering down thru the trees as we got out of the truck.
"Alright. Let's pitch the tent." I said, clapping my hands then rubbing them together.
"There's not a tent," Keith replied, matter-of-factly, never looking up as he began getting the sleeping bags out of the truck.
"Excuse me?" I was stunned.
"Naw, we don't need a tent. We'll just use sleeping bags and build a nice campfire."
"You said you bought a tent."
"I did. I got it a yard sale and it wound up not having the poles," he confessed, much too late as usual.
"Well that's just great!" I was agitated.
"Come on, it's no big deal. We'll rough it. Don't be a wimp."
"What if it rains?"
"It's not gonna rain."
"But what if it does?" I persisted.
"Well... we'll sleep in the truck." Keith always had a solution for every problem, although rarely were any of them very good.
"I'm not sleeping in the truck!" I tried to sound adamant.
"Well it's not gonna rain." Keith walked towards me and began spraying me down with Off!
"What are you doing!?" I asked, holding my arms up and backing away.
"Keeps the mosquitoes off. My Mom makes me bring it."
"Oh, yeah. We're roughing it alright."
I guess it was about forty-five minutes before the rain began. Just enough time for us to have our sleeping bags out, a Coleman lantern lit, and get a nice little fire going. The rain became heavy almost immediately.
"That's it!" I stood up, grabbed my sleeping bag and headed straight for the truck. "I saw a Sleep Inn back at the exit. Let's go!"
Keith scrambled to collect his things. We put what we could in the cab of the truck, then secured the tarp over the rest. It was a soaking rain. We were both soundly drenched. I withstood his pleas to wait out the storm. A few loud rumbles of thunder hurt his case and we started back towards the interstate.
The hotel was about a twenty minute drive. It was raining there, too. We walked into the lobby. Reaching for my wallet, I turned to Keith.
"Uh, you can probably take off the safari hat now, Captain Camper."
"The weather's gonna be fine. Today's the day I'm going camping. I'm gonna pitch me a tent. Won't have to pay any rent..."
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This makes two weeks in a row I've remembered!
ReplyDeleteI will have a go at it this week. (although I have no idea what I am going to write!!!) Happy 3WW!
ReplyDeleteI'm up. Happy Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteok Im up... and after that bitch fest (yes bitch rhymes with pitch) it may just make you choose your words wiser! hehehe jk I would have found a way to rant even if you chose Mickey, Mouse, Love!
ReplyDeleteMine's up! I have a doggie picture this time... I just love dogs.
ReplyDeletetake care:)
shelby
a/k/a
shelbydupree.blogspot.com
hey, i posted 2 this week...couldnt make up my mind which i liked better...
ReplyDeleteI participated but mine's not up yet. It's set to post right at 5pm.
ReplyDeleteI finished and it's not yet 8 PM here
ReplyDeleteI tried it because Kate made me.
ReplyDeleteokay Bone, my fantasy baseball 3WW is up--I hope you get a laugh out of it and are not too offended...
ReplyDeleteKeith sounds like somebody you would know
ReplyDeleteIt's a real Bone-type situation, and hysterical.
Glad the character found a motel
It's good sit com fodder
It's too late for me to try this week, I'm ready to pitch a fit...man I wish my life would slow down, I wanna make a quick exit. Maybe if I keep my head low I won't get hit with anymore suprises.
ReplyDeleteI loved your story...made me think of camping and your friends...I'm betting that story struck awefully close to home...wasn't it Little Jo who liked hats?
Very nice submission!
ReplyDeleteKate: Awww. I never have any idea what I'm going to write. Something usually comes to me, at least by Thursday :) Thanks for playing.
ReplyDeleteJudy: Happy Wednesday... well, Thursday now. Thanks for participating.
Shelby: Aww, you post the best pics. I'll be by shortly.
TagAlong: You know you've been doing 3WW awhile when you post two entries ;) I did that a couple of weeks ago.
Xinher: You could have just said "within the hour" like they do all the time on 24 :)
Eduardo: Welcome to 3WW. Thanks for participating.
Sage: Uh oh. Not too offensive? As long as you're not bashing my Reds, I'm sure it'll be fine :)
Pia: Yes, while the story is fiction, it could easily happen.
And wow, your entry is up by 8 PM. Color me impressed, Miss Savage.
Renee: Well, I would suggest looking annoyed all the time like George did in that one episode. Everyone always thought he was busy :)
Thanks. And Axl was the one who liked/likes hats.
Carlos: Thank you, and thanks for participating again this week.
"Uh, you can probably take off the safari hat now, Captain Camper."
ReplyDeleteROFL
Seriously, that's hilarious.
I started laughing when he said there was no tent... I've found that's always a bad sign when you plan to go camping. ;)
Oh yeah, and whenever anyone insists it's NOT going to rain, it always does. Always. :)
I too, thought this sounded like an Axl story. Maybe you should ask him if he ever pulled something like this...?
I liked the story a lot this week, Bone. Far from your usual, it brought a good change. It's always nice when someone writes something far from their norm to throw me off a bit. :)
I watched 24 for the very first time last week - awesome.
ReplyDeleteglad you liked my paragraph 3 wordie thing.. this is great fun you know!
ReplyDeleteYours, of course is grand :)
Oh wow! Camping, that was great, this seems to be the week for memory lane type stuff!!!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog, through someone elses. Hope you do not mind. Your blog is kool...
ReplyDeleteSo- smelling like OFF, no tent, possible rain, yep yep..That there is real campin.
But look at it this way.. YOU had a real cool hat Capt.Camper!
callie
Traveling Chica: There's definitely some Axl in Keith. I figured it was obvious that it was going to wind up raining, but I needed it to rain for the story :)
ReplyDeleteShelby: Thank you. And woohoo! A new 24 viewer!
ATag: Yeah, except mine was fiction. It was set a few years ago though, in my mind anyway.
Callie: Of course I do not mind. Thanks for the compliment. Stop by anytime :)
Good story--reminds me of a few nightmare trips
ReplyDeleteThe man standing at the plate in the middle of the field swung his arm and delivered what looked like a streaking ball from hell towards him.
ReplyDeleteEyes shut, he swung low, hoping to hear the sharp crack of the ball connecting with the bat and the mad cheer of the crowd as he ran the victory home run.
But instead, it plopped firmly into leather gloved hands and a merciless voice cried out for all to hear, "STRRRRRIKE 3! Yuuuuuuor OUT!"
He made his exit quickly. Not today perhaps. But the next time he stepped up, he'd be ready.
Loved your 3WW. Mind if I link your blog to mine?
I don't think the story would have been nearly as good without the rain: it wasn't a complaint. I agree... rain was necessary. :)
ReplyDeleteAdmit it, Bone, you and Axl went camping. :)
ReplyDeleteHilarious story with amazing detail. Every week, late or early, you provide something to entertain and provoke just a tad of jealousy.
Now I want to go camping!
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ReplyDelete