To Be Pretty For You…

Dear Diary – As a last resort, to be pretty for you I have dropped two seeds of turnsole in the dark of both eyes – I heard it was a natural eye make-up but since my eyes are now red-rimmed from the gritty foreign bodies I discover I was wrong. Turnsole is a naturopathic remedy for conjunctivitis and in failing to prepare it properly I now look like a rabbit with myxomatosis!

To catch your eye I have tried Kohl – which really is an ancient beauty aide, I replaced my ‎L’Oréal eye shadow with a more expensive brand because I felt attracting you was worth more – today I must go to work with naked eyes till they heal up…

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Dear Diary – Today he looked at me, asked if I had been crying – he couldn’t bear it! Then he asked me out!!!

Today’s piece is a response to Sanaa‘s Prosery Prompt over on dVerse Poets Pub to write a story in any genre using just 144 words and including the line “to be pretty for you I have dropped two seeds of turnsole in the dark of both eyes”

© Andrew Wilson, 2023

30 thoughts on “To Be Pretty For You…

  • September 12, 2023 at 7:34 am
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    Ah… such a great take. I agree dropping seed in your eyes is probably never good…. but maybe slicing onions can give the same effect 🙂

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  • September 12, 2023 at 7:40 am
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    Your character seems to be a bit of a disaster, Andrew, but it turned out alright in the end! I enjoyed the diary format and the humour in your prosery.

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  • September 12, 2023 at 8:42 am
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    And the moral of that story is, if you want to attract someone worthwhile, be interesting, do something commendable, be a good person rather than try to look gorgeous and vacuous or you’ll just get your mirror image.

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    • September 12, 2023 at 9:03 am
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      Yes indeed Jane – thanks for that…

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  • September 12, 2023 at 8:49 am
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    This is fabulous. The diary format is clever, too. Very engaging write, Andrew.

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    • September 12, 2023 at 9:00 am
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      Thanks Misky – I still have some catching up to do with your recent posts – I realise that when I first subscribed the emails went into my main account but at some point Google switched them to social which I rarely check so I am now setting up filters to restore you to prominence… 😁

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  • September 12, 2023 at 9:11 am
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    Love the humour in this.

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    • September 12, 2023 at 9:06 am
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      Thanks Petru – I saw the prompt last night and couldn’t make head or tail of it but when I woke up this morning… 😏

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  • September 12, 2023 at 11:52 am
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    I love the use of humor in this one, Andrew and the idea of incorporating the ‘writing in one’s diary,’ effect works well! Thank you so much for adding your voice to the prompt ❤️❤️

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  • September 12, 2023 at 1:25 pm
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    I really like your story and your use of the prompt! I liked the sentence of going to work with naked eyes.

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    • September 12, 2023 at 7:06 pm
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      Thanks Susan 💜🙏

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  • September 12, 2023 at 2:15 pm
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    😊 out of the box. Luv your unique take on the prompt

    Much🖤love

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    • September 12, 2023 at 7:05 pm
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      Thanks Gilllena it was a good prompt once I got my head round it 💜🙏

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  • September 12, 2023 at 2:51 pm
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    I love the format of this piece, Andrew ~ very cleverly written!

    Much love,
    David

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    • September 12, 2023 at 7:00 pm
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      Thanks David it was fun…

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    • September 12, 2023 at 6:58 pm
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      Thanks Sunra, Even a short short story needs a good twist…

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  • September 12, 2023 at 5:46 pm
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    A clever and amusing response to the prompt. I like the diary format. I do hope the writer grows up a bit before she does something even more disastrous to herself! 🙂

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    • September 12, 2023 at 6:52 pm
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      The writer is a 68 year old man who doesn’t want to grow up any more but is glad he conjured a convincing young female diarist lol

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  • September 12, 2023 at 6:03 pm
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    The absurdity of the prompt line hit me from the beginning, but it was fun to play along with others.

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    • September 13, 2023 at 6:20 am
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      You sum it up Reena! Maybe I’m too logical but I had to square it away…

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    • September 13, 2023 at 5:41 am
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      Glad you liked it Carol…

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  • September 15, 2023 at 12:07 am
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    Thank you for a delightful read! It reminds me of my teenage diary years. 😅

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    • September 15, 2023 at 7:50 am
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      Thanks HJ – it was a flash of inspiration for this tricky prompt and thanks for visiting…

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  • September 15, 2023 at 9:44 pm
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    Whatever works, Andrew. Serendipity rules the day. Fun story.

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    • September 16, 2023 at 5:51 pm
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      Thanks Lisa, I enjoyed it…

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    • September 19, 2023 at 5:43 am
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      Thanks Paul

      Reply

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