If you love to write, but are at a loss for words, Friday Fictioneers is for you. You only have to find 100 of those words, craft them into a story roughly based on a picture prompt (or maybe barely related), go to Rochelle’s site (she hosts the whole shebang), link your story, then read as many of the other stories as you can or like, preferably commenting on the ones you read. If that sounds like fun, please feel free to join us every Wednesday for the new prompt (although you may post a story up until the following Tuesday night.) If the prompt comes out on Wednesday, why is it called “Friday Fictioneers?” Well, that’s a whole ‘nother story and I only have time to tell one this morning.
This week’s prompt is from Erin Leary. If you’d enjoy reading other stories, please click on the blue linky critter at the end of my story. But be sure to check back, as writers will be posting for many days.
Copyright Erin Leary
The Assignation
It was just before dawn when I slipped from the house, checking to be sure no one saw me. She was waiting at our usual spot, half hidden behind a tree. No demonstrative greetings; only time to briefly cup one ample curve. We had to move quickly and quietly.
About fifteen minutes later, we reached a place we’d often used before. Underneath “our” tree, the leaves were soft, with other trees and vegetation nearby for cover. She ran ahead, eager to find just the right spot. I followed, anticipating how many pungent black truffles her snout would unearth this year.
This, that and the other thing 
Dear Janet,
Fine swine, wish she was mine. Loved being led in one direction only to find I’m turned to quite another. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
You know the old song, “She’s so swine, wish she were mine.” Glad you enjoyed me hamming it up a bit. 🙂 As always, thanks for reading and commenting.
janet
Oh, Janet, you are in fine form with this one. I bow to the master.
Aloha,
Doug
🙂 Much appreciated, Dan. I look forward to reading yours.
janet
Who you calling Dan, Julie?
Good grief, DOUG. Where did that come from?
Ha, that was good! Mushroom hunting is a spring tradition around here. I know plenty of people that would love to have a dog that could find them.
Pigs or dogs…if they can find truffles, their value is worth more than gold. Glad you enjoyed it, Dawn.
janet
Aahh yes a pig, snout. Doh!
Dogs are trained to hunt truffles as well, Dawn, and some dogs have more of a snout than a nose. 🙂
You are so generous. Have a wonderful day Janet.
Brilliant!! loved it, Janet!
Thanks! I’m happy.
janet
Delightful! Love the twist from a tryst to a truffle hunt.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Alicia. After reading a number of stories, I’m glad I went with something light-hearted. The general mood seems quite grim!
janet
Good one Janet. I was led very cleverly down the wrong path there. 🙂
Thank goodness, else I would have failed. 🙂
janet
Hah, you had me going there – ample curve indeed!
Claire
Hopefully more ample than any female of his acquaintance! 🙂
janet
Make that two stories about truffles 🙂
Sounds delicious to me, Paul. Just read and enjoyed yours.
janet
Oh, Janet – how delightful! I loved your twist at the end. And this turn of the phrase “briefly cup one ample curve” was wonderful. Love it!
I’m so glad, Erin. The overall trend seems to be sad, so I’m glad my mind conjured up something enjoyable as a bit of emotional ballast.
janet
Love the twist.. you had me prepared for something all different. But better be careful.. I think that in those areas truffle thieves get the same treatment as horse-thieves used to get…
True, but this area was on his land, one reason that he didn’t want others to know where he was going.
janet
Fun story.
Thanks, Raewyn.
janet
I love how the assumptions led me down one path to somewhere entirely unexpected. Even a blind pig finds the odd truffle, I suppose!
You supposed correctly, JHC! 🙂 I suspect sight has very little to do with it, while smell is all. Hope the path you were lead down was a delicious one.
Of course you know what they say about “assume”, don’t you?
janet
Nice job.
Randy
Glad you think so, Randy.
janet
Took me for a ride! Hope they found what they were looking for.
🙂 Thanks for coming along for the ride, Patrick. I too hope they found some truffles.
janet
What a great tease, loved it!
Karen, that makes me happy to read. Thanks for reading and commenting.
janet
Hah! I started off thinking, ooh, this sounds dirty (the very word “assignation” does that), and then at the end I thought “ulp” 🙂
Nicely twisted and very amusing.
Ali, you feel victim to my evil plan…and I’m happy you did. Thanks and have a wonderful day.
janet
Loved it. What a great surprise ending!!!
Thanks, Jan. Glad you liked it.
janet
I was fooled by the one ample curve! I was expecting torrid love, not a snout. 🙂
Lily
Then my story worked. 🙂 Thanks for visiting and reading. As for torrid love, at the price truffles fetch, a pig that finds them might be the object of torrid love of a sort!
janet
Maybe not torrid love but love of a sort. Great fun!
Considering the price of truffles, there may be torrid love, but of a different sort. 🙂 So pleased you enjoyed it.
janet
Truffles and the whole pig thing has always alluded me…how poignant one can be with so few words. Enjoyed it very much. Susannah
That makes me happy to read, Susannah. Thanks! Truffles have an amazing taste but the price makes them less alluring.
janet
Oh man, Janet, I admit, you really drew me in. I laughed and laughed at that last line. Great job!
-David
Thanks so much, David. Makes me happy to read that.
janet
Very clever, leading us all in, then twisting it so delightfully.
And pungently. 🙂 Thanks!
janet
i experienced truffle hunting in italy before. the farmer used dogs instead. 🙂
You’re right, Plaridel, dogs are used as well. But a dog wouldn’t have the ample curve. 🙂
janet
I loved this little story and your truffle pig too. I’m smiling.
As that was my nefarious purpose, Tracey, I’m happy you succumbed. Keep smiling all day.
janet
My mind was in hyperbole: I loved the way you led me astray.
That’s music to my ears, Mick. Astray was where you were meant to be lead. Thanks for stopping by for a bit of trickery.
janet
Interesting with the twist in the story and curve….:)
Thanks, Norma. I wish I had an animal that could find truffles, but even if I did, they don’t grow where I live. 🙂
janet
🙂
You tickled my funny bone too. Now, we’re even–at least for this week. In a few weeks, Connie and I will be combing the hills and valleys in search of Morels. May I borrow your swine?
It seems piggish of you, but you’re welcome to borrow her if you split your take with me.
janet
AnElephant snortles with delight!
🙂 A trunk-ful of thanks.
janet
Do you realize what you have done to the statement “Cupping one”? oh my…
🙂
I will take that as a “yes”!
Oh, a truffle hunting you will go. I know truffles can be worth a lot! Are swine involved in the search for them? I imagine they could be useful, although they might want to eat them all. Great story. I was delightfully surprised at the end.
Amy, pigs are the animals originally (and often, still) used to hunt truffles. Of course, you have to keep them from eating the prize at the end of the hunt. 🙂 Happy I surprised you.
janet
Hehe, you got me, too. What a great turn, loved it.
Loved the story! Loved the abrupt change at the end (well, it seem like an abrupt change :D).
I’m happy you liked the twist. Hopefully the narrator enjoyed some truffles, too.
janet
Yes, I hope so too. 🙂 Loved the story!
Very clever. Upto that last line, I thought it was some illicit rendezvous
Bwaaaahaaaa! You fell victim to my evil plan. I’m so glad!
janet
You are such a tease….
🙂 The twist that makes the story. Glad you enjoyed it.
janet
Indeed it does. Well done.
Well set up. Perfect timing and flow to this. Most enjoyable.
Many thanks, Margaret. I’m always happy to hear that a reader enjoys my story.
janet
Neat punchline – a great story!
Thanks very much, Liz. I’m happy you liked it.
janet
You led us down the garden path, didn’t you? And quite well, at that. 🙂
I did and thanks, Patti. Have a wonderful week.
janet
Oh I’m a sucker for truffles! Just had them with dinner on Saturday. I wondered if this might be two dogs, but was totally surprised by the pig. 😉 Nice turn at the end, Janet.
Glad you were surprised, Dawn. The best truffled food I’ve had was a soft-boiled egg with the top and insides removed, bits of truffle mixed in, then reassembled and served. Incredible!
janet
We had eggs in Paris, once, done the same way… and yes, it was sublime!
‘Cupping a curve’ as a greeting is so much friendlier than just shaking hands, or in this case, shaking trotters. Nice take even if I can’t stand the look or smell of truffles.:)
Saves you money, Ann. With ‘cupping a curve”, I was thinking more of patting the pig on the behind, but of course also for its value as putting people on the wrong path. Thanks for stopping by.
janet
I hadn’t heard of ‘cupping a curve’ in the sense of putting people on the wrong path.’ Learnt something. I did think there might be another character, other than the one boy and his pig, that it might be a case of trysting as well as truffle snuffling. 🙂
I used that phrase to make it sound as if he was touching his girlfriend instead of the ample curve of a pig. That was the misdirect. Nothing about the phrase except that I made it up. 🙂
Ahh, those ample curves… you had me there Jan, hook line and sinker. Very clever. 🙂
Hee, hee. It worked! Thanks for stopping by this morning. Soon it will be time to start on the next round of story-reading. Enjoy your day!
janet
I know, I am so late!
I used to read every story, but just can’t do that any more. Too much going on in real life. 🙂 I was still reading some yesterday from last week, so you’re not the only one. Thanks for taking the time to read mine.
I know it gets so time consuming to try and read them all, so I decided to read the ones from the authors I know I like their work and also anyone else who stops by and comments or likes. Fortunately yours is both 🙂
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