I would love to see how some of you handle these prompts, put your response in the comments!
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Who is this old man? What is he doing? Go!
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Rebecca A. Demarest 
It’s not as if Herbert hadn’t taken all the precautions. He couldn’t have been more careful. The instructions were left in his office’s fireproof safe, written in indelible ink, etched deeply into coarse cloth-like paper stock, impossible to be smudged or misread. Furthermore, the note was precisely explicit on the exact location and time; there was no chance of a misunderstanding. Perhaps his assumptions were incorrect? If the moon had left geosynchronous orbit, if the magnetic polarity of the earth had been reversed, is it possible that the coordinates could not be appropriately matched to the map? The thought frustrated him to his core as he paced furiously atop the hill, anxiously awaiting his destiny.
“No,” he exclaimed aloud, to his doubts and no one else within earshot, “the topography should suffice, if nothing else!” He stormed back across the knoll, retracing his steps, only to stop to perform the calculations once more. Looking down at his adding machine, however, he knew there had been no mistake. This would not be the day his genius would be assured.
Herbert took the blow furiously, as he had for every weekend in the past three months. Walking back to his stuffy office in the University Astrophysics wing, he felt the defeat weighing heavily. Yet, he knew he had to press on. If his visitors did not arrive soon, the other responsibilities in his life would catch up. Then what would his academic contemporaries see? Not a pioneer with the keen grasp of the universe needed to appreciate its workings, but, rather, a derelict and a black sheep of science.
“No, this can not happen!” Herbert shouted out, again, to no one in particular.
He fluttered with the combination lock and swung open the safe to find his instructions where he left them, untouched, unread. The paper was soon snatched into Herbert’s wringing hands, though the maps and star charts remained. A new note quickly took its place: this one with the following Saturday’s date on it. When future astrophysicists found this invitation, how could they resist but a brief visit through space and time to chat with one of the greatest minds of the past? The safe slammed shut. A second thump locked it air-tight.
Herbert then stuffed the old note in the bottom of his waste bin. A lit match soon followed to erase this clearly incorrect date from reaching the future. If it were left intact, it would only confuse his guests-of-honor. He couldn’t have been more careful.
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This is a lot of fun. I particularly like the ambiguity set up at the beginning and the high language of the piece. It very much reflects the attitude of the main character without becoming overbearing. Thanks for playing along!
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“you’ve seen us so you will never leave!” she looked aronud for exits but couldn’t find any the dragon pushed the door up bolted it and padlocked it with a key that she had seen.But then she looked aronud and then she spotted and mermaid Mrs G went up to her and asked her who was she and how long she had been there she replied “my names Katherine I’ve been here for over 50 years and in that time I’ve transformed into this mermaid you will too if you don’t get out in the next hour.”Later on, the dragons were asleep and Mrs G unbolted the door and she just needed to find the key so then she would be free. The problem was the key was in the hands of the biggest, meanest dragon. Mrs G climbed onto the dragons and was one step away from getting the key but she had to stretch so far that she fell .Luckily the dragons didn’t wake up, she slowly walked and pinched the key then unlocked the door that’s when she saw the mermaid and she picked her up and then she put her inside and then she went to close the door but as she closed it the door fell down making a big thud then the dragons woke up they chased after Mrs G but she got inside just in time and the dragons went back to there den and saw Katherine was gone but when Mrs G went back in to see Katherine she didn’t she a mermaid she saw a woman “ thank you I be on my way now.” “No stay its ok this was once your house so you can stay.
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–REDACTED–
Philiip requested his prompt response be taken down so he can try and get it published!
~R
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Very eloquent. I like the idea of the man wandering around without having taken the polaroid from the camera all these years, but I wonder if the tension of the piece is a bit to taught for the death of a spider? I think it will be much more successful if we get something from him that makes the spider somehow special and unique that the death of it would be such a tragedy, but once we get that, I think it will work well! Thanks for playing along, you should do more!
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to her mum Bye mum! Have a nice day sweetie. Cried her mum so Emily set off to sohcol. On the way to sohcol, she met her friend Rose. Hi Emily! yelled Rose and Hi Rose replied Emily. Without delay, they hurried off to sohcol where they met Emily’s best friend named Emma in the playground . Hey Emily, hi Rose. How are you doing? asked Emma. We’re good. You? replied Emily and Rose. I’m fine. Said Emma. It was time for class so the girls rushed into their class & Emily & Emma are both in the same class. After two lessons, it was playtime. The girls were playing catch. Suddenly Rose accidently throw the ball too high so it hit the teacher’s window of the staff room! One of the teachers came out and said Who broke the window? It wasn’t my fault, it was an accident . cried Rose. Rose was brought to the Headteacher & got told off sternly. Rose was upset since then but she didn’t tell her mum though. Since that incident, the girls will take extra care when they are playing ball games. The end!
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