I’m snowed in (and cut off from civilization) while writing this. Thank you. Winter Storm Fern. What a name for a storm in the winter. Anyway, while I was outside in this snowy weather feeding my outdoor cat, I saw something that amazed me. I’m walking back and forth on my front porch, making sure to avoid a huge strip of ice on the edge, when I saw something moving through my yard out of the corner of my eye. What would be out and up here in this kind of weather? So of course I looked. It was an opossum!
Opossums are often out in my back yard, especially at night, but never had I had such a good look at one. He wasn’t scared, and he really looked like he knew right where he was going. He was moving towards my son’s storage building that is built right next to my house. Maybe it was a frequent hangout for him. I so wanted to grab him and take him inside with me to be sure he found warmth (I don’t think my outdoor cat is going to share his heated house with him) and food. If the opossum tried to get in his house, that would likely result in there being a huge fight.
So this month’s writing prompts are all about animals. And the opossum situation was your bonus writing prompt. What would you or your character do if they saw an opossum walk across their snowy yard?
February 1-7
I once had a ball python. Her name was Jane, and my cats definitely didn’t like her. She got loose once and was curled up in the corner of the living room. My cats, all seven of them, were in a half circle around her, and they were very jumpy even after Jane was put up. But never did I wake up with her coiled on my chest.
What would my reaction have been if I had? To be honest, I don’t really know. I’m not afraid of snakes, but I really don’t want to wake up with one on me. It would be even worse if I didn’t own a snake. Anyway, you should have some fun with this one.
All kinds of “what if” questions have popped into my mind with this one. For example, what if the snake wakes up and sees me at the same moment I notice him there? What if my dogs or cats notice him before I get out from underneath him? What if they see him before I do? Now ask some questions of yours and come up with a great story.
February 8-14
I was amazed when I first found out that geese could be used as guard dogs. In some ways, they are even better than vicious dogs could be.
By nature, they are incredibly watchful animals, and you can’t bribe a goose. Their eyesight is excellent, and they are naturally aggressive. I’ve not figured out yet how you can convey what they are to guard to them, but I’m sure there is a way. Maybe just put them in an enclosed area with what they are to protect. And their honk is extremely loud. I don’t think anyone would want to mess with a goose.
In the following post from Facebook, a Canadian goose refuses to let a librarian out of the bathroom. I’m assuming the bird wasn’t just wandering around the library before she went in the bathroom, so it must have been quite a shock when she tried to leave. What would you or your character do in such a situation?
Write a story (maybe a children’s story, maybe a horror story) about a goose that has someone trapped in a bathroom. How is the goose caught or persuaded to leave the individual alone?
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122187241718456543&set=a.122177331128456543
February 15-21
Donkeys have a reputation for being extremely stubborn, but they are also very intelligent. And this is demonstrated perfectly by an escaped miniature donkey who decided to stand guard outside of a coffee shop, demanding a treat from anyone who wanted to get past him. And he succeeded in getting a lot of treats. My guess is that he ended up with a bellyache from the wide variety of treats that he received.
Create a character (or several characters) who go to this coffee shop each morning as they are waking up. What is the reaction when he is blocked from going into the shop by a donkey? Describe how the donkey demands his treats and how the potential customers obtain these treats to give him. I see this being made into a humorous children’s story.
Who calls the police and what is their reaction to this adorable criminal? What is the reaction of the police?
What happens to this mischievous donkey?
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122187100556456543&set=a.122177331128456543
February 22-28
Squirrels are intelligent little creatures. This particular squirrel chose to show just how smart he was when he noticed people purchasing donuts and decided that he wanted one. He took an acorn and purchased his own. Write a story about this intelligent squirrel. Try to answer these questions (plus more that you think of) in this story.
How long did this squirrel watch others purchase donuts?
When did he figure out that he needed something to trade for one?
How do you think he felt when he was handed a donut in exchange for his acorn?
Is this something he continued to do? Do you think he told his friends about it?
Did he bring more squirrels back with him to trade acorns for donuts?
What about the one who took the acorn for a donut? What went through her mind?
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