Grandma’s Camper Van

copyright - Beth Carter

copyright – Beth Carter

Grandma parked her camper van beside a sprawling oak, leaving eight year old Lotta roadside, collecting payment. As a steady trickle of townsfolk appeared, Lotta watched Grandma delve amongst her treasures, dispensing potions for all manner of mumbled ailments.

It was sundown before the last customer skulked away.

“How much?” Grandma asked.

“$329,” said Lotta. “And these… ” A jar of crickets trapped in quieter moments.

“Go feed him then.”

Lotta found Grandpa on the shelf with his past lady loves; bathing beauties imprisoned by Grandma’s spells in faded, curling photos.

“Naughty,” she scolded, plopping him back in his tank.

“Croak!” Grandpa protested.

 

This little story was written for the Friday Fictioneers challenge. Click here to read other stories.

I have a fondness for camper vans; we lived in a Winnebago travelling around Europe for a while, and though I haven’t contributed to the Friday Fictioneers for weeks, this photo sparked off an idea, and I was away.

I hit the usual problem: too many words. The story started out at around 250 words, (and was the better for it, I feel), but I wanted to join in this week, so I cut, and I cut, and changed the ending to fit. It’s not the same story, and it still has a few words too many, but the essence of my idea is still in there.

38 thoughts on “Grandma’s Camper Van

  1. I took it Grandpa had been changed into a frog, for his sins. I liked this, a really original take on the prompt.

    • That was it, Sandra, frog or toad (whichever one likes crickets, I guess, not having researched this topic thoroughly!)
      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  2. Haha! I really enjoyed that! It took me two or three readings to get it, but I think that’s just because I’m tired. I loved that he’d been turned into a frog though, funny!

    Thanks for sharing, Trudy!

    D x

  3. Hi Trudy! How’s the writing going?
    I loved this, and got that Grandpa was now a toad. Really great idea – I can just see Lotta and Grandma by the side of the road conning the townsfolk, or maybe it’s not a con, if you consider what’s happened to Granda and his ladies.
    Claire

    • Hello Claire, the writing is slow, but not completely seized! Enjoyed your take on the prompt too, though as a dog lover it kind of made me wince!

  4. Wow, Trudy, you won’t believe but many years ago there was a show on television (the 60’s!) I believe written by Roald Dahl about people being turned into frogs and this reminded me of it. I hope whatever Grandpa did was worth it!

    • I would believe it. He used to do Tales of the Unexpected, didn’t he? We saw a few episodes as kids so it could have been absorbed into my sub conscious, – and I do believe there’re few really new ideas out there, just new ways of telling them.

  5. Nicely done, Trudy. That Grandpa must have really hacked off Grandma with the ladies. Great use of the prompt. I’m glad you were inspired. I, too, had to cut my stories down by about 75 words.

  6. I’m still smiling, although Grandpa isn’t or his lady loves! Maybe Grandma is related to my female character this week. 🙂 I think you might want “ailments” in the plural.

    janet

  7. Dear Trudy,
    You made me laugh out loud! Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. Poor grandpa has learned the truth of it. I particularly loved the granddaughter saying “naughty” as she fed him crickets.
    shalom,
    Rochelle

    • Thank you. I think Grandma and Grandpa’s story would be an interesting one too.

    • Now there’s an irony – since kissing is what got him in trouble in the first place!

    • Yeah, they’ve been together a long time – I think she might change him back when the mood takes her. Thanks for reading 🙂

    • Thank you, great word ‘plopping’. Would be a challenge sneaking it into many stories though.

  8. I love this story! Again, sorry for missing your stories so consistently. It wasn’t intentional, I swear. 🙂 I’ll be sure to read them from now on.

Comments are closed.