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Coral heard a voice at the other end recite a string of numbers and then there was a tone. Jimmy cleared his throat and quickly recited another string of numbers. Then he hung up.
"Let's go," he said. He stood and started to walk to the door.
"Where are we going?" Coral asked. (2/4) #wss366

Jimmy went and picked up the handset, then placed it back on the cradle. He thought for a few moments, his forehead wrinkled with concentration. He picked up the cradle, punched in a number and waited as the phone rang. (1/4) #wss366

I got 13 likes of a picture of a dead tree that took 3 seconds to photograph. And 3 likes of an article that took 3 hours to write.

The Kwanzan cherries have started blooming in Amherst. This one is in Sweetser park. #WesternMass #BloomScrolling

#SilentSunday

I spent yesterday at a retreat for the Straw Dog Writers Guild. It was good — time well spent. https://stevendbrewer.com/straw-dog-writers-guild-2026-spring-retreat/

Reflecting on how my experiences with work have provided perspective for my #writing: https://stevendbrewer.com/the-sanctity-of-work/

The flying spaghetti monster fell in a mud puddle.

MLEM!! #DogsOfMastodon

I took a road trip to Bartholomew's Cobble… #WesternMass https://stevendbrewer.com/bartholomews-cobble-mosses-and-lichens-and-ferns-oh-my/

"Oh," he said. "I took out the guards from behind and pulled the girl off the Orca. And the rest is history."
He got serious.
"But this, now. This is something else altogether. Let me make a call. You still have a landline, right?"
Coral nodded and pointed. (4/4) #wss366

"You should have seen it! Two pretty girls rolling around on the #verdant lawn pulling each others' hair and getting covered with grass stains!"
He took a sip of his tea, still chuckling.
Coral realized she was holding her breath. "So, what happened?" she asked. (3/4) #wss366

"It happened that the leader's moll was coming in. The Orca ran smack into her on the sidewalk and knocked her down."
He began to chuckle.
"She was pissed! She tackled the Orca and they were rolling around in the grass with everybody screaming, 'Catfight!'"
He was openly laughing now. (2/4) #wss366

Jimmy leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Ah! I can still see it. The Orca was out the door. The guards were running for the door. There was a scream."
He rubbed his eyes then opened them, and looked at Coral. Then the corners of his eyes crinkled up. (1/4) #wss366

Tanuki-chan registers her disapproval. #DogsOfMastodon

"What… What was…" Coral stammered trying to come up with one question out of all of them swirling around in her mind.
"She was in and out in seconds," he said. "By the time his guards reacted she was long gone. It had been planned perfectly, down to the last detail — except for one." (2/2) #wss366

Coral's mouth dropped open and she stared at Jimmy.
"My mother?" she finally said. "My mother… shot them?"
"Yup."
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying my mother was… an assassin?"
"They called her The Orca."
"Orca?"
"You know, like a killer #whale — dressed in black and white." (1/2) #wss366

Maybe we should require data centers to be multi-use buildings that include affordable housing.

"He was trying to quietly patch up a split in his organization. He'd just about brought the two dissenters together when she walked in."
He leaned back and sighed, remembering.
"She was small and pretty: dressed to the nines! And she shot them all in the head. Bang! Bang! Bang!" (4/4) #wss366

"Twenty years ago, I was in a bar not five miles away, as the #crow flies. The leader of the Ampleks cartel was there with his two lieutenants."
He paused for a moment and twirled his cup around in its saucer. (3/4) #wss366