Inktober 2023 day 1 - Dream:
Nuts. It’s all Nigella the squirrel ever dreamed about. She would dream about delicious, fatty, tree nuts falling from the sky as if in slow motion, rotating gently as they fell. Big ones, small ones, hazel nuts, acorns, walnuts, peanuts, it didn’t matter, all of them were good when you were famished and it was too frosty to go outside for dinner. When you spent the entire spring, summer and fall diligently collecting food to survive the long, hard winter, you became a little obsessive.
Nigella would have lovely winter in her soft, cozy nest within her favourite oak tree. She had prepared well and it was time for a well deserved holiday. Now if only her dreams would let her rest; she had certainly earned it!
Inktober 2023 day 2 - spiders:
Spiders were always trouble, but when they joined a biker gang you multiplied that trouble by a factor of ten. Spiders were hairy and macho. Spiders Bikers were even hairier and so extremely macho, that they had moustaches for eyebrows!
Arm wrestling was their favourite pastime, the crowds betting and cheering got pretty raucous and the beer would fly! As soon as someone won the match, the next in line would skittle forward. With you had eight arms/legs, one march could last all day! The poor bartender had to sweep up so much spider arm-hair at the end of the day, that she could have knitted a sweater!
Inktober 2023 day 3 - path
Follow the twisty, flower sprinkled path.
Into the deep, dark, whispering woods.
Take a left at the rather, croaky frog with a hitch in his hop.
Leap across the sun-warmed, granite stones floating in the pond.
Into the cool, echoing cave is where you’ll find me.
Bring sandwiches.
Inktober 2023 day 4 - Dodge:
Being a stay at home dad was hard sometimes. The moms at playtime never talked to Hank, but at least the lone grandma did. The playground today was soggy and the kids were covered in mud and completely filthy from head to toe when they got home.
It was definitely bath time next and that always took forever. But at least it gave Hank time to think about what he was going to feed his wife and rugrats later. Whatever he was going to make, he knew that most likely he was going having to dodge it when Roscoe threw it him! That kid had a good arm; he would make a good baseball player one day.
Inktober 2023 day 5 - map:
The Pirate cats of Penzance were on the hunt for bountiful booty! Cans and cans of prime tuna booty were buried somewhere in the landlubber lands of Western Caterwall. Luckily, Captain Peaches and First Mate Cheeto had a fine treasure map to set them right to find it!
They had won the lovely map off of a scrawny rascal of a tabby cat named Captain Jolly Whiskers. There was a weekly game of poker in the back room of the Red Rat tavern that only pirate ships captains were invited to. Now that Captain Peaches had the priceless map in hand, all they needed was a scurvy crew and soon their ship, ‘Peachy Keen,’ would set sail for the treasure. They soon would have a treasure trove of all of the shiny, silver cans of tuna that a ruddy cat could ever eat!
Inktober 2023 day 6 - golden:
Golden Oldies Robot Retirement Home is a place for all of your obsolete A.I. servants. Have an old robot maid or butler who are not up to snuff anymore? Is your robot nannies battery running low, or maybe your robo chefs recipes are a little old school? Instead of scrapping your old metal pals, turn them out to pasture!
At Golden Oldies we’re here to help your old bots get the best out of the rest of their electronic life! From hot oil baths to get those squeaky joints moving, to cord massages to keep that electricity moving; we have it all! Your old robot family members will live it up in their last years of their obsolescence! Send them to Golden Oldies Robot Retirement Home and let them rust in peace and comfort!
Inktober 2023 day 7 - drip:
Wild boar nose drippings were what every Witch Doctor worth his salt wanted. They were the embodiment of the wild strength, resilience and spirit of the forest. All Witch Doctor Baboon had to do was find a grumpy, vicious wild boar in the deep, dark forest and convince it to voluntarily donate its nasal dripping to him. Piece of cake!
Dr. Baboon was a smooth talker and he was sure the wild boar would be a willing donator. Once he had his prize, he would brew the most powerful love potion imaginable! His cat, Scratchy, would have to choice but to love him. Oh boy, would they cuddle up a storm; Dr Baboom was giddy with excitement just thinking about it!
Inktober 2023 day 8 - toad:
Master Wong Toad was weary. He sighed deeply as he trudged slowly along the muddy path on his daily walk through the lively swamp. Master Wong Toad had trained many a day when he was a young monk and his bones were now weary after too many repetitions of the way of the empty hand.
His days of vigorous, early morning training of the young monks at the temple were long over. It was late to rise and early to bed for him now that he was Elder monk. Morning meditations and sparring were for the young monks now. The only exercise that Master Wong Toad was up for now, was with his tongue, catching flies!
Inktober 2023 day 9 - bounce:
Slippy Max the Octopus was going to be a Baller one day; just you wait and see! He had been practicing since he was a little squirt on his handles and boy could that kid make those balls bounce! He had to travel out of the ocean to the closest surface basketball court and it was a bit of a swim to get there. Unfortunately there weren’t many hoops underneath the deep blue sea and if you managed to find one, the sea lions hogged them.
The sharks and mantas used to tease Slippy Max, but they would eat their words when he made it to the NBA. His tentacles would be a blur and Lebron wouldn’t even know how to play ‘D’ on him! They would have to have to hire a few more Floor Sweepers just to mop up the water that Slippy’s dripped, but he couldn’t help that he was a sweaty octopus! That’s why he wore a cool headband.
Inktober 2023 day 10- Fortune:
Willy Wilkerson had finally hit the jackpot! He had told his Ma and Pa that he was going to the Klondike to make his fortune. It had been a long haul to make it here to the Great White North. Willy had been living off of hardtack, pemmican and smoked salmon for three long years. His overall had holes in their holes and his last pair of socks kicked the bucket early last September. He’d made friends with beavers, made enemies with a wolverine and built a cabin out of nothing but trees and an axe.
It had been tough; Willy wouldn’t lie about that, but it had finally been worth it after being half starved and the other half left being eaten by mosquitoes and black flies. When Will had finally found the gold nugget the size of his head, he had almost passed out. His jackpot would change his life: he would move to New York City, buy a fancy suit and a beaver hat! The fancy ladies in New York wouldn’t care if he didn’t have any teeth in his head now that he was filthy, sticking rich!
Inktober 2023 day 11 - wander:
Wander the world
From the oceans to the mountain tops
Smell every flower along the way
Ford every river, brook and stream
Run barefoot through the wild grass
Dig your toes in rich, black soil
Breathe in the brisk night air
Listen to the birds sing and the bees buzz
Soak in the glory of nature
Let your heart beat strong
And your mind wander aimlessly
Above all: Love yourself and all those that you meet along the way
Inktober 2023 day 12- spicy:
Spicy Dragon Ramen was no joke! If you liked Japanese food that made you cough uncontrollably, made your eyes water and your nose run, and you went there willingly; you knew it was the place to be! Melvin always went there on a wet, cold day when he was feeling down and he walked out with a spring in his step. There was something about its aromatic, spicy, unctuous, porky broth that stirred his soul and lit its pilot light.
When food was so good that it made you sweat thinking about it and you stuffed your pockets with kleenexes before you went there, you knew that you were hooked. Ramen was life. Life was Ramen: slippery, tender noodles, soft poached eggs, fragrant sukiyaki beef, juice pork belly, crunchy corn all floating in a broth that you would like to be embalmed in! It would certainly be a nice way to go!