Wednesday Writing — This Is The Sign You’ve Been Looking For

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Magpie wall mural by marina-salles
Marina Salles, Unsplash

I tried to think of a post that would be positive for everyone.  I came up dry.  Then I thought I’d share an image prompt and challenge you to get going with whatever creation you want, inspired by the prompt.

But what?

I went to Unsplash.com and searched for a “random” image.  I found a sign ― pun fully intended.

Austin Chan at Unsplash
Austin Chan at Unsplash

What could you create with this sign in mind?  A bistro style meal?  A cocktail?  A dance?  An outfit to wear?  Maybe the neon would inspire you to build an “industrial” style piece of furniture.  Perhaps the bricks of the background prompt you to stack up a temporary design of bricks or blocks.  What if you draw a sketch of the person you imagine would be looking for the sign?

Perhaps it inspires a song?  Now, John Howell and I are singing along with the Five Man Electrical Band.  Maybe you want to make up your own little sign.

Or maybe you’d write a story.  Mine would be something like this…

This Is the Sign You’ve Been Looking For

Random footfalls floundered in the dark.  I followed, frightened, toward the unknown.  Crossroads filled flickering corners of my mind.

It was part of the magic he had awakened in me ― I mean the crossroads were.  A blues guitar played a tritone.  I couldn’t see the guitar, but I could see the music.  A magpie fluttered to my shoulder.

“Jinx!  Now I understand why you love the blues,” I told the bird.  “You could see the music all along, couldn’t you?”

Unsettled, I realized I couldn’t hear the footsteps any more.  Darkness was complete.  There wasn’t even a star in the sky.  Even the moon was dark.

“I don’t know what to do, or which direction to turn,” I whispered to Jinx.

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign,” Jinx squawked.

“Look for the sign,” Brother Love’s voice whispered.

I turned to my right.  No one was there.  His voice was only in my mind.  I twisted toward my left.

“Went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees,” the magpie sang.  “Yeo, standin’ at the crossroad, tried to flag a ride.  And I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked east and west.”

“East and west, you say?” I asked Jinx.

It was so dark, that I had lost any perception of which direction I faced.  Planting my feet squarely in the middle of the crossroad, I took a deep breath.  I closed my eyes and exhaled.

When I opened my eyes, a dim light sputtered in the distance.

“You can run, you can run, tell my friend, Willie Brown,” the magpie continued with another bar of the song.

Abruptly he launched into flight.  I ran after him.  I emerged from utter darkness into a dank alley.  My eyes were drawn to a neon light.  In the most unlikely place, I found the sign.

Victor Garcia at Unsplash
Victor Garcia at Unsplash

The end.

***

If you choose to play along, kindly link back to this post. 

I looked at the neon sign and closed my eyes.  All I saw was darkness. Then I knew I was at a crossroad and Jinx flew into my mind.  I didn’t expect Birdie Devovo or Jinx (the magpie) to show up.  They are characters from “Brother Love – a Crossroad.”

Available at

Kindle  relinks.me/B07V25SXFR

Paperback  relinks.me/107952309X

Are you still looking for a sign? Maybe you want to read The Sign of the Ape.

https://teagansbooks.com/2017/05/01/get-caught-reading-part-1/

Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump.  Hugs on the wing!

 

 

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2019 and 2020 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

76 thoughts on “Wednesday Writing — This Is The Sign You’ve Been Looking For”

  1. Pingback: Snoopy’s Tubes – #1LinerWeds – No Facilities

  3. Wonderful post, Teagan. Thanks for your spirited words and enthusiasm in getting us off the floor of the Covid lockdown. I, too, find it a much better use of time to stay upbeat, count our blessings, and look for the signs that keep us going in that direction. One of my favorite books is entitled “Signs” by Laura Lynne Jackson. It’s on the paranormal wave, but not wacky, about keeping an open mind to the loving signs from our departed loved ones. Many thanks for your post today. Sending lots of smiles your way….

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    1. That’s true, Valentina. Too many people can only read the “One Way” sign (their way) when the ones they should consider are “Stop”, “Merge”, and “Dangerous curves ahead.”
      I’m happy you enjoyed this little ditty. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Rebecca, my entire week is made if I gave a reader goosebumps. 😀 Your post has me wanting to re-read the Da Vinci Code. Since my Internet won’t stay up long enough to get anything done, maybe I’ll indulge myself… 😉 Hugs on the wing!

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      1. One of my favourite books. What I most appreciate about your writing is your use of symbolism. We must discuss this further. Hugs coming right back. My wings have been in the closet for awhile, so I’m getting them out and learning to fly again.

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    1. Thanks so very much Denise! That magpie is getting loud about demanding another book… But I’m making such slow progress on the one from November… Thanks for your encouragement. Hugs on magpie wings.

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  10. Signs of the times and of so many kinds can be so much fun. Some signs drive me crazy, especially the nanny signs on the Interstates while I’m driving. I’ve always liked the song “Signs”. When I first heard it in the ’70s I loved it because I was one of those “long-haired freaky people”. I’m still kind of freaking, but I no longer have long hair covering up my redneck.

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    1. Hahaha! You cracked me up, Tim. I was so inspired by that song that I really did put the note in the plate “when they passed (it) around at the end of it all.”
      I don’t know about the nanny signs, but just the one-word description makes them seem annoying. Hugs on the wing.

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  12. Pingback: Wednesday Writing – Friendship – From Cave Walls

  15. Thank you so much for the mention, Teagan. The sign I’m looking for is a break in the hatred that seems to be more pervasive than the virus. I have never witnessed such vitriol from both the right and the left of course fueled by ideologies that don’t sync with traditional values. I think everyone should take a lesson from you, and realized the sign they should be looking for is PEACE. Super post. HUGS.

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    1. Beautifully said, John — and so true. (Although I’m not much of a role model.) Thanks for taking time to visit.
      From “Signs” to “For What It’s Worth” with people just saying “hooray for our side.” Too many sides. Decades since that song, and we’re doing the same thing again, just citing different reasons…
      There’s something happening here
      What it is ain’t exactly clear
      There’s a man with a gun over there
      Telling me I got to beware
      I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound
      Everybody look what’s going down
      There’s battle lines being drawn
      Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
      Young people speaking their minds
      Getting so much resistance from behind
      It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
      Everybody look what’s going down
      What a field-day for the heat
      A thousand people in the street
      Singing songs and carrying signs
      Mostly say, hooray for our side
      It’s s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
      Everybody look what’s going down
      Paranoia strikes deep
      Into your life it will creep
      It starts when you’re always afraid
      You step out of line, the man come and take you away
      We better stop, hey, what’s that sound
      Everybody look what’s going down
      ***
      Great big hug, my friend.

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  17. Good story. I’m looking for signs that include Dump, Ditch, and Dispense. I’m also looking for signs where the second and third letters in America are no longer the most important letters (and word) for way too many Americans. Hugs flapping your way against very strong headbreezes.

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    1. They’re a new version of “screaming meemies” aren’t they, Pat? If you find your signs and make a post, I hope you’ll let me know. I’m afraid my Internet only lets me stay online a few minutes at a time (with big gaps of downtime), so I’m not able to visit much. Great big hug right back.

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  19. This makes me think of something special, Teagan but I’m going to have to get back to you with that. It’s a bit too long to leave as a comment -you know how I don’t like to go on 😏

    But it was great hearing Jinx and Brother Love’s voice again. I hope all the signs are telling you good things today. Let’s cruise over the hump and finish this week in style.

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  21. As soon as I saw this prompt, I thought of when I was a kid and we would drive from NY to FL. There would be little signs along the road, just a word or two on each, leading up to where you find food, rest area, or whatever. I could just imagine them saying “Look for the sign.” and of course … you sign appears!

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        1. I figured you must have! There’s no way to avoid those signs. My husband and I stopped to check it out on our way back to Florida years ago, but we had no desire to stay there. It must be an experience, though, I’ll grant you that!

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    2. Ha-ha that’s cool, GP. Wow, NY to FL — that’s a heck of a road-trip. I remember seeing those one-word signs once or twice when I was a kid. Of course you know that my brain just went someplace surreal with the idea. LOL. Hugs on the wing!

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    3. Do you remember the Burma Shave signs from the 1920s through the 1960s? Or are those the signs you were referring to? Driving south on I-95 i mostly remember signs for South of the Border.

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    1. Happy hump day, Robbie. It’s good to see you. Please keep me posted about your new project. I’m having ever more trouble staying online. I hope you’ll leave a link here for any updates you post.
      My current novel is… I guess it’s progressing. I’ve reworked the first half a few times now. Plus I’ve changed course for how I’ll present/format it — that change as well as other elements requires a ton of continuous fact checking and research. So the Internet problem makes “progress” horribly slow. One thing is sure, it will be unique. Hard to categorize (which is not a good thing) but unique. 😀 Hugs on the wing!

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