Awesome Stories: Omr - One Minute Read.

By Pat Ritter

Each week at the Pomona Writer's Group, the facilitator selects a title for each member to write in under 500 words.

These stories are read to the other members of the group.

These are the stories I've written and read to the other members.

Hope you like them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pat Ritter
• Release date: Jan 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465911070

Pat Ritter

Hi Everyone,Let me introduce myself. My name is Pat Ritter. Since 1988 I have been writing and publishing books. In 2009 I decided to publish my books as e-books on this and other websites.Writing and self-publishing became expensive especially the marketing end of the business. I experienced little problems with my first book 'Closing The Gap' however after writing and self-publishing six other books the printing costs out-weighed the cost of production.At this stage of my writing I am converting from writing true life stories to fictional or better known - storytelling and it's difficult I can tell you. I'm giving it my best.Reading is a passion. When I read I try and place myself in the writer's seat and endeavour to work out how they wrote the story. I enjoy reading interesting stories filled with passion, desire with a happy ending.If you have a look at my website www.patritter.com.au all of my books are exhibited plus stories I have written and published.I'm happy to meet you.I'm also proud to be involved in Operation eBook Drop.Pat RitterAuthor/Self Publisher

Book preview

AWESOME STORIES

OMR

(One Minute Read)

By

Pat Ritter

© Copyright Pat Ritter - 2015

Published by Pat Ritter.

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Each week in 2011 I attended the Pomona Writers Group. The facilitator asked us to write a story about a topic he chose. These stories less than 500 words are OMR (One Minute Read). I hope you enjoy reading each one.

Norah’s Mistake.

In last year’s Gold Coast Magic Million thoroughbred yearling sales, a filly was purchased for $60,000.00 and won this year’s race worth $1,000,000.00. This is what dreams are made of. How did this happen? Was it a twist of fate on behalf of the purchasers or was it meant to happen? Did God have anything to do with the win?

God has been blamed for many events which have occurred since time began. What about the recent floods in Queensland. Did God order the rain to flood Queensland to make people more resilient? Or was the flood caused by the weather?

According to Christianity, God instructed Norah to build an ark and bring into the ark two of all living creatures? At the time God decided to wipe out mankind from the face of the earth because of great wickedness caused by the people and he wanted to make a fresh start on humanity. Norah followed God’s instructions, built the ark and housed 45,000 animals.

It rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Every living thing on earth was wiped out. After the waters receded, the ark came to rest and waited eight months while the surface on earth dried out.

Finally after an entire year, God invited Noah to come out of the ark. He was pleased with what Noah accomplished and promised he would never again create a flood to destroy earth.

What was the moral of the story? Was Norah blameless and not sinless? Noah pleased God with his whole heart and as a result was an example to his entire generation.

What would have happened if Noah didn’t build the ark and didn’t house 45,000 animals? Do you think God would’ve still gone ahead to rid the earth of all mankind by letting it rain for 40 days and 40 nights? I don’t think so.

There is certainly a deep lesson to be learnt from what Noah did. We’re influenced by other people and particularly the people around us to do what they want? On the other hand do we control our own thoughts and do what we want? This is the lesson.

Now back to the purchase of a horse at the Magic Million Sales. If I had the money to purchase such a horse and race it in the Magic Million Race I think I would name it Noah’s Mistake.

Word count: 401

Chameleon.

When we think about the word Chameleon – I think we all have a little in each of us. Take for example when I was a child. I remember my grandmother’s words of promise to give me my grandfather’s watch when I turned 21 years. Did I receive the watch – no – my elder cousin received it and come to think of it he deserved it because he was the first born. My grandmother needn’t have promised me the watch if she had no intentions of giving it to me in the first place. She certainly changed into a chameleon.

There are a thousand stories in the reservoir of my mind when people have promised me the world and came up with nothing. At the time it hurts to think something had been promised and not delivered. To trust the person on their word without results throws a childhood into disarray and effects the growth into adulthood. People can be cruel or are they changeable like the Chameleon?

When I was 6 years old, my mate Peter lived a couple of houses up the road and regularly visited our home to ride my parent’s pushbikes. There was a black one and a pink one. Peter always rode the black and never at anytime did I refuse him. Time went on and eventually he purchased the black bike from my parents.

One day I went to his house to ride the bikes and when I asked to ride the black one his reply was, ‘no – it’s mine now.’ At the time I didn’t understand or realise what he’d done; however thinking back on the experience I now realise he changed into a chameleon.

Fifty years later Peter contacted me. It was the first time I’d heard from him since our childhood. He wanted to know if I had a year one class photograph. In fact I had such a photograph. His reason for contacting me was because he wanted to know the name of each person in our class.

Over the following weeks I researched archives in Brisbane and discovered the name of each student and sent him the list. He lives in Adelaide.

Later that year I visited him in Adelaide to reacquaint ourselves and to catch up with 50 years. After matching each name to the student in the photograph I asked what his intentions were. I thought perhaps he may want to contact them or have a reunion. Instead his answer was he was going to do nothing more – all he wanted were the name of each student.

Nothing had changed over 50 years. He remained a chameleon and faded into oblivion.

Word count: 446

Train Ride