38 Comments
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Kenneth Mills's avatar

Perfect!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thank you, Ken, for letting me borrow your evocative photo. I am thinking about your other Pittsburgh street-scene photo, too. It is a great image for a story, as well.

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Richbee's avatar

Grange hall antics . B-12 my vitamin. Beer chaser platinum blonde buffet. Bingo hooray.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

The night was not a total loss, I guess.

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Richbee's avatar

Just a gamble with bimbo.

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Linda Brown's avatar

Aw, sweet ending! Cute!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks, my friend.

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Feasts and Fables's avatar

Excellent! Smashed that ending out the park, Sharron!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Ha ha ha. He almost gave up too soon.

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Feasts and Fables's avatar

Patience in all things, huh!

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Jill CampbellMason's avatar

our evocative images are so creative! This piece has that blah feel until bingo comes along. A novel in a teacup, or in a thimble.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

A novel in a teacup! I like it! A perfect metaphor for flash fiction

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James Ron's avatar

Great description of the Bingo Hall and Merle goes home a winner. Good letter/number call out patter, Sharron!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I have never gone to a Bingo hall before, but I saw a snippet of how bingo callers work in a movie once.

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Wade Terry's avatar

Life changes in a moment…… sometimes for the better…

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Let's hope old Wilma in her fish net stockings can improve his mood.

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Kate Henry's avatar

Bingo has several meanings. English is such a colorful language.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Oh, yes it is!

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David W. Zoll's avatar

Bingo!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Liked this one, did you? Good! Thanks, David

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Jim Cummings's avatar

Haha! Love the last line. Things are looking up for old Merle. Bingo!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Old Earl needs to have a little more patience. I'll bet that Wilma is worth waiting for. Thank Jim.

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

I love it! I could smell the stale tobacco, beer, and boredom. How visceral can you get. Bingo!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

This little piece was a practice in describing a setting -- trying to put the reader right there in the hall by tapping all the senses. The olfactory sense is very powerful.

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

Oh, I love it. Especially the end BINGO.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks, so much. Kathleen! I am so glad you often come back to Leaves. I appreciate your comments always!

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I like the rhyming bingo caller. And the last line was perfect.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I have never been in a bingo venue, but I have seen the process in movies. Apparently callers make up their own personalized rhyming phrases to match the numbers they call -- just to make sure the players understand him correctly.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I went to a few Bingo games with my Grandma and mother when I was a kid at a Catholic Church. I don’t remember the caller rhyming. I was thinking it the D4 - Delta 4 method. But it was several decades ago so my memory is just fragments.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I went to a few Bingo games with my Grandma and mother at a Catholic Church when I was a kid. I don’t remember the caller rhyming. I was thinking it the D4 - Delta 4 method. But it was several decades ago so my memory is just fragments.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Oh Sharron, the punchline! Utterly glorious!

I can absolutely picture being there. And go, Wilma! Attagirl!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Wilma. Yes. I imagine she and Merle have a bit of "history".

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

I jolly well hope so!

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K.C. Knouse's avatar

Ho,ho, Sharon, another masterpiece. You took me there with the combination of description and the calling of the bingo balls. Then you topped it off with a little personalization and a killer one-word ending.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I am so glad you liked this little one. Thanks so much for reading my 🌿Leaves, KC!

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Alois Ackerman's avatar

Way to be. I love those optimistic stories.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Hah! Thanks, kid. We can all use a good laugh right about now...

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