Carrots. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons
It wasn’t that they didn’t miss their stepdad. He was fun, taking all four children to the zoo, the pool, or out for ice-cream right before he brought them home for dinner on Sunday nights. When they made a mess of his house, his maid picked it all up.
And he always had Smith Bros cherry cough drops in his pocket.
Then he lost his job, his maid, and his coterie of girlfriends. Eloise and Andrew had to pick up his slack.
The Twins were bereft. “Weezy, where’s Daddy?”
She’d shrug, and hand them a cherry cough drop, instead.
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2022)
Carrot Ranch Prompt (07/22/2022): In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story sweet as cherries. It can be about the fruit or something cherries represent. Why is it sweet? Can you use contrast to draw out the beauty? Go where the prompt leads!
Valley of the Trolls 
Cute story, Liz, but rather sad, too.. I have to admit that I loved Ludens Cherry Cough Drops and Smith Brothers, too. We used to buy them as candy as they really had only pectin in them to “control” coughs. By the way, do you know they Smith Brothers’ first names? Trade and Mark (I know, dumb joke!) ~nan
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😂 Loved the candy…loved the packaging!
Hopefully, by the time I wind up this serial (19 weeks so far!), all will have found their happier endings!
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A cherry cough drop hits the spot.
I wondered why they spent time with stepdad if mum wasn’t around?
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Divorce, and mom has 1income & 4 kids. Mom working hard, extra hours…
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Life is tough for many.
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Counting my blessings!🦋🌟🦋
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Easy come, easy go?
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Maybe not so easy after a few years…😉
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