Recap of Ratchet Story Hour 2013

Ratchet Story Hour is MOST Fridays from 7pm - 8pm EST on Twitter. Screen name CCDreamz.

11/22/13

Greaaaaaaat evening Twitterverse!  I am back for another #RatchetStoryHour featuring my favorite fairies Shawntiqua and Booty!  As always let me hit you all with my disclaimer.

Disclaimer: #RatchetStoryhour is written by me on the fly and by the seat of my pants / skirt / dress / or whatever I’m wearing at the time. So though I do give it a peruse before I tweet I don’t go into deep editing nor do I have an editor sitting by my side. Just ain’t timely.  So I do ask that you forgive any spelling or grammatical errors. This is what I do to warm up my muse so that I can get cracking on my other stories. I know how annoying some folks find spelling and grammatical errors and I just wanted to say sorry in the beginning.

When last we saw Shawntiqua and Booty they were on the b-ball court having found trouble and the troubled. Lets join them now.

Deadweight watched the girl with the kids. One of them his own. He had heard through the skreetvine that she and Vint had come into some Money. Somebody had died and left them a piece land, a house, and money to start over someplace new. Someplace far from him and the hood. It was all over the hood. They were moving at the end of the month and taking his son with them. And that wasn’t the end of their plans. There was enough money to for her to go back to school if they were careful. Vint hadn’t been careful. Deadweight had seen to it. Like the player he was, he had had a dude close to Vint goad him into betting a nice sum on some pick up games. And he’d won.  Just like Deadweight wanted him to. All fixed to run in a way to make Vint think he was on a lucky streak. Now that lucky streak was about to end. All the cash they had was riding on this game and Vint’s friends were playing the worse game of their lives. They liked Vint and his girl. They liked living more. They were afraid of Deadweight. Vint was moving they were staying. It was an easy choice. He looked over at a grinning Lil Jojo. He believed he was letting Vint win. He hardly ever told anyone the whole truth. He trusted no one.

Lil Jojo scanned the area looking for newcomers. His eyes rested on the girl and the young boy by her side. He looked like a younger version of Deadweight. He wondered how it would turn out for the kid. 

Lil Jojo thought: Deadweight is a cold mofo. Can’t believe he’d ice his baby momma in front of her kids. His own son to boot. I guess that is the price for crossing the boss.

Lil Jojo took Deadweight at his word when he said that the girl, Kianaboo, had crossed him. He hadn’t said how though and Lil Jojo hadn’t asked. Lil Jojo was a follower in all things. He had not one leadership like bone in his body. That was the way Deadweight liked his foot soldiers.  Deadweight couldn’t have cared less about his son. He was just a means to derail a bright future he had been jealous of.

Kianaboo had birthed two more children by deadbeats who swore they loved her only to dump her yet again. Vint was the first man to stay and help her raise not only his child but the other three. He had a good heart but a taste for gambling that had them in this mess now.

Deadweight eyed them thinking: His bammer azz should have just dumped her azz like I told him. I warned him. You’d think the scar would have been warning enough. Now his dumb azz is going to die with the bytch. I guess it is true that you can’t keep a good woman down. You can kill her azz though. He issued an amused grunt that was lost in the cheers of the crowd.

Kianaboo watched Vint anxiously. He’d been winning all week. Each day he had come back from the court with more and more dough. It was like the death of her great-aunty turned everything around for them things just kept getting better. Including his winning streak.  Normally, she didn’t bet the household money but they had been doing so well. She wasn’t greedy. Neither was Vint. They both just thought how great it would be to have a little extra money for their move. 

Vint had reasoned: With 4 kids and a house, no jobs, no telling when they’d get jobs, and no family or friends to catch their backs they’d be fools not to take advantage of his streak.

It had seemed to them like extra blessings from her great-aunty in Heaven. That’s what Kianaboo told herself as she handed him the cash to get into the high stakes b-ball game with some heavy hitters. Guys like her ex. As she watched Deadweight reclining with his boys while Vint’s boys floundered around on the court she had a bad feeling about the whole game. The young boy at her side already knew.

Kianaboo and Deadweight’s son’s name was DeAndreboo. He was almost as tall as his mother and had his father’s coloring and face. He’d heard the word on the playground about his father setting Vint up. He just hadn’t bothered to tell his mother and Vint.

DeAndreboo was coming up on puberty and therefore resentful of Vint’s presence in his life. Especially now that they were moving. DeAndreboo didn’t want to leave the city he’d been born in and where his father lived. Even if he hardly ever saw his father. That was Vint’s fault too. DeAndreboo thought: if Vint had just kept his big mouth shut my mother would have sold that house and kept the cash so we could stay here and live fat. Have a car sitting on 22s all tricked out and ish. His father might even have started coming to see

him if not for Vint’s interference. His little boy’s mind envisioned a life where his mother’s inheritance made them the envy of the hood, his father would start coming to see him and they wouldn’t have to move. So it was DeAndreboo wishing hard and believing just as hard in the majic to make Vint lose all their money. 

He reasoned: My momma will have the sell the house then if we don’t have any money to move. Then we can stay here and momma will put Vint’s sorry azz out for good. Then maybe I can see my daddy.

DeAndreboo knew about the fix. He had no idea of just how much trouble they were in and that his father was the last man he wanted in his life. He looked at his 2 little sisters and baby brother in his mother’s arms: We’ll be better off here. Just wait and see. They gonna be hating when we rolling through the hood fat and full all month long and not just on the first!

And that boys and girls, guys and dolls, cats and kittens, ends another #RatchetStoryHour! I hope you enjoyed it. 

Just a quick reminder that Book 3 of my Callandaria series goes live on 11/28/13. Destinies Reveal! Just in time for the long weekend. If you’ve missed any part of #RatchetStoryHour it will be updated on my blog tomorrow. Have a great evening tweeples!

11/15/13
When last we saw Shawntiqua and Booty they were on the b-ball court sniffing out troubled believers. Lets join them now.

Booty eyed the lightskinned brother on the court. He was playing like his life depended on it: What do you think is the trouble, Boss?

Shawntiqua shook her head: Don’t know yet.  Booty: Should we try to read them first?  Shawntiqua: No. I got a feeling we just need patience.

The two found a shady spot to observe the game. There was tension coming off of the scarred player in waves. The girl and kids too.

But there was hope coming off all those involved too.  It didn’t take long for the duo to realize it was the littlest one that was doing all the wishing.  She couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5 but somehow she grasp the gravity of grown up troubles. Wishing was her only way of solving them. She was small and thin but sturdy. She was a cute little girl but her eyes were dead serious. 

Her eyes were almost black they were so dark.  She kept them locked on the man on the court.  Booty shook her head.

Booty: A child that young shouldn’t be so serious. She should be over by the swings or slide or something playing.

Shawntiqua agreed even as she tried to lighten the mood: It is a bit hot on the metal slide today, Booty.

One side of Booty’s mouth quirked up: You know what I mean, Boss. She should be enjoying being a kid is all.

Shawntiqua: I know, Booty.  Just trying to keep it light. We’ll help.  Booty: If we can.  Shawntiqua: We can and we will. Never doubt.

Just then Booty noticed movement in another shady corner of the playground. A group of guys thugged their way onto the playground.

Shawntiqua felt them before Booty elbowed her: They feel bad, Boss.  Shawntiqua: Gangs always do, Booty. Always.

They called themselves simply the Evil Ones and everything they did lived up to their name.  And the scarred guy was connected to them.

The longer Booty stood there the more unease seeped into her body. It was like a shadow had come into the playground with them.

Shawntiqua fluffed up her majic aura. She had been in the presence of evil even worse than the EO as most people called them.

Shawntiqua: Don’t let them fluster you, Booty. We got this. If push should come to shove we can call for back up.

Booty looked over at the group of a dozen or more young black men and then back at her boss: O-okay, Boss.

As Shawntiqua reassured a quaking Booty the boss of the EO looked over the crowd. He felt something different in his gut.

His name was DeAndre’ Willis Williams but his street name was Deadweight because of all the dead bodies he had disposed of by sinking them.

He was an expert at weighting down a body. Once he sank them they never came back up.

Right now Deadweight’s gut was telling him that though everything was in place for him to get what he wanted something wasn’t right.

Deadweight: Lil Jojo, go work the crowd. Something ain’t right. Check for cops, snitches, and ish like that.

Lil Jojo was a dark squat dude with a face that always seemed to be snarling. Life hadn’t been kind to him and he was repaying the world for it.

Shawntiqua and Booty watched Lil Jojo break from the group.  Booty: Boss?  Shawntiqua: I know.  He shouldn’t be able to feel us.

Booty whispered: People can’t feel our power unless they are good and believe. How is he feeling us?

Shawntiqua: He’s a human, that I know. But he might have something dark mixed in maybe. We’ll have to find out.

Booty: Maybe we should call for back up now.  Shawntiqua shook her head: Not until we know what we are dealing with.

Booty: B-but, Boss-  She ended her words abruptly as Lil Jojo got close to them. He eyed them both hard. Shawntiqua smiled. Booty quivered. They waited until he rejoined his group before they spoke again. Shawntiqua: Until we know what he is, we won’t know who to call for help.

Booty nodded a bit more relieved now that Lil Jojo had passed them by. Shawntiqua: We need to figure out what is the deal here.

On the other side of the court Lil Jojo reported: Bossman, it is two tricks over in the shade with Vint’s girl I don’t know.

Otherwise all is cool.  Deadweight looked over under the tree at the two fairies and knew instinctually that that was his trouble.

Deadweight’s grandma had dabbled in majic when he was living with her. One day she let something dark into this world that latched onto him.

It was that dark something that he let direct his path to money and power. That dark thing recognized the good fairies and their danger to it.

Even though Deadweight understood they were a danger to him, he didn’t know how. That was why he said: Then we’ll need to take them out too.

Lil Jojo asked: You think they are snitches or undercover cops or something, boss?

Deadweight: No telling. Don’t matter. What’s two more dead blacks today? Lil Jojo: You want to do them now?

Deadweight: Naw. Let the man finish his game. It will be the last game of his life anyway.  Let him have that.

Lil Jojo cackled: You letting him go out a winner in the end, huh boss?  Deadweight: Something like that.

Deadweight was a petty man. He had dated and dumped the pretty brownskinned girl under the tree with the fairies 4 years ago.

Right after she had gotten pregnant with his first child. When she was well passed terminating the pregnancy he dumped her.

He had talked her into getting pregnant to show her love for him. She loved him enough to believe him. In truth he was jealous that she had been smart enough to be college bound. She had even been in a special mentoring program. Like so many young girls she believed him.

She believed he loved her up until the moment he discarded her. Kicked out of the mentoring program and college fading from her grasp. He had been pleased until she picked up with the scar faced dude on the court named Vinton or Vint for short. Even then he wasn’t mad that she had moved on. He was seeing 4 tricks himself. No. He had gotten angry when he heard their plans.

10/4/13

As always let me hit you all with my disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Ratchet Story hour is written by me on the fly and by the seat of my pants/skirt/dress/or whatever I’m wearing at the time.

So though I do give it a peruse before I tweet I don’t go into deep editing nor do I have an editor sitting by my side. Just ain’t timely.

So I do ask that you forgive any spelling or grammatical errors. This is what I do to warm up my muse so that I can get cracking on my other stories. I was reminded about how annoying some folks find spelling and grammatical errors and I just wanted to say sorry in the beginning.

When last we saw our ratchet fairies they were trying to bring big luck to a true believer. Let's join them now.

Booty scooted right on over to the Luck Palace with the numbers. She didn’t even bother to go any further than the receptionist.

There was no need to. They knew she was coming and for what.

Receptionist: We got it, sugar. The believing lady in question is playing the big lottery to win tonight. We just need the numbers.

Receptionist: Punch them in please.

Booty stepped up to the prompter. Selected the lottery in question, country and typed in the numbers that had been on the woman’s ticket.

Then Booty hit enter. A message displayed: numbers accepted. Please select winnings. Booty didn’t even think. She selected: JACKPOT WIN and pressed enter. Then the machine lit up with a lot of lovely colors before flashing the message she needed: Numbers & winnings accepted.

Booty bounced back to the receptionist and gave her her thanks.

Receptionist: No problem sugar. This lady believes strongly. If you can’t help a believer then who can you help?

Booty said: True that!

Booty hurried back to Shawntiqua: Boss, it is all set for her to win the big jackpot tonight.

Shawntiqua: Awesome, Booty!  She will spread the light for the positive, I know it.  I can see it. Now off to get into more majic. 

Shawntiqua smiled in thought about the woman that was the jackpot winner for that night. This money would speed her on her way.

She had big dreams and they were good dreams. They just needed a little luck to go along with her belief.

The fact she lived in the hood meant she’d never forget where she came from or forget to help one up.

Booty: Boss, you got some of the best ideas. So where are we off to now? Too early to hit up a club.

Shawntiqua chuckled: Not all trouble happens in a club, Booty. There are some believers out here on the streets too in the broad daylight.

Shawntiqua thought a minute: Let’s swing by the school yard. Always something going on down there and usually a kid or two who believes.

Booty looked skeptical. Shawntiqua chuckled: What, Booty? You don’t believe that kids can believe in majic? Kidhood is where it starts.

Booty nodded still skeptical: Oh I know it. It has just been a while since I seen a kid believe. Santa Claus ain’t do us no favors.

Shawntiqua understood: Yeah, true. The fat man had his day and it is over and done with. Shame he took the belief in a lot of us with him.

Booty asked: How is he doing anyway? You seen him around since he retired?

Shawntiqua waffled: I saw him a while back. I heard he got recruited to go to Kiddie Heaven. The place where kids who died before their parents go. Perfect spot for him, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and all the rest to hang out.

Booty: Awwww! That’s too sweet! Perfect spot for them really.

Shawntiqua nodded blinking back a tear: I know. Ain’t it? You know everything and everyone has a purpose in majic.

The pair rounded a corner and there in a nondescript schoolyard was a heated game of b-ball already in progress.

Booty hummed appreciatively at all the fine men on the b-ball court: Oh, Boss, this was a great idea.

Shawntiqua blew out a heated breath. Even she wasn’t immune to all the fineness on display: Remember, Booty, we are on duty.

Booty licked her lips at no man in particular: Oh I know, Boss. I got a new boo thang myself. But er uh it is nice to know that if it don’t work out, his replacement is not far away. 

Shawntiqua laughed lightly: Booty, I hear you loud and clear. Now keep your majic believing eyes open and your trouble feelers, well, feeling.

Booty nodded and started scanning the crowd. She could feel a bit of belief. She could also feel a lot of trouble brewing.

Booty whispered as much as her ghetto accent allowed. They were close to people now: Boss, I feel trouble brewing.

Shawntiqua nodded distractedly: True dat. It is summer, a b-ball court, and tons of men around. When does that combo not spell trouble?

Booty’s mind wandered: Mmmmm, combo. I wanna chicken box combo for lunch.

Shawntiqua shook her head exasperated: Booty, seriously? We just not too long ago had a midmorning snack and you are already on lunch?

Booty got a bit indignant. It wasn’t like she was the only one who had wanted a honey dipped twister this morning.

Booty: Yes! Doing big majic makes me hongry. Not hungry! But hongry! I’ve had to zip back and forth to fairland twice in two days.

Booty: That takes a lot of energy. At least for me it does.

Shawntiqua rolled her eyes. This time at herself: Awww, Booty! My bad. I keep forgetting you’re still relatively new to being a fairy.

Shawntiqua: The longer you’re at it the less energy you expend. We all overdo it when we start out. Soon you’ll be a pro.

Shawntiqua: Then you won’t use nearly so much energy. Though last night we did use a lot of energy. You got a right to be hongry.

Booty smiled feeling vindicated as she and Shawntiqua started scanning the court. The seats were packed with bored folk. Not to mention, hot and annoyed folks, too. Booty honed in on the trouble while Shawntiqua honed in on the believers.

Booty whispered as she eyed a lightskinned dude on the court. He was tall, fierce and scarred inside and out: That’s the trouble right there.

Shawntiqua eyed him quietly. Booty was right: Girl, you got a flair for sniffing out trouble.

Booty grinned: Yeah. I had plenty of experience falling into it in my human life. Sniffing it out now ain’t a problem at all.

Shawntiqua kept scanning for that faint hope and belief in the crowd. It had to be someone connected to the lightskinned dude. That much she knew.

Shawntiqua scanned wondering: Now who are you? Where are you? And what is wrong?

Their eyes settled on the same people at the same time. Booty was just the first to point them out: The girl in the shade with the kids.

Shawntiqua nodded: I see them. They are connected to the brother who is definitely trouble.

            

Booty squinted as if she could see more. Shawntiqua waited and hoped that she could. It would mean her fairy majic was growing.

Booty: I don’t think he is trouble but I think his troubles are the cause of some of their troubles.

Shawntiqua smiled satisfied as she confirmed in her own majic what Booty said was true.

And so ends another #RatchetStoryHour. I hope you enjoyed it.

09/20/13
A fabulous evening tweeples!  Woo hoo! I'm punctual tonight! I can't get wait to get started and see where my story goes from here. So far I've written 10k words on this story and all on Twitter! lol Who knew you could write so much in 140 characters. I’m back for #RatchetStoryHour #BlackTwitter #FridayReads. Back to check out my ratchet fairies.

As always let me hit you all with my disclaimer.  Disclaimer: Story hour is written by me on the fly and by the seat of my pants/skirt/dress/or whatever I’m wearing at the time. So though I do give it a peruse before I tweet I don’t go into deep editing nor do I have an editor sitting by my side. Just ain’t timely.  So I do ask that you forgive any spelling or grammatical errors. This is what I do to warm up my muse so that I can get cracking on my other stories. I was reminded about how annoying some folks find spelling and grammatical errors and I just wanted to say sorry in the beginning.

So last we left the Shawntiqua Boss of the Monied Fairies and her friend Big Booty Monied Fairy they had just saved young Darwin from a life of crime and grime with his big brother Big Luther. Darwin has been packed off to live with an aunt.

They also saw the good fortune of their favorite hair stylist Alizayshia. Let’s tune in to see what the duo are up to now.

Booty: So now where are we off to?

Shawntiqua: Let’s just take a walk around the block. It’s a nice morning to be out.

Booty:  Oh!  I know! Can we go over to Lexington Market?  I got a taste for a honey glazed twister this morning.

Shawntiqua: Booty, didn’t you already have breakfast? *pauses in thought* Then again a twister would be a nice sugar rush.

Booty nods enthusiastically: You know it boss!

Shawntiqua shaking her head at them both: I am supposed to be providing you with a good example and you are corrupting me!

Booty as they turn a corner: Awww boss!  Sugar never her a fairy. Not since the Sugar Fairy glammed us all so we eat as much of the stuff as we wanted.  Sugar gives us energy and with all the work we do on a daily for the good majic we need it!

Shawntiqua: Don’t I know it. Another reason I can’t go back to being human!  I’d have to cut back on all the sweets. *eyes* Booty's booty.

Shawntiqua: And you’d definitely have to skip out on the sweets.

Booty: Yeah boss.  May it never be!

With the turning of another corner and twinkle they were way over on the other side of town just up the street from Lexington Market. The quickly get their sugary donut treats and have a seat to people watch and look for other believers in majic.  Shawntiqua sees a woman in the corner and suddenly feels drawn to her.  She’s about 40, plump, and mean looking. But that’s just the way she looks.  Something about her feels kindly and like a believer. Booty looks up to see her boss staring through her.

Booty: What’s up, boss?

Shawntiqua: I don’t know. Something about that woman over there. She’s a believer. She don’t need our help but I feel great things about her.

Booty takes to squinting at the woman trying to refine her fairy future sense.

Shawntiqua shakes her head chuckling: Booty, you are going to give yourself a headache.

Booty: Maybe, boss, but how else am I going to get it working? I know a fledgling fairy who can already predict the stock market for next year.

Shawntiqua: Well go ahead then but I’m telling you that you can’t force it.  It comes to all of us eventually just at different times.

Booty’s head does start to hurt a bit but she can see a glimpse of something and it makes her happy: Oh boss!  She believes in majic or magic as she’s been taught. *Booty makes a face*

Shawntiqua laughs quietly: Now, Booty, it don’t matter what they call it. It’s still the same thing and all it needs is belief.

Booty’s face goes serious: I guess you’re right, boss.  So what are we gonna do for her?

Shawntiqua: Well what did you see?

Booty: I only saw a glimpse of something really big and grand and fantastic. But she needs a boost. How are we gonna help?

Shawntiqua: First we are gonna have to find out what kind of boost she needs.

Booty: Don’t you already know?

Shawntiqua: I know what she needs. Now we need to figure out how to get it to her.

Booty: What does she need?

Shawntiqua: Cash and a lot of it.

Booty’s eyes get round:  How much is a lot?

Shawntiqua: Don’t worry. Just leave it to me. She’s got the talent, the know how, the belief, and she’s got a good spirit.

Booty: So what do we do?

They both watch as the woman gets up and drops her trash in the can and heads out into the world.

Shawntiqua grabs hers and Booty’s half finished goodies and tosses them into the trash too.

Booty:  Awwww boss!

Shawntiqua: Oh you’ve had plenty and I happen to know that a couple homeless people will be glad for those treats later.

Booty and Shawntiqua hurry after the woman to the check cashing/bill paying/lottery ticket spot.

They get in line behind her at the bill paying window and watch her take out a bunch of bills. Car payment, power bill, cell bill, etc.

A lottery ticket falls out of purse unnoticed. The two fairies share a grin. Shawntiqua picks it up and looks at the numbers. She feels love coming from them.  These numbers were connected to someone she loved who was no longer with her. She shows the numbers to Booty.  Booty nods and turns to leave. She’s on her way to see the Head Fairy In Charge Of All Gambling money. Now they need that big win and they know just who to give it to. Shawntiqua would have liked to have gone herself but she couldn’t stand to give her friend Tonie the bad news. She was a bit sad herself. She shook it off. 

She had other things to do: Ma’am, you seemed to have dropped this.

The woman turned and smiled at Shawntiqua: Oh! Thank you! How nice of you. Though if I don’t win tonight-

Shawntiqua cut her off: How can you not win when it was returned to you. Must mean something good is gonna happen to you.

The woman laughed: I’m a keep hope alive and if I win, I’ll track you down for a reward. How about that?

Shawntiqua laughed: Girl, the way I do money you’d do better to give it some charity or something.

Just then the teller yelled: NEXT IN LINE! The woman moved over to the teller and Shawntiqua melted away.

And so ends another #RatchetStoryHour. I hope you enjoyed it. Now, I want some sugary sweets to eat. Lol