Linda G Hill’s prompt is as follows: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “animal sounds.” Write about the sounds animals make and how you experience them. Have fun!
I have, of course, fitted it in with my latest WIP:
“They all watch silently as the soldiers systematically set about their destruction of their lives. The farmhouse, barns and kraal burn to the ground. The crops are burned and trampled by the soldiers’ horses, and the cattle, including those belonging to the African farm workers, are shot dead where they stand in the veld. Even Ansi, the gentle milk cow is ruthlessly killed by the soldiers. Not all the Khakis are good marksmen and Estelle’s gorge rises at the screams of pain from badly placed bullets. I didn’t know injured animals scream like human babies. Papa has never missed.
The metallic stench of blood mixes with the oily scent of induced burning, as the thick black smoke blots out the sky and everything succumbs to the flames. The watchers cough and splutter, as the smoke and ash blow in their direction, and the roar of the flames fills the hot air.
Their eyes smart and run with tears from a mixture of emotion and smoke. Suné, who had been standing quietly, eyes wide and tear filled, suddenly opens her mouth and vomits. Marta turns angry and astonished eyes on her youngest daughter but makes no move to assist her. Estelle pulls her handkerchief from her skirt pocket and helps her wipe her mouth.
The guns crash repeatedly and eventually the screams and bellows of the injured cattle stops. The vultures had started to gather, circling and making raspy drawn-out hissing sounds as they prepared to fight over the carcasses. The winners would gorge themselves, making disgusting grunting noises reminiscent of hungry pigs or barking dogs.
A short while later a wagon arrives to transport them.”
You can join in here: https://lindaghill.com/2020/02/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-22-2020/
roberta-writes.com 
That was really visceral, good read!
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Thank you, Priscilla. I am trying to include smell now after reading the recent Story Empire post about senses.
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Yes, “visceral” is exactly the right word. Very powerful writing.
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Thank you, Liz
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Gosh Robbie, that was horrific you made it so real I was there in the thick of it, very well done 💜
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Thank you, Willow. I have learned from you with your Hope and Lisa saga.
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Really Robbie, oh! That’s brilliant that’s what we are here for to help eachother 😁💜
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Exactly, Willow. We are really fortunate to have this amazing community.
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We certainly are 💜
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OMG Robbie. What a well-written scene.
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Thank you, John. I appreciate your comment.
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Your WIP is mighty interesting! You got me hooked. I would not normally read such horrific stuff. But omg… you write so well
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Thank you, Bella. This is a historical novel so the facts are all true although the recreation of the events is mine.
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Wow… yeah it felt very real
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Your WIP is going to be intense Robbie…looking forward to it!
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Thank you, John. I am trying to include everything I have learned through my previous books in each new one. It seems to be resulting in a longer work. That seems to be a trend with writers though.
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Those poor animals! Intense, Robbie!
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Thank you, Jacquie. It was to dreadful.
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Brava!
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Thank you, Liz. A bit yucky, but there you go.
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Oh my. That made me feel like I was right there in the thick of things. Amazing, but rather gory for me.
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Hi Carla, sadly war is gory and, in this case, it extended to the livestock to subdue the people.
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I totally get it, war is terribly gory. When I read your piece, it literally made me shiver.
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I felt like I could hear this!
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Thank you, Denise. It is a bit harrowing.
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Almost all senses are experienced in this short WIP, but I guess nobody wants to taste the blood. Great writing, Robbie!
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Thank you, Miriam. Oh no, I really couldn’t imagine that.
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You’re welcome, Robbie. It’s a good rules of thumb to include the senses in the writing but not all the senses fit in the same place.
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Yes, and you also don’t want to run on to much and bore the reader. 21st century readers are different form 20th century readers.
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When I watch footage of such scenes… historical footage – it can be from anywhere – I can only be appalled that people chose to destroy rather than find peaceful ways to live together.
Thanks for highlighting the words – I looked them up. I’m guessing that Khakis were the soldiers. All I came up with when I looked up that word was the clothing that word has come to represent.
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Sorry, Jules, Khakis was the name for the British soldiers during the Anglo Boer war. Man is a very war like creature and driven by greed.
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Wow, very powerful writing Robbie.
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