Last Day For The Retreat Guide
100 words for Friday Fictioneers
Photoprompt © J S Brand
We’ve almost finished our tour and there’s gallons more thistleberry cordial. Please do have another.
So this is the Mindlessness Garden, where our installation’s single dense eye signifies waste in plain sight. Chef chose to add it because guests can be very careless with their garnishes. FYI, Chef never knowingly poisoned anybody.
Ah, you noticed the accessories. Our Head Housekeeper added those. She says dirty guests who leave debris and worse in and under the beds get tidier once she produces that funny little axe of hers. FYI, she was cleared of all charges.
Enjoy your lunch. Sleep well tonight.
Sugar on the Bee 
Loved the “mindlessness garden”. That’s so Jilly
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Thank you, Neil.
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I suspect this is a pretty accurate insight into what goes on in the heads on many people working in the hospitality industry. The crack at mindfulness was a tasty cherry on the wholemeal muffin.
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Great comments, thank you – tasty cherry I like that!
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I also agree that this piece is in sync with what might be felt by some hospitality workers – well said JS
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Thank you for your comments!
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My pleasure
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Dear Jilly,
No doubt these guests will be mindful of cleaning up after themselves. I enjoyed the tour. Fun piece.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you, Rochelle. Glad you enjoyed your tour 🙂
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Yeah, but no!
I don’t think there’s enough thistleberry cordial in the world to entice me here.
Fun stuff, Jilly.
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Thank you! It was fun researching poisonous berries but in the end I went for a made-up one. Shame you’re not up for trying that Mindlessness Garden though.
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Garden? Yes, but I’m bringing my own cordial
Click to read my FriFic tale!
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How very wise of you! Thank you for commenting, Keith 🙂
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Perhaps one should chose their retreats by how many survive… I guess, on the other hand, one shouldn’t host retreats if one doesn’t want want mindless guests….
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That seems to be as a good a way of choosing as anything else. Thankyou, Trent.
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Not sure I would want to stay there, but then can you blame them? I’m sure there are many guests just like those.
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I don’t know who I’d be more worried by, the chef or the housekeeper. Probably both. Thank you, Iain.
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Ha ha – nice one, Jilly. Loved the ‘mindlessness’ remark!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you very much, Susan 🙂
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Nice social piece, a little creepy but well done -a nd my favorite parts were the “FYIs” because it connected to the reader (or at least me) and had a playful feel each time “FYI” came up
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Thank you, particularly for commenting on the playful feel which is what I intended it to have 🙂
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✌️😊
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I think that I will be careful given the ax…
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Most certainly. And check the reviews before you book anywhere else … Thank you, Bjorn, for your fun response.
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no, thank you. it feels like a version of jim jones’ jonestown catering to the elite. 🙂
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Oh, you’re right. It does sound like that. “Catering to the elite”. Love that.
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I assume by the title that the guide will get the axe soon, too. Thistleberry juice sounds good for you but mildly uncomfortable.
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Yes, I don’t think the guide will be in post much longer after conducting that particular tour. The thistleberry juice came after a lot of head-scratching over poisonous berries. In the end I just made one up. Thank you very much for your comments 🙂
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Crucial fact–makes the guide’s actions much more culpable…
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Hilarious, and I love the mindlessness idea. Sometimes I would love to be mindless 🙂
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Wow, thank you, really pleased you enjoyed it. And I would happily relax in the Mindlessness Garden when it all gets a bit too much out there 🙂
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I think actually I’ll check out early… 🙂
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Sorry to see you go, sir, we’re just about to serve dinner 😉
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Welcome to the retreat where you can check in anytime but you can never leave. Nicely done.
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Thank you, Jo. I suppose you can leave but not quite in the condition you arrived in!
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Incisively effective humour! 🙂
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Thank you very much, Sandra.
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Oh my, I think I’ll pass on the Mindlessness Garden with a chef who never “knowingly” poinsoned anyone and a housekeeper who was cleared of all the charges. A humorus tale!
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Thank you, Brenda, much appreciated, Jilly.
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You took the prompt to a delightful place! Crazy chefs vengeful maids. And a mindless garden. Heck, I feel like that’s where I spend most of my time! Thanks for the smile.
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Great comments, made me laugh, thank you, Alicia!
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A tour of the Adam’s Family Garden – will the guests leave a tip? A fun read.
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Thank you very much, James.
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The mindlessness garden is absolutely brilliant, how fantastic, great stuff Jilly
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Thank you very much, I am delighted by your comments!
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I think we all need a little mindlessness garden… as long as it’s not occupied by those who can cause us grief…
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I totally agree, Dale 🙂
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I love the voice here. and I’m a little concerned that there’s something wrong with me because I’d quite like to visit your mindlessness garden!
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Nothing wrong with you at all, it would be very relaxing. I think … 😉 Thank you for your comments. Made me laugh.
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So witty, and entertaining. Love the tone and your inventiveness- especially the housekeeper’s ‘funny little axe’ ! Enough to put you off retreats for life.
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Thank you so much! Glad you liked the axe description. I agree, enough to put you off forever.
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Loved the tour idea and the humour. Nicely done 🙂
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Thank you very much, JWD!
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Wonderful dark humour. Liked it.
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Thank you lots, Lisa, much appreciated 🙂
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Haha…very dark.
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Thank you so much, Dawn 🙂
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I think the housekeeping crew must be a very small one, since guests are unusually tidy. Dark and funny.
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Yes! And the crew’s getting smaller by the day 🙂 Thank you for commenting, Fatima 🙂
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Amusingly dark little piece. Sounds like the guests won’t be causing too many problems
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Thank you, Michael 🙂
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Bahahaha love it!! Mindlessness… omg love it
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Thank you, Laurie, really kind and your laugh made me laugh. Best wishes, Jilly 🙂
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