Five Disparate Prompts - The Challenge of Today

Yesterday's B2MeM prompt was easy for me to write to. But today's!!! Not so easy. Mixing 'herding sheep' with 'cannibalism', 'ink', 'curiosity' and 'coward' is straining my brain. Today's post will be a late one. I stewed over this all night and think I might have a kernel of an idea, but I'm not quite at the point of jumping into that pond yet. It might be one of my most difficult days ever. I love a challenge - LOL. 

Herding sheep. Hmmm. I've seen the dogs herd sheep in
many demos over the years and they're marvelous at it,
and if it was just herding sheep, I wouldn't have a problem
with the prompts. Today is challenging. 

It's the start of two days off and the final day I'll swim for up to eight weeks! The no chlorine water might drive me crazy - I'm not a great fan of the machines at the gym, but I won't have a choice. Tomorrow I get my eyebrow tattoos and four weeks later, after everything is healed completely, I'll be back getting any touch-ups needed for the eyebrows as well as a wonderfully thin permanent eyeliner tattooed. My instructions are clear - nothing causing sweat or water on my eyebrows for three days (thus no gym at all on Friday or Saturday), followed by no swimming until everything is totally healed. 

Cannibalism isn't unique. Here, in a rare photograph, one
hippo is eating the remains of another. 

I need to have DH take a photo of the tattoo I have in the back of my neck. I don't think it's aged well, and might want to look at getting a cover-up sometime in the next year or two. I love ink, but it has to look good, and I've lost a lot of weight since I first had it done. That can affect how a tattoo looks over time. 

Ink is another of today's prompts for me. How about
something like this tower of sheep tattoo? It might
work into the story ... or not. 

Do any of you, my readers, have tattoos? Have you wanted some but never indulged? I'm not sure if my parents would have been supportive or horrified. They had been dead for many years, though, when I got my first tattoos. DH isn't fond of ink, but he tolerated my getting them done, and actually does like my dragon tattoo. 

I guess I can't be a coward because I have to
make today's prompts work. Good thing I have
other things to help occupy my mind. I won't
spend too much time thinking about the prompts,
I'll just dive in and start writing when I get home
from my morning errands. 

So, I return once more to thinking about how to combine five totally disparate elements into a single story. Argh! Today won't be easy. Maybe clarity will come in the pool ... or maybe not. In any case, have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with easier elements to meld for Thursday's story. Enjoy the day!