Whatever Happened to Hyacinth Hippo?

Nancy's hippo

PHOTO PROMPT © Nancy Richy

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

Hyacinth Hippo had her rise and fall in 1940. Everyone knew the lead dancer in Disney’s animated film “Fantasia.” She had a few cameos like in “Roger Rabbit,” but there wasn’t much of an audience for a big girl in a tutu.

“So bleeping Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut. This is what it’s come down to, eh?” Private Detective to the Weird, Donny (Sweet and) Sauer whistled at her mournfully.

“Shut up, Donny.” Numerous casual library patrons screamed and ran when the “statue” came to life. “Disney stopped being fun years ago. This was the only gig I could get.”

It’s Wednesday and time once again to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 5 July 2024 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image at the top as a prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.

This one was too easy to find. After a quick Google search I discovered this Stamford Advocate news article from last year. I latched onto the story of Disney’s Hyacinth Hippo, added a modified detective from my WIP, and away I went.

It was also my opportunity to take a swipe at Disney in general for pretty much messing up everything they’ve done lately, especially with the Star Wars franchise.

To read other stories based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.

There’s still time to read my flash fiction horror tale “Olivia Comes Home” featured for FREE in the 11th issue of the SciFanSat e-zine.

In my Kindle Vella serial Our Legacy, The Stars: A Tom Corbett Adventure, Chapter 12 The Daedalus Link, Astro, Captain Steve Strong, and scientist Joan Dale are trapped on a frozen world. Strong and Dale have disappeared, and in his powerless “Space Mobile,” Astro is close to freezing to death. Can Tom an Roger on board the Polaris save Astro in time and solve the mystery of Strong’s and Dale’s disappearance?

I don’t know why Chapter 13 hasn’t dropped yet. I’ll have to check with the publishers.

I see that to keep reading, you need to buy “tokens” from Amazon, but they’re 99 cents for a hundred, so that’s not too bad. Remember, this is a 16-chapter story, so there are only a few left. Don’t miss the climax of Tom Corbett’s adventure in space and find out who the real villains are who promise to menace Earth.

30 thoughts on “Whatever Happened to Hyacinth Hippo?”

  4. Great read, James! I don’t live in Stamford but I’m there frequently. Every summer the city has some wonderful statues on display; my favorite (and my grandsons’ as well) was the dinosaur exhibit. One never knows what’s waiting around the corner during summer in Stamford! This photo was taken while I was stopped for a red light in front of the library; I had just enough time for one shot.

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