Tag Archives: short short

Ooops. a Little Late

Never a thought for anyone but himself.

I drove home, that self-righteous voice narrating my way.

He would mutter his “’Morning” and paid no attention to me after that.

And then yesterday he snapped when I dared walk into his office!

Seems to think he can do everything by himself? Fine. Let him cross the Styx by himself.

Imagine my surprise when I got home and found the single rose and the note apologizing for his behavior as he finished his super important project at work, the note that promised a special second honeymoon where ever I wanted to go.

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Dale Rogerson. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

A Cold, Spring Morning

40 Replies

What a rough night. It’s Spring, but still frigid, and last night’s rot-gut barely cut the edge before it was gone. I was shivering so much that I even spilled some of the precious fluid.

Well, I have been shivering even when it is warm for a while, and sweating even when it’s freezing. Stupid world.

Damn, though, it’s cold. I can’t move, seem frozen to the spot.

I don’t remember coming to this garden, but all I see are flowers and people in heavy coats.

Here comes someone with a blanket. Why did they put it over my face?

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Na’ama Yehuda. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

Mission Impossible (Wait, Wrong Show)

37 Replies

Brother Ray oozed from the ancient ex-police cruiser’s updated speakers. The 440 Magnum purred counter melody, ready to scream forth if called on.

We were on a mission from God.

OK, maybe not, but trying to follow Jake and Ellwood, we needed some divine help.

“Are you sure this is where they filmed it?”

“Yeah. See the ‘L’?”

“No way could a car go 110 through there.”

Dan popped out the cassette and put in the Peter Gunn Theme song.

“It’s night, we’re wearing sunglasses, hit it.”

A member of Chicago’s finest put an end to it before it started.

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Ted Strutz. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

Eldorado?

38 Replies

There was a rumor that one town survived the collapse and continued on as if nothing happened. After Mark was murdered for a 15-year-old can of green beans, I went in search of the modern-day Eldorado.

I kept my treasure close, a real-life paper map, printed a decade before the collapse.

There was a red “X” on one town.

I’d find it.

Three months, at the map’s “X”, I saw a glow on the horizon. That was it! I hadn’t seen such a glow since the collapse.

The next day I found the recently burned-out husk of my dream Eldorado.

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Carole Erdman-Grant. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

The World as a Kite #writephoto

12 Replies

People watch us as if we are full of whimsy, a temple to childhood and carefree days. Maybe, but after losing the first baseball game of the season and being charged a nickel to be ridiculed for my loss, I am now stuck here, wrapped by string around this evil kite-eating-tree! Ah, Peanuts, I wish I was old enough to use proper swear words!

***

This was written for the writephoto challenge that is run by KL Caley. She provided the photo at the top of the page and the key word, kites.

OK, I will write more, maybe much more about the story than the story length itself!! Of course a lot of the words came from the photo – The building looks like a temple and, to me, looks like what is called a “whimsy”. It appears to be early spring and there are kites in the air, though the people are surrounded by bare trees. And, as most of you know, the comic strip Peanuts follows Charlie Brown as he loses baseball game after baseball game, is harassed by many in his town, including Lucy, who charges 5 cents (a nickle) to “psychoanalyze” poor Charlie, which usually means she just has another way to make fun of him and charge him money at the same time. And then, to relax, he goes out and flies his kite, that almost always gets caught in the kite-eating-tree, as, on too many occasions, is Charlie. And some people think childhood is all fun and games! No, it is a dark dangerous business!

Michael’s Chair (2nd Try)

31 Replies

I had always loved the old set and hated to see it go, particularly the chair with Michael’s name carved in the back. But the ancient card table and four chairs took up too much space after the move.

By the side of the road with a “Free!” sign on them, the set sat there for less than a day.

Except for one chair.

For a month I put the chair out every day it wasn’t snowing, but no luck.

I finally gave up.

Michael, you may be gone, but, for better or worse, your chair is here to stay.

***

Yes, 2nd story – the first just bugged me too much. I wrote it trying to be silly, but coming back to it I read it as abusive. Not my intention at all! So I am takign it down and putting this in it’s place.

(Edit) – OK, I am putting the first back up as well… I’m sure people know I wouldn’t put something up that made humor of a disability and understand it was just being silly.

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Dale Rogerson. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

The Thaw of Pa (Again)

47 Replies

Yep, when that big drift melted, there was Pa, sitting in his chair, just as he was back in December. He was looking a might bit unhappy, as you’d expect. Solved the mystery of where his favorite chair was.

And where Pa was.

We thawed Pa by the fire. When he could move, he ate about every bite of food in the house, like a spring bear. Said he was some hungry.

Pa said he’s feeling himself again.

When the chair is free, we’ll move it to the creek and set Pa in it so he can fish all summer.

***

OK, not sure what this bit of silliness means. And I am not condoning any type of abuse! Nor of humor at the expense of a disabled person.

(Later edit, after removing this post) – OK, too complicated ;) I was not trying to be insensitive, but perhaps removing it was what was really insensitive. So I am putting it back.

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Dale Rogerson. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

The First Day or Last?

44 Replies

It might have been any other morning if not for the butterflies in my stomach. The room was as cheap as they come, but cleaner than most.

I did a few searches on the laptop as Gary organized the gear.

A knock on the door announced our breakfast had arrived. It’d wait for a few minuets as I did some last-minute arrangements.

Loose ends tied up, I looked at the two heaping plates of food sitting on the ancient, warped plastic tray.

I froze.

It was very possible that this would be our last good meal in weeks, possibly ever.

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ David Stewart. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

Lost

27 Replies

Just two blocks from the theater district and the world had changed.

The city had always frightened Kim. She would never think of straying beyond her comfort zone, but here she was.

Robert had dropped her for the matinée in front of the Wang, not the Colonial. She had never walked there, but was it really that hard?

“Ma’am, wait, hold on…”

Kim barged forward to escape the dark face calling to her.

She didn’t see it until too late.

Now when she visits the city, Kim makes sure she spends time in “her neighborhood” with the “world’s friendliest people”.

***

I drew a blank at first, but the photo reminded me of a section of Boston close to the theater district. It is an area that someone from a rich suburb who never visits the city might find scary, though it isn’t at all, and few spots int he city are scary during the day… So, a little story about the breaking of unfair biases…

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Roger Bultot. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

Ruins

33 Replies

A quick pause to glance in the Travel Agent’s window.

“Ruins, always ruins,” his wife’s voice echoed in his head. “What’s wrong with a beach or a living city where I can shop? No, we visit ruins.”

She always said it with a smile and a laugh so he never took it as seriously as he now knew he should have.

A shriek caused him to sprint and take cover.

The Travel Agent’s window was blown out and the building set on fire.

“I didn’t take her to the ruins,” he thinks, “this time the ruins came to visit us.”

***

word count = 100

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt is here and uses a photo by @ Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. If you want to join or see other stories, go to the inlinkz linkup.

Note – I love visiting ruins when I travel, but I hate the creation of new ruins! Shelling and bombing living cities is a grave crime against humanity…