Friday Fictioneers 5-8-2024

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Lisa Fox

“Look at all the green,” Tammy said, walking with her head back, mouth agape.

“It’s all an invasive species.”

“But it’s green and alive. Who cares about invasive or not.”

“I do.”

“Of course, you do. I’m just glad it’s alive.”

“You have no sense,” he scoffed, but his wrapped an arm around her.

“But you love me anyway. Even if I don’t care about invasion.”

“I do,” he agreed, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. “And it’s amazing I do.”

She laughed. “Oh you, always so proper, but I love you anyway.”

They walked on, hand in hand.

Friday Fictioneers 5-1-2024

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Ted Strutz

“Oh, no! Mr Bill!”

Sally picked up the stuffed doll and wiggled him around.

“Now that’s going back a ways,” Stephen said.

“A long ways.” Susan agreed.

Sally put the doll back and turned away. “We need to head out for the funeral.”

“It’s an hour yet.”

“We need to be there early.”

This time no one disagreed with her. Sally was always the practical one. They got in the car, Stephen driving. The rain had slackened off so they could have the grave-side service, dismal as it was.

“Look!” Susan cried, pointing ahead “A rainbow.”

Friday Fictioneers 4-10-2024

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Susan Rouchard

All the books hadn’t helped. He still hadn’t found his heart’s desire.

“It’s not in books,” she told him patiently. “Or in magazines.”

“It has to be somewhere,” he insisted, laying yet another abandoned book down on the desk.

“It’s in your heart,” she said for about the fiftieth time. “Just open your heart and it will come.”

But he couldn’t touch it and he couldn’t see it so he didn’t believe it was there. And he couldn’t see her or touch her so he didn’t believe she was there either.

In the end, she left him with his books and his search, never to see him again.

Friday Fictioneers 4-3-2024

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

“Don’t the lights look beautiful?”

“There is a certain something to the scene.”

“It’s called beauty,” she told him.

“Maybe that.”

She snuggled against him as the yacht rocked softly on the water.

“Why do I need beautiful lights when I have beauty here beside me?”

“You smooth talker.”

“But truthful.”

“I bet you say that to all the women.”

“About lights? Only you.”

“Then I have handsome beside me.”

“Well, aren’t we the pair!” He kissed her.

She returned the kiss but held him off. “What if the Captain looks out the window?”

“Who cares?”

“I care.”

He rose and lifted her up. “I can take care of that.”

Friday Fictioneers 3-28-2024

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Sagaways Dance Center has been open for ten years, but the next time students arrived, the door was blocked and locked. Nobody was inside, they could tell that by the trash piled up by the door.

“What’s wrong?” asked Susan.

“Where is Ms Egggers?”

“Why is the door blocked?”

Nobody knew the answers.

“Just go home. I’m sure we will hear,” said Jim and the students went home and told their parents. Their parents had the same questions.

I’m sure we will hear they all said to each other and to themselves.

But they never did.

Friday Fictioneers 3-20-2024

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

“The arch entrance is the entrance into the Slipstream,” the Doctor said authoritatively. “All possibilities lead from there.”

No one raised their hand.

The image was wavey behind the chain-link protective screen, shimmering in the fading light.

“Peabody! You can go first.”

The skinny Peabody skirted his way to the front of the viewing chamber and slipped on the gloves and goggles before sliding behind the curtain and walking towards the building. He climbed up the stairs leading to the balcony and hesitated before opening the door and disappearing inside with a flash and a bang.

“Good job,” the Doctor said, motioning the next student forward.

Friday Fictioneers 2-29-2024

PHOTO PROMPT © Rowena Curtin

Laurel stepped out the back door, pulling on her gloves. Today was the day she was going to plant the flowers on Shasta’s grave. The cheerful pinks and purples and whites would shine on the puppy’s resting place and these he couldn’t eat.

Picking up the flower packs, she moved to the corner of the yard and knelt. Shasta had been such a good dog only his life was far too short.

Digging up the soil, she planted the flowers on the grave amid tears and then watered them with her watering can. The flowers would be grown by the time the children came home to visit.

Friday Fictioneers 2-29-2024

PHOTO PROMPT © Fleur Lind

It’s the little things, he thought, that made the difference in the end: the rubber duckie, the resin koala, the woman gathering flowers. Funny how the big things didn’t matter. He packed them away one by one, each little thing, knowing he would keep them forever.

The funeral was on a Thursday. Light rain. Warm skies, just the kind of day she’d loved.

After the funeral, he went home and put the box away in the attic. Thirty years later, he’d find the box and sort through it, remembering the moment as if it had just been yesterday.

Friday Fictioneers 2-21-2024

PHOTO PROMPT ©Alicia Jamtaas

“Think about bouncing across the prairie in that,” Dad said, stopping in front of the covered wagon.

“I’m hungry,” Julie said.

“Do they have any cars here?” Christian wanted to know.

“No cars. Just oxen or horse-drawn wagons.”

“Boring!”

“It’s not boring, Chris. This is the way people settled the country.”

“I’m hungry!”

“Think of how hungry they must have been, riding all day.”

“Mom!”

“We’ll get some dinner after this,” Mom promised.

“They didn’t get to eat at any time they wanted,” Dad persisted. “This is the history of our country.”

“Come on, John, it’s time to eat.”

Friday Fictioneers 1-26-2024

PHOTO PROMPT ©Peter Abbey

Johnny wanted to go out on the boardwalk and see what was going on. Leeanne didn’t as the wind would mess her hair.

Johnny went anyway, stopping to talk to all the fishermen.

“Catch anything,” he asked each one.

“Yes,” they all said, showing off their drums, bluefish or baby sharks.

He looked at the fish and watched them fish and then went back to the hotel room.

“You’re right,” he said. “The wind would have messed up your hair.”

“I told you so.”

Johnny never went back out on the boardwalk.