Tag: #100wordstories

Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

Destiny

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#FridayFictioneers – October 17, 2024

Photo Prompt @ Lori Wilson

It had been a wonderful trip. She had finally arrived in her favorite city. The last stop. She was looking forward to seeing a special person. They were to meet in a bar there.

She left dinner early and started to walk toward the bar where they had always met. That was so long ago.

She stepped to the door. When she saw him, her nervousness drained away and she started to smile. It had been 20 years. So much had happened. He turned and saw her while raising his martini glass to his lips. He stopped halfway.

Thanks to Rochelle for continuing to host #FridayFictioneers.

Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

Danger!

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#fridayfictioneers – September 20, 2024

Photo Prompt @ Lisa Fox

She and her mother found it when they were cleaning out the attic. Several boxes of what some call uranium glass. Antique glass with a glow in the dark glaze on it from decades ago.

She looked in her books about antique glassware and discovered that it is a much sought-after collectible.

As they got it ready for sale, they noticed the glow in the dark coating was flaking off. Antique collectors bought it anyway.

Later, she found out that the flaking was radioactive. What about the people who bought their glass?

Thanks to Rochelle for continuing to host #FridayFictioneers!

Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

Take Me Home Tonight

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#fridayfictioneers – September 6, 2024

Photo Prompt @Dale Rogerson

The old tavern didn’t look like much. It was a popular gathering place for music and meeting people back in 1986.

The young man, barely of age, stumbled in the door. He was blind with despair.

He spotted a girl dancing alone on the dance floor. He watched her as he drank a beer. This place and that girl made him feel less lonely.

He joined her on the dance floor.

He whispered, “Take me home tonight. I don’t want to let you go until we see the light.”

She just smiled.

Thanks to Rochelle for continuing to host #fridayfictioneers!

*Based on the song, “Take Me Home Tonight,” by Eddie Money, 1986.

Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

Bullied

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
Photo Prompt @ Mr. Binks

The girl was 11 years old. She was becoming an accomplished piano player.

She was terrified of playing in an upcoming recital. The girl was bullied at school. They called her “chicken” and teased her.

It was the day of the recital. She wanted to pull out of it, but she remembered all the cries of “chicken.” When her turn came, she gathered all her courage and played a Bach piece, the Prelude in C Minor.

When she finished, there was silence in the audience. Then wild cheering. She never heard the cries of “chicken” again.

Thank you to Rochelle for continuing to host #fridayfictioneers!

Posted in Challenges, Flash Fiction

Banned

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#fridayfictioneers June 28, 2024

Photo @ Dale Rogerson

I think they were called mobile libraries.

That was decades ago. I can’t imagine why one has popped up in our neighborhood. Who reads anymore?

People say they are visual learners now. Pictures, videos, multimedia. I wonder if many books are even published anymore. I haven’t seen one until that mobile library in many years.

I know many books, back in the day, were banned and burned. They say it was for our own protection. I do remember they were protecting us from the Others who don’t think like we do.

Wait. Is that what we want?

Thanks to Rochelle who hosts #fridayfictioneers.

Posted in Challenges, Flash Fiction

Vanished – #fridayfictioneers – June 21, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
Photo @ Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

It descended upon her while she was walking through the woods. A giant web of some sort, but it didn’t seem to be finished. She heard something weaving.

She was frightened. It felt like it was grabbing at her and she tried to swipe it away.

She was coming to what seemed to be the end of it. The web had gotten smaller. The sound of weaving had gotten louder.

She fought it and tried to pull it off her. It seemed to tighten and then wrapped around her.

She started screaming as the world went dark.

Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting Friday Fictioneers.

Posted in #FridayFictioneers, Challenges, Flash Fiction

The Old Man – #FridayFictioneers – March 22, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Photo Prompt by Roger Bultot

The teenagers in the small town were fascinated by the old, abandoned building.  

They decided to check it out and crawled in through a broken window. It was dark and dank inside. They happened upon a man asleep on a cot in the corridor. He woke up with a start.

He started talking to them. When he was finished, he said, “Don’t be like me. Get an excellent education. Have a beautiful family. Live a good life.”

The next night, the teenagers went back to see the old man. There was no trace of him. Even his cot was gone.

Thanks to Rochelle for #FridayFictioneers!

Posted in #FridayFictioneers

The Migration

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
PHOTO PROMPT @ Bill Reynolds

He hated to be the first one to leave, the first generation not to work the family farm. He had no choice because farmers had to have another job to survive. There were no other jobs where he lived in West Virginia.

The last time the greenhouse had been active was when his grandfather worked it. HIs father died young and didn’t have the chance. Now, to survive, he had to go to the city. No remote work either.

He took a last look at the old greenhouse. For an instant, he saw it thriving, but then it was gone.

For Friday Fictioneers. Thanks, Rochelle!

Posted in #FridayFictioneers, Flash Fiction

The Spinning Woman

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Spinning wheel in Appalachia
PHOTO PROMPT @ ROCHELLE WISOFF-FIELDS

Mary sat at the old spinning wheel that was passed down to her from her grandmother. Spinning wheels were formerly used to make thread that was then used to make clothes. Mary lived deep in the hills of Appalachia and she was preparing to start making the family’s clothes again.

The children couldn’t find jobs. The new autocratic government cut off unemployment benefits and all financial assistance. Her grandmother had taught her the basics of life, just for fun then. Now, she was glad she knew as her fingers flew on the spinning wheel, making magic.

For Friday Fictioneers. Thanks, Rochelle!

Posted in #FridayFictioneers, Flash Fiction

The Flower Girl

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
PHOTO PROMPT @ Jan Wayne Fields

The old man and the little girl parked at the farmer’s market. The old man sold flowers, although in the desert, they were hard to come by. His granddaughter helped him pick and arrange them. He often wondered where she found them. All his customers said that she could make a bedraggled bunch of flowers beautiful.

As they were driving home, he asked the little girl where she found the flowers. She pointed out the spot. It was sand. She jumped out and as she walked, the flowers popped up with every step she took.

For Friday Fictioneers