FF – The Music of Life
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Rochelle as well!
I popped a little musical glossary at the end in case you know as little about music as me đ

Copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Bran dropped the duster and stared at the instruments, seeing his life written in music. The ebb and flow of the melody, at times allegro, others adagio. His early years, the rise and swell of a rousing march. The loss of his parents, a slow, melancholy dirge in a minor key.
His adoption by the Maestro? What music represented such misery?
âBran! Stop dreaming! Clean! Clean, you worthless idiot!â
The belt cracked across his back. He choked back the tears and eyed the tuba, gauging its weight. Truly a blunt instrument.
The music was about to get messily, violently fortissimo.
allegro: played very quickly
adagio: a slow passage
fortissimo: played very loud
FF – Wife Unfazed
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Fatima Fakier Deria.

Copyright Fatima Fakier Deria
âHey, get outta the way! Yes, you! Whereâs that hornâŚâ
Whaaaa wha wha whaaaa!
âWhat you lookinâ at? You wanna piece âa me? YOU WANNA PIECE âA ME? Thought not. Coming through! Oy, you with the vegetable boat. SHIFT IT! Full speed aheadâŚâ
Smash crunch sink sink sink
ââŚscrew you and your cabbagesâŚâ
Meanwhile, below-decksâŚ
âYes, Dorothy, on the canals⌠his stress levels? Not noticeably, no⌠it was supposed to be a de-stresser for top executives, yes⌠not working, noâŚâ
âAaaargh!â splash
ââŚthink heâs fallen in⌠go back for him? No, I donât think so⌠much more enjoyable now, yesâŚâ
FF – SpyBird
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Jean L. Hays.
I’m not all that taken with my story this week, it just seems to amble along, but never mind đ

Copyright Jean L. Hays
Inside the truck, Agent Smith describes his new invention to his superiorsâŚ
âThereâs SpyBird approaching the house, its cunningly situated head-mounted micro-camera transmitting everything it sees to our monitor. See how it sneaks covertly past the window.â
Inside the drug dealersâ houseâŚ
âHey, thereâs a bird flapping around outside the window with a great big camera strapped to its head. Kill it!â
And so Agent Smithâs SpyBird was consigned to the bin of espionage history alongside his equally ill-fated MurderPen, ExplosionSoap and ElectrocutionDoorbell. He later died of massive blood loss following an unfortunate incident during development of his ScissorBladeToiletSeat.
Pegman – The Forever Bunker
Here is a story I wrote for What Pegman Saw, which takes us to Palo Duro State Park in Texas.
I seem to drop in and out of Pegman when the muse takes me and when I have time. Hope that’s okay.

Copyright Erik Rathgaber for Google Maps
Jeff checked the environmental seals, as he did every day. The same routine, every day of his life.
Ding dong!
The doorbell! This had never happened before! He ran to the hatch, donned his environmental suit and triggered the release. Outside stood a man⌠in normal clothes!
âHow⌠howâŚ?â
âIs this bunker 27? What are you all still doing down there? The Earth has been habitable for over 100 years!â
âBut⌠Iâve looked out, every day. Thereâs nothing⌠devastation for miles, only scrubâŚâ
âItâs the desert. Itâs supposed to look like that.â
âThe desert? Why was I not informed?â
âItâs all in the literature.â
âWell, maybe, but who has the time to read all that?â
âTime? Time? Youâve had nothing but time.â
âHmm. 100 years, you say? I donât suppose the othersâll be all that happy. Best not tell them. Good day to you.â
Slam.
100 years laterâŚ
Ding dong!
FF – DocuDrone 4000
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Roger Bultot.

Copyright Roger Bultot
âGood, yes, good shot, zoomâŚâ
âThis drone is great. Thisâll be one hell of a documentary.â
âYep! Lower⌠careful, CAREFUL! Okay, that was his carotid artery. What a mess.â
âItâs really hard to control.â
âWatch out⌠urgh. I hope she wasnât right-handed.â
âWhy are the rotor blades so sharp?â
âDunno. We got it cheap from military surplus.â
âZooming in for a headshot. Wonder what this button does?â
 Rat-a-tat-a-tat splatter.
âOh, hell. Headshot is right.”
“Whatâs the name of this documentary, anyway?â
âOriginally, Faces of Art. Now… Murder at the Museum? Bohemian Bloodbath? Thirty to Life, No Parole? Take your pick.â









