FF – On the Thoughts of Trees
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Ted Strutz.
Work is mad but I spent the end of my lunch break hammering out a little story. Well, not really a story. It’s a bit weird as you can probably tell from the title. Hey ho.
Here goes 🙂
Copyright Ted Strutz
What am I doing out here? would be a sensible question for a chair in this situation to ask, if a chair could ask such a question.
I wonder where all the people have gone? might be a reasonable thought for a chair, if a chair could think reasonable thoughts.
Maybe it had been left here as a prank, back when there were pranks, and kids to play them?
These questions are best left to the trees, ancient and indomitable, thinking thoughts lasting decades. And after all those decades of a world without humans, they reach the same conclusion.
Peace at last.
Sharing My World 2017 Week 5
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World series.
What is the most incredible natural venue that you’ve ever seen in person?
Ooh, too much to choose from! I’ll just state “Cornwall” (I have’t been around many places).
How many siblings do you have? What’s your birth order?
I’m the older of two brothers.
If you were a shoe, what kind would you be and why?
I don’t want to be a shoe, to be trodden on all day. But if I had to be I’d be something comfortable. A pair of those fluffy slippers which look like bunny rabbits.
What is the strangest/weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
I’m not at all adventurous when it comes to food. In Cornwall we’re all about pasties and fish and chips. I do eat very spicy stuff, but not exotically spicy, just spicy sauces on normal food.
I did go out on a limb once and tried calamari. Didn’t like it.
FF – Release
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. The photo was contributed by Roger Bultot.
My story this week is a real downer. Yay!
Copyright Roger Bultot
Frank grimaced as his pain-racked body refused to cooperate. Why won’t they just let me go? he wondered. I’m an old man, crippled, in agony. Even the pill bottle he’d acquired had failed him, his fingers too gnarled, too weak.
The cold just made it worse.
Cold? They’ve left the window open…
He dragged himself slowly, painfully across the room and hauled himself onto the sill. One more metre…
The pain fell away, an incredible lightness overtook him. I can fly! He shot upwards, spiralling, joyful, pain-free!
Far below, someone screamed. A crowd gathered. Mobile phones recorded the scene.
Sharing My World 2017 Week 4
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.
Do you prefer juice or fruit?
Juice is a song by “Chance the Rapper”. I haven’t listened to it as I already know I won’t like it. On the other hand, I love Froot as I’m a huge Marina and the Diamonds fan.
Hang on, have I misunderstood the question? Ooooh noooo…
I prefer apple and orange as juice, but cherries and peaches as fruit.
Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it?
Until I was five I grew up in a dinky village called Carnon Downs, but I don’t really remember it. I did most of my growing up in the “big city” – Cornwall’s only city, the teaming metropolis of Truro, some 20,000 or so people! It doesn’t get any bigger than that.
It was just fine growing up there.
If you were to paint a picture of your childhood, what colours would you use?
Sunshiny yellows as most of my childhood memories are of us cycling around the place in the sunshine during school holidays, our snorkel jackets worn only by the hoods.
I’ll also throw in a splash of red as I also have strong memories of Christmases, and red is a Christmas colour. Because of Santa.
Ways to Relax List: Make a list of what relaxes you and helps you feel calm.
- Listening to the music
- Walking in the Nature
- Reading of the books
- Watching of the Netflix
FF – Back to Basics
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Al Forbes.
I’m really busy at the moment and thought of re-posting the story I wrote for this picture last year in the hopes that nobody would notice 🙂 but I decided to bung something together after all.
To read the other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright Al Forbes
“Ah, look at those. I remember motoring down the road, wind in my hair…”
“Darling, stop it! You had an Austin Morris! Vintage car, indeed.”
“Wow, Dad. Cars have changed so much! When I grow up I’m gonna invent a flying car!”
“Hundreds have promised the same, son…”
Trevor looked wistfully at his “Amazing Flying Car”, rusting in the field. No way to power it since the Fuel Wars of the mid-twenty-first century. No fuel, no electricity. No civilisation, some would say.
Shaking his head, he nudged Daisy and headed to market. “Giddy-up, girl!”
Life was so much simpler now.
Sharing My World 2017 Week3
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.
Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
My wardrobe doors are always closed overnight. It’s not so much a belief in the “closet monster” – though there is maybe a hint of that 🙂 – but more that if (okay, when) I go to the toilet in the middle of the night I’d rather not smack my face into it.
Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
No. I wouldn’t use them anyway. I have my own ones to make me smell clean and fresh and appealing to the ladies 🙂
What is your usual bedtime?
I go to bed around 10 on a school night, on a Friday, Saturday or when I have annual leave the next day I usually add about an hour to that.
Do you like to use post-it notes?
No. No matter where you stick them, they’ll always end up all over the floor. I make notes in a little notepad instead. At least I know that’ll stay put.
When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
If I can count “thank you” notes, then a couple of weeks ago when I wrote some to thank people for Christmas presents. If we’re talking an actual letter, then too long ago to remember. Not this millennium, anyway.
Any phobias?
I’m scared of certain things, like big hairy spiders, but no phobias as such. Nothing that makes me freeze in terror or anything like that.
How tall are you?
I’m not exactly sure, but I’ve always quoted my height as 5′ 8″ (172 cm).
FF – Induction
Here is my post for the 100 word fiction challenge Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. The photo this week was supplied by Dale Rogerson.
A quick warning – I used the “f” word near the end as I felt it gave more impact to the story and served to emphasise the mood switch. Nothing else I tried had quite the same bite and I feel this guy would have said it.
To read this week’s other stories, click on the blue froggy!
Copyright Dale Rogerson
Cowled figures shrouded in darkness, we await the acolyte. Candles in alcoves light the way to the sacred chamber. All is in readiness. Ceremonial knives are razor-sharp; the sacrifice bleats in terror, bowls ready to receive its blood.
Our origins lost in the mists of time, our members few yet powerful, today we welcome another into our fold.
Movement! He approaches!
“Excuse me, I’m looking for the toilets… um… bloody hell, is that a goat?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, another one! Back the way you came, second door on the left.”
“Um… thanks.”
Ahem. Cowled figures shrouded in darkness, we await the acolyte…
Sharing My World 2017 Week 2
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.
If you lost a bet and had to dye your hair a colour of the rainbow for a week, what colour would it be?
I now have voice control at home courtesy of Amazon’s Alexa (as I threatened to do on New Year’s Day) and I have wi-fi light bulbs on the way. Because who wants to have to stand up to turn the lights on and off?
Light switches are so last year, don’t you find?
So why not have voice-controlled hair?
“Alexa, turn my hair cerise.”
It’s the future!
If you could choose one word to focus on for 2017, what would it be?
“Discombobulated.” Because it’s such a cool word. I need to use it more. I’m gonna focus the hell out of it all year.
What was one thing you learned last year that you added to your life?
I can’t think of anything. 2016 came and went rather rapidly. Where did it go?
If life was ‘just a bowl of cherries’… which fruit other than a cherry would you be..?
I’m going with physalis (no, I’d never heard of it either) as it is described as having a “mild, refreshing acidity”.
Also, its name seems to be an amalgamation of “physics” and “Ali”, so it’s just right for me 🙂
FF – Plug Gate
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, the 100 word challenge hosted by Rochelle with a photo this week by C. E. Ayr.
I did think of a dark story to do with the take over of jobs by machines, but in the end I went for this ridiculous little news story.
To read the other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright C. E. Ayr
Excerpt from The Daily Prattle
The inquest into the “PlugGate” incident on Britain’s railways, which last April caused 745 deaths and millions of pounds of damage, closed today.
The coroner heard that the new Automated Railway Signalling Equipment (ARSE) system was deactivated when contract cleaner Mrs Moira Dimple, 47, unplugged it as she, in her own words, “needed somewhere to plug in my vacuum cleaner, dearie.”
National Rail has reassured customers that such a disaster could never happen again as they have “invested in loads of Sellotape to stick over the plug sockets”.
This reporter remains sceptical and will be taking the bus.
Sharing My World 2017 Week 1
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World series, as we fire off into 2017.
Would you prefer to receive a unicycle, bicycle, tricycle or motorcycle?
The very thought of me on a unicycle makes me laugh.
Ha ha ha.
I can barely stay upright on a bicycle any more let alone only one wheel. Given this, I’m going to go with a suggestion I gave to another SYW participant – a motortrike, or whatever you want to call it. Take look at this bad boy, for example. Can’t you just see me roaring around the place on this?
From motorcycles-for-sale.biz
What is one thing you’d like to accomplish this year?
I don’t really do “life goals” and whatnot. Just getting through the year without screwing anything up would be good.
What was one of the highlights of 2016 for you?
I guess when I was promoted to Systems Architect. I don’t really remember anything else happening of note. I’m probably forgetting something important.
Would you prefer to fly a kite or fly in a hot air balloon?
Wow, the mundane to the amazing. Well, I’ve flown kites of course so I’ll go for a ride in a hot air balloon. That sounds like a lot of fun, floating in the quiet over the countryside. I see lots of SYW participants have gone for this option, so I’d better book my flight early to avoid disappointment!
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