AnElephantCant pretend to be Shakespeare
He never expects such fame and glory
But perhaps you may know
The movie and stage show
About Sharks and Jets called West Side Story
Once again it is Friday Fictioneer time.
Where our perfect producer Rochelle directs a Broadway-worthy scenario for screen writers and scribblers to create superb scripts.
And AnElephant proves again that he has no business in show business.
The idea is to write a very short story, circa 100 words, based on this picture prompt (below).
That’s it.
copyright – Adam Ickes
The Bridge
His heart leaps as he approaches the bridge.
He sees her on the other side of the great gorge, heading in the same direction.
They have been meeting here secretly for months now.
Their love is forbidden by their different backgrounds, different cultures, warring families.
But they will not falter.
Then he sees the figures on the bridge.
Her father, her brothers, carrying knives.
She waves him back frantically.
He walks onto the bridge, ready to make peace.
Her eldest brother steps forward and strikes.
As he falls, mortally wounded, he sees her climb the barrier and hurl herself off.
SHAKESPEARE! It’s wonderful – Families cause a lot of problems don’t they? Thanks for the great story Anelephantcant. Nan
What a sad tale! And you told it well 🙂
Such a sad ending. You packed a lot of story and emotion into those 100words. Well done.
Another Romeo and Juliet, ending in tragedy just because of the petty mindsets a few people exhibit….for whom honour and class and tradition and a lot of other pompous words like that, mean more than love and happiness.
great cast of characters, dramatic buildup and tragic ending = perfect Friday fiction. 😛
That’s the classic tale, one more like a Native American myth than the one Shakespeare told. Nice to see it kept to 100 words here. There are so many ways to tell one story.
Cheers!
MG
Like all true love stories,a tragic end!When will the world learn to look beyond such man made barriers?Loved this 🙂
A Shakespearean elephant, now there’s a thing!
Sad and tragic as many of the Bard’s tales; well written, well done
Dee
Maria!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sad but beautifully told – love does not always prevail over prejudice
Aaaahhh Romeo and Juliet <3
Oh how deliciously romantic! Perhaps they found their happiness together on the “other” side!
Dear Elephant,
I always hated the endings to Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. At least West Side Story had some great music. 😉 Your story is well written and tragic.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Very tragic but well-written story. I can’t agree with the hero though, because if I saw men with knives, I believe I’d run the other way.
Like David, I thought this would make a wonderful opera, Mr AnElephant. Such tragedy.
Oh, AnElephant…..I should have told you long ago I never liked the ladies in Romeo & Juliet or West Side Story…..I would never jump from that bridge. But thank you for trying to kill me off once more 🙂
Death appears to follow you wherever you go good sir. Either that or others are out to get you.
So much story in so little words – well done! Their love for each other is shown through their actions. One word that didn’t seem quite right was that she was heading in the same ‘direction’ as him… This made me picture her walking away from him on the bridge? A very minor comment 🙂
‘…as he approaches the bridge.
He sees her on the other side of the great gorge, heading in the same direction.’
AnElephant apologises if the 100-word restriction that he adheres to with absolute faith left the lovely lady unclear as to their separate paths to the bridge.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
No need to apologise! It’s made me think about how I use words like ‘direction’ and ‘towards’ and how they’re very much related to point of view. Thought it could be an interesting discussion for FF readers if interested.
Maybe she’ll survive and settle down with someone safe and boring.
Not sure if the bridge could have held the weight of my favorite pachyderm anyhow ! Perhaps they were destined to failure.
Classic! Nice job.
Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, Friday Fictioneers. All good
janet
What a tragedy.
A Shakespearian take on the prompt – now there’s lateral thinking. Well done.
AnElephant, that really is quite an operatic scenario you’ve painted. Just once I’d like to see star-crossed lovers settle down and raise a family, but I guess that’s no fun for anyone but them. Great story, as always. 🙂
-David
btw he is saying it is me that jumped………*sigh*
AnElephant just tells the story, Dave, and lovely Anja is the fall gal again.
That will teach her to stick to her own side of the tracks, eh?
I believe I am still on my side of the ocean…I mean tracks.