AnElephantCant deny he loves sunshine
He is happy to swim and to laze in the sand
You say what he must mean is
He likes girls in bikinis
He shrugs his shoulders his life is just grand
Once again it is Friday Fictioneer time.
Presented weekly by bathing belle Rochelle, please follow this link for some splashing stories by her sun-drenched scribes.
But first pause to read some seaweed strands from AnElephant.
The idea is to write a very short story, circa 100 words, based on this picture prompt (below).
That’s it.
Copyright BW Beacham
The Beach
The beach is wonderful.
Three kilometres of sun-kissed sand curving round the bay, gently washed by the Mediterranean.
In summer it is alive.
Families arranged on towels under parasols to shelter the youngest.
Children romping naked in the surf.
Elderly couples on deck chairs, her talking, him sleeping.
Pretty girls in bikinis watching bronzed lads playing volleyball.
Books by Michael Connelly and Lee Child in a multitude of languages.
Pens filling in Sudoku, crosswords, a myriad of other puzzles.
People on holiday, relaxing, having fun.
I smile and ask myself this simple question.
Tonight, which of them will I kill?
Sound Bite Fiction 
I propose the correct answer is “all of them.” Go big or go home, right?
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Yipes! Plain scarey! Fine writing here, very cool.
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From idyllic to voyeuristic to cold evil in 100 words – perfect!
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Dear Elephant CAN: Fantastic – So good this deserves a reward for being creepy sneaky! So well done! Pure genius! I’m so glad I can read your stories each week! Nan 🙂
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You think so very much like me!!!
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Well, I’d say you have set yourself up to be forced into a sequel. Surely you will not leave us dangling in suspense for more than a week. Great punch line.
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Decisions, decisions. Oh, the dilemma he faces. Life’s not fair.
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You crept up on me and killed me dead with that last word, AnElephant. I don’t know why I’m thinking this, but reading it was like looking at one of Monet’s huge ‘Waterlilies’ paintings and then you realise with a shock that the red is actually blood! (Good plot for a gory story?) Ann
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AnElephant sure knows how to turn our heads! Whiplash here.
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Oh, that ending! Here I was enjoying the lovely beach scene you painted, and then you had to add a brutal twist! Can you tell me which one he set his sights on? My guess is a volleyball lad. If he was reasonably buff, that should be some high-quality meat! Wonderful as always, Elephant!
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Oh, I knew it couldn’t be so simple, so peaceful….and still you surprised me with the last line 🙂
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I was wishing I was among them, Anelephant. So you lull them all into a false sense of security and then you pounce. Just like your writing did. Superbly written.
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Ooh, I definitely didn’t see that coming. Here I thought you were going to talk about the beach after the season was over and all the guests were gone. Now I wonder how many guests will soon be departing from fear.
All my best,
MG
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You really built up for that last line! I love the way you structure your posts, such a lot of fun!
Zainab.
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You killed it!
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I got all tangled up in the seaweed strands spun in that story!
I was sooo relaxed until the last line!
Mais il faut dire que j’ai bien rigole quand meme!
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Unexpectedly great twist.
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How annoying to be jerked out of my lazy beach fantasy by that last chilling line. No beach for me today, even though it might be warm enough and even if I had a beach nearby. Does running around the lake put me in the potential murder victim queue?
janet
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Oh! you are mean. You set such a pleasant scene I could hear the waves, the laughter and murmuring then ZAP! Great.
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I liked how the very black last line suited the picture.
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Elephant, Great descriptions and scary last line. Makes me wonder how many of those guys are actually around waiting. 😦 Good story and well written. 🙂
Susan
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You created a great picture in contrast to the one in the photo. Bu the twist turned it all eerie. Nice job.
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OUCH! Caught me there. I could see it all, especially the people doing Sudoku. Now, which one is going to get scragged? Great!
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Wow brilliant ending! Makes me scared to go on a tropical holiday now!
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Very naughty of An Elephant to give shock like this after such a beautiful visual description.
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La fin est très surprenante (rire) 🙂
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Dear Elephant,
I could feel the sun warm my shoulders, hear the children playing and even smell the suntan lotion. Vivid descriptions. And then you hit me with that last line? How rude….how clever. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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a serial killer out shopping.. scary thought.. but I guess he always goes for the suduko players.. he always have some kind of modus operandi.
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I loved the vivid image of beach you have painted…
Until the last line made me shiver..
Brilliant!
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AnElephant apologises.
Your comment went to spam and he just noticed.
He is not too smart, but if you have read his blog you already now that.
Thank you and hugs if you are a lady, otherwise manly handshake and shoulder slap.
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It sounds like he’s like a kid in a candy store. You gave this story an effective punch at the end after the idyllic scene you were crafting. I was wondering how it was going to end.
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