The Ladder – Friday Fictioneers

AnElephantCant deny he loves sunshine
He lies out all day if allowed
So he is confessing
He finds it depressing
To see a sky filled with such dark heavy cloud

Once again it is Friday Fictioneer time.
Presented weekly by sunny smiling Rochelle, this is a glorious gathering of shining stories from radiant raconteurs.
And AnOvercastElephant.
The idea is to write a very short story, circa 100 words, based on this picture prompt (below).
That’s it.

Copyright – Kelly Sands

Copyright – Kelly Sands

The Ladder

He sees the ladder hidden in the high weeds in the lane outside his house.
He guesses he is about to have a nocturnal visitor.
He smiles.
He is here to protect his family.
He saws through the third rung from the top.
Estimates it to be 15 feet above the ground.
That night he hears the gate creak, sees a shape move towards the back of the house.
He slips out the front door, moves quietly through the garden.
Then hears a shrill scream.
And sees a young man standing in shock over his daughter’s body on the rockery.

Unknown's avatar

About ceayr

A Scot who has discovered peace in a small town he calls Medville on the Côte Vermeille, C.E. Ayr has spent a large part of his life in the West of Scotland and a large part elsewhere. His first job was selling programmes at his local football club and he has since tried 73 other career paths, the longest being in IT, with varying degrees of success. He is somewhat nomadic, fairly irresponsible and, according to his darling daughter, a bit random. So, nobody’s perfect.
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22 Responses to The Ladder – Friday Fictioneers

  1. pattisj's avatar pattisj says:

    I like days of sunshine, too.
    What a tragic ending to your story.

  2. Nan Falkner's avatar Nan Falkner says:

    Elephant, a sad tale indeed. Well done! Nan 🙂

  3. Pat's avatar Pat says:

    Gruesome! Absolutely ironic —- and the verbiage, as usual, “dead” on.

    Bravo!

  4. Well, he was right about the nocturnal visitor. And the third rung from the top did the trick. Good thing it wasn’t a booby-trapped shotgun. He’s learnt his lesson – have sons not daughters. QED.

  5. Pratik Kirve's avatar Pratik Kirve says:

    Ohh.. so sad..!! 🙁

  6. Killer last line, so to speak. Poor Dad, poor everyone! I can see why she was using the ladder rather than the front door. Well written 🙂

  7. camgal's avatar camgal says:

    Wow definitely unexpected!

  8. EagleAye's avatar EagleAye says:

    Ouch! Such a clever idea that went terribly wrong. This is just dripping with irony. Brilliantly done!

  9. Ooh. That which we do often turns back on us. Good story. Randy

  10. storydivamg's avatar storydivamg says:

    Oops! Of course, with only a 15-foot drop, chances are the body could still be a living one. I suppose that’s lucky.

    Cheers!
    MG

  11. Maree Gallop's avatar Maree Gallop says:

    Love the building of suspense and drama then the twist at the end. Maybe they will find another way!

  12. RoSy's avatar RoSy says:

    Tragic!

  13. Yikes! Great twist at the end – and sad. Wonderful take on this week’s picture.

  14. That hurt my heart.

  15. Dear Elephant,

    I guess he didn’t count on his daughter climbing down the ladder to meet her suitor. Dark as the clouds in the prompt.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

  16. emmylgant's avatar emmylgant says:

    A nightmarish twist on this story where the worst that could happen did.
    As ususal, AnElephantCan really spin a tale!

  17. Lynda's avatar Lynda says:

    You always catch me by surprise! This is twisted, and very good!

  18. Elephant, That was a shocking and sad ending to say the least. :'( Good and well-written story. 🙂 —Susan

  19. Sandra's avatar Sandra says:

    An elopement gone seriously, irrevocably wrong. Great idea.

  20. Locomente's avatar Locomente says:

    Gripping narrative…
    Very nicely woven 🙂

  21. Uh, didn’t expect that. I suppose that family is broken beyond repair.

  22. Aww that ruined young love.

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