Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the wonderful Rochelle, the undisputed master of what I call Sound Bite Fiction.
She sets the weekly challenge, and the standard.
Ron Pruitt’s candid image sparks a thousand thoughts.
This is one of them.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on the picture, below.
© Ron Pruitt
Greyhound
I’ll take the bus, I say.
She stares at me in disbelief.
I am in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, visiting a beloved friend.
I decide to go to Vancouver BC.
She offers me her car.
I shake my head.
One of my ‘must-dos’ was to take a Greyhound, I remind her.
Simon and Garfunkel, America, all that stuff, I grin, see the country at street level.
They are full of crazies, she says.
I look at her, spread my arms wide.
She starts to laugh.
I join in.
We speak at the same time.
Every day is an adventure.
Great song:
A good company on road journey is always welcome. You are right ‘ Everyday is an adventure’. Nice take.
Thank you, Indira, always lovely to hear from you.
I trust you are well?
I’m fine, thanks.
Nice adventure. 🙂 And nicely done!
Thank you, Vinitha, and welcome to Sound Bite Fiction.
I think these two will have great fun together.
She doesn’t take buses, this is a solo adventure.
But…
I love riding on trains. Bus trips possibly not so much. I tried it once (in Australia) – overnight, about 12 hours. Ever since then, whenever I haven’t had enough sleep and wake up groggy I’m reminded of that trip. Sort of turned me off buses. However I love your story – the voices really grabbed me and their conversation could almost persuade to get on a bus again. Almost.
Glad you enjoyed, Margaret.
Go for it, Aussies are great folk, in my experience.
Some things you just have to do…. I have never taken a bus… but this ‘adventure’ tugs at my heart?
Yep, I just had to do it, and it was cool.
I took the Greyhound bus from Saskatoon to Winnipeg when I was 16. I had invited myself to a penpal’s and a job at her grandfather’s restaurant for the summer. I’m astonished today that my mother let me and at my own audacity !
Lily
Thanks for your visit and your comment, Lily.
I’ve taken the Greyhound in Canada once, for somewhat similar reasons, and had similar feelings.
I’m taking a three hour bus ride every week here, but that’s not quite the same.
Fun story, and music.
Good for you, GaH, life is supposed to be challenging and fun.
Glad you enjoyed.
I’ve only take the bus three times in my life. Each time was an adventure. Not saying if it was a good adventure or not but definitely an adventure.
Adventures are good, even when they are not.
They give us memories, which become who we are.
Each person is sane in their own world. Nice one.
You really think so?
Boy, I need to have a conversation with myself about this.
No, I don’t.
I hate road trips, I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 30 and I’ve regretted it every single day. I prefer trains to busses, but I’ll take the bus over a car any day.
I travelled through Europe by train and loved it. Took the train from NY Penn Station to Ft. Lauderdale FL and hated it. Not because of the “crazies” or the general public, but the inefficiency of the service the delays and it being late, taking 20 hours, and having to go straight to work because it was so late!
Thank you for your input.
We agree on almost nothing.
That’s what makes this so much fun!
Well, I agree that is what makes this so much fun!
In that case, I don’t.
My son often took the bus during his college days. His adventures were fun to listen to.
I was kinda past my college days, Joseph!
Happy my tale stirred some memories.
We’ve all gone to look for America.
Thanks for the bus ride.
Randy
Glad you enjoyed, Randy.
Thanks for visiting.
Lovely story. I’m also a S&G fan. Nice happy story too!
Thanks, Art, Simon and Graham were pretty cool, I agree.
🙂
One of my favorite songs! I enjoyed your story, CEAyr! It was full of possibility of adventure, with no hidden darkness.
It seems a lot of folk love that song.
Glad you liked, and a bit of a surprise, eh, no dark twist!
It’s not some much the crazies who talk to themselves on the bus, it’s the one’s who answer themselves with, “Huh?” Not only do they wake up in a new world every morning, sometimes it’s a new planet every fifteen minutes.
I’ve got no objections. They make great characters for my little tales.
Do the crazies really do that?
Huh?
No point in objecting, they never understand ‘no’!
Love the story. I have a few friends here in Ireland who are from the old Eastern Block countries of Eastern Europe. When the wall came down etc they travelled across Europe by bus because they wanted to see everything. The journey is every bit as important as the destination.
I agree, sometimes the journey is the point.
Although I did also want to visit Vancouver!
Glad you enjoyed, Siobhan, and thanks for taking the time to visit and comment.
This speaks to your adventurous spirit I’m guessing.
Life is supposed to be fun.
And crazy folk are not a problem!
nice story and nice song. thanks for your sharing. 🙂
Nice comment, Plaridel, thanks for visiting
I’m all for road trips, but my last Greyhound ride thirty (gosh!) years ago was 15 hours to go 101 miles. Never again. I hope they find a better ride!
Mine were all wonderful fun.
Thank you for visiting.
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I’ve taken way to many Greyhound buses with crazy to find another such trip appealing – and from Tri-Cities , too All my least favorite places/activities rolled up in one heck of a great tale. Wonderful take on the prompt.
Thank you for your very kind words.
Sorry about the bad memories!
Once got a bus from Glasgow to the Costa Brava. Never again 🙂
Full of Scots, eh?
That wid pure dae the napper, n that.
I love the idea of just getting on a bus and having chance to take everything in. Great story today C. E , very inspirational 😀
Thank you, Cheryl, you just made my day.
C.E., I love road trips, although we usually drive. And I love S&G, so I really enjoyed your story and the song. (I also remember Sam the Sham and Pharaohs and that song, too.) Ouch! I think the travel bug just bit me hard. I’d like to take the train across Canada one of these years, too.
janet
Happy that you enjoyed, got some memories, and a plan.
Have fun!
Love this story, love the music. Such a great way of setting the tone of a piece.
Thank you, Claire.
This is one of those songs that took some of us to a different world from soggy Scottish summers!
This is one thing I would rather NOT do … get on a bus for hours and hours with strangers. The music however certainly takes me back to another time and has left a wistful feeling 🙂
Definitely a more awkward proposition for a lady, Joanne.
Glad the music spoke to you.
There is nothing like a road trip on a greyhound. Loved the music, loved the flash poem and the visions conjured. Have done my own Greyhound (in Australia) and appreciated the sentiment.
https://irenewaters19.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/greyhound-bus.jpeg An Australian Greyhound.
Well, thank you, Irene.
Seems you loved all there was to be loved!
Cool
Brilliant song. I can feel his excitement.
Glad you liked the musical interlude.
What a great story, very liberating. Spread your wings and all that…:)
Robert Heinlein said: Life is short, live wide.
It was that sort of trip.
I keep telling myself I should one day take a bus trip (only ones I’ve ever taken were for school ski trips and up to my grandmother’s).
You actually make me want to take one now!
A fun one from you, Mr. Ayr!
Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood, you’re everything that a Big Bad Wolf could want:
Ha ha! Well now…
“Pass me a cigarette, I think I need to get kicked off this bus.” Time to give the lyrics an update, Mr. Simon.
Oh no, Dave, we have to learn the lessons of history!
That’s a lovely story. And Greyhounds remind me of Joe and Ratso in Midnight Cowboy.
Thanks, Patrick, and good shout there:
Loved the movie. Adore the song.
It’s funny how a bus in the states is quite a different prospect to a bus in the UK. And crazies can be good company. I should know, they always seem to sit next to me. Nice take on the prompt CE.
Thanks, Sandra, that will be my seat they are in!
Love the thought of travelling at street level… and bus or train gives you an other opportunity to think and be within yourself (it’s like travel twice the same time)
It is a very different experience to driving, Bjorn.
You are, for better or worse, largely removed from the decision-making process.
I remember, on a separate journey, leaving my car on the east side of the Cascades and travelling by Greyhound through the Snoqualmie Pass in a blizzard to reach Seattle.
What would have been a fraught, even dangerous, drive was instead a magical adventure.
Dear C. E.
I’ve always loved that song and just about anything else Simon and Garfunkel. Your story leaves me feeling happy inside. It reads like a lovely adventure. Thank you for starting my day with a smile.
Shalom,
Rochelle
I spent 3 months in the Pacific Northwest (and a couple of weeks in San Francisco, oh bliss!).
Saw magical sights and met wonderful people.
As good as life gets.
Reblogged this on anelephantcant and commented:
AnElephantCant deny he has a problem
Which is not something he likes to discuss
No, it isn’t his bum
That makes him so glum
AnElephantCant fit his ears onto a bus