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.
Today’s photo is another which gives us many options.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on the picture, below.
Given my ongoing problem with ‘un nerf coincé’, a pinched nerve which renders my right (writing) arm almost useless, I apologise in advance for my limited responses again this week.
© J Hardy Carroll
Derelict
Derelict buildings have their own personalities, I think.
Well, maybe personality is not the right word, perhaps I mean characteristics, smell, atmosphere.
And they have their own ghosts, of course.
Back then, when we were boys, the old warehouse was our gang hut.
It was our secret, between the three of us.
Noddy was the leader, Jimmy always backed him.
Until the mutiny.
Their disappearance caused an uproar at the time.
Their parents knew they often went down by the river.
They dredged it for days.
They never knew about the warehouse.
Derelict buildings have their own ghosts, I know.
Sound Bite Fiction 
Wow Ceayr! I’m a huge fan of all things sinister and you did it in style! Fantastic! Hope your on the mend, gentle hugs, Heidi 🙂
LikeLike
Quite a sinister touch at the end. Derelict buildings often have many stories 😜
LikeLike
Superbly disturbing! I love an old, deserted, derelict building. Well done!
LikeLike
Well built story. I want to know more too, as Jenn said. When the mutiny what exactly happened that thry disappeared/died, that would be a good part 2.
LikeLike
Scary!
Hope you are better doon.
LikeLike
Awesome! I want to know more.
LikeLike
Don’t want to sound redundant… but all of the above… You are the master of sinister… let us hope your nerve gets dé-coincé soon…
LikeLike
I really liked this one. Very dark, as so many of your stories are. Nicely conveyed atmosphere of mystery and knowing.
LikeLike
Sounds like your nerve has started a mutiny of it’s own. I hate when that happens. I had a bulging disc in my back that haunted me for ten years. Finally, the Doc whittled part of it off so it would quit flattening my spinal cord. Ah, what sweet relief.
As for your story, it sounds like when loses a friend, he really loses them—permanently.
LikeLike
Very spooky. Great build-up of atmosphere and tension. Wonderful, the way you let us finally figure out the narrator’s secret.
Best wishes on your recovery. I have suffered with sciatica, so I can imagine how painful and disabling that pinched nerve must be. I hope your ordeal ends soon.
LikeLike
obviously, somebody lived to tell the story.
LikeLike
Dark and sinister. I like how you unfold the story …benign at first.
LikeLike
No apparent remorse in this boy.
I like it. Sending you healing prayers.
Tracey
LikeLike
Reminds me of the old feed mill where we used to hang as kids. On one side was the river, and the other was the railroad… Oh, if that old building could talk.
LikeLike
Great piece of gothic nastiness. I love the sparseness of the prose.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
LikeLike
Pingback: Telling Tales | MJL Stories
I wonder whether this murderer will ever be able to sleep easy.
LikeLike
There’s only one conclusion for who the mutineer is. No wonder he knows that there are ghosts. I hope your hand gets better soon.
LikeLike
Gorgeously spooky. I like the way you’ve echoed the first sentence in the last one. Very good. Boys, eh? All the best with your injured arm. Must be driving you crazy.
LikeLike
Great atmosphere. Old empty buildings have so many tales to tell.
LikeLike
Good work, as always your standard too is high. Wishing you well with the arm and a speedy complete recovery.
LikeLike
To live with such ghosts, you illustrate the troubling side of such buildings so well.
LikeLike
Very sinister. I hope your trapped nerve gets sorted soon.
LikeLike
Seems dark and sinister is a recurring theme- maybe the woods should improve their image :). You wrote a subtle, but gripping piece.
LikeLike
Oh dear!
LikeLike
Excellent! So well crafted with a great, frightening punch at the end. Thank you for that.
LikeLike
I somehow see both an end and a cause in your words… You do sinister so well… so really well.
LikeLike
Perfect as a 100 word story but could also easily be the introduction to a much longer piece. I really enjoyed it!
LikeLike
Sinister indeed. You have more story in there than a library. Nice!.
Nailed it, C.E.!
LikeLike
The laconic one sentence paragraphs create a really sinister atmosphere
LikeLike
Dear C. E.
Great job of creating the atmosphere. I could almost smell the musty air. And your narrator is subtly sinister. Your pinched nerve hasn’t crimped your writing style. Gentle hugs…
And
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
We had a hide-out when I was a kid, fortunately nobody disappeared. Nicely done, it has that scary quality that is hard to achieve without getting over the top. Hope your health troubles disappear soon.
LikeLike
And I’m fairly sure your narrator knows more than he’s telling. You do sinister really well, and I’m sorry about your trapped nerve. Hope you soon feel better.
LikeLike