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 moody photo by Vijayay Sundaram prompted a surprisingly literal take.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on the picture, below.
Click here to hear me read the story:
Fireworks
I sit on my balcony overlooking the square.
Today is July 14th, so it is packed with people celebrating, French locals and foreign tourists here for the spectacle.
The fireworks start at 10.30 pm.
The bangs echo strangely around the enclosed space.
The multi-coloured flashes create an air of unreality.
I have an Archer nightscope, which allows me to identify individual faces.
The report from my lightweight Blaser rifle will go unnoticed, of course.
It doesn’t even matter if I miss my selected target.
I will hit the person behind.
I just want to know how it feels to kill.
Ah, another dark, chilling tale told in style!
When you write a tender romance, with no hint of bloodshed, and with only a floating hint of a happy ending, I know something will have changed utterly, and get worried.
(Forgive my late response, but I’m computer-less. Using my husband’s computer right now. Mine is kaput.)
LikeLike
I am a tender romantic, deep down, Ms Dreams.
So I suggest that you show appropriate gratitude to your undoubtedly wonderful husband for his forbearance in the case of your kaput computer.
Or put a pillow over his face while he sleeps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Man, that’s DARK!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also enjoyed hearing you read it!
LikeLike
Happy you enjoyed, Emily, thank you.
It is good to know that it adds a little something.
You can find more readings under Current Story and, less surprisingly, Other Readings up at the top.
LikeLike
A chilling character. I love the fireworks creating “an air of unreality.” Well done.
LikeLike
Happy you enjoyed, Emily, thank you.
LikeLike
So, this is his (her?) first foray into the world of carnage and mayhem, by the sound of it. I just hope this assassin gets recruited by the good guys when s/he builds up his/her skill base. Gruesome stuff.
LikeLike
Gruesome is good!
Thanks, Margaret.
LikeLike
Another dark one, C.E. That’s gives me one more reason for not liking crowds. For your character’s sake, I suggest he slip out of the room by a previously chosen route soon after the shooting. Good, even though blood-soaked writing. 🙂 — Suzanne
LikeLike
Thanks, Suzanne, I do appreciate how you seem to get quite involved in the story, give it thought, and then comment meaningfully.
LikeLike
Let’s hope he doesn’t like the feeling.
LikeLike
Bwaahahahaha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wouldn’t it be more fun just to wound them and watch ’em flop about, withering in pain? Take out a knee cap here, a left arm there, pretty soon you’ve got the whole crowd doing the Hokey Pokey.
LikeLike
While I very much appreciate how you enter creatively into the spirit of things, Russell, I see a couple of flaws in your suggestion.
Yes, it would be hilarious, and a natural for YouTube, but I really want to kill someone, not just shoot bits off them.
And I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in the Chateau d’If, merci very much.
LikeLike
Oh my. Turning a joyful event and day, into a terrible one for someone. Seems kind of pointless, only because the speaker wants to know how it feels to kill. Seems like he could be one of those scary person’s who likes killing too much.
LikeLike
Oh my!
I think you have summed this up in a couple of sentences, Amanda.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The longer version is much better 🙂 hugs
LikeLike
I dunno, I would frankly prefer to guzzle beer and eat hot dogs.
LikeLike
Each to his own taste, Perry, it doesn’t make you a bad person.
Fat, maybe…
LikeLike
Whoa. Good stuff, C.E. That Blaser rifle sounds pretty promising. And like Al says, you always find interesting ways of killing people. Well put. 😉
Five out of five Bastille Days.
LikeLike
Thanks, WMQ, it is a good enough weapon for the short range required.
You realise I now have to pay Al double his usual fee for that mention?
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
Chilling… and I think you hit the nail here… curiosity never killed the cat, the cat killed the rat just for fun… I think that’s why killers start.
LikeLike
I bow to your superior knowledge of such people, Bjorn!
LikeLike
Lol, it’s been a while since we’ve had a chapter from compendium of chilling “Assassin’s Tales” 🙂
LikeLike
Oh yes, days at least!
LikeLike
I don’t suppose that he is aiming at the coconut stall. 🙂
LikeLike
No, sir, no fruit was harmed in the writing of this story.
LikeLike
This is going to be a violent week, so it seems. An assassination in the middle of a firework, it’s clever…but scary chilling as well. A little bit too real for me, if I might say so.
LikeLike
Of course you may say so, dear LadyBug, but in only 100 words one has to work to make an impact.
LikeLike
Pure evil, killing just for fun!
LikeLike
Yeah, well, hard to argue that…
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Another victim! I thought the 14th of July celebrations were held on the 13th these days CE 🙂 I understand why you chose for it to happen on the 14th though
LikeLike
I know, drat, and I was aiming for Graham!
And no, not down here, as you can see by the date of the Nice atrocity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear, Yes …
LikeLike
Evil. And sadly now a realistic setting. Frightening thought.
LikeLike
Thank you for visiting, GaH, and for taking the time to comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You sent a shiver through me!
LikeLike
Then I am happy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
lol Your work here is done 😉
LikeLike
You do this so well. So well, in fact, that I’m glad there’s a body of water between us. There is a body of water between us, isn’t there… 😦
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, I expect so, but is it La Manche, Le Canal du Midi or the Tweed?
Mais t’inquiètes pas, I would never harm anyone whose writing gives me so much pleasure and inspiration.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is chilling. So well crafted, I could believe it was written by the killer!
LikeLike
He has a damaged hand, he just dictates now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear CE,
Yikes!!! I can’t help but wonder about you sometimes. You’ve painted a clear picture of a demented human being. I saw flashes of his face amid the fireworks. Chilling and well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
You still wonder, m’lady?
But I sparkle with your praise, thank you.
LikeLike
Dark tale indeed
LikeLike
Thank you
LikeLike
A chilling last line. Great scene setting and we can all imagine the terror that follows. Great write.
LikeLike
Cheers, Iain, much appreciated.
LikeLike
A “killer” last line
LikeLike
Ba-Boom!
LikeLike
Are you sure you aren’t actually an hired assassin? Even a part time one? A chilling story, C, moving from a joyful night of celebration to a mindless, thoughtless death scene. Scarily true, too – murders have come about for this very motivation. Great writing as always 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hush, Lynn, sometimes you are not the only person who stumbles in here!
I like ‘chilling’, and I love ‘Great writing as always’.
Thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
My absolute pleasure 🙂
LikeLike
So much more satisfying when you hit the target, and the giggles when the one behind falls down and the look of confusion the face of the one you’ve missed.
Another fun story.
LikeLike
Fun?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always fun when CE finds new and interesting ways to kill people 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Al, sometimes one corpse is as good as another.
All good fun!
And don’t mind Lady R, she is a bit old fashioned when it comes to random acts of carnage and indiscriminate bloodshed.
LikeLike