Sunday Photo Fiction is a weekly challenge presented by my old friend Al Forbes.
The idea is to write a short story (200 word max) inspired by what you see in his picture (below).
This week’s charming little snap takes me, unsurprisingly, to my happy place, where the sun always shines and the sky is always blue.
It is where I live!
And Happy Birthday to Mr Presley, wherever he is today.
Click on this link to enter your tale, and to see what others have written.
Copyright Al Forbes
Click here to hear this 90-second story read aloud:
Teddy Bears’ Picnic
If you go down to the woods today
It is always fun in the toy department.
Children get so excited, squeal, shriek, throw tantrums.
All the normal emotions of growing up.
I watch the shoppers carefully.
They fall into different categories.
you better not go alone
You see the elderly ladies, sometimes with a reluctant man in tow, obviously looking for a gift for a favoured grandchild.
Then there are young women, who might be mothers buying for their own little darling, but perhaps for a nephew or niece.
And there are families.
These are my favourites, especially if they have more than one child.
The more the merrier, as they say.
It’s lovely down in the woods today
Some, of course, are just browsing, letting the kids amuse themselves for a while.
They are of no interest to me.
But it is of critical importance to see who buys what.
I want to be sure that the best teddy bears go to the most appropriate homes.
For maximum impact when they are activated.
but safer to stay at home
I cannot believe I did not know that particular nursery rhyme… I love how you weave it in at just the right spots to send a little tingle up the spine… all to confirm that all is not well at the end.
You are a master.
Love this
Do check out my blog posts and let me know what you think would love that I’m new to the blogging world😊
Ooo…pretty cool the way you wove that rhyme in there.
This brought back memories of the eighties and nineties when there was a spate of terrorist attacks with bombs hidden inside abandoned toys and other items.
Always the twist! I’ve been absent from SPF for a bit, but I definitely haven’t forgotten that this is your specialty. Well done.
Welcome back, and if this is a sample of your comments, please don’t leave again
What a masterly buildup to the sucker punch of a last line. You seem to own this kind of an ending.
You are always very kind, sir. I feel that in a story so short something really needs to happen or it can be quite dull!
As usual, you deliver that last line with a punch. I picture some terrorist planting teddy bear bombs at some poor family’s house, just because they had five kids. How awful. Hugs CE.
I love how you juxtapose ‘how awful’ and ‘hugs’.
Hugs to you, Amanda
I know. But I think you like both words lol. Thank you 🙂
Chilling. As others have said weaving in the nursery rhyme (which has always seemed quite sinister to me) is excellent.
I agree, Iain, the song is far out creepy, is it not?
Glad you enjoyed.
Dark and delicious! The kind of story I love to read.
Click here to read my tale
Cheers, Keith, the kind of comment I like to read!
The familiar song woven through really built the tension. Excellent story.
Thank you, very kind. And, as previously mentioned, the song always made me slightly uncomfortable
I love the working in of the song teddy bears picnic. Very clever tale told in so few words.
Thanks, Angie. I see from Iain’s comment above that I am not alone in finding the song quite creepy
I admit I was waiting for the last line and it didn’t disappoint. Well constructed with nice buildup.
Thank you. Was it too scary for Graham?
Just a bit but we can we keep it to ourselves 😉
I’m with you. I saw the bears and immediately jumped to the most horrible thing I could conjure. Well done.
Thank you, sir
I used to have a yellow 45 of Teddy Bear’s Picnic– wonder if that was an activation key — I never did have a teddy bear.
Wonderful tension build to mass destruction ending — well done.
Happy you enjoyed it, Lorraine, I always felt the song was kinda weird.
Cool and creepy. There is nothing quite so adorably homicidal as a Teddy Bear of Mass Destruction.
Laughing, cool comment!
Very atmospheric!
Glad it worked for you
Just enough of the hinted at massacre there. I like it.
Cheers, Al.
A little hint and your imagination takes over.
My job is done.
🙂
Dear CE,
You have a knack for transforming the most innocuous object, ie a snuggly teddy bear into something sinister. Makes one afraid to snuggle. Very well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Well, m’lady, I do try!
Terrific tale!
I love the construction. Evocation of fairy tales terror that builds with the narrative.
With a monster lurking in both.
Or destruction 😉
You know, Em, that we all have monsters lurking within.
Perhaps better than most, I think.