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.
This week’s photo by Jennifer Pendergast shows an idyllic scene of a park bathed in sunshine, grass, flowers and a child playing hide-and-seek.
What can possibly go wrong?
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on the picture, below.
© Jennifer Pendergast
Click here to hear me read this 60-second story:
Circus Parade
The circus is in town.
We take two very excited kids to see the parade.
Elephants, dancing horses, clowns in ramshackle cars, great trucks with big cats in cages, all trundling up Main Street.
We meet a friend, she also has two children.
The two women chat while I herd four squealing wriggling whirlwinds.
The three-year old stumbles, grazes a knee.
I try to pacify her, call my wife, but the crowd has moved around us.
The others dart through legs, disappear.
I lift her, push people aside.
I see a little leg, a giant wheel.
I hear the screams.
Oh no this is heart wrenching CE. Kids and puppies you can’t let them die or be horribly injured.😥
Oh my…you’ve made me gasp!
One of my ambitions achieved!
Damn you CE. Just damn you. Not even the charming brogue can redeem you from this one.
All I read was ‘charming brogue’ so I am happy!
Sorry, the story is a bit ghastly, isn’t it?
Indeed it is. 😉
Wow, this is fantastic! I love the way you have put this more into poetry style. Also great idea to record your voice! 🙂
I call this style Sound Bite Fiction, short and snappy.
Well that is the idea!
Glad you like the reading, you can find more from my book in Current Story and Other Readings up at the top of the page.
Thank you for visiting and commenting so charmingly.
YIKES … my nightmare has come to life. This hapened while on my watch. My daughter and a friend were on a ride that went terribly wrong. She was left with an amputated leg. It was the ride not me but I felt horrible for years. PHEW … I’m better now. The nerves have settled.
You do have a way of making a fun day into a very serious catastrophe. Well done …
BTW … our circus – I live in the town where the ‘Ringling Borthers Barnum & Bailey’ circus resided for many years … anyway, they’re closing the circus. There will be no more circus. It will be a story that we will tell in the future to those who never experienced it.
Have a great Sunday, CE.
Isadora 😎
Your story has me cringing, Isadora, because it is true.
I am sorry to have taken you there.
I have written circus stories before now, and I will again, I don’t doubt. But I expect you to create some too!
Hugs
No problem, CE. Life isn’t always pretty. We just need to accept and move on. I think it’s called life. : )
I hope I can come up with something one day. : )
Have an incredibly wonderful week for of adventure and new journey’s.
Isadora 😎
The ending is stomach churning, nicely done as usual.
If you like your stomach churned, I’m your man!
Oh what a terrifying moment. A parent’s worst nightmare.
Indeed, Joe
last lines were disconcerting
http://obliqview.blogspot.in/2017/03/tyranny-of-watch-wake-up-said-watch.html
I love ‘disconcerting’!
Circuses, fairgrounds – no place for kiddies. Well illustrated.
Precisely, PP
You have a knack of conveying particularly gruesome circumstances without going into any detail whatsoever!
That, dear Clare, is because you have an imagination that can paint pictures I could never write.
I just give you a tiny clue to start you off…
As you say, “What could possibly go wrong?”
Masterfully constructed as usual. I suspect the elephant had something to do with it.
Tell no one, Russell, but he is the brains of the outfit.
That’s a wheely sad story. Fun though!
Click to read my 100 words!
Groan!
You can always turn a perfectly sunny day, joy and happiness into sadness, murder and atmospheric gloom. My son has been a runner and unfortunately it wasn’t round the track.
What’s struck me is how everything can change, for better or worse, in a split second. We keep our eye out for the big disasters. Are concerned about terrorists. Yet, how often is it that a seemingly innocuous moment suddenly turns into heaven or hell?
Very well written and much enjoyed as usual.
xx Rowena
Thank you, Rowena, you are quite correct, everything can, and often does, change in a split second. Happy it worked for you.
That’s a fine day gone to hell in a hurry. If anyone asks what’s not to love about a parade, you can sure tell ’em.
A case of ‘Apart from that, what did you think about the circus?’
A gut wrenching end. The strength of the vivid imagery you used through the whole poem created a devastating impact at the end.
Very happy it worked so well for you
Very tense with a killer end that really jabs you in the stomach
Cheers, Michael
Reblogged this on Kate McClelland.
Thanks, Kate
:0)
This is so sorry. As usual superbly well written, Ceayr.
Thanks, Neel
My daughter used to run off like that. She got bitten by a Shetland pony tethered up behind a circus tent once. The circus people weren’t at all unsympathetic and said she needed keeping on a leash. They were probably right! I’m surprised she made it to adulthood with her escapades, but fortunately she did. Your story demonstrates so well how quickly a fun day can turn into a nightmare. It makes me think of the tragedy at Alton Towers in the UK, where a rollercoaster crash left five young people with life-changing injuries, two of them with amputations.
Yep, things can happen fast, and life changes
I agree with the others – tense and terribly sad, a horror scenario. How often we don’t realise how perfect our lives are until the dreadful happens. Nice take, C
Thanks, Lynn, it seems to really get to the mothers out there
My pleasure, C 🙂
Good God! “I hear screams”. I am not a parent but it’s making my lunch churn and my hair to stand. You wicked man, always wicked with your words!
One tries, dear lady, one tries!
You turn fun places into horrific ones by just choreographing words. Gave me chills. Great story.
That’s my job, Vaidehi, glad it worked for you
Great build of tension.
Thank you
What could go wrong, indeed! How horrifying for all involved. Such stark imagery. I can see him pushing through the crowd, terrified… and finding an image that was probably worse than what he imagined.
You have exactly the imagination that I write for, Magaly.
I provided a framework, you visualised everything in glorious Technicolour.
Scary take on today’s photo prompt. A parent’s nightmare to lose a child.
Indeed, and it seems to resonate with almost everyone here.
Oh my goodness and here I was expecting a fun circus. Horrifically good tale!
Thank you, I like ‘Horrifically good’!
The stuff of nightmares. Seriously shocking.
Thank you, Sandra. At least, I think so!
My children are older, but I still can so relate to the fear of losing them.
We never lose that, do we?
The moment you said, “What can possibly go wrong?” I knew we were in for some trouble. I’m going to go find some sunshine to try to melt these chills.
Sorry about that, Mandie
My worst nightmare – why do they insist on running off and always manage to find the most dangerous places? Also, never leave Dad in charge. Top quality as usual CE.
That’s their job, Iain!
Cheers
The stuff of nightmares! As a mother of four wriggling whirlwinds it send a chill down my spine and made me smile at the same time – well told!
*sent
They are elusive little beasts, aren’t they!
That escalated quickly.
I only have 100 words, no time to dilly-dally
Didn’t see that one. Hit me right between the eyes. Good shot! Loved it!
Thank you, very kind
Ok, didn’t see that coming.
I like to surprise
Having searched for a son at a zoo… I am only too glad we found him in one piece and not in the mouth of a lion…
Hey, lions have taste too…
Oh my, this rings so true. And I thought you would surprise is all by writing a sweet, sweet story. 😀 Horrifically good job.
Yeah, but no. Sweet, sweet is seldom my thing. Thank you.
Dear C.E.
You do know how to take idyllic and turn it into mayhem. The frightening thing is that this scene feels all too real. Great description of little ones–squealing wriggling whirlwinds. I raised three of those. Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Most of us have had moments almost like this.
Thank you
Dangerous places circuses, if the tiger does not get you, the big top surely will. 😊
And AnElephant will stand on your toes
You’re a great one for finding a paradise and poisoning it. Loved it
Isn’t that how it all started?