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.
For this week’s prompt she presents us with a somewhat angst-ridden photo by good ol’ Douglas M. MacIlroy
But I am calmness personified.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on this picture, below.
© Douglas M. MacIlroy
Click here to hear the author read the short tale:
Hungry
Jings, I am starving.
There is nothing growing here, it is an arid wasteland.
I don’t know what happened, it has been dry, but even without rain you can usually find something.
I can eat anything, grubs, worms, insects, even berries or nuts, anything with a bit of protein.
But there is not a living thing in sight, nothing to sustain a body.
Unless I eat the sand which is here.
Well, you have to laugh, don’t you.
Oh well, needs must, I do need food.
Sorry, Tweety, looks like you are lunch.
Well done. Great twist at the end.
Hi there, poor Tweety. I liked the red herring of the speaker prepared to eat seeds, nuts etc. Well-played.
Hi Rachel, I do enjoy my little misdirection, that’s what makes it fun. Glad you enjoyed.
Funny stuff!
You gotta laugh, Dawn
Excellent as always!
Thanks, Clare, as always!
I thought it was the bird narrating the story and the twist at the end was unexpected. Entertaining story!
Good, that was my planned misdirection!
ha – pass the hot sauce.
and love your speaking voice too
Very kind of you, sir or madam
it is madam.. and wishing you a nice day sir
Nom, nom. Now pick those feathers out of your teeth.
I was teaching my mouth to fly
If Sandra was there, she’d fight you over the wishbone.
And she’d win!
Poor Tweety!
Could never stand the smug little git!
Ha! I never thought of Tweety as smug. I always kind of thought his cuteness won out. 🙂
‘Ello, I wish to register a complaint. In Medville you might manage to avoid “I’m a celebrity …”, but over ‘ere we don’t. Reading this reminded me of the ridiculous amount of publicity that resulted from a gang of z-listers on that programme killing and eating a rat.
Still, I’ll get over it. It was a really good story – easy to digest but filling enough to keep me going till tea time.
I managed to avoid it even when I was in Scotland. Bon appetit.
Those last lines are always something!
Thank you, that is what I aim for.
And then you got in that twist. Good one, CE.
I do try, Varad!
This built up nicely to that lovely twist at the end. Should have seen it coming but didn’t.
Thank you, LLoDL
I actually would eat the bird before the grubs… but I might be selfish that way… loved the twist.
You’re a real sweetheart, Bjorn!
A little mini-squab on the side there! Great one, C.E.!
Needs French Fries, I think
Desperate times, eating that stringy thing! Nicely told, C, with a great sense of desperation
And a bad joke, Lynn!
🙂
Loved this story. Didn’t know what was going to happen until the end. Great take on the prompt. Read your bio. I’m half Scots, but half Swede. I know so many Scots AND Swedes who are excellent writers!
Glad you enjoyed, Rosemary
Hahaha Oh, no. I thought I was in the bird’s head, only to find out the poor bird was on the menu. And I must admit, I always enjoy listening to you read these stories.
That was my intent, Mandie. And thank you, very kind.
Oh dear! Sounds like the end of the world as well as the end of Tweety Pie…
It’s just a bit dry, Penny!
That’s the rule of life. Eat or get eaten. 🙂
Or starve
Dear C.E.
Love the chuckle in the voice of the reader. Jings! This made me laugh. Is the Puddy Tat telling the story?
Shalom,
Rochelle
I love bad puns like that, m’lady, had to snigger a bit
Aw! Poor widdle Tweety biwd:
Nah, never liked him/her/it anyway
I thought you might have been narrating as the bird to start with, but no, as others say, a certain sad yet entertaining inevitability at the ending 🙂
That was my intent, Iain, I like to mislead
I thought for sure at the beginning this was the voice of the bird. But nooooo…. 🙂
That was my intent
Dang! Tweety is one of my favourite characters.
No, Tweety was…
Probably more bother than it’s worth to get all the feathers off!
Perhaps, but needs must
There is a terrible inevitability about it. You’re thinking “no. surely he’s not going to” and then he does
Thanks, Neil
Bad news for Tweety.
Yup
When needs must, become a canibird! Most amusing sir!
Click to read my FriFic!
Thanks, Keith