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 the picture (below).
This week’s prompt comes from J Hardy Carroll.
Click on this link to enter your tale, and to see what others have written.
© J Hardy Carroll
Click here to hear the author read his words:
Hotel Room
The problem with hotel rooms is that you never know who is next door.
Especially when you are in a casino hotel on an Indian Reservation.
The music thunders through the wall.
I groan, check the time.
3.17 a.m.
‘Stay there, sweetie,’ my wife says, ‘I’ll call reception.’
She slams the phone down abruptly.
I look at her in amazement.
‘High rollers,’ she snaps, ‘Reception say they can’t do anything until the manager gets here in the morning.’
The room is still vibrating.
I groan again, roll out of bed.
I dress, knock on next door.
I see a music device, surprisingly small for the din it creates.
The guy laughs in my face.
I show him my badge.
‘Get lost, detective, you have no authority here on the Res.’
His friends gather round, hurling insults.
I take out my gun, shoot the speaker.
Not the guy doing the talking, the thing making the noise.
‘Do I need to shoot anything else?’ I ask the stunned faces.
The speaker shakes his head.
The guy doing the talking, not the thing making much less noise.
I go back to bed in blissful silence.
The problem with hotel rooms is that you never know who is next door.
Sound Bite Fiction 
Ha ha ha ha ha. I absolutely loved what you did there. Such a smart little tale.
LikeLike
Thank you, sir, your comments are music to my ears!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked the repetition of the line that began the story at the end. I also enjoyed the clarification of which speaker the narrator was referring to. Very funny. A satisfying conclusion to the situation, shooting the speaker. Now hopefully he can get some rest.
LikeLike
I confess that I had fun with this one, Mandie.
Glad my little tricks worked for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I expect that’s how Dirty Harry would have resolved noise complaints if he’d been an Environmental Health Officer. Very cleverly written CE.
LikeLike
Thank you, Harry is only one of the inspirations behind this tongue-in-cheek piece.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely an excellent “sound bite” when it comes to silencing sound!
LikeLike
Well, well, what a delightful surprise to see you here, my dear Penny.
I am glad my little story amused you, but when are you going to treat us to a tale of your own, it has been far too long.
My love to all, as always.
LikeLike
Hi, C. Yes, long overdue indeed. I’ll see what I can come up with. Thank you. Will pass on to fam. All are doing great, wishing you well.
LikeLike
Ha ha, clever! I liked the double use of the line about not knowing who’s next door, Clearly that applied to both rooms, in this case!
LikeLike
I like that too, Joy.
It was the first line that came to me when I saw the photo, and I realised it was perfectly cyclic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes that “first line” comes to me too, and I have to figure out how to write the rest of the story around it, to make sense of it. You did a great job with that here.
LikeLike
Strategic move 🙂
LikeLike
Sometimes a man’s gotta do…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well done! Rhythmic creaking, loud snoring, thumping music – I’ve put up with my fair share during my travels – and that’s in my room!
LikeLike
Beware of the neighbours, Keith
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, many of us would like to be able to deal with noisy neighbours like this. Loved the ‘speakers’ duality.
LikeLike
That came to me as I was writing, Iain.
I love when that happens, and someone appreciates it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved the story, it felt like it could grow, almost like the start of a film
LikeLike
A slightly off-beat, trigger-happy cop?
Hmm, I think it’s been done before!
LikeLike
Oh, this is something we so wanted to do to inconsiderate neighbours some years back!
LikeLike
It is perhaps a tad extreme, but doubtless immensely gratifying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 🙂
LikeLike