Sunday Photo Fiction is a weekly challenge presented by Susan Spaulding, who has taken over this great weekly prompt from my old friend Al Forbes.
This week’s somewhat bizarre photo is by the lady herself, and puts me in relaxed holiday mode.
So nothing too stressful today, okay?
The idea is to write a short story (200 word max) inspired by what you see in the picture (below).
Click on this link to enter your tale, and see what others have written.
Click here to hear the author read the tale:
The Hero
We decide on a pre-wedding holiday, taking her 8-year old son along.
He and I get on pretty well, but it gives us some bonding time before we all move in together.
Deep sea fishing is my passion.
I hire a little boat and take Fred out into the ocean.
She waves us off happily and goes for a spa or some such.
We are not too far out when I see the fin.
It is huge for these parts, heading straight for the boat.
The stunning impact sends Fred hurtling into the water.
I manoeuvre the boat between him and the shark, haul him in by the strap of his life-jacket.
The shark circles and follows him, launching itself onto the deck.
The boat rolls over, and we are all in the waves.
I grab Fred and a boat hook, and watch for the killer.
It seems confused by the wreckage so we strike for shore, futilely.
On its next attack it takes the boat hook and a chunk of my arm.
I realise the situation is hopeless.
There is no way we can both survive this monster.
I push Fred into its path and head for safety.
Oh wow. I did not expect that end line. I should know better with your writing, those killer lastblnes. My nightmare I think, shark attacks. I loved the ‘Jaws Vibe’ that this shark wouldn’t give up, but it’s very sad. I don’t know if he let the little boy livel that the little boy would’ve made it back to shore. Been able to swim. I think that might effect his decision to give the shark the boy as disgusting as I is. It’s logical, but still wrong. I hope the little boy haunts him. What a terrible end. Shivers. Hugs again and for the last two; wonderful stuff.
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Ha ha ha. I’m sure the son’s sacrifice will not go in vain, and it shall be a wedding to remember 🙂
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Jaws to the rescue, saving one guy from marriage😊
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I was hoping both would make to the safety of the shore.He did try to save his step-son. Now the wedding wont happen, I guess.
https://ideasolsi65.blogspot.com/2018/09/holiday.html
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Great of you to push Fred and show your survival instinct. Did not expect it, I find it a great twist in the tail. Good for an interesting end to a short story.
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Un peu dure la fin de ton histoire non ? rire
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J’ADORE !
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I have a feeling the wedding won’t be happening!
Click to read my tale
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Maybe not, but the guy has a shark bite trying to save the lad!
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Fred dies saving his step-father to be. What a brave hero!…
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Laughing. Yeah, but no!
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Damn, you lured me in there. I allowed myself to believe you’d created a good guy. How could I fall for it? Good writing, that’s how. This is a really good take, CE.
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Thank you, JS, always pleased to mislead my reader.
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I am thinking the end goes something like this. Fred survives and is washed up on some far away beach. He grows up to take his revenge years later.
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Laughing. I do enjoy when a reader gets so involved he writes his own sequel!
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I just had too. I couldn’t leave the kid as shark food!
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There is a Hindi movie on this theme- the ady thrown to crocodiles comes back for revenge after plastic surgery.
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Ahh do I am not original. Alas! 😉
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I have read there is no originality in the world. We just put together the same elements in different ways.
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I read somewhere that there are only 63 (I think) possible plots, obviously with variations. But we should not fret too much about this, I don’t think Shakespeare wrote anything original either.
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That is a consolation. I am not particularly fond of musical remixes, but after reading this, it doesn’t seem so bad. 🙂
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As Solomon once said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
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Everything that we see first appears to be new, and thank God for that.
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True story. We get to experience it for the first time and that is exciting to us even if it is old hat to God.
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