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.
And the prompt, which this week is a photo by C. E. Ayr.
Hooray for me.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on this picture, below.
© C. E. Ayr
Click here to hear the writer read his words:
Safely Home
She is home.
She gets out of the car, gathers up her parcels, and lifts her bag.
She looks around, knowing she is safe, but still nervous.
It takes time to get over an experience like that.
A tall thin man.
A long thin knife.
She was walking home then.
Now she has the car, has parked right outside her house.
She climbs the steps, fumbling for her keys.
She smiles, wondering if her husband is home yet.
As she reaches for the lock, the door opens.
And there he is.
Smiling.
A tall thin man.
A long thin knife.
Sound Bite Fiction 
I find few things more terrifying than murderous stalkers and you wrote that tension and horror perfectly. What a story for such a lovely picture you gave us (thank you!).
I should have expected the ending, but was frightfully startled nevertheless. One more who’ll confess over at Rochelle’s, I’m afraid.
LikeLike
You lull the reader into a false sense of security, and then… BAM! Nicely done!
Thanks for the picture prompt this week. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for the lovely photo-prompt.
she is home but not safe. The rhythm of the story was song-like but the ending ave me goosebumps. No person has to open such a door.
https://ideasolsi65.blogspot.com/2019/06/property.html
LikeLike
Yes, I really enjoyed the rhythm the repetition contributed to the story. These long thin men, they slip through the tiniest cracks, don’t they? 😉
LikeLike
Beautifully written, CE and rather chilling.
Best wishes,
Rowena
LikeLike
Great picture and a great story to go with it. Creepy!
LikeLike
Ah! Creepy twisty ending nicely done. Definitely gave me the shivers!
LikeLike
Psycho all over again, terrifying.
LikeLike
Thanks, James, terrifying is excellent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Damn, I hate when that happens. Nicely done.
LikeLike
Surely not an everyday occurrence for you, Jo?
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL not lately.
LikeLike
Dayum…hate when that happens!
LikeLike
Yeah, Dawn, you’d just have panned his lamps in, as we say in Scotland!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was trying to prepare myself but to no avail. I had shivers at the horror of her opening her own door to the person of her nightmares. Fantastic writing!
LikeLike
Sorry, Brenda, but I love your ‘shivers at the horror’!
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May be tall thin man with a long thin knife is trying to tell something to her. If he wanted to hurt or rob her, he could have done it earlier.
LikeLike
Maybe, Abhijit, or maybe he was foiled the first time and is back to try again…
LikeLike
Like the repetition. Strange that this lovely picture has almost universally produced darkness and death-dealing stories… 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, sir.
Yes, maybe it’s the flowers…
LikeLiked by 1 person
wow. Love the repetition here, even if I was expecting the tall thin man, and the long thin knife. Well done, as always!
LikeLike
Either I’m predictable or you’re becoming jaded, Sascha, always fearing the worst!
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You develop and then explode the tension so well in this piece. Such a shame, though, to use such a pretty house for so morbid a tale. But then again, it IS your picture, so …..
LikeLike
Thanks for your kind and thoughtful words, Sandra, much appreciated.
It’s my picture and I’ll kill if I want to…
LikeLiked by 2 people
…no surprise there…kind of like, it’s my party….lol
LikeLike
Creepy, creepy! My story is similar but I refused to read anyone’s until mine was written, so total coincidence. LOL!
LikeLike
Ooh, I like ‘Creepy, creepy!’
I’ll be round in a minute to see yours
LikeLike
Such a pretty house with a horror tale ending.
Love the photograph … very, very sweet house.
Congrats on the photo selection by Ms. Rochelle.
Isadora 😎
LikeLike
It is a neat place, isn’t it?
And our mighty leader picks great pics every week
LikeLike
You built that tension beautifully.
LikeLike
Thank you, Liz
LikeLike
I would accuse Maxwell Edison, but always uses a silver hammer. Much more dignified.
LikeLike
Yeugh! Blood spatter everywhere, a knife is much more elegant, I think.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Silver long thin knife man!
LikeLike
Oh christ, thats really evil.Good stiuff
LikeLike
Laughing.
I love ‘really evil’!
LikeLike
At least he has follow-through. He will get the job done.
LikeLike
Laughing. That seems likely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems like the woman can’t avoid her fate. Whether that is to kill or be killed is another matter. Chilling story, CE. And thank you for this week’s prompt photo, which I found very inspiring.
LikeLike
Thank you, Penny, chilling is good!
Glad the photo worked for you, kudos to our leader.
LikeLike
Very alliterative. Nice story
LikeLike
Thanks, Neel
LikeLike
Wonder what she had done to upset the tall thin man, or maybe he didn’t need a reason.
LikeLike
Some guys are just mean, Iain, we can’t all be out in the leafy suburbs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shudder …
LikeLike
I like ‘Shudder …’
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dinner might be a little late this evening, I guess.
LikeLike
Laughing. Really, Sandra, that’s your priority, feeding your face?
LikeLike
You see? That’s why she killed you off ! 😉
LikeLike
As Big A nearly said ‘See you around’!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, no! Her worst nightmare coming true! You built this perfectly, step by step—fear, safety, horror! Really well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Linda, very glad it worked so well for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d like to think it was her tall thin husband who’d just been peeling long thin carrots but I fear not. Thanks for the pic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your fears are well-founded, Keith, no carrots were hurt in the production of this story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is really scary, C.E. It’s beginning like a great thriller or murder mystery. It seems this guy had been stalking her. A good story and writing. —- Suzanne
LikeLike
Thanks for the great picture that made these stories possible. That’s a lovely house. 🙂 — Suzanne
LikeLike
Thanks, Suzanne, happy it worked for you.
And thanks to Rochelle for choosing the photo.
LikeLike
Oh my word, this is scary!
LikeLike
Yes, scary is good, thank you!
LikeLike
Creepy and awesome. Great writing. And thanks for the great picture!
LikeLike
Thank you, I like ‘Creepy and awesome’! And thanks to our hostess for selecting the photo.
LikeLike
Kinky play, we don’t know about?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Um, no, but feel free to drop by anytime!
LikeLiked by 1 person
lol
LikeLike
Yeah, sorry about that, but at my age, y’know…
LikeLike
I had it coming!
LikeLike
Dear C.E.
And another one bites the dust. It was Colonel Mustard in the parlor with a long knife. Rhythmic and chilling.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Thank you, m’lady, I like ‘Rhythmic and chilling’
LikeLike
Lovely repetition. Like a fairy tale
LikeLike
Glad it worked for you in a Grimm sort of way, Neil!
LikeLike