Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the wonderful Rochelle, the undisputed master of what I call Sound Bite Fiction.
She sets the weekly challenge, the standard, and the prompt photo.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on the picture below, which this week is supplied by Ted Strutz.
© Ted Strutz
Click here to hear the author read his words:
Birthday
It’s my birthday.
I stroll into town, reflecting on my life.
Children walking in hand-holding pairs take me back to my own childhood.
I went to school in three different countries, but not France, where I now live.
The winters are wonderful, so mild compared to Scotland.
I am anonymous here, just an old guy who sits outside a café, reading in the sunshine.
Everyone talks to me, no-one knows me.
I like that.
I am a very private individual.
The kiddies remind me it’s time to decide on my birthday treat.
The dark-haired one with big brown eyes, perhaps…
Sound Bite Fiction 
P.S. Now my brain needs a shower.
R
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Sorry, Ronda, I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes the muse takes me places that disturb me too.
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OH I love how you end with a ZINGER!
Ronda
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Happy Birthday! 😉
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Laughing here.
You are a bad lady!
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Right up to the end you had me liking the guy, then Wham! Excellent.
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Thanks, Liz, always happy to misdirect a reader.
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Wow, what a sting in the tale, after quietly painting a picture of the quiet man. Like the story.
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Thank you, glad you did
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Yes, I suspect their little bones get stuck in your teeth these days.
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Laughing.
James, I don’t eat them, I’m not a savage, sir!
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I get strange looks when I tell little children, ‘I used to like children, well I went to school with them – but nowadays since I am old I find the bones tend to stick in my teeth.’ The old jokes are not as funny any more.
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Oy, you are the master of a chilling twist!
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Thank you, Brenda, you are very kind
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Great twist on the end!
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Thanks, Russell
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Well, that went dark very suddenly!
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Thank you, Ali, that was my intention
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Interesting debate you had going with Penny there, CE. There are many sides to that debate. Another macabre masterpiece offering just the slightest glimmer that it won’t end badly and then dashing it at the end.
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Indeed, Sandra, censorship is an ongoing and perhaps insoluble debate, sometimes due to national cultural differences. The US ‘gun good, nipple bad’ approach is baffling to, I suspect, the vast majority of Europeans.
On this challenge, lacking your unparalleled ability to describe entire dynasties in 100 words, I tend to go for the short sharp shock for impact.
Thank you for ‘macabre masterpiece’, much appreciated.
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OMG so dark! Unexpected, so very cool. Those sort of stories where you’re thinking ‘benign’ and then the twist are excellent.
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Thank you, Trish, I do like to surprise my reader if possible
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Whoa… that is some story! A friend took this photo and I liked it knowing some good stories would come. This was more than good. You can see her work here… https://instaology.com/
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Thanks for the photo and for the link, Ted.
I love her stuff, especially the b&w, scattered a few ‘Likes’ around.
Here in France young schoolchildren, less than 10 or so, when out on a school trip, always walk in pairs, holding hands.
I love to see this, it warms my heart, so I have no idea where such a bleak story came from.
Glad it worked for you.
Cheers
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I wondered how you would handle this prompt, I was not disappointed
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Thanks, Mike, sometimes the muse is very very dark…
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I feel dirty just reading that last line.
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Then my job is done here…
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I think I’ll send the paparazzi to find you in that cafe, just for the heck of it … 😉
I like the picture you painted with words! 🙂
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I’ll be sitting outside in the sunshine, feel free to drop by anytime.
Glad you liked, Na’ama
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🙂 ah, that sounds very tempting! 🙂
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I would be shocked if there weren’t something sinister lying in wait. I still recognize your gift for the macabre twist.
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Thank you, I think ‘macabre’ is a polite word here
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…so it was you, and now we all know!
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Fiction, Keith! It means it’s a made-up story!
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Mostly I chuckle at your murder and mayhem, knowing the victims are actors, the blood fake and the intention – and usually the result – to provoke laughter.
This story is different. If it gave some insight into why some people are like this it might be justifiable, but it doesn’t. It deals frivolously with a horror that far too many children endure; you could easily have such a person in your regular readership – and how would they feel?
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Do you think we should censor what we write in case our words upset a reader, Penny?
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In a word, yes.
I don’t necessarily think we should censor what we write, but certainly I feel we should self-censor what we publish. And, before you ask, I have done so myself.
Upsetting a reader isn’t the sole criterion I would use. Sometimes it can be good to upset someone, if it draws attention to an important issue, or if it brings some useful insight.
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As I said to Sandra, above, I doubt that there can or will be overall agreement on censorship.
I know of several people who have stopped visiting my blog because they don’t like or approve of the content, and I have no problem with that.
I hope, however, that you will continue to visit and voice your opinion.
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Dear CE
Thank you for your courtesy and fairmindedness. I agree that censorship is a tricky area. For the record, I feel self-censorship is a little different from imposed censorship (which I view with great scepticism).
I shall certainly visit your blog again for your FF stories. Mostly I find them very entertaining!
Shalom
Penny
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I wasn’t prepared for this kindly old gent to take off his mask and reveal a predator. Shivery.
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Shivery is good, thank you, Linda
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Dear C.E.
I recognized this very private man. Makes me cringe. The last line, I mean.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I understand, m’lady.
Unfortunately we don’t recognise the private man in our midst.
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Always a twist! This is the perfect start to a good thriller.
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I try, Colline, I try.
But I’m not sure I could write more on this topic.
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Well it is no wonder he prefers his anonymity.
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These people live among us, Fatima
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Scary! Nicely narrated. 🙂
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Thank you, twice
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You are welcome. 🙂
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Whoa did this story turn sinister at the end or is my mind warped? Great twist from my thinking!
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Your mind may well be warped, Tannille, that’s not for me to judge!
But yes, this story turned sinister
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Haha good writers are warped, that’s what I tell myself.
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Such a nice old geyser. Until that last line
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Nobody’s perfect…
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