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 one of her own.
Click here to hear the author read his words:
Tony Casquette
Well, well, imagine that.
As Willie Shakespeare might have said, who’da thunk it?
Portuguese Tony is not as dumb as he looks.
Some of you might recall that I was asked to, erm, solve a wee problem.
He was that wee problem.
Or rather, his big mouth was.
He upset a lot of people.
The wrong people.
The people who pay me to solve wee problems.
So I took the appropriate steps.
Nearly.
It did not go quite as planned.
So right now I have my own problem.
Tony.
I’ll try again, more carefully, when I get out of hospital.






‘Twas a flattering twist at the close!🐬💦
If I amused my second favourite Mermaid, I am happy.
Oops. He may have underestimated Tony.
Very perceptive of you, Sascha!
Tony is like another Steven Segal or Chuck Norris! 🙂
Laughing.
But a tad more Portuguese than either of those gentlemen!
Gently does it, now. Everyone thinks a wee problem is easy to deal with, but if you are complacent those wee problems become an enormous headache. From a simple job of replacing a light build to electrocuting a grass can be tricky.
Oh I’m in hospital and now you’re full of advice!
Thanks a bundle, bud!
Really liked this, very Damon Runyon
As the great man said, all life is 6 to 5 against!
I enjoyed where you took the idea of steps. Next step? A Tony redux.
Well spotted, Alicia, steps come in various forms…
Oh dear, Tony wins again!! Great little tale
Thank you, sir, but I ain’t through yet!
Wee Tony turned out to be a big problem!
I’ll be back!
gotta live and learn somehow. 🙂
The hard way, in this case!
A ‘wee’ problam? Was that deliberate? Good story.
Don’t think I understand this, Liz, but then I’m pretty dense at the best of times!
He’ll leave hospital more determined than ever I’m sure! Having said that, I hope he doesn’t succeed, we’d miss Tony!
Here’s mine!
I’m baffled by how everyone is rooting for Tony!
What have I done?
I like how he’s determined to finish the job even after his little hospital visit!
Yes, “Willie” Shakespeare was famous for spouting “who’da thunk it” around ye olde pubs of Stratford-upon-Avon 🙂
He was a rough and ready sort, Big Bill!
A lot of depth in such a short tale, ce. It reminds me of the seasoned gunslinger who hasn’t recognised that it’s time to retire when younger, faster people arrive on the scene. I can’t help thinking that your hero’s employers will put him into permanent retirement before Tony gets his chance. And hospitals can be very dangerous places…
Gosh, you are a ray of sunshine!
I was putting it down to a minor mishap, a moment’s carelessness, but suddenly I find I’m on the scrapheap!
I was talking about the character, not about you, ce. Unless …
Laughing.
I did get that, John.
Until you said ‘Unless’
Hmmm…
You set me wondering whether your stories might be a more autobiographical than I’d thought. No disrespect intended, but I might start sleeping with one eye open just in case.
I chuckled at the last line, C.E. Tony is not as easy to eliminate as some of your earlier “problems.” Every hero needs a formidable foe.
Some characters are hard to bump off!
Even with one foot in the grave, you can’t keep a good (or bad) Portuguese Tony down.
Yeah, we’ll see…
I love hearing you read your tales! Geat ending.
Ronda
Thank you, Ronda, much appreciated
I love the way this one turned out. And I always enjoy listening to you read your stories.
Thank you, Linda. Twice.
By the way, I was investigating the possibility of reading my own stories aloud, and in the process I discovered my computer’s internal microphone has been damaged. Rats! Maybe I’ll have to investigate a different method, or I could just drop it. Oops. Unintended play one words. I did drop it–my computer that is–and perhaps that’s what damaged the microphone.
You could try talking to your phone and transferring it, but then you probably need an MP4 to MP3 conversion, bit of a hassle.
Yeah, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort. I was just curious about it.
Hurrah! Eagerly awaiting the next episode…
I suspect there will be one eventually…
A laugh-out-loud story, CE! Good ol’, bad ol’ Tony – I’m delighted he’s still generating carbon dioxide!
A veritable bad penny, Penny!
Flypaper Tony. Not so easy to get rid of. The last line made me chuckle.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Glad to hear it, m’lady
Yay! It’a alive! It’s alive!
Like Sherlock Holmes, he is back by public demand
I love how you’ve clearly conveyed such a big story in so few words.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thank you, Susan, glad you enjoyed