The Unicorn Challenge.
A magical new weekly writing opportunity from her – Jenne Gray – and me.
Visit her blog every Friday to see the photo prompt, and post your amazing story in her comments section.
Or on your own blog, and stick the link down in her comments.
The rules are:
Maximum of 250 words.
Based on photo prompt.
That’s it.
To hear me read my story, just click here:
Arras
I’ve been living here for nearly three years now, quietly, anonymously.
With a population of over forty thousand, it’s big enough to stay that way for quite a while.
Although it’s just off the main route from Calais, and therefore the UK, to Paris, it’s too close to the Channel to be a natural stop-off for tourists.
Anyway I’m not concerned about being recognised by anyone from southern England, that’s never been my stamping ground.
Also, it’s less that two hours to Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, and only three to Brussels, so I can be pretty much anywhere in very little time.
It’s a fascinating town, too, with an underground tunnel network that housed twenty-four thousand Allied troops during what is ridiculously referred to as The Great War.
Arras is also the birthplace of Robespierre, central figure in the French Revolution and driving force behind the subsequent Reign of Terror.
And, according to sa mère, an all-round nice guy.
So why am I suddenly worried?
Face recognition software.
Some people have the capability to constantly scan the internet, searching every photo ever posted.
And I think I might have walked in front of a moron, sorry, an American, taking shots of the Mairie, the Town Hall.
So do I gamble, wait to see if he posts something on bloody Facebook, or some inane blog challenge?
Or do I resolve the issue now?
He’s staying at the Ibis Hotel.
I’ll be there in ten minutes.
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Luckily 1984 has come and gone without any of it’s dire predictions coming to pass.
(Gotta keep this short, I’ve lost track of time and it’s way past thirteen o’clock)
Fun story. I’ve never been a war history buff, but some artifacts are irresistible as your story capitalizes so well upon. In fact, I ‘stumbled upon the whole tunnel thing and Arras’ when trying to find a location in Europe to place a character (in order to account for some PTSD (known back then as ‘shell shock’) behavior upon returning home.
Cool
Nicely done!
Whenever I return from a trip abroad, I wonder how many fellow traveller’s photographs I unknowingly posed in! Now you’ve got me worried – not that I have anything to hide of course, why would I?
On my blog, you asked if I’d visited the tunnels. Until you mentioned it I’d forgotten, but yes, I have. I really need to dig out my old pictures.
Great story, a mix of fact and fiction.
I have my suspicions about you, K…
And which part of my story do you think is fiction, hmm?
Nice tense little story. I like that the conclusion is open-ended. I’m always stunned by how small the world really is. I once saw an old school friend on a busy street in Hong Kong. I was living there at the time, and he was a tourist from a cruise ship. I mean, come on now!
Thanks, Misky, and you’re right, it’s much harder to hide nowadays.
Less risky to grow a beard, wear sunglasses and a large chapeau when being a flaneur. 🙂
I was just going for une baguette, Doug!
Why would you want a small bag?
You prefer them big, do you?
A wee bit of necessary tourism and history to set the scene for whatever nefarious deeds your narrator has been up to.
And I reckon he’s not a gambling man.
That timely reminder of the horrors of ‘the war to end all wars’ – yeah, like that worked – twenty-four thousand men in an underground tunnel. I don’t dare imagine what that was like. No wonder men came back emotionally scarred.
The war wasn’t Great but your comments are.
Twice true, Doug
Fascinating area that, Jenne, front line of much of that ghastly conflict.
Visiting the tunnels is an unforgettable experience.
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Better pack a quick bag and run!!
Or just remove the problem at source, hmm?
Hey! Take that back!
I bet you were the town bully.
Me, Nancy? Nah, I’ve always been a real sweetheart!
Ha! I can see the devilish twinkle in your eyes from here!