Tag Archives: Friday Fictioneers

Photo copyright David Stewart

They said it would be lonely at the top. They obviously haven’t sat in this executive’s chair.

A sycophantic (but inconveniently indispensable) assistant dogs my every step; I’ve got to make like David Copperfield to pee in peace.

There’s always some new upstart scrambling up the corporate ladder, thinking it’ll be easy to get his name on my door.

I worked hard to earn this position and the million-dollar view that comes with it. I won’t be ousted anytime soon. As long as I’ve got the strength to lift my foot, these Jimmy Choos will keep kicking that ladder over.

This is my take on David Stewart’s photo prompt for this week’s Friday Fictioneers. It’s a more literal interpretation of the picture than I would have liked, but I just couldn’t shake that scenario from my mind.

Photo copyright Janet Webb

“Where d’ya think yer goin’, dressed like dat?” Daddy slurred from his chair, slinging back another finger of Jack. “You turnin’ inta a tramp, just like yer mama.”

Daddy’s been in the bottom of a bottle since Mama defected from the family three years ago. Every ounce of kindness in him has been pickled. But the familiar accusation stings more than usual tonight. I’d actually hoped he might smile like he used to and call me his little princess.

“It’s prom night, Daddy. We talked about this, remember? Right now, most fathers are telling their daughters how beautiful they look.”

Exactly 100 words for this week’s installment of Friday Fictioneers, the place where anyone is welcome to link up with his or her own little story spun from the photo prompt offered by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.

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Posts I commented on today:
Tea–a haiku with photo (This, That and the Other Thing)
Who Does the Dress Belong To? (Short Stories and Random Thoughts)  new blog of the day
Day 27, Monday: A Letter To My Readers (The Sock Zone)  another new blog

Photo copyright Ted Strutz

“What flavor’s your despair tonight, Lace?” Hal asked, slipping a newly-dried glass into the overhead rack. “Cosmo? Heineken? Merlot?”

“Shirley Temple.”

Laughter exploded behind the bar. “Shirley Temple?! You yankin’ my chain? Really, what’ll ya have?”

“I told you. Shirley Temple. Lots of ice.“

“You on the wagon, or somethin’? What gives?”

“It’s for the kid.”

“What kid?” Hal peered suspiciously over the bar and warned, “You know I don’t let no kids in here.”

Suddenly his eyes shot to Lacey’s lap. Stunned, he could barely croak, “You shittin’ me?”

“I told you you shouldn’ta drove me home that night.”

Once again I’ve joined the Friday Fictioneers in a humble attempt to tell a whole story in just 100 words. The action and emotion of these stories are always clear in my mind (should be, since I know everything that wasn’t said), but I’d welcome feedback on anything that I’ve missed which makes the story unclear.

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Posts I commented on today:
West Seattle Murals (Where’s my backpack?)
Quiet in the Corner (Two Shoes in Texas)  new blog of the day
Besting your Best (The Better Man Project)

Photo copyright Kent Bonham

She had trailed her quarry carefully through the raucous throngs, but in a moment of distraction he had slipped from sight. Estrella was terrified—her safety depended on shadowing his every move. Anxiously, she scanned the crowd from the cover of a building that also seemed masked for Carnival. Her costume camouflaged her among the revelers; could he still find her?

Familiar cologne penetrated her fear just as a strong arm snaked around her waist. Estrella struggled mightily in the vise-like grip, loosing herself just enough to twist and throw her arms around her captor’s neck.

“Papá, there you are!”

After a couple weeks off, it feels good to be back in the swing of Friday Fictioneers, trying to capture a story inspired by the week’s photo prompt in only 100 words!

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Posts I commented on today:
A Roof with a View (anelephantcant)  new blog of the day
3 May 2013 (Rochelle Wisoff-Fields–Addicted to Purple)
Handling Rejection (castelsarrasin)