Tag Archives: Friday Fictioneers

April 3, 2013

Just Following Orders – Friday Fictioneers

From Scott Vanatter with permission-Copyright- Indira

Just Following Orders

The general handed Marcellus the white signal flag. “Fly it from that far tree. The cavalry must retreat. We are being routed.”

Orders were everything. Marcellus ran, keeping low, but enemy archers spotted him. He climbed, arrows thunking against the trunk. A pain in his leg, then his shoulder. Then his back.

Must complete the order. Darkness finally swallowed his sight and he slumped, the flag suspended below him.

* * *

“The signal! What color is it?”

“White? No . . . it’s red!”

“A charge? Is he insane?”

“We must follow orders.”

Later, they called the charge that won the day the Marcellus Charge.

68 Comments | tags: arrows, battle, cavalry, fiction, flag, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, medieval, orders | posted in Dusk

March 27, 2013

The Light of Times Past – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

This Friday Fictioneer prompt was an interesting challenge. To me, it said primitive technology in the midst of modernity. So that was the jumping off place for this story. Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for the picture.

The Light of Times Past

“Great job, Shane. Those cybos didn’t have a prayer.”

Shane smiled and nodded. He stowed his blaster rifle, flew home, and threw the main breaker.

That time was precious—that hour he spent daily in the oil lamps’ glow, with not even a single LED breaking the spell.

Shane was proud of his job defending humanity from the cybo attacks.

But still . . .

He missed those days—doing homework and saying prayers by lamplight in that old wooden house, with its blue door and freezing outhouse.

He took out the old German Bible, opened the cracked cover, and began to read.

53 Comments | tags: Amish, Bible, cybo, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, nostalgia, robots, science fiction | posted in Dusk

March 20, 2013

You can Bait a Fool with Water… – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

I figured that this picture would inspire a lot of heart-warming tales (although we do get a lot of variety in the group). In any case, I decided to go in a slightly different direction…

You can Bait a Fool with Water…

“Careful.” (Nervous girlfriend.)

“Don’t worry; it’s got a blindfold on. It can’t see us.” (Cocky boyfriend.)

Just a little closer. (Horse looking at two oblivious humans through the fly-mask.)

“Hey, it’s doing a trick! It’s holding the hose in its mouth.” (Boyfriend, gawking.)

Yes. Trick.

Water splashes on electric fence, splashes on cocky boyfriend. Sizzling, sparking, collapsing, convulsing. Girlfriend runs to help.

More sparking, collapsing, convulsing.

She couldn’t help. Two unconscious humans.

Fall, my dainties, fall. (Horse smiles.)

Snaky tongue emerges from horse’s mouth, dragging unconscious humans under the fence.

Body ripples, teeth and claws grow.

Horse no more.

Dinnertime.

58 Comments | tags: creepy, fantasy, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, horror, horse, monster, trap | posted in Dark

March 13, 2013

A Lily Look-Alike’s Lament – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

This Friday Fictioneers story includes dark humor and white flowers. On a side note, I dare you to say the title five times fast.

A Lily Look-alike’s Lament

I’m making this video to say that I quit. It’s too hard. I came to this planet to make friends and have adventures, but everyone mistakes me for a type of local flora known as a lil-lee. I hate it when they stick their noses in my mouths, inhale deeply and say “ahhh”. I’ve always been ashamed of my body odor. They put me next to dead people too.

I’m going to throw myself out this window as soon as I can get . . . it . . . open.

I guess I’ll just wait for someone to throw me away.

Too bad I’m immortal.

63 Comments | tags: aliens, dark humor, fantasy, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, funny, lily, quirky, science fiction, suicide | posted in Light

March 6, 2013

Ghoulish Dilemma – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

Another story for the Friday Fictioneers writing group. I had several ideas for this picture, but ultimately went with this one. I have another one that is a bit longer I might post later, which is also based on this picture.

Ghoulish Dilemma

Bruce looked up from the note, to the high stair where a scrap of cloth hung. He started forward, but then hesitated.

What if the shirt was an illusion too?

44 Comments | tags: creepy, dilemma, escape, fantasy, fear, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, ghouls, horror, illusion, monster, note, stair, trap, tunnels | posted in Dusk

February 27, 2013

Ichiban the Great – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

It’s time for another Friday Fictioneers. I asked my wife what genre to write and she said, “romance”. So this is about as close as I get to romance. This story is dedicated to her.

Ichiban The Great

I told my wife I married her for her car. She laughed and called me an idiot.

Ichiban, as we called it, was dirty-diaper brown and shivered like a Floridian doing the Iditarod if you got it over 70 MPH. We lost the front bumper to a deer; the back one to a malicious fire hydrant. The hubcaps all took their leave at high speeds on various country highways.

Finally, we lost the roof to a firefighter trainee who Jaws-Of-Lifed it off, mistaking ours for the practice car. We just laughed and kissed. We had our convertible, top permanently down.

87 Comments | tags: accident, car, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, ichiban, jaws of life, junk, quirky, wife | posted in Light

February 22, 2013

Barnstormer – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

Well, I’m back from my rather long wander around some Korean islands. It was a wonderful time of hiking, exploring and being alone. Thus, I’m a bit late doing the Fictioneers story this week, but better late than never. I haven’t read any of the other stories in the group yet, so I hope we didn’t have the same idea.

Barnstormer

“It flies,” Rose said, looking out her window at the barn next door.

“Does it indeed?” her mother asked. “It looks rather rundown to me.”

“Well, it used to fly. Dr. Corbeau attacked it with his horde of bamboozles and smashed in the side. I’m going to build a better one though, with rockets, and I’m going to fly it all over the world, even to Easter Island! Do you think I can? Huh?”

“I know you can, dear,” her mother said, moving the pint-sized wheelchair over next to the bed. “Now let’s go. It’s almost time for your chemo.”

29 Comments | tags: barn, cancer, chemotherapy, child, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, imagination, travel | posted in Dusk

February 13, 2013

The Wrong Tourist – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for choosing my picture for this week’s Friday Fictioneers. This was taken in Jeonju, South Korea. Pungnammun, the historic south gate of the city is in the background.

He nodded when I pointed to the gate and proffered my camera. I walked towards it . . . and turned to see him take off running.

He picked the wrong tourist.

I screamed like a berserker and tore after him. He was almost at the road, a patch of wet cement between us.

That Nikon was two weeks old.

I made a flying leap and grabbed his ankle, just before crashing into wet goo. He flailed frantically but I death-gripped him ten minutes til the cops came.

We made the evening news.

I hear they put up a statue to commemorate it.

112 Comments | tags: camera, fiction, flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, funny, Jeonju, Korea, photograph, quirky, thief, tourist | posted in Light

February 6, 2013

This isn’t Stockholm, but still… – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

For all my Friday Fictioneer friends who may not have read my previous post, I’m going out of town for a couple days, but I’ll still try to read all your stories at some point.

The day started with such potential. I was flying to meet a gorgeous Russian woman. We were in love.

Now, twelve hours later, I’m tied up in an abandoned paint factory while “Veronika” and her thugs figure out how to get five million dollars for me.

Apparently, it’s bad to tell strangers on the Internet that you’re a millionaire.

Still . . . the gentle way she tied the ropes; the way she didn’t taser me like she threatened to. I think there’s a spark there.

I’m just going to sit here and work on my winning smile until she comes back in.

76 Comments | tags: flash fiction, Friday Fictioneers, kidnapping, quirky, ransom, Russia, Stockholm syndrome, travel | posted in Light

January 31, 2013

Amalgam – Friday Fictioneers

By David Stewart

Another installment of the close-enough-to-Friday Fictioneers.

I wake up at the workbench again, the dust of my unconscious labors packed under my fingernails and my hands aching from clenching the mallet and chisel all night. I recoil as I see what is emerging from the block of plaster: Morpheus and Hephaestus—Dream and Craft—overlapping and melded into a macabre amalgam; a thing which cannot be, yet is. It is a thing I feel myself slowly becoming.

People marvel at my sculptures at art exhibits. They beg me to share my secret inspiration, but I just smile.

Because I honestly don’t know.

And it scares me.