Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #47

631C0C3A-17FB-4C14-80D2-14D7982C4696

Unsplash.com

Clear blue skies greeted our family of four, as they piled into the family car and began their journey to their holiday spot. The drive was long and when they reached the bridge connecting their town on one side to another town on the other side, the traffic was horrid. Everyone was honking but nothing was moving.

There it was, our family was stuck on the bridge. The mother was shouting over the radio and their two-year-old boy’s crying, while their ten-year-old daughter was complaining about everything, from how hot the car was to how she wanted to be with her friends instead of going on a holiday trip. The father stared moodily out the window, wishing for something – anything – to end this nightmare.

The sky became darker without warning and everyone, out of curiosity, looked out the window. What looked like a dark cloud was fast approaching the bridge. Against the wind.

Everyone started screaming.

A giant foot had appeared of nowhere toward the bridge!

The father knew he should run but out of morbid fascination, stayed where he was and stared while the mother was screaming and shaking him. The giant foot landed precisely where their car was, flattening countless other cars and destroying the bridge at the same time. Then the giant foot lifted and came down on the same spot. Again, and again.

And again…

“No,” the mother narrowed her eyes at her son. He showed her his toy cars and pieces of his Lego. “I’m not going to buy you new toy cars and Lego. I don’t know what you were thinking but I saw you stomping on them!”

The little boy scrunched up his face, about to cry. Perhaps he should have thought through his story more thoroughly…

Thus, the tragedy ends!

(300 words)


If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to “Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.” Each week I will be posting a photo I grab off the internet and challenge bloggers to write a relatively short flash fiction piece inspired by the photo. While there are no definitive style or word limits, I suggest trying to keep your posts to under 300 words.

For the visually challenged writer, the image shows a two lane bridge spanning two mountains along a coastal road high above a deep gorge or inlet.

I hope this week’s image will generate some great posts. If it inspires you and you wish to participate, please write your post, use the tag #FFFC, and link back to this post.

Thanks to all of you who have participated in these challenges so far. Your posts have been very creative. Please take a few minutes to read the other responses to this photo challenge.

Prompt: Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #47

Advertisement

Twittering Tales #153 – 10 September 2019

Photo by Nadiya Ploschenko at Unsplash.com

The Wait

Through the blinds, he saw the sun rays fade and he grinned.

The day was over and he was free to roam the streets, terrorising the town! Oh yes, it would be fun indeed, he thought as he touched his gleaming fangs.

At last, it was finally dark!

“Mom, can we go trick-or-treating now?”

(280 characters)


In the spirit of Halloween, I present to you trick-or-treat!

Maybe I jump the gun too soon.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a photo prompt. Your mission, if you choose to accept the challenge, is to tell a story in 280 characters or less. When you write your tale, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. This is important as I have noticed that some of the ping backs have not been working. If you would prefer to post your tale in the comments (some people have very specific blog themes but still want to participate), I am happy to post a link to your site when I post your tale in the Round Up.

Prompt: Twittering Tales #153 – 10 September 2019

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #37

#CCC37

Pride

He lies under the colourful umbrella, in his colourful underwear. He savours the soft caress of the summer breeze and drifts into slumber to the lazy lull of the ocean waves.

“Would you look at that man? Shameless! What’s this world coming to?”

He cracks open one eye, peering at the couple.

The woman is pointing at him. Her partner is shaking his head. “I don’t understand why they would defy God in that way,” the man sneers.

This time, he lifts his head and pulls his sunglasses off. “Hark, ye love-hating hypocrites! Thou dare speak on behalf of God? Doth thou hast no shame? Such venomous words dripping from thy mouth! Begone, ye hell spawns!”

The couple, startled by his reaction, hurry off. They do not even dare to look at him.

Cowards, he thinks and lies back down.

He does not take any shit. Not today.

(148 words)


The whole story seems prosaic. The only thing remotely interesting is probably the shift to Elizabethan English. I always enjoy inserting Elizabethan English into my stories to insult people, making the entire scene ridiculous.

Disclaimer though, I can’t be too sure of the authenticity of my use.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

  • An answering photo
  • A cartoon
  • A joke
  • A caption
  • An anecdote
  • A short story (flash fiction)
  • A poem
  • A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
  • An essay
  • A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

  • Your creative offering is indeed yours
  • Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

Prompt: Crimson’s Creative Challenge #37

Three Line Tales, Week 178

inflatable flamingo and unicorn on a white sand beach

photo by Kong Jun via Unsplash

The Pink Swan Float

The little girl hangs up her pink swan float which her father spent half an hour blowing up and walks out to the water where her whole family is.

It is a sunny day out at the beach and her family is just one of the many families to enjoy the summer vacation along the coast.

No one could have imagined the exceptionally low tide is just a precursor to a 35-metre high tsunami; the pink swan float is the only survivor.


I would have loved to give it a happy ending but I just couldn’t resist killing everyone. Maybe it goes to show just how much I need my alone time after work. Hah!

In any case, after writing the story, I went to check the highest tsunami on record. Turns out the highest tsunami record is 30-metre (about 100 feet?) high. I’m glad I stick to 35-metre high because I originally wanted to go 50-metre high.

I always have trouble estimating distances and time. *shrugs*

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

You’ll find full guidelines on the TLT page – here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
  • Link back to this post (& check the link shows up under the weekly post).
  • Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
  • Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
  • Have fun.

Prompt: Three Line Tales, Week 178