Category: Fiction

WritePhoto # Folly

KL Caley is the host of WritePhoto

Welcome to the weekly #writephoto prompt!

A folly is a building usually constructed strictly for aesthetic pleasure. I think this one is a little gem, what do you think? 

The Folly
The Folly – Image by KL Caley

For visually challenged writers, the image shows an almost symmetrical brick folly with gothic style arched doorways at either side.

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I first came across this word when as a young girl I read “Dead man’s folly” by Agatha Christie. I didn’t know what a folly was!

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It was midnight and Jackie couldn’t sleep. It was always the case when she was in a new place and for the first few nights, sleeping well was a struggle.

She and Rob had decided to shift to this old place left to her when her aged aunt passed away. The house was old but modernized with indoor plumbing, central heating, and a modern kitchen. The grounds were vast and included a folly. Coming from America, she wasn’t very familiar with this idea but was taken with the quaint structure.

She decided to walk in the moonlit garden to tire herself so that she may fall asleep. As she strolled in the lawns she detected light in the folly. She approached it cautiously and quietly. What she saw there was astounding.

Two ghostly figures were there having an animated conversation. A man, and a woman. The woman looked like her deceased aunt and the man was undoubtedly her father!

The two ghosts paused as they felt her presence, and greeted her with joy. Jackie didn’t believed in ghosts but seeing the evidence before her eyes she couldn’t dispute their existence. She didn’t feel any fear or awkwardness in their presence as they were family after all, albeit deceased.

After a couple of hours of talking with them, she returned to her bed and slept soundly. Next morning, she didn’t remember anything except as a dream.

Maybe it was a dream after all!

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#Keepitalive

#WritePhoto

Reena’s Xploration Challenge- Deja vu!

Reena is the host of RXC

PROMPT #199

Here is a piece of dialogue.

“You came back.”

“But we are meeting for the first time.”

It is not necessary that you use the lines in your piece, though you are free to do so.

Imagine the situation and write a piece based on it.

That’s it.

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Recurring dreams of
Meeting her again one day
Looking everywhere in vain
Feeling disappointed



There’s an image in his mind
And any girl he meets has to fit
For him it’s like he has lost
One half of his soul, that he seeks



Finally he saw her one day
Excited he went up to her
So you came back he blurts
Excuse me! Who are you? she said



The moral is clear in this tale
You are looking for your dream
But that person may be dreaming
Of someone else entirely!


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The last lines are inspired by lines from a famous Urdu gazal, 

“Main khwab hoon kisi aur ka 

Mujhe dektha koi aur hai”

#Keepitalive

#RXC

Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge – Hard to believe

Fandango is the host of Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge and FSS

Welcome to Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.

The image below is from writerscentre.com.

(For the visually challenged writer, the image shows a man standing alone in a field gazing at number of freestanding doors.)

Fandango Story Starter # 11

Peeking through the window, her surprise turned to horror when…

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Tim was indecisive about his next step. He asked Dora for advice regarding his decision. Dora, practical and pragmatic as ever told him that relocating to another city was not wise. He may be getting a fancy job title, but the pay and benefits weren’t great. And the cost of moving would offset any advantage he might have.

After having a long discussion, Tim agreed with her and decided to reject the new job offer and stick to the one he had for the last 5 years.

So it came as a great shock to her when he came home the next day and informed her that he had resigned from his current job and would be traveling the next day to join the new job.

“And what about the discussion we had?” she ask, irritated.

“I did a rethink and took advice from a friend, who told me that this offer is too good to miss!” Said, Tim

“Well, in that case, you will be responsible for all expenses and botheration of moving. I’ll join you when you have set up the new house” Dora replied and stomped out of the room.

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#FFFC

#FSS

Reena’s Xploration Challenge # 194

Reena is the host of Reena’s Xploration Challenge

Welcome back!

PROMPT #198

I just give you a situation.

Somebody returned a few articles you had lent to them. One of them is not yours.

What could be the story or reason behind this? Is it accident or oversight? Is there a hidden message somewhere? Is it intentional?

Who is the real owner of this item? What do you intend to do about this? What are your innermost thoughts on seeing and feeling this item?

This item can be physical – like a book or tool, or something with metaphysical connotations. I even had a thought about a baby or pet from a daycare.

It is something that isn’t yours, but is making its way into your life.

Go where your imagination or memory takes you

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There is a school of thought in our eastern culture that when you borrow something from someone, and it’s time to return it, give a little bit extra. People who have borrowed an empty dish would return it filled with some home-cooked delicacy.

If you’ve borrowed an item of clothing, you’d wash or get it laundered before handing it back. Similarly, after borrowing a vehicle, it will be returned with a fuller tank of gasoline. All this to show appreciation for the kindness the lender has shown.

But sometimes, it’s the reverse, and the extra added to the returned article isn’t welcome at all!

I lend you my prized possession

I expect you to take good care of it

But you proved yourself unworthy of my trust

Dilly dallying when it’s time to return it

After many reminders you reluctantly brought it back

A big unsightly dent in the side door marring the beauty

Of my beloved, my first second-hand car

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#RXC

Fandango Story Starter # 10 – Reunion

Fandango is the host of Fandango Story Starter

It’s time for my weekly Story Starter prompt. Here’s how it works.

This week’s Story Starter teaser is:

My hair stood on end, a shiver raced down my spine, and a lump came to my throat when I…

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My hair stood on end, a shiver raced down my spine, and a lump came to my throat when I accidentally ran into her again.

I wanted her to see me, recognize me and yet the idea scared me too. It had been three years since we parted. We were best friends since school, and our friendship was broken on a very petty issue.

Now seeing her again I felt that how wrong it had been and how much I’ve missed her company and our friendship!

Deliberately I moved to a place where she could see me. At that instant she saw me. There was a tentative smile on her lips. I instinctively smiled in return and we both walked towards each other. After exchanging hugs we talked non-stop for hours.

The rift was healed as if it never happened. I was glad that I took that first step.

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#FSS

MLMM- Photo Challenge # 384

Weejars is the host of Photo Challenge

Photo courtesy of Jonny Joo, One Big Photo.

http://www.onebigphoto.com

Use the above image as inspiration for a poem or short story.

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Broken down ceiling, depilated fixtures

The abandoned theater, a testament to changing times

No one visits here, it lies barren and lonely

Out of business, out of favor, it lies forgotten

Until that strange incident brought limelight to it

The screen lit up with moving images no one had seen before

Bright and other-worldly, they carried unusual intensity

People walked in out of curiosity


But no one walked out of there again……..

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#PhotoChallenge

Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge – Difficult choice

Fandango is the host of Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

Welcome to Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.

For the visually challenged writer, the photo is of woman sitting on a chair in front of a bathroom sink and putting on a head on top of her body.

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Anna 3024 was the perfect humanoid. She looked human, talked like one and could make intelligent conversation as well. The only problem was the facial expressions. She had only one type of expression.

After a lot of failed experiments, the scientists came up with an acceptable solution. They gave her 4-5 heads with different expressions. She would swipe the head which had the most relevant set of expressions.

Today she was in a quandary. It was her mission to appear as a talk show host and convince the audience that she was human. Which expression was best suited? She sat there and was having a hard time deciding!

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#FFFC

Three Line Tales

Sonya is the host of Three Line Tales

Welcome to Week of Three Line Tales.

photo by Ivan Aleksic via Unsplash

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Sheena was very nervous as it was her first day of teaching the undergrads.

She spent the night tossing and turning, and finally got up before dawn, and decided to go to the university early.

The classroom looked spic and span and everything was ready to welcome the students when she suddenly realized that today was Sunday!

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#3LineTales

Tale Weaver- Sound of silence

Stephanie Colpron is the host of Tale Weaver

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to lose one of your senses? Or have you even experienced it? 

Today I invite you to write a tale from the perspective of someone who has lost the sense of hearing. All they hear now is “the sound of silence” if you will.

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The hearing loss was gradual, not sudden. At first, she found peace when it all went silent. When the high-pitched tinnitus gave way to a peaceful silence, she was at ease.

But this relief was short-lived. She felt that she was excluded from all the family business because she couldn’t hear or understand what they were discussing.

Her friends also took a step back because they felt inadequate and embarrassed, dealing with her. But Carolyn was made of resilient stuff. At the age of 55 she started learning sign language and soon mastered it.

Now though her world was silent, she still could communicate with her loved ones. It dawned on her that if life closed one door, it opened another.

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#TaleWeaver