They call me Marcus. That’s not my name, but that’s what they call me. They have their reasons.
Storybook Corner: The Old Train
Matt climbed on the old, rusted train. “All aboard!” he shouted.
Sarah looked up at him from the overgrown grass beside the old tracks. “Seriously? You brought me all the way out here to show me a beat up, old train?”
“Just trust me and get up here.”
“I want to go home.”
Matt sat with his feet dangling off the train. “You’re always bitching about me not being spontaneous, but when I try to have a little off the cuff fun you bitch about that too. I can’t win with you, Sarah.”
She just stared at him. He hung his head and sighed.
“I’m sorry, babe. Help me up, okay?”
Matt lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. “No, it’s alright. A picnic out here was a stupid idea.” He hoped off the train and walked back through the trees toward their car.
Sarah pulled herself up onto the train. A blanket and picnic basket sat on the floor, surrounded by rose petals. “Matt, wait!” she called out, but he was already back at the car, staring at the ring he was going to give her.
Storybook Corner Prompt - Jan 2015
Welcome to Storybook Corner, a monthly flash fiction prompt held on the 21st of each and every month. This post will give you this month’s prompt.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story based on the prompt below.
The goal is to end up with a story with a beginning, middle, and end that falls anywhere between 100 and 250 words in length.
Make every word count, but don’t fret too much if you can’t hit the word count. Sometimes stories refuse to be constrained. Sometimes those are the only stories worth telling.
Try to read as many of the other stories as you can in the time you have available. We all work hard on our stories and like to share our work with as many readers as possible.
This month’s prompt will be the following image:
Share your links in the comments section here or on my story page when it’s posted and the other stories you read.
Happy writing, minions.
The Kind of Pain that Never Goes Away
PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Jan Wayne Fields
He set the table, as he did every Sunday, and stared out the window. He knew they wouldn’t come. They never did, not anymore. Still, he watched and waited, a sort of penance for what he’d done—a way to say sorry without actually saying the word again. He’d said it too many times. That word had lost its meaning.
He mentally replayed that night from so long ago. He wasn’t ready to let go of his regret—not yet, not ever. His wife and daughter were gone because of his mistake. He should have never been behind the wheel.
—
Written for Friday Fictioneers.
One Way Out
PHOTO PROMPT – © Copyright Jean L. Hays
“You think too much,” he said.
“You don’t think enough,” she replied.
“It’s playing mind games. I’d bet it’s on the other side of that door waiting for you to be stupid enough to open it.”
“How do you know?”
“Open the door and find out.”
She picked up a broken board from the floor and handed it to him. “I’ll open the door. You hit it.”
He shrugged. “If you say so.”
She yanked the door open. He swung the board. It cracked her skull when it connected.
He stood over her, laughing. “Told you it was playing games.”
—
Written for Friday Fictioneers. I’m not sure how I feel about this one, but I wrote it, so here it is.
Also, just a note. I’m starting my prompts back up. They faded away before, but starting this month Storybook Corner is back and starting next month Six on the Sixth is back. Please do take part. It’ll be fun. I promise.
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