Temporary Shelter – Friday Fictioneers

Friday Fictioneers is a weekly group hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who chooses a photo prompt to inspire writers to produce a 100 word piece of flash fiction. Do use the link to her blog if you are interested in joining the group. It’s a great way to get involved in writing.

icy window.png

Temporary Shelter

Adira stared at the window. A pale sun was rising, glinting on the ice. She closed her eyes again and tried to remember where she was. Her head throbbed with the effort.

She woke with a start some time later. They had been out hill walking. The temperature had dropped suddenly and a snowstorm had come unexpectedly. She had slipped and fallen.

When she recovered consciousness she had seen the crofter’s cottage and somehow dragged herself to the door. It had opened at her touch.

Now she could barely move. “Help me”, she whispered. But there was no-one to hear.

The need to know – Friday Fictioneers

plane at sunset

The need to know

The door at the end of the corridor opened into a small room. The walls were lined with shelves full of books. She had never seen so many.

She pulled one out. A diary, hand-written with photographs. It opened at a page entitled ‘The sun sets on air travel’. She remembered her grandfather telling her about various forms of transport. There was nothing now. All lost without trace.

Hearing voices, she pushed the diary into her bag. She had to have it. It might explain what happened, help her understand.

Outside the building, the sun sank slowly below the horizon.

An error of judgement – Friday Fictioneers

piano

An error of judgement

The clash of cymbals heralded the arrival of the clowns who somersaulted to the centre of the room. Their leader raised a glass to toast the newlyweds. The clowns cheered and leapt onto each other’s shoulders. With a whoop, the topmost of them dived head first into the piano.

Silence from half the room punctuated by raucous laughter from her family and friends.

Her new husband couldn’t hide his displeasure in time to meet her glance. The stony faces of his mother and father met her eyes. It was suddenly very clear to her. She had made a terrible mistake.

In the depths of despair – Friday Fictioneers

helmet

PHOTO PROMPT © Douglas M. MacIlroy

In the depths of despair

Driven to understand the catastrophic events that brought civilisation crashing down, he had found his way to the place where the last known survivors had sought shelter.

He picked up a large copper bowl and wondered what function it had served. Some kind of headgear, he guessed. He tried it on and gasped in horror. An instrument of torture! The pipes had been used to pump in gas or fluids. The windows framed a victim’s suffering. The bolts … He shuddered.

Unthinkable. Impossible. Such depraved human behaviour.

A noise from the corner. He lifted the helmet and saw the child.

Only time will tell – Friday Fictioneers

mill

Thanks to Piya Singh for this week’s photo prompt

Only time will tell

“Though the mills of God grind slowly; yet they grind exceeding small.” The line came from a book of poetry passed down through the family. Her heart sank. Why had she remembered it at this particular moment?

She glanced across at the man appointed as her protector. He looked at her and smiled. With him watching over her, life had changed. The bitter disappointment that followed her carefully arranged marriage had been swept aside.

He came up to her and gently stroked away her frown.

She prayed to the God whose existence she doubted. Prayed that He wasn’t paying attention.

Edith M. Field

Month: June 2016