Friday Fictioneers – The world carried on

~ neilmacdon
crook-roof
PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

The world carried on just as before. Only without him. Helga brought the mail to his bedside – a postcard with quaint conical rooftops of gaily coloured tiles. He didn’t need to read it to know the sender – Donald. Donald was travelling again.

Rage filled him. Without legs he would never travel anywhere again. After the rage came despair.

“Take it a day at a time.” Helga patted his hand.

A groan welled up like a retch from an empty stomach and he turned his face towards the window. A sparrow on the sill cocked its head in reply.

 

Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here.

68 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – The world carried on”

  11. If Donald is abroad, (in the classical sense) then bed might be the best place for your character. The world will go on, though part of it has just shifted slightly on its axis. Well done.

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  12. Yes, the world keeps turning and yes we are still here – feels a bit odd, doesn’t it? Great take on the prompt and on recent events. Love the analogy between us, the legless, helpless and the postcard sending Donald – very clever

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  14. Loved the last para. Big fan of that sort of ending where you switch focus onto something else other than the main char i.e. the weather, a bird etc. Tiny crit….I was a little bit surprised to see such a literal take on the picture. For me the “conical rooftops” bit felt forced, almost clunky, didn’t really feel like a necessary part of the story. Could have been anything on the postcard.

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  19. Yes, the sense of having something precious, something taken for granted, amputated comes through loud and clear. Somehow it must go on. Vivid, angry, timely and great writing.

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  22. Great take on the prompt. It is a harsh reality that no matter what happens to you the word does indeed carry on. Nice writing, loved the phrase “A groan welled up like a retch from an empty stomach and he turned his face towards the window.” The sparrow was a nice touch.

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  31. Your character’s in a bad way. I hope he can find a little bit of rage again. Despair will get him nowhere and Donald can’t keep travelling forever. Interesting story. And I like the sparrow too.

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