PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
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Jeffrey stood at the bottom of the steps confronted by a barrier and closed doors.
“The bloody thing’s closed. Dodged that one,” he said aloud.
He was turning to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard her say, “Where do you think you’re going?”
He gritted his teeth behind his lips, then choked out, “It’s closed, Marcia”
“Keeps folks from sleeping on the landing. I can unlatch it and have a key.” She pulled him up the steps.
“I don’t want to dance,” he complained.
“Come on. It’s fun.” The gleam in her eye was evil.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 29 March 2024 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
Have you ever noticed that your friends sometimes try to involve you in the activities they love, even if you’re not interested? I went through a lot of that when I was younger.
When I was nineteen (at the dawn of time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth), I had a couple of friends who were taking jazz dance classes. They roped me in but it only took a couple of (horrible) lessons to find out that I had two left feet. Never again. That also happened with things like tennis and ice skating. Just because someone else loves and is good at something doesn’t mean it’s for you.
That’s the dilemma that Jeffrey’s in, poor guy.
To read other tales based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.
My science fiction short story “I Don’t Want To Be Human” is currently featured in the anthology Spring Into SciFi 2024. If you choose, buy and download it onto your Kindle device. Once you read it, don’t forget to leave an honest review.
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Perhaps he could take her train spotting in return
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I had to look that up. I didn’t know trainspotting was an actual hobby. Thanks.
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Another one I can relate to this week, not being much of a dancer myself! Maybe a few drinks to loosen up and he will get into the swing of it.
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I know what I’m like after a few drinks and I don’t think it improves my coordination. 😉 Thanks.
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Indeed.
Pre-drinking: Nervous and jerky steps out of time with the music
Post-drinking: “Caveman…DANCE!” Wipes out multiple servers carrying full trays and punches hole in wedding cake before landing facedown in a fountain.
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That about sums it up. Thanks. Jeffrey better run now.
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I can understand wanting your friends to enjoy what you do… and I will allow for one try. But if it doesn’t work, the friends must understand and not push. Now, if it’s a spouse, that is a more delicate thing… ;-) Nicely done, James.
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It is indeed. Thanks.
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😊
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Great piece of writing, James!
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Thanks.
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Sometimes the only thing those coercive friends will accept (‘I don’t want to’ never works) is to do as you did with the jazz dance classes. For some perverted reason those friends want to see you make an ass of yourself. Playing devil’s advocate though, they probably got good at it through practice, and you could probably “unleft” one of your feet is you wanted to (which you don’t.) Human relationships are messy any which way you look at them. I enjoyed your story.
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All these years later, it’s still a somewhat painful memory. The only benefit is that I can say that I at least tried it and it didn’t work. Thanks.
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You’re welcome.
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Hahaha 🙂 He couldn’t dodge that one, could he? Maybe he’ll meet a lady with two left feet and they can then conspire to escape.
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Marcia is his girlfriend, so he may be doomed. Thanks.
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What is it with guys not wanting to dance?
Are they hard-wired that way, like never asking for directions? ; )
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I think there are guys who like to dance. Jeffrey and I just aren’t those guys. The last time I danced it was with my wife at my brother’s wedding. That was some decades ago. She doesn’t like dancing either so it’s a good match.
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I should have said “this is a rhetorical question”!
I was pretty much pulling your leg, James. I know some guys who are real rug-cutters … my son’s father-in-law, for one. His wife doesn’t dance, though, so he’s always looking for someone to dance with.
Ever since my knee replacement and my husband’s hip surgery, we limit ourselves to slow dancing which does have its benefits. 😉
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It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. My husband, though an avid tea drinker, will concur with that.
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Terry and I have discovered “swaydancing” in our old age. You just hug and sway to the music. It’s the only way he can dance since he smashed his heal several years ago. But–at least we’re still upright 🙂
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True enough. It’s not something the missus or I ever feel drawn towards.
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That ‘evil’ look in her eye makes me very sympathetic toward Jeffrey! Dancing is not something to be dragged into…the dance floor is the worst place in the world to be standing still.
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I agree. Thanks.
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Oh, that evil glint in her eye speaks a thousand words. I don’t think she’s going to take no for an answer. Poor fellow.
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Alas, not. She thinks she’ll get him to love what she loves. Might not work out. Thanks.
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I like to wiggle about, but I’m not a dancer. I have 2 left feet as well. Well told!
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Thank you.
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What a memory you have draw out of my mind, fabulous
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Thanks, Michael.
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“the gleam in her eye was evil,” says it all. I like the verbal dance and the agony of being controlled.
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Good relatable story, in that not everything is for every one.
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True that, Dawn. Thanks.
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Haha, that’s very true. Friends do that, but we do that to our friends too. And you don’t need to be good at something to love doing it. How else would we have discovered new things back in the dinosaur days (which was my youth as well). My absloute no-go was karaoke.
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We also discovered things we didn’t want to do and yes, I’d avoid karaoke like a rattlesnake.
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Oh my! Here’s hoping she doesn’t push Jeffery too hard. Dancing can be humiliating if it isn’t your thing–not that I’d be speaking from experience or anything, of course… ;).
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Hopefully, he’ll find a way out. Thanks, Angela.
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Poor Jeffrey, I hope he didn’t have to suffer for too long and that they got to do something that he enjoys afterwards. It would be only fair.
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Maybe Marcia will make it up to him somehow. Thanks, Heather.
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