© Google 2014 – Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mamadou, Karla, and Bonte were trapped in the alley by the policeman.
“I’ll give you little street rats what you deserve,” he said, unzipping his trousers.
Mamadou was nine, the oldest, and Bonte was eight. The boys got in front of five-year-old Karla, for though man would abuse them all, he would start with her.
“We’re just trying to get some food.”
“I’ve got what you need right here.” He exposed his genitals, which was a common and hated sight to them.
Then a huge shadow blocked the light from the street.
“What is…?” He stopped talking and gazed up at the dragon in terror. A swat of her tail, and he lay broken on the ground.
“I will not hurt you, children.” Her voice was a mother’s kindness. “I will take you home with me.”
Three pairs of eyes were wide with wonder as they entered a different world.
I wrote this for the What Pegman Saw writing challenge. The idea is to use a Google maps image/location as the prompt for crafting a piece of flash fiction no more than 150 words long. My word count is 150.
Today, the Pegman takes us to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. I found my hook when I read about the estimated 20,000 children living on the street, almost a quarter of them beggars, and how they are frequently abused by the police. I leveraged my “Davidson Children” story (I finally finished the first draft of my novel), since the dragons’ city in exile is a haven for abandoned and dying children from all around the world and across human history.
I figured these children could use a mother.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com.
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Fantastical 😄
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Thanks, Kelvin.
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Literally so.
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Excellent. Those children need a hero like that!
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I agree, Karen. Thanks.
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The thought that an outside force might set right some of the evils of this world is very appealing. I like the way you personify such a force as a dragon with a mother’s kindness.
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Nice. I think I would like to see “Davidson Children” when it is ready to be released to the world.
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There’s a lot of work between here and there, not the least of which is to get the time to work on it. I may have to give up on writing fiction online for a while.
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I like this. Reminds me a bit of Roald Dahl’s The BFG and a bit of A Dance of Dragons where Daenerys Targaryen is saved by her dragon children.
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Dear James,
Every child should have a mother dragon. Imaginative piece.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. We’ve had the grandkids for several days, so getting on the computer is kind of difficult. Right now, my grandson is still asleep and my granddaughter is hanging out with Daddy and Bubbe.
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A well crafted story – I love the Dragon providing natural justice with a flick of her tail.
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With only 150 words, justice had to be swift. Thanks.
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I love that the motherly dragon came to save them. Magical piece, James.
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Thanks, Dale.
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hear – hear – had me cheering after fearing
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Your inspiration was a sad truth but I’m glad you gave the children protection and hope, even if only fictional hope
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Even in fiction, I have a very hard time leaving children in danger.
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Nice touch, the part about his nakedness being a common and hated sight to them. It really makes you feel the revulsion the children must feel, and makes you desperate for them to find a way out of their abuse. Thank you for providing it!
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You’re welcome. Thank you for liking my story.
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