PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
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“1857 Maisonneuve Blvd.” Marie held addressed envelope she’d received from her priest. The outside of the building was painted so colorfully, belying her desperateness.
Timidly, the small-town girl walked in the door marked “Catholic Community Services.”
“May I help you?” The receptionist was as young as Marie.
Mutely, she handed over the unsealed envelope.
After reading the enclosed letter, the woman gave it back and pointed down the hall. “Room J in the back. Knock twice and walk in.”
“Thank you.” Marie nodded and approached the indicated door. She prayed that the exorcist would be able to help her baby.
It’s once again time to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields 5 May 2023 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to take the image above and use it as a prompt for crafting a short story or poem no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
Through the miracle of Google maps, I was able to find the exact address of the building. I used a portion of it in my story. The “Foundation of Catholic Community Service, Inc” sign over the door sent me in the direction of exorcism. Imagine every community Catholic charity running a covert exorcism operation in your town or city.
To read other stories inspired by the prompt, go to inlinkz.
My book retro-SciFi space opera “The Aliens” has just been accepted for publication by Starry Eyed Press. To read more including an excerpt of the story, go to the full announcement.
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I don’t think this is going to end well
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Maybe the exorcist will be successful.
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And the child will be irreperably damaged
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Of that, I have no doubt.
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Desperate times call for desperate measures. Intriguing.
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Former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic, had priest perform an exorcism of her home in San Francisco after her husband was attacked by an assailant who broke in some months ago. I guess this is still a thing.
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I didn’t see where that one was going to end up. Now I would want to know more!
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I saw the 1973 film “The Exorcist” in the theater with some friends back in the day. I definitely don’t want to know how it turns out. 😉
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Of all maladies to afflict an infant (born or prenatal) the worst would have to be demon possession. I’d be real interested in hearing the symptoms the mother gives.
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That’s just the thing. The story is left open for actual demonic possession or some sort of delusion. Maybe the exorcist will help talk her down and help her realize it’s the Mom who needs help, not the child.
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Thanks for the explication, James, I like the ambiguity of it.
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It’s so funny, because I cut off the name of the street for the photo! Good sleuthing, James. And I think she has made a terrible mistake…
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Only time will tell. Thanks.
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Indeed.
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Excellent!
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Thank you.
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You creates a sense of mystery and tension and left me with a sense of trepidation for the outcome.
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Thank you. Yes, the outcome can be many things including rather horrible.
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Oh no, that poor baby.
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Indeed.
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we tend to believe what we wanted to believe. in that case, exorcism might work for her baby.
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There are a number of factors involved including the possibility (because this is fiction) of an actual demonic possession.
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Well, that ending was a surprise. That poor baby! I wonder what the symptoms are. Intriguing!
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Thanks. There’s only so much I can do with 100 words, so I guess we’ll never know.
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I know what you mean! 100 words can be a very tight challenge. Sometime we have to leave it hanging.
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Not looking like there will be a good ending. Well done.
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Probably not. Thanks.
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