PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook
If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.
Larry sat at his usual table by the window, always dinner for one. His wife had died when their daughter Chrissie was four. He tried to be a good Dad, but that ended with the drunken car accident. Chrissie was ten when she died and it was his fault.
A few weeks ago, he found he could go back, but only to that one day. He relived it all, terror making him tremble as he got her into the car. He returned to the present not sure if he had changed enough.
“Hi, Daddy.” Now it was dinner for two.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 15 September 2023 edition of Friday Fictioneers.
The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for crafting a poem or story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
This is loosely taken from one of my WIPs, a man who had always believed his drunkenness killed his little girl. The full tale is more complicated, but in essence, he finds he can fold his timeline back, crossing at ten years previously to change things, to save Chrissie’s life.
In real life, we don’t always get second chances, which is why fiction can be a beautiful thing. Hopefully, this shortened version still makes a complete story.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.
To read one of my published works of fiction, go see ICE.
At the end of time, the world is hot and men travel the vast oceans in merchant sailing ships. Captain Ki-Moon Yong of the Star of Jindo has discovered a new horror at the bottom of the world. Can he and the Star escape disaster long enough to warn a disbelieving world?Read the latest review of “Ice” HERE.
poweredbyrobots.com 
Temporal origami
LikeLike
Pretty much.
LikeLike
Oh my. So much sorrow and regret. And, it seems, very little redemption.
LikeLike
Yes, Linda. Redemption was the whole point. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like they say in India, when someone’s time’s up, they go. Nice buildup of the back story.
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLike
Mission accomplished (though it remains to be seen what his changes may have led to in the present)
LikeLike
I’m authorized to tell you it’s a happy ending. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So much sadness and guilt for one man.
I’m thankful for the happy ending.
LikeLike
Yes, it is. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So much guilt and sorrow – so glad for the ending James ❤️
LikeLike
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a tender-hearted twist. I would do just about anything to go back and change some things.
LikeLike
Wouldn’t we all. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome.
LikeLike
I think we all would like to be able to go back to some event in our past and do it differently. Nicely told.
LikeLike
Thanks, Margaret.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If he got his daughter back, it was worth it.
LikeLike
Indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lucky man he is, being able to travel back in time and getting rid of his guilt. But does he keep the memories of the old life?
LikeLike
Apparently so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great story. Am I understanding it correctly that he could only go back to that one day or did he have to choose one day: his wife or his daughter?
LikeLike
Nope. He was locked in to returning to any point during the day his daughter died. The option to save his wife wasn’t on the table. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ok got it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Guilt and regret are such killers
LikeLike
Yes. In real life, they sometimes win. In fiction, I can change the rules.
LikeLiked by 1 person