PHOTO PROMPT ©Dale Rogerson
If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.
Angelique walked with beauty and silence into the alleyway. It was overgrown and filled with lost, neglected, and leftover items. She loved it.
These urban lending libraries were common and had been around so long no one gave them a second thought. Bring a book you want to share, open the door, exchange it for something you want to read, shut the door, and leave. What could be simpler?
Removing a tattered fantasy novel, the witch placed her ages old copy of the Necronomicon inside. Cage had exactly twenty-one minutes to fetch it and start the end of their world.
Once again it’s Wednesday and time to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 28 June 2024 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image at the top as a prompt for crafting a poem or short story no longer than 100 words. My word count is exactly 100.
I really do love old, overgrown, junk-filled alleys. They seem like such interesting places and tell many compelling stories. Books. What did I want to do with books. An urban lending library seems like such a benign thing. It would be a shame if someone used it for malevolent purposes (insert evil laugh here).
To read other tales based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.
This coming Saturday, June 29th, my flash fiction horror tale “Olivia Comes Home” will be featured for FREE in the 11th issue of the SciFanSat e-zine. As I recall, some earlier version might have been a “Friday Fictioneers” story a few years ago.
In my Kindle Vella serial Our Legacy, The Stars: A Tom Corbett Adventure, Chapter 12 The Daedalus Link, Astro, Captain Steve Strong, and scientist Joan Dale are trapped on a frozen world. Strong and Dale have disappeared, and in his powerless “Space Mobile,” Astro is close to freezing to death. Can Tom an Roger on board the Polaris save Astro in time and solve the mystery of Strong’s and Dale’s disappearance?
I see that to keep reading, you need to buy “tokens” from Amazon, but they’re 99 cents for a hundred, so that’s not too bad. Remember, this is a 16-chapter story, so there are only a few left. Don’t miss the climax of Tom Corbett’s adventure in space and find out who the real villains are who promise to menace Earth.
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There always has to be that one person who comes in and ruins things…
This alley is particularly lovely and well-kept.
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Yes it is. I know. There’s a troublemaker in every lot.
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Absolutely!
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Im wondering if Cage is going to turn up in time…
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The spell holding the lending library shut expires in 21 minutes so he’d better hurry. Otherwise, someone else might get a hold of the book.
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I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
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As you should. Thanks.
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Dear James,
That certainly took a dark turn. Shudder.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Indeed. Thanks.
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I loved the dark turn, but wasn’t expecting it
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Thanks, Kevin.
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Spooky story. I loved it!
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Thank you, Rosemary.
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Oooo a great place for mysterious messages !
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I agree Laurie. Thanks.
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A book exchange indeed!
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They never said what kind of books, Clare. Thanks.
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Sounds like trouble is brewing! All those times I’ve driven by the library without a second thought…
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Sorry for the late reply, Angela. Your comment ended up in the spam filter.
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Not a problem!
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With a bit of luck, something will delay Cage and save the world.
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Then someone else will find the book. How will it affect them?
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Let’s hope there’s an intrepid hero around to foil Cage
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We’ll see. Thanks, Neil.
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What a great idea to use the lending library as a messenger box. We all need a good witch who doesn’t want the world to end.
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She doesn’t want the world to end, she wants “their” world to end, whoever “they” are.
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I hope Cage knows what the plan is. Or maybe the witch is depending Cage doesn’t?
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They’ve coordinated their efforts.
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To hide her secret weapon in plain sight, so to speak – genius. I’m not sure how i feel about the ultimate plan, but I’m hoping ‘their world’ isn’t our world. Mysterious ending.
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I guess we’ll see, Margaret. Thanks.
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Diabolical!
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It is indeed, Dawn. Thanks.
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