PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
“Have a seat.” Jackie’s voice was young and encouraging.
“Learn to play guitar at my age?” Anxiety from the time he tried learning the trumpet when he was ten surged in his seventy-one-year-old chest.
“Learning something new will keep you young,” his granddaughter said. “It sharpens the mind and…”
“There’s nothing wrong with my mind,” he complained. “I’m still inventing and just made a breakthrough.”
“I know you like music,” she said.
“Sure, as a consumer,” he said. “Look, I know you’re trying to help, but my time machine’s warmed up by now. August 15, 1965 and Shea Stadium await.”
Cover art for the anthology “Fantastic Schools Familiars”
It’s Wednesday and time once again to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Field’s 26 September 2025 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.
I admit that I got stuck for a moment when I saw the photo. Then I remembered a parody video my sixteen-year-old grandson sent me by text last night. It’s a gag about Doc and Marty from “Back to the Future.” I won’t go through it all, but after Doc creates a time machine from the Batmobile, he talks about all the things he wants to do. One of them is to see the Beatles perform at Shea Stadium in New York. That happened on August 15, 1965. You can read more about it HERE!
Cover art for iSoldiers anthology by Shacklebound Books.
Most schools start a music program for kids in late elementary school and mine was no different. When I realized I was just copying the finger positions for the trumpet without really learning the notes, I decided it wasn’t for me. I still remember it being nerve-racking.
Did Jeff invent a time machine or is his mind really beginning to “go?” I guess we’ll never find out.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.
October holds two upcoming publications, both containing one or more of my short stories.
“Fantastic Schools Familiars” will feature my short story “Dead Cat Fever.” What happens when a fifteen-year-old girl must retrieve a stolen magic book from a murderer? What happens when her only ally is a dead cat possessed by a demon?
“iSoldiers Anthology of Military Science Fiction” will contain four of my military SciFi drabbles. The skill to create those “100 word” stories was honed right here on “Friday Fictioneers. Preorder at Amazon for delivery to your Kindle device October 10.
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I want to believe that Jeff created a time machine. Perhaps more fun than learning to play an instrument.
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Seeing the Beatles perform live would be a lot of fun if you could stand the noise and the crowds.
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Cool premise, James. I don’t need a time machine; I reallly was at Shea Stadium, August 15, 1965.
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Oh, wow! Great! I hope you enjoyed yourself and have a lot of good memories. I was eleven years old at the time and living in Las Vegas.
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It was the most exhilarating event of my very young life; the memories will stay with me for the rest of my days.
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Well I hope he makes it he’ll be in for a brilliant experience😃
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If he does, he will. Thanks.
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,and some people will to let go of the past – also when do the young think that older people need help to stay young?
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Opinions vary. I guess whatever inspires you to action keeps you going.
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James I have a TMBL (time machine bucket list) waiting for the day.
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Try not to change the past too bad. 😀
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LOL no promises 😉
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Jeff has created a Time Machine in his mind. Scientists say music triggers memories. Lots of great things happened at Shea stadium – The Beatles, Rusty Staub, Joe Namath, The Who, the 1986 World Series champions…
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That’s true. I can hear a song that I haven’t heard in decades and it can bring a lot of things back with it.
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perhaps he should bring his daughter with him. that would be cool. 🙂
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i meant granddaughter. 🙂
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Maybe.
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Oh, wow, I’d love to have a time machine and go back to see the Beatles perform! I am a lover of music. I just am not good at creating it. I’ve tried voice and piano. It’s no good for anyone around me. 🙂 Creative story, James!
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Thanks, Brenda. I also have no talent for creating music. I guess that’s why I write.
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