PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
Doctors would have called him neurodivergent if they had been able to submit him to various standardized tests. In truth, Terry (he liked the name for some reason so gave it to himself) was far more alien than that.
He thought he may have started out life as a normal boy, but as he grew older, his parents became afraid, especially after the neighborhood pets started messily dying.
The amusement park amused him, but the sign “Maximum 50” was being flaunted. There were a lot more than fifty people in that park. Terry decided to do something about the excess.
It’s Wednesday and time again to participate in this week’s edition of Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image at the top as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
The word neurodivergent got stuck in my head and (with apologies to neurodivergent people and their families) in true Stephen King tradition, I decided to make a horror story out of a simple idea.
I focused on both the amusement park and the speed limit sign, putting them together in an unusual and scary way.
Promotional image for the anthology “Ruins.”
To read other stories based on the prompt or to include your own, visit inlinkz.
The science fiction anthology Far Futures Four is now available for purchase in Kindle or paperback formats. It features my military SciFi short story “Awash on Titan’s Shores.”
Next there’s:
Across the vast expanse of space and time lie the remnants of civilizations that reached for the stars—and vanished. Silent cities carved into asteroids. Derelict megastructures drifting between galaxies. Temples buried beneath the red sands of dead worlds.
This book contains 13 bold tales of humanity’s encounters with these cosmic ruins.
That’s how the narrative for the Kickstarter for “Ruins: A Space Opera Anthology” begins. The anthology contains my short story “Sunrise.” The kickstarter is at well over 80 followers now and growing. Please consider contributing to this effort or even passing the information along.
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Oh dear, that doesn’t sound like a happy ending is on the cards. I like the literal-ness and lack of emotion you have conjured here, mirroring Terry’s. Chilling.
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Thanks and no, it’s not going to be happy.
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Omg! Truly chilling, James.
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Thanks, Lisa.
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You’re welcome!
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So much for the sign that marks how tall you have to be to get on this ride.
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Good thing Terry didn’t see that. Thanks, Russell.
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Oh my… No good will come of him.
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Not really. Thanks, Dale.
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Yikes. Terry sounds scary!
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He really is, Will. Thanks.
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Oh dear! That went dark fast.
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It did indeed. Thanks.
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He is a danger to life, please catch him before it is too late.
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Someone probably will. Thanks, James.
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Oh dear, this doesn’t bode well!
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It does not, Keith. Thanks.
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Yikes, what a creepy character. Well done.
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Thank you.
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Oh dear! It’s a speed sign, Terry! Don’t shoot!
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Who says he has a gun? Thanks, Nancy.
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sounds like he will help “decrease the surplus population” and get it back down to under 50… ha
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Yes, that’s exactly what he plans. Thanks.
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He sounds more psychopathic than neurodivergent. Your story gave me a chill, James!
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Probably so, Brenda. Thanks.
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