PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot
“I’m in a city somewhere.” Rand stood on the sidewalk looking at his reflection in the windows of the building across the street. He pulled out his wallet.
“Yeah, plenty of cash and a credit card.” He stopped when he saw the name and address on the drivers license. “My picture, but from a long time ago.”
It got worse when he saw the expiration date.
“That was decades ago.” He looked at his reflection again. He was so young.
“What happened?” Then he remembered the wish he made. He had been dying. Cancer.
A voice said, “Welcome to Heaven.”
It’s Wednesday and time to participate in this week’s edition of Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image up above as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
Cover image for my novel “A Wobblegong and His Boy”
I haven’t had a lot of sleep in the past couple of nights. It’s early, and the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. I think this story is a result of too much social media and being bombarded with OPPs (other people’s priorities). The idea that what is important to others MUST also be important to me.
The image reminded me vaguely of when I lived in San Francisco back in the 1970s and early 80s. I could never live there now, but back when I was young, it was very exciting with lots of opportunities. Life also didn’t seem to be that complicated, but then, with no internet, the only bombardment came from the news.
I’m sure when I wake up, I’ll perceive Heaven as a much more peaceful place.
To read other stories based on the prompt or to contribute your own story, visit inlinkz.
The big news is that this coming Friday, March 6, my novel “A Wobblegong and His Boy” will go on pre-sale. It publishes two weeks later on March 20. For more, visit Raconteur Press (scroll down a bit).
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Let’s hope Heaven is all it’s cracked up to be
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If it’s there, it should be.
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I always knew heaven was not what they said it was!
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Maybe it’s whatever you want it to be.
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Love the way this went step-by-step and then the wonderful ending! Really nice!
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Thanks, Clare.
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I hate it when that happens! I wonder who or what he’ll be next?
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Beats me. Maybe a coffee shop in downtown is the perfect place for him.
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Dear James,
It’s better than Sebastian Cabot saying with a laugh, “This is the other place.” 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Doesn’t look hot enough. Thanks.
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A hopeful tale.
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He’s hoping so. Thanks, Dawn.
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My first time here, I believe, and what an interestingly beautiful, twist of a story.
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Thank you, Angela. Welcome.
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I hope we don’t need our driving license in heaven. An interesting idea of both time and place.
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Depends on what your perfect environment would be like. I suppose if you wanted to be perpetually young in one of the most exciting cities in the world, a driver’s license would go along with the deal.
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..and a top of the range car.
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Oooooo well I hope the coffee is amazing in heaven
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It better be, Laurie.
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I guess he’ll be drinking Chock Full o’ Nuts from now on; it is, after all, “the heavenly coffee”.
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I wouldn’t know. 😉
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Very hopeful, I’m thinking!
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Thanks, Chris.
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excellent details so I could feel his being stumped and like wondering the year.
Also, from yoru notes- I hope they can improve some of these cities that are having so many problems – and agree that most of us perceive Heaven as a much more peaceful place. I am just not sure how those streets of gold will handle the Pirelli tires I will have on my car!
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I think Heaven, like nostalgia, is an idealized version of what your perfect environment would be. No traffic jams, coffee’s always hot and good, no homelessness, the list is lengthy.
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Thinking back at a time before social media does feel a bit heavenly innocent. But back then we were troubled about different things. Fun story, individual stories of heaven sound so much better than what some people want us to believe, and I like the explanation too.
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I think the general concept of Heaven or Paradise is someplace where we feel at home, comfortable, and stress-free.
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at first I thought it was time travel, but I guess it would be confusing dying and arriving in heaven. Interesting that he is a young man, I’ve wondered about that (not that I believe in heaven but I still wonder about it), how do we manifest after death? When I think of my mother who has passed I don’t see her as she was before dying but as she looked in middle age in her 40s and I have no idea why that is.
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There are differing theories about how we appear in Heaven and since it is supposed to be a place of peace and devotion to God, either we’ll be seen in our idealized state or whatever state we’re in won’t matter because our attention will be on the Almighty to worship Him only.
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Ah, heaven! Youth restored? Maybe. I certainly wouldn’t want to be there as a nearly-80 year-old, but then everyone else would enter heaven at whatever age they died. Interesting to consider 🙂
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It is indeed. Thanks, Linda.
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Congratulations on you book release. That’s heaven to me: writing, publishing, and having people read it.
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Thanks. Right now, the publisher and I are trying to generate awareness and have as many people buy during pre-order as possible (given that we don’t have Hollywood-sized marketing departments). Technically, it’s written for boys from 8 to 18 but I don’t see why adult readers and girls wouldn’t like it either.
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Congrats on the book! Less so on the heavenly discovery. I don’t think I’d want to go back, might as well just plough on now, and see what comes after.
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Maybe that is what comes after. 😉 Thanks.
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