PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

“You can’t blame my client for these crimes.” Marie’s attorney Michael Caan was the best in the business and even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the jury and judge felt swayed.

“We’ve provided expert testimony,” Caan continued, “that demonic hornets infested her brain when she committed the crimes. She wasn’t legally responsible for her actions.”

Wearing yellow and black, dozens of self-proclaimed “Hornet Women” in the gallery and hundreds outside continued to cheer Marie on. She was a symbol for all women like them.

Yet, a trio of soft sobbing voices from beyond kept asking, “Why?”

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 above as the prompt for crafting a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.

© James Pyles

As you can tell, I had my general story already selected before I saw the prompt. I’m sure you also know what actually inspired my wee tale. Yes, it’s controversial. Yes, a lot of people aren’t going to like it. It’s also a story that’s very difficult to cram into a mere 100 words. However, it’s one that needs to be examined from different angles rather than just from the most convenient perspective.

Writing fiction is sometimes about telling inconvenient stories.

To read other stories based on the prompt or to contribute one of your own, visit inlinkz.

My YA science fiction novel A Wobblegong And His Boy is ON SALE for the month of August in honor of Back to School so it’s a great time to buy a copy for the kid in your life who loves adventure (or the kid at heart). Don’t forget to leave an honest review at Amazon and Goodreads.

The fantasy anthology Fantastic Schools, Volume 13 is now available featuring my supernatural short story “The Battle of New Stains Castle.”

As the Second Dragon War reaches its climax, two sorceresses and a soldier must face a necromancer and his minions in the ruins of a Scottish castle in the midst of a reality gone mad.