Tag Archives: friday fictioneers

I See Dead People, Even On Vacation

gold hill

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

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“Oh, come on, Grandpa. Gold Hill is such a famous street and Shaftesbury is so beautiful,” said twenty-year-old Nell. “Try to enjoy it. How often do you get to go on vacation?”

“I’m retired so every day is a vacation and you know how I hate old places, especially old crowded places.” Chandler’s eyes kept darting around as if following a cloud of wasps.

“Crowds? It’s early in the morning. There’s hardly anyone around.” Her eyes widened with realization. “You mean them? That’s just your imagination.”

“No, Nell, it’s not. I really do see ghosts and this place is loaded.”

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Voyage to the Bottom of the Swimming Pool

pool

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

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“A pool’s just a hole in the ground you pour money into,” groused Darren as he continued to vacuum algae which grew out of his neglect. “But not today.”

He heard the doorbell ring. “Honey, can you get that?” It would be Rob and the rest of the guys. By now, Carol would be rolling her eyes as she reached for the doorknob. She was gracious enough to smile by the time she opened it.

“Hey, bud. Not done?” Rob’s voice came from behind. He turned to see the giant, fully motorized Seaview model they’d brought over.

“Almost,” he grinned.

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At The End of Phaedra’s City

lisa's shoreline

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

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Phaedra the fugitive approached the shore. Not what she expected after the anguish she had suffered.

“Where are you?”

Her bare feet shuffled across the cool sand as she walked toward the odd collection of driftwood. A seagull hung suspended in the morning sky while another one “coo-cooed” on the beach.

Hot tears welled up behind her eyes but she refused to cry.

“You were supposed to tell me the secret.”

The dawn above turned off like a desk lamp. Phaedra saw alien stars across the dome and then something else. Her world was not a world, but a spaceship.

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The Sinking of the PS General Slocum

east river

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

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“I’m to receive a pardon, so I won’t kill myself breaking anymore rocks with this damn sledgehammer.” William Henry Van Schaick, former Captain of the riverboat PS General Slocum took a challenging stance in front of Sing Sing prison’s newest and most brutal guard.

“You’re not out yet, Van Schaick, and if it was up to me, you’d serve every day of your ten-year sentence. My sister, two nephews, and a niece were killed because of your negligence.”

“It’s not up to you. President Taft himself has said he’ll sign my pardon.”

“Not if you’re shot trying to escape first.”

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Utopia Lost

sara's wine bar

PHOTO PROMPT © Lori Wilson

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“Whatever you have on tap is fine.” William hoped he said that right. The woman behind the bar smiled and served him a light ale. Although he superficially recognized his surroundings, everything was different, especially in terms of how people treated each other.

He was served and paid what the man who sent him here told him to. He and his father Robert Owen were going to change the world starting with New Harmony, but that was two centuries ago. After utopia failed, he was granted a boon to see what the future held.

The 21st century wasn’t paradise either.

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Noah’s Rainbow Is Illegal

Peter's Rainbow

PHOTO PROMPT © Mr. Binks

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“I thought it was a cross up there for a moment.” Simon had to take a deep breath at the surprise and then sighed with disappointment.

“You shouldn’t say that out loud, you know,” his wife Evelyn chided. “If anyone nearby hears, they’ll report us to the constables.”

“It’s my fault for suggesting we take a different route for our evening walk. Oh, look. Noah’s rainbow.”

“Are you insane?” Evelyn’s voice came out as a hiss. “You know the government designated the rainbow for exclusive use, and not by Christians anymore. It’s illegal.”

“An old man can dream, can’t he?”

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Green Glass

green glass

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

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“You’re sure it’s not dangerous.” Linda stood slightly behind her husband Jerry as he looked down at the greenish-glowing pitcher and four glasses.

“They’re a collector’s item, Lin. I got them for a great price. They’re pre-World War Two.” The middle-aged accountant beamed with pride at his own self-perceived cleverness.

“You’re not actually going to use them, are you?” Linda took a step back.

“Most uranium glass only has about two percent of the mineral by weight.”

“You said it registers on a Geiger counter. Why a good price?”

“Oh, because of the death curse, but that’s just old superstition.”

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Leaving

boxes

PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart

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Joel McIlroy looked at his packed boxes through harsh morning sunlight. The folding camera reminded him to take photos of his trip to send to his friends.

He said goodbye to them last night. His companions couldn’t help pack the trailer or see him off this morning.

He put on his sunglasses and got to work loading the truck.

Being cured of vampirism meant he was a “daywalker” for the first time in seventy years.

An hour later he was listening to John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” as he left the House of Graves for a new life.

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The Prattsville Spectral Tavern and Restaurant

prattsville

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

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Ed held the polished wooden sign declaring “Homestead Bed and Breakfast” in both hands. He looked dubiously back and forth between the derelict building in the middle of nowhere and his wife.

Lorraine’s grin radiated absurd confidence. “Put the sign up next to the others. Our dear haunt will be incarcerated with the rest. You’ve seen Ghostbusters.”

“They had a laser containment.”

“Just stick it to the wall.”

The sign magically adhered to the rotting wood and because he was near the door, Ed could hear the other spirits welcoming their new resident. The party got started all over again.

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Chasing Talent

chihuly

PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox

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Toliver hated what Seattle would become, but it’s where she went so he followed. They’d been arguing again over her premature use of “the talent.” She left training, dashing off to October 17, 2024.

“Admit it, Daddy.” Constance’s hand was on his shoulder as he examined a peculiar glass object. “It’s quite lovely, isn’t it?”

He turned and she was smiling.

“I suppose in its own way, but we need to get home.”

“You only enjoy living in the 1980s because of nostalgia,” she chided.

Tol countered, “We can see the first showing of ‘The Terminator’ again if we hurry.”

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