100 Words: Fast Track

The banks of flickering candles hold the prayers of the people, their warmth pushing the wishes high up to heaven.  Each holds a hope or a dream or a wish.  Something that has been asked for, wholeheartedly.

Sitting in a pew a small girl watches others as they pray and light candles, fixing in her mind exactly what she would say if she had a coin.

In her heart, though, she says the prayer.  

Unseen by anyone, an angel sits beside her and whispers that it shall be done.

Moments later, Oliver-style, she meets the couple who would adopt her.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Susan Rouchard

100 Words: Pessimistic

The banks of flickering candles hold the prayers of the people, their warmth pushing the wishes high up to heaven.  There the angels sift and sort, arrange thoughts and prayers, wants and desires, wishes and hopes, whether selfish or selfless.  

It is the prayer of a small child that catches the eye the day this story takes place.

But there is nothing they can do.  All the angels do these days is collect, record and file.

The child will have to wait and hope, pray that those in power on earth will change their minds and do something to help.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Susan Rouchard

100 Words: Life from Death

The first time I walked to the shop instead of using the car I saw a squirrel standing on the top of a fence taking seeds from the centre of a sunflower and eating them from its tiny hands.

I stood transfixed, watching this intimate and tiny wonder all alone.  Just me on Church Landway amazed by what I was witnessing.

I never looked back, I never fixed the car.  

Now it has bloomed into life, just as I have by walking and taking public transport: meeting people and seeing things that would not be possible while driving the car.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Fleur Lind

100 Words: Grow vines to bypass the walls

Traditions that became ever more iron clad built walls throughout the town keeping its communities apart.  Separation bred hatred and hatred threw stones that injured, maimed and killed indiscriminately.

And so it went on until a watercan, left accidentally on a wall, periodically filled with water and seeds before spilling them onto the ground.

Great vines grew over the walls and curious youngsters began to climb.  Children began to play together, share sweets and be welcomed in for lunch where more and more similarities were found.

New traditions began to grow and word began to spread.

And the walls fell.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

100 Words: Not just another yarn

Hands old and young knitting and clicking, the rhythms making long scarves take shape.  Over the top laughter provides the melody to the erratic beat.

Suddenly, the oldest clears her throat to silence the group before announcing:

Listen and never forget.

When the fascists came we all fought.  I was just 13, but I did my part.  I knew in my heart what my needles could do and what must be done.

She picks up her knitting again, leaving everyone to think.

Slowly the beat begins again, now more rhythmic and in line.  And no one speaks for some time.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

100 Words: The Sad Cardboard Box Jellyfish

Floating across the wall: a picture of a cardboard box upset at being dumped into the ocean and becoming a jellyfish.  It hadn’t asked to become sentient or a living warning of dumping rubbish in the ocean.  It was sad for the ocean and for itself, doomed to forever drift the seas of the earth, with no hope of the end it had always desired: of being recycled.

Until.

A school of fish arrived, broke up into a shoal, and started to feed.  The sad cardboard box jellyfish slowly began to disappear.

It didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Pendergast

100 Words: An Analogy for the Empire

They never really taught us about empire and no one ever talked about the effects still being felt.  Growing up I only ever heard good things.  The things that were only good for colonists.

While in a rickshaw, I looked forward and watched the man pulling me forward.  Those old, golden days were much like this, I thought - if I’d had a rifle pointed at his head.

Until that moment I had been walking around full of satisfaction, of pride.  It turned to sickness before I stopped the ride, had a brief chat with my driver, and started to learn.

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Written for Friday Fictioneers from the following picture prompt (see here for other stories): 

PHOTO PROMPT © Amanda Forestwood