Hello everyone and a warm welcome to the entries for : “Fiction in A Flash Challenge” Week #1.
Last week I set the following Challenge:
Hello everyone and welcome to my new “Fiction in A Flash Challenge!” Each week I’ll be featuring an image and inviting you to write a Flash Fiction piece inspired by that image in a genre of your choosing. Maximum word count: 750 words.
Please put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at My email address. by 4pm on May 28th. Subject: Fiction in a Flash Challenge. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be much appreciated.
I’ll be sharing all entries received, and, my own contribution here on May 29th.
AND Here’s the prompt image …For #Week 1.
This entry comes from Gwen Plano.
“A Visit to The Zoo. By Gwen Plano.
George … George! Come out here.
Why would I want to do that! I’m trying to rest.
Ya gotta see this.
Whatever it is, I’m not interested.
Come on, George. There are strange creatures out here, and they are all staring at me.
Can we eat them?
No, they’re pretty big. They might eat us, though.
Good grief! And, you’re still out there?
I think they’re in a cage. I don’t think they can reach us.
Alright, alright. I’m coming. This better be good.
Look … over there. What do you see?
I don’t know for sure. They have eyes, and they have hands and feet.
Watch … watch. When I move, their heads turn to follow me. Did you notice that?
Yeah, weird for sure.
Hey, look what happens when I just stretch out and show them beautiful me.
Wow, that got a reaction!
Why don’t you try something?
Okay. Let’s see what they do if I stand on my hind feet.
Hey, I think they like you more than me.
Do you think they can talk? They’ve gotta have a mouth, don’t they?
I don’t know. I don’t even see a nose, so maybe they don’t breathe.
They gotta breathe, they gotta eat. Unless …
Unless what?
Maybe they’re some kind of alien. What do you think?
Aliens? Why would aliens be interested in us? What do we have that they need?
Well, for starts a mouth and a nose.
Come on, George. Seriously, what do we have that they don’t?
Beats me.
George, look at the little alien. He’s tugging on his face, but the big one stops him.
Woe … I think I know what they want from us.
You do? What is it, George?
They want to be free like you and me.
~~~
Take a look at Gwen’s blog.
Reflections on Life … Blog.
Author Page: Gwen Plano on Amazon
On Twitter.
Gwen Plano on Facebook.
***
And here is my take on the image.
“Chillax”. By Suzanne Burke.
“Merkle? Merkle! Man, what are you doin’? Aren’t you meant to be on watch?”
“Whoa. Chillax, Max! I got this.”
“You’ve got this my ass. I mean look at yourself. All laid back like you don’t have a care in the world. Where has all that frenetic energy and perpetual state of angst disappeared to, my friend? Just so you know, bro, some of the elders have been asking.”
“Sit yourself down alongside me and take a load off those tiny feet.”
Max checked frantically around several times then hurried over and sat perched anxiously on a rock nearby. “Just for a moment.” He glanced at his friend. “You’ve changed since you came back from that 3-month retreat. It’s like you’re on a whole other continent, or something. Did something happen while you were there? You can tell me. I won’t say anything. My lips are sealed.”
Merkle chuckled and poked his friend in the arm, “Max you’re the gossip master of the entire waterhole! Even Harriet Hyena can’t keep up with you.” He spluttered and laughed again. “You’re in serious need of a relaxing intervention, buddy. I can help you with that.”
“Please explain intervention?”
“It’s simple. You just need someone to sit you down and ask you what the hell you are doing with your life, and where do you think your life is headed?”
“Why would they ask that? Has someone said something? Who was it? Was it Margaret?”
“See now, that’s precisely what I’m talking about! Your paranoia is off the charts, my friend.” He hunched forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’m parched. You want to join me in a drink?”
“Of water?”
“Not exactly.” He held it out to his companion. “Try it. You’ll love it.”
Max took a nervous sip and then another, “This tastes weird, but I like it.” He gulped down the last mouthful.
“Give it a minute, you’ll like it even more. I guarantee it makes that acid-reflux and nervous dyspepsia disappear. ” Merkle smiled and waited.
“So, what’s it made of?”
“Mostly mushrooms, and a little cactus juice.”
Twenty-minutes passed in silence, broken by Max as he reached out his hand and grabbed at the air, “Those sunbeams are singing.”
“Uh-huh. So, what are they singing?”
“A song.”
“Cool.” Merkle nodded sagely. Then busied himself preparing the next phase of the intervention.
Max sat and happily hummed along to the sounds only he could hear.
Merkle finished his preparation, lit it and inhaled it deep into his lungs, held it in, then expelled it with a sigh of satisfaction.
He handed it to his friend.
“I don’t smoke tobacco.”
“It’s not tobacco.”
“And it’s 100% organic too?”
“Doesn’t matter, man. We’re omnivorous.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Hours passed with the two friends interspersing the silence with deep and meaningful gasps of insight and wisdom.
They roared laughing at anything and everything.
The riotous colors of sunset made them cry at its perfection.
***
Max lay back in the darkness gazing up at the sparkling ceiling above them. “This intervention stuff is amazing. You learned all about this at the retreat?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, I’ve been to both of them over the years, but, man, we never learned anything like this! Which one was it, Botswana, or southern Namibia?”
“Nope. They put me up on the wrong flight. We flew over the biggest waterhole I’ve ever seen. And the place was filled to the rafters with humans. I really got to like a few of them.”
“Could you get there again, I mean maybe I could take a look at it, just out of curiosity.”
“I’m not sure exactly how we would get there.”
“But you do know the name of the place, don’t you?”
“Yeah … it’s a place called Amsterdam.”
“So, how did you get back here?”
“I boarded some plane they call Astral! And zap! Here I am. What do you think about that?” … Max?”
He listened carefully to the sounds of the night, then smiled in the darkness as he heard Max hurrying back to the den with a cry of alarm. “Everyone wake up! You’ll never believe what Merkle just told me!”
Merkle rolled another joint and laughed delightedly. “Man they’re gonna think I’m having a breakdown. Then I’ll get sent on another 3 month retreat. This day couldn’t have gone any better. Bless your predictability, Max.”
#
Thanks so much for stopping by. I look forward to your comments.
The next “Fiction in A Flash” image prompt will be posted on Friday, May 29th. I hope you’ll join in the fun.
Contact me at …
My author page on AMAZON.
On Twitter.
On Facebook
On Goodreads.
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