Copyright – Douglas M. MacIlroy

“Fetch the last one,” Ellie ordered. Her little brother dragged the huge cushion over.
She heaved it on top of the rest. “That’s a great den,” she announced. “Daddy’ll never find us in here.”
They heard the front door opening. “Quick! Get in, he’s coming.”
Giggling, they crawled under the haphazard heap.
Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate. The children stifled more giggles. The footsteps stopped.
“Daddeee!” They called quietly. “Where are we?”
Smiling, Mr Barnes glanced at the photograph of his little cherubs on the desk. “Soon be home time. I wonder what the little rascals have been up to?”

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

Thanks to Piya Singh for this week’s photo prompt.

A little imagination and they would see I want to be here.
Why do they insist on incarcerating me behind their double-glazing, suffocated by their central heating?
I like straw for my bed, bird song for music. Fire for cooking and warmth.
Why must they inflict their society on me?
“Your asylum is not my asylum! I am not mad! Stop imposing your sanctuary on me!”
I can hear the dogs tracking me down. They’ll take me back again. “It’s for the best they’ll say.”
Who gave them the monopoly on what’s for the best? When is it my turn?

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

The train lumbered into the station; brakes creaked and wheezed it to a stop. He left the waiting room as eagerly as the last time. Excitedly he ran from banging door to banging door, scanning every alighting passenger for her.
When the platform emptied and the train pulled out, she wasn’t there; like all the previous times.
Disconsolately, he returned to the warm waiting room. Soon there’d be another train and if necessary, one after that. He’d wait for however many it took.
Wearily, he lay down on the hard floor and put his head between his paws to sleep.

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

Copyright – Roger Bultot

She leant on the rail of the great liner, like a bird on a wire preparing to fly south.
Their love had followed the seasons, verdant shoots bursting open-hearted in spring and ripening into voluminous colours of summer passion.

While guiltily hiding their illicit love, cruel autumn crept up and green turned brown.
She chose to stay with what she had. “For the best,” she said, “Doomed compromise.” He thought, “Cold winter’s looming.”

Looking up into the midday sun, he felt the tears slide down his cheeks and fancied he saw others drop from the rail of the top deck.

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here

PHOTO PROMPT © Mary Shipman

He looked up in amazement. She’d hung from the ceiling a collage of all his favourite things. Albums of music he cherished, books that had inspired him along life’s journey, dangled with his own writing and pictures he’d painted.
Photos of times of joy, celebration, success and triumph. His old Paisley shirt and pointed brogues he’d never throw away. His first guitar.
It all swayed in the breeze like a mobile reflection of his life.
But George had never learnt when looking up, to beware of trap doors. She’d found someone else. The memories diminished and faded as he fell.

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

PHOTO PROMPT © Kent Bonham

A time and tide etched seaman, set his book upon the shore; lovingly crafted from whale bone, its pages inset with strange symbols and characters carved from walrus ivory and seashells. Retreating to his shack in the dunes he watched the village children trudging along the sand, one half-sighted girl trailing behind.
The first boy seeing simply a pile of bleached bones asked of another, “What d’you reckon it is?”
“Dead dolphin bones?”
But the girl caught the sun’s rays splintering off the mother-of-pearl and saw a story in every sparkle, of mermaids, serpents, and sirens. The man smiled contentedly.

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

The empty factory windows stared soullessly back at Tom like the dead eyes of his cherished Margot. He hobbled into broken glass and pigeon guano, the punch cards racked as they were that last day.
He read the faded names; Barker, Binley, Blackwell and hers, Bloomfield M, above his.
They’d met here, making shoes, loved, married, made shoes and raised children making shoes.
She’d denied the gossip, but there was life to read in her bright eyes then.
Gnarled hands tore at Barker’s card, the scraps fluttered down to settle with the rat tracks and his tears in the dust.

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.