It’s time for Friday Fictioneers. Why not give it a try? Your participation is always welcome. Visit here for instructions.
Thank you Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for your generous time in leading this group, and to John Nixon for the challenging photo.
Please follow the blue frog for more stories from the talented Fictioneers.
Genre: Humor (100 words)
Copyright –John Nixon
“Like a spider, you gotta have eyes in back of your head,” said Jim, scribbling on his drawing pad.
“I don’t think a spider’s eyes are in the back,” I said.
He gulped coffee in spurts and blurted words in between. His unfiltered thoughts flew past me like seeds blown into the air.
“Twenty dollars is the new five bucks.”
“Stillness is a good quality,” I offered.
“Nah, overrated. Time to trim the hedges,” he stood.
Our analysis ended as to why Jim lost his job as a security guard, never mind that he had been robbed while on duty.
Wow. That’s a terrific story, Bumble. I looked at this picture – and still look at this picture and can’t think of anything interesting to write, but you did it in spades.
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Why thank you, Stephen. I’ll admit I just had to take the one idea I had and run with it! My idea was basically that some people never quite get it, or try so hard but get nowhere. That’s where I started. Good luck with yours. I look forward to reading it. Just go for it.
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That was funny.
These days I think $100 is the new $5.
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Thanks, Lily. No kidding, right?! I feel the same way. Whoops, there goes another 100 bucks!
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Poor Jim….
That was a difficult prompt in some ways….I don’t know why but every time I looked at that guy in the piano I thought of the Joker from the old Batman TV series, the one with with Adam West as Batman.
Great story. I’m liking Jim a lot.
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Thanks, J.D. I feel like lately all the prompts have been hard. Still I give it a go. I can see how this would remind you of the joker. I just took a look at the picture again. I can see it totally. That would have been a good direction!
Thanks! I think Jim would always have a few surprises.
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Interesting story, though I’m still not quite sure if that’s Jim in the piano. Kind of understand why he was fired if it is!
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It might as well be, Perry! But I think, Jim is trimming the hedges instead. Thanks for reading.
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With that pic, glad you are writing, thus not me!
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Oh, I know! This could be anything. I haven’t read many stories yet this week. I’ll be interested to see where people took this one!
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Me neither … but the pic has me curious.
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I’ve read a few, have lots more!….They’re really good. All different.
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Yep – security guard would not be the perfect job for Jim…Great story, Amy!
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Jim needs a new line of work. Thanks, Cathy!
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No one can trust a security guard that was robbed while on duty.
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You said it, Joe! Thanks for reading.
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I think spiders have all kinds of eyes in the back of their head. I have a problem with spiders.
Poor Jim lost his job. I’m thinking security guard was not his calling.
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Oh, Michelle…I do believe it was your story about spiders that inspired this piece. You had such an impact on me. I still feel terrible about it. It looked so awful!! Never mind Poor Jim…Poor Michelle. Jim will make due.
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Michelle will survive. She always does. Tomorrow is the last day hopefully.
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Oh, good to hear! Hang in there.
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The interplay between these two was wonderful to watch unfold!
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Thank you, Troy! I appreciate that.
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Ha! Nicely done!
I think I used to work wih Jim…
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Guapo, thanks! Me, too. Jim manages to get by…somehow.
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Nice work! I liked this.
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Thanks, JM! I appreciate that.
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You took what appears to be a comic pic and wrote a tragedy (in my view). What genius! Comedy is always tragedy, masked. Maybe you just unearthed the tragedy in the photo. Well done, whatever. Perceptive. Ann
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Wow, what a nice compliment coming from you, Ann. Whatever….I’m not entirely sure myself. I guess that’s the beauty of this exercise. You can surprise yourself and come up with something unexpected. Thanks, Ann.
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Yes, this is a great exercise in self-discovery. I try to download the photo prompt on the Wednesday and I’m nearly always surprised by what gets stirred up to be turned into a story. 🙂
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Me too. It’s always fun to see what comes out of these prompts.
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Jim is what I call a ‘floater’, he floats through life. ha! I thought your take on the photo was great!
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Yes, I would agree he’s a floater, letting the river take him wherever! Thanks, Jackie. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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Surreal. Hope J finds peace.
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Thanks, Patrick. I like that you thought it was surreal. Yeah, me too.
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Great story for the prompt. I love this line “His unfiltered thoughts flew past me like seeds blown into the air” – fantastic! 😀
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Thanks, Dianne! I appreciate that. As always, thanks for reading.
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This is my favorite line: ” His unfiltered thoughts flew past me like seeds blown into the air.” And I’m so old, I remember when $20 did seem like a lot of money. Not anymore!
janet
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Thanks, Janet. I l know. It’s more like $20 equals $1. Oh, it’s scary!! High school yearbooks now cost like $100. What?!
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There’s a mysterious tone to this that I like.
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Thanks, Sandee. Oooh, goody. I’m glad you felt that way!
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‘His unfiltered thoughts flew past me like seeds blown into the air.’ That is such a beautiful image and a great line to sum up Jim’s scattiness. I couldn’t work out whether this was a professional counselling session (with ‘Our analysis’ being the tell) or two friends talking. Either way, I think maybe Jim should have stayed a while longer.
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Thank you, Sarah. I like that you tied that thought to Jim’s character. Actually, Jim was “Uncle Ted” so I thought of it as a talk between family members. Now I see why I wanted to keep that in there…but word limits you know!
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Interesting take.
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Thanks, Tony.
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love the exchange about the spider!!
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Thank you, Ly. I worked with a choreographer once who used to say “You must have eyes in the back of your head!” He really pounded that into us. I think this theatrical photo brought it out!
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Great story. How can you trust a security guard who gets robbed? Love the spider idea!
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Thanks, Summer. Indeed, Jim needs a new career. I appreciate that! Thanks for reading.
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Amy, that’s some strong, authoritative writing. I like you description of Jim’s character and actions woven through the story. Great interpretation of the picture.
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David, thank you for your kind words, I’ll admit I took a little risk with this one, and it may not be very direct. But, I think that’s okay once in awhile!
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The best thing about this sort of weekly challenge is that it lets you try new things. If it works, awesome: if not, there’s always next week. I think this worked well though.：）
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Indeed, David, there is always the next week. Thanks!
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Amy, I love the exchange between these two and the unfiltered thoughts.
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I appreciate that Russell. Thank you!
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Dear Amy,
All of my comments have been taken from ‘unfiltered thoughts” to characterization. Honestly, I don’t see the connection with the prompt. And what’s more, I don’t care. What’s important is what you saw and wrote. A well-written story is a joy to read.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Thank you! Thanks for your kind words. I’ll admit I took a bit a detour with this one. I’m feeling a little unsteady lately, but doing my best to keep the faith and keep writing! Sometimes, that’s all you can do. As always, thanks for your careful reading.
Shalom,
Amy
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Yeah, an ADD security guard probably isn’t the best….
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Thanks, Weebs. Perhaps, over a trim of the hedges, Jim will reconsider his career path.
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Hahaha… robbed while on duty as a security guard?! That’s totally the sort of thing that would happen to me, B.F! Very funny, Amy! Nicely done!
What an interesting prompt photo, too – kind of reminded me of ‘Punch Drunk Love’… have you ever seen it, B.F? Adam Sandler’s character (and it’s a much different role than most of his others) finds this piano / organ thing in the street… it’s kind of a bizarre movie, but I kind of like it.
🙂
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Thanks, Robert, SIG. No, I have never seen that movie. You recommend it? I’ll check it out now that I have the Netflix! I will be looking for the scene with the piano/organ….Bizarre is good, yes? 🙂
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I hope so… I’m not sure Annabelle liked it… so maybe I shouldn’t be recommending it… but there’s something about the weirdness of the whole thing I do enjoy (even if I do feel a bit like I’ve been heavily medicated after watching it)!
🙂
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A great story this week, Amy, I particularly liked the ‘unfiltered thoughts’. Nice one!
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Thank you, El! I appreciate that. It was maybe a little bit different as I deviated. It happens sometimes.
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