It’s time for a 100-word story with Friday Fictioneers, a writing group hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Thanks, Rochelle for your leadership every week. Thanks to Roger Bultot for providing this week’s photo.
My story follows.
(Horror: 100 words)
Their Latest Act
The taste of metal tainted her tongue. Laine shook the salt shaker into her mouth. No use. The blood was still there and she spat it out, crouched with her hips off the floor.
Her mother had loved the green parrots who flew in from Mexico. They had watched their mating dance once from her patio, their gentle fluttering of feathers high in the sky. It was a performance for her, her mother would say.
No mother, it never was. They have the power of flight and beaks for pecking your eyeballs of your sockets until you’re blind. That’s all.
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For more stories from the Fictioneers, click here.
That’s almost a Bah, Humbug! Great work
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Thanks, Neil!
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It’s intriguing Amy. And yes, I can see how this is immensely difficult to do. Love to know the rest of the rest of the story you imagined here.
Love Ya’,
Shalagh
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Thanks, Shalagh. Glad you found it intriguing. Gosh, I don’t have anything imagined beyond these 100 words at the moment. Love ya, too!
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Good story. This is something i need to try a story in so few words. You nailed it.
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Thanks! Come onboard. Give it a try. It’s a great exercise. The prompt comes out on Wednesday. Check out Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’s blog: https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/
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Thank you for sharing this. Hey, I just started writing short stories very recently. Mastering 100 will not be easy. Although, you made it look that way. I will give it a try. Thanks.
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Oh, my pleasure. Thanks for that. I’m hardly a master, but I appreciate that compliment. It’s a great group!
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I guess I’m thick as a brick, Amy. Why is there blood in her mouth? Did they peck her eyes out, or did she have raw parrot for supper?
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I imagine her eye sockets all bloody and running into mouth. Nice, huh? The parrots are just a memory. Hope that makes sense.
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Very visual, Amy! (no, that’s not a pun) – I love it! 😀
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Haha. You’re funny! Thanks, Dianne.
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Good 100 word story! I kept thinking of Hitchock’s The Birds. Thanks!
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Thank you! It’s hard not to think of that one. It’s such a classic!
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Wow, very intriguing. I want to know what they did, and why she has the taste of blood in here mouth. I’m hooked!
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Well, my idea is that she has been blinded (her story is in hindsight) and there’s blood from the plucking. Maybe it’s draining down into her face or there was just a lot of blood. This is pleasant conversation, isn’t it? Thanks, Laurie!
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Wow, creepy, icky and very cool…. Love your imagination Amy… I sooooo want more of this story. 😃
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Aww, thanks Laurie!! You’re sweet. I’m thrilled you enjoyed my icky, creepy tale. 🙂
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Shouldn’t have read the comments while I am eating!
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I was afraid of that, Louise. 🙂
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Ugh, what a graphic scene! Why do I wear glasses rather than contacts? It’s eye armour against this exact scenario 🙂
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Haha. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for something a little graphic. Very good. Hold on to those glasses, Ali!
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At first I too thought that she was munching on a parrot (‘needs more salt’). But the last paragraph was really intense and explained it all.
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Oh, I can see how that might be confusing. She’s trying to get the taste of blood out of her mouth, although that’s the least of her problems! Thanks so much, Subroto!
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You got me to “creepy” big time. Sensational! I guess Mother didn’t know best, did she? You know, when you mix in mother with eyes plucked out of the kid’s head … very Greek Or geek, who knows?
So, now I know what Suzanne Pleshette felt like, probably in the early drafts of the script. 😉
Five out of five salt shakers. 😀
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Excellent, Kent. Thank you! I hadn’t considered the eyes/mother Greek connection when I wrote this. Now I see it. You just never know how it’s all going to wash out or be plucked out. Poor Suzanne. Shakers now. I like it!
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Hahaha! Glad to have been around for ya. 😉
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Well, we certainly saw a different side of you this week Amy! 🙂 Why does the concept of blood and feathers revolt me so…?
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Well, I guess so, Sandra! It has something to do with the birds, Sandra. I like watching them from a distance, a far distance. 🙂 The blood and feathers combo is revolting. I see it all the time when the cats bring the birds in. They’re gifts, of course! They’re so very thoughtful.
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No need for the horror tag. We’d have gotten it. Right between the eyes, in fact.
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Haha. Thanks, Mark.
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Pecking out eyeballs … nice touch!
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Why thank you.It happens when birds are around. Watch out for them, Frank!
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what a bloody mess. if anything, i heard that walmart is selling eye patches in a variety of colors to suit everyone’s taste. and for a limited time, if you buy one, you can also get another one for free. 🙂
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Haha. Too bad poor here Laine can’t see the Walmart. That’s a good thing about the buy one get one free for those eye patches, you know, since we have two eyes and everything. What about a tiger print? Do they have that one?
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Gulp. That was… different. You creep me out here. Birds and blood don’t bother me much, but the eyeballs. Where are my goggles? Screamingly good horror writing, Amy.
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Haha. You so make me laugh, Gah. Well, if birds and blood don’t freak you out, this is your story. Ah, eyeballs…they come, they go! Thanks for that! 🙂
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Dear Amy,
I was a little slow on the uptake until I read the comments. Ugh. Reminds me of a scene from The Birds. Freaked me out big time as a kid. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Thanks for taking the time to read comments. This is not one of my best, but I did write and for some reason I wanted to write about these green parrots! Me too about The Birds. That film freaked me out about birds for a long long time! Thank you.
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Wow, this is great – it really fits the picture! I have goosebumps!
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Thanks so much, Barbara. Thanks for the tweet, too. That was so thoughtful of you.
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Holy morbid, Amy! I like the way you think.
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Aww, thank you. That means a lot coming from your mind.
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Amazingly different POV from mother/daughter. My imagination is in overdrive!
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Cool! Thank you, Dawn.
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Oh that felt sickening.. the picking of eyballs make me think of wearing glasses at all times.
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I don’t blame you, Bjorn. Thanks for your comments. 🙂
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I shall be careful to look the other way the next time I see a green parrot, Amy! Luckily, they don’t tend to flock around these here parts! Nice and gruesome tale, this one!
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Very grim. Top notch horror. I also like the possibilities in the mother/daughter relationship.
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It is grim, I think especially with the limited word count. Thanks so much, Margaret. I think there could be a lot more to say about their relationship. I like your thinking.
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A gloomy day. Wild parrots are a noisy, rude bunch! I once wrote something about birds on a wire. So did Leonard Cohen.
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They are! That’s true about them, Stephen. They are kind of fun to watch. I recently just heard Leonard Cohen’s song as someone posted it for this prompt. Thanks.
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I’m not sure whose pecking who. I take it the Birds didn’t do the pecking, but it could be …. No, it’s the Birds! It’s got to be the Birds!.
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Yes, it’s the birds, Perry. They can’t be trusted with those beaks!
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OMG. That really hit at the end. You are a master at writing horror/scary/intense stuff. I hope that genre is included in your current work in progress somewhere. Absolutely love this, Amy! xoxo
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Oh, you are the sweetest and so thoughtful, Kelly. There will definitely be traces of this. I do enjoy writing the horror/scary stuff and I’m glad you think it’s intense. You’re so kind. Thank you! xoxo
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Always my pleasure, Amy! xoxo
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Wow, that was graphic and gave me the shivers, Amy. Anything about eyes getting injured does that to me. Good writing, though. —– Suzanne
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That’s true, Suzanne. Something about being stabbed in the eye. It’s unpleasant. Thanks. You’re very kind.
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EEEWWWW!! 😀
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That’s just the reaction I was hoping for. Thanks. 🙂
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