WELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
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THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count. However, I respectfully ask for your consideration. Please refrain from taking the liberty of posting 200 words or more as a Friday Fictioneers story. Thank you.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
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- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
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My story follows the photo and link tool. I enjoy comments and relish constructive criticism. 
- Shalom,
Rochelle
Copyright – Jennifer Pendergast
*For those who need assistance in posting here’s a link to a tutorial generously put together on You Tube by our own Danny Bowman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHVLkS3mH4 (Thanks, Danny!)
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Genre: Public Service Announcement
Word Count: 99
SILENCE OF BEES
In springs past white blossoms preceded the succulent apples that weighed down our trees. When I bit into one the juice sprayed between my teeth and ran down my chin.
Have you ever heard the music honeybees make in an apple tree in full bloom? It’s too late to listen to it now.
Since the Blight of 2015 the trees have withered. My sapless attempts to pollinate by hand failed. Flowers and fruit are bedtime stories we tell our children.
None of that matters anymore. My only child died in my arms. By our own folly comes our extinction.
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I can’t say it any better than this:
http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/
or this:
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Oh dear, Rochelle – you’ve put words to my secret nightmare !
When will we ever learn????
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Dear Valerie,
These were painful words to write. I hope and pray this story remains fiction. With pesticides and genetic modification of our foods, I wonder. Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I hope it remains fiction as well. It is awful that we are destroying our planet and killing everything off. It’s a great story Rochelle, a very sad one though.
Raynard’s came easy today (thankfully) as I am taking a week off from blogging
http://wp.me/pOTN0-27N
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Dear Alastair,
They can’t all be happy endings, but I fear we’re collectively writing the ending to this story. Glad you liked the story in any case.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think you’re right. I wish people would see what we are doing to this planet
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We were talking about the bees just recently and someone said “so what, they’re just bees”. How completely clueless can people be? We need to start caring for the future. I agree..take care of the earth..such a sad story you wrote,may it never come to pass.
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Dear Patricia,
I suppose I could’ve posted my genre as horror. People really don’t realize what an integral part of our ecology bees are. Truth is more horrifying than fiction.
Thanks for commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This obsession with “organic” pesticides is doing more harm than good. If people only realized how useful GM could be, we could protect crops in a very specific way while preventing the needless deaths of useful insects like honeybees.
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Great last line, Rochelle, and a sad prediction for our fruit trees and the bees that pollinate them.
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Dear VB,
Sad and, I pray, not true. Thank you for commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely story Rochelle. My apple tree has produced just ten small apples this year… two years ago I had over a hundred good-sized fruit, so this struck home.
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Dear Sandra,
I can only hope my story will continue to fall in the “what might happen if we don’t do something” category. I’m happy that you came by.
shalom,
Rochelle
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wow this was so strong, like a double punch in the gut… first the idea that flowers and fruit would end up being just bedtime stories, it’s incredibly sad. and then comes the sadder ending… and then the even sadder realization. i also hope it remains fiction.
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Dear KZ,
Thank you for your stunning comments. I, too, hope that my story remains in the fiction category.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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No doubt the world is in trouble if the bees disappear. Nice story!
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Dear Adam,
I’m so pleased to see your name on our list once more and pleased that you liked my story. . Bees seem like such insignificant creatures until you study and realize what the actually do for us. I pray that humans haven’t become so technologically advanced that they’ve done irreparable damage to Nature’s balance.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A very frightening and all too possible prospect, Rochelle. You highlighted very well the error of our human ways.
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Dear Denmother,
The question remains; is it too late to correct our errors? Thanks for your comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle,
Not only was this a powerful story, but one of your best written, in my not-so-humble opinion. The language is lovely. “My sapless attempts to pollinate by hand failed. Flowers and fruit are bedtime stories we tell our children” reads like a couplet of a poem.
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Dear Helena,
This is high praise indeed. Thank you so much. It’s always good to hear that I hit the target.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We have enjoyed the fruits of a Yellow Transparent tree in my parent’s backyard. I rent the property now and really hate the thought of selling it due to the fact that the tree is so prized. I hate the fact that the bees are being killed off due to whatever factor because I understand their important place in the symbiosis.
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Dear Joe,
Would that we all understood the importance of respecting the gift we’ve been given.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments. One of my favorite things about FF is the interaction.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow, what a scary story! Made me almost put aside my hamburger, french fries, and coke and eat a piece of fruit after I buy one somewhere. Effective and surprising as always.
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Dear Perry,
Thanks for you kind comments and bon apetit. Is that sound I hear your arteries clogging?
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I was heartened to read that over the last years, people in cities have taken up beekeeping on the tops of buildings and in other places. All the cool kids are doing it, even the Waldorf-Astoria: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/06/waldorf-astoria-beekeeping-roof-harvest-honey_n_1573702.html. Hopefully their efforts and others like them will keep this dystopian story from becoming a reality. Beautifully written.
janet
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Dear Janet,
Thank you for sharing this story of hope. Glad you like my story. Looking forward to reports and photos of your vacation. Safe travels.
Shalom,
HM Rochelle
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Rochelle, this is one of my favourite stories from you ever. It’s frighteningly real and beautifully told. Even the title is perfect. I can’t clap loud enough.
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Dear Jen,
Your comment has me smiling all over. Thanks for the applause.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Gripping story. I hope we have longer than 2015 . . . I just read about the 50,000 bees that dropped dead in Oregon. Real life is turning into a dystopia novel . . .
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Dear Linda,
The reports are staggering, if not terrifying. I, too hope we have longer than a couple of years. Thanks for commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A nightmare scenario that alas, could very well happen in the world we are unmaking for our children. Thank you for a chilling, well-crafted tale of horror.
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Dear DoD,
True horror isn’t vampires and zombies, it’s the true and present danger of our own deconstruction. Thank you for your comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, this is just wonderful!
Tragic, but brilliantly done.
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Dear Elephant,
I’m warmed by your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi Rochelle,
Great message, don’t mess with Mother Nature. On the positive side, my wife saw a honey bee in her flower bed yesterday, so maybe they’re making a comeback. Ron
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Dear Ron,
I’m truly frightened by the plight of the honeybee. If your wife saw one, surely there’s a hive nearby. I always enjoy input…thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We have the intelligence and compassion to turn things around if we work as a team. That’s a mighty big if.
Good writing. as always Rochelle.
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Dear Dawn,
A big “if” indeed. I pray that we can turn it around. Glad you liked the writing.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Scary story that might just be coming true if people don’t stop doing what they are doing and realize what we are all losing for the sake of science.
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Dear Jackie,
Amen to scary.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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sad. very sad. I hope it’s not true, though we all fear that it is.
Where do we make a difference – other than comforting others and ourselves in the slow demise we see and feel around us?
I have to go now. I’m all choked up.
Randy
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Dear Randy,
If I only I had the answers…but I’m not up to that job.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A mixture of real life and nascent apocalypse! I believe “public service announcement” is the correct genre classification for this cautionary tale.
If pesticides cause the crops not to be pollinated, that will have an immediate financial impact and farmers may have no choice but to switch to organic farming–assuming the soil is not contaminated beyond hope.
Mother Nature will have her way, one way or another.
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Dear Jan,
This was a tough one to research and write. Thank you for coming by with insightful comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
I can only echo other comments made, this is beautifully written;, so apt, from the reports I read about the bee population and a sad reflection on mankind and it’s attempts to produce more and more food while absolving themselves from future problems.
Dee
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Dear Dee,
Thank you for your sweet words. We’re in a terrifying predicament. I only hope we haven’t passed the point of no return.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sad, very good, but so sad.
Scott
Mine: http://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/ff-friday-fictioneers-as-bees-and-cs-rated-pg-genre-humorous/
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Dear Scott,
Sad indeed. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The death of the honeybees is really scary. Loved your short story today, Rochelle. Educational and haunting. Poor bees. 😦
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Dear Rachael,
Thank you for your comments. It seems that we all see it with fear. Hopefully someone can do something about it.
shalom,
Rochelle
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Definitely something we should be thinking about. Your tale is chilling, and it might come true if we aren’t careful. Thanks for an excellent story and a timely warning.
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Dear E. A.
The truth is more chilling than fiction. Thank you for you compliments.
shalom,
Rochelle
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A horrific possibility, superbly written about.
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Many thanks, Troy.
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Sadly, I believe it could turn out just that way, Rochelle.
BTW, I have struggled for some time trying to get the link-up code to work in my posts. Any clues as to what I am doing wrong? I paste it in, but it just looks like the code when I publish my story. Thanks!
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Dear Lynda,
I fear what we’re doing to our food and our world.
As for the code. When you are on your edit page you should see two tabs in the upper right of your tool bar. One tab says “visual” the other “text”. Click on text then go to the bottom of the text and paste in the code. Go back to “visual” and the link should be there. Let me know if this works.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Dr. Ruth,
We’ve noticed a shortage of bees in our area for the past several years. Our green bean crop is only a fraction was what it used to be. For a couple of years I have huge plants with lots of blooms, but they never set fruit.
Fortunately, I’m starting to see more bees now. Hopefully, they’ll make a comeback.
Sincerely – B.B. Rebozo
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Dear B.B.
Thank you for dropping by with a word of hope.
Shalom,
Dr. Ruth
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Rochelle,
This is an important subject and I love how you presented it here. Brings to mind the Tree Museum. Why is it that no one notices the tipping point? Or if someone does, no one listens until it reaches crisis?
Honie
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Dear Honie,
Humans do tend to be optimistic ostriches, don’t they? Thank you for your comments, I, too, feel it’s important…not just for the sake of a good story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh, my. Is this foretelling?
Wonderfully concise and awesome.
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Dear Tess,
Thank you for the compliments. As for foretelling…I sincerely hope not.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The reports of the great bee die-off is disturbing. With you, I hope this little story stays fiction.
Finally managed to join in today – not sure how many contributions I’ll get around to reading but I’ll give it my best shot. Have new teaching job that is sucking up much time. I swore I wouldn’t teach again, but that was five years ago. And these people offered me money 😦 (Not sure what the right emoticon is for that!)
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Dear John,
I’m happy you were able to join in this week. What do you teach? Thank you for dropping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes and oh, yes! We’ve lost touch with the earth and ecology ought to be as big a priority in schools to teach as reading riting and rithmatic. There are kids starting school these days who do not know what vegetables are.
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Dear Ann,
Thanks for your comments. More than that I cannot add.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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Sad to think how rapidly this is becoming reality.
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Chilling.
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Very poignant and, unfortunately, a possible future, but you express that starkness so eloquently.
Here’s mine; same subject but lighter: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/everything-dies/
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Dear Maggie,
Thank you. I believe it’s a possible future and pray that it’s not our ultimate destination.
shalom,
Rochelle
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Just when I thought things couldn’t get any sadder…
Good one, Rochelle. You’ve done well to evoke my feelings yet again.
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Dear Kwadwo,
A writer can’t ask for higher praise than to evoke feelings in a reader. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I sometimes worry that something big will fail, and we will suffer like your story says. Despite all my stories about the post-apocalyptic world, I certainly wouldn’t want to live there! Well done, a sobering story.
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Dear Danny,
It’s tough to look around, hear the reports and not quake in terror. Thank you for your comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very sad story. people will learn someday but hope its not too late.
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Dear Indira,
Thank you for your comments and I agree…it’s sad. I hope it’s not too late.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautifully written but hard to read. Only last night we watched a documentary on bees: some pesticides damaging their neurological systems making it difficult for them to find their way back to their hives. And how farmers need pesticides to feed the expanding people populations.
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Dear Patrick,
It does feel like a vicious cycle doesn’t it? Many thanks for the compliments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a sad story, Rochelle… I haven’t kept up on much of the CCD news in recent years, but it’s still a topic that interests me. The notion of hand pollinating the fruits and flowers was something that had never occurred to me; should bees go extinct, I suppose we will try to do that on our own, won’t we? We’ve attempted to mechanize so many other natural processes, there’s no reason we wouldn’t try our hand at that… You’ve got the gears in my head turning now, Rochelle!
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Dear Hum-V,
Happy to make your gears turn. Not sure how hand pollination would work either. Thanks for coming by with your comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow, that’s a hard-hitting story.
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Thank you, Patti.
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I’m so happy I stumbled across this! I think I’ll start participating this Friday 🙂 Is there a deadline to link up or is just before the next one is released? Happy writing!
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Dear Ardenrr,
The next prompt goes live tomorrow morning at 2:30 CDT and the link will remain open for six days. Welcome.
shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much. I look forward to it!
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