6 May 2016

Published May 4, 2016 by rochellewisoff

The disc and the dragonfly

FICThe following photo is the PROMPT. Keep in mind that all photos are the property of the contributor, therefore copyrighted and require express permission to use for purposes other than Friday Fictioneers. Giving credit to whom credit is due is proper etiquette. This week’s photo is from Roger Bultot for whom there is no link. Thanks for letting us use your photos Roger. 

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

get the InLinkz code

Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

LOST BATTALION

            Molly made a face at her brother. “You birdbrain.”

            “Am not!” Jimmy scowled. 

            “That’s a compliment you know,” said Grandpop.  

            “Why?” asked Molly.

            “You never heard of Cher Ami?”

            “What’s that?”

            “Not what—who. He was a hero of the Great War.” Tears stung Grandpop’s eyes. “The Krauts shot a hole in his chest, took out his eye and blew off his leg. Nothing could deter him from his mission.”         

            “Wowsers!” Jimmy’s jaw dropped. “He was tough.”

            Molly sighed. “Was he good looking, too, Grandpop?”

            “I’ll say. Two hundred of us dough boys owe that handsome carrier pigeon our lives.”    

Cher Ami

  CLICKCher-Ami-message-NA-web-lr

104 comments on “6 May 2016

    • Dear Suzanne,

      Cher Ami was a determined bird. I did know that she was found to be a female as well, however not every link pointed that out and for my story I went with the presumed gender. 😉 Thank you for your kind comments.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Karen,

      The quote is something of a mantra for me, in hopes that people will use the photo prompt as a jumping off point rather than a literal illustration. Glad you liked.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Like

    • Dear J Hardy,

      I found the whole carrier pigeon thread fascinating. Cher Ami wasn’t the only feathered hero, but I was, of course, limited to 100 words. 😉 Thank you for such a wonderful comment/compliment.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Like

  • Respect the Pigeon! Love this story, Rochelle. Not sure if I’ll have time to write this week between funerals, but I’ll try. My apologies ahead of time to those I read regularly, this week is just not the best for me. Smiles, heads up, and share your munchies with the pigeons in the park!

    Like

  • You are simply amazing, Rochelle! Love this story!

    And I laughed… in your link, it says “HE died from HER injuries…” so you could choose whatever gender you wanted! Besides Cher Ami implies a male as it would be Chère Amie for a female…

    Like

    • Dear Dale,

      I looked at several links. Apparently it was originally thought that the bird was male. Later they realized she was a female. I guess by then the name had been set in stone. I didn’t catch that typo in this particular link, though. Thank you for such an amazing compliment.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

  • I love the way the connective tissues work in all your stories! You take a photograph, find a related image, find a lesser-known, or well-known human aspect of history, create a brilliant story, and voilà, your one hundred words of creative story-telling emerge for all to see!
    Love your story, Rochelle!

    Liked by 1 person

  • You always provide such interesting history! The twist surprised me 🙂 We once were travelling in Europe and came across a beautiful memorial garden — one of the most touching was a plaque and statue with verse about a dog who had “worked” in WWII. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  • Dear Rochelle

    Another piece of great historical fiction from you. I love the idea that Cher Ami got recognition for his bravery and life-saving skills.

    Great story.

    Best wishes

    Dee

    Liked by 1 person

  • Wonderfully well written story – with a great history lesson that showcases the incredible ingenuity and means used during those awful wars and battles. In service to one’s country.

    Lovely reading Rochelle 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Loré,

      It’s really difficult to tell with birds. We had two cockatiels once. The one we named Charlotte turned out to be Charlie and the other, Madison was a male. Glad you liked my story and took the time to say so.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear CE,

      I think most girlies of a certain age have their heads in the clouds where the handsome young men are concerned. (Consider all the teen magazines with 8 x 10 glossies of movie and music idols.) Reality sets in much later. (Returned snigger)

      Thank you for your compliment re my story.

      Shalom and a gentle hug,

      Rochelle

      Like

  • Dear Flo,
    I suppose the reason they used pigeons instead of geese is because they were smaller targets and not prone to talking like that stupid AFLAC goose. What a blabber-beak. He’d give away more secrets than Hillary’s classified emails.

    Respectfully yours,
    General Starling

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear General Starling,

      I’ll take the carrier pigeon over the AFLAC goose any day. We have a flock of homing geese in our neighborhood. Which is to say that they feel at home pooping in our driveway.

      Shooting my pricing gun and saying shalom,
      Regressively yours,

      Flo

      Liked by 1 person

  • What a take! Love the history here and the fact that the bird was called Cher Ami. Something new I learned today. Grandpa has stories. They best listen. Great storytelling and entertaining too, Rochelle.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Amy,

      I do have a tendency to write stories that are told from generation to generation. Perhaps because I wish my own grandparents had been more forthcoming. 😉 I’m glad you liked the story. It was a pleasant write. Thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

  • Shalom Rochelle!

    I thought I should share this with you when I watched the video. it’s three minutes long. Wasn’t sure how to send it to you. Hope you don’t mind my sharing it here.
    (I thought I’d share it in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day which was Thursday, I believe.)

    ~Vijaya

    Liked by 1 person

  • Hi Rochelle
    Fabulous story and I love the Atlas Obscura – what a find! I’m enjoying being back here. I got a little obsessed with Friday Fiction before and wasn’t writing anything else – I thought a short break would be good, but it turned into a long break, (with very little writing being done). So it looks like I’ve lapsed and gone back to my addiction 🙂

    Like

  • Leave a reply to IB Arora Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple

    Growing older is inevitable. Growing up is optional.

    Linda's Bible Study

    Come study God's Word with me!

    Just Writing!

    A place to improve my writing skills, and that's all.

    lindacapple

    Writing from the Soul, Speaking from the Heart

    Real World Magic

    Bringing Visions to Life

    Riverbrat

    Navigating the mountains and valleys of everyday life on the riverbank.

    Our Literary Journey

    Driveling twaddle by an old flapdoodle.

    Saania's diary - reflections, learnings, sparkles

    Life is all about being curious, asking questions, and discovering your passion. And it can be fun!

    Invincible Woman on Wheels

    Conquering the World

    This, that and the other thing

    Looking at life through photography and words

    Kelvin M. Knight

    Reading. Listening. Writing.

    Na'ama Yehuda

    Speech Language Pathologist, Writer, Blogger -- musings, anecdotes, stories, quotes, life lessons and growth

    Diane's Ponderings

    Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

    Penz-o-Paula

    Paula Shablo

    Lost Imperfect Found

    Self-discovery through self-reflection.

    Sarah Potter Writes

    Pursued by the muses of prose, poetry, and art

    Sammi Cox

    Author Aspiring

    Neil MacDonald Author

    A writer's journey

    Autumn Leaves

    For those who enjoy fiction

    Native Heritage Project

    Documenting the Ancestors

    Living In Eternity

    If Eternity Is Forever, Am I There Now?

    Rereading Jane Eyre

    Author Luccia Gray