ANNOUNCING GREAT NEWS!!!
Alicia Jamtaas has been published! Her short story, “A Private Death” has been included in the fall issue of “Sweet Tree Review.” 
Way to go Alicia!
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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Claire Fuller
Genre: Anecdote
Word Count: 100
PENNY-ANTE
Sunday was “Fan Tan” night when I was eight. My family played the card game for pennies.
“Where’s that seven of hearts?” Dad tossed a copper on the table with mock disgust. “Shelly? You only have one card left?”
“The little brat’s got it,” said my fourteen-year-old brother pitching his coin.
I batted my eyelashes. “Why, Jeffrey, whatever do you mean?” With a dramatic flourish, I laid down the seven. “I win!”
It’s not the victories I remember as much as the unprecedented peace between my parents, my father’s relentless teasing, and laughing so hard I nearly wet my pants.
.
.
.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
A warm picture of family life, and a last line that hints at a whole saga. Lovely!
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Dear Neil,
I wasn’t altogether sure about this one. I’m glad it worked the way I wanted it to. One of my fondest childhood memories. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Warm and with a wholly authentic feel.
Almost too much information in those last few words!
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Dear CE,
This really is one of my fondest childhood memories. My dad could be so funny. I miss his insanely sharp sense of humor. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You great images. And brought back memories. Thank you.
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Dear Michael,
I’m happy to share. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A lovely little glimpse at family life and fond memories. Very sweet, Iain.
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Dear Iain,
When I saw the pennies in the picture it’s where my mind went. One of my favorite memories of childhood. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a lovely family night. I was looking for ages to try and find the link to the story, and then I saw it, just hiding there in plain sight 🙂 Good story Rochelle (as if you could write any other kind)
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Dear Al,
Glad you found the link. 😉 Thank you for such a sweet compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is so lovely – it’s reads so honestly, and happily. And thanks for choosing my picture this week.
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Dear Claire,
Thank you for the lovely photo. So many directions to go. The first thing I noticed were the pennies and you can see where they took me…to one of my happiest memories. Thank you for your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely read. I remember Fan Tan. My grandmother used to play it with her friends.
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Dear J Hardy,
It’s so nice to know someone else besides me remembers Fan Tan. More often I hear it called Seven Up. I suppose it’s the difference between the East and Midwest. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Warm and redolent of a kind of family life I suspect not many families indulge in these days. As a family we played a lot of card games – the kids always had to play the grown up games – gin rummy, whist, solo whist. No quarter was given for our tender years. You brought this back in such a wholesome way, and the pants-wetting was the icing on the cake, if that’s not too disturbing a term. 🙂 Well done.
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Dear Sandra,
I can’t imagine too many families indulging in games, although I do know of one or two. Of course we have to contend with the ubiquitous presence of the iPhone.
Icing becomes a little less disturbing by the day. Today I have to pick some up at the store with ready made cupcakes to decorate for the upcoming wedding reception.
I’m so pleased that my story came off the way I wanted it to. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And so the phrase “why (insert name here), whatever do you mean?”, begins here. A nice glimpse into a family night that seems to have gone away in today’s society. Good story.
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A heartwarming story – brought back memories of my father.
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Dear Dahlia,
I’m glad you liked my story and I hope the memories of your father are happy ones. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes 🙂
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Best kinds of memories, your story made me feel warm and fuzzy. Thank you.
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Dear Loré,
This is one of my happiest childhood memories. I’m pleased to share. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The warmth of the memory comes shining through, nicely done. I’d never heard of Fan Tan, but then I read in another comment it’s also called Seven Up. That sounds more familiar, although I’d never be able to reproduce the rules now. My family more often played Uno and Scrabble, or put together puzzles together, but the feeling was much the same, I think.
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Dear Joy,
I used to play Scrabble with my mom but not my dad. Mom said when she played it with Dad she changed the name of it to Squabble. We used to play a game called Casino and another called Crazy 8’s which is basically Uno with regular cards.
I’m glad the story came across the way I wanted it to. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ha ha — “Squabble” — yes, some games went that direction in my family too! Now I’m trying to remember all the card games we played, and coming up blank. All I can recall is euchre, which is very popular in Michigan and pretty much nowhere else, but I think I only started playing that with friends in high school. We did play an awful lot of solitaire — now I look back and wonder, when did I have the time for that?!?
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As others have said, this is a beautifully warm story. I remember playing cards for pennies when I was a child. Lovely memories.
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Dear Clare,
All those pennies went back into a big jar for the next week. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So did ours! 🙂
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Ah, such a sweet memory, Rochelle. And the warmth of of the moment comes through very clearly in your writing. The kind of tale that makes us all nostalgic. 🙂
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Dear Lynn,
It’s nice to know that my story seemed to take everyone where I wanted them to go. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My pleasure 🙂
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Fabulous news, Alicia! And I see our prompt is by another published author, I know because I have a copy of ‘Days’. I will have to inspect this shadow box carefully and see if I can find Ethel & Cheryl.
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I loved your sweet story, Rochelle… your poor brother.
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p.s. I bet you can still fit in that dress. Cute pic.
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Dear Ted,
My poor brother indeed. I was “that” little sister. I’m happy to say that I count my brother among my best friends today. Thanks for coming by. I hope your read Alicia’s story. it’s a masterpiece.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Happy childhood memories, how we relish them. Lovely story dear Rochelle. Enjoyed up to last line. Shalom.
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Dear Indira,
Those card games were great fun. Glad to share the joy. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We also played cards. I cheated a lot but only in card games. Shalom.
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Beautiful family pic.You are looking so cute and naughty.
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Me? Naughty? (Don’t ask my brother. 😉 )
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🙂
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Never heard of that game. It’s real. I found it online. It’s so nice when families can have those memories of such a happy childhood
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Dear Larry,
I don’t know that many people who ever heard of Fan Tan. It was a lot of fun though. Thanks for stopping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh! This reminds me of our “bingo” nights. Mom would sew little purses out of felt or have a piece of candy to give to whoever won. And, in the end, if you didn’t win legally “she made it so.” Thanks for the memory.
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Dear Alicia,
My dad had a way of making sure I won sometimes in other games. Thank you for sharing your sweet memory.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love your story and the family photo! Your anecdote hints at the larger picture beautifully.
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Dear Emily,
Thank you such a nice comment and your evident perception. There is a larger picture there. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So much love and so many memories hidden in these few words. I loved it.
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Dear Bridget,
Thank you for such a wonderful comment. Glad you enjoyed my little snippet.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So interesting that you wrote about families and memories as did I but with a sadder twist. I am fascinated by the responses that certain photos evoke in more than one person when there is no obvious connection with the photo. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your loving family.
Tracey
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Dear Tracey,
I think one of the things that fascinates me about this challenge is the diversity and how people see the prompt. I try never to go with the obvious. I’m not always sure how I end up with some of the stories I do. This one? No problem. If you look, in one of the boxes is a stack of pennies. I immediately went to Fan Tan night.
Thank you .
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is so sweet… yes there were those times, and I think the simple games, the thing you together is what stays… I wonder if such things exist today.
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Dear Björn,
It doesn’t seem like families do much of anything together these days, does it? Although we have some neighbors who do. I used to have art nights with my kids. Thank you for dropping by as always.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Absolutely sweet!
Beautiful memories.
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Thank you so much, Chioma.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sweet, family game night 🙂
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They were sweet nights, Ali. some of my fondest memories. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely warm story. We used to play cards together and this has got me wondering when and why we stopped
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Dear Michael,
I loved playing cards with friends and family. I can’t remember the last time that happened. How sad. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a happy piece! So lovely to read.
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Thank you so much, Louise.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
That’s a lovely story that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I guessed it was a a recollection from your childhood before reading the comments. I can also see how your experience of close family life has influenced your novel-writing, which is so full of wonderful snippets and warmly observed snapshots like the one above.
By an absolute coincidence, my story that I’ll be posting tomorrow and wrote before reading yours, also features a copper coin, or rather, a copper-plated one.
Yes, finally, I’m returning to FF after a lengthy break.
With all good wishes
Sarah
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Dear Sarah,
It goes without saying that I’m delighted to see you back in the FFFold. 😉 There I said it. Those pennies just took me right to this story. I wasn’t sure it would work but, apparently, it did. I’m pleased about that. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
…and then everything conspired against me doing a story for October 28. Anyway, I will try something for November 4, but most importantly for this week, your guest storyteller post over at mine is going live on November 5, which is exceedingly exciting. I’ll let you know when I’ve published it.
All best wishes
Sarah
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Lovely story, although there’s a little sting in that word ‘umprecedented’.
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Good catch, Lizy. That’s deliberate. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is a really cozy picture, warm and full of laughter. I hope more children have this kind of childhood.
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Dear Rian,
Every child deserves a good childhood. It breaks my heart that so many don’t. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love this. As many have said, it has such a warm and fuzzy feel about it. Nothing better than family nights like this! And, by the way, I would have known that was you in the pic a mile away! 😉
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Dear Dale,
I only wish these nights hadn’t been so few and far between. At any rate I cherish these particular memories. No one could be as sharp and funny as my daddy. I guess I have one of those faces…and i don’t mind. 😉
Thank you and shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely flashback 🙂
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Thank you, Helen. 😀
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Awwww I love that photo! So sweet those memories. Fun and laughter. I am glad for this story, so many including my own were dark.
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I mean not that my family were dark but my story was! Ha ha
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Dear Laurie,
I knew what you meant. Glad you enjoyed my story. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You know, it doesn’t surprise me that there are a bunch of penny pinchers in your family. I can just see you sitting there smugly and coy while holding a winning hand.
My parents got a long well too. We were both very blessed. Connie has a little sign hanging in the bathroom that reads, “The best gift a Father can give his children is to love their Mother.”
Best regards,
Ward Cleaver
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Dear Ward,
I’m worried about the Russell. He didn’t post a story this week.
Actually my parents didn’t get along all that well. I guess that’s why this is a memory I treasure and hold dear to my heart. As for the pennies, they spent the week in a jar, never to be spent. Me? Smug? Coy? Yes!
Thank you for swinging by.
Shalom,
She Who Shall Remain Nameless
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A lovely trip down that winding lane of memories!
I played card games at my Grandmother’s using old defunct half-pennies from a jar. Our winnings were converted into decimal currency for us to take home and spend at the end of the stay – never really occurred to me how kind and generous my grandmother and her brother were being.
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Dear Miranda,
We never spent the Fan Tan pennies. And who actually play with real cards anymore? Thank you for your comments and sharing your own memories.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a lovely story, even if a bit of sadness is in there, too. I never heard of that card game, my parents didn’t play.
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Dear Gabriele,
You’re very perceptive. 😉 Thank you for reading, seeing and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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what a beautiful story. thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for such a nice comment/compliment, Plaridel.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sweet memories and a sweet childhood picture to go with it too!
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Dear Ansumani,
I’m glad you enjoyed my story and photo. Nice to see you again. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think some of my best memories are over quiet or boisterous games played together. That’s really taking time out to spend with other. What a great memory to recall for your story, Rochelle. Very sweet and nostalgic.
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Dear Amy,
Those family bonding times didn’t and don’t happen frequently enough. But when they did… 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My dad was really funny too.
But I could never beat him!
You’re a lucky lady 😉
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Dear Dawn,
Sometimes my dad let me win. But he did it in such a deliberate and funny way that I’d be rolling on the floor. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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i cant upload my story. i donno why…pls help. the link is
https://shaktikisharma.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/not-thinking-of-him/
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Dear Shaktiki,
Bear with me. My subscription to inLinkz has expired and it seems that th payment has changed. I’m waiting to hear back from them. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ookie 😇
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Okay, I think I’ve taken care of the problem. You should be able to link now.
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nostalgic over childhood memories….nice post 🙂
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Dear Shweta,
It’s nice to remember the good times, isn’t it? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I tried the linky…but there was no box to add it
http://www.sunshineandzephyr.com/2016/10/a-fiction-written-in-just-100-words/
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Dear Shweta,
I apologize for the link malfunction. It seems that my subscription has run out. I’m doing my best to get it back up and running as soon as I figure out what I need to pay for the coming year.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The fee is paid and you have a few more hours to link, Shweta. I apologize for the delay.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Querida Rochelle,
A charming write about what family game night is all about.
I wlays enjoyed those nights with my girls. The simple pleasure.
Lovely photograph … brings wishes of those bygone days to mind.
Please forgive the extra 2 words on my entry this week. It was a tough write for 100 words..
Gracias mi amiga por su trabajo.
Abrazos
Isadora 😎
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Querida Isadora,
I used to have “art nights” with my boys. Messy good fun. My middle son says it’s one if his fondest memories. Glad you enjoyed my story.
One or two words over is no problem. It’s when someone goes 20 to 100 over that i tend to get annoyed. 😉
If you’ve had trouble linking your story try again. My inlinkz subscription ran out. I took care of it.
Shalom y abrazos,
Rochelle
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Queried Rochelle,
I’m pleased to hear I could still add my story. It’s part of a book I’m writing. I’d love to hear what you think. I’m in the very beginning of the story but your expertise would give me a bit of a confidence boost.
Gracias mi amiga …
Abrazos, Isadora 😍
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Really love the tenderness you’ve captured in this memory, Rochelle. Lovely. Thanks for your continued efforts to inspire us all! xox
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Dear Dawn,
Such a lovely compliment and how wonderful to see you here. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great story, Rochelle. Thanks for sharing that slice of memory and the family photo. Both are priceless!
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Dear Leigh,
Nice to see you in my neck of the woods. Thank you for a lovely comment/compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love it Rochelle and such a great photo 💞
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