BEYOND THE WALLS

Published April 30, 2018 by rochellewisoff

This week Pegman goes to the Great Wall of China. Feel free to choose from photospheres you find anywhere along it’s length. This link will get you started, or you can venture off on your own. No need to stay with your tour group on Pegman tours 😉

Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by your tour of the location. You’re welcome to write fiction, essay, poetry, or anything you choose. Once your 150 words is polished, you can share it with other Pegman contributors at the Linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ work is part of the fun!

Thanks, always, to Karen and Josh for hosting this challenge. Great fun!

I wasn’t sure I’d make it back this week. We’re finding it takes a while to re-acclimate after a long trip. At any rate, this story has been brewing for the past couple of days, so, despite my being late for the Pegman party, I post this for those who’ll read.

The photo I chose.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 150

BEYOND THE WALLS

The letter arrived a few days before my thirtieth birthday. I studied the handwriting. It almost looked like I’d written it myself. Was it a cruel prank or a defining moment?

“No doubt this is terrible timing, but I’ve been searching for you half my life. Your Facebook posts about your poor mum’s dreadful automobile accident, told me I’d found my answer…”

Searching for me? I lived in Missouri, thousands of miles from London. This stranger, named Sally Myers-Hempstead, proposed we make a Skype date.

Ron booted up my laptop. “What’ve ya got to lose, Sis? This might be your answer, too.”

What answer? My adoption had never been a secret. Mom and Dad loved to tell the story of how they went all the way to China for their baby girl.

My mirror image smiled onscreen. “Happy birthday, Sondra!”

I managed to whisper. “Happy birthday to you, too, Sally.”

*

It does happen…quite a bit actually. These two young ladies, adopted by different families were reunited on GMA a couple of years ago. There are many other stories out there, similar to my bit of fiction.

27 April 2018

Published April 25, 2018 by rochellewisoff

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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 © Jan Wayne Fields

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

PARTNERS IN BOTANY

September 1880

Dearest Lemmonia,

I never dreamt I would meet such a marvelous botanical comrade. Two souls are we with one thought.

Where shall we honeymoon? I propose we journey to the far-off land of the Apaches in Arizona to explore new species of flora or even climb the Santa Catalinas. I await your reply, my love.

Forever yours,

Sara

***

Their guide, Emerson O. Stratton, later reminisced, “We christened the mountain Mt. Lemmon in her honor—the first white woman to reach the peak. There I chopped the bark off a great pine tree and we all carved our names.”

*One of the things we did on our vacation was to go up Mt. Lemmon. Amazingly, you start at the bottom with Saguaro Cacti and end up at the top amid Pine Trees. It’s when I learned that the mountain was named after this intriguing lady that my bit of fiction was born. So much story, so few words allowed. 😉

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20 April 2018

Published April 18, 2018 by rochellewisoff

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*Note: This marks the third week we will be on our road trip from Kansas City to Los Angeles and back again. This has been posted ahead. Thank you for understanding my slowness to read and comment.

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 © Douglas M. MacIlroy

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Please be considerate of the over 70 weekly participants and keep your stories to 100 words. Thank you.

The following story is a rerun from November 2014, so many of you will remember it, some of you won’t. However I did use a different prompt at the time. To visit Click Here

Genre: Hysterical Fiction

Word Count: 100

IN AN EARLIER LIFE

“Too much studying will ruin you. Carpe Diem. Let’s play catch.” Ted grabbed Douglas’ notebook and pressed a pie tin into his hand.

“Catch? With this?”

“From the Frisbie Pie Company. It’s all the rage on campus.”

For the next hour Douglas forgot about Yale, final examinations and commencement. Tension from late nights hunched over text books lifted off his shoulders and a sense of euphoria filled him as he and Ted flung the whirling dish back and forth.

“This is bound to become a national sport,” cried Douglas.

“Tin Tossing Tournaments?”

“Why not?”

“School’s finally driven you mad, MacIlroy.”

With Doug, in Kansas for a disc golf tournament in 2016. I think I was standing on a step.

JUST KILL ME ALREADY

Published April 15, 2018 by rochellewisoff

I can’t believe I’m doing this. Blame it on my good friend Dale and her friends Marc and Karen. All I can say is, “Oy.” Normally, I’m not a fan of doing prompts that require certain words. For whatever reason the muse wrestled me to the ground this morning and challenged me. Happy Sunday.

The required words are: Jesus, holy water, drive-thru, twinkies, wine, dinosaurs, passion, busybody, clubhouse, cross, absolution

Genre: Hysterical Fiction

Word Count: 150

JUST KILL ME ALREADY

“Don’t cross me this morning,” Miriam staggered to the kitchen table. “I had too much wine last night at the clubhouse.”

Yosi passed her a plate of Twinkies. “Here, mommy. Breakfast of champions.”

Biting into one of the golden cakes, she let the cream filling melt on her tongue. At that moment the phone rang.

The voice on the other end shrilled with passion. “Good morning, Miriam.”

Miriam rolled her eyes. Oy. It’s that busybody Mary-Agnes. Probably going to preach to me about Jesus and how I can find absolution.”

Agnes continued, seemingly unaware that Miriam had only groaned a greeting. “Father O’Malley tripped over the holy water this morning in church. Totally drenched a kid playing with his plastic dinosaurs on the front row.”

Choking on her coffee, Miriam finally said, “I have to go, Aggie. They’re having a special on gefilte fish and fries at the Kosher drive-thru.”

13 April 2018

Published April 11, 2018 by rochellewisoff

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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 © Yarnspinnerr

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Week 2 of our road trip. Expect delays.

Please be considerate of the over 70 weekly participants and keep your stories to 100 words. Thank you.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

YING’S THING

David Kaminsky pressed his nose against the soot-covered window of the Brooklyn tenement. Then, bowing his head, he studied his bar mitzvah reading. “This Saturday, I’ll be a man.”

“You’ll always be my baby. Someday, you’ll sing. You’ll dance. Now drink your milk.”

______

“She was so proud of me that day,” he told his wife as he stirred peapods and chicken in a mammoth wok. Light limned his red hair and his mother’s wedding band on his pinkie.

“She would be proud of you this day, too,” said Sylvia Kaye. “There’s no better chef in the universe than my Danny.”

*Ying’s Thing was the name Danny Kaye gave his Chinese kitchen. Who nu? 😉

This multi-talented performer was one of the mainstays of my childhood. I confess that I borrowed his given name for a character in my third novel AS ONE MUST, ONE CAN.

To know more about Mr. Kaye, Click Here

And Here

Guess Blogger: Friday Fictioneers

Published April 9, 2018 by rochellewisoff

Many have read my story of my Friday Fictioneers beginnings before. For those who haven’t, my thanks to Phyllis for inviting me to do a guest blog.

MythRider

Friday Fictioneer is a weekly writing challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Field. She posts a photograph and the challenge is to write a 100 word short story.

I asked Rochelle if she’d like to give us the history of how she became involved and eventually the host of FF. Here is her story:

HERDING CATS

Six years ago, as a newly published author of a short story anthology, writing and rewriting my first novel, I didn’t have much of a direction for my blog. The few articles I posted were met with overwhelming disinterest.

One April day I noticed a Facebook post by someone named Madison Woods on the Ozarks Writers League page announcing the time had come for Friday Fictioneers. I found the title intriguing so I asked her about it.

She explained that every Wednesday she put up a photo and each participant was to insert it into…

View original post 939 more words

6 April 2018

Published April 4, 2018 by rochellewisoff

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MAKE. EVERY. WORD. COUNT.

***

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.

My weekly admonition to over 70 participants. Please keep your stories to 100 words or less. Thank you for your consideration.

Note: My comments and replies will probably be a bit delayed as we are starting out on a three week road trip from Kansas City to Los Angeles and back again. Looking forward to seeing friends, relatives and cuddling granddaughters. If you are in the Las Cruces, NM area on April 7, I will be doing a book signing at Coas Books on Main Street from 1:00-3:00

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

AFTER A FASHION

Shielding her eyes with her parasol, Emma peered at the merciless summer sun. Her pantaloons and stockings clung to her legs under her petticoats and crinoline.

Why aren’t boys corseted with whalebone and lace?

Her stiff collar chafed and perspiration drenched her thick hair beneath her bonnet. How she longed to strip down to her drawers like her brothers and dive into the nearby creek.

________

Denise studied a tintype she’d found in the attic. “Great-grandma Emma looks elegant, doesn’t she?”

“Ha! Looks more like she’s ready to faint.” Penny adjusted her swimsuit. “Come on, Sis, race you to the pool.”

*

ANOTHER WORD ON THE SUBJECT

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple

Growing older is inevitable. Growing up is optional.

Make Every Word Count

All posts in the Make Every Word Count category

BEYOND THE WALLS

27 April 2018

20 April 2018

JUST KILL ME ALREADY

13 April 2018

Guess Blogger: Friday Fictioneers

HERDING CATS

6 April 2018

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HERDING CATS

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