1 November 2024

Published October 30, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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 © Lisa Fox

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

QUEEN OF THE WAVES

Twenty-year-old Gertrude Ederle’s heart pounded as she waved to her adoring fans who thronged Manhattan’s streets shouting, “Trudy! Trudy!”
Slathered in lanolin and olive oil, she’d conquered twenty-one miles of frigid waters.
President Calvin Coolidge dubbed her America’s Best Girl.
When asked her thoughts on being the first woman to swim the English Channel, she shrugged. “I just knew it could be done, it had to be done, and I did it.”
Not only did she do it, but she did it in fourteen hours and thirty-one minutes, beating the records of the five men who swam it before her.

Of course, Trudy is one of my heroes. I’ll never go the distances she did, but I’ll forever applaud her for her role in history. For more of her story from her own mouth, friends and family CLICK HERE and HERE. (Parts 1 and 2 of a documentary.)

25 October 2024

Published October 23, 2024 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 © Roger Bultot

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

PRELUDE TO A NIGHTMARE

The setting sun’s light made the waters of the sea sparkle. Aliseyu basked in its warmth. Hutash had been good to them today. A grand catch of fish would provide a feast for the village tonight.

Aliseyu’s father recounted histories with the other men who paddled their long tomol. Even though he’d heard it many times, Aliseyu never tired of hearing the story of Hutash leading her Chumash people over the rainbow bridge to their home by the ocean.

In the distance, a huge boat with white flags appeared. As it came closer, Aliseyu blinked. Perhaps it was a dream.

On our recent trip to California I learned of the Chumash people who all but perished at the hands of the Spanish. To learn a little more about them CLICK HERE.

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18 October 2024

Published October 16, 2024 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 © Lori Wilson

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

INDIANA FARM BOY

“You’ll like Orville,” George told Corrine. “He has a great personality.”

Who hadn’t heard that line before?

However, George hadn’t lied. She found Orville to be a most charming gentleman. He regaled her with stories of farm life and how he’d been the first in his family to go beyond the eighth grade.

When he told her he wanted a college degree so he’d have a name his children could be proud of, he won her heart.

One date led to another until the day he proposed to her. “Corrine Strate,” Orville Redenbacher asked. “How do you feel about popcorn?”

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As you can see, Orville Redenbacher did indeed become a name his children and grandchildren could be proud of. 😀

CLICK HERE if you have 20 minutes to learn more about this amazing man.

11 October2024

Published October 9, 2024 by rochellewisoff

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he 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 © Mr. Binks

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

THREE STEPS AND A HOP

Ettore patted Jerry’s head. “How’s it going small fry?”

Twelve-year-old Jerry squared his shoulders, stretched to his full four-foot-three-inches, glaring up at his six-foot-tall eighteen-year-old brother. “Who you calling ‘small fry’?”

The youngest of eleven siblings, he’d always be the shortest.

Over the years his lack of height served him well as an actor and a stuntman. His hand and footprints appear in front of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Puffing on his cigar, eighty-year-old Jerry Maren reminisced about his part in The Wizard of Oz. “Great times. That mangy mutt made better money than us Munchkins did.”

4 October 2024

Published October 2, 2024 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 © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Genre: Science Fiction
Word Count: 100

GORT! KLAATU BARADA NIKTO!

My brother has always had a vivid imagination and a penchant for fabricating tall tales. This time I thought he’d gone too far.

“Too many sci-fi comics, kiddo,” I said. “If extraterrestrials had arrived on this planet, it would be all over the news.”

“I saw their spaceship land. They’ve set up weapons of mass destruction.”

At his insistence, we hiked to the site where I expected to have the last laugh. But now both of my hearts stand still as I watch the two-legged creatures in shiny suits lumber about their craft.

“Perhaps they come in peace,” I whisper.

And just for fun:

27 September 2024

Published September 25, 2024 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 © Sandra Crook

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Genre: Histrionic Fiction
Word Coutnt: 100

TWIXT WOOD AND LAUGHTER

Mae West said I was all wood and a yard long. Don’t remember her? Use your little fingers and do a Google search. That is, if you’re smart enough to use a computer.

(And they call me the dummy).

I don’t say much these days. I just watch the passersby at the Smithsonian Institution. I miss my buddy, Edgar who passed away in 1978. He treated me like a son. Some say he treated me better than his own daughter. To be fair, he only included one of us in his will. I’d be upset, too, if I were her.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Edgar Bergen

20 September2024

Published September 18, 2024 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 © Lisa Fox

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The following is a repeat and if you remember it, bless you. It means you’ve been on board the FF bus for seven full years! 😀

Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

RADIUM DIAL

“Jinny was barely growed. 1914-1934” Her lower lip quivered as she traced the dates on the headstone with a frail finger. “She earned $17.50 a week painting them glow-in-the-dark clock numbers.”

Wind gusting across St. Columbus Cemetery chilled me. “Let’s get you home, Mrs. Abbot.”

“Not yet. I want you to see.” She seethed and brandished a Geiger counter probe over her sister’s grave. “Jinny took sick. Strange. Her jaws done crumbled. Died like the other girls at her factory. The doctors made lame excuses. Damned liars is what they was.” The machine sputtered. “That sound like Diphtheria to you?”

To know more…lots more CLICK HERE.

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13 September 2024

Published September 11, 2024 by rochellewisoff

Please, please, sign your comments! Most of your names are coming through but there were at least five last week that were marked “Anonymous.” I really like to know to whom I’m replying. 😀 Thank you for your participation and reciprocation. Shalom, Rochelle

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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 © David Stewart

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THE BOX HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD

Dale folded a blanket and laid it in a box of linens. “I hate moving.”

Rochelle taped the top of another box and labeled it Bedroom with a marker. “Ever wonder who invented them?”

“Invented what?”

“Cardboard boxes.”

“No.”

“Robert Gair, who came to the United States in 1853 from Scotland on a ship by himself. He was only fourteen at the time. Can you imagine what that must’ve been like? Later he fought in the Civil War and after that, he worked in a paper factory.”

“So how did he invent the box?”

“Sorry, I’m fresh out of words.”

CLICK for a lot more about Robert Gair

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It’s still summer! 😉

6 September 2024

Published September 4, 2024 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.

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Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100

AND THEN ALONG COMES MARY*

“Papa, where’s Baby Abigail?” asked four-year old George.

Despite his success in business, Colonel Zadock Pratt had little success in marriage.

After a few months, his first love, Beda had succombed to consumption. He’d then found solace in the arms of her sister Esther, only to lose her two years later.

Zadock sat his son and two-year-old daughter Julia on his lap.

Seven years with their mother (Abigail Sr.) had not been long enough. She had passed away three months before, ten days after giving birth.

Heaving a tearful sigh, Zadock whispered, “Baby Abigail’s gone to heaven to be with your Mama.”

*Note: A year later he married Abigail’s sister Mary. 😉

There’s so much out there about Zadock Pratt’s life that boiling any part of it down to only one hundred words was quite the challenge. CLICK HERE for more.

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30 August 2024

Published August 28, 2024 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.

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Genre: Anecdote
Word Count: 100

GLASSMITH

Charles was a glassblower at the amusement park called Worlds of Fun where I spent a summer as a caricature artist. I loved to watch him create his glass menagerie.

Years later I visited his shop in a local mall.

“Such beautiful work,” I said. “You’ve only gotten better.”

“Are you still drawing?” he asked.

“Of course.” Then, I saw a figure on a shelf—a dancer. “I’ve sketched her many times! I must have her.”

Instead of selling me that one, he crafted another on the spot—just for me.

Her fluid choreography will forever grace my whatnot shelf.