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As always, please be considerate of your fellow Fictioneers and keep your stories to 100 words. (Title is not included in the word count.)  Many thanks. 

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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This is a rerun that perhaps a handful of you will remember from October 31, 2012 with a different photo prompt, then titled CIRCLE IN A SPIRAL. It’s still among my favorites. I’ve dusted it off and tweaked it a bit.  

Here in the States it’s Independence Day commemorating the freedom we enjoy. Amid the fireworks and feasting we do well to remember  countless men and women have paid the ultimate price for our celebrations. Pass the mustard, please. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 100

PRESUMED DEAD

            Before he deployed, Nathan loved amusement parks. He’d coax Jeanette onto the Ferris wheel and laugh so loud at her fear of heights others would turn and smile.

            Eight months ago a roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan.

            Still wearing her engagement ring, Jeanette takes her brother to the park but greasy odors and the pungent crowd suffocate her.

            From the shadows, a marine balanced on his one leg, reaches for her with a prosthetic hand. “I’m half a man, Jeanette. I’m afraid I can never—”

            “Nathan! Shut up and kiss me.”

            She laughs so loud others turn and smile.

       

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