5 September 2014

Published September 3, 2014 by rochellewisoff

The following photo is the PHOTO PROMPT. Let it ignite the flames of your imagination. Then, tell me a story in one-hundred words or less.

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright – Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 100

FIRE IN THE HOLE

Two months ago my husband bought a dehydrator, a nifty gadget that reduces ten pounds of apples to less than a pound of mummified slices in a matter of hours.

“Think of the money we’ll save,” said Jeff.

“Seriously?” I rolled my eyes.

The final straw broke when he dehydrated jalapeños.

A short time later the dog begged to be let out. With my howling baby tucked under one arm and a handkerchief over my stinging nose I blindly kicked open the front door.

It took a week to fumigate the house. It’ll take longer to let Jeff back in.

29 August 2014

Published August 27, 2014 by rochellewisoff

Below is the PHOTO PROMPT. This photo from Madison Woods sent a few squeamish writers running from their keyboards. If you’re an FF veteran, you may already have braved this slimy picture and written a story. It’s perfectly legal to repost or write a new one if you like.

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Madison Woods

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By the time this page goes live I will be on a farm in upstate New York visiting my son and daughter in law. To learn more about what she does click here. I’m told the internet connection isn’t very good up there so chances are I won’t be doing much reading or commenting.

My story is from August 2012 when Madison was queen of this tangled grapevine.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 99

WILD LIFE

Half naked Himba people in Nambia, a sweaty camera crew and millions of TV viewers witnessed our marriage vows.

I willingly followed Trevor up the Himalayas, drank sun-scorched canteen water instead of Cabernet and swatted mosquitos in the Amazon.

In Nepal he slipped on something and narrowly escaped being trampled by a choleric elephant.

“I’m done,” he whispered later. “Let’s go home.”

“You are my home.”

Back in the states, safe from cheetah attacks and hippo stampedes, Trevor’s mangled body lies on a cold steel table. The driver, texting on her cell phone, never saw him cross the street.

As it appeared originally.

22 August 2014

Published August 20, 2014 by rochellewisoff

The following photo is the PHOTO PROMPT. Does it speak to you? Do you see only a vehicle? Tell me in one hundred words or less. 😉

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright-Roger Bultot

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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word count: 100

HAFIZ’S SOLUTION

“You’re unbelievable, Trisha,” said Joe. “We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and you’re reading poetry?”

“The tow truck’s on its way. Nothing we can do but wait.” She grinned at him from the passenger seat, her feet propped on the dashboard. “Relax. Enjoy the breeze.”

“The repair bill’s gonna be astronomical.”

“Could just be the battery.”

“Or the transmission.”

Joe’s mind raced from one awful conclusion to another as he paced back and forth in front of the stalled minivan.

Trisha giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Listen.” She read, “‘O someone should start laughing! Someone should start wildly laughing. Now!’”

To read over Trisha’s shoulder click here.

8 August 2014

Published August 6, 2014 by rochellewisoff

The next photo is the PROMPT. What does it say to you? Step outside your boundaries and let your imagination take wing!

My story follows the blue inLinkz buddy that Ali calls Bracken.

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright-Björn Rudberg

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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 100

WHEN THE NEED ARISES

It starts with a certain look, and you know it’s over. That’s how it is with Annie and me.

Without saying a word, she tells me what I don’t want to hear. We’ve both suffered too long and she needs to be free.

As we hike to our favorite mountain spot to say goodbye I envision life without her.

“Wish you didn’t have to go, Annie.”

She wags her tail, and feebly licks my hand. I caress her head, press the muzzle of my pistol against it and pull the trigger.

Whoever said men don’t cry was full of shit.

Click Here

1 August 2014

Published July 30, 2014 by rochellewisoff

Friday Fictioneers: Dawn Landau and Amy Reese. Cheers!

The following photograph is the PHOTO PROMPT. What does it say to you?

PHOTO PROMPT- Copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 100

LIFE FLIGHT

“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing, Gerald?”

“I’d say it’s kinda late to be asking that question.”

Vanessa looked out the oval airplane window and then at the Asian infant in her arms. Her dream come true. She’d traveled ten-thousand miles through tangled red tape to realize it.

“Do you think it will bug him that he doesn’t look like us?”

With an impish grin Gerald scrolled through his iPad until he came to a recent snapshot of the two of them. His blond hair and freckles contrasted her tight curls and chocolate complexion.

“What do you think?”

.

25 July 2014

Published July 23, 2014 by rochellewisoff

Below is the PHOTO PROMPT. Where does it take you? Let your imagination run free, free from the confines of the box. 😉

PHOTO PROMPT Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

KONG FUZI

Like his imposing father, Qiu towered over most boys his age. Yet, unlike Shuliang He, he preferred serenity to battle.

“Eat.” Zhenzai stroked her son’s cheek and tapped his crooked nose. “Your rice is getting cold.”

He rolled his chopsticks between his thumb and forefinger, his gentle eyes filled with pain and tears.

“Mama, why am I so ugly?”

She hugged him. “Not so.”

“It is so.”

“Listen to me.” She tightened her embrace. “Someday you will be a great teacher.”

“No one will hear me. They will only see my face.”

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

********

To learn more about Zhenzai click the Chinese calligraphy below.

**It seems that no two articles agreed on every point of the teacher’s life so all should be taken with an extra tablespoon of soy sauce and stirred with the proper chopsticks.

********

“The honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the slaughterhouse and the kitchen. And he allows no knives on his table.”

Kong Fuzi

World Travelers: Friday Fictioneers

Published July 18, 2014 by rochellewisoff

Every week at least one hundred global writers shorten the distance by sharing their flash fictions based on a single photo prompt. I have the honor and privilege of hosting the Friday Fictioneers challenge created by Madison Woods three years ago. I’ll probably never meet each one face to face, although I’ve been able to meet up with a few.

This past week, Friday Fictioneers Bill and Janet Webb had lunch Sandra Crook and her husband Neville on their boat in France.

From left to right: Neville and Sandra Crook, Janet and Bill Webb (who resembles neither zombie nor zed).

Also among our world travelers is Dawn Landau who lives in Washington state met with fellow fictioneer Björn Rudberg for lunch in Stockholm.

I love putting more than faces to names, don’t you?

18 July 2014

Published July 16, 2014 by rochellewisoff

Below is the PHOTO PROMPT. Can you tell me what this photo says to you in a hundred. (Complete story: beginning, middle and end) I dare you to step outside your comfort zone. I double dare you!

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Adam Ickes

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Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word count: 100

RESULTS

“Elise? We need to talk about your labs.”

It’s been over an hour since I sat down in the waiting room.

‘What if’s’ torment me. I comb my hair with my fingertips, loop a curl around my pinkie and imagine myself bald.

Stop that!

Just because my doctor has concerns she wants to discuss doesn’t mean it’s…

Oh God, what will Steve do without me? Will he remarry? What about the kids?

My eyes sting.

Pole-vaulter to conclusions? Sue me. I’m an Aries.

The nurse enters to summon the next patient and stares at me. I hold my breath.

“Elise…”

11 July 2014

Published July 9, 2014 by rochellewisoff

Below is the PHOTO PROMPT. What does it say to you? Tell me in one hundred words or less.

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Kelly Sands

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

SAUVIGNON BLANC 1940: THE GRAPES OF WRATH

Nine-year-old Laurel shivered and rubbed her eyes.

“Are we going to die, Mum?”

Her mother held her tight and shouted over concussions that juddered the shelter.

“The storm will pass.”

The ceiling caved in, their lantern shattered on the floor and her world went black.

In the morning sirens sounded the “all clear” and by afternoon civil defense workers had dug their way through to them.

Laurel squeezed Mum’s cold, stiff hand. “Wake up. Please, wake up. The bombers are gone.”

****

In the cold darkness of the wine cellar the storm still raged.

Eighty-one-year-old Laurel shivered and rubbed her eyes.

The Gift

Published July 3, 2014 by rochellewisoff

For the first time in over two years I took a two-week break from Friday Fictioneers. The reason being that I had some special out of town guests and I wanted to devote as much time to them as I could. Many of you know these two stellar writers, Janet Webb from Naperville, IL and Douglas MacIlroy from Kamuela, HI.

Since Doug planned to be in town for a couple of disc golf tournaments I invited him to the “Fields Bed and Breakfast.” Naperville isn’t far from Kansas City so I extended an invitation to Janet. One of the perks of having more than one guest room is that we can accommodate more than one guest.

It was nice to relax and get in some recreational reading. I think I was waking up from a recreational nap when Doug snapped the photo.

Doug sitting at my desk.

One of the high points of the visit was a trip to Joplin where we had lunch with Russell and Connie Gayer. Since they live in Arkansas we met in a somewhat central location. On the way we stopped for gas in Webb City, MO. Doug snapped the next photo. Too good to pass up.

Janet Webb in front of that Webb City water tower.

Connie and Russell Gayer. A rather serious expression on one of our favorite humorists.

The man behind me is my husband, Jan. Connie took the picture.

We celebrated Doug’s victory in his division of the KC Wide Open.

One of Doug’s favorite Kansas City sites. A disc golf shop downtown. The photo’s a bit blurry but the expression on his face says, “I’ve found Paradise.”