WELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS!
We are a growing community of blogging writers who come together each week from all parts of the globe to share individual flash fictions from a single photo prompt. The prompt goes up early Wednesday morning CST to give each writer time to compose a story by Friday. Some use the photo as a mere inspiration while others use it as an illustration. Use your imagination and think outside the box.
WARNING! This is an addiction for which there is no 12 step recovery program.
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).Thanks to Blogspot bloggers for disabling their CAPTCHAs.
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER:
- This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
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My story follows the prompt for those who might be distracted by reading a story before writing their own . I relish your comments.
Copyright-Claire Fuller
The prompt this week comes twice from Claire Fuller; both photo and artwork.
*Genre-Literary Fiction*
PAVOR NOCTURNUS
“It takes time to recover from major surgery,” said Jill’s doctor. “Your body suffered trauma. I suspect the nightmares will stop soon.”
“Thanks…for nothing.” She slammed down the phone. “What’s it to him? He’s not the one afraid to sleep.”
“Honey, you need your rest.” Tom slipped in beside her and shut off the light.
Her attempts to stay awake failed. The bedroom faded. A two-headed monster with razor-sharp fangs in each mouth seized her shoulders. She struggled against its iron-grip.
“Jill! Wake up!”
Drenched and shivering, she opened her eyes and groaned. “Not again.”
“Yep. The twins are hungry.”
And just for fun or if you’re having trouble getting to sleep click here.
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shhhhhhh!
Dear Rochelle,
Pavor Nocturnus has the ring of the ‘Stobor’ in Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky. I am very happy to say that I can only imagine what a waking nightmare having insatiable twins would be. Simply put, this story is a well crafted chronicle of fever dream and real life all rolled into one. Or is that two? Good job.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug,
To be compared to anything Heinlein is a rare compliment. Fortunately my sons came in sets of one at a time. I can’t imagine two at a time either. Thank you.
shalom,
Rochelle
Having raised twin nephews, I think you caught it perfectly… never enough sleep, and the dreams! Oh, the dreams… They’re in their 20′s now, and I still dream about them crying to be fed.
Thanks Christina. It’s always nice to hear back that a work of fiction rings true. I’ll bet you have some stories of your own to tell.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Rochelle,
This was too clever. I was seriously thinking she was about to face some kind of inner demon of epic proportions. Instead, it’s the true life misery of raising twins. I had to laugh and gladly released all the building tension you raised in the beginning. Well done.
Dear Atiya,
Glad you liked it. Fortunately I never had twins. One son at a time was a huge enough challenge. Thanks for commenting. Again, happy you joined in this week.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS What are you doing up this early?
I haven’t gone to bed. I was watching Being Human (US Version) then decided to work on the collar for my latest shirt, got upset with it and watched Numbers. Then realized I wanted to work on my book. I came on Facebook as a passing thought and haven’t touched the book yet. Facebook is the devil. But I’m glad I did otherwise I’d probably forget to post this week.
Very well done for a passing thought.
the poor mother! totally unexpected..and the photo by Claire is intriguing..
New motherhood is challenging. Thanks for commenting, Night.
you got me there! poor woman! i could feel her suffering and guilt… i can’t even begin to imagine how difficult motherhood is.. but when faced with this added problems, it’s gotta some sort of hell..ish. that woman needs — deserves — a day at the spa. ^^
No question, KZ. She does deserve a day at the spa. Thanks for dropping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Fantastic take on the prompt – very innovative.
Coming from the artist, this means a lot, Claire. Thank you.
I remember those days. The exhaustion and elation. The fear gripped me so tightly sometimes I didn’t sleep for days. My body and mind would finally give out and I would rest. However, the anxiety would creep back in once I became conscious again. Oh how I longed to sleep forever. Fortunately God saw fit to keep me around to watch my children thrive. In watching them, I began to live again. How lucky I am to be able to see them succeed and live adult lives. How lucky I am to be alive.
Dear Renee,
Your comment is a story in itself. It’s quite a compliment to me as a writer that my story stirred so many memories and emotions for you. Thank you.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you my dear for helping me remember. The good and the bad.
“Two-headed monster with razor-sharp fangs” — very cool metaphor for having kids, let alone twins. In the early stages, one has the feeling that life is on edge every second, that every moment of rest is a moment that cannot be spared …. and that’s without having to feed them! Excellently conveys those early days which, of course, are .. um…only a few years back for me.
Dear Perry,
Those early infant years were a challenge and I did have to feed them. Oy. Some days I felt that I was a none sleeping, milk machine. Can’t imagine what I’d have done if any of them had been twins.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Finally, my first visit here….you, as usual, are so creative my dear friend!!! I don’t know what I expected, but the short read was fun….remembering times with our kids…we always thought there should be a book….Remember washing the soap out of the tub?…with a garden hose?….drug through the house from the kitchen sink?…another word picture I’ll never forget..
Welcome, Ruthie.
Feel free to read back through the others. I started doing these short shorts in April. and do I ever remember some of the crazy times with our collective little ones. There’s still time to write that book, right?
shalom,
Rochelle
Kids multiply the things to be worried about, to be sure. Great story! It all fits together very well. Now I’m listening to that lullaby you linked, so…maybe I …should go…to…bed. zzzzzzzzzz
Thanks Dave. Glad you liked it.
I could only imagine what a chore that would be… and with two at once. Maybe Tom should get his butt out of bed and take care of the twins. The pic of the twins is appropriately creepy for a nightmare… the way they are colored… I thought they were dead.
Love the prompt and impressed with Claire’s artwork.
Dear Ted,
In my mind, hard to convey in 100 words, Tom does help with going to get the twins but is physically incapable of feeding them. as for the picture…hmmm…I guess I didn’t see it as creepy. It’s all POV, isn’t it? But you liked the story, right?
Shalom,
Rochelle
I did like the story. I was relieved at the ending, because it put her distress in another light, and I was sure something so sad was going to happen. You do have a track record. But Tom could certainly feed them with saved breast milk?
Se moi? Track record? And to answer the question…it’s a tossup. My kids would take saved breast milk from others as long as the source wasn’t in the room. Funny how those little nippers know the difference at an early age. So much for Playtex nursers being most like mother herself, eh?
Can someone check my link and see if I did it right. I’ve never done it before. Thanks!
It works.
Thanks!
Hi Rochelle
I have avoided reading your story until I’ve written my own. I have been putting the prompt image in my blog/story. I note that this one has been copyrighted. Could you clarify whether this means we cannot use the photo in our story? Thanks. Ann
Dear Ann,
You’re more than welcome to paste the photo into your post. Copyright means that to use the photo for anything but Friday Fictioneers you would ask permission of the owner.
Thank you for asking.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks for the clarification, Rochelle. I’m about to post my story, so it’s timely. I look forward to reading yours. I could not avoid the title: “Pavor Nocturnus”. Latin is so sexy! Shalom to you too! Ann
My guys are 8 months apart. The older is adopted. Thirty years later and I still dream about those razor sharp fangs! And I would do it all again. Their mother? I think she would, too.
I feel the same way about my kids, Paul. Thanks for commenting.
By the way, I’ve missed you. Really happy to see you. I have the feeling you’re a great dad.
What a metaphor! Yep…twins hungry again! Its easier being the father then I must say…you brought that home..
Thanks for dropping by with comment, Managua. I’ve always said it’s easier to the be the father.
Thank you for this prompt–enjoyed it very much
I love to see your humor shining through!
Thanks, Dawn. I did have fun writing this one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Rochelle… hilarious. As much as I loved nursing my babies, there were nights when yes, it kind of felt like that – and I only had one mouth to feed at a time!
Same here, Lisa. I felt like a sleep deprived milk dispenser. I can’t imagine twins.
Glad it made you laugh.
My “baby” weaned a year ago. I can afford to laugh.
That’s still a baby. My “baby” weaned about 28 years ago.
But those memories don’t fade all that much.
Great job of showing us that real life can be a nightmare too!
Thanks, Claudia. Those early mom days can be trying.
Utterly famished.
Rochelle, I can identify with those feelings and those days (fortunately long over.) I remember sitting in the chair in the middle of the night, nursing one of the girls and thinking that I was going to fall asleep and drop that poor child right on the floor! It never happened, I don’t think, but some nights I was so tired that perhaps it did and I don’t remember.
At one time I thought twins might be nice because then it would all be over at one time (we wanted two children), but I’m so thankful God didn’t listen!!
janet
I know what you mean, Janet. I’ve always been grateful that none of my boys were twins. I have similar nursing stories as well. My second son was every two hours until he started solid foods at 5 months. I thought sleep was a thing of the past.
My mother was a twin so I was a little nervous back in those days before routine sonograms.
Thanks for the comments, Janet. I’m afraid my story has turned this page into a “hen party.” Sorry guys.
Without the guys, there are no stories like this one.
And if the babies are bottle-fed, it might not happen either!!
eek! i’m so dense..on the first read, i thought Tom had turned into a vampire or something…but now i get it! what a great story!! :p
on a different note…a friend recently had premature twins and she would love to breastfeed but unfortunately, at this time, both are struggling just to survive…all we can do is keep praying. i loved your story. thanks.
Dear Sunshine,
Glad you liked it in any case.
It’s all right with me if you had to read my story twice.
Sorry about your friend’s twins. I pray they do survive.
Shalom,
Rochelle
so far so good with the twins…both are hanging in tight and fighting fiercely.
thanks!
a sweet read. I loved the twin ending, a surprise.
Ha, love it. That was me, 3 years ago…i still don’t think i have slept a wink since my twin girls came lol. Very well done
Thanks for validating my story, Boomie. As I’ve said before, I only had one at a time. I’m grateful for that.
shalom,
Rochelle
Awww.. such a sweet ending to the story, Rochelle .. Totally unexpected.
And all new moms am sure will vouch for those dreams. It gets difficult with one and having two can be pretty rough. Enjoyed reading.
Thanks Muzer. Indeed “Motherhood” is a universal language, isn’t it? Glad you enjoyed my story.
Oh I feel for her! Nice one Rochelle with an unusual twist there.
Thank you, Sandra. Glad you liked it.
Rochelle, I used to fall asleep breastfeeding my boys, out of sheer exhaustion.
This is a wonderful real-life take on the prompt. That ending was such a nice surprise. 
Dear Celestine,
Happy you liked my story and it was something you could relate to. It was a fun piece to write. Thanks for stopping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LOL Rochelle…This is how my mother must have felt. The oldest in my family are twin redhead boys. How she did it is beyond me. I am sure she had many nightmares along the way.
Tom
Much happier ending than anticipated at the beginning of the story. Of course, Jill and Tom will have to gear up for the terrible twos will make the late night routine seem like a piece of cake..
Night Terror? Or just recollection of the day’s trauma for the mother of twins!
Very nice Rochelle, you just turned it around with the last line. Love this story!
Good story.
As a grandmother of twins who were first breastfed I can understand her inability to get any sleep. Our oldest, Stephanie started out breastfeeding the twins but could not continue on account of Chris not wanting his milk that way, so refused it, whereas Kristen was the hungry little pig with a big bite. We called her piranha mouth. 
She had to resort to bottle feeding then for both.
I thought I was about to read another gory story about death. What a wonderful twist.
Hello Dear Readers… I have to go to Orcas Island tomorrow, so I have joined the ranks of the Thursday Fictioneers this week. Don’t trip rushing to read story #43!
Very funny! Or not, depending on whether you have twin babies or not! Never had children, but bottle-fed a kitten from 2 weeks. That was bad enough. A bottle every one and a half hours round the clock. There were days I never managed to get out of my pyjamas! My first and my ‘son’. Deeply loved and sadly missed.
So now I have started to read the story. I really love that twist. And I assume that PAVOR NOCTURNUS is very appropriate with children. But two-headed monster with sharp fangs… That’s very good.
Great take! Especially from looking at the sculpture — it reads like it looks!!!
Kewl!
(kissing sound on queen’s ring)
Haha! I remember those breast feeding days well. Ouch. And a note to young moms–don’t tell your daughter you breastfed her at the squeamish age of 14 like I did. Bad idea. She ran from the room! Thanks for the memories, Rochelle. I think.
You think that’s bad? Tell your 14 year old boy! Glad you liked the story, Beth. I had fun writing this one.
Totally not what I expected, but after 4 children I understand.
Thanks for dropping by, Mari. Four? You’re one up on me.
Well, I’m coming at this from a whole different direction. From what I can see, I’m the only one commenting so far who did not have children. I do understand from having so many friends who were mothers that what you’ve presented is pretty true-to-life. But since I am not in that audience, I saw the story as a genuine piece of “literary fiction” and found it ingeniously hilarious — in that it was as though you had played a huge joke on all of us. You had us bound to the character in sympathy and trepidation, and then the real story jumped out in our face like a “jack-in-the-box.” This was just excellent writing, Rochelle.
Dear Sandra,
I’m not sure where to begin in thanking you for your comment. While it’s gratifying to hear back from so many who could relate to motherhood, it’s really about the writing. So your words of praise are music to my ears (and eyes).
Humbly yours,
Rochelle
Wonderful writing. Touched the heart of a mother, ex-midwife and lover of short stories.
Thank you, Lindy. An ex-midwife? No doubt you have some wonderful stories to tell. Happy that you liked my story on all three fronts.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS One of the characters in my novel is a midwife.
I will look forward to reading it. Every day was an experience at work, there is no doubt about that.
I read a study once, years ago, about how breastfeeding mothers often dreamed of being devoured, but you made it a chuckle. Very nice.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/hephaestus-wedge/
Happy to afford a chuckle, Maggie. Makes me smile.
A lovely story about the demands of motherhood and the super human things women do. well done!
Thank you, Charles. Glad you think so.
Made me laugh at the end – and I loved the sweet little picture of the babies. Fabulous story!
Thanks El. Happy you liked it. Your story had the same effect on me this week.
Oh, how I wish I could say that I remember those days, but truth be told, I’m pretty sure I slept through them all three times =]
Spoken like a man, T. Just don’t say that you “babysat” your own children. I’d have to reach through the computer and slap you. Thanks for dropping by.
You mean the man is not supposed to sleep through? I am the ultimate dead head when I go to sleep, so I was little help whne it came time to feed, but then at first they were breast fed, so I really had no place. What an interesting take on the prompt. That is one of the most enjoyable parts of the FF, seeing how many directions the stories will take. It is why i always do mine before I read the first.
Hi Joe,
One of the reasons I quit posting my title in the subject line was so that others wouldn’t be influenced. I’m the same way. I don’t want to read anyone else’s story before writing mine.
My husband used to sleep through the feedings, too. I can pretty much sleep through anything. But when it came to my babies crying it was another story.
I agree with you. So many different impressions from a single photo. My favorite obsession.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Hi Rochelle,
Good misdirection here. Never saw that ending coming. Ron
That was the idea, Ron. I think I’ve mentioned more than once how much I love O. Henry. Guess he had a huge influence on me. Thanks for swinging by.
Nice twist, well done Rochelle.
Thanks, Pete.
This brought a smile to my face. I wonder why Dad did not go. A mother’s work. LOL…I also had to go back and look at my story. My character name was Tom as well.
Now if your other character was Jill…Glad my story made you smile, YJ. Let’s cut my Tom some slack. In my mind he did get up. He just didn’t have the right equipment to feed the twins.
Nicely done It brought back memories of my first – one time I got up in the night to feed him only tomfigure out it was a barking dog that woke me. Doh!
Hi Erin,
I understand those sleepy moments between dreamscape and waking. One night I heard my first son cry. When I woke up I was rocking my pillow and couldn’t figure out why the baby wouldn’t stop crying.
Ooh Rochelle – brings back long-suppressed memories of my every-two-hours son! Funny and scary at the same time. (Well, scary at first; it wasn’t funny until you told us what’s really happening
)
Dear Sharon,
. It certainly brought back memories for a lot of us.
I had you where I wanted you
Shalom,
Rochelle
Glad I wasn’t drinking at the end. Loved it!
Success! Thanks, Tessa. The only thing better would’ve been if you’d told me your coffee spurted out your nose.
That would be quite a feat since I don’t drink coffee, but I get the meaning.
Genius, Rochelle. I only have a one-headed monster and I feel your character’s pain. Well-written, of course, and a nice switch in the tail.
Dear Jen,
Your stunning comment has me smiling. I’m sure you can relate. And your little “monster’s” head is so adorable. Thanks for dropping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
holy crap. 82 people and it’s only friday. i have a lot of reading this weekend. we should take bets on an over/under which date will break 100. today is feb. 1. so i’m guessing that by the first friday in march it’ll break 100. do you think before or after?
We’re pretty close now, Rich. 89! And that’s with some of our regulars missing! My guess is that at this rate we’ll hit the 100 mark this month.
i think you’re right. i restate my tractment.
So cute. I was expecting something more sinister. Great ending.
Mission accomplished! That’s exactly what I wanted you to think, Shirley. Thank you.
Wow, this one was great Rochelle. The pacing, the dialog — that image! Really nice. (And look at how many people are taking the Friday Fictioneers dive these days, awesome!)
Dear Brian,
Thanks for your kind comments.
As for the numbers…it won’t be long, I think, before we break the three digit mark.
Dear Rainbow,
What a lovely story. I got the picture. A couple of little piranhas in a feeding frenzy. All they do is eat, sleep, and poop. What a life!
Dear Rabaul,
Glad you liked the story. Ah those were the days…and the nights. Every two hours. Fortunately only one at a time for me.
Great story. I’d say us guys have it easy
Thanks, H.L. I’ve always thought so.
Rochelle,
Interesting take on the prompt. Your story is well crafted. I have a good sense of her feverish dream. I’ve had a few of those right after giving birth. You don’t know sometimes if you’re awake or asleep! I enjoyed this.
Amy
Dear Amy,
I too remember those times of feeling like a walking zombie after waking nights. Glad you enjoyed it.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Had to smile at this one very hard not to when you think of babies wanting feed at all hours and could not imagine more than one at a time. Well done.
I am number 91
I knew there was a good reason I’d never had children Rochelle, thanks for reminding me in such a very visual way
Dear Linda,
Those days were challenging even though I only had one at a time. Thanks for reading and commenting.
shalom,
Rochelle
For some reason I went to other stories before I read yours!
This is most hilarious (and a bit sad at the same time) and with a newborn son at home, I so very understand her fears and nightmares.
I love this story.
It is enough to put me off having children! I hadn’t even considered maternal nightmares… well written, it made me smile.