The Friday Fictioneer Challenge: Write a 100-word story based on the photo prompt.

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Friday Fictioneer photo prompt. Copyright Claire Fuller

A week after his father died, Lou locked the shop for the last time. When they buried his father, they buried Lou’s plans to join his father’s business after graduation.

Ten years later, on the anniversary of his father’s death, Lou stood in front of the shop, remembering his shattered dreams. He said goodbye to the life he had planned as a teenager. He looked at his watch, a Gucci limited edition, as his limo pulled up behind him. Life, he learned, rarely offered only one possibility. Lou had kept dreaming. His smile was bittersweet as he entered the limo.
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Friday Fictioneer Challenge: Write a 100-word story based on the photo prompt.

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Friday Fictioneer photo prompt. Copyright Melanie Greenwood

Martin’s untied shoelace lodged in the escalator’s teeth, jerking his shoe off his foot as he tried to step off. As the safety alarm wailed, Martin wrested free his shoe and slinked away.

Five minutes later, he was stuck in traffic behind a broken down bus. He reached for his phone to call Randall, his major investor. Only, no phone was in Martin’s pocket.

He arrived at the bistro over an hour late, to an empty table. As Martin sat and wallowed in his bad luck, he heard a voice say: “Martin, I’m glad you’re still here. Sorry I’m late.”
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To read other stories based on this photo, select the smiley blue frog.