For How Long

Posted on June 21, 2016 by treshabarger

Fiction: For How Long

A river full of memories

For How Long

Lilah’s favorite quote was “Do something today your future self will thank you for.” That’s how she talked Tina into taking kayaking lessons. “Everyone has to be doing something,” Lilah said. “Let’s make it something fun.” But Lilah died unexpectedly, unceremoniously, unmistakably.

This would be Tina’s first time on the water alone. No instructor, no classmates. She picked up the oar. The river was full and not to be fought against. Still, she made headway in her chosen direction. This isn’t how she envisioned it as they laughed at the idea of their newest adventure. But now Tina knew she could do it alone, she would do it alone – for as long as she had to.
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Wizard in the Wurlitzer

Posted on June 17, 2016 by treshabarger

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

Photo copyright John Nixon

Wizard in the Wurlitzer

Wilbert woke up with a crick in his neck. He tried to rub his neck but found his hands stuck in between some strings.

Oh, no, not again. Where am I this time? Wilbert breathed deeply to calm himself. He opened his eyes. It was too dark to see anything. One thing he knew for sure, he was stuck. Those stupid dreams! Asleep, Wilbert the Wizard cast spells real enough to take effect, but they were always just a little bit off kilter.

He wriggled his legs, banging his knees against the keys. A piano? I’m stuck in a piano?
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To read other Friday Fictioneer stories based on this photo, select the smiley blue frog.

~~~ For a special treat, check out the Friday Fictioneer story, The Last Dance, by Louise Jensen over at Fabricating Fiction.
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Adrift in the Sea of Life

Posted on June 14, 2016 by treshabarger

Adrift in the Sea of Life (fiction) is an expansion of my Friday Fictioneer Challenge story, Oscar Nomination (100 words).
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Adrift in the Sea of Life

Interviewer: “Congratulations on your Oscar nomination. Tell us about the inspiration for your movie, Adrift in the Sea of Life.”

Tina: “You are going to love this. I came home from the store one day and wanted help carrying in the groceries so I went upstairs to look for my son. I found him in his room, wearing an old diving helmet. Where he got that, I’ll never know. Anyway, he was moving slowly around his room, as his vision was limited by the helmet and besides, it was heavy. It also blocked his peripheral vision and muffled sounds. He didn’t know I was there. I stood in the doorway a moment, transfixed by what I saw and I thought, What a reflection of life, this set of limitations. We think we are cognizant of our surroundings, of events around us, but really, we aren’t. We have tunnel vision and most of it is self-imposed, as if we go through life wearing a diving helmet.

I felt sorry for my son, I felt sorry for the human race in that moment. And I saw – yes, I saw – in just a few moments how to explain this . . . this human effort as if we were swimming in a vast body of water where every movement was weighted down by the water, which is also the foundation of life. I saw hope, the sun’s light at the surface, the beautiful coral reef, the shells that washed up to the shore after sheltering life within.

Photo by Julo via Wikipedia (photo in the public domain)

I was so excited, I needed to start writing right away. I went over to my son and tapped him on the shoulder. [Tina laughs here.] He whips around – wobbles, really – as fast as the helmet would let him anyway, and his eyes are as big as saucers. [Tina laughs harder.] He stumbled backwards and fell down. I had scared him! [Tina laughs and laughs until she starts crying.] Life full of surprises, don’t you think?

[Tina giggles and snorts, then laughs because she snorted during the interview.]

Interviewer: [Ahem] So, Tina, thank you for that insight as to where you got your idea. Just one last question: Did your son help you bring in the groceries?

[Tina is laughing so hard remembering how much she scared her son, she can’t talk anymore.]
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Oscar Nomination: Fiction Friday

Posted on June 10, 2016 by treshabarger

The Friday Fictioneer Challenge is to write a 100-word story based on the photo. This is my 100th Friday Fictioneer story!

Photo copyright Douglas M MacIlroy

Oscar Nomination

Interviewer: “Congratulations on your Oscar nomination. Tell us about the inspiration for your newest movie, Adrift in the Sea of Life.”

Tina: “I was looking for my son and found him wearing an old diving helmet. He was moving around slowly, as his vision was limited and the helmet was heavy. He couldn’t hear me, either. I thought, We all go through life as if we were wearing a diving helmet.

I tapped him on the shoulder. He fell backwards, he was so scared! I knew then I had a story about life.

[Tina laughs so hard she can’t talk.]

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To read other Friday Fictioneer stories based on this photo, select the smiley blue frog.

For a special treat, check out the story An Absinthe Coloured Eye by fellow Friday Fictioneer Lynne Love.

All Alone: Fiction Friday

Posted on June 3, 2016 by treshabarger

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

Photo copyright Piya Singh

All Alone

“Mother, you can’t be serious.”

“I’m downsizing. It’s happens when people retire, you know.”

“Yeah, but . . . “

“Don’t ‘Yeah, but’ me, Henry, it’s a done deal.”

“But it’s so small! Where will people stay when they come visit?”

“In a hotel, dear. It’s not rocket science.”

Henry tried again to dissuade his mother from moving into the stone cottage. “What if it’s haunted? You can’t even see your neighbor’s house from here. You will be all alone!”

She smiled at the thought. All alone, for the first time in my entire life. “That’s the whole point, dear.”
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To read other Friday Fictioneer stories based on this photo, select the smiley blue frog.

For a special treat, check out Chioma’s story, The Vale, in verse.
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It's a long story …

a light-hearted look at life by Tresha Barger

Tag Archives: Flash Fiction