Secure

PHOTO PROMPT © Jean L. Hays

The Jamesons at Number 12, stared at the delivery notice on Helen’s phone.

“It says the package has been delivered to a secure location.”

“I looked under the bench, and even behind the trash cans,” Doug said.

Helen dialed the number on the notification, and after pressing a series of prompted buttons, she finally got a human representative on the line.

“Yes, yes,” the representative said in a thick “call-centre” accent.  “Our courier has left it at Number 63.  It had very strong gates and a video camera, and your instructions clearly read, ‘If not at home leave in a secure location’.”

 

Padre

 

Friday Fictioneers

The Roundabout

PHOTO PROMPT © C.E. Ayr

They were on holiday, and all was as it should be.  They exited the ferry terminal and proceeded into the city.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Edith asked nervously.

“It’s a piece of cake,” Charlie responded, and then began to recite:

“Roundabouts are simple

They help traffic flow,

There are no signs,

For stop and go,

So find your gap

And make your way,

Just take care – in your lane to stay.”

“It’s as easy as that,” Charlie said to Edith, as he confidently entered the traffic circle.  Too bad he forgot they were now in France.

(100 words)

Padre

Both the UK and France have roundabouts.  The thing is that traffic in each country flows in opposite direction from that of the other.

Friday Fictioneers

 

British Delays – Its More than Just Brexit

PHOTO PROMPT © Na’ama Yehuda

The Summer of 2019 was marked by record breaking temperatures across the United Kingdom.  As the mercury climbed into the 80s and edged towards 90 in old money, huge queues formed at the public pools and swimming baths across the nation.  There were even incidents where crowds fed up with the heat and the lines rushed the gates of the aquatic sanctuaries.  The good news is, that as of today, the twenty-sixth of September, those at the end of the queue were able to make their final approach to the turnstile.  Better late than never, so they say.

(96 words)

Padre

Friday Fictioneers

The Bruiser

PHOTO PROMPT © Linda Kreger 

The Carter family was having a great reunion.  It had been five years since their last and everyone was in high spirits.

As they approached the picnic pavilion they had booked at the park, it became obvious that it had been occupied by a pack of rowdy youths, who were punching one another and throwing beer cans about.

“Big John” Carter approached the adolescents and explained that the family had paid for the space.

He returned to say he had been told to “‘F’ off.”

“Stay behind me everybody.  I’ve got this.” Granny Jean said.

(99 words)

Padre

Friday Fictioneers

DIY

PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields

Annabelle stood with her arms crossed, tapping one foot impatiently on the patio paving.

Dan looked sheepishly from under the mass of purple and silver nylon sheeting.

“Maybe, just maybe, you will just for once read the instructions first,” she snapped before turning on her heel and going inside.

(54 Words)

Padre

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple

The Gesture

 

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

The English couple settled at a table in the American diner.   The $2.99 combo seemed just the thing.  What was that? About £4.75 for the two of them. Not bad at all, Lauren mused.

The score was tied, as the soccer semi-final unfolded on the television screen.  Then Morgan scored, and USA was in the lead.  She went to the side-line and made a tea drinking gesture to the crowd.

The gesture stirred Lauren’s heart. “Ah, the food is great here and the prices are good,” Lauren observed.  “But I can’t wait to get back home for some real tea.”

(100 words)

Padre

Friday Fictioneers – Genre: Patriotic Fiction

I originally titled this “An Empty Gesture?” in reference to Morgan’s empty cup. But that smacked a little too confrontational to me so I have changed the title to merely “The Gesture.” By the way, American tea might as well be in an empty cup, give me Tetley’s over Lipton any day.

Transaction

PHOTO PROMPT © Susan Eames

“Hold on, I’m trying to get a signal,” Morgan said over the static on his phone. “Okay, this better be important, I’m on my holiday.”

“Sorry Boss, but Lester say they wont agree to the merger without you  —ying  L- – -” the static again plaguing the connection.

Morgan shimmied further up the tree. “Buy what?”

“L-X,” his assistant repeated, but the crackling again made it difficult to comprehend.

“LEX,” Morgan repeated.

“Okay by 1000 shares of LEX then.  And don’t bother me again.”

“Sir?”

I wonder why he wants to buy LEX?  Especially since he needs to fly to LAX.

Padre

 

 

Alive!

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

“The building looks so plain.  I wonder if there is any life in it?” the tourist commented to her partner as she passed the synagogue.

“It is not the cover that makes the book,” an elderly man in a dark overcoat and homburg hat interjected on overhearing her.

“Excuse me,” Alice responded, stopping in her steps.

“No please, it is I who interrupted your conversation.  I was merely observing, however, that we can’t know about the ‘life’ of a place only with a glance.  I assure you, it continues to live.  We still live,” he said revealing the number tattooed on his arm.

 

(103 words)

 

Padre

Friday Fictioneers 3 May

Stained Glass © Padre’s Ramblings

 

End of the Trail

photo: Dawn Miller

 

The late war had pretty much closed the trial down. The end of hostilities left some hope for renewed business, but fact be told, the traffic was a mere trickle compared to what it had been. Now there was news that at a place called Promontory in Utah, that they had finished a new-fangled railway linking the East and California.

Boss Little was on the grey-side of 60, and didn’t see much a future for trail bosses anymore. 1870 looked to have bleak prospects for the Little Company, so with a heavy heart he sold up and moved to Sacramento.

(100 words)

Padre

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Friday Fictioneers Prompt

While I have miles to go on the Oregon Trail (bad pun intended), this week’s prompt provided excellent material for the series epilogue. But fret not, Boss Little, Moses Weiss, and the crew still have more journeys to make.

If you get a chance stop in at Laramie Flats,  I hear Moses has got some cocoa in, so I’m sure he will brew you up a nice “Mosha.”

Padre

The Conference

PHOTO PROMPT © Nick Allen

At the semi centennial meeting of the Illustrious Order of Jinns and Genies there was ample time for catching up and networking.  Most of the delegates were still discussing the proposal to increase the wish ration to four. But others were reflecting on how much had changed in fifty years, and that some of the changes were really obvious.

Mustafa looked towards the bag hold area and lamented that things weren’t like they were back in the 14^th Century.

He turned to Fatima and said, “Things have really gone downhill since OPEC took over. I really miss my old lamp.”

(100 words)

Padre

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Thank you Rochelle for the Friday Fictioneers Prompt