Friday Fictioneers: Yum, Tasty

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‘It’s just a stage he’s going through,’ she says to the other mothers. ‘Yesterday, he ate two earthworms, an earwig, and the dog’s dinner.’

‘Mum. Look. Tasty lolly.’ He plucks the mouldy seed pod by its stem from the path and stuffs it in his mouth.

Long silence. Delayed reaction. Family mutt slinks off under the park bench, trembling. Mum moves in slow motion towards her son, through a force field of invisible treacle.

Ploff. An explosion of spores.

One nappy draped over tree branch. No more toddler. Just a furry grey monster toddling off into the bushes, ploffing with delight.

#

Picture Prompt courtesy of Kent Bonham
Friday Fictioneers — 100 word stories

Author: Sarah Potter Writes

Sarah is a British eccentric who writes offbeat fiction, haiku and tanka poetry. When stuck for words, she sketches or paints instead. She's into nature conservation, sustainability, gardening, dogs, natural health, and reading. Her sociability is something that happens in short bursts with long breathing spaces in between.

29 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers: Yum, Tasty”

    1. Dave, I blame it on reading too much Roald Dahl to my children and my parents having given me the Victorian Moral Tales ‘Struwwelpeter’ (Shockheaded Peter) for my 8th birthday! If in doubt, blame it on the parents.

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    1. Dear Rochelle,

      Thanks. The ending even took me by surprise!

      I think mothers of naughty children often find themselves explaining things to other mothers. My daughter used to require a great deal of explaining, especially when she grabbed the bottom box of eggs stacked high in a crowded supermarket with cataclysmic results! She also had a friend who liked eating earthworms.

      All best wishes
      Sarah

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    1. Dear Doug,

      That is one weird stream-of-consciousness story. Just looked it up. And there was me thinking my writing was strange. Nothing in comparison to Mr Kotzwinkle’s little gem.Thanks for the recommendation. The Fan Man is now on my reading list.

      All best wishes
      Sarah

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    1. Thanks, Andrea. I’m really enjoying Friday Fictioneers and am finding it quite addictive. Have been so absorbed with editing and submitting lately, that I haven’t been writing anything new, so thought a bit of weekly flash fiction from a photo prompt was a great opportunity to keep my writing muscles exercised. It’s also fascinating to read the huge variety of stories that the prompts trigger in others.

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  11. I just love the image of that little monster toddling off, so self-satisfied, after the high drama of the slow motion ‘treacle’ moment. And ‘ploffing’ is wonderful. A great story.
    Cheers
    Marg

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