Friday Fictioneers — Wish No More

© Copyright - Rachel Bjerke

Consumed by slime and locked in haze, the forest wore a visage of enchantment. A once-loved spot in dank despair.

The odd array of outbuildings stared, open-mouthed and blank-eyed like a creature forever stunned. Not a peep from the birds, not an animal brave enough to show its whiskers. Even those of lightest claw or paw feared how the waterlogged leaves squidged underfoot and threatened to drag them under.

Then there was the wishing well, its waters a phosphorescent green, unmoving but for the coins tinkling in its depths; or was it the shifting of tiny bones? A child lost.

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Friday Fictioneers: 100 words stories
Photo Prompt: image © – Rachel Bjerke

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.

31 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers — Wish No More”

  2. Dear Sarah,

    You’ve taken me to a place of enchantment with vivid and lilting descriptions. I’m haunted by the lonely feel of this and the loss of a child. Beautifully written.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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    1. Dear Rochelle,
      Immediately I saw Rachel’s amazing picture, it struck me to the core — the way it oozed loneliness.
      Thank you, so much, for your kind words about my writing.
      All best wishes
      Sarah

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      1. I’ve been doing that all morning! Getting nothing done that is supposed to be! I am blown away and I’ve only read about 25 of them – so far!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. The chances of 2 people out of 106 writing similar stories from the same picture prompt is moderately high. Anyway, I promise you it’s coincidence, as I’ve not read the other person’s story. We obviously just saw the same haunting quality in the image.

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    1. Thank you, so much, Christy 🙂 I think that flash fiction is a wonderful discipline for focusing a writer’s mind on making every word count. The trouble is, that I attempted to apply this same discipline to the whole of my last novel, so it took far too long to write!

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