THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD

 

Photo Copyright:  J. Hardy Carroll

Here we are this week gathered near a building that’s being torn down. We’ve gathered to discuss our original stories for the week. This is the Friday Fictioneers group. Our hostess for the gathering is the talented and gracious author and artist, Rochelle Wisoff Fields. The challenge for each of us this week and every week is to write a story with no more than 100 words, not counting the title. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and follow the picture prompt for the week. This week’s prompt was provided by J. Hardy Carroll. Thanks, J. Hardy.

To read the other stories by group members, just click on the link given below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box. The link for this week’s stories is as follows:

https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/26-may-2017/

Genre: Memoir Fiction

Word Count: 99 Words

THE OLD NEIGHBOORHOOD by P.S. Joshi

George remembers the old neighborhood.

“I was born above the grocery store owned by my parents. I sauntered the five blocks to and from school on weekdays and ran two blocks on Sunday afternoons to the park to play baseball with pals.

After homework, I assisted in the store. My parents never ate together as someone had to mind the downstairs counter. No doubt I’d take over and run things on my dad’s retirement.

But it wasn’t to be. My father retired when a contractor bought the property for a large office building and two square blocks became rubble.”

WHEN A BABY BIRD LEAVES THE NEST

 

Photo Copyright: Al Forbes

This story was written for Sunday Photo Fiction–October 16th, 2016. Each week the host, Al Forbes, provides a picture prompt. The challenge for each member of the group is to write an original story or poem with no more than 200 words, not including the title and inspired by the prompt.

To read the other stories written by group members, just click on the link below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box.

The link to the other stories this week is as follows:

https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2016/sunday-photo-fiction-october-16th-2016/

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 198 Words

WHEN A BABY BIRD LEAVES THE NEST by P.S. Joshi

When Wanda went to Business College in 1960, she expected to get a job, then a boyfriend, then quit working after about a year and start a family. Many girls did that in those days.

When she interviewed for her first office job, they told her, “You’re too young and pretty. You’ll soon get married and quit work to start a family.”

She finally did find a job but stopped dating that boyfriend.

She dated several boys but none turned out to be the right one for marriage. In several years, she saved some money so quit work to go to college and learn teaching.

There was still no boy she wanted to marry. In four years, she started teaching. She still lived at home. Her father and she were close and he got used to having her living at home. However, she began to get restless. She felt life was leaving her behind as she was in her late twenties and still single. Her mother was fine with her getting her own place to live just so she was happy.

When she told her father, he almost cried.  He said, “People will think we had a fight.”

THE FLOOD

 

Photo Copyright: Janet M. Webb

Here we are for another week. Today we’re in virtual boats in a virtual flood. Our hostess for this weekly gathering is the talented and gracious author and artist, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. We’re the Friday Fictioneers group. Our challenge this week and every week is to write an original story with no more than 100 words not including the title. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and follow the picture prompt for the week. This week’s prompt was a repeat requested by Kent Bonham and supplied by Janet M. Webb. Thanks, Kent and Janet.

To read the other stories by the group members, just click on the link given below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box.

The link for this week’s stories is as follows:

https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/29-july-2016/

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Word Count: 100 Words

THE FLOOD by P.S. Joshi

It had been dry for months. The ground got hard and cracked open. The river all but dried up.

Pa said, “It’ll rain soon. We’ll pray.”

We prayed and the rain came, but the ground was so hard it couldn’t soak in. It ran right into the river, and the river banks rose covering our land. We had to move to higher ground.

A smart man at an office there said, “Y’all are living on something called a flood plain.”

Pa said, “I just thought the land was rich. I didn’t know anythin’ about no flood plain.”