youth

PHOTO PROMPT © DOUGLAS M. MACILROY

Heavy chains clanked about, swinging from rusty metal. Remnants of a contraption that once delighted every kid in town. Soon to be scrap metal.

Voices echoed in Yusuf’s mind from a time long gone.

“Dont be a chicken!” Reza had taunted him. Yusuf was game and had sprinted through the crowds towards it.

They didn’t know each other but were like best friends that day. Reza’s family had driven down from the north for the carnival.

As they dismantled the old machine Yusuf thought that had they remained friends they would have gotten into all sorts of trouble together.

99 words

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I wrote this while in transit in Hong Kong international airport. Not my usual FF writing spot.. so I struggled a bit with this prompt. But I missed last week due to travelling and didn’t want to repeat that. Took me several rewrites though I blame typing on the phone, and airport announcements for this particular struggle. 😉

The metal contraption in the prompt reminded me of carnival rides and I have friendship on my mind lately. So that’s where my mood took me.

Written for Fiday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle. Where the challenge is to write a full story in 100 words or less.

Click the blue frog to read more flash fiction.

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PHOTO PROMPT © Sarah Ann Hall

“Do you believe in magic, Uncle Joe?” Little Farida asked as they strolled through an antique store.

“Black magic, maybe.” he mumbled, then pursed his lips and replied, “No, not really.”

Farida trailed her fingers on old trinkets, polished to a high sheen. Twenty years ago, his answer might have been different. The naivety of youth was magic in itself. Opportunities abounded, dreams were limitless and life never-ending. Then we grew up and traded magic for mortgages.

He watched his niece contemplate a row of coloured vases. “You know djinn live inside bottles?”

An enchanted smile lit up Farida’s face.

100 words

Sometimes when I feel jaded with the world, I wish I could go back to my teens. I’d do things differently. Take more chances for sure. The youth may be naive but in a way it is a blessing. It gives them the, admittedly blind, courage to take risks with a much bigger space to learn from mistakes. ( I hope I remember this when my daughter is a teenager!! I might take back my words!)

I added the black magic bit because in these parts of the world, the practice of and belief in it is widespread crossing different backgrounds and religions too. A black magic conference voted Botswana as having the most powerful black magic in Africa. (Weird but true.) Me, personally, I don’t give it much thought – other than in my fiction writing.

Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by leading author Rochelle. The challenge is to write a story with 100 words or less.

Click here to read more flash fiction.