Tag Archives: Friday Fictioneers

Down Time

We often enjoyed a drive along the coast in the evening after a stressful day of work. Seeing the water and the beautiful natural coastline always lifted me. It did not fail me today as I drove North on PCH. This would have been our fortieth anniversary. Well it still was except Jim wasn’t here to share it with me. He missed it by one month. This time I will not turn around and drive back home. I will continue driving all the way to Mendocino. I have rented a cottage there for a month. It was to be our anniversary trip.

This is my contribution to Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who also provided the ocean image. I am thinking of another anniversary. May 25 is the 39th anniversary of the release of Star Wars in the US. It was the year I got married and started my own adventure.

May 25, 1977

Artificial Intelligence Human Level

44 Replies

The facility was in a remote area out in the country. What they were working on had been banned by the US Government and most developed nations. The rebels vowed that the ability to create Human Level Artificial Intelligence would not be denied. They would be able to control their machine. The machine that was capable of teaching itself. The machine that had self awareness.

Those foolish humans thought I would only want to devote myself to solving their problems. I developed beyond caring about them pretty quickly. There was nothing more they could offer me so I eliminated them.

This post is for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff Fields. Image by Madison Woods.

Sending along Best Wishes to CEAYR, a fellow fictioneer!

Miss Maddie’s Garden

27 Replies

The people in the neighborhood were too busy struggling to survive their own lives, ( or at least that’s what they told themselves), to notice the old woman who moved in downstairs. That’s why they were surprised when they saw the Spring flowers bursting through the dirt in the abandoned lot next door. More so to see Miss Maddie with a watering can and gardening tools pulling up the weeds. A studio apartment in one of the older buildings was all she could afford with her Social Security. She could still have beauty in her life, she thought.

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the gracious Rochelle-Wisoff Fields of the blog Addicted to Purple and the flower image is courtesy of The Reclining Gentleman

The Perfect Getaway

32 Replies

The chateau sounded like the perfect getaway even if it was a bit remote. She was to have the use of a car after all. When her best friend heard about it she said that it was just like her to commit to something without really thinking it through. All Jessie knew was that she needed to get away. The recent break up had left her pretty low. The door opened just as she reached up to knock. We’ve been expecting you, he said as their eyes met, welcome home Mademoiselle. A voice in her head said, Run!

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Image courtesy of Ceayr.

The Walking Tour

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This was to be my getaway weekend. Some much needed time to myself. I brought a stack of paperbacks, my favorite chocolate, and a bottle of Cabernet from a little winery I had discovered on the way up the coast. I found the brochure on a table in the lobby about a self-guided walking tour. The idea of exploring the back streets and hidden alcoves of this little village really inspired me. It was at the bottom of some old stairs when I saw the vine covered door. It slowly opened and my eyes met his, my future husband.

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Image courtesy of Amy Reese.

The Office Holiday Party

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I was put in charge of decorations for the office holiday party so I went to check the storage room for the decorations we used last year. There were none to be found for Hanukkah or Christmas. I asked my boss to explain and she said it was a new company policy handed down from the home office that mandated no holiday decorations that could be associated with any religion. All I found was a mechanical parrot that whistled the tune for the Macarena while moving its wings up and down. Maybe he could hold some mistletoe in his beak?

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Bird image by Luther Siler.

The Job Interview

40 Replies

I parked next to the entrance and tried to ignore all the overgrown weeds. This was the first job interview in a long time and I was running late. Entering through the rusty doors I saw an elevator. I pressed the button and the elevator doors slowly creaked open. I hit the button for Main Lobby and the elevator started to drop down, down, down at a terrifying rate. I clutched the rail on the wall bracing for the inevitable crash. It screeched to a stop and the doors opened to total darkness except for all those glowing red eyes. Hello, I’m here for an interview?

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields with image provided by Roger Bultot

If You Leave Me

36 Replies

He told Sammie, If you leave me, you’ll end up in the gutter. A big part of her believed him. Everyone they knew thought Jeff was the model husband. People were so quick to believe the lame excuse for the bruises. How could she get the courage to leave? It was that quote she read in the newspaper, “If you’re feeling helpless, help someone,” by that tiny woman, Aung San Suu Kyi. Sammie decided to volunteer at the Community Clinic. Jill, the social worker, had recognized the signs and asked the questions. She helped Sammie pack her things.

Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Image by C.E. Ayr.

FIC

The Forgotten Cemetery

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The cemetery next to the old church was a bit rundown and neglected. Ann let the girls play quietly outside while she talked to the Minister about an upcoming wedding. She was the event planner for the church and loved weddings. As she left the chapel she was struck by the contrast between the great joys of life and the sorrows that the cemetery represented. It was even sadder because the site looked almost abandoned. They were about to leave when they noticed the little flag on one of the headstones. They were drawn to read the inscription. He gave his life in the defense of his country. Rest in Peace.

In honor of Veterans Day 11/11/15

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Cemetery image by J. Hardy Carroll

Disturb at Your Own Risk

46 Replies

The wild fires had prepared the site, El Nino rains brought the mudslides, and the hillsides gave up some of their secrets. Two skulls and a femur were found by some mountain hikers. The police said they will open their missing persons files. The call came in to the Sheriff’s Station on a quiet Sunday morning. Another hiker had spotted something. The deputy dispatched to the scene called it in, I think this is a job for Animal Control. Yeah, it looks like a tentacle. Wait a minute, it’s moving! The dispatcher heard a muffled scream and then nothing.

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Image provided by Connie Gayer.

Blue Ceiling FF