Every week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (thank you, Rochelle!) hosts a flash fiction challenge, to write a complete story, based on a photoprompt, with a beginning, middle and end, in 100 words or less. Post it on your blog, and include the Photoprompt and Inlinkz (the blue frog) on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!
PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook
The wonky wand
The fairy’s name was Gwendolen. She was dumpy, her iridescent wings looked clumsy, and the star on her wand flickered.
“Oh bugger!” she said, “I’m stuck.” She glared at me. “As long as you’re watching, I can’t leave.”
I looked away.
“And I must recharge my wand. Please wish for something you want really badly.”
I wished, and felt a surge of energy, tingling like intense pins and needles.
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
Gwendolen had gone. I strolled to the hotel bar.
“Hi! Are you Fiona?”
He was tall, with a warm smile.
“Good luck!” Gwendolen’s voice whispered faintly in my imagination.
Autumn Leaves 
Definitely a win-win situation! 😄
Nicely written.
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Dear Margarisa
Thank you for reading and commenting. As you say, a win-win situation!
With best wishes
Penny
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Haha, what a thing to wish for! Lucky her 🙂
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Well, you see, it’s usually the wishes of eight year old girls that power fairies’ wands. If a fairy uses the wish of a thirty year old singleton, it’s going to be a little different!
Thanks for reading and commenting, Iain
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Reminds me of the saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”
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Thank you for reading and commenting, James. I think Fiona was pretty pleased with the result!
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All’s well that doesn’t end in a well 😉 Nice one, Penny.
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Dear Varad
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Friday Fictioneers being what it is, you may well feel that Fiona has been rash, and will come to a well-deserved end, but I am more optimistic (at least in this story!) There are no shower scenes in the back story even though the action takes place in a hotel.
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Oh! What fun! I was going to write about fairies and didn’t. I so enjoyed where you took this. Poor disheveled Gwendolen who fulfilled a wish I hope pans out. And the title. All around good time.
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Hi Alicia
Thank you for reading and commenting. Gwendolen shows up from time to time and tells me stories; I rather like her!
All the best
Penny
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Wow! Beautiful story, Penny . Loved the grown-up version of fairy tale . It looks like a happy beginning for Fiona. Does Gwendolen’s wand get recharged?
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Hi Moon!
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. Yes, Gwendolen’s wand is recharged. This FF story is a cut-down version of one I wrote years ago, which explained how wand recharging works.
“Look, what I need to recharge my wand is someone who wants something really badly, really single-mindedly. Human girls are especially good at that. We offer to grant a wish. They think ‘Oh, I wish I had so-and-so!’, there’s a great surge of energy into the wand, and we use a little bit of that to grant the wish. The rest of the charge will last a month with careful use. If you humans understood properly how to harness the power of your dreams you’d be unstoppable. I don’t suppose you know any eight year old girls locally, do you?”
All the best
Penny
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Lovely down-to-earth fairy tale, if there can be such a thing. Nicely done.
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Dear Sandra
Thank you for your lovely comment. I’m delighted you found it down-to-earth – after all, even fairies have to live in the real world!
With best wishes
Penny
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What a positively charming Fairy tale, that works well for me on many levels. What a nice narrator, what a lovely wish, his/her dreams are about to come true. I just know it. Know it. Brilliant. Sigh.
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Dear Kelvin
Thank you for reading and for commenting. It’s nice to indulge in a little wish-fulfilment every now and again, isn’t it? I think you’re right about dreams coming true. There’s a definite spark between the two!
With best wishes
Penny
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A very good fairy, indeed 🙂
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Linda. Gwendolen is a favourite character of mine!
With best wishes
Penny
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Dear Penny,
I guess, like a good book, you can’t judge a fairy godmother by her cover. 😉 Fun story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
Thank you for reading and commenting. Your comment made me smile!
With best wishes
Penny
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A delightful tale! It never occurred to me that fairy’s wands needed recharging. I guess it won’t be long before they are able to plug them into a USB point!
Click to read my FriFic!
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Keith.
Gwendolen has been known to transport a CD, but she needed help in having its data processed!
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So wishes do come true, even when you’re an adult? If only I’d known this earlier 🙂 Lovely tale, Penny – funny, sweet and made me smile
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Thank you, Lynn! I’m delighted the story made you smile!
With best wishes
Penny
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My pleasure Penny 🙂
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Oh i hope it continues all the way to a Happy Ending and not a metoo moment.
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In my backstory, yes, it does. Although as Gwendolen herself points out, she only made the introduction – everything else was down to the couple!
Thanks for reading and commenting, Bjorn.
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Where can I find Gwendoline? Lovely story!
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Sorry not to reply yet. I’m on holiday, and very limited for time on line. I’ll post the link at the weekend!
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I loved Gwen and her wonky descriptions 🙂 Such a warm sweet feel good story – thank you! I hope you will narrate more Gwen stories 😀
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I’ve a couple of stories, and a few ideas for more…
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Cool😊 look forward to them🥂
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I hope he doesn’t also vanish. Wonky wands are not to be trusted.
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No, Paul doesn’t vanish. I hope to post the link to a sequel at the weekend.
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I loved the voice here, and the image of the dumpy fairy with the iridescent wings. I hope there’s more to come
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Thank you for the nice comment, Etienne! I’m very short of time until the weekend, but I hope to publish links to another Gwendolen story then.
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