What Pegman Saw – Greenwood Avenue, 1921

“What Pegman saw” is a weekly challenge based on Google Streetview. Using the location provided, you must write a piece of flash fiction of no more than 150 words. You can read the rules here. You can find today’s location on this page,  from where you can also get the Inlinkz code. This week’s prompt is Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, and we are encouraged to write about the Tulsa riots.

Image from Mike Goad from Pixabay

Greenwood Avenue, 1921

“Those are pretty, Mommy.”

Hannah smiled at her little daughter, Jacqueline.

“They’re all the way from France, honey. They’ve come thousands of miles across the ocean.”

She looked complacently at the crystal goblets. They’d arrived that morning, nestled in straw, in a sturdy wooden case.

“The sunshine makes colour sparkles in them,” observed six-year-old Montague, Jacqui’s brother.

The front door banged. Footsteps pounded along the passage.

“Sam? Sam!”

A trickle of blood ran down her husband’s cheek.

“Get the bag. It’s happening. The surrey’s at the door.”

Hannah paled. She rushed upstairs and grabbed the carpet bag, packed with essentials and cash. As she climbed onto the surrey, Sam handed her the reins.

“Drive north. Don’t stop.”

“Sam! Aren’t you coming?”

“Some hotheads want to kill whitey. I’m going to talk sense into them.”

As the surrey trundled around the corner, he had one last glimpse of Monty, waving.

 

Friday Fictioneers – Cloudy, clearing later

Every week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (thank you, Rochelle!) hosts a flash fiction challenge, to write a complete story with a beginning, middle and end in 100 words or less. Post it on your blog, and include the Photoprompt and Inlinkz on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!

Photo Prompt © C E Ayr

Cloudy, clearing later

High cloud covered the heaven. Even mid-afternoon there were no shadows – or, perhaps, everything was shadow.

I scuffed a pebble towards a tree, missing by miles. That’s life when you’re out of work. Nothing you do hits the target.

I noticed Claire at the window of her first-floor apartment. A nice girl, dark-haired, blue-eyed – pretty. No point someone as useless as me hoping to date her, though.

But she gestured me to wait, and thirty seconds later she was running towards me.

“It’s no good moping,” she said. “You need qualifications. Have you tried Medville College? Here, I’ll take you.”

Inlinkz – click here to join in!

What Pegman Saw – Bad Trip

“What Pegman saw” is a weekly challenge based on Google Streetview. You can read the rules here. You can find today’s location on this page,  from where you can also get the Inlinkz code.

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Bad Trip

He had a few minutes before his rendezvous with Kathy. Half-concealed in an alley, Simon lit up. While the Bruges authorities tolerated small quantities of cannabis, they came down hard on people who smoked in public. He inhaled and felt the world slow down, the chill of the early morning recede under the caress of the April sunshine.

The carillon of the Belfry chimed the hour. Ten o’clock. He smiled, took one last drag, and ground the joint underfoot. He took a deep breath of the crisp air, blinking at the sudden dizziness. Strong stuff, this Belgian weed.

As he wandered towards Chocolatier Dumon to meet Kathy, he realised he was staggering. It was hot; he was sweating.

A woman approached him.

“Are you okay?” she asked

“Fine,” he slurred, through chattering teeth.

He felt a clattering of bells, and smoke sounding like burning rubber.

Slowly, he slumped to the ground.

What Pegman Saw – Uprising

“What Pegman saw” is a weekly challenge based on Google Streetview. Using the location provided, you must write a piece of flash fiction of no more than 150 words. You can read the rules here. You can find today’s location on this page,  from where you can also get the Inlinkz code. This week’s prompt is the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar.

Image by ct tran from Pixabay

Uprising

The soldiers’ guns were loaded, and they had orders to shoot to kill. They patrolled the streets; we slipped through the night from shadow to shadow, through gardens and parks, behind hedges and shrubs, taking turns to carry our old, frail leader pick-a-back.

From the People’s Park we could see the stupa shimmering spectral gold.

“Quickly,” said our guide, ushering us into the tunnel that took us into the pagoda, “It will soon be dawn.”

As the sun’s fire rose blazing above the horizon, our leader struck the Tharrawaddy Min bell.

“My people – all my people – shall be free!”

The great bell sang, awakening resonances from the Maha Gandha bell. Across the city, thousands of bells were rung, spreading the word of resistance. A flame of sound raced over the countryside from end to end.

Aung San Suu Kyi slumped, her work at last complete.

Friday Fictioneers – Shuttered

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 on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!

Photo Prompt © Roger Bultot

Shuttered

After that first time, Binyamin knew better than to tell his father how he felt about Asher. He shuttered his face and kept his tears for the dark hours of night, alone in his bedroom. Besides, what good would tears do? His father had moved the family across the continent to give them a chance of a better life. How could he argue against that? If only he could speak to Asher occasionally, or even just speak about him to his family…

Day by day his face grew harder.

Day by day his joy diminished.

The shutters rusted solid.

Inklinkz – click here

What Pegman Saw – Pride!

“What Pegman saw” is a weekly challenge based on Google Streetview. Using the location provided, you must write a piece of flash fiction of no more than 150 words. You can read the rules here. You can find today’s location on this page,  from where you can also get the Inlinkz code.

Pride

“We must have gay rights!” declared Marcel, banging his fist on the bar. “Both parties pledged reform in the 2015 election. It’s time they lived up to their promises!”

Akeem watched him from his corner in the shadows. He loved Marcel’s courage, his forthright way of speaking. Less forgivably, in the eyes of most people, he loved Marcel’s strength, his beauty, his lustrous, curly black hair. He wanted to kiss him, but he was afraid. Besides, Marcel never noticed him…

“We shall have a Pride parade. Who’s up for it?”

Nobody stirred. Awkward conversations started. Everybody knew this was a gay bar, but Marcel had gone too far. Akeem’s pulse raced, and his breath came quick. He stood up and sidled to the bar where Marcel stood, dejected.

“I’m with you,” he said.

That June, he and Marcel danced hand in hand among the rainbow crowd of Guyana’s first Pride celebration.