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 © DAVID STEWART
Taboo
Stephanie sat outside the cafe, enjoying the evening and yet grieving for what had been lost during lockdown – spontaneous embraces, laughter for no reason other than joie de vivre.
She saw Michel, and waved. It was such a shame that lockdown came just as they were getting to know each other. He smiled, walked across, and sat down.
“Aren’t we supposed…?”
“You don’t mind…?”
They spoke simultaneously, and smiled.
“Sorry…”
“I beg your…”
This time they laughed.
“Would you have dinner with me?” asked Michel, taking Stephanie’s hand.
Her smile said yes. Her breath came fast at his forbidden touch.
Autumn Leaves 
Romantic story.
No more forbidden touch!
Happily ever after 🙂
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Dear Anita
Thank you for reading and commenting. Happily ever after would be nice!
With very best wishes
Penny
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I loved “forbidden touch”. A great combination of the social and the medical
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Dear Neil
Thank you for reading and commenting so kindly. I’m glad ‘forbidden touch’ came through.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Dear Penny,
I love the way they walked all over each other’s words. It made me smile. They can always wash their hands. 😉 Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad you liked the way they walked over each other’s words
Shalom
Penny
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Looking forward to re-establishing contact with loved ones soon, I wonder how many romances will take off! Lovely story, well told Penny 🙂
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Dear Iain
Thank you for reading and commenting. Like you, I’m looking forward to re-establishing contact with loved ones soon. I miss my children and grandchildren!
With very best wishes
Penny
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Ah, this will resonate with so many at the moment. Enjoyed it.
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Dear Anthony
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad you enjoyed the story.
With best wishes
Penny
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So romantic! We crave touch for sure.
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Dear Josh
Thank you for reading and for your perceptive comment. Touch is essential to our well-being and there are too many people starved of human contact. It’s a heavy price to pay to protect hose of us who are vulnerable.
With best wishes
Penny
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Hopefully the cafés will open again soon, Penny
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Dear CE
Thank you for reading and commenting. Oh, I do hope you’re right about cafes re-opening!
With very best wishes
Penny
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Beautifully crafted, Penny. Loved the ‘forbidden touch’.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan
Thank you for reading and commenting so kindly. Touch is such an important sense, and yet we tend to neglect it, don’t we?
With best wishes
Penny
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Oh, I want to stand up and cheer for these two brave souls! May they be happily ever after 🙂
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Dear Linda
Thank you for reading and commenting. I support your wish that they should live happily ever after 🙂
With very best wishes
Penny
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They will be telling their story for years to come. Good one.
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Dear Lisa
Thank you for reading and commenting. I certainly hope you’re right. It’s the sort of tale that becomes part of a family’s shared history, isn’t it?
With best wishes
Penny
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Great story. Very timely.
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Dear Joshua
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad you thought the story was timely.
With best wishes
Penny
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Some things are worth the risk.
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Dear Nobbin
Thank you for reading and commenting. You’re right – some things are worth the risk.
With best wishes
Penny
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Maybe they should get takeaway and go back to her room 🙂 But then there’s romance in Zoom chatting too, all that seeing and no touching, builds the suspense 😉
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Dear Joy
Thank you for reading and commenting. Takeaway might be safer, but a restaurant is more glamorous, don’t you think? I’d never thought of romance in Zoom chatting but I can see what you mean about building the suspense!
With best wishes
Penny
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I can see this being the backdrop for something larger. Imagine the “touch police”. No touch after a while might make some people randy. Sweet little story Penny.
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Dear Tannille
Thank you for reading and commenting. You’re very perceptive, thinking of this as a back-drop for something larger. I was speculating about how adulterers are managing to have affairs during lock-down. It must be even more tricky than usual!
With very best wishes
Penny
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You’re onto something Penny!
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Sometimes you just can’t help yourself. Good luck to them 🙂
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Dear Ali
Thank you for reading and commenting. As you say, good luck to them!
With best wishes
Penny
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They are clearly meant to be together so it’ll more than a lockdown to keep them apart.
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Dear Keith
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, their romance was meant to be – and just think of the story they’ll be able to tell their kids!
With very best wishes
Penny
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Look at us both… a bunch of mushy romantics!
I love the “forbidden touch” – sure wish I could touch my forbidden one, damn lockdown…
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Dear Dale
Thank you for reading and commenting so kindly. I think I need a tee-shirt that says “Mushy Romantic and proud!” I hope you soon have the chance to touch your forbidden one.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Nothing wrong with that!
As soon as those orders open, I’m crossing!!
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who knows, him touching her might have been unintentional and caused by an unconscious emotional reflex.
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Dear Plaridel
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, his touch might indeed have been an unconscious reflex. I bet his invitation to dinner wasn’t, though!
With best wishes
Penny
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You could feel the sparks from the dialogue to the forbidden touch. A very romantic and well-written story, Penny!
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Dear Brenda
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad you enjoyed the story!
With very best wishes
Penny
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I think they are bound together now… in lockdown decisions like this are forever.
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Dear Bjorn
Thank you for reading and commenting. That’s a very interesting comment. I wonder which decisions are better made under pressure, and which are worse…Thanks for the thought!
With very best wishes
Penny
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So neatly woven, this one! And … yes … the forbidden touch … So many meanings can be read into that! Especially during these times …
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Dear Na’ama
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m pleased you appreciated the multiple implications of ‘forbidden touch’.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Yes … 🙂 I did … 🙂
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I touched someones hand other than my family this week whilst he handed me a beer, that felt really odd. Excellently capturing the times we live in now.
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Dear Minister
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes it’s very odd altogether. Were your feelings very mixed about the touch when the man handed you your beer? I could imagine a certain delight in the touch of a stranger, mingled with fear and even perhaps revulsion.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Sometimes you just know someone’s worth it. Damn the COVID, full speed ahead. I like the way they’re both so eager, they speak at the same time.
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Dear Eugenia
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m glad the simultaneous speaking came across well as eagerness.
With best wishes
Penny
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What would merely seem suggestive–forbidden touch–now,in the present COvid conditions, rings clear as literal. Their interchange sounds very natural.
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Ah… the lure of the forbidden. Sounds like it’s going to be a magical evening. I like that you chose the name Michel, which goes so well with joie de vivre.
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Dear Mags
Thank you for reading and commenting so kindly. The buildings in the prompt reminded me of some parts of France – Strasbourg, for example – so I gave the characters appropriately French names and used the expression joie de vivre.
With very best wishes
Penny
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Dear Penny,
The photo does look like it could have been taken somewhere in France.
Always a pleasure to read your writing.
Best wishes,
Mags
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The sparks are flying, now would not be a good time to cough 😉
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Thank heavens we can still write, I enjoyed your story
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This does seem so forbidden, Penny, in the days of social distancing. You did a great job with the dialogue, portraying that awkward, breathless tone. Great job. 🙂
-David
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