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!
Relative Values
‘You’ll check yo guns in here, gen’lmen,’ said the doorman.
Paw and Gramps muttered a bit as their Winchesters were locked securely into a metal cabinet, and we were ushered to a table right under a beautiful circular window in the ceiling.
Rosasharn started whining again.
‘Give her a feed, for goo’ness sake,’ said Paw. ‘Ain’t nobody gonna notice.’ He leered.
I uncovered a tit, and Rosasharn latched on. ‘Look at that lovely window,’ I said.
Paw roared with laughter. ‘Nobody cares how pretty the place is. What matters is the size of the steaks! Ain’t that so, Gramps?’
Autumn Leaves 
Simple honest folk. Though, the quality of the steak may be as important as the size. I bet the other diners were aghast
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Thank you for commenting, Neil. I’m sure you’re right that the other diners were appalled.
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I have to agree, if not so vulgar – but it’s the food that counts! 🙂
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Thank you for commenting, Iain. I agree that the quality of the food comes first!
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I had to laugh out loud here. You got right into the culture there, Penny. Or lack of it. Well done! 🙂
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Thank you so much for your encouraging comment. It’s lovely to know you laughed out loud – I don’t usually attempt humour!
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Dear Penny,
The voices are spot on. It took me a minute to get the name Rosasharn. Good one. You have me grinning from ear to ear.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle
Thank you for such a nice comment. I’m delighted the story amused you.
Shalom
Penny
xx
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A fun story with so many colorful little nuggets of detail in it. I feel like I’ve met this family before, because I pretty much have. Great job in such a short space.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Anne. It was fun working out the details and how they could paint a picture of the family.
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With a few words, you made me see and hear these characters. At least the woman maintained some sense of beauty. I didn’t get the meaning of the baby’s name.
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Thank you for such a nice comment, Gabi. Rosasharn is a verbal corruption of ‘Rose of Sharon’, which is quite a pretty yellow flower. Steinbeck uses it as the name of one of his characters in ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.
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This reminds me of the Beverly Hillybillies, I wonder what ever became of them folks.
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Thank you for your perceptive comment, James. Beverly Hillbillies? I’m sure they live on in fanfic somewhere!
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Very funny story, Penny and this bunch are vivid in my mind’s eye. I was relieved that the comment about size referred to the steaks, but I don’t think I want what they’re having – ever! So clever.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Jilly. To be fair, the steaks were very good…!
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It’s the steaks wot count!
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Thank you for your entertaining comment, Ali.
…901…902…903…904…
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So descriptive I could see it happening although at one point I didn’t know where to look!
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You’re very kind in your comment, Keith – thank you! I love the joke in your comment!
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So much reality in this story. Well done, Penny.
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Bill, you’re very kind – thank you for your comment.
Business trips to the USA left me with the feeling that every restaurant served steaks, the bigger the better!
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Hey, Penny, 🙂
I’m not a fan of steak, so I ignore them on menus. I’d say most do serve some form of beef, especially if they are not “specialized” in some other way.
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Paw’s leer made me dislike him instantly. Apart from that, I enjoyed the voices, the dialect, the situation. What is normal to some is outrageous to others.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Linda. It’s kind of you to go into detail.
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Hilarious. Great voices and characters.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Margaret. I’m glad you enjoyed the voices.
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for grampa’s sake, hope the steak came through as expected. 🙂
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Thank you for commenting, Plaridel. The steak was very tasty, I believe.
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Whoa… do people really carry guns into restaurants and have them stored away? Sorry, cultural ignorance on my part. Quite the characters though. Class act. 😀
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I like that you are curious about the story’s accuracy with regard to gun control. Not being an American, I don’t know how often a situation like the one I described would happen, but it certainly could happen. Most states allow the (regulated) carrying of firearms. However, the owner of private property can specify who he wants on his property, and if he refuses to accept a would-be customer carrying a gun, he can do so. If the customer refused to comply, he would be trespassing. So, while I’ve never witnessed this, I think it’s very likely to happen.
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As an Australian it seems so crazy. I had hoped it was a stereotype. Thanks P.
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American gun laws seem wrong to me too.
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Very colorful characters. It put me in mind of a literary work.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Adele. I took the name Rosasharn from The Grapes of Wrath, but, of course, the other characters are very different from the family in the novel.
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Maslow’s hierarchy has a solid foundation but not much height here. Sometimes I think the pyramid model causes us more trouble than it is worth, but at other times it’s good to know it exists (even if only in theory.) Good story, Penny.
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Thank you for your perceptive comment, Lisa. I love the way you describe the story as “Maslow’s hierarchy has a solid foundation but not much height here.”
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You’re very welcome, Penny 🙂
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Looks like they really enjoyed the dinner. Fun story
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