Friday Fictioneers – A hole in the ground

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 (C) ROCHELLE WISOFF-FIELDS

A hole in the ground

‘Take cover! Take cover!’ yelled the young man as he rushed between the market-stalls.

Yasmeen sighed. Her stall had only a few basic goods, which she had to sell to feed her children.

‘Ali. Ali!’ she called. Her daughter, Layla tugged at her skirt and pointed. Ali was fifty metres away, playing football. Even as Yasmeen watched, her neighbour emerged, grabbed her own son and Ali, and dragged them into the comparative safety of her house.

Yasmeen scooped up Layla and ran indoors, terrified by the scream of the low flying jet.

One second later, its bomb obliterated the marketplace.

Inlinkz – click here to join the fun!

What Pegman Saw – Going Solo

“What Pegman saw” is a weekly challenge based on Google Streetview. Using the 360 degree view of 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. Today’s location is Casablanca.

Going solo

The cabin walls pressed in on her. In port, the cruise ship had looked huge to Darcey’s fourteen-year-old eyes, but at sea its steel superstructure imprisoned her.

Arrival in Casablanca was a relief. She slipped a note under her parents’ door.

“Gone sightseeing. Back in time for dinner.”

Her pulse quickened as she entered the Ancienne Medina. This was foreign! The streets were lined with stalls selling fabric and food, spice and souvenirs. Darcey wrinkled her nose.

A goat bleated frantically. As she watched, a man briskly drew a knife across the creature’s neck, and the blood gushed out.

Nauseated, Darcey entered a shop selling fabric. A man moved and blocked the exit.

The draped samples of cloth darkened the shop, blocking her view of the street.

“We have finer fabrics in the back?”

“Thank you – no!” gasped Darcey.

She pushed past the man, and ran for it.