Friday Fictioneers – New Life

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

New Life

It was out the front of the Chinese restaurant in a pile of furniture. Sally stopped, just as the owner staggered out with more trash.

Sally pointed.

“Would it be okay for me to have that?”

“Take it. I hope you can put it to good use.”

“Oh, I shall! God bless you!”

For the first time in months Mr Chan’s spirits lifted.

It was tough lugging it home. It took an hour to clean it properly.

Sally was just finished when Colin came in.

He saw the baby chair immediately.

“Does this mean…?”

Sally’s radiant smile was answer enough.

Click here to join in the fun!

Friday Fictioneers – The Deal

Because I found the prompt very stimulating this week, I’m going to be greedy, and add another story. I’m also adding it because we’ve had many dark stories this week, and many that view the factory and industry as being inevitably linked to corporate greed. Of course, there is another point of view…

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

Genre: Historical fiction c1975

Word count: 100

“So, instead of scrapping my old steel drums, I send them to you to re-process, and then I can use them again?” Jim, boss of the local chemical plant, was sceptical.

“They’re good as new.” Don crossed his fingers. The furnace he used was dodgy; the jobs of six men hung on this deal. “Why don’t I buy you lunch?”

Over chili dogs and beer, Don explained how it would save Jim money.

“And it’s good for the environment.”

Jim nodded thoughtfully.

“It’s a deal.”

Don bought him a whisky. Now he just needed a bank loan to fix the furnace…

200 lire steel drums can be reworked by draining the contents, burning out the residues, re-forming, shot-blasting and repainting. This is slightly more cost effective than scrapping the drums, and it’s a lot better for the environment – provided the furnace is correctly designed and operated. It was also typically a small business where skilled staff were appreciated.