Thank you to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for all her work and organization. You can visit her site and read through the other Flash Fiction postings at:
https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/20-march-2015/
For those who are new, Rochelle shares a photo prompt to which several #FridayFictioneers compose a 100-word flash of fiction.
I wonder if they ever looked in the fountain.
Come, tell me if you can hear it too.
Here’s my contribution:
Listen
“It happened in a wooded area very near here,” Trish continued her tale, treading deeper into the woodland, a string of small children ambling in her wake.
“What happened, Ms. Trish?”
“The story goes that seven year-old Tessa was drawn into the woods by a life-sized raggedy doll. Her brother Jeremy saw it too, peeking around trees, smiling at her with stitched mouth and button eyes. It was calling to her and waving to follow.”
“Then what?”
“She went off down a trail like this one. Jeremy said he could hear talking just ahead.”
“What was that?”
“Shhhh.”
“Listen.”
Come!
jKb
Dear JK,
Urban legend coming to life? Ms. Trish is headed for a bad end. Welcome back.
Aloha,
Doug
Howdy Doug,
I hadn’t given much thought to the source, be it Urban Legend (like that idea) or perhaps a play-friend brought to life through the most powerful imagination– the mind of a child. Either way, the story sounded spooky to me so I thought it might be enjoyable to the FlashFictionFolk.
Thanks!
Certainly doesn’t sound good for the children. Hopefully, Ms. Trish will keep them from following and disappearing like Tessa.
Howdy. I’m not sure Ms. Trish will end up a hero. Maybe we will get to find out some day! Thanks for visiting!
It always ends in the best places. Will fear or curiosity prevail, I wonder.
Thanks for coming by. I don’t know how things will end up for Ms. Trish or the children. And just who are these kids anyway?!
Thanks again!
You have got me hooked! A very intriguing tale.
Will there be a continuation?
Welcome, Francesca. I happy you found your way here to visit with me. To answer your question, readers have asked me that in the past and I’ve always wondered when I’d stop making excuses and would just do it, start making these flashes into short fiction, or more. I simply need to commit, then hit the ground running.
Thanks for visiting, come again!
This sounds like an awesome campfire story.
I may steal this for our summer expeditions!
Howdy Dawn, feel free to embellish, and change to suit your audience. As I told Doug, I envision this beasty to be the embodiment of a child’s creative and unhindered mind, a friendly familiar, with not so friendly intentions of its own. And use the old flash-light-under-the-chin trick too. Then tell us all about it!!
LOL..yes the old fashioned under the chin trick. Thanks for the reminder!
Camping is the perfect opportunity to tell some old scary tales, did it sort of backfire?
Howdy, thanks for visiting. I’d like to think it was something along those lines. I was actually envisioning a hike with a children’s group, maybe a class fieldtrip adventure, something innocent. And then, this happens.
Come again!
I know what you mean, we often start writing about something specific, or without nothing at all in mind, and the words take us in a whole different direction.
Oh this got me intrigued.. has Ms Trisha’s Eyes became button-like at this point?
Howdy Bjorn. I wonder what with happen with Ms. Trish. Perhaps her lips will get stitched, maybe she will have button eyes sewn on, perhaps even be dressed in rag clothing.
Thanks!
Very spooky- and it reads like an urban legend in the making. Will there be more?
Howdy. There’s certainly a good chance this could become something more involved, or perhaps made into installments and put out right here. I just have to stop procrastinating.
Thanks for visiting!
Good luck with it!
The thought of a life-size raggedy doll freaked me out. Great story.
Life-sized Raggedy Ann. Truly chilling.
Tracey