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31.3.16

CITYSCAPE - Flash Fiction in 100 words

CITYSCAPE

From sixty storeys aboveground I’m a god, surveying the pointless life below.
Before daybreak traffic began poisoning the air – no wonder there’s no sign of green anywhere. People poured out of subways and scurried along pavements to spend hours behind glass producing nothing of value.
I used to live down there, taking pride in my skill at ducking and diving to earn a crust while staying out of trouble. But no more – now it’s time to end it.

I move closer to the edge and leap off ...... then spread my wings in the clean air and soar away to the forest.
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The above photograph taken by Marie Gail Stratford was posted by Rochelle on her blog https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/  for Friday Fictioneers. 
You can follow the lik on her blog to read other writers' takes on the prompt - after you've commented on mine, please!
And here, for your delectation, is a photograph I took last night outside my home.  

27 comments:

  1. I used to work in the city so I can empathise with your narrator. I was never moved to jump off a tall building, but then I never imagined I possessed the abilities of your narrator. Nicely done, and love your evening sky.

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    1. I worked in London for a while back in my youth. Give me the country every time!

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  2. Love the description in this piece. It's a great image to be inspired by - although I'm finding your sunset just as inspiring. Beautiful shot.

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    1. Thanks Annalisa - and the sunset was glorious.

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  3. Dear Liz,

    I hope that your narrator truly has wings. Your story put me in mind of a trip to Los Angeles years ago. I remember standing on a hill on Sunset Blvd watching a line of greenish brown smog rise with the sun. Ugh.

    Well written story.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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    1. Smog? Ugh indeed! I actually had a bird in mind as my narrator, hence the oblique reference to 'earning a crust', but it was obvioiusly TOO oblique!

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  4. Very nice - I grew up in the London suburbs and worked in London until I escaped to the orange groves of Spain. I did love London... but!
    Your sunset is gorgeous!
    Are you doing the A-Z challenge this year, Lizy? I'm giving it a go for the first time. :)

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    1. Thanks Susan, and no - I've done the A-Z challenge several times but haven't got the energy - or the ideas - this year. I wish you luck!

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  5. I pictured your narrator as a bird... and loved it!

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    1. Well done, Dale - you get the star mark!

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  6. Reincarnation as a pigeon has to be better than being cooped in a sterile cube.

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    1. You are right there, oldentimes, and thank you for coming back.

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  7. Really like the flash fiction, Liz. At first I thought it was about someone who had died, but then I realised with the ending that it was a bird. Birds do have a lot of freedom.

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    1. An enviable freedom, Eve - glad you liked the story.

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  8. Now that's the kind of jumping off high buildings I like: when a pidgeon or other bird does it. Great story, nice misdirection, and that picture is amazing. Such gorgeous colours.

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    1. Thank you Ga H - I'm glad you saw my bird!

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  9. Fantastic. I love where you took this. The point of view is magic. Pity us poor humans who can't take wing and lift up above the street level. Lovely photo you took, too.

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    1. Thanks margirene. Yes, it would be lovely to be able to fly. Do you press the 'publish' button twice, love? I always seem to get two identical comments from you!

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  10. Fantastic. I love where you took this. The point of view is magic. Pity us poor humans who can't take wing and lift up above the street level. Lovely photo you took, too.

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  11. I thought this was a bird, Liz. It's far better off in the forest. The picture taken outside your home is fantastic. What a sky! Well done. :) --- Suzanne

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    1. than you Suzanne - I imagined the bird as elderly and tired of city life, so he retired to the forest.

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  12. A lot like the movie "Birdman." Glad to see she is soaring at last.

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    1. Never saw the movie - was it a Superhero one?

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. Love this one, Liz, completely unexpected! ~Liz http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com

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