Pages

10.1.18

RICOCHET - a story in one hundred words

RICOCHET

“You couldn’t hit a barn door!”
“Could too! See that bucket? The Laceys are away for the weekend – they’ll never know.”
Billy shouldered his air-gun and fired, anticipating the clang of metal, but his aim was way off. Instead there was the sharp snap of glass followed by a series of pings and a squawk.
“Now you’ve done it!” cried Sam.
“The window’s only cracked,” Billy said, adding hopefully, “No harm done,” and they fled.


The Laceys returned to find all their designer lamps adorned with strange, unexplained holes, and their parrot lying in the bottom of its cage, dead.
......................................................................................
I can't explain why Victor and Sarah Potter's photograph made me think of a crime scene, but this story is the result of my weird imagination. Thanks to Rochelle at  https://rochellewisoff.com/  for hosting Friday Fictioneers. From her blog you can follow the link to read how other writers interpreted the prompt.

39 comments:

  1. Ooops. A barn door would have been better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Billy needs more practice, certainly.

      Delete
  2. Hah! A cracked pane - not a spider's web. How refreshing to read a different take on the photo prompt at last. Loved this!

    Susan A Eames at
    Travel, Fiction and Photos

    ReplyDelete
  3. Reminds me when I burned a neighbors mailbox by mistake... you can always make mistakes... poor parrot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You little vandal! Assuming you were little at the time?

      Delete
  4. That's not a dead parrot, he's just restin'... Nice fresh take.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gotta say, I didn't see that one coming...great!
    Scott
    Mine: https://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2018/01/10/welcome-to-my-parlor/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Scott. It took me by surprise too.

      Delete
  6. Brilliant! Dammmmm... why didn't I think of a bullet hole...
    Poor parrot..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ha ha ha ha. When we were young, we used to ignite 'rockets' on Diwali, our biggest festival in which everyone bursts crackers and lights up their homes. The rocket was kept in a glass bottle, and then lit. In ideal conditions, it should fly vertically into the sky, but more often than not, the bottle would fall, and the rocket would go into people's houses, or hit their walls or windows. The kids of course would stoutly deny that they had anything to do with that particular rocket.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This proves that children are the same the world over. Rockets in milk bottles, before the days of plastic cartons.

      Delete
  8. You know those strings crime scene investigators use to show the paths of bullets? That's what I saw.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Poor Polly! A delightfully different take liz.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Keith - and I'm sorry about the bird, but it had to go - it was that or the gerbil.

      Delete
  10. I totally see where you got your inspiration. Nicely done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandra. The first comment I got - not on here - was from someone who didn't like the ending.

      Delete
  11. Dear Liz,

    I think Billy better watch his back. Good one...thanks for seeing rather than looking. ;) Unique take.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unless Sam tells on him, Billy probably gets away with it!

      Delete
  12. Well, there won't be any more requests for crackers and the lighting received a really early redesign. Little stinkers..

    ReplyDelete
  13. Loved it....except for the "restin' parrot" (via Iain).

    ReplyDelete
  14. oh no! Sad for the Laceys.
    Beautifully written tale, i was wondering about the squawk till i read the list line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once I knew they'd killed something it had to be the parrot. Sorry!

      Delete
  15. That'll teach the Laceys to go away. Poor parrot but good story.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Aw, poor bird. Victim of silly little boys, and I hope they'll have learned to be more cautious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they probably scared themselves enough!

      Delete
  17. HAHA ... looks like Sam knew his friend quite well.
    I enjoyed your tkae on the story.
    Isadora 😎

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Isadora - I reckon Sam winds Billy up to do all kinds of stuff and denies any part of it when they get caught!

      Delete
  18. Hee, hee :-) Well done, thinking of this different take on the prompt. In fact, I have a photo of broken glass on my old front door, where the door had wedged and my son tried to push it open with his foot. The cracks did look exactly like a spiderweb. Re the dead parrot, it got me thinking of the famous Monty Python sketch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's unfortunate that the death of a parrot can be funny, but that's definitely Monty Python's fault.

      Delete
  19. Awww...the poor parrot.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The poor parrot. I read the squawk and worried straight away. I wonder where the Laceys will look for the culprit.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a lot of damage one shot did. I wonder if the Laceys will ever find out who did it. Good writing, Liz. ---- Suzanne

    ReplyDelete

Do leave a message before you go!