But that's in the future, and in the hands of the gods, so here is this week's dose of Friday Fiction, prompted by a very weird photo on Rochelle's blog!
http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/
FORK COLLINS
“Can Fergus come round?”
“I ain’t having a Collins in this house.”
“But Granda . . .”
“Winter ’39, so it was, and feckin’ freezing. Mam throws the
ashes too wide and sets the stack ablaze, so I run over the fields to town
while Pops bashes the flames, but they spread to the byre. Fire engine clangs
along the top road, but Padraig Collins at the fork sends it down the wrong
lane.”
“That was seventy-five years ago, Granda!”
No relation I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteOops! Sorry¬ :(
DeleteClever - a very nice idea.
ReplyDeleteCheers Baggy!
DeleteLove the strong words in this piece: Throws, bashes, clangs. Each one brings the scene to life.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alicia - the incident is obviously still alive in Granda's mind too!
DeleteNo forking Collins?! Yep, that was my use of the prompt too!
ReplyDeleteI suppose it would be immodest to say "great minds"?
DeleteTee hee! Great characterisation and the ending made me laugh. Naughty Grandma!
ReplyDeleteWhy naughty? I'm glad it made you laugh!
DeleteThat Collins must have been dyslexic. When he said go right, he meant the other right. Now wonder Granda said "No forkin' way."
ReplyDeleteIndeed - and I now have a new swear word in my vocabulary!
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteNothing I love more than a story that makes only a glancing reference to the prompt. This one made me smile. Well done indeed.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks, Rochelle - I enjoyed writing it!
DeleteI love your twist with what was a difficult subject. Highly entertaining. Re your blog title, maybe you could call it lizy-ex-expat-writer. Just a thought! Good luck with the sale.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ros - glad you liked the story. Not so sure about the two exes, though!
DeleteEnjoyed this story. Beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteThank you Indira - my daughter likes these short stories too - she' says she's too busy to read anything longer!
DeleteHa! Ha! Looks like Grandpa has a long memory.
ReplyDeleteGranda knows how to hold a grudge, too.
DeleteDear Lizy, Granda is like one of the famous Hatfield's & McCoy's. So it was and still is. People never forgive (even if they say they do - they still hold a grudge. But, on the other hand, if it was on purpose (the misdirection of the fire truck) then too bad they couldn't sue - but then you have the blood sucking lawyers to deal with. Oh well, cute story! Nan :)
ReplyDeleteDear Nan - it's not often I get a comment longer than my story - boviously it made you think!
Delete