Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who provides us with a photo prompt. Each week’s challenge is to write a 100-word story inspired by the photo. Click here to play along or just read more stories.
Infinite
“You can’t run from your problems forever.”
It was the last thing Ashley, the love of his life, said to him. In reality, she could never be his priority. She could never be more than second best. Ashley knew it, so she left.
As he was wont to do, he ran from his problems and after whatever unattainable thing he was chasing. He could run forever. He had a one-way ticket to the stars.
“Space is infinite.”
He strapped himself in and prepared for liftoff.
It was weeks before anyone found his body. The needle was still in his arm.
NobbinBlog 
At least he saw infinite space
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I hope he at least had that.
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I wasn’t expecting that! Sad, inventive take on the photo prompt.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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You’re not supposed to expect it. What’s the point of writing a story if people can fill it in for themselves? Thank you.
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Powerful and really well done.
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Thank you.
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A killer last line, well done. 🙂
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Thank you.
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Sad when drugs trump everything else, even people. One final high. I hope his love moved on.
Side note: check the beginning of the second paragraph, “As he was wont to do” – is that correct?
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I think she moved on before his final high, which may or may not have contributed.
Yes. Wont: one’s customary behavior in a particular situation.
“Constance, as was her wont, had paid her little attention”
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Well spank me Charlie, I’ve never seen “wont” used like that before. Note to self: N’s vocabulary is superior than T’s. 😀
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Some words stick and some don’t. Wont is one that stuck. Charlie’s more of an arm or leg humper than a spanker.
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Hmm explains your fondness for bitches that hump legs then. 😀
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Yeah, it’s a prerequisite.
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You told a lot of story in a few words. One of your best yet. The last two lines, wow.
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Thank you. I love to get those wows. They’re my favorite.
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🙂
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p.s. Cute picture of Charlie sitting in the sun ❤
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That was one of our last outings before the weather got cold.
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Wow! Powerful indeed! When the soul leaves the body, it perhaps does attain to infinity.
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Ooh! I got a “Wow!” and a “Powerful” in the same comment. My ego’s going to store this one away for a rainy day. Thanks, JJ.
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But I didn’t like the way you compared your story to mine and said mine was better. Your world is completely different from mine, so there’s no comparison really.
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Then, I get a slap on the wrist.
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That was indeed the trip of a lifetime. And I loved the use of the phrase ‘as he was wont to do’. You don’t hear the elegance of our language too often these days.
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A trip for the end of a lifetime. That is a great phrase, isn’t it. Thank you.
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Oh Nobbin,
You took this reader for quite a ride. Those last two lines are stellar and turned the story on its ear. Masterfully done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I got an “Oh Nobbin.” I love to get those. The “Masterfully done.” is icing. Thank you, Rochelle.
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Brilliant writing, Nobbin. I love how you took us from an ending to an even more final ending.
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It’s not often one gets to start with an ending then move to a place of more finality. How many endings can one fit into a 100-word story? Thanks, Dale.
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This is true. The beauty of being a writer…
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The mind is a dangerous place, when it runs out of control it has the tendency to self-destruct – preprogrammed in the DNA perhaps!
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Perhaps. Humanity is pretty self-destructive.
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Tragically true to life.
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Yep, addiction can be an endless cycle.
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Excellent writing, Nobbin! You built the story well from the beginning to the last powerful, tragic line.
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Thank you, Brenda. You are far too kind. I appreciate your comment.
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So well-written! Loved the ending, sad as it was.
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The best endings, happy or sad, are usually the ones that tug on our heartstrings. Thank you.
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The last sentence was a punch to the gut! Very well-written.
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I like to make my stories as violent as possible without including any actual violence. Thank you.
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Ah… you let your readers do the work (i.e. imagine the violence).
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How sad.
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Yeah, addiction is usually a sad situation.
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