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.
PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
Working-Class Zero
Paul hated his job. He spent eight hours per day in a giant orange ball wearing a giant orange ball hat selling giant orange ball t-shirts. It was humiliating, but Carrie had expensive tastes.
Paul had to make sure people used gender-appropriate garbage cans. Pink for girls and gray for boys. He didn’t ask about gender-fluid people. As long as they kept their gender fluids away from him, he didn’t care.
That wasn’t his boss’s only idiosyncrasy. He spent all day upstairs looking through a tiny window. Every time someone bought something, he laughed maniacally, saying, “I farted on that.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boss is a hoot
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At least a poot.
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We all have those jobs when we are teenagers or young adults that we hate but do because we need the money. That boss, though!
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I’ve had some weird bosses. He might be a little extra.
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LOL!
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See what crap jobs do to people? They resort to farting on things.
Not sure what it is about you and farts? 😀
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Or the people who fart on things run the crap jobs.
Farts are people, too. They deserve the same respect as everybody else.
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Take it up with the fart lobby. The fight for equal rights is never ending….
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I pity Paul but I love Lenon for singing and writing, Working class hero.
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“Working Class Hero” & “Imagine” are enough to make Lennon a legend. Why do you pity Paul?
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For all the humiliation he had to go through. Not Paul Mc Cartney, but the Paul in your story. 🙂
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I confused myself with the names. 🤣
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Ha! Ha!😂
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Ha, fun! At least it’s a job…
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I suppose there are worse jobs. Thanks.
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The boss sounds like a ‘must to avoid’.
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It’s a good thing he sounds most of his time upstairs.
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I think Carrie should earn the money for her expensive tastes herself. And what a boss…
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Can you imagine Carrie wearing a giant orange ball hat? Why would she when she can get Paul to do it for her? I had jokes about her “expensive tastes” being mundane things like McDonald’s. Word count killed those. Carrie’s lucky she didn’t get cut.
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I’d love to see Carrie wearing an orange ball hat. 😀 You could always write a sequel…
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I like your acute observations of the bins and little window behind which is a childish maniac. Please don’t let him out. A humorous piece.
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Once I noticed the opening, I became fixated on it. Who’s up there? What does he see? Why’s he up there? What’s he doing? Thank you.
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What a boring job! good take on the prompt.
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Nightmare jobs are more common than dream jobs. Thanks, Mason.
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Sadly so.
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Your story’s a bit of a stinker – in a fragrant way!
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🤣
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Great story, great take on the prompt. But I’d send Carrie out to earn her own money for her expensive tastes! And that boss…! 😉
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You’re obviously not a smitten teenage boy. My impulse was to make the boss evil with world domination machinations, but I opted for zany. Thank you.
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Poor guy! The extents one would go to for money. Carrie better be worth it!
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I think we’ve all endured some painful things in the name of love.
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Indeed. That’s what happens when you really love and care for somebody. Great story
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Yep. Thank you.
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You’re very welcome 🙂
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Dear Nobbin,
I felt his pain. Love your play on the title. As for the video, it hurt to watch. I wonder where Lennon would be today if he’d lived. Good story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I often wonder that about talented people whose lives were cut short. Even more, what else could they have accomplished. Thank you, Rochelle.
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The boss is quite the character, a smelly one at that! I hope Carrie is worth the trouble. Well done!
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Once I saw the opening, I knew there was a boss up there and he was up to something diabolical. At first, it was something evil but devolved into something silly.
I think Paul and Carrie are at the point where he’s ready to do anything for her. The boss’s next “evil” scheme might change his mind.
Thank you.
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Hmm, sounds intriguing. =)
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A zany story for a zany prompt. I wondered about the black square, too. In your story it was a window; in mine, a sunspot. I love your concept of product branding carried to ludicrous lengths. I bet it was a franchise, so the boss was hardly freer than Paul.
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Once I noticed that spot, I fixated on it. That could be what drove the boss crazy. Thank you, Penny.
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Eeeeew! Boss is nuts!
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That’ll happen working in an orange bubble.
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🙂
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