Schadenfreude
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 26 June 2020
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| Photo Credit: Todd Foltz |
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I was riding my new bike to school when somebody threw an egg at me.
It was Derek who I’d later learn was the school bully.
“What are you gonna do about it?” he smirked as his buddies laughed.
I just ignored him, acted as if it wasn’t a big deal, and went to class.
Derek ruled the roost until he challenged my cousin Sam to a fight one day. Unbeknownst to him, Sam, who had recently transferred to our school, was an expert in martial arts.
It was schadenfreude I felt watching Derek get the whacking he truly deserved.
Wordless Wednesday: Gorillas in our Midst
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| Location:Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, Africa (click any picture to enlarge) |
Better Luck Next Time
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 19 June 2020
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| Photo Credit: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields |
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It was a hot summer day. Homer would rather go to the beach and watch bikini girls strut their stuff. But all beaches were closed due to coronavirus.
And so here he was, trying to earn extra money by cleaning windows on a high-rise apartment building.
What appeared to be a boring job suddenly became interesting when Homer saw a woman in a bathrobe about to take a shower.
Instead of being embarrassed when she noticed him looking through the window, she just smiled and waved at him and then closed the curtains.
“D’oh!“ Homer sighed. “Better luck next time.”
The Nuances of Sadness
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 12 June 2020
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| Photo Credit: Ronda Del Boccio |
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While watching hot air balloons soar above, Fatma could feel once again the sadness swelling deep inside.
They reminded her of Ahmet who flew and left the nest a week ago.
For her eldest son, the excitement of pursuing his dream far from home must have deadened the pain, but for his family nothing could ease the emptiness of his chair at the dinner table or the bed in his bedroom.
When it was time to finally say goodbye, everybody put up a calm front and no tears were shed. They would come later in torrents after he was gone.
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Note: The setting for this story is Cappadocia, Turkey that I visited in the past. It’s a beautiful place known for unusual rock formations, houses and old churches carved out of rocks, and hot air-ballooning. Unfortunately, there’s not enough economic incentive for the young to stay. They leave for better opportunities elsewhere.
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| Location: Cappadocia, Turkey |
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