Serendipity

There was just enough room for them both at the end of the jetty.

The boy had popped into existence, occupying the space beside her. She hadn’t realised how empty it was until he was there, filling it all up. It was almost enough to make her forget that her feet were submerged in the murky lake. Almost.

‘Now lay back,’ he said. Faith didn’t protest. What else would he convince her to do? Maybe he wasn’t even real, maybe he was a wizard holding some magic power over her, maybe he was here to tell her she’d been accepted to Hogwarts.

PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook

***

I may have cheated slightly this week. This beautiful photo reminded me so much of my work-in-progress that I adapted a section of it. I just couldn’t get it out of my head!

This piece was written for the Friday Fictioneers hosted by the lovely Rochelle Wisoff-Fields – Addicted to Purple.

Each week a photo prompt is given and the challenge is write a flash fiction piece of no more than one hundred words.

Find other Friday Fictioneer stories here.

 

 

Author: Jennifer Kennedy

Mother, teacher and writer. I love all my jobs but writing holds a special place in my heart. I hope you enjoy reading my short stories as much as I enjoy writing them!

39 thoughts on “Serendipity”

  1. neilmacdon – I have published stories in several magazine, including Structo and Gold Dust. I am the author of five books about Latin America and the Caribbean, and most recently Cautionary Tales for Development Folk, a collection of humorous and instructive stories drawn from a career in international aid. I have had a varied working career including science, journalism and publishing until I settled into the aid world. He is now turning to fiction writing full time, and have been serving an apprenticeship to the craft. I was born in Scotland, raised in Jamaica, and have lived and worked in England, the US and South Africa. I now live in a cottage in Surrey, England together with my wife and the obligatory cat and dog.
    neilmacdon says:

    My guess is he’s a figment of her lonely imagination, but so long as she doesn’t figure that out she can accomplish anything

    Reply
  2. rochellewisoff – Missouri – A Kansas City native, Rochelle's been married to her first husband Jan for nearly 50 years. A trained graphic artist, her passion is creating not only watercolor paintings, but word pictures as well. Her most recent novel about a middle-aged woman battling anorexia is under contract with literary agent Diane Nine www.ninespeakers.com
    rochellewisoff says:

    Dear Jen,

    Sharing an excerpt from your WIP is never cheating. I’ve done this many times. Distilling a scene into 100 words is a terrific exercise. Good one as well.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Reply
  3. Iain Kelly – Canonbie Ave, East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire G74 4, UK – 41 year old writer, avid film viewer and book reader, employed in the media industry as a television editor.
    Iain Kelly says:

    An interesting snippet, I hope the full length version is going well and will see the light one day 🙂

    Reply
  4. pennygadd51 – United Kingdom – I write. I've written many pieces of flash fiction, dozens of short stories and two novels, with a third in progress.
    pennygadd51 says:

    I really like the way the boy fills an empty space. “She hadn’t realised how empty it was until he was there, filling it all up.” It’s an excellent metaphor for the way significant people can come into our lives. Her complaisance in response to his instruction to lay back is both mysterious and sinister…

    Reply
  6. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) – I love to write poetry in all forms and matters. Almost unpublished but busy writing poetry daily. Love to see the music and color in words and grab my poetic license with English.
    Björn Rudberg (brudberg) says:

    I think there are so many people walking around with an unknown void waiting to be filled. Maybe that’s the true magic which doesn’t need a wizard. Love your tale.

    Reply

  7. I’m tending toward the boy being in her imagination, and I’m wondering how far her mind will wander into dreamland before she has to come back to reality 🙂

    Reply
  9. anuragbakhshi – At the age of 40, I decided to exit the corporate world, and enter the world of stories as a full-time writer. Wish me luck!
    anuragbakhshi says:

    The great thing about this snippet is that it can go so many ways- magic/fantasy, supernatural, psychological…

    Reply
  11. James McEwan – I enjoy writing short stories as they take a concentrated discipline to write. I also like reading a well crafted piece that give provide pleasure through the words. I am the author of two short story collections, The Case of the Mahjong Dragon and The Listener. I have also published on CafeLit, Literally Stories and Fiction on the Web. My aim as a writer is to entertain and captivate readers with enjoyable moments of escapism in an imaginary world. Read my Flash Fiction on my site: jplmcewan.wordpress.com Fiction illuminates the truth.
    James McEwan says:

    The picture does have a magical appeal. Nicely done.

    Reply
  17. mumpoet – Creative poet, and writer of fiction. I am here to try and finish something I started once upon a time. I am a lover of all kinds of fiction and poetry (Simon Armitage is my hero) and I also make hats from scratch (I made the one in my profile picture myself) and I up-cycle and sell denim and sequinned vintage jackets. So, like everyone, I'm a mixed bag of fun, chaos and seriousness. Hope you enjoy my blog x
    mumpoet says:

    Lovely description ‘popping into existence’ wel done, Jen x

    Reply
  18. mumpoet – Creative poet, and writer of fiction. I am here to try and finish something I started once upon a time. I am a lover of all kinds of fiction and poetry (Simon Armitage is my hero) and I also make hats from scratch (I made the one in my profile picture myself) and I up-cycle and sell denim and sequinned vintage jackets. So, like everyone, I'm a mixed bag of fun, chaos and seriousness. Hope you enjoy my blog x
    mumpoet says:

    well 🙂

    Reply

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