(c) Sean Fallon
Every Friday, authors from around the world gather at the virtual fireside of fellow WordPress blogger Rochelle Wisoff to share flash fiction stories of 100 words, inspired by a common photograph, and exchange constructive criticism. This week’s photo is courtesy of Sean Fallon. Here’s the story Sean’s photo inspired:
Hercules Disarmed
“Two blokes fighting and a statue?”
“Read the handouts before the lectures! Watch!” Hilda whispered.
Rich watched. One of the blokes bludgeoned the other.
The lights went up in the auditorium.
Professor Pound rounded on Rich. “Enlighten us, do, on the relationship between the film and Imagism.”
Sarcastic old git! Rich peered short-sightedly – wanting to impress Hilda, he’d left off his specs. “Matthew 18:9.”
Rich felt a hand slip into his.
“And …?” Pound sounded intrigued.
“The statue’s Hercules. He’s had his arms severed – thus, can’t ever fight again. The men represent Human Nature.”
“Matthew 18:9?” queried Hilda, over coffee.
Ann Isik (100 words)
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Don’t know how I missed this. A great riff on the prompt.
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Thanks Etienne! I’ve been doing the NaBloPoMo 30 day challenge, so it soon go left behind.
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Hi Ann,
Love it when I’m forced to look up something, though your response to Perry went a long way. Wondering if Professor Pound is related to Ezra and tried to find references by my poetry knowledge was inadequate. Most of all, I liked the tense interaction between the students and the teacher. Ron
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Didn’t mean to make anybody look anything up but then I had to look it up myself! Yes, Prof Pound is indeed Ezra, Hilda is Hilda Doolittle who had a romance with Ezra but then married Rich – Richard Aldington. A bit of poetic history this week. Rich in the story is meant to be lazy but bright – enough to know girls like brains, not brawn (generally speaking, though at my age I’ll take anything I can get). Thanks for reading. 🙂
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Ann, I’m at a bit of a loss here not knowing what that Biblical passage refers to. Is he just showing off that he knows it or is there something about it that’s relevant to the story? I was with you til the last line and then not! Help!
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Yes it is relevant to the story: ‘If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.’ Hercules was a ‘faulty’ hero – he murdered his wife and children and to atone, agreed to 12 suicide missions (the Labours). But his strengths were also his weaknesses. In the photo prompt, the dummy has no arms. (Substitute ‘eye’ for ‘arm’ in the bib quote). The disruptive lad in the story – think Harry Potter v Severus Snape! Actually, Hercules is quite a good source for the Harry Potter character and plot. Thanks for reading. Ann
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Dear Ann,
Nice one. The scripture is the perfect ending line.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I really don’t know how these ideas turn up, the connections!
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I know what you mean, Ann. Same thing happens to me.
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Clever and amusing, well done.
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Thank you! Ann
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Armless is harmless I guess. Nice one Ann, you always manage to come up with something different.
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Thanks Sandra! Where do they all come from? 🙂
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Those offensive arms. 🙂 Like the title, Ann.
janet
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You got me to look up Matthew 18:9. Well done.
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I had to look it up myself, Tony! Each photo is a crossroads where roads off just turn up! I just checked ‘you’ out. I wish I’d realised about your campaign! I’d have contributed somthing. I have to be pinned down! Let me know when the book’s published so I can buy it. Ann
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Great. I will. We are close to submitting the final draft to the formatter, then publisher. Our goal is a public release in March of 2014. I’ll keep you posted.
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🙂
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Hi Ann I read this piece and my mind went to a short story by Woody Allen, The Whore of Mensa, you may know it: http://waitalia.tripod.com/short-uk.html
Very entertaining.
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I found your comment in my spam folder! I loved the Woody Allen story. Hilarious. I especially like this: “I mean my wife is great, don’t get me wrong. But she won’t discuss Pound with me. Or Eliot. I didn’t know that when I married her. You should talk to my husband! Ann
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I wrote a performance piece from that SS years ago, about a guy going to the brothel for intellectuals and paying for an hour of Keats with a very voluptuous young lady…..lol…yes its a very clever piece….
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I love Woody Allen now I’m ‘grown up’. Younger, I didn’t get his humour at all. It’s a bit ‘Monty Python’. I didn’t get MP at all either when I was young. The humour of both is about the absurdity of human beings, society and life in general. It’s almost sad and bitter with a brave face. I hope your performance went down well.
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It did thanks Ann, I think the reason why I liked the SS was because of the element of absurdity about it. Absurd Theatre is such a fun activity to teach, the kids at my school get right into it, we have a performance night on in a weeks time.
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Good luck with your performance night. Ann
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Thanks Ann
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Oh I love it Ann…
Well done.
Thank you for linking to me.
Regards
Jim
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