Friday Fictioners: Mocking the forgotten dead

Jhardy

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

Shutters make the windows turn a blind eye – always a blind eye. A breeze blows the limbs of skeletal trees, bony twigs ticking a non-rhythm. Gates hold tufted grass and last year’s crisply fallen leaves prisoner.

A Death’s Head moth – woken early by a fragile burst of sun – batters his powdery wings against the bars. Once, twice, he bounces against the metal then away, flitting over the condemned cells, the exercise yard – the long drop – his careless freedom mocking the forgotten dead.

The breeze steals away to brighter places and leaves the building to its past.

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Saw this lovely photo prompt (originally from Rochelle Wisoff-Field’s Friday Fictioners) on Ga H Learner’s blog and had to join in. Two pic prompts in one day? What am I like?

See the full rules here.

 

 

 

41 thoughts on “Friday Fictioners: Mocking the forgotten dead”

    1. Thank you! Such a great picture. I liked the idea of an old prison that was so dominant when in use and has now lost its power. I don’t blame the breeze – I’d move on too 🙂 Thanks for reading

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    1. Thank you so much. I always think of myself as a prose writer, but with flash it’s very easy to tip over into poetry – for me anyway.
      Thank you – very kind

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      2. It’s have to hold everything you could possibly want as well – loved ones especially. Seems tough on the loved ones to be keeping them locked up!

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      2. Really, thank you. It still surprises and delights me when someone likes what I’ve written. And especially if they take the time to tell me so. Thank you 🙂

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  13. Beautiful! I like the way you draw the reader through the scene and then away on that breeze.
    I love the resonance of death, dead; prisoner, steals etc. Very cleverly done.
    (The only word I’d change (not that it’s mine to change!) is the word prisoner which I’d put after the word hold.)

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    1. Ooh, that’s a good spot – I agree, it would read much better like that. So hard to see these things in your’e own writing sometimes 🙂 And thank you for the gracious words – you’re very kind 🙂

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    1. Thanks Rochelle. Have floated around the edges of Friday Fictioneers for a while, reading but not diving in. But that last photo was very inspiring. 🙂 Thanks for the prompt and thanks for reading

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