Three Line Tales: Slivers of pin sharp bone

three line tales, week 30 – pocket watch

photo by Rachel Crowe

 

‘And this was my great-grandfather’s.’ She opens the pocket watch as if it’s a reliquary, but instead of pin sharp bone slivers or locks of dull dead hair, she points to a dent in the case.

‘This saved his life the morning of November the 11th 1918,’ she says, emotion cracking her voice. ‘A German sniper bullet just missed his heart.’

Tears well, a warm blanket of sympathy flows from the encircling crowd. She’s told the tale so often she almost believes it herself.

 

Written for Sonya at Only 100 Words’ Three Line Tales. See the photo and write a story of three lines to match. See here to play along and to read the other stories.

15 thoughts on “Three Line Tales: Slivers of pin sharp bone”

  1. A lovely companion piece (or maybe timepiece) for your next post, Lynn. There’s a real skill in producing well-honed miniatures and you certainly have that skill in spades. Inspirational.

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    1. Ah, thank you so much, Chris – that’s really lovely of you 🙂 I was tempted to make this a part two of the first watch inspired piece, but it’s nice to have stand alones for prompts, so people don’t have to read them all to make sense of one. Thanks so much for reading 🙂

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    1. Haha! That’s the joy of flash fiction isn’t it? It’s the tiniest snapshot of a scene – usually the bit building to action or a turning point – and then it’s gone again. I know what you mean – they can be a little frustrating I think. Thanks so much for reading – especially with your emotions battling as they are 🙂

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    1. Well, I imagined that she got the watch in a junk shop and that she’s a bit of a dreamer who likes to be centre of attention and having the watch with its invented back story makes her feel special. People with very vivid imaginations can almost convince themselves they’re telling the truth, can’t they? Thanks for reading 🙂

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    1. I’ve met the odd person like this – manipulative, coersive, able to spin the world around themselves, to their own advantage. Worrying and dangerous people. Thanks so much for the lovely comments 🙂

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