Study Abroad Adventure

Mark was having a blast studying abroad in Italy. One day, he was walking along the beach with his girlfriend Maria, a young man carrying an injured middle-aged woman suddenly swam ashore. The young man started speaking in Arabic, and Mark replied with an introduction and an offer of help. The young man introduced himself as Mahmoud and his companion as Fatima, and explained that they had crossed the Mediterranean in a boat, which had wrecked and capsized, and that they were the only survivors.

Mark explained the situation to Maria, who replied, “Andiamo!”* She ran to her car, slipped on her shoes, jumped in , and drove to where Mark and the migrants were waiting. However, as Mark was helping Fatima into the car, two young men starting hurling slurs against the Libyans and insulting Mark. When one charged at Mark, Maria hit him with the door, and stomped on his stomch. He cried out, called her sexist names, and demanded she get off. His friend charged her, and she chocked him out with her purse, causing him to fall at her feet. Mark and Mahoud got in; Maria floored the accelerator and went to a doctor.

This is a post for Sunday Photo Fiction, by Susan. Photo by Anurag Bakhshi

*Italian for “Let’s go!”

Trip to Cedar Point

Bobby had come a long way concerning amusement parks. As a kid, he rode mostly round rides in Kiddie Land. As a teen, his friends helped him overcome his fear of roller coasters. He was now at Cedar Point, on the 200′ Magnum with his friend Pat. The roller coaster slowly climbed the hill, and Bobby enjoyed the view before the drop. Bobby didn’t scream, as he felt that was cheesy. When the ride came to hills, Bobby let go of the restraints to get the full 0-G feeling.

Afterwards, Bobby and Pat said in unison, “Let’s ride again!”

This is a post for Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, photo by J. Hardy Carroll.

Mayan Adventure

Robert Jones, an American EFL* teacher and archaeologist among the Maya in Guatemala, was exploring the ancient Mayan temple (dated to the Archaic Period**) with his colleagues Professors Maria and Delores Kan from the university, Fr. Pedro Tun, and Santiago Tupac, a shaman from the local village. They came upon a Long Count Calendar, and a discussion started about the Mayan calendar. 

As they spoke, a glow appeared near the calendar, and three women (dressed in ancient Mayan dresses) and three men (dressed in jaguar skins, two as warriors one as a priest) just materialized. The priest, in proto-Mayan, told how, through a secret ritual, they went to the beginning of the next Great Cycle. Santiago indicated his belief in the story, and Robert suggested that the time travellers accompany them to the university. 

On the way there, they stopped to get the time travelers modern clothes. As they were leaving the store, an inter-dimensional monster showed up. Nothing Santiago, Pedro, or the priest worked, but one of the female time travelers shrunk and jumped on the monster, crushing it beneath her new tassel loafers.

Maria simply commented, “A woman saves the day!”, to which Robert cheers with approval. 

This is a post for Sunday Photo Fiction by Al Forbes. 

*English as a Foreign Language

**Before 2000 BCE

Spying on the Lovebirds

I was sitting in the kitchen when the lovebirds, Marlene and Bob, returned to the WG* we share with two others. From what I hear, Bob is an American student here in Germany. The lovebirds talked, and were about to kiss when Marlene looked at me and shrieked, “A spider!”

Next thing I knew, I was on the floor at her feet. I gulped as she raised her foot to step on me. I squirmed under the sole of her penny loafer as she increased the weight until my body, unable to support the weight, collapsed with a loud crunch. 

*WG, Wohngemeinschaft (lit., living community), in Germany, is a living arrangement in which people live together to share expenses.

This is a post for Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, photo by Victor and Sarah Potter.

In Holland

Jake’s world tour was going phenomenally. He was just arriving in Amsterdam harbor on a boat from London. He grabbed his stuff and exited into the dusk. He found a bike shop, where he rented a bike and pedaled through the streets of Amsterdam. While doing so, he snapped pictures of the buildings, the canals, and the lights, and posted them on Twitter. He went to a café to finally meet Greta, whom he met on Twitter. After having snacks and drinks and talking, Jake headed to the hostel and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning he went to the rendezvous location, where Greta was standing outside a car. They got in and Greta drove off. “Now, off to Friesland and the Elfstedentocht*! I was practicing even in USA with both rollerblading and ice skating so I could participate in this 11-city race! I am so excited!”

Greta smiled, and said, “I’m glad you can participate, after all you went through back in the States!”

Jake smiled and enjoyed the scenery and Greta’s company. However, halfway to Friesland, the car made weird signs and stopped. Greta tried to rev it, but failed to start it. 

The Elfstedentocht is an 11-city ice-skating race that occurs in the Dutch province of Friesland when the weather freezes the canals.

This is a post for Sunday Photo Fiction by Al Forbes, who also provided the photo.

Things Heat Up in a Swedish Ice Bar

Elena stomped out her cigarette before entering the Swedish ice bar and ordering a cosmopolitan. As she took her drink and began to sit down, she felt a slap to her rear. She knocks him over with a kick to the chest and steps on him. An American guy said to her, “Nice boots! Would you like to dance?”

Elena looks down and says, “Yes”. POW! The American is punched in the face, and a man calls him racial slurs. The American responds in Swedish, and as they begin to fight, security guards remove the Nazi from the premises.

This is a post for Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, photo by Roger Bultot.

Girlfriend to the Rescue

After her jog in the park, Diana Knight changed her outfit from sneakers and a jogging suit into a blouse, skirt, and loafers. Suddenly, as she grabbed her jacket, she received a message that her boyfriend was being held hostage. On the street, a man made a vulgar comment and grabbed her posterior; she kicked him in the stomach. 

Once she arrived at the destination, she knocked out a few guards with tranquilizers. She freed her boyfriend, then BANG! Shots were fired. Diana knocked over the assailant and jumped on his chest. Her boyfriend then kissed her cheek and she hugged him.

This is a post for Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields; photo by Sarah Potter. 

An Unusual Romantic Encounter

Businesswoman Regina Jacobsen gave a presentation at Nick Wright’s college. Nick cut hearts out of the bread as he made a PB & J sandwich. Suddenly, he dropped his sandwich and Regina stepped on it while stopping to greet Nick. He said, “Hey, Regina! Your boots look nice on you!”

Regina looked down and raised her foot upon seeing the sandwich, stuck to her boot. Nick removed the sandwich and Regina said, “I am so sorry…especially with the heart!”

He pointed to the heart and smiled. They leaned forward to kiss amid cheers and toasts.

This is a postfor Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, photo by Kelvin M. Knight.

Halfway Around the World

Steve Freeman’s plane touched down in Bangkok, Thailand. He grabbed his carry-on bag, then grabbed his luggage from inside the airport, and met his contact, Sarawut. They greeted. Sarawut suggested, “Let’s stop by a temple and release a bird tomorrow, ok?” Steve agreed.

The next day they released a bird at a temple. Steve watched the bird fly away and a cat vainly try to catch it. The scene caused Steve to reflect on his own life: he related to the caged bird. He remembered his upbringing back in USA: he remembered the restrictive cult he was raised in, how he lacked opportunities, and felt like he was going nowhere. He remembered encounters that gave him the courage, like the bird, to leave the cage. Thus, he smiled at the bird. “Fly on, my friend”, he said.

Steve related to a monk’s describing the Noble Truths of Buddhism. “Association with what is disliked is painful, disassociation with what is liked is painful, not getting what one wishes is painful.” The monk went on to identify cravings as the cause of suffering. Steve found himself identifying with these statementts.

Afterwards, Sarawut and Steve went shopping in the floating market.

This is a post for Sunday Photo Fiction; also the source of the photo.

The Vision

Mike finally reached the top of the mountain, where he cried out, “Is there anyone up there? I am at a loss! My life is wasted! What should I do!?”

He thought of the lost years supporting a leader claiming to for God, the trauma of that controlling environment. Mike wept. Suddenly, in a vision, he saw flowers growing at his feet. A dove flew by, singing. He saw people abandoning weapons. He saw himself in a room among a group of people. Mike asked, “Was that You, God?” A gentle breeze blew.

Mike confidently left the mountain.

This is a post for Friday Fictioneers by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields; photo by Danny Bowman.