When the lights arrived, Michael wasn’t there to see them. The radiance danced, coruscated, the night sky was incandescent. Reflections glimmered on the unblinking eye of Michael’s camera lens. No shutter click caught the secret for posterity.
Under the trees, Michael indulged a secret of his own, more furtive, less cosmic. He closed his eyes and shuddered. “Yes, yes. Don’t stop”
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
It was ever thus. Distractions of a more earthy… sorrry, earthly nature have forfeited a wonderful photo opportunity. Crisply brief. 🙂
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Thanks, Sandra. When he gets home, he’ll find it all over the news, and have some explaining to do
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Serves him right for taking his eye off the ball. I’d like to hear his explanation.
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You wouldn’t, you really wouldn’t. It’s a sorry stumbling thing
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Haha – I bet it is!
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all over the news eh?
tsk tsk
🙂
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He has a lot of explaining to do
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indeed…..
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Dear Neil,
As my brother used to tell our parents, “You pay for your thrills.”
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Missing first contact is a heavy price
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Great one, Neil and loved the humanity in it. Not unsurprisingly, focus has come up this week. As I’ve said before, photography is like fishing. It’s often about the one which gets away. It can get a bit boring waiting for the big one and the poor guy takes a 15 minute commercial break and misses the real action. Perhaps, this could be the subject of my failed suicide piece last week.
xx Rowena
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Thanks, Rowena. So much comes down to chance
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Very true.
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Seems a bit tawdry.
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Yes
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Oh! What a disappointing thud from the gorgeous night sky to the—um,–earthly mundane. Great twist, but I’m not terribly fond of the guy under the tree.
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I think his wife is none too thrilled with him either
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You mean it wasn’t his wife with him under the tree? 😉
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Ahem. I’m afraid not
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Such a cosmic start and then a surprising twist. Somebody trapped him, must have been a master baiter indeed. I am sure the excuse will be heavenly.
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The sublime only works for so long
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But was it worth it? That’s the question..! Enjoyed this Neil.
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Missing first contact? Probably not. Thanks, Iain
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haha! lol That is the question!
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Who can put a price on such things?
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🙂
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A very pure use of bathos. That’s a risky game, but you pull it off by making the actions of your MC all too believable. Nice one, Neil.
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Yes, I was aware of the risk, but once an idea grabs hold of me it’s very hard to get it to release its grip. I’m glad it worked for you
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Often life’s much more mundane concerns can Force a guy to miss out on important things
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Like Sir Francis Drake, he obviously preferred to finish his game of bowls
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Very cheeky! Daft lad dropped the ball there. Nicely done Neil
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Thanks, Lynn
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My pleasure Neil
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Lust got in the way of the spotlight 😉
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I’m afraid so
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A story fitting of your usual tricks, Neil.
A thought…
If it wasn’t Michael, I’d love to know who saw the lights dancing on his camera lens, along with watching him up to something else, and why they didn’t grab the camera and record the sights… the sounds…
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The omniscient narrator, of course
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Hmmmm
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Oh dear.
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I’m afraid so
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This has a certain “ew factor” to it.
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Yup
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Ah, the price of earthly pleasures.
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Indeed. It’s cautionary tale
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Ha ha ha ha, I hope it was still heavenly though 🙂
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the earth moved
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Ya know. I did read it a couple of times because it didn’t seem like you. But, well there you go. Leave them with the unexpected and a well done piece because you have pointed out what life is. It’s the choices we take and what we miss because of them…or what we don’t miss. It’s all a matter of perspective.
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I often don’t feel like me. Thanks, Sascha
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Hit terra ferma. Really good story, Neil.
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Thanks, Neel
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What he’s doing is driven by one of man’s strongest urges – a mere photo opportunity can’t top that.
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Sadly, true
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Lol oh dear… earthy vs sky. I think his choice is clear still i wonder what he missed and if he will be bothered 😊
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The story doesn’t say what he missed, but in my mind it was first contact
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I wonder if Michael will think the trade was worth it. Probably not.
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Probably not, I agree. He’s missed out on a story that would keep him in dinner-party conversation for years
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I think it could have been worth it…
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Not in a million years
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Well told. I like the balanced nature of this – the missing of a cosmic event whilst enjoying his secret. I hope there’s no one at home waiting for Michael and wanting to see his photos.
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Sadly, there is
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Torn between the two, had he been aware. Ah, the human flesh.
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Sadly, he was too engrossed to be aware of anything else around him
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I suppose it all depends from whose perspective you look at this story, whether or not it was a missed opportunity. 🙂 And I must say, reading the comments, I look forward to Part II.
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Rochelle discourages part twos
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Subtly done, Neil. I must say it took me a second read to get his indiscretion at the end. He will definitely have some explaining to do! And very well written too!
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Thanks Fatima, Sorry, I didn’t mean that one to be subtle
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Whoops! He is going to have some explaining to do!
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Yup
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