There is a castle on the hill. Of course. Bright pennants fly from its turrets, and tin men issue from its gates for quests and feats of derring-do.
There’s a dragon in the valley, puffing great gouts of fire. Naturally.
There will be a bay with a captured treasure ship riding at anchor. I can’t spy it yet but I know it’s there.
And there’ll be a princess, awaiting rescue from the evil baron. That’s what princesses are for. And she’ll swoon and love me.
The summer hols stretch ahead as far as the imagination can see.
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 
I want to visit!
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Just go to platform Nine and a Half
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My mind went there too 😀
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Brilliant, Neil, an absolute delight!
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Thanks so much
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Dear Neil,
As far as the imagination can see. Great line.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much, Rochelle
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Sounds perfect for a summer of adventures.
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Thanks, Colline
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Those were wonderful times, were they not? You captured that beautifully.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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Good stuff. I thought of that castle too. Well done
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Thanks so much, Joshua
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With such an imagination, the summer will be grand…
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Thanks so much, Trent
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Sounds like a great game and summer ahead. Can we all join in?
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Sure. It just needs imagination
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Good, well-written story, Neil. I love stories of Medieval knights and their ladies. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks, Suzanne
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Oh this is lovely – and exactly what should be going through a boy’s head right now.
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Thanks so much, Lizzie
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Nicely told Sounds like a great holiday in the making.
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Thanks, Michael
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a very seasonal school holiday feel to this, I kept thinking about the Railway Children, or the Famous Five on an adventure.
A good read.
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I was more a Just William kid
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Yes, I read those too, great stories. (Sorry about the missing capital at the beginning of the sentence).
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Those darn princesses are always in distress. Let’s hope her prince is disguised as a frog so he can slip past the dragon and the baron.
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Without princesses in distress, how could heroes exist? And without dragons and evil barons. Let’s hear if for dragons and evil barons
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With the rather knowing opening “There is a castle on the hill. Of course,” this reads like the last school holiday before the boy becomes a man and loses the riches of an imagined future for the struggle and heartache of real life. Enjoy it while it lasts, son!
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I like your reading of this
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What a delightful, imaginative story. I hope he at least gets to meet the princess waiting for rescue 🙂
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I’m sure he’ll meet several
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That castle on the hill…so inspirational…thank you.
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Thank you, Dawn
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i’d say amen to that. it doesn’t cost to dream. it’s free. :).
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Thanks for reading
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Delightful story!
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Thanks so much
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Wait? Where is the evil step-mother? The weak father who is the root of all this?
Fun stuff, Neil.
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You can’t go to the seaside if you have an evil stepmother. Unless of course a boy who never grows up comes and takes you there. Damn! MIssed another trick
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Well hell… there ya go!
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Ha ha ha, sounds like me, even at this age 🙂
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Bet I slayed more dragons than you
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Fun! Brings me back to endless August school holidays 🙂
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Thanks, Grab bucket and spade
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As the summer holidays approach, anything is possible. Lovely story, Neil.
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Thanks so much, Jilly
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This is fabulous ! A great feel good adventure
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sorry. I promise not to do feel-good again until the autumn
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I’m loving where your imagination took you. Delightful Neil
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Thanks so much, Keith
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A really nice “dream-maker” story. It has all the elements of a grand tale, too.
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Thanks so much
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A lovely tale with so much imagination! It reminded me of summer holidays with my two older brothers. The photo of the train did make me think of a dragon too, steam from its snout with the castle looking on. =)
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Thanks so much, Brenda
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Exactly where I always hoped to spend my school holidays! Lovely writing.
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Thanks so much
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I had to laugh because my first impression of the image was its fairytale atmosphere. That could easily have been me as a kid.
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I’m glad it summoned up childhood for you
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Sounds like a Renaissance Faire. Great fun.
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Thanks, Jo
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A princess and her castle have become the staple of every imagination. Nice story.
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Thanks so much
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Yep, there’s nothing like summer vacation to get the imagination fired up.
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Thans for reading, Alice
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This photo does conjure up a lot of images. I like all of those possibilities just around the corner.
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Just around the corner is always full of possibilities. That’s part of what it means to be human
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🙂
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Just wonderful. I love where you went with this one.
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Thanks so much, Margaret
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There are no limits to the imagination, especially when one is a child. An uplifting take on the prompt!
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Thanks so much, Magarisa
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Very imaginative take.
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Thanks so much, Lisa
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