It cannot be so terrible, so decisive. Look! The sparrows continue their squabbling in the branches. A thin rain is falling, like yesterday, warm and gentle. The sun continues its climb up the wall of the sky as always, and the water plays in the fountain.
Nothing decisive has happened. When the summons comes, I will open the door.
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 
You painted such a sweet picture with your words.
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Thanks so much, Tannille
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Dear Neil,
I could hear the birds. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much, Rochelle
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The sun continues to rise on the evil and the good- enjoy it while you can….
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The problem may be that the narrator doesn’t really acknowledge the possibility of evil
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Or maybe he is just choosing not to sweat it till it actually arrives… But you wrote it, so you ought to know…
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I haven’t a clue. He didn’t tell me
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Someone clutching optimism as a shield against the unknown. Who’s to say it’s right or wrong?
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Exactly. At least he’s not suffering premature anxiety
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As Rabbie pointed out, the birds know nothing!
Intriguing, Neil, I like it.
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That would be Rab C Nesbitt?
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Come what may…but don’t forget to look for a droplet of beauty. Maybe that is the way to survive…Great story, Neil.
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Thanks so much
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Short yet powerful. Nicely done.
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Thanks so much, Colline
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I love the cheerful fatalism of this piece. Que será será!
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Ah blithe spirit!
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Seems to be an important summon.
Stage is set!
Have a great week!
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Thanks, Anita
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Life goes on for now. Can’t help but have the current virus outbreak in mind while reading this.
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Actually, I was thinking the authorities are about to arrive for some completely other reason (to do with his politics), but you’re right – it could be do with the pandemic
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This is rather a wonderful little story. The pace is gentle, and yet that last line hit me at 90 mph. “When the summons comes, I will open the door.” That’s no mere summons; that’s existence itself. It’s hard to say this without sounding as if I’m teasing or being snide, but the writing here is so beautiful, so elegant, that this is literary flash fiction. Kudos, Neil, kudos!
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What a lovely comment, Penny. Thanks so much
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A very lovely write, Neil. I like his attitude. Enjoy the moment because it’s all we have for sure. Whatever that summons can be, must be out of his hands so…
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Thanks so much Dale, I wish I was more like him
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I like to think I’m like him… most times 😉
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What a perfect way to face the inevitable.
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I agree. Faced with the inevitable, all we can control is our responses
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Concisely written. This person sounds like one who doesn’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles him 🙂
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Some of his friends despair of his insousiance
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Aw, they’re just a bunch of worrywarts 🙂
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Neil, I really love the way the MC looks to nature for assessing threat level. I can see where the thought of something “abnormal” happening in the context of a “normal” day would be unthinkable. So well done.
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He’s a happy soul. Thanks so much, Jade
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You’re very welcome.
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Such peace in the beginning of this wee tale, well, all the way through. (I always find solace in nature.) You draw the reader in with such softness ~ may I say that? ~ then, The Summons. You left me wondering what’s next. Very well penned.
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Thanks so much, Alicia
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Well done. I’m stealing ‘wall of the sky’ sometime in the future 😉
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Thanks, Doug
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Intriguing. I like his presence. It makes me feel he is unafraid, and thereby justified.
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He’s unafraid, but he may be unwise
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i guess it’s all about perspectives. 🙂
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Everything is in how you look at it
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I feel something ominous lying just beneath the birds chirping and water running. You’ve set an intriguing scene.
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Thanks so much. That’s the effect I was going for
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Enjoying it while he can. There’s an air of inevitability within the last line. Excellent.
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Thanks so much, Keith
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Somehow I can hear Gandolf saying something like, there is yet good in the world if only we decide to see it.
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Nothing good is coming his way, I fear
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A bridge to be crossed once you arrive. Wisdom or folly? Time will surely tell.
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I’m never sure whether it’s wisdom or folly
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I can only assume he is awaiting Death. Something so finite does not require a full 100 words.
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He’s hoping his visitor isn’t Death, who has a sense of humour that’s not to everyone’s taste
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Peaceful for now but it sounds like he’s waiting for something…
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He is waiting, with an oddly calm resignation
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Oh how interesting… a great sense of waiting here. Terrific mood setting
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Thanks so much, Laurie
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Great descriptions Neil, let’s hope life does continue as normal after the summons
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Thanks, Michael. I fear his life will never be the same again
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A fascinating piece, Neil. I feel as if your character is in a place of true contentment – happy to drift on in life, no matter what it brings. Beautifully told.
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Thanks so much, Lynn
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Always my pleasure
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Enjoyed it, Neil. The last line hit me like a brick.
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Thanks so much, Russell
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I loved the way you wrote how the water plays in the fountain. Holding on to the vision. Well done.
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Thanks so much, Susan
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That streak of hope…
I loved reading your microstory.. So gripping.. So telling
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Thanks so much, Ruby
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I admire the narrator’s attitude. Humans tend to waste so much time worrying even though worrying never improves the outcome.
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Thanks, Magarisa. He may be carrying insousiance a little far
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