Friday Fictioneers – Off

~ neilmacdon
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Everything about the place was just slightly wrong. It strove for gentility and a sense of timelessness—etched glass and dark wood, old casks and dim lighting. But the scent of madeira and cigar smoke had been sprayed from a bottle or applied with a cloth. The waiters’ cravats weren’t tied quite right, and the mournful music was recorded. You can’t really have a fado salon anywhere but Portugal. And, behind the bar, a sign that read “Please do not ask for credit as a punch in the mouth often offends.”

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

70 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Off”

  15. Faux culture attempts are bad enough in business, but faux fado is going too far. I love this part:
    “But the scent of madeira and cigar smoke had been sprayed from a bottle or applied with a cloth.”

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    Reply

      1. I think in a hundred words you have to choose what you want to do. I’d rather read a hundred words of a perfect setting or a great character or a compelling character than a story that tries to do all three and can’t fit it in.

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