Writer in lockdown
Cries and moans punctured the sky, a flight of bats escaping into the night. The church bells tolled and tolled ceaselessly for the dead. The scent of rosemary burning in the chafing dish irked Will’s nostrils, but at least it kept the stench of rotting corpses at bay. Mayhaps, Mistress Tomkins next door had succumbed, along with her babes, boarded as they were into their quarantine house.
And yet, the closure of the theatres gave Will time to write. His quill poised over the page. “A plague on both your houses,” he wrote. Aye, it had a ring to it.
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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 
Aye, Neil, Oor Wullie certainly had a neat turn of phrase.
I quote him too this week.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, as you so adroitly convey.
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Oor Wullie made me laugh. From Stratford to Dundee
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Excellent. I love this.
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Wonderful, Jilly. I love the comment
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We don’t know what’s happening in some many families- many are quarantined & their fate unknown.
The stench can be masked, but the memories & pain remain…
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And yet, we have seen more clearly into our societies’ flaws
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Dear Neil,
That was a twist I wasn’t expecting. Nice.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. Every now and again I do historical pieces too
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A plague indeed. The wheel turns…
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All of this has happened before. All of it will happen again
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Who will emerge from this lockdown as the new Will? I suspect Disney+ or Netfilx…
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God help us
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A great piece of writing, Shakespeare would have approved
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Thanks so much, Michael
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I’m not sure anything could cover that smell. I enjoyed the old style of writing though, quite classic.
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Thanks so much, Tannille
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Nice one Neil. Clever and inspired.
Derek
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Thanks so much, Derek
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Yes, Will, they do have a ring to them. I guess plague did shape Will’s life, I wonder what words will come out of the present one?
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I wouldn’t count on a second coming of the Bard
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No, I am not holding my breath…. Well, except to avoid the virus.
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A timely reminder that nothing’s new in this world of ours. Nice one Neil.
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Thanks so much, Keith
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Our plague is rather tame compared to those of past times. Yet those times have given us giants that we can’t measure up to in literature.
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Perhaps if covid had been a little more lethal, governments might have responded more effectively
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With politics in the mix, who knows. Depends on who are in power to define the “greater good.”
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Old Will survived the plague. Good for him. And that line has survived more than one plague!
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When you look, there are a lot plague references in Shakespeare
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Oh yes. This retired English teacher enjoyed pointing them out to glassy-eyed students who never realized Shakespeare’s stories often reflected the reality around him.
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What a great line: “The scent of rosemary burning in the chafing dish irked Will’s nostrils, but at least it kept the stench of rotting corpses at bay.” As I read it I held my breath. That’s what I call good writing.
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Wow! Thanks so much, Jade
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You’re very welcome.
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That first sentence! And the language of the time all the way through. You took me right back there. Nearly went out and picked some rosemary!
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Thanks so much, Jenne. You’re very kind
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Far too close to reality to be a comfy read. Great writing.
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I think something like it must have been true. He lived through plague years
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I could picture and smell this (well, to a certain point, not having been in such a dire predicament). Love this.
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Not the stench of rotting bodies, I hope
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No. Definitely not that!
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That’s a hell of a twist. Good one!
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I’m glad it worked
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My oh my, this is a drastic contrast to the other entry I just read. How on earth does Will deal with the decomposition and without alerting authorities?
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Will didn’t kill anybody. It was the plague
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I understand; however, the smell didn’t bother him enough to prompt him to call 911. I know I couldn’t handle it.
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Ah, I understand the confusion now. Will is Will Shakespeare.
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Oh!!! That surely makes the story more interesting.
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Oy vey for the doom of this piece! Well done, Neil!
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Thanks so much
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Oh that was so clever, brilliant take,I loved how the story unfolded to the pay off at the end. Totally brilliant, hats off!
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Thanks so much.
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It has happened before, it is happening again…
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And it will keep happening
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‘Twas ever thus – Pepys, too, lived and wrote through a plague.
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And some who didn’t live through it, like Defoe who was 5 years old at the time he wrote about in his journal of a plague year
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Nicely done! I don’t think we’ll ever be far from the next plague.
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I agree. They’ll come much more frequently now
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oh yes, i’m sure shakespeare will come up with something during these trying times.
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He did. He lived through the plague
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Very topical, Neil, from the writer in lockdown – at first I thought it was yourself from the title. Love the language in this story, and the positive twist at the end. Shakespeare in lockdown while the plague rages indeed.
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Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed the twist
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Well, and that’s what writer’s do. Take the banality of life and death and put it in words. As you have done here. Well done.
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Thanks so much, Anne
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I enjoy tragic love stories. A man and his writing each suppressed until death surrounded them. Hope they survive! 😉
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I believe Will Shakespeare did rather well
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Wonderful parallel with the past and the current. Good ole, WIll.
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Thanks so much
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The look back into history confirms how frail and helpless humans can be to a vicious virus/plague.
I hope there will not be any lonely dead this time round!
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And yet also how productively we can spend them when everything is closed
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Like blood, we all have time on our hands.
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Ooooo methinks Will tis in for a long Winter.
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But a productive one, as it turns out
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I loved this. I can almost hear the tolling bell and smell the burning rosemary. Nicely done Neil. 🙂
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Thanks so much. I’m glad the sensory details worked
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Bleak realities often shed silent tears. Death and misery choose their victims without bias. No one is exempted, we’re all just waiting our turns. So much expressed in so little. Lovely! 🙂
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Thanks so much
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