Friday Fictioneers – Matter out of place

~ neilmacdon
PHOTO PROMPT © Liz Young

That really shouldn’t be there, you know. A place for everything and everything in its place—that’s what my mother used to say, and that’s how it is in our house. I mean, what were you thinking? Foot slipped? I’ll give you foot slipped, laddie. Look at the thing. It’s just wrong. Against natural order, against God’s Law. Gives me the heeby-jeebies. Sort it, before you get the back of my hand.

The anthropologist, Mary Douglas, defined pollution as matter out of place. 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

55 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Matter out of place”

  2. How well you capture the rigid mindset of the man! The disorder doesn’t merely upset him – it’s “Against natural order, against God’s Law.” Wonderful! Do you suppose he’s an elder in the wee Free?

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  11. A lot of people forget that commandment. Commandment 5.5: Thou shalt not park the car IN the retaining wall. It’s right between “Thou shalt not kill.” and “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” He’s just asking for the wrath of God.

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  23. Ah that old foot slipped excuse… that made me laugh! I knew someone who drove into a tree whilst experimenting with swapping pedals and feet around.
    As to your character, it’s taken me almost a lifetime to realise (having been brought up to be very proper!) that some of the most orderly things we are encouraged to do in the world are neither morally superior or the least bit necessary.
    And as an aside isn’t pollution something that probably shouldn’t have existed in the first place?
    As you can see you got me thinking.

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