Friday Fictioneers – Funfair of youth

~ neilmacdon
PHOTO PROMPT © Brenda Cox

Smoke curls lazy into the sky. It’s beautiful, almost. Burn, baby, burn. That’s a thing they used to say, the wrinklies, when they were young. Oh, they were fierce and zealous then. What happened to them?

A shrill cry. And the sound of something big splintering. We’ll get what’s ours at last. Now is the best time to be young. An old lady flaps her arms as she falls from a fourth floor window, like some crazy bird. No more wrinklies to occupy the best houses, luxuriate in their fat pensions, and scoff up all the vaccines. Enough. Now is our turn. Now is our world.

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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

66 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Funfair of youth”

  3. I don’t know whether you ever read “Torching The Dusties” a short story by Margaret Atwood. Prophetic to the point where her later work in relation to Gilead makes the reader uneasy. Nicely done.

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    2. I’ve read it! I’ve read it!

      Okay, I’ll settle down now. Actually, as soon as I read Neil’s story my mind jumped to the same thought as you – except I wasn’t sure (100%) if it was Atwood or Ellis Peters (happens when you jumble about in shorties) – but as I mentioned to Neil, I thought – Atwood. And yeah, her story is
      absolutely CREEPY. Totally bonkers. In a very subtle way. And naturally so well crafted. But yup, it’s one of those you just can’t forget – and I’m a sucker for punishment, having read it multiple times these past few years!

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  4. Dear Neil,

    I was thinking Logan’s Run or Wild in the Streets…two films from the 60’s and 70’s where the old are devalued and or euthanized for the great good of society. At any rate, your story’s a chiller.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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  12. Well written and very scathing in attitude and tone (the story I mean). I have to say this reminds me very much of a short story – either by Atwood or perhaps Ellis Peters – I’m leaning to Atwood, but I’ll be damned if I can remember … anyhow, your ideas, concepts, are set-up in an extremely similar fashion, not word for word, but definitely as well written as what I’ve read at least twice lately. Cheers and well done stylistically.

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      1. ah brilliant! I was rather quick scanning through the comments, my bad! But good fortune for you to know. Seriously excellent writing Neil, if my mind went directly to her words. 🙂

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  13. About time too! We wrinklies control far too much of the world’s resources!
    The way you show how incoherent and random are the lootings and murders is very effective. This is no 1917 revolution, rather it’s street jackals gone wild until the police stop them.

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  15. As a wrinklie, I am particularly alarmed by this; many of my neighbours are much younger than I am.. Though I am not sitting on a fat pension; perhaps with some plexiderm and botox, I will escape.

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