There’s a man walking the damp strand. I can just make him out in the distance. He lunges strangely. Is he drunk? No, at last the meaning comes into focus. He’s tossing his cap in the air and catching it again. The wind is taking the cap, fluttering like a freed bird above him, and he’s forced to stagger forward to catch the toy before it lands on the wet sand. The repeated action has a jauntiness. Once, twice, three times, he tosses the hat and catches it joyfully. At last, he tires of the game and walks on, disappearing around the headland.
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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 
The moral of the story — find fun where ever you can! 😀
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Yes. And maybe that there is mystery in small things
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That too!
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Dear Neil,
Growing older is inevitable. Growing up is optional.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So true, Rochelle
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People watching is always a good past time, but finding fun with what is at hand is better.
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Thanks, trent
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I bet if you’d had a hat you’d have followed suit!
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Only if nobody was looking
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I’d happily take the place of either character in this, the observer or the hat-thrower. Both seem content.
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I think they are. Thanks, Iain
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Perfect description of a few carefree moments 🙂
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Thanks so much, Linda
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You had me watching him as well. Good example of moving meditation. Beats sitting on a cushion anytime.
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Thanks so much, Jade
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You’re very welcome.
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Oh, I want to be that fellow today playing a delightful game with his hat and the wind.
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Thanks so much, Alicia
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Hat catching is a sure sign of happiness with many tosses yet to come.
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Yes, I think you’re right
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Love this vignette, Neil, the narrator as a voyeur just like us as readers. How much can we really see peeking into a moment in time? Not enough. And just like that we want more.
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Yes, the wanting to know more was what I was aiming at
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That was a cheerful and jaunty stroll on the beach. Hat tossing is quite fun to watch.
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Thanks so much, Bear
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What a blissful treat this was! Thank you.
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Thank you so much
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Best to quit while he’s ahead. Eventually, he’d miss and end up with a wet, sandy hat.
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I’d love to be a free spirit like your hat throwing character!
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This story had a happy ending – he went away before his luck ran out 😀
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Yes, I felt it was full of happiness for both
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Oh this is lovely. A moment of pure happiness. Love it!
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Thanks so much, Laurie
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What a great piece of mood-setting! You’ve used a happy anecdote to tell us things about both observer and observed. Kudos!
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Thanks so much, Penny
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You described him so well I could see him.
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Thanks so much, Liz
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I enjoyed this moment, as if I was watching and enjoying his game.
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Thank so much, James
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Love it. To be engrossed in your own world and live life joyfully, that’s what we should all aspire to.
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Thanks so much
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Was it me? date and time please. What a great game to play
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It was almost certainly you. I recognised the cap
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That’s a happy carefree story…and hat tossing is like Frisbee throwing…it’s mesmerising and addictive to watch.
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Thanks so mucj, Fleur
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You’re welcome Neil 😊
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This was remarkably visually appealing! Thank you!
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Thanks so much
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🙂
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