Friday Fictioneers – Awkward Question

~ Neil MacDonald
PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Prendergast

“Why is his hair on top of his head like that?”

I don’t remember the child’s name. Chrissy? Carol? But, more importantly, what does she mean? Where else would my hair be?

There is a sense of wrongness, like what happens in a car crash. Time slows down. Not that I’m offended. Rather, I’m fascinated by the rudeness. I suppose this is how children are: direct.

Her father looks at me in panic. I offer no help, unsure whether the question deserves an answer or a reprimand.

Glaring at me, he answers, “That’s his brains, darling, because he’s so clever.”

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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

44 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Awkward Question”

  19. I like how you show the MC’s perception and thought processes in this. ‘Time slows down’ as he moves through a sequence of reactions to the child’s comment. I can also almost, almost, read the father’s thoughts too, and then there’s the child’s bewilderment. Brilliant, Neil. You covered a lot of ‘thought territory’ here in your 100 words.

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