Friday Fictioneers – Interior Decoration

~ neilmacdon
PHOTO PROMPT © Rowena Curtis

Mama gaped in horror at the aurochs horns, wider than a man’s stretched arms, and newly plastered-in above the eastern bench. “They’re coming right out of the wall,” she said.

This wasn’t the reaction I’d expected. “A good place for Uncle’s trophy, no?”

With a shake of her head, Mama said, “It’s scary—the wild world, punching through the skin of our home.”

Uncle seized up his spear, laughing, and took a defensive stance. “The wild swaddles us, so we can stand strong.”

Mama never cared for the installation, but it remained, and all the neighbours praised the effect.

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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. As a word of explanation, this story takes place in Çatalhöyük, the world’s first city, some nine thousand years ago in stone age Turkey. The novel on which I’m working, People of the Bull, is set there.

55 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – Interior Decoration”

  9. This is fascinating. The notions of the wilderness ‘punching through the skin’ of their home, and ‘swaddling’ them – those images are lingering in my mind, and I love when that happens. What an interesting setting, for this and for your novel-in-progress.

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  11. Oh Neil… this line

    “It’s scary—the wild world, punching through the skin of our home.”

    Magic! Absolutely love it. And great story. It doesn’t sound like she’ll be happy if the installation stays.

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  24. I’ve always thought such trophies were gross and perverse. Maybe 9,000 years ago, it was different. Back then, hunting was an actual fight for survival, both in term of eating and prey that had a fighting chance to come out the victor.

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