Today is the anniversary of the Mayflower setting sail from England for the New World. This haunting picture got my historical flash fiction wheels turning…
Mayflower masts in the fog
Just a boy, out for adventure and a new life. Crossing the sea, what could go wrong? Rats and moldy hardtack and brackish water didn’t phase him. The unwashed and unkind couldn’t crush his dream of freedom.
It had only been a little thing. A fresh orange, the drops still fresh on his lips. Now the ropes bit into his wrists, his skull drummed a rhythm against the mast in a syncopation with the waves.
He wedged his foot against the crow’s nest and stared into the grey void of his future.
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In other news, this week has been a marathon of work! I cranked out several pages for a literature unit on Crystal Brave, taught a fantastic group of new knitters at Yarn Diva, jumped into Geocaching, and waded deeper into social media as a business tool (thanks Kristen!).
Super-exciting was finding that I’d been mentioned in VampLit Twitter Daily’s Thursday, Sep. 15 issue for my flash fiction blog post from last Friday.
I want to share some of the genius I stumbled over this week, so here we go…
Worth the Click – a mash-up of the week’s noteworthy sites
Rebel Chick’s Journey – She’s made a decision to be happy, and movin’ on!
Writers In The Storm – Great observation on the pressure of social media
The Bloggess – Fall-down funny (language alert for some posts)
Related articles
- Friday’s Flash Fiction – “Lost and Found” (kbnelson.wordpress.com)
- What’s The Point Of Flash Fiction? (pittsburghflashfictiongazette.com)
- Friday Flash Weekly Writing Prompt (danasitar.com)
Karen B. Nelson 
Enjoyed that – both the story and the tidbit of history! Thanks for linking up again for a fun #flashfriday 🙂
Nice to have you join our little group of Friday Fictioneers!
I loved “Now the ropes bit into his wrists, his skull drummed a rhythm against the mast in a syncopation with the waves.”
For his sake I hope it was a really good orange! 🙂
Nicely written!
Great imagery. What an adventure in the first paragraph, but by the end, how very sad for the boy. Love the photo, too.
How sad! 😦
Such an emotional journey for only 100 words!
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