January 23, 2019, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a park bench. Use this gif to choose a timeframe and write the story behind that particular scene. Use the time as your title. Go where the prompt leads!
Sophie wished that right now she still had the knife she had used to inscribe their names on the park bench where she and Doug had first met.
***
Doug’s mind wandered back to their first date. It was a bunch of flowers he had held in his hands at 15:30 that day. Now, here he was holding an oversized bed pillow in front of Sophie. He wondered if their names were still inscribed on the park bench.
***
Two floors below, Mike thought about the park bench where he and Sophie had first made love at the stroke of midnight.
Click here to read the first part of the story and follow the links back to this part.
Click here to read the next part of the story.
Written in response to the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.
Click here to join other writers participating in the challenge.
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Hugh's Views & News 
Coming over here from part 1 and 2. This looks fun but don’t know how I’d be able to keep it at 99 words exactly, no more, no less. Great work on it!!
It’s a tough challenge, but it does make you get rid of unnecessary words and sentences that add no value to the story. Thanks so much for reading.
Yes, I can see that it would.
Drama! That’s more like life than fiction.
Isn’t life fiction? I’ve heard it said that all our lives are a story that has no end. I like that thought.
Me too!
Methinks the author is stalling for time, just like his characters. 🙂
With only 99-words a week, I think the storyteller will be stalling a lot. 😀I hope the story doesn’t stall, though. I’m in the hands of Charli, and her future prompts. Please let them be prompts that can be weaved easily into the story. It’s too early to say goodbye to Doug, Sophie and Mike.
It is too early. There’s a lot more about them we need to know. I don’t mind the stalling. 🙂
Next instalment coming out tomorrow, Norah. I thought having to write about a postal carrier in an extreme situation was going to be hard to weave into the story. It’ll be interesting to know what you all think once you’ve read the next one.
I’ll let you know, Hugh.
Hugh, you make me laugh! But then I see your brilliance shine through and love how this parallels the earlier story. Such a creative format for a series to be told in thirds.
Thank you, Charli. Those characters from the first piece of flash fiction (Honeymoon) didn’t want me to stop telling their story. Your future prompts are their future.
Ouch! They say there’s a thin line between love and hate! Excellent Hugh, you’re a great storyteller. It was an interesting prompt with the time theme wasn’t it? I couldn’t resist joining in even though I had to spend lunch hour doing it!
Yes, it’s a great prompt from Charli, Marje. At first, I didn’t think I was going to come up with anything, but after watching the gif a few times, ideas came to mind.
Hugh, That’s the first time I used a gif to write. Interesting idea.
Same here, Marje. I enjoyed it, though.
Just catching up on some unread blogs – this has been a treat following Mike Doug and Sophie’s night at the hotel.
Roll on next week- we’ll maybe find out who the real villain is. Or maybe not! What do ‘you’ think Hugh??
Thanks, Cathy.
I’ve no idea yet. It depends on the prompt Charli sets in next week’s flash fiction challenge. I’m glad you’re enjoying this brief encounter with Doug, Sophie and Mike. They could be sticking around for quite a while.
Scary!
I wouldn’t want to be in any of their shoes.
Me either!
You are on a roll, Hugh. This is amazing. Almost like a game that you are an expert at and that you will most likely win. But it isn’t a game, except maybe a mind game. I really love how you are stringing these three points of view together and incorporated the theme of the challenge. Great job on adding the bench into these characters’ past.
At first, I thought the writing prompt of the park bench was going to be a tough one, Liesbet. Given that Charli (who set the prompt) asked us to pick a time slot of the park bench from the gif she provided, I couldn’t resist but weave two of the time slots in. I was surprised by just how quickly I fitted them into the story. I’ve no idea where it’s going, but that kind of makes me excited. I’ve always had a thing about the ‘unknown.’ I’m definitely a panster rather than a plotter.
Wonderful! You are continuing the story, love it!
Yes, these three characters seem to want to stick around in my writing world, Elizabeth. I have plans for them.
Wowza, from love to suffocation? 🙂
It all depends on who gets to who first. I’m hedging my bets on a surprise conclusion.
NO doubts! 🙂
Oh boy. The story continues. Things are getting tense. 🙂
I wonder when and how it’s all going to end? I’m not sure I like not being in control of my characters.
Ha ha ha. I can’t wait to see what they do. 🙂
Blooming wow!
Thank you.
Oh, so glad to read the continuation of this story. Your interweaving is brilliant!
Thanks, Donna. I hope I’m not weaving a too big a web for Doug, Sophie and Mike.
Ha! There they go again.
With nowhere to go. Or do they?
No doubt Hugh you will be able to carry the story what ever the prompt photo, you have a brilliant imagination 💜
Thank you, Willow, that’s so kind. As Charli has full control of the prompts, she has the power of my imagination too. Lucky Charli, eh?
Lucky indeed 💜
Gotta be money involved in there somewhere or else, why did Doug marry her or Sophie marry him? Hmm…
Maybe it’s lust, rather than money? Or perhaps they both have something on each other? I wonder where this story will go? Only Charli has the answer.
Hmm???
I need to dig into these. It is the first one I have read and you have me intrigued!
I’m glad it has you intrigued, Maggie. This is part three of three (so far). Doug, Sophie and Mike could be with me for a longtime.
You are so good at these intertwined, little stories!
Thank you, Priscilla. I’ve written a few of these before. They usually go down rather well with readers. I’ve no idea where this one is going.
Cleverly done.
Thank you.
Ooh! I love it! I wondered what was going to happen to your characters!
I’m glad I wasn’t beaten by a park bench. But I wonder what next week?
The conundrums, eh?