April 1 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a swift passage. You can take inspiration from any source. Who is going where and why. What makes it swift? Go where the prompt leads!
A Night To Remember – by Hugh W. Roberts
Like they’d been told when booking their tickets, this would be a swift journey. But for some, the swiftness would become a little longer.
The bright light came from nowhere. It was only the reflection of moonlight that brought it to the attention of some of the passengers.
Its swift passage from its home would only bring death and destruction.
Like a giant sculpture in the middle of the ocean, the iceberg towered above everything. Thirty-nine-year-old *Mr Hugh Roscoe Rood joined just over fifteen hundred others on their swift passage from the Titanic to the next world.
Bon voyage.
***
*Mr Hugh Roscoe Rood was an actual passenger abroad the Titanic.
The RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch. Click here to join in.
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Hugh's Views & News 
This is vg, Hugh!
Thanks, Terry. I had a small window of writing historical flash fiction. I may go back to it.
This was great and the trailer I love when you release a hidden gem.
Thank you, Ellen. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I hope you don’t mind, but I’m using your comment in an upcoming post on my blog?
Honoured Hugh.
That’s a great take on the prompt, Hugh. I was at first thinking aliens. Then I realised with that great iceberg. It did sink swiftly. Didn’t have much of a trip either.
Thanks, Norah. When I read the prompt words, I instantly saw a ship on a passage to somewhere. I included the Titanic in another short story when I first started blogging. It’s prompted something for my next column post.
It’s good to be inspired in a variety of ways.
I didn’t expect the Titanic, yet what a swift passage it made for too many. Creative take on the prompt, Hugh!
Thanks, Charli. When I read your prompt, I immediately saw a big ship in my mind. Given it’s the 111th anniversary of the Titanic sinking this month, my creative mind had already decided the location for my piece of flash fiction.
Having seen the movie Titanic with Leo, I could imagine easily what your words conveyed. And yep, I almost danced down the spaceship road, but this was quite cool to read your perspective on a historical event. Well done, Hugh! (Status…having trouble getting WP to cooperate with reading posts from emails. Using my phone for wifi hotspot for a few minutes to catch up and update my Sunday Stills page. Marsha is hosting one more week for “Emerge” and even without internet for the rest of the month, I will be back again). I miss my online blog friends too much!
I’m sorry to hear about your wifi problems, Terri. The last time we moved house, I had similar problems. Everything seemed so slow and painful while waiting for pages to download and open. Like you, I was using the wifi from my then iPhone 4! It was like Christmas Day when the superfast wifi was connected to the house.
Thank you for the lovely compliments on this piece of flash fiction. This post has spurred an article for my next column over at the Carrot Ranch, being published w/c 10th May (not w/c 3rd May – as I told Liesbet). The first draft is already written.
It hopefully won’t be too long before you’ve got wifi again. In the meantime, I hope you’re settling in nicely in your new home. Hope there are not too many boxes left to unpack.
Thanks, Hugh. Once we get internet it will be fast since it’s all fiber. Not bad for living in a rural area. I will be back on the 18th regardless, hosting SS again. I’m still having difficulty accessing WP from my outlook email account from my android phone. BTW, I have tons of boxes left to unpack. It took a year to pack and probably that long to unpack, lol! 😁🤪
Just make sure the holiday decorations are unpacked by Dec 1st, Terri 🎅
Looking forward to your return. Whenever I take a break from blogging, it’s not long before I want to be back in the thick of it.
I felt the twist as well!
You are very good at this — even when building in a twist unconsciously!
Thank you, Donna. I had no intention of any twists in this short piece, so it’s great to hear that some of you are still finding them. That makes me smile.
I didn’t realize that there were that many passengers aboard (abroad? :)) the Titanic. Great usage of the prompt, Hugh. Your creative juices keep flowing. Happy week!
Over 2000 passengers on board the Titanic, Liesbet. Yet only enough lifeboats to carry 500. When the ship was built, it was claimed it was unsinkable. I don’t think they ever gave a thought that an iceberg would become the ship’s downfall. This story (and some of the comments) have sparked an idea for my next post over at the Carrot Ranch (due w/c 3rd May).
Got me again. I was thinking aliens, or body snatchers… and then I read Titanic! 🙂
Lol, I hadn’t intended this to have a twist, but it seems it does.
Very nicely done!
Thanks, Dan.
Brilliant Hugh I didn’t see that coming 💜
I’m not sure who you are, Anonymous, but thank you.
If only they had mobile phones then – #iceberg on Instagram.
When time travel becomes available to the general public in 2028, you’ll be able to do just that.
It would be unlucky to take your first trip on a time machine and end up on the Titanic – unless you were in time to warn them, or has Doctor Who already done that?
You’ll only be able to spectate at first, so that stops anyone from altering history. Doctor Who has already been on the Titanic, but it was a liner that sailed in space rather than on the sea. Kylie Minogue had a starring role in the episode.
A night that went down (no pun intended) in history. Nice use of prompt.
Thank you. This is the 2nd time I’ve come back to setting a story onboard the Titanic.
You’re welcome, you might have a connection.
That’s an interesting thought. I was looking for a passenger with the same surname as me to use in the story. There was none, but the one I used stood out as he had the same first name as me.
You might have had a different name.
Much said and imagined in a few words, Hugh.
Thanks, Cathy. The word prompts made me think of ships, which led me onto the Titanic. With the 109th anniversary of its sinking coming up soon, it seemed the perfect place to set the story.
You certainly evoked the atmosphere.
I really enjoyed that. You used the prompt really well, Hugh.
Thanks, Esther. I always know I’ve done particularly well with a prompt when I get a comment from you. After all, you’ve taught me a great deal in the art of writing short fiction.
You really have grown as a writer, Hugh, and you should feel very proud of yourself.
Thanks, Esther.
Excellent use of the prompt.
Thanks, Darlene. ‘Ships’ came to me as soon as I saw the prompt words.