June 24, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a cat named Rainbow on an outdoor adventure. Rainbow is any cat of any identification. What would draw a cat outside? Go where the prompt leads!


Three Houses – by Hugh W. Roberts

Having come from wherever it had departed, the cat’s eyes peered at the three houses.

The first was too dark, dull and lifeless. Nobody lived there.

The second was charming, full of life; every window opened with a mixture of human voices and music emerging — no chance of any peace there.

A rainbow flag fluttered from the third and, although familiar, seeped grief.

A tragic-looking middle-aged man named Adrian answered Rainbow’s scratching at the front door.

“Richard? Is that you? You always told me you’d come back as a cat.”

Tears of comfort allowed grief to leave empty-handed.

***

Adrian and Richard appeared in last week’s piece of flash fiction. Click here to read it.

Written for the 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch. Click here to join in.


Enjoyed this piece of flash fiction? Then you may also like…

Copyright © 2021 hughsviewsandnews.com – All rights reserved.


Discover more from Hugh’s Views & News  

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

41 responses to “Three Houses #flashfiction”

  1. Charli Mills avatar

    Your story hit me in the heart, Hugh. How precious, this cat offering comfort, recognizing his home and love.

  2. Terri Webster Schrandt avatar

    You get these right every time, Hugh! Rewrites are good when they have this poignant ending :)

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Thanks, Terri. I agree about rewrites. The first draft is never worth publishing. I like to sleep on them.

  3. Aimer Boyz avatar
    Aimer Boyz

    LOL! Reincarnation, nice :)

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Well, at least Adrian thinks it’s reincarnation.

  4. Norah avatar

    I like your reincarnation story – returning from where he had departed. Cool.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Thanks so much, Norah.

  5. Terry Tyler avatar
    Terry Tyler

    That’s so sweet, and that picture!!!! The cat looks so cheesed off!!!

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      That picture was the one that came with the prompt. Glad you enjoyed my piece of flash, though, Terry.

  6. Rebecca Glaessner Author avatar

    This is a touching piece Hugh, so full of emotion. I felt his ache and his hope. Beautiful.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Thank you, Rebecca. That’s great feedback about my writing.

  7. D. Avery @shiftnshake avatar

    Love that he recognized Richard. Great follow up on last week’s flash.

  8. JT Twissel avatar

    I’m not sure I’d want to come back as a cat but I guess for the right owner, perhaps! That cat picture is hilarious. I showed it to my cat but he said “no way” and trotted off in the opposite direction.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Oh, no, I thought every cat would enjoy the picture.

  9. Erika avatar

    Oh, my, is that beautiful, Hugh!

      1. Erika avatar

        You are welcome, Hugh!

  10. Susie Lindau avatar

    That gave me shivers, Hugh! Very unexpected.

  11. Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader) avatar

    I love that. So beautiful! Thanks for sharing Hugh. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      You’re welcome, Michelle. Glad you enjoyed it.

  12. Darlene avatar

    Excellent take on the prompt. Well done!

  13. Liesbet @ Roaming About avatar

    Wonderful, Hugh! That last line is brilliant and wraps up the piece and the prompt perfectly.

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Thanks, Liesbet. This piece of flash had about 20 rewrites. It pays not to publish the first draft.

  14. willowdot21 avatar

    This is absolutely beautiful Hugh, I really like it 💜💜

    1. Hugh W. Roberts avatar

      Thank you, Willow. I’m delighted you like it. It had about 20 rewrites. But I got there.

Feel free to leave a comment. Engagement helps keep blogs alive and forms community.

I’m Hugh

Welcome to my blog. I’m delighted to have you here. This is the place to discover tips on blogging and WordPress, flash fiction, photography, and more. I enjoy engaging with my readers, so please feel free to explore, join discussions, and contact me. I’m happy to assist! Find out more about me and my blog by clicking the ‘Meet Hugh’ button.

Let’s connect

Subscribe to Hugh’s Views And News

Latest Posts

Follow Hugh in the Fediverse

Hugh's Views & News  
Hugh's Views & News  
@hughsviewsandnews.com@hughsviewsandnews.com

WordPress & Blogging tips, flash fiction, photography and lots more!

402 posts
5 followers

Recommend Blogs To Follow


Boomer Eco Crusader
Boomer Eco Crusader
Live Green | Declutter | Simplify Life

Jacqueline Lambert
Jacqueline Lambert
Award-Winning Travel Humour Writer

Spo-Reflections
Spo-Reflections
To live is to battle with trolls in the vaults of heart and brain. To write; this is to sit in judgment over one's Self. Henrik Ibsen

Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.

Fancying France
The musings of a ‘femme d’un certain âge’ who divides her time between SW France and SE England

SONGS AND SCRIPTS AND DUNKING BISCUITS
Every day tales of a winging-it creative

Marsha Ingrao         Always Write
Marsha Ingrao Always Write
Having fun blogging with friends

Curiosities, Castles and Coffee Shops
Curiosities, Castles and Coffee Shops
The musings of a curious mind

WrookieSchU
WrookieSchU
Live life 🙌🏼

WPcomMaven
WPcomMaven
Helping you make the most of your free WordPress.com website since 2011

Second Wind Leisure Perspectives
Second Wind Leisure Perspectives
Fun, Photography & Friends

Share Your Light
Share Your Light
You are a miracle – Let it happen

No Facilities
No Facilities
Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams

Esther Chilton
Writer, Tutor and Editor

Roaming About
A Life Less Ordinary

Saying nothing in particular
Saying nothing in particular
Jan … JT Twissel

The Chicago Files
The Chicago Files
A Canadian Perspective on Living in the Windy City!

Thank you to all my visitors

469,246 hits

252,677 visitors

Most Viewed Posts & Pages

Copyright Protected Blog

COPYRIGHT ©2011-2031 Hugh’s Views And News BLOG – All Rights Reserved.

This work by Hugh W. Roberts, and/or Hugh’s Views And News blog, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material (text and images) without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. If you want to use posts, excerpts, photos and links, you may contact me first. You must give full and clear credit to Hugh W. Roberts and Hugh’s Views And News dot com with links to the original content.