If you follow me you probably know I like a challenge. So when I saw @hartfloe's new 1111 contest (write a story in exactly 1111 characters - including spaces) I thought why not?
I wrote most of the following story in 5 minutes on themostdangerouswritingapp.com - that gave me around 850 characters. I then edited and added until I reached the magic 1111 characters. The image (below) is a photo I took.
He lives by a lake. He hates it.
In the summer, hordes of annoying tourists descend upon his little haven. The peace and quiet is shattered. They shout and scream as they dive into the water, and stare as they walk past his house. He can hear them say "I'd like to live there, wouldn't you? So peaceful." Peaceful, my eye, he thinks, bitterly. They leave rubbish around the lake, which he refuses to touch. It blows onto his porch, when the wind rises, and he sweeps it off, cursing them.
When the tourists leave the midges arrive. Horrible little bitey bastards that leave red lumps all over his legs, which he scratches until infection sets in.
And then winter comes. It is cold, and lonely and he sees noone.
When the spring comes, he is happy for a moment. But then the midges come again and he mutters and curses as he flaps at them, slapping their fragile bodies against his legs, leaving a trail of his own blood on his skin.
He can't leave, because he can't afford it.
And also, he buried his wife under the porch at the front of the house, so he can't take the risk she'll be dug up by the new owners.
