This is day 47 of @mydivathings' #365daysofwriting. Every day @mydivathings invites you to write a short story based on the image she chooses. Today's image (below) is a Photo by Charl Folscher on Unsplash
Find out more about the challenge (you can join anytime!) here @mydivathings/day-47-365-days-of-writing-challenge
“Why are you always fiddling with that thing?” she said to him.
“What do you mean?”
“Your bicycle! You spend more time with that bloody thing than you do with me. You look at it with more love in your eyes than you do when you look at me! You caress that bicycle more often than you do me!" she laughed, although it didn't sound like a good laugh. "You certainly spend more money on it than you do on me!”
She was annoyed. He could see that now. She had her hands on her hips, so was probably building up for a Big Fight. What had he forgotten? Had she asked him to pick something up from the market on the way back from work? Chickpea flour, perhaps. No, that was yesterday. He definitely remembered picking up the chickpea flour, yesterday.
“It is our livelihood, my darling,” he said, playing for time. “I take good care of it, so it will take good care of us. Without this bike, I don’t work. If I don’t work I can’t buy you…” he paused, hoping she might fill in the gaps, remind him, what he had forgotten today. She just stared at him. “If you want I’ll take you out for a ride," he said, smiling. She used to like that. When they were much younger of course. Before they were married.
“I don’t have time for sitting on that thing,” she said. “And I don't enjoy having old men gawping and whistling at my big fat arse, rubbed raw from that uncomfortable implement of torture! I have too much to do, too much to organise, too much to prepare,” she narrowed her eyes. “For the party.”
Oh.
The party.
He remembered now.
“Happy anniversary, my darling,” he said, moving towards her, his lips pursed, ready to kiss her. She shied away, flapping her hands at him. “You thought I’d forgotten? Not at all. I was just getting the bicycle ready to go fetch the supplies for the big day!” he smiled, his biggest smile - the one he used when he was in the biggest trouble. “And a little surprise for you too!”
She harrumphed, and turned away.
He wheeled his bike back into the street. He checked his pocket, and counted out a few coins.
Not enough.
He was going to have to call in some big favours.
...
Very short stories (stories told in exactly 50 words)
“Stranded”
Stuck on an island. Can Bill escape, alive?
@felt.buzz/stranded-an-original-fictional-story-told-in-exactly-fiftywords
"Van Diemen's Land"
Crime does pay… if you wanted a one way ticket down under
@felt.buzz/van-diemen-s-land-an-original-fictions-story-told-in-fiftywords
Some more of my short stories
“The Restless Wandering Shade”
A ghostly tale
@felt.buzz/the-restless-wandering-shade-an-original-fictional-horror-story-based-on-fireawaymarmot-s-song-of-the-same-name
“The Curse”
Will we ever learn?
@felt.buzz/the-curse-an-original-work-of-fiction-for-the-365daysofwriting-challenge
“True Love”
Some people are meant to be together
@felt.buzz/true-love-an-original-fictional-story-for-the-5-minute-freewrite-challenge
Some big news for me! One of my steemit stories (Reunion - told in 8 parts last month) has been selected to appear in the Isle of Write Anthology (see this post @isleofwrite/isle-of-write-fiction-publication-week-1-roundup). I am so excited to be a part of this. Please pay them a visit and check out the other stories that have been selected too. You too can be curated: so read the post and find out how!
