Friday Fictioneers: Crystal Sickness

Posted on by Louise Bunting

This is my entry for this week’s Friday Fictioneers Challenge run by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s picture prompt was provided by Marie Gail Stratford. The challenge is to write a story within 100 words.

crystals
Copyright: Marie Gail Stratford

He huddled in the corner of the room, cringing at the hate filled shouts, the banging, the shattering glass, that sounded from outside.

The strange sickness had spread through the town with devastating swiftness, whole families encased in crystal, friends and neighbours gone in minutes. The cause remained unknown.

Accusing stares had quickly settled on him. Loner and outsider, he was an easy target for their anger, their fear. Before long the mob had formed, baying for blood.

Soon they’d find him.

Jem clutched the crystal figurine carved long ago by his mother and prayed for salvation.

Outside, silence fell.

Word Count: 100

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49 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers: Crystal Sickness”

  3. Things aren’t looking so good for him, are they? Wonderful take on the prompt. This story would be one that I’d want to read more of…

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    1. That is unfortunately true – people will always need to blame someone. Thanks for visiting. I’m very glad you like it. 🙂

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  10. I love that his name is Jem – I doubt he knows what’s up, but I bet his mother did. So well done – a big story in 100 words. Fantastic!

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    1. Thank you! I’m really glad you like it. 🙂 You wouldn’t believe just how undecided I was about using the name Jem. In the end I decided as long as I only used it at the end it wouldn’t give anything away too early. 😀

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  11. I wonder if he wasn’t just another innocent victim,
    Your story made me think. I like that. You have a well crafted piece here.

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  16. Dear Fairymind,

    Your story brings up lots of questions. Is Jem responsible for the crystal sickness or is it his mother’s carving? Is he innocent or isn’t he? Intriguing and well written tale.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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  18. Oh my goodness! The power of prayer and a cursed crystal doesn’t make a good pair…’sounds’ like a good time for Jem to make his escape.

    Your piece just took me in from the first sentence to the last, Fairymind.
    Ellespeth

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  19. Great stuff – its got a dark thread there that appeals. I can see that this man might not know what he’s doing, which I suppose makes it a dark tragedy.
    Very good.
    KT

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  22. I agree, it seems the crowd was right. I think he doesn’t yet understand that he’s the cause of the problem. This incident might cause him to understand though. Well done. 🙂 — Suzanne

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  23. He’s a goner! No doubt about it! You are totally one great storyteller. My Copywriter mentor would have thrown your stuff in my face forcing me to view great imagination and writing with concepts visible in single words.
    Will you send me some of the stuff you think with?

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    1. I’m incredibly flattered by your comment. 🙂 It’s so nice to know that people like what I’m writing. As for the stuff I think with – I tend to run on chocolate. 😀 Thanks for visiting.

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    1. Thank you! I like to pack in as much as I can into the word limit. My stories are generally double their final length before I start tightening up the wording. I tend to spend more time editing these down than actually writing them!

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