MFtS: The Medium

Posted on by Louise Bunting

Here’s this week’s entry into Monday’s Finish the Story flash fiction challenge, run by Barbara W. Beacham. This challenge gives you a picture prompt and the first line and asks that you finish the story in 100-150 words. The given line is in italics.

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Photo prompt – © 2015, Barbara W. Beacham

The Medium

The only residents remaining in the small town of Miners Hill are spirits.

David can sense them, frissons of chill on the edge of his awareness, but still they fail to approach. No voices echo through the veil. Silence reigns.

The spirits used to speak so clearly, passing on messages for their loved ones. He’d built a career on it – with their constant clamour he could do little else.

But then they’d stopped.

After several days without communication he’d attempted to regain contact: only to fail, no matter what he tried. Whispers of ‘guesswork’ and ‘fraud’ began circulating as he struggled to keep business running, touching nerves as never before – but then, such whispers had never before been true.

Visiting Miners Hill was a last resort. Previously the cacophony of voices vying for his attention in such a place might have driven him to madness. Now he just longed to hear them again.

It was hard to remember how he’d begged for quiet.

Word Count: 150

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43 thoughts on “MFtS: The Medium”

  3. Makes me think of that saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” I feel sorry for him that he has had to put up with listening to them for years and when he finally makes a business out of it, they leave him. Now, when he stops his business, they will come back. Louise, if you have the time, I would love for you to participate in Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. I’m trying to get this flash fiction challenge off the ground.

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  4. You don’t know what you got till it’s gone, or so they say. ‘ frissons of chill on the edge of his awareness’ is a lovely line and captures his desperation well. Excellent stuff!

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  6. Nice story…. certainly an example of not appreciating what you have , until after you lose it. I guess they knew he was ungrateful so they left him with his own demise.

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  7. He must have done something to piss off the spirits! Well done! I truly enjoyed your story! Thank you again for your contribution and I hope that you will return… Be well…. ^..^

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  17. You don’t miss your water until the well runs dry. Perhaps he should have found a way to repay them since he was making a living by speaking with dead. Nicely done…as usual.

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  19. I think David better take up another line of work. Maybe the spirits don’t like the fact he’s using them to make his living. He’ll have to adjust. Well done, Louise. 🙂 — Suzanne

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    1. He will have to adjust. It doesn’t look like the spirits are going to be speaking to him again any time soon. Thanks for visiting. 🙂

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