Have not done this in a LONG time, but every Wednesday Randi Wisoff-Fields posts a picture prompt challenging writers to create a 100-word story, poem, or whatever works for you. After posting your work on your blog, go back to her site and add your link on her Friday Fictioneers post. Place. Page.
Give it a shot. I prefer to stick to 100 words, but she doesn’t mind either way. Not everyone has the time to sit and write, revise, edit, revise, edit, etc. until getting it down to 100 and telling everything you want to tell. I know it’s only Wednesday, but everyone else seems to be in such a rush, so…
Drifting
“Tide musta carried it in,” said one.
“Whose is it?” said another.
“Dunno.”
“I saw it first. It’s mine!”
“Maybe it belongs to someone.”
“Maybe it was sent to us.”
“Maybe it’s a sign.”
“Maybe God sent it.”
“Maybe Satan sent it.”
“Maybe it’s cursed.”
“We did something wrong.”
“Let’s make an offering.”
“Let’s do penance.”
“To the church!”
“Let’s sink it!”
“Gather stones!”
Someone threw a torch into the boat. Flames sprouted, quickly spreading from the boat across the dock to the horse carts that ran through town, spreading flames everywhere.
“It was Satan,” said one.
The rest agreed.
_______________________
brainsnorts inc. 
A great portrayal of how beliefs work
thanks. that’s what i was going for. fear of the unknown and how it pushes us one way or another.
Alas I see a parallel on how humans tend to tackle fear of change… the crowd mentality perfectly portrayed.
thanks very much. fear of the unknown is a powerful thing.
Good to read you here. I always enjoy what you write. This is no exception.
thanks miss. it’s good to be enjoyed. some pictures just strike a note, and this was one.
Great. Liked the use of dialogue all the way until the tragic end.
Thanks. a lot can be revealed in fewer words when you use dialogue. mine are usually heavy with that.
Funny!
Dear Rich,
We don’t understand it. Let’s kill it. Well done. (Welcome back).
Shalom,
Randi
thanks very much. every once in a while your selections create such a spark that i can’t resist. well done back atcha.
To me, this is dark humor. I was elated to see Brainsnorts in the Hollywood Squares Author’s block this week. It’s always great to read your work, Rich.
dark humor it is. thanks very much, sir. as i said to rochelle, some images just reach out and touch you in a way that you can’t resist. time for me to do some reading…
Love the about-turn and escalation!
thanks. fear is a powerful thing.
Ugh, dangerous crowd mentality. We have a little of this hysteria occurring in the States at the moment.
Tracey
we sure do. thanks for stopping by.
I like to read the different takes on each week’s photo prompt, you did not disappoint. Mike
various people approach each story in their own way. some will say, “great job” regardless of how great it may or may not be. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. however, i choose to read more deeply and find things that one might improve upon. everyone can improve upon their stories, including me. but nobody will improve if nobody points out areas to be improved. for example, one story included “would” when it should have been “wouldn’t.” maybe 20 people said “great job,” but not one pointed out that error. makes me wonder how carefully anyone is actually reading.
True but the human brain works in such differing ways, I know that all to well. For me it’s Maths 7/10, English 3/10.
Do you dislike capital letters? 😉
Dislike, no, but I skip them in informal writing.
Very well told. A great piece. Group fear and reaction… very topical
I agree with Bjorn, crowd mentally often wins. Great take on the prompt.
Thanks very much
Really liked the way you presented the different voices…
Thanks. Dialogue is one of my strengths. And thanks for stopping by.
Loved the way the piece evolved from the possible positive to the definite negative
Thanks very much
This is fear of the unknown shown perfectly. Religious fervor gets into the mixture in this instance. Good writing, Rich. 🙂 — Suzanne
thanks very much and thanks for stopping by.
The dialogue painted an all too familiar picture, the result of a combination of fear and ignorance. Good to see you back Rich.
Thanks. Good to be seen.
C’est bien merci
Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle
Pas de quoi
Perfectly catches the “oh no, it’s new and unknown and different, let’s burn it at the stake” mentality.
Thanks very much, miss.