100 words for Friday Fictioneers based on the photo prompt below.
(copyright Douglas MacIlroy)
I was building a cuboctahedron when a packet of hot peppers fell from an opening and onto the workbench. I peered inside and found myself seated in a restaurant opposite a beautiful woman with sparkling eyes and a sunny smile. Across the street sea met sky beyond a pristine white sand beach.
“I was strolling on the boardwalk when a craving for Calimari alla Griglia came over me.” she said.
“And I was….Oh, never mind.”
“This is going to be an unusual relationship, isn’t it?”
We meet at Scalini’s in St. Heliers every Thursday at five after.
ironwoodwind 
If I wasn’t happily married I’d be out there shopping for a packet of hot peppers, Doug. 🙂 Lovely story, your imagination knows no bounds. And I could feel the heat…
Gasp! I mean ‘if I weren’t’. What am I doing in this subjunctive free world…
Dear Sandra,
Luckily for you, I haven’t a clue what a subjunctive is and I should because I lived on a sub for three years….
Thanks for reading and commenting. I’ll send you a packet of peppers.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug,
It’s those unexpected and unusual relationships that add spice to our lives. I could smell sea and hear the waves crashing against the shore. Beautiful descriptions. I think I feel a craving…
Shalom,
Rochelle SD
Dear Rochelle,
What a nice comment. Thanks for reading and craving.
Aloha,
Doug
You had me a hot peppers.
A mind twisting bite of flash fiction – I had to read it 3 times, and I’m still not sure I understand what’s going on. But its undeniably cool.
Dear WB,
N-dimensional travel facilitated by creative geometry and a dash of fantasy leads to romance by the shore. Thanks for reading it three times, though perhaps I should write more clearly. In any event, I appreciate you poring over it.
Aloha,
Doug
nice piece…gotta watch out for those hot peppers…could led to trouble!!
Dear S+B,
Thank you for checking out the menu…and yes, hot peppers are dangerous in the wrong hands.
Aloha,
Doug
I grinned and giggled. This piece is so “not you,” yet it really is you at the same time. Know what I mean??? Well, often people don’t know what I mean, so it’s okay if you don’t. Great job at a piece that takes us right out there into fantasy land. Slightly hilarious, but truly touching. My favorite line in the whole story is “This is going to be an unusual relationship, isn’t it?” Maybe it’s because every relationship I’ve had has been “unusual,” and I can relate.
And I just have to say, Doug, that — for the second time — I was absolutely sure this picture was one of yours — before I looked at the credits. I had the same experience months ago when I took the first look at that photo of the man sitting in front of the fire with his feet propped up and holding an iPad. Don’t know why, but there’s something about your photos that carry your mark.
Dear Sandra,
Your comments are so wonderful to read and i can’t thank you enough for the time you take and attention to detail you lavish on them. “So not me”? Who am I, anyway. Thanks for letting me know I came close to my target this week. I’ve always been a fan of Easy Travel to Other Planets and Heinlein and this story was an homage to both writers and their imaginations.
As for being able to tell if a photo was/is mine, let’s keep watching and see if your discriminating eye or my identifiable compositions keep your record going. I’ll try to weave a more invisible web next time.
Aloha,
Doug
This very much has an Alice in Wonderland feel. Perhaps it’s the falling packet of peppers. Nice piece, Doug, and thanks for a great picture.
Dear Alicia,
You’re welcome, re the picture. My workshop never looked so good Thank you for reading and commenting. Who knows, maybe it was Alice that he met at Scalini’s.
Aloha,
Doug
I’m taking some time off, but your title intrigued me and I’m glad I stopped by. Unusual is another word for special. Relationships we feel able to define on our own terms are often the best.
Dear Jennifer,
I heard somewhere that you are racing in the Iditarod or something. I Sebastian bundled up warm and tight?
Thank you for giving my story a look see. I like the way you peer as deep into a story as you can. You’re one of the people I think about when I imagine my work being scrutinized for content and clarity. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.
Have fun out there.
Aloha,
Doug
Doug, how fitting that I get to enjoy reading this just as I’ve been having moments of daydreaming lately, wishing I could somehow “slip” away into a place I’ve never been. I don’t get to travel, and this piece allowed me to do so in a wonderfully whimsical kind of style. Loved it. 🙂 XOXO-Kasey
Dear Kasey,
I wish for you an expedition of happiness that takes you traveling. I haven’t done much and would love to do more, but, upon reflection, realize that I’ve seen a bit of the world. Get out there by reading at the very least, something I probably don’t have to mention. Would you like the perfect adventure? Read A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Heprin. (And don’t be put off by it’s title. You won’t regret it. happy travels and thanks for reading Five after Whatever and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Thanks, Doug! I’ve taken the name and author down and will definitely give it a read! Reading is indeed a great escape and a great way to “travel”. Thanks, again!
Ah.. this has to be one of the most odd way to start a relationship I ever came upon.. just falling from the sky like that.
Dear Bjorn,
But in the end, don’t we all just fall from the sky into each other’s lives? Life is so wonderful like that.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
I love the romance here!
Dear Dawn,
Mmmmm! Me too. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
I love the blend of fantasy and romance, which really go hand in hand quite well 🙂
Dear Siobhan,
Fantasy and Romance. Should we be learning something from these two words working so well together. Probably best not to think about it.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Random acts of … dining! Magic.
Dear JD,
I like your description of my story. Would have made a good title, too. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Love the last line. Leaving on a trip and I wasn’t going to write a story until I saw who the photo contributor was… It came to me in an instant! Aloha, Mate.
Dear Ted,
You’re kind to an old campaigner. Where are you off to now? Camera ready? By the way, your story this week was stellar. Thanks.
Aloha,
Doug
Doug,
that’s the sort of serendipity magic that would really infuse some quirkiness into the world. At least, as long as you only met beautiful women at restaurants on the beach. 🙂
Dear David,
And that’s to say nothing about being on the other end of the rabbit hole. I think I’d like a world like that. Thank you for stopping in to read and comment.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug, So romantic and clever. I love it and I guess we are all lucky to find our true loves. Great story Doug! Nan
Dear Nan,
The forever quest, eh? True love is elusive, but worth the time and travel required to find it. Thank you for your kind comments on my story this week. I appreciate you taking the time to stop in and check it out.
Aloha,
Doug
A fantastical romance! Who says you have to go out and look for love? Great piece!
Dear Draliman,
N-dimensional travel. I thought you might like this one. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
It sounds like this is going to be a hot romance considering its start. Your last line is clever referencing the time on the clock. I think we all would like a little romantic calamari once in a while.
Dear Lisa,
I second your thoughts re the temperature of the romance. Romantic calamari? That would be a great title for a flash fiction, perhaps an alternate for mine this week. Thanks for such a nice comment.
Aloha,
Doug
Love this. I wonder if he ever finished the cuboctahedron?? Seems like he’s become somewhat distracted.
Marg
Dear Marg,
If he finishes it, he loses his window to St. Heliers. It remains a work in progress. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Sunny Smile! I love it, romantic story.
Dear Elizabeth,
Thanks for saying so. I love a good romance as well.
Aloha,
Doug
What an adventure! I always enjoy reading the stories from the person who originated the week’s photo prompt, but this was an extra-special treat. One of my favorite FF stories ever, Doug. Great work.
All my best,
Marie Gail
Dear Marie,
Your kind comment has me chopping in tall cotton. I really appreciate you saying that you enjoyed my story this week. Having to write about your own picture kind of forces you to up the bar, lest folks say ‘great picture, but not much of a story.’ Thank you for letting me know I hit close to the mark.
Aloha,
Doug
What a way to travel! Pass me a pepper.
Dear Alice,
And a small cuboctahedron on the side, right? Thank you for dropping by to read and comment.
Aloha,
Doug
This is lovely. May I borrow your cuboctahedron?
Dear Patrick,
If you build one yourself you can zip through it to borrow mine, but, then again, if you can do that, you won’t need to borrow mine. Your call. The answer’s yes, either way.
Aloha,
Doug
I love the tone of the ‘.. Oh, never mind,’ as everything that has come before becomes unimportant in the face of this new relationship. I’d be worried about openings and things other than hot peppers falling through though.
Dear Sarah Ann,
I like the way you think….and besides helping to save words, the ‘Oh, never mind’ is instructional for moments like that. Have to roll with it.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Doug, I wish travel was that simple. I’ve looked into food packages and never traveled. I think there was some magic involved with those peppers. Thanks for the lovely photo full of story ideas. Well written as always. 🙂 — Susan
Dear Susan,
Travel is a trial at times, which is why fantasy thrives on the written page. Thanks for your kind comments.
Aloha,
Doug
What a fun little fantasy. Now I’m going to be on the look-out for mysteriously appearing hot peppers so maybe I can find some of my own romance. 🙂
Whatever that dish is exactly, it sounds scrumptious, Doug. I could smell the sea salt and feel the wind in my hair. This sounds like a hot romance to me!
Dear Amy,
Out of the blue with a dash of hot peppers. The best kind of romance. Thank you for dropping in to read and comment.
Aloha,
Doug
I loved this 🙂
Dear Helen,
Escapist fiction. My geometry teacher had no idea that I was really paying attention in class. Thank you for reading and commenting,
Aloha,
Doug
This reminds me of looking into those sugar Easter eggs with the miniature scenes inside! Interesting conversation…and nice open ending.
Ellespeth
Dear Ellespeth,
What were those Easter egg dioramas called? Kachinka eggs? Thank you for the kind comment.
Aloha,
Doug
Oh my goodness, Doug! I had to look up what a Kachinka egg is. How beautiful! They certainly don’t look eddible 😛
Ellespeth
Nothing like a building a cuboctahedron to get one fantazing about hot peppers, beautiful women, and pristine views.
What a matrix…. Randy
Dear Randy,
N-dimensional spaces and displacement traveling. I’ll never look at Platonic solids in the same light again. Than you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Now I really appreciate that work of art! Lead me to the cuboctahedron! And throw in a little pepper too please.
Dear Perry,
Geometry was never so much fun in high school. I should have studied harder. Thanks for stopping by.
Aloha,
Doug
Agree with Alicia, definitely a case of “through the looking glasses”. I like the wrap up at the end. Well written, though I had to reread to get the gist of it
Dear WN,
100 words places limitations on work, but I find it very much make me push to get the most out of a little. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
I’ll have what he is eating. Liked the whimsicality of this story.
Dear Subroto,
Thank you for dropping by to read and comment. I appreciate it.
Aloha,
Doug
I wonder what I’d get if I posted a picture of a bag of chocolate? Thanks for a fun and creative read! Psst, I don’t know what subjunctive is either. 😉
Dear Leona,
Thanks for reading and commenting. The answer to your question is Hot Chocolate, but don’t tell anyone.
Aloha,
Doug
What a unique interpretation of your prompt. Loved it.