Returning to the porch of his ramshackle beach hut, he looked at the shelves filled with his collection of driftwood, shells, coral and flotsam and jetsam.
In the two remaining spaces he placed the latest additions from his morning walk along the sand. The severed foot sat nicely in the smaller space, and he managed to bend the arm at the elbow joint to place it at an aesthetically pleasing angle in the larger space.
He sat back contented on his deckchair as the sun rose higher in the sky. Another day in paradise, and finally some proper peace and quiet.
Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read more stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
Iain Kelly 
Wow. The severed foot hit me like an express train. I wasn’t expecting that in paradise!
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Some people have different ideas of paradise – and what needs to be done to keep it a paradise… Thanks Neil.
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Dear Iain,
Eeeeew. That’ a creepy collection he has going on. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cringe. I think I’ll do both. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think he may have spent too long in paradise away from the real world! Thanks Rochelle 🙂
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Holy shit! I read once and was like, ‘Wait that can’t be right!’ :O Creepy dude’s paradise. Kind of freaked out about my beach vacation next week! Great writing Iain
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Oh no, sorry to freak you out, I’m sure no one like this will be on your vacation! 🙂
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Haha, haha. I love this so much.
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Thanks Jac 🙂
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Interesting that we should go down the same path, all be it in differing ways.
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A lifestyle to be envied
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In some respects, yes 🙂
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I like a psychopath with an artistic bent. Well done.
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Thanks Sandra 🙂
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Ooh gruesome! But then there are lots of odd things that get washed up on a beach.
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🙂 Thanks for the comment and the photo prompt Claire.
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I wasn’t expecting this turn. It made me shiver a bit
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Hopefully that’s a sign that my writing was okay. Thanks for commenting.
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Well, that’s one way to keep your personal paradise personal. 😀 Creepy in a quiet way, I like that.
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Quieter is always creepier 😉 Thanks for the comment.
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LMAO. I mean maybe that’s not the expected reaction but I can truly get where this guy is coming from….. Well done Iain
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Thanks, it does seem to have appealed to a few people’s darker sense of humour! 🙂
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Oh I love black humour Iain. And I also love peace and quiet…..
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Slightly scary comment… 😉
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This sure provokes diverse emotions. Very true to the prompt.
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Thanks, a lot of commenters seem to have some sympathy for him 🙂
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Love this, Iain.
And I relate to the guy big time.
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It seems a lot of us do… Thanks for the compliment.
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Ugh, gruesome! So glad the elbow could be bent to be aesthetically pleasing!
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These things have to be just right 😉
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nice but creepy story
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Thanks 🙂
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What I’m wondering is if he’s just found the dismembered remains – or if he caused them! Either way, wonderfully dark and wryly funny in the blackest of ways. Nicely done Iain
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I will leave it up to you to decide, either way works – I know which one I prefer! Thanks Lynn 🙂
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My pleasure 🙂
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I’m with Lynn. I think it could go either way. Thanks let letting us wonder.
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You’re welcome 🙂
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Yee gads! Thanks FOR letting us wonder.
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Gives me a shiver’ elbow joint…aesthetically pleasing angle… ‘Creepy fellow but one is entitled to his paradise.
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Thanks for comment, seems to be creepy for most people 🙂
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Very well written piece.
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Now that really makes it a “curio cabinet” — I like the bending the arm so it would fit. Sociopath paradise indeed.
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Thanks 🙂
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Naive, little me wants to think it was just a severed foot from an old doll, but old wise me knows differently. 🙂
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Interesting take, but yeah, a little innocent! 🙂
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I tried. 🙂
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Sinister, I like it.
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Thanks Tracey 🙂
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Whether he killed the person or not, his a really disturbed fellow.
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He has issues, he’s working through them 😉
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Fine additions to any slightly disturbed individual’s collection!
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A must have! 🙂
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Nice touch bending the elbow and great illustration of how everyone’s idea of paradise is different. Even if this one is a little macabre.
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Just a little… thanks Michael
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Some uncomfortable juxtaposing here; I like it very much!
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Thanks Louise 🙂
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Such a great piece of writing, Iain. I love the contrast between the calm and tranquil atmosphere of the story and the startling image of the latest items in his display.
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Thanks Edith, much appreciated
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Soooo… from driftwood to severed members, eh? Well now, one can’t always understand an artist’s vision… 🙂
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Maybe you need to be there to truly appreciate it, not sure it’s worth the risk though! 🙂
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Yes…maybe….
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Adds a whole new dimension to giving someone the elbow…
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LOL very good 🙂
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Peacefully chilling 😉
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Thanks Helen 🙂
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I agree with all the rave reviews This as a great story.
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Thanks, not sure I’ve had rave reviews before 🙂
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Nice! Very well written.
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Many thanks.
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I suppose if you’ve lived in Paradise on your own and out of choice for long enough, even someone saying “hello” to you might jar quite badly 😉
Thanks, Iain, for a most entertaining bit of black comedy.
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If they would just leave him alone… Thanks Sarah 🙂
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“…finally some proper peace and quiet.” hmm, I wonder how loud that neighbor was.. I guess now we’ll never know! Great story, I loved the subtlety.
-Rachel
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Thanks Rachel – I suspect the neighbor probably wasn’t doing that much wrong… 🙂
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The esthetics of body-parts says a lot, and so does the “peace”… what is that flashing blue light?
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If they would just leave him all alone he won’t harm anyone else… 🙂
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Eeewwwwhahaha. I love it, it’s so fun creepy. I’m glad you didn’t have him break any fingers or toes to fit on the shelves. Great writing.
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Thanks, glad it got both reactions from you. No need for anymore rearranging on the shelves…unless his peace is disturbed again! 🙂
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finally, the foot and the arm got the respect they deserved. i could imagine the owner grinning from ear to ear. 🙂
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Thanks for reading 🙂
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This made me laugh too! I enjoyed the care he took getting the angle of the arm just right. It might be gruesome to keep it on a shelf but it still needs to be done right :o)
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It’s all in the small details 🙂 Thanks for reading and kind comment.
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Ha! I read the comments. I am obviously not the only one knocked off balance by the “severed foot”. Good job!
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Thanks for reading 🙂
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Wow, he is a little gruesome. lol
I can’t help but wonder if the foot and the elbow came from the same source
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That’s a thought… 🙂
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His idea of paradise rocked me….super fiction 🙂
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Many thanks 🙂
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It sounds like he finally has the peace and quiet he was seeking.
I like how sinister it is. I enjoyed this one a lot, Lain.
Isadora 😎
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Many thanks 🙂
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Yikes! Great contrast. I love that he has this peaceful sense of aesthetic satisfaction after apparently having been up to some very violent deed. Interesting!
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Thanks Emily, the calm after the storm! Much appreciated 🙂
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Wow – a shocker! I really liked the casual matter of fact way of narration.
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Thanks Dahlia 🙂
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Thanks for the follow.
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Very bizarre but so subtly and quietly placed. You have mastered the craft of fiction well.
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Thank you for a lovely compliment 🙂
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